Martin Eden Mercury
VIP Member
- Nov 2, 2015
- 897
- 107
- 80
In the Looking Glass World of American presidential politics, Hillary Clinton is more often than not, subjected to personal attacks by others, claiming she is the one who is engaging in the politics of personal destruction. Hillary Clinton's ability to campaign with an agility less senior, and less savvy presidential candidates lack, indisputably makes her the Red Queen in this world. Mrs. Clinton moves around on the chess board of electoral politics with a set of permissions others envy. It may seem unfair to some, but the Democratic party electorate, the people, have given her permission to speedily pivot with ease, in any direction, on any position, on any given issue.
In spite of the shrill shouts of "Unfair!" -- "Liar!" -- "Clintons live by their own rules!" coming out of the campaigns of her potential Republican opponents in the horse race, Hillary's laser-like ability to stay focused on her life-long goal of becoming the first female President of the United States of America, makes her a lethal, and formidable opponent. It also highlights the glaring ineptness of the campaigns of her opponents. Apart from platitudes and empty slogans like 'of, by, and for the people' 'make America great again,' what are the main goals of her Republican opponents? To be the first or the second fill-in-the-blank President? To quote a truly great American "you and I, we've been through that, and this is not our fate. So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late."
The truth. Secretary Hillary Clinton is one smart woman. She instills anger, jealousy, and envy in many of her detractors, partly because she is a woman, but mostly because she is so accomplished and successful at playing the game of politics. To the casual, outside observer, the ease with which Hillary pivots may seem shallow and distasteful, but it is how elections are won in the real world. It has been this way since the creation of the republic. In poll after poll the American public professes to want an honest politician who speaks their mind. Yet every time a political candidate truly tries that on the national stage, they get slapped down. It's as if there is an unwritten law in American politics, where the sight of any politician, straddling that pedestal, requires the electorate to violently denounce them as anathema, and exile them far away from the chess board.
Of course you may reject this argument outright, claiming the people who are supporting the candidacy of Donald Trump do so because he is speaking his mind. I reject that analysis. I say Trump is saying things people out of desperation, fear, anxiety, and paranoia believe they want to hear. Trump is not speaking his own mind. Trump is speaking to the thoughts people usually keep hidden, and with good cause. Donald Trump is appealing to the worst in our human nature. In a republic such as ours, civility and decency reject outright the speaking out loud of collective, subconscious, paranoia. Paranoid thoughts that should, and have until recently, gone unspoken are Trump's calling card. Bringing a collective, subconscious, paranoia to the surface threatens the very foundations of the republic we've inherited. If everyone were to mimic Trump, and speak their every thought in fits of anger, fear, and frustration, we'd lose all respect for each other and ultimately for ourselves. Anarchy would reign free and the republic we inherited would be no more. We deserve better than that and have historically demanded a higher standard of our leaders.
Now you may be asking, "But what of the permissions given to the Red Queen, Hillary? Doesn't her ability to pivot with such ease threaten our republic?" Again I say, let us not talk falsely. We are a democratic, constitutional republic. The Red Queen's permissions are freely granted and represent the positive side of the people. There is nothing dangerous or sinister about wanting a woman for President. It threatens nothing. Not a single one of the foundations of our republic is at stake here.
The presidential horse race is where the media play the role of the White Queen, on the chess board of American presidential politics. Presenting future events before they have even happened, while absent-mindlessly forgetting their inherent foibles, and past follies of horse races past. This is what drives a segment of the political class to engage in periodic episodes, of rabid insanity. Campaigns of both major political parties will denigrate and demean themselves, in order to achieve traction and notice in the media created hype of the presidential horse race. On the macro level, there is nothing new happening in politics, in 2016. It's just another variation on a theme. We've been down this road before.
