The Tragedy of the Clinton Campaign
Joe Gandelman at The Moderate Voice did a round-up on the weekend of the continuing reaction to Clinton’s remarks about her hardworking, white supporters. The word that seemed to come up in several of them was “tragedy”. It is, I think, the most accurate way to describe what has happened.
I once described my reaction to the continuing Clinton campaign as starting out worried about the strong feelings of hatred she inspired in the Republicans, to coming to respect her as a candidate, to understanding why so many of her opponents hated her. Her desire to change the rules mid-stream with regards to Michigan and Florida, her implications that she was going to go after Obama’s pledged delegates, and particularly her repeated assertions of only she and McCain being worthy of the presidency was, and still is, enough to get the anger broiling, and the campaign tactics haven’t exactly improved since.
The anger though, has faded, to be replaced by a sort of pity. Hillary has gone so far over the top in her pandering and “Southern Strategy” that her campaign has turned into a caricature of itself. Given how skilled and talented she actually is, and the respect and support she earned in the early parts of the campaign and throughout her career, to see her piddle that away in an increasingly desperate gamble for votes can only be described as tragic.
She still has the chance to repair the damage, of course, but the longer she stays on the current path, the harder it will be to heal the divisions the campaign has opened up. Here's hoping she finds a way, and soon.
