Aunt Hillary’s tragedy
American voters are hungry for change; will Hillary Clinton pay the price?
Washington – We are used to report about the US presidential primaries using horse race terms: Who broke out ahead of the pack, who is trailing behind, who delivered on expectations, and who failed. The candidates conduct themselves as if they were their own Barbie dolls: Regardless of losing or winning, they flash the same shining smile, which has been shaped and frozen by election-face experts, and proceed to mutter the same optimistic sentences to newscasters. We will only be able to find out what they are really going through a year from now, once the books are written.
Election campaigns are not only a reality show. They are a social laboratory. The news that came out of election rallies in Iowa Thursday is no less exciting than the numbers game. Americans, whether leftist or rightist, rich or poor, are sick and tired of the status quo. America wants a change.
The Race
' We are choosing hope over fear, we are choosing unity over division and sending a powerful message that change is coming to America," Illinois senator tells thousands of cheering supporters after victory over Edwards, Clinton in Iowa
The Clintons arrived at the political scene from the protest culture of the ‘60s and ‘70s. They believed in human rights and racial equality, social justice and affirmative action. It was no coincidence that Bill Clinton was nicknamed “the first black president”: He was color-blind both in his political and in his personal life.
One of the Clintons’ greatest dreams was to bring American society to the point where minorities, blacks or Jews or Hispanics, would be able to run for the presidency without their color or origin being a matter for debate. The irony is that the time is right for such candidate in the current campaign.
The American Right despised the Clintons because of their radical image. In the eyes of preachers at the church, they were desecrators of what was holy: Not only because of their worldview, but rather, also because of their lifestyle.
No charisma
Hillary worked hard to break the radical image that accompanied her. She is a distinguished senator: diligent, deep, and popular among senators from both parties. Her statements shifted from the Left to the Center. Her appearances became measured and cautious.It is doubtful whether she has been able to mitigate the Right’s animosity, yet she lost the sympathy of the Left. She suffered two blows: in the eyes of the evangelicals she is still a Bolshevik in disguise, while in the eyes of the young leftists she symbolizes the worst of the establishment, Washington-style politics, corruption and decay and the greed of those close to the plate.
The eight years she spent in the White House made her a celebrity, yet in these elections being a celebrity is a boomerang: Voters are fed up with the old faces. They want a fresh face. They are also wondering about the experience Hillary Clinton keeps talking about. After all, she was just the president’s wife.
Over the years, I got the chance to hear her speak several times, in both small and large forums. She is very impressive with her seriousness, her knowledge, and her self discipline. She is the most talented kid in the class.
But the thing is, she has no charisma. She does not radiate. Barak Obama is a rock star, he shines and sweeps people, just like her husband did in 1992 when he defeated Bush Sr. – she does not possess this gift.
Today she is 60 years old, an ideal age for a president at the beginning of his term in office. Yet at 60, she’s an aunt: She looks like an aunt, she sounds like an aunt, and she’s perceived like an aunt. She does not arouse excitement among the young voters. In Iowa she failed to win a majority even among women. Ironically, the women found their Clinton in Obama, not in Hillary.
