I find it ironic that my main main and fellow blogger R. Fitzgerald aka The Rich House in his series of breaking down the 48 Laws of Power would choose to use the one regarding never putting too much trust in friends and learning to use enemies in his latest entry. Robert Green’s bestseller detailing how to gain and maintain advantages in life is a great manuscript and it’s theories are a proven way of success. However, every rule has its exceptions. Wisdom is knowing how to balance a good theory and when to turn it on it’s head when appropriate. Such is the case of Barack Obama as he ponders his choice of a running mate for the upcoming presidential election in November.
With a relatively close campaign between he and Senator Hillary Clinton people have spoken for months of a so called “dream team’ should the two combine campaigns for a run at the White House. Clinton certainly has her supporters and she won enough states to garner a level of respect. Her constituency range from the Caucasian, African-American, and Latino community respectively. The Clintons made a lot of friends of the Democratic persuasion over the decade of the 90s, and Hillary proved to be a leader who can gather consensus. Perhaps on paper it could have worked. An African-American male and a Caucasian woman creating history together to promote positive change for a nation that desperately needs it. However, I must say that Hillary Clinton as Vice President would be a disaster for Senator Obama’s campaign and certainly his potential administration. Since this isn’t the New York Times or some other “official” news source I can afford to keep it real. And I will.
Lets start with Clinton’s speech on Tuesday night. After losing the battle for the Michigan and Florida delegates over the weekend and a not so dominating result in the Puerto Rico primary, Obama gained the necessary delegates to become the presumptive nominee with the Montana and South Dakota primary results. I recall Senator Clinton saying on many occasions that if she were not the nominee, she would put her full support behind Senator Obama and unify the Democratic party. On Tuesday night many Dems fully expected her to start that very process by steering her supporters to Senator Obama in a concession speech. Instead she showed her ass once again as being a defiant and ”deranged narcissist” as one commentator on CNN stated. The race is over! But instead of keeping her promise to unite the party, she gave Obama warmed over generic praise and tooted her own horn by continuing to try her case as to why she should have won. Earlier in the day she was floating out her interest to be VP on Obama’s ticket. And while on paper that ticket had its attractive features prior, Hillary’s words and actions only proves that she would be a cancer to an Obama campaign and especially his potential administration. Despite her previous speeches of her desire to fight for Americans who have not had the platform they needed the past eight years, her speech on Tuesday night proves once and for all that Hillary Clinton is for Hillary Clinton. Her desire to be VP is only a last minute ploy to get a piece of the action.
Lets me make it plain. Despite losing, the Clintons and their supporters are trying to gangster their way into the White House by forcing themselves down Obama’s throat. Her lack of concession and posturing in asking her supporters give her advice via her website is a sad and desperate attempt to headlock Obama into taking her through the Denver convention. Her position to Obama is basically, “I have a following and you need me to deliver them if you want to be president.” Some commentators talked of her trying to cement a legacy for her and Bill by gaining themselves one more go at the nation’s biggest political stage. That sounds accurate to me. That being the case we need not hear anymore from Hillary about her fighting for the needs of the nation. Instead she is fighting for a place for her and her husband seeing as though she felt the presidency was her birthright in the first place. Something needs to happen soon to end this foolishness. Its getting out of hand with guys like Bob Johnson formally of BET writing letters to the CBC and making TV appearances to press Obama to accept Hillary. Obama cannot afford to fall for these extorted power move by the Clintons.
The truth is that while Hillary could be of great help were she able to make like a good soldier and fall in line with the voter’s desires and the rules of her party, her divisiveness only shows that if she were to be the VP she would only be interested in having a separate administration that would be in constant conflict with that of Obama’s. Its plain that she and Bill would undermine everything they feel would not benefit their own need to gain recognition and power. It can be clearly forcasted that an Obama/Clinton administration would be two administrations – one with Obama’s crew and one with Bill and Hillary’s in constant conflict for power and position. For the first African-American president – this would be an awful thing because as Commander In Chief the buck is going to stop with him, perhaps more than with any other president in history. Everything that goes wrong is going to fall on his shoulders. To have a successful administration there has to be leadership across the board, but there can only be ONE leader. One Chief! Bill and Hillary are not humble enough to be Indians. And her words on Tuesday night placing her voters on the table as bargaining chips proved so emphatically.
Supposedly Clinton is supposed to concede tomorrow and throw her hat in with Obama. People will be watching her tone to see if she can pull off the Oscar in convincing her loyal followers that she is indeed sincere. Honestly, I don’t see her doing it with the enthusiasm needed to fully unify the party for the run at John McCain and the Republican Party looking to exploit any and all weaknesses.
Meanwhile, Hillary can blame herself for her own blunders and mistakes during this campaign. For one she is still “sleeping” on Obama by continuing to underestimate his appeal and message to the nation. Two, she continues to overestimate her own level of importance. The Clintons may have some juice but the Democratic party is tiring of her self-appointed grandstanding. They may indeed have to show her that neither she nor her husband is bigger than the party itself. If necessary the leadership under Howard Dean will throw them under the bus before losing this election in November. Her extortion play on Tuesday night was the last straw I’m sure. And what will the Clintons do if Obama doesn’t pick her anyway? Join John McCain? Continue to travel the nation as solo artist? That would be political suicide even for them.
Clearly the Clintons have no respect for Obama and that is part of their ongoing problem – part of the reason she lost in the first place. Its the same reason that McCain is going to lose in November. He too underestimates Obama by summing him up to being merely a great speaker with no experience. As if McCain has a lot of experience himself – as if George W. Bush had a lot of experience going in.
Senator Obama was extremely gracious and classy in his praise of Hillary Clinton. He’s a better man than me. His poise is rather presidential and if anything this proves that is indeed willing and capable of working with anyone in a bi-partisan fashion. Just as Jackie Robinson had the courage to perform under pressure while simultaneously standing above foolishness and stupidity, Obama has the courage and conviction to hold his tongue and know when to let folly slide when necessary.
One thing is for sure. So far the Obama team has proved remarkably sharp in handling all things necessary for winning the White House. They ran a great primary campaign by having a consistent message. They raised and managed money equally in ways not seen before. And they have handled adversity with class and dignity. Therefore I am confident that they will not fall for the ”okeedoke” with regards to the pressure put on by the Clintons and their regegade inner circle.
