I'm sorry, Hillary

Four years ago, when we lost the election, I cried. I knew it meant four more years of what we'd had. I knew it meant four more years of war. I knew it meant four years to pack the Supreme Court.

When the rumblings began that Hillary would run for president, I pushed them aside. I didn't let myself believe. I told myself--I told my husband--that Hillary would never succeed. The sexist country that we are wouldn't elect a woman to the presidency. I heard the news reports. I listened to them say how polarizing she was. I believed that.

Then I came home for a visit and heard my brother-in-law, one of the last I would expect, say that he hoped Hillary ran because he wanted to vote for her. My mind slowly began to change. Hillary announced she was running and I was excited, but still not able to put my heart and soul into it. I couldn't let myself hope.

I'd had such admiration for Hillary for such a long time, but I had a hard time allowing myself to believe she could be elected. I let the bit of doubt I had creep into my mind. For that, I feel extremely guilty now.

Why couldn't I be totally open to the idea that Hillary COULD and WOULD win the nomination? Why did I let the doubt creep in? I watched the polls. She was way ahead. I wanted to hope so badly. I still couldn't. I was worried about the same kind of kick in the stomach I'd felt in 2004. Now I feel guilty. Shame on me for not just believing from the beginning.

Shame on me for not standing up from day one. At some point, maybe it was after she won New Hampshire, I let the belief in. I let it take over and I began to hope and dream. Yes, us Clinton supporters have hopes and dreams, too!

And now, as I watch her being declared out, I don't believe it, but I hate myself for not standing up more strongly and for not yelling as loudly as I could for Hillary. I am mad at myself for not being there, for not calling everyone I knew from day one. I know in my heart that Hillary Clinton is the best candidate to lead this country. I know that she has the best plans. I know that she is the one we need.

In the morning, I'll go vote. I'll mark my ballot. I've made phoneo calls and done what I can here.

I promise that if this goes the way we need it to, I WILL be there. I will give more. I will do more. I will do everything in my power to get Hillary Clinton elected. I promise. No more doubts. Somehow, some way, the status quo has to change.

As women, we are made to feel a step below. We're told as little girls we can do anything, but it seems that when the truth comes out, we are held back at times. We have to change that. Now is the time to do that. As women, we need to work together--as women, as mothers. We have to do this.

Where are the feminists?

I don't understand it. We have the FIRST truly viable FEMALE candidate running for president and I don't hear any feminist voices! Have women been forgotten by themselves? Have we forgotten the struggles our mothers and grandmothers went through? Are we complacent? Where are the women who should be screaming angrily at the media who has decided this primary race? WHERE ARE YOU?

Our daughters are watching. They are learning. They see that it's ok to screw over a woman. They see that sexism is the last prejudice that is encouraged in our society. Certainly if I don't support Obama, I'm a racist. At least that's what I've been told.

I'm not a racist. I just want the best candidate. The color of anyone's skin doesn't matter to ME. Their sex doesn't matter either, but I can NOT believe that the best candidate is a first term senator with NO EXPERIENCE. I cannot support him and I will not vote for him. I WILL write in Hillary Clinton come November if I have to. Please join me.

Women - find your voice! The time is NOW. Actually, it was months ago, but now will work, too.

Hillary's WV visit!

We had the chance to see Hillary in person Thursday! What a wonderful experience it was and it was a pleasure to meet so many Hillary supporters. This was my first time using this camera, so it's not the best.

Don't let them choose!

I've posted about this before, but it bears repeating. I strongly believe the media is trying to pick the democratic candidate and they don't want it to be Hillary Clinton. It doesn't matter what she does, she does nothing right. President Clinton can do nothing right either! It's scary the way the news is being skewed to benefit the other side.

President Clinton can talk back to a heckler and everyone wonders what affect that has on Hillary's campaign. Michelle Obama can say she'd have to think about whether or not she could support Hillary or that for the first time in her life she's proud of her country, but no one bats an eye. What is wrong with this picture?

Obama
Uploaded by krs601

Plagiarism?

Is it? I guess we all have to decide. I'm sure if I'd borrowed so extensively from a source when writing a research paper, I would have received a well deserved F. You have to decide for yourself though!

Hopes & Dreams

I don't get it. According to all the polls on CNN & MSNBC, I should not be supporting Hillary. I'm under 50. I have a college education. (Ok, granted, I'm a few credits short of my degree, but I DID go.) According to those polls, Hillary is winning the over 50 female vote while Obama has the under 50, college educated crowd. Hmmmm...I guess I always had to be different.

It must be obvious from this blog who I'm supporting. I have a definite preference and have since Hillary put her name out there. Actually, I've been pulling for her for years. I've wanted to see her run since...well, since forever, but I honestly didn't think she had a shot. Why? Because she's a woman.

