Lies, Lies and More Damned Lies
©2008 by LeeZard
Last Saturday I attended my legislative district caucus as a delegate for Hillary Clinton. My heart wasn’t in it and, you know, it had nothing to do with my alleged advanced age. I can still be passionate about issues and people. I can still light the fire in my belly and join a crusade. Today I just feel let down.
When this presidential marathon began, I was excited. I remembered being mesmerized by Barack Obama’s keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic national convention and, while I didn’t know much about him, I was thrilled at the prospect of a truly viable African American presidential candidate. No disrespect to Shirley Chisholm, Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson but, not one of them was ever a front-runner for the nomination.
As for Hillary, I always thought she was the real brains of the outfit, even in Bill’s White House (That’s not to say the former president isn’t brilliant in his own right; I just think Hillary’s brilliance outshines his. Debate on that is for another post.) I was likewise thrilled at the prospect of a Democratic victory in November making history no matter who got the nomination.
Deciding which candidate to back was a no-brainer for LeeZard. I’d been looking forward to Hillary’s run since she won her senate seat from New York. I was ready to ignite the belly fire and travel the road to Hillaryville. I kept the faith, even as the road got bumpy.
As the road traveled through South Carolina and the campaign turned loose “Pit Bull” Bill, the bumps got bigger and my faith began to rattle. Bill’s negative tactics there were an embarrassment to his stature, his wife’s campaign and the Democratic Party. I’ve written in earlier postings that South Carolina was the beginning of Hillary’s end.
Having said all of the above, the events of the past few weeks – in which both Hillary and Obama flat out lied to make themselves look better – have me throwing my hands in the air and saying, “Fuck ‘em both!”
I didn’t for one minute believe Obama’s initial response to the reports of his long-time pastor’s vicious, racist, anti-American sermons – that he “didn’t recall” hearing the venom. Puh-leeze!
As for Hillary, what the hell was she thinking when she made up that fairy tale about her supposedly “dangerous” welcome to Bosnia “under fire?” This is no turnip that just fell off the truck. She had to know that her arrival that day was videotaped and yet, she repeated the story over and over until the truth came out. Then, her equally incredulous response, "I misspoke."
Hillary. HILLARY!!
What makes her gaffe even gaffier is the fact that she stood by Bill’s side after he got caught in HIS big lie (“I never had sex with that woman.”) and still threw the Bosnian bull. Didn't she learn anything from Bill's little flap, the one in which he got caught with his flap down?
So, maybe the Clinton-haters are right; maybe they will stoop to anything to win; damn the torpedoes, full bullshit ahead. Yeah, I know, politicians have always lied, either by commission or omission - Jefferson shtooping his slaves, Kennedy shtooping Marilyn, Nixon shtooping the country, etc. For some reason, though, this whole mess sticks in my craw like my mother’s overcooked pot roast. It’s not just that they lied; it’s that they lied so badly and so blatantly that they were so easily caught.
For me, it calls to question their ability to think clearly under extreme pressure. I can see the quotes now: “Uh, sorry President Putin, I don’t recall being in the situation room when U.S. troops were ordered into Russia.” Or, “I’m sorry; I misspoke when I said earlier that New Zealand had launched a nuclear strike against Australia.”
The sad thing is, no matter who gets the Democratic nomination, I'll vote for him or her. Somehow, I guess I'd rather live with Democratic lies than Republican ones (Remember Iraq's Weapons of mass destruction?). Americans, choose your poison.
Last Saturday I attended my legislative district caucus as a delegate for Hillary Clinton. My heart wasn’t in it and, you know, it had nothing to do with my alleged advanced age. I can still be passionate about issues and people. I can still light the fire in my belly and join a crusade. Today I just feel let down.
When this presidential marathon began, I was excited. I remembered being mesmerized by Barack Obama’s keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic national convention and, while I didn’t know much about him, I was thrilled at the prospect of a truly viable African American presidential candidate. No disrespect to Shirley Chisholm, Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson but, not one of them was ever a front-runner for the nomination.
As for Hillary, I always thought she was the real brains of the outfit, even in Bill’s White House (That’s not to say the former president isn’t brilliant in his own right; I just think Hillary’s brilliance outshines his. Debate on that is for another post.) I was likewise thrilled at the prospect of a Democratic victory in November making history no matter who got the nomination.
Deciding which candidate to back was a no-brainer for LeeZard. I’d been looking forward to Hillary’s run since she won her senate seat from New York. I was ready to ignite the belly fire and travel the road to Hillaryville. I kept the faith, even as the road got bumpy.
As the road traveled through South Carolina and the campaign turned loose “Pit Bull” Bill, the bumps got bigger and my faith began to rattle. Bill’s negative tactics there were an embarrassment to his stature, his wife’s campaign and the Democratic Party. I’ve written in earlier postings that South Carolina was the beginning of Hillary’s end.
Having said all of the above, the events of the past few weeks – in which both Hillary and Obama flat out lied to make themselves look better – have me throwing my hands in the air and saying, “Fuck ‘em both!”
I didn’t for one minute believe Obama’s initial response to the reports of his long-time pastor’s vicious, racist, anti-American sermons – that he “didn’t recall” hearing the venom. Puh-leeze!As for Hillary, what the hell was she thinking when she made up that fairy tale about her supposedly “dangerous” welcome to Bosnia “under fire?” This is no turnip that just fell off the truck. She had to know that her arrival that day was videotaped and yet, she repeated the story over and over until the truth came out. Then, her equally incredulous response, "I misspoke."
Hillary. HILLARY!!
What makes her gaffe even gaffier is the fact that she stood by Bill’s side after he got caught in HIS big lie (“I never had sex with that woman.”) and still threw the Bosnian bull. Didn't she learn anything from Bill's little flap, the one in which he got caught with his flap down?
So, maybe the Clinton-haters are right; maybe they will stoop to anything to win; damn the torpedoes, full bullshit ahead. Yeah, I know, politicians have always lied, either by commission or omission - Jefferson shtooping his slaves, Kennedy shtooping Marilyn, Nixon shtooping the country, etc. For some reason, though, this whole mess sticks in my craw like my mother’s overcooked pot roast. It’s not just that they lied; it’s that they lied so badly and so blatantly that they were so easily caught.
For me, it calls to question their ability to think clearly under extreme pressure. I can see the quotes now: “Uh, sorry President Putin, I don’t recall being in the situation room when U.S. troops were ordered into Russia.” Or, “I’m sorry; I misspoke when I said earlier that New Zealand had launched a nuclear strike against Australia.”
The sad thing is, no matter who gets the Democratic nomination, I'll vote for him or her. Somehow, I guess I'd rather live with Democratic lies than Republican ones (Remember Iraq's Weapons of mass destruction?). Americans, choose your poison.
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