Not an Improved Candidate
One of the memes making the rounds in the punditocracy is that Hillary Clinton is a much improved candidate the last ten weeks, and that if she'd campaigned like she has these past two months she might be the nominee.
I'm not so sure. She doesn't strike me as improved at all, though her doggedness clearly wins her plaudits from some.
Rather, she's hit a string of states in Appalachia -- Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Kenucky -- that were probably always bound to be more receptive to her peculiar charms.
The high decibel dog whistles ("wouldn't be my pastor" and "hard working people, white working class voters"); the shameless pandering and Roseanne Barr impersonations (which didn't and wouldn't go over well in other states); the fact that, of the two candidates left, she was the "white" one.
And, maybe, more generously, support from folks who thought she was just fighting the good fight.
But surely that ought to be meaningless now. The utter, blatant, repulsive hypocrisy of her actions on the Florida and Michigan votes (have your henchmen work to penalize them for breaking the rules last summer, then act now like your Joan of Arc riding to the rescue and demand that the votes be counted, in violation of your previous position and your word) now ought to give those voters -- and really, and sane, rational person -- pause.
I'm not so sure. She doesn't strike me as improved at all, though her doggedness clearly wins her plaudits from some.
Rather, she's hit a string of states in Appalachia -- Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Kenucky -- that were probably always bound to be more receptive to her peculiar charms.
The high decibel dog whistles ("wouldn't be my pastor" and "hard working people, white working class voters"); the shameless pandering and Roseanne Barr impersonations (which didn't and wouldn't go over well in other states); the fact that, of the two candidates left, she was the "white" one.
And, maybe, more generously, support from folks who thought she was just fighting the good fight.
But surely that ought to be meaningless now. The utter, blatant, repulsive hypocrisy of her actions on the Florida and Michigan votes (have your henchmen work to penalize them for breaking the rules last summer, then act now like your Joan of Arc riding to the rescue and demand that the votes be counted, in violation of your previous position and your word) now ought to give those voters -- and really, and sane, rational person -- pause.
