Yes, I am a Hillary-hater, unabashedly. And no, this is not inconsistent with being a good democrat. Rather, it is Hillary's DLC-style background and establishment-centered polical orientation that is inconsistent with the liberal, progressive and populist principles that have brought people together as "democrats" since the founding of the republic. In other words, it is my view that Hillary is an illegitimate heir to the party's leadership, and if she gets the nomination, traditonal democrats such as myself will be left barren and unrepresented.
But let's step away from abstraction. Here are five very real things that will definitely happen if Hillary gets the nomination:
- Howard Dean will be fired from the DNC, and no longer have any official role in the party he tried to save.
- Instead, people like McAullife, Carville, Begala, Wolfsohn, Penn, and Ann Lewis will be ascending to ever more influential positions.
- We will again be subjected to non-stop media speculation about all the latest tawdry scandals and innuendos surrounding Bill and Hill. People like Kathleen Willey will re-emerge as having some sort of significance. All of this stuff will be revisted ad nauseum.
- Bill's questionable presidential pardons of people like Mark Rich will dominate the headlines. We'll be hearing all sorts of contorted explanations for why these pardons had everything to do with justice and absolutely nothing to due with huge donations to the Clinton presidential library.
- We'll see Hillary as the nominee falling all over herself to scurry very quickly back toward the center on foreign policy issues such as Iraq, Iran, and domestic issues such as education and welfare. Many potential "Sister Souljah" moments will be staged as Hillary become more comfortable to right-wing voters.
And finally, she will lose the general election and cost all of us another 4 to 8 years of republican rule.
Make no mistake, all of these things will happen. If people are so intent on nominating Hillary, at least do so with your eyes open. I for one want none of it. I will always be a democrat as I understand that term, but in my heart, Hillary will never represent me.