There exists a ying and a yang in American politics. In the middle of the 20th century, John Fitzgerald Kennedy's campaign was supported by millions who wanted to see an Irish Catholic elected President. The republic survived. Contrast that with the histories of our republic surviving the failed attempts of people like Trump to take America down the road of destruction, using what Richard Hofstadter so aptly called, the Paranoid Style in American Politics. Speaking of the Paranoid Style in American Politics -- did I just hear the screeching voice of Ted Cruz in the background?
In spite of the shrill shouts of "Unfair!" -- "Liar!" -- "Clintons live by their own rules!" coming out of the campaigns of her potential Republican opponents in the horse race, Hillary's laser-like ability to stay focused on her life-long goal of becoming the first female President of the United States of America, makes her a lethal, and formidable opponent. It also highlights the glaring ineptness of the campaigns of her opponents. Apart from platitudes and empty slogans like 'of, by, and for the people' 'make America great again,' what are the main goals of her Republican opponents? To be the first or the second fill-in-the-blank President? To quote a truly great American "you and I, we've been through that, and this is not our fate. So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late."
The truth. Secretary Hillary Clinton is one smart woman. She instills anger, jealousy, and envy in many of her detractors, partly because she is a woman, but mostly because she is so accomplished and successful at playing the game of politics. To the casual, outside observer, the ease with which Hillary pivots may seem shallow and distasteful, but it is how elections are won in the real world. It has been this way since the creation of the republic. In poll after poll the American public professes to want an honest politician who speaks their mind. Yet every time a political candidate truly tries that on the national stage, they get slapped down. It's as if there is an unwritten law in American politics, where the sight of any politician, straddling that pedestal, requires the electorate to violently denounce them as anathema, and exile them far away from the chess board.
Of course you may reject this argument outright, claiming the people who are supporting the candidacy of Donald Trump do so because he is speaking his mind. I reject that analysis. I say Trump is saying things people out of desperation, fear, anxiety, and paranoia believe they want to hear. Trump is not speaking his own mind. Trump is speaking to the thoughts people usually keep hidden, and with good cause. Donald Trump is appealing to the worst in our human nature. In a republic such as ours, civility and decency reject outright the speaking out loud of collective, subconscious, paranoia. Paranoid thoughts that should, and have until recently, gone unspoken are Trump's calling card. Bringing a collective, subconscious, paranoia to the surface threatens the very foundations of the republic we've inherited. If everyone were to mimic Trump, and speak their every thought in fits of anger, fear, and frustration, we'd lose all respect for each other and ultimately for ourselves. Anarchy would reign free and the republic we inherited would be no more. We deserve better than that and have historically demanded a higher standard of our leaders.
Now you may be asking, "But what of the permissions given to the Red Queen, Hillary? Doesn't her ability to pivot with such ease threaten our republic?" Again I say, let us not talk falsely. We are a democratic, constitutional republic. The Red Queen's permissions are freely granted and represent the positive side of the people. There is nothing dangerous or sinister about wanting a woman for President. It threatens nothing. Not a single one of the foundations of our republic is at stake here.
The presidential horse race is where the media play the role of the White Queen, on the chess board of American presidential politics. Presenting future events before they have even happened, while absent-mindlessly forgetting their inherent foibles, and past follies of horse races past. This is what drives a segment of the political class to engage in periodic episodes, of rabid insanity. Campaigns of both major political parties will denigrate and demean themselves, in order to achieve traction and notice in the media created hype of the presidential horse race. On the macro level, there is nothing new happening in politics, in 2016. It's just another variation on a theme. We've been down this road before.
There exists a ying and a yang in American politics. In the middle of the 20th century, John Fitzgerald Kennedy's campaign was supported by millions who wanted to see an Irish Catholic elected President. The republic survived. Contrast that with the histories of our republic surviving the failed attempts of people like Trump to take America down the road of destruction, using what Richard Hofstadter so aptly called, the Paranoid Style in American Politics. Speaking of the Paranoid Style in American Politics -- did I just hear the screeching voice of Ted Cruz in the background?
Last edited:
