Hillary is damaged goods

By EBS, guess blogger

There is something angry and unsettling about her and her world view. Many things have been discussed over the last few weeks – from her MLK/LBJ quote to her campaigns increased untruthful attacks on Barack Obama’s record. We will see more, because we have seen it all before. The erratic behavior during this campaign is consistent and has history.

Some evidence:

• The desire for combat – Every chance Hillary and Bill get to have a fight they go for it. Some of their biggest difficulties during the Clinton presidency came from their inability to compromise and willingness to fight (Health Care reform for example). As an educator, I always taught my students that if they see people escalating into a fight they should go the other way and get help or they should (if they have the ability to do so) try to break things up. During this campaign Hillary says that she’s “just getting warmed up” when things get contentious in a debate. Bill explains that he enjoys seeing his wife and Senator Obama fight during a debate. Hillary constantly crows about being “vetted” and how she has withstood 16 years of Republican attacks and she’s still here. She is like someone in one of those ultimate fighting rings or the WWE. The bragging about winning fights is unseemly at best and very frightening. She is like some gladiator waiting to take out the lions. Usually the gladiator gets eaten.
• The emotional flip flopping – In the course of the campaign since Iowa we have seen Clinton scream during debates (she was so loud during one that the moderator had to remind her that she was only a few feet away). She sometimes gets emotional as she did on that faithful day in New Hampshire. She sometimes becomes coquettish when talking to media men (look at her last Sunday on “Face the Nation”) or she is tough. Sometime she shows both emotions in the same setting – see the debate with Charlie Gibson. Hillary is tough. Hillary is a fighter. Hillary is emotional. Hillary is caring. Hillary is a policy wonk. Hillary cares about people. I know, I know. Feminists will scream that this is a slap because she is a female and that her range of emotionality should not be discussed. I do not think she has such ups and downs because she is a woman. I think she has then because she trying to figure out which Hillary would work best for the electorate. She will be anyone to win this election.
• The constant slips of the lip –Clinton can be revealing and then apologetic as she speaks publicly. Some quotes attributed to Clinton to refresh our memories:

“I'm not some Tammy Wynette standing by my man”
“I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas…”

“You show people what you're willing to fight for when you fight your friends.”

“Who is going to find out? These women are trash. Nobody’s going to believe them.” (in a book about the Clinton’s marriage)

“I'm not going to have some reporters pawing through our papers. We are the president.” (as First Lady)

“I have to confess that it's crossed my mind that you could not be a Republican and a Christian." (Of Ghandi, an apology occurred later)


"Before I was born, a man named Sir Edmund Hillary became famous for being the first person to climb Mount Everest. My father named me after him as a symbolic message that I could achieve anything I wanted in life... that I could climb ANY mountain..." (Hillary was born before Edmund Hillary climbed Everest)

We see lies. We see truth. It is hard to tell – but we do see some interesting beliefs of the junior Senator from New York.

As we watch Mrs. Clinton and her husband campaign for the presidency we have and will see and hear a fighting emotional roller coaster filled with ill advised (but telling) quotes. I know the country wants something different.