I feel sorry for Hillary Clinton.
I say this with no irony and no sarcasm. I say this not as a Conservative Republican delighted with the disarray on the Democratic side (which I am) or as someone who enjoys seeing the identity politics of Liberalism coming back to bite its creators (which I also am). Rather, I say this merely as a human being who has followed the rough-and-tumble world of politics for decades and has never seen anyone treated so savagely by her own allies.
Foremost among Mrs. Clinton’s sins is her insistence on continuing her quest for the Democratic nomination for the presidency by following the rules of her own party and, inconveniently for that party, racking up millions of votes and large numbers of delegates. Her sins also include pointing out flaws in her opponent and questioning his electability, as if those kinds of things have never occurred in a primary campaign. Her criticisms are condemned as, at best, destructive to her party and, at worst, racist. She’s been painted as a shrill, conniving, delusional old crone by her own party.
The current issue of the reliably wacky The New Republic features a cover story called “The Voices in Her Head: Hillaryland’s Fatal Psychodrama.” A photo of a maniacal-looking Clinton with a Hitler-like raised arm is festooned with cartoonish dialog balloons filled with remarks such as, “I bowl with Jesus!”, “You’ll take away this nomination from my cold, dead hands!”, “Caucuses are elitist!”, and “How do you say ‘Judas’ in Spanish?” Wow! Get a grip, guys.
Believe me, I have never been an admirer of either Clinton. The thought of her in the White House is a very uncomfortable one. However, she’s not attempting to overthrow the government of the United States. I can certainly understand why there’s fear of a prolonged battle on the Democratic side, but who knows for sure how that will play out?
It’s my fervent hope that John McCain will soundly defeat any Democratic candidate, and that party’s current mess is probably helping him toward that goal, so it would be disingenuous of me to deny deriving some pleasure from the current goings-on. But I would like to assure Mrs. Clinton that if she is somehow able to wrest the nomination from her party’s professionals, the “Republican attack machine” she’s always warning against will be more civil to her than her own people have been.
Yes, it’s true. I feel sorry for Hillary Clinton.