When she first announced her candidacy, I did my best NOT to get excited. I was convinced that as the first woman to run, she wouldn't make it very far. As time went on however, I became more passionate and at this point, my idealistic self wants to accept nothing short of a Hillary Clinton presidency. I'm not part of the 79% of democrats who will apparently be happy either way. I'm afraid I'm going to feel as though something wonderful was stolen if Hillary does not win the nomination because I've allowed myself to hope.

Why? I've thought about this a lot. I've always been into politics, but actually, I was raised on the other side. When I first registered to vote, I registered as a Republican. What can I say? I was young. I quickly learned the error of my ways! So back to the question at hand...
What does this election mean to me?

As a woman Hillary inspires me. The thought of a woman in the White House simply thrills me. It honestly isn't something I expected to see before I was 40.

As a mom, it encourages me. With the role of pop culture in our society these days, I worry that our daughters don't have appropriate role models. With strong women like Hillary, I now have hope for the future...hope for my own daughter. It really does take a village.

I'm proud that our country is accepting of a female candidate. I'm hopeful that our country will be on the right track again soon.

I have hope...

...hope that the war will soon end--but in a responsible way.

...hope that we'll all have health insurance that we can afford.

...hope that our economy will improve.

...hope that our educational system will be shaped into something where ALL children have the same opportunities no matter where they live.

...hope that women will always have the right to choose.

...hope that with stem cell research, we can find cures for horrible diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

...hope that American will once again be respected and have friends around the world.

With Hillary as president, I feel that all things are possible. She's the candidate with the plans. She'll be ready. LET'S DO THIS!!

Leave Chelsea Alone

I've come to the conclusion that the press wants to pick the Democratic nominee. Everytime I see something like this, it makes me more convinced.

I'm not sure I understand the big deal. So Chelsea is campaigning for her mom. Big freaking deal. Didn't the Bush twins campaign for their dad? Doesn't Obama parade his kids out on the stage at rallies? Didn't the Edwards family do the same? What difference does it make? Didn't Chelsea gave a speech in '04 for John Kerry or am I dreaming that now? Chelsea is there for her mom. She's supporting her mom. What is the big deal? I also think if she wanted to talk to reporters and give interviews, she could probably handle herself quite well. She's a 27 year old woman now. Not the twelve year old who moved into the White House and found herself the ridicule of some nasty conservative talk show hosts.

Hillary should be proud and if I were Hillary, I'd stay away from MSNBC. It's obvious to me that the entire network wants her to lose(aside from Keith Olbermann and Dan Abrams.) First there was Chris Matthews and his comments about Hillary and now this. I think MSNBC needs to have a talk about "appropriate" comments and if Mr. Shuster thinks his comments to Mika were an "apology" he needs to look up that word in a dictionary.

Ann Coulter is a Hillary Girl?

That's what she said! Take a look for yourself.

A young fan

Someone is raising him right! Check out the kid at the end of this clip.

Bill Orally Hides from the Vets

Did Faux News get Montel Fired?

Four days later, Montel was out of a job. IF that is a result of his statements here, then shame on Fox...

Chelsea and America Campaign for Hillary

Look at Chelsea! She's all grown up. I can't believe she's 27 now. She's such a well-spoken, intelligent young woman. Her parents must be proud!

Not so Hardball

I lost all respect for Chris Matthews when I heard him make this statement:


So then I heard him apologize. Eh. Not sure it matters to me. Nice try. Keith Olberman you're not.

Bill Clinton didn't change this country?

I'm trying to figure out what he meant by this statement. It's true that Ronald Reagan DID put this country on a different path, but it sure wasn't the right one! I don't know about you, but I didn't benefit from anything Ronald Reagan did. In fact, I doubt many middle class people really felt good about the economy when he was in office.

I remember the hope I felt when President Clinton was elected. I remember the effect his presidency had on MY family personally. The 90's were a good time economically. Surely Mr. Obama isn't trying to reduce the accomplishments of the Clinton presidency just because he's now running against Hillary Clinton...is he?

From Wikipedia:

Clinton left office with a 65% approval rating, the highest end-of-presidency
rating of any President that came into office after World War II

Shortly after taking office, Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act of
1993, which required large employers to allow their employees to take unpaid
leave because of pregnancy or a serious medical condition.

In August 1993, Clinton signed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993,
which passed Congress without a single Republican vote. It raised taxes on
the wealthiest 1.2% of taxpayers,[36] while cutting taxes for 15 million low-income
families and making tax cuts available to 90% of small businesses.[37] Additionally, it mandated that the budget be balanced over a number of years, through the implementation of spending restraints.

But maybe those years of Reaganomics and Iran-Contra WERE better. Hmmmmm...

Kids Are People, Too

If you're one of the "thirty-something" generation like me, you probably remember the show Kids Are People, Too! In the spirit of that show, here's a blog interview with my 11 yr old liberal kid. This was unrehearsed and some of his thoughts surprised me--at least his way of looking at things.

Do endorsements matter?

