« Dangerous Sexagenerian Shackled | Main | Us Vs. You. Or Just We? »
3 de Marzo, 2008
Confession or Calculation?
Categorized under Race for '08 | Tags: Clinton, Obama
CONFESSIONS OF WEAKNESS. Why?
"We were outspent. Doesn't count."
"The media is being mean to me. Look how nice they are to my opponent. The Ump is crooked and the Ref hates me."
"My opponent's greater popularity and fundraising abilities are not due to ability!"
And so on. It's a pattern now. Or just a behavior that can't be helped? Used because it's effective? Or an actual trait and sense of self?
I don't know anything about being a woman. I can only speak from my experience. But I would think that if I were a woman as smart as Senator Clinton, and running for President, I'd stay far away from excuses/explanations that take the shape of weakness. I would think that would be one of the main bullet points in her approach and strategy.
I also think it is well understood that strength does not look for an excuse at every turn, certainly not at every defeat. Strength will examine itself, find weaknesses, and attempt not to lean on them again.
Unless...she is as smart as is discussed and intends to use just these types of explanations? Because she is basically immune from being called on it? Because the moment someone did insinuate she was using the understood biases against women in her favor, she could (ironically) rally women behind a response that would claim Patriarchal bias? That would surely be a clever approach.
What do you think? Is that giving her campaign too much credit for strategy? Is that too cynical an assumption? Am I reading too much into it?
In my opinion, Senator Clinton was closest to embodying strength when she stood on stage and spoke kindly of Senator Obama. And that's why people responded to her at that moment. And that is a big part of why people respond so strongly and numerously to Barack Obama. Because strength is not afraid to pass up an opportunity at swiping and sniping. Strength believes first and foremost in its own capability, not in announcing the weakness of others, not in mocking their vision, not in complaining that the deck is stacked in their favor.
| 
| 
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Comentarios (1)
M
dijo:
She's been using the technique since the Iowa caucuses, after which she did her sniffle fit that the pundits interpreted as "crying." You're not being deceived. And while the media is demonstrating a lot of sexist bias against Hillary, it doesn't disguise the incompetence of her candidacy so far. She's floundering now and getting in as many dirty hits as she can on Obama, the media machine, and even the voters themselves as she tries to sway superdelegates to her side and tell the electorate that their assessment of leadership from her campaign doesn't count.
Palabras por M
spat forth on el 3 de Marzo, 2008 at 10:56 AM