Defeated and pathetic

Hillary’s arrogance, lust for power shames not only her but also women who backed her

Orly Azoulay|Published: 06.05.08 , 09:36

Hillary Clinton erased her immense achievements during the primaries with her own hands. The moment her uncontrollable lust for power became an obsession, her judgment evaporated. She clung to false hopes of victory, thus providing ammunition for all those who said to begin with that women must not play this game.

The numbers were clear for several months: Even her most loyal supporters told her, cautiously, that she cannot win, and that Obama reached the point of no return when he opened a gap she had no chance of closing. Yet Hillary refused to listen to these voices and reached the end of the road not only defeated, but also pathetic.

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Now she is seeking respect for her determination and perseverance and for bringing millions of voters to the polls. She would have gotten much of it had her ego been more modest and had she possessed an internal mechanism that warned her that it is impossible to base leadership on a strange mix of being a crybaby with a body language that constantly conveys the following message: I deserve it, now it’s my turn to rule.

Hillary started her campaign in a grandiose manner: She was the leading candidate, she enjoyed a 30% lead, and she didn’t even count Obama. Back then already she conducted herself not as a presidential candidate, but rather, as one who already won the title. She insisted calling her airplane “Hillary Force 1,” when Obama was still running around in commercial flights.

However, this arrogance came back like a boomerang and exploded in her face. She was increasingly portrayed as someone who fantasizes, rather than someone who knows what she’s talking about.

Obsession and manipulations

Hillary could have turned her candidacy into an ongoing celebration: For the first time in the history of the United States, a woman reached as close as possible to the presidency. Yet she was so desperate in her effort to win, to the point of not knowing how to turn her candidacy into an attraction and a constitutive and sweeping moment in American history.

And so, the woman who at the beginning of the road raised the banner of equality for women in a dignified manner reached the end of the road in a way that does not only put her the shame, but also all the women who believed in her and wanted to be like her. There is no doubt that had she known to quit in time, she would have recorded an impressive achievement.

Now, all that will be remembered from Hillary’s race to the presidency is her obsession, the manipulations she did in order to stay in the limelight, and the emotions that overcame the main asset of a leader: Good judgment.

The women who will try to run for the presidency in the future will be paying the price for this. There is no doubt, Hillary not only trampled over her own self-respect, but also the dignity of all the women who supported her. If this is what she knows how to do in politics, perhaps it’s better to leave this arena to men, some will say. There is no doubt this is not what she intended to achieve.