Why People Hate Hillary
During the 1992 presidential campaign that gave us Bill Clinton, I remarked to a friend that if they would just swap out the candidates for their wives, they would have my vote. In particular I thought Hillary Clinton was substantially smarter than her husband.
Since then I have lived in the south and watched eight years of pretty raw hatred of Bill Clinton, but ever greater hatred of Hillary. Now it happens I’m not a Hillary supporter, though I will almost certainly vote Democrat in this election regardless of their nominee. Yet Barack Obama attracts me a good deal more. At the same time, I would only suffer a minor moment of annoyance should the tide turn yet again and Hillary Clinton became the nominee. (One key issue on which I prefer Obama is simply that he voted against the war in Iraq from the start. He neither claims deception (Clinton), nor a change of mind (Edwards), though Edwards is to be congratulated for the almost unheard of step of announcing he was wrong.)
When I listen to liberals (other liberals?) rage on about Bush in many of the same terms, I just tell myself that this is what people are like. Of course it’s also quite possible that other people have higher expectations of politicians than I do. I never vote for someone I like completely. I always feel that I’m choosing the lesser of two evils. Thus I’m also less disappointed when the person who is actually elected fails to live up to the campaign rhetoric.
But I have never figured out just what makes people hate Hillary Clinton so much. She isn’t the most liberal Democrat, for example. If she were, that would explain many of my conservative friends who despise her. I had come to the tentative conclusion that the combination of opposition to her policies and various levels of dislike of a strong woman in leadership have led to this intense hatred. Of course for some people it’s more obvious!
I followed this link from a trackback to another post to find this feminist blog which actually looks at some data. There has been a tendency to think that women are voting more for Clinton than men, in other words, women are voting their gender. We hear less about men voting their gender. (I wonder why.) But according to the blog post, it seems quite possible that men are voting their gender more than women. I don’t know as this is terribly profound, but it’s worth thinking about.
Making issues like this conscious and explicit rather than subconscious is an excellent way to make our thinking more rational and reality based. Maybe a few folks ought to check their views against Hillary’s and see whether she’s not closer than you think.
Having done that, I must say that one issue–the war–will leave me closer to Obama. Oh well! It was an interesting exercise!
Making issues like this conscious and explicit rather than subconscious is an excellent way to make our thinking more rational and reality based.
Thanks for the thoughtful post (and for that link) and for getting us to be conscious and explicit about our issues.
I found this by site by Googling “Why do evangelicals hate Hillary”-Glad to know that I’m not the only one who wonders this. I do think that you hit it with the part about the ‘smart/powerful woman’. I know many evangelicals that don’t believe that a woman should ever be in a position of power (over any man). They won’t admit it publicly, so much. But I have heard it said a lot in private and on evangelical radio stations-commentaries from the DJ’s, said quickly in passing, under their breath, while going to a new song, etc. Wonder what they’re so scared of? Those that weren’t happy with any of the Republicans or Democrats that share her views–they don’t go after them the same. Looking forward to reading more from your site as time allows.
Obama did not vote against the war in Iraq. He was not yet in the senate.
I should have said “opposed the war from he start.”
1. I think that most people hate Hillary for reasons that they can not logically point out to anyone other than those who agree with them. Hate her? What has she done? I think that one thing is certain that Bill Clintons presidency was the most investigated in US history. The subterfuge was effective because it worked to destroy the credibility of both the Pres. and his wife. Coincidence? We have other respectable Dem. voices in govt who have abandoned logic and careful analysis in favor of a message. They have dissolved the race into a race about race and, of course, gender. Hillary has less investment in being the first woman than does Obama being the first black. He has a long tiring speech that spellbinds the unintelligent to a cause he has no ability to cure. Rather than having the class to step aside and allow a seasoned politician with a proven track record to begin working on this nations difficulties, he has transformed into a classic pedagogue spouting a litany of platitudes and promises.
I dont think that Dems really hate Hillary but rather dont like or trust themselves. The fact that Dems in leadership positions have allowed these past 7 years of numerous occasions of deceit to go completely unaddressed is absolutely cowardly. Think back to when we nearly impeached a president for a ***&** in the Oval Office and Ted Kennedy and alums have let this administration to just trudge on and simultaneously tread on everything this country once stood for. There is an old adage that you cant really love someone else until you love yourself: apply this adage to most Democrats. Dems in general have become weak, lazy, disempowered thinkers and lovers when it comes to politics. I for one am embarrassed that I spent as much time thinking that they would be able to really figure out that they are their own worst enemies. I think that if Hillary loses this one, she and Bill BOTH need to pack it up and go on the lecture circuit. What is the point of being a loyal, committed civil servant with a proven track record if that is actually something that can be used as a form of liability instead of reliability. Good grief.