Wednesday, December 02, 2015

 

Political Mayhem Wednesday (Special Edition)


It's been a little while since I have talked about the Presidential race, so I'm going to devote two days to it now.  I'd like to examine two of the three most intriguing and (to my mind) important participants in the race-- Hillary Clinton today and Donald Trump tomorrow. (Bernie Sanders is the third, but he can be discussed some other week).

No candidate is perfect, and Hillary Clinton's imperfections fall in the areas I care most about. I fervently want to avoid more foreign wars, and I fear she does not share that view (of course, only Rand Paul does, probably).  There is nothing about her that gives me hope that she would pay attention to the pardon process, sadly.  And, beyond that, Ron Fournier has done a good job bringing out the deeper meanings of her email issue and the rougher edges of the Clinton legacy.

Something happened, though, that seems to have been a turning point. In late October, she spent 11 hours testifying in front of a House committee investigating Benghazi.  I feel pretty sure that the point of the endurance session was to harm her campaign. I am more confident that it had the opposite effect. She was steady, consistent, and unflappable. She was straightforward, and did not claim victimhood.  It was perfectly handled, and required energy, determination, and poise. She has that skill set.

And that is, along with everything else, important. 


Comments:
Yes, I agree. I watched several hours of her testimony and was left with the distinct feeling that Bernie Sanders probably wouldn't have been able to do that. (Of course, whether they would have treated a man exactly the same way is at least a tiny bit of that picture).

I avoid using the vague word "presidential," but it's the only word I can think of to describe her handling of those 11 hours of questions. I am troubled by the email machinations, with her need to parse words and not just own up to stuff, and impatient with her wanting to be the nominee above all else, but that day, watching her endure being yelled at and asked the same questions repeatedly, for me the Hillary baggage went out the window and I felt she was someone who knows her stuff, takes what she does seriously, and can handle herself in difficult situations.
 
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