Facebook offers choices for indicating relationship status. Married, single, in a relationship, or “It’s complicated.”
Complicated – that’s how I feel about Hillary Clinton running for president.
I’ve admired Hillary since she spoke up on 60 Minutes and refused to stay home, bake cookies, host teas, and be the little woman standing by her man.
I read her first memoir – I didn’t bother to read Bill’s.
I mourned her loss in the primaries of 2008. I had to grieve the fact that her party was over before I could support Barack Obama. And support him I did, with my vote and my blog and my volunteer time.
Now I’m feeling very conflicted. Hillary has all the traits I value in a leader. She’s intelligent, strong, experienced, knowledgeable, and the list could go on and on. Hillary Clinton would be an excellent president of the United States.
The trouble is this: Hillary may not be the best candidate.
She has baggage. Lots of baggage. Benghazi. Email-gate. Her age and gender (damn, I wish those didn’t matter). Her outspokenness.
I’m really stuck, people. Bernie Sanders may be the stronger candidate. He supports the issues that matter to me. He is intelligent, strong, knowledgeable, and more. He doesn’t have the experience that Hillary does, but neither does he have the baggage. And yet –
To leave Hillary’s side after following her through thick and thin and Monica Lewinsky feels disloyal. I feel like leaving her now is like kicking her when she’s down – at least when her polls are down. It’s a paradox, that’s what it is.
I didn’t aim to write a review for Joanne Cronrath Bamberger’s book Love Her, Lover Her Not: The Hillary Paradox. Indeed, I haven’t ordered my copy – yet. But I am definitely feeling that paradox. I admire Hillary Clinton to the moon and back, but I can’t quite put my vote in her corner – yet. She would be a great president. I have no doubt of that. But first, she has to be electable. And no matter how high her pedestal in my opinion, I’m not sure she can will the general election.
And that, my friends, is my dilemma.
When she was Sec of State or even Senator I felt we were seeing her. Now I feel like we are seeing what her handlers have created. She doesn’t come across as genuine. She doesn’t have my support right now.
First, my condolences that Scott Walker is coming back to you, and no longer inflicting himself on the rest of us.
I’m a New Yorker, I voted for Hillary and was so proud of my Senator. I also had to get over my disappointment before I could support Obama.
I agree with you about the baggage, but the Clintons have always been able to get out from under. I’m not sure this country is ready to be led by a socialist Jew with a Catholic wife.
Biden getting into the race is going to make things very complicated.
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