Hillary Clinton, I tip my hat

Two things happened this week that fundamentally changed the way I see Hillary Clinton. The first was a big honking article by Eric Boehlert that made me feel rather dumb. The take home message of it is:

Fact: Many in the press have portrayed Clinton’s planned convention address, as well as the fact that her name is being placed into nomination, as an unprecedented, heavy-handed power grab.

Fact: It’s not. In years past, Democratic candidates who won lots of primaries and accumulated hundreds of delegates (sorry, Howard Dean and Bill Bradley) have always been allowed to address the convention and very often place their name into nomination. It’s the norm. It’s expected. It’s a formality.

So my venom at her for wanting her name on the ballot was woefully ignorant and naive; caught up in the media frenzy. Furthermore, Boehlert brings up instances where those who were snubbed the nomination not only got their names on the ballot, but they angrily denounced the candidate and all but told their supporters not to vote for the nominee. Hillary’s been stumping for Obama, if anything she’s been extra gracious, it’s her supporters that have been the assholes.

Speaking of gracious, that’s point #2. In her speech at the DNCC, she said something that was just so perfect, I couldn’t believe it.

I want you to ask yourselves: Were you in this campaign just for me? Or were you in it for that young Marine and others like him? Were you in it for that mom struggling with cancer while raising her kids? Were you in it for that boy and his mom surviving on the minimum wage? Were you in it for all the people in this country who feel invisible?

Bingo. Fantastically put, Hillary. The people who will vote McCain out of spite for Obama or stay home to show some kind of loyalty to Hillary, to the PUMAs who don’t give a shit about party unity, aren’t just hurting Barack Obama, they aren’t even just hurting the entire Democratic Party. They’re hurting every single American citizen who would be better off under an Obama presidency.

So when more Americans lose their health care, the PUMAs will be at fault. When the war in Iran launches, the PUMAs will be to blame. And when middle and low class Americans get taxed to death while the rich like McCain himself get boatloads of money back, everyone can thank those “die-hard Hillary supporters” for helping him.

Kudos to ya, Hillary Clinton. I hope the troglodytes refusing to listen to everyone else will at least listen to you.