I think I've finally figured out what is at the heart of my dislike of the Clinton campaign. Stay with me here...
I grew up in a family with four kids. I am the baby, thankyouverymuch. The first two kids were born in the late 50s, and one sister and I were born in the mid 60s (post-JFK assassination). Long before I ever heard the words baby boomer, I had a feeling that something about their upbringing and ours was dramatically different.
As a budding social scientist, in my head I labeled my cohort "chasers." It seemed like we were always chasing the boomers, and never catching up with them. They did everything first, and everything better. We couldn't do anything unique. It was always all about them.
As a huge market, they got all the attention. So many things were created just for and targeted to them. We just got the hand-me-downs. Pop culture was all about them. JFK was their man, their message for older has-beens to step aside and let the youth voice be heard. Media paid no attention to anyone else, and in some ways it still does. Oh, can I tell you how much I have hated Newsweek's Boomer Files series?? PuhLEEZE...as if they are the first people ever to get old.
And this brings me to the Clintons today. Bill was the first Boomer President--Fleetwood Mac as a theme song, and smoking pot (but not inhaling of course). Their time for legitimate power had arrived. Step aside, other generations, and we'll show you how it's done. Many Clinton supporters invoked memories of being inspired by JFK as youth, being called to service, asking not what your country can do for you.
But, time marches on. It's time to pass the baton, and the Clintons want nothing to do with it. In typical boomer style, they still think it's all about them. They ridicule the newly enfranchised youth supporters, inspired by Obama's message to becoming involved in politics or public service. Hillary's theme became "experience." Can you imagine what they would have said about such a theme back in the day? Experience, are you kidding? Don't trust anyone over 30.
If you dare to disagree with Team Clinton, you get smacked with the label of "sexist," regardless of the terrible errors her campaign made. NH State Rep Jim Splaine of Portsmouth is a longtime Clinton supporter, but also a very vocal critic of her campaign. He seems to be the only calm and rational supporter I've heard of willing to look critically at her as a candidate and not willing to whine, play victim, or worse, entitled.
And THAT is what bugs me the most: the sense of entitlement. "It's all about me and MY experience, I deserve this, I'm in to win." She's whining NOW about a sexist media, but where was the whining when she was up 30 points, got the vast majority of media coverage early on (especially around here), and got the greater percentage of questions at the debates? Remember the Talk Clock? The arrogance, the cackling laugh when she was asked difficulty questions, the stupid comments about RFK, Obama's drug use, hard-working white voters, and equating Florida's vote with Zimbabwe, or underestimating her opponent, or ignoring caucus states--these are some of the reasons she will not be the nominee. Sexism may have something to do with it, but Hillary has fought sexism her whole life. That's nothing new. She used to rise above it.
I think she needs to take some responsibility for herself and the people who work for her (including her husband). And she needs to start acting like a grown-up (rather than a spoiled child) and graciously allow us all to move on after the last primary.
They've already blown one Clinton Legacy, and they are about to blow the second one. Which is too bad. I used to like them.
