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Feb
12
Senator Barack Obama appears to have won the “Potomac Primary” – Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Delegates will be delivered proportionately to both Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton. Squabbles over the role and use of superdelegates continue. And Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania are now being called the firewall for Clinton that other states with votes long since counted didn’t turn out to be.
One of the reasons abusive relationships are so difficult to leave and end for good is that both parties often prefer the familiar dysfunction to the unknown of a healthy relationship.
The way in which some people describe the Clintons’ hypnotic control over the electorate might be said to parallel that familiar dysfunction. And the suggestions made by Obama of how he believes government should function and leaders should rule sound healthy.
Voters need to decide, just as a person leaving an abusive relationship must, whether they are ready to trade in the familiar but not so functional for the unknown but hopefully healthy. And this is no small judgment to make, since treatment for addiction of any type rarely succeeds at more than a 35% rate.
Do you buy this analogy? If not, why not? And if so, which do you think the voters will choose: the familiar, or the unknown?
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:19 pm February 12th, 2008 in Barack Obama, Campaigning, Hillary Clinton, Politics, Voting, WH2008
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5 Responses to “A campaign without a Clinton is like…what, exactly?”
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[...] about tough love and breaking from dysfunction: read this letter to Senator Hillary Clinton, written by Erin Kotecki Vest. Here’s part: I [...]
Jill:
I find it fascinating that you compare the relationship the electorate has with the Clintons to be the same as being in an abusive relationship. I think many Democrats look wistfully back to the days when we actually had a budget surplus and the economy seemed to be humming along well. The thing is that I think the current subprime crisis is waking people up to the realization that the economy of the 90s was built on a house of cards, so maybe that’s part of what is going on now. So the ‘devil we knew’ may indeed have been bad for us after all in all ways, not just from an impeachment/stained dress embarrassment.
In actuality, the main problem I have with Obama is he should be telling the truth to the American people on the economy – he should give a ‘blood, sweat, toil and tears’ address on what the next four years will bring. He can’t do that because the American people don’t want to hear it. And neither can Hillary. But the next four years are going to be very, very difficult for this country. I have to believe that in the back of people’s consciousness, they know this. They don’t want to admit it, but they know it.
I think part of it is that the electorate believes going into the valley of death with Hillary will be a downer. Obama, for lack of a better analogy, seems to be the Obi Wan Kenobi America is looking for to lead us into the valley of death. Think of FDR during the depression. People sense it may be very bad and they at least want someone who will pick up the nation’s spirit with a ‘can-do’ attitude rather than someone who seems to perfect a scowl when things go wrong.
I don’t know what the Clintons can do now to turn this thing around. Frankly, I think they’re sunk.
Keith – I again – I totally agree with you on this:
“In actuality, the main problem I have with Obama is he should be telling the truth to the American people on the economy – he should give a ‘blood, sweat, toil and tears’ address on what the next four years will bring. He can’t do that because the American people don’t want to hear it. And neither can Hillary. But the next four years are going to be very, very difficult for this country. I have to believe that in the back of people’s consciousness, they know this. They don’t want to admit it, but they know it.”
And it’s probably THE biggest reason I withhold enthusiasm for Obama – I don’t care, obviously!, what anyone else says. The issue you raise is absolutely critical and huge. The heightened expectation factor, without a dose of reality is an ENORMOUS risk – I think even of Jimmy Carter.
I don’t know if I’m ready to say Clinton is sunk, though I just wrote a comment that talks about the voters who’ve supported her being in irons.
And I do think that the anyone who remembers the Bill Clinton years wistfully is being delusional – there were enormous gaffes during those eight years. I think of the relationship as dysfunctional because the guy is a narcissist and much of what he did and his motivation for doing came from that and people simply could not quit him – that’s the pull of such a personality. We gain from it too – but in the end, it’s very unhealthy.
The analogy is ridiculous — people often stay in abusive relationships for reasons that don’t have anything to do with the psychological dysfunction you suggest (children, finances, etc.). And, ironically, those reasons arguably are what lead people to be more thoughtful about their vote, not less.
In the end, you seem to be arguing that Joe Public is either too ignorant or too emotionally shipwrecked to cast an intelligent vote (unless, of course, he has a blog).
Hope your back feels better.
Hi Harriet! I did ask and so I have received, yours and others opinion on the analogy.
I don’t think Jill (or Joe) Public is too ignorant or emotionally shipwrecked to cast an intelligent vote. I’m talking about the group of people who most closely support the Clintons and are want her to carry on. There are many, many reasons why people would do that – I’m suggesting that for some people, the inability to quit something that just might not be good for us might be a factor.
Thanks for the good wishes re: my health. My back is definitely improving but it is so slow!! It’s driving me and pretty much everyone around me nuts.