Last Spring, when the street fight between the two major Democratic contenders was really getting dirty, I had just started this blog and wanted to opine on it. As an outsider looking in on that fiasco, I wanted to point out Clinton’s obvious superiority, but after Obama became the unofficial nominee, I thought it might come off as tacky.
But as the Democrats’ convention winds down, I can’t help but think of it again.
Why in the world would any liberal support Obama over Clinton? What does he have to offer that she doesn’t? She has experience and success in her work; Obama is the poster boy for satire: a figurehead model who spouts vague platitudes and wows the masses with a smarmy charm that poorly covers his lack of depth. His campaign is so vapid that it’s frankly beyond satire. No conservative, trying to invent an exaggerated campaign of shallow nonsense to caricature American politics, could ever have imagined anything as silly as Obama. I’ve seen high school class elections with more substance. He might as well just make his slogan, “Vote for me and all of your wildest dreams will come true.”
I’m reminded of a letter of mine that ran during the last presidential election: from the Las Vegas Mercury, April 15, 2004:
Kerry campaign akin to Homer Simpsonism
John Kerry recently appeared on MTV with his daughter to sell the young audience on a plan to pay for all of their college tuition and have a job waiting for them when they graduate. This isn’t the first time such a strategy has been used in American politics.
On an episode of “The Simpsons,” Homer ran for city sanitation manager. His plan was to get garbage men to do all your grungy housework for you. He ran with the inspiring slogan, “Can’t someone else do it?” Homer won in a landslide, and then completely ruined the city with his inane Big Brother-as-baby sitter plan.
Now John Kerry wants to rally the country around the same philosophy: “Can’t someone else do it?”
See…a vote for John Kerry is a vote for Homer Simpson.
If Kerry is Homer Simpson, I guess Obama is Bart when he’s up to mischief: a narcissistic con man who plays the yokels for suckers by putting on the act they want to see.
Back to Clinton and Obama, let me illustrate the difference: am I the only one who remembers their debate earlier this year when they were asked what they’d do if Iran wanted to meet for talks? Obama gave a naively shortsighted answer–that he would gladly meet with any savage dictator who wanted the prestige of getting a photo op with the leader of the free world and respectfully hear out their fevered, inane rantings–which Clinton quickly and rightly jumped all over–she instantly clarified that no U.S. leader should give such credibility to any rogue nation with which the international community is diplomatically contending.
It looked just like a patient veteran stepping in to correct the error of an eager but clueless rookie who still needs basic mentoring before he can strike out on his own.
I wouldn’t vote for Hillary Clinton, but if I were a liberal, I would have supported her. I have a lot of sympathy for her many serious, honest, and loyal followers who were callously betrayed by their party. She’s clearly the more qualified representative of the Left. Frankly, even as a conservative, I’d rather have her in the White House than Obama. A competent socialist is better than an incompetent one. As the saying goes, the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know.
Gently Hew Stone 