I'm not sure if they do. My reaction to hearing John Kerry was endorsing Obama was kind of a "so what?" one. Does anyone care much what John Kerry has to say these days? I'm not sure. I don't think it hurt Hillary, but it certainly had some ramifications in the Edwards camp. It seemed a little bit of a low blow to endorse the other guy when your former running mate is running against him. Kind of makes you wonder, huh?

At this point, do endorsements matter? I really don't care who endorses whom at this point. I know who is getting my support and if the mayor of Mayberry supports someone else, it won't matter to me.

Take the quiz!

This is kind of a cool quiz to help you figure out which candidate suits you. I'm glad to see I'm supporting the right person!

87% Hillary Clinton
85% Chris Dodd
85% John Edwards
85% Barack Obama
82% Dennis Kucinich
82% Mike Gravel
78% Joe Biden
77% Bill Richardson
41% Rudy Giuliani
30% John McCain
22% Tom Tancredo
21% Mike Huckabee
20% Mitt Romney
15% Ron Paul
11% Fred Thompson

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz <---click here!

Get over it. She won!

How interesting to see all the talking heads and pundits try to figure out HOW Hillary won in New Hampshire. I mean, their "polls" all said she was going to lose in a major way. How could their polls be wrong?

I heard Chris Matthews accuse people in NH of being racist. He said they just couldn't vote for a black man when they got to vote "in secret." The argument being that the Iowa caucuses require that you publicly state who you're for, but in NH, it's a secret ballot. I think that's just a little off. I guess most of myself wants to just believe that race had nothing to do with it.

Other reasons were offered up. People felt sorry for Hillary. More people turned out. Why not just accept your polls were wrong this time? Maybe people changed their minds. I tend to think the huge turn out may have skewed the polls. Whatever the case, why can't the pundits just say "Hey, we made a mistake."

I've watched a general negative tone regarding Hillary for many months from certain MSNBC anchors. Just a random fact... Mika Brzezinski's father is one of Obama's most trusted advisors. Makes you go hmmmm...

The entire media tried to destroy Hillary in the days before the NH primary. I saw it with my own eyes. Perhaps, the reason Hillary won is because the people of this country didn't like the attack on her. Maybe. Or could it possibly be that people just LIKE the Clintons? I was hoping Hillary's victory speech in NH would start with "You like me! You really like me!" Maybe she's saving that line for later!

More lives lost

Nine American lives were lost in Iraq on Tuesday and Wednesday. I won't recount the article for you. If you've had the news on, you've seen it.

The economy has taken on great importance over the past few months. It's certainly affecting me and you can see the candidates are also noticing. One quote I heard last night from one of the talking heads was that the economic indicator Bill Clinton paid attention to most was the price of gas. It seems that as the economy takes a downward swing, we hear less and less about Iraq.

I hate this war as much as anyone can and I've been against it from the beginning. I hear promises from most of the Democratic candidates to get us out of Iraq quickly and while that sounds wonderful to me, I can't lose sight of the fact that it's not going to be that easy. The next president can't just walk into the Oval Office and say "bring them home NOW." And POOF it's all over. It isn't going to work that way. We've been there a LONG time. It's going to take a while to get them home.

Not only our soldiers, but what about all our civilians who are over there working? I've heard estimates of 100,000+ American civilians working in Iraq--most for private contractors. How do we get them all home safely--and quickly? Realistically, this pull out will take months--at least. Hillary is the only person I've heard mention the civilians working there.

What about the safety of the Iraqi people? What about all the destruction we helped cause? Shouldn't we have to stick around and clean up our mess? Don't get me wrong. I want this war ENDED yesterday, but how in the world do we do that? It isn't going to be as simple as some people--including some of the candidates--seem to think.

One down! Many more to go!

I took a little hiatus from politics. I needed some time to recharge my mind...and my heart. Tonight, I realized I had to come back. It's in my soul. I was very disappointed when Hillary didn't win in Iowa. You know, it's nothing against Obama. It's just that it means so much to me--as a woman--to see another woman succeed! I want it so much for us. I want it for our kids. I admire Senator Clinton a great deal. I feel a bit of a kinship with her just because she's a mom.

I listened to the talking heads over the past few days. They all said she was going to lose--BIG. I was heartsick. I don't live in New Hampshire, so there was nothing I could do about it except hope their polls were wrong. I felt a dream I had for myself--for my daughter--slipping away. Unless you've been under a rock, however, you know...



Hillary won! Hillary Clinton WON the New Hampshire Democratic Presidential Primary! No woman has EVER won a presidential primary! HISTORY HAS BEEN MADE!

I woke my kids to watch her speech. I cried. It was historic. Once again, I have hope. When she said she listened to NH and found her own voice, it was what I needed to hear. I think her message will resonate with many in the country. I know we have a long way to go, but I have hope. I'm starting to hear "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow" in my head just like I did in 1992. And I'm starting to allow hope to enter my heart the way it hasn't in almost eight years.