Over the weekend, my brother, 13 yrs my senior, sent me this in an email. For the record, he has long been a fan of Hillary Clinton, and he is no political newbie. When I was coming up, he was my hero. He taught me how to play football, (though, later, I would school him in roundball) how to fight, and how important it is to be engaged politically. He always had my back, even if I was the one that started the bullshit in the first place. I will always love him for that, and for taking me with him to see Muhammad Ali fight, and the Lakers dominate. He is why I’m a UCLA bruins fan, and why I love Motown to this day. Anyway, I haven’t fact-checked this, I am simply reprinting his letter to me:
Let’s pretend this is your daughter or mother or wife or sister.
She grows up in a republican family and goes to Wellesley, one of the most prestigious colleges in the nation. She graduates with honors and goes on to Yale law school where she also graduates with honors.
One of her first jobs out of college is working as a staff lawyer for the Watergate commission drafting papers to impeach Richard Nixon.
She meets and marries a man who, like her, is intelligent, caring, and politically active. They marry.
She changes her party and becomes a democrat, championing mostly Children’s issues.
With her pedigree and background and collegiate honors she could have gone to a big law firm in Chicago, Washington D.C., New York, etc., where she could have become a major player.
She does not. She moves to Arkansas, her husband’s home state. She gets a job at a law firm there and supports the family while her husband runs for public office, (so much for the claim she never held a real job, unless you are one of those who think lawyers don’t work hard.), She becomes the first female partner in the firm’s history and her husband becomes the youngest governor in the nation. One of her main projects at this time is working for the children’s defense fund.
She has a child, raises her child (and who could argue with the result), and continues to work in spite of criticism the she should stay home.
Her husband becomes President and for the next 8 years she is hounded by investigations that turn up nothing, accused of fraud (whitewater) adultery (Vince Foster) and murder (Vince Foster). She never gives an inch. She is humiliated in public like none of us ever has been and holds her head up high and continues her work for the causes she believes in. Women’s issues, children’s issues and health care. These are not new issues for her.
Knowing these attacks will continue, and against all advise she runs for the Senate and wins. During her first term she is told if she runs for President she will probably be the front runner however she decides she was just elected and owed her State her services and she needed more experience. She get re-elected by a huge margin winning over republicans in NY as well as democrats. Senator’s on both sides of the aisle are surprised at her knowledge of the issues and here willingness to work with all of them.
If that was my daughter, mother, sister or friend, I would be bursting with pride.
But what does she get by members of her own party who repeat the same crap the republicans have been saying since her Arkansas days? Hatred and name calling. Hate her husband for cheating? Fine.
Blame her for loyalty? Ridiculous. Maybe we should show a little loyalty to the woman who took on our enemies (republicans) for many years, fought her battles and ours, and defeated them.
Vote for Obama? Why not. A decent man who is also quite accomplished. But hate Hillary?
I don’t get it.
