Monday, April 7, 2008

Unicorns, Dragons and Hillary

Growing up, I loved to read.

In class, in bed, on the toilet, whenever I had a free moment my face was stuck in a book. I loved books so much that one time in fifth grade I actually stole a teacher's entire library when she missed a couple of weeks of school with an illness. Ultimately I returned most of the books, only keeping the ones I thought were the best.

My favorite books have always been fantasy and science fiction tomes. Something about those alternate realities where you can fly, or burn people to a crisp with a look really captured my interest. Anne McCaffery, Terry Goodkind, Frank Herbert, I've read most of the fantasy and science fiction titans over and over again, and I still struggle with reading non-fiction books because they just don't provide me with the same visceral pleasure that fiction gives me.

There is something wonderful about creating new worlds in your mind.

Hillary Clinton knows what I'm talking about.

Whether it's a magical world where every moment of the past 35 years prepared her to be president, or a special place where snipers and poets both cavort on airport tarmacs, Ms. Clinton has shown a proclivity for malleable reality. It's as if Clinton believes she possesses the powers of Jehovah himself; speech begats existence.

"It's easier for black people then white people in America"

Shazzam

"I never supported NAFTA"

Abbracadabra

Most recently, it's come to light that Clinton has taken to lying on the campaign trail when she tells voters that she actually opposed the Iraq war before Obama did, but only if everybody agrees to ignore the initial Iraq vote. Clinton has said that if you ignore that vote she and Obama are the same, and she's actually more stridently anti-war then he is. Unfortunately, that's also a lie. Read more here.

This newest lie was really brought into focus for me by a commenter named Michelle over at Jack and Jill Politics. The commenter posted a quote that I'm going to include below that really summed up exactly how Hillary and her supporters think.

The aide said that guys like me [author Susskind] were ''in what we call the reality-based community,'' which he defined as people who ''believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.'' I nodded and murmured something about enlightenment principles and empiricism. He cut me off. ''That's not the way the world really works anymore,'' he continued. ''We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.''

Here's the link.

That's a quote from an aide to George Bush. That's right, Hillary has decided to live in the same reality inhabited by the most idiotic, incompetent and corrupt president ever sworn into office.

It's actually pretty sad.

When I was getting my masters degree I had to read a book about the presidency that noted that those who inhabit this country's highest political office are often divorced from reality because nobody has the guts to tell them the truth about the world.

Now, I don't think that Hillary inhabits the same bubble that her husband once lived in, but increasingly I'm wondering if she lacks competent advisors who would tell her that outright lies in today's digital era are just a stupid, stupid way to go. I've listened to Clinton speak, and while I think she has the morals of Klansman, I do find her highly intelligent and capable.

Yet, over and over, she has made idiotic mistakes that are easily avoidable. I understand that desperation can make a candidate do crazy things, but resorting to outright lies when every "misstatement" is only a keystroke away from being exposed is positively Bush-like in its stupidity. Clinton's every move has shown a complete adversion to the current political landscape, and noxious nostalgia for a byegone era.

It's almost as if Hillary has closed her eyes and is clicking the heels of her ruby-red slippers while chanting about home.

Only there's a big black man sitting in the White House she thought she was coming back to.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

My take ~ when Bill said "I didn't inhale" we all chuckled and gave him a pass. When they sat up there and said that Gennifer Flowers was lying we all looked the other way and gave him a pass. When he suckerpunched Jesse we were freaked out but said "well, he's gotta get up in the White House and he'll make it right" and gave him a pass. And so it went down the long road of Guinier, Elders, et al and yet, we still renewed his pass.

What else are they going to think but that we bought their bullshit? They had the numbers to support their "reality" and completely blew off the fact that for many of us, it just wore down to the fact that they weren't as crap as the other guys.

That's what they are, they're republican lite but they still operate in their reality where they got votes, support, backing and they and their supporters are still living like it's the 90s. It's one reason why they were completely unprepared for how fast we all ran to someone who not only isn't tainted by the stench or our default support, but who actually strives to stick by his principles.

Unknown said...

AND Mark Penn wasn't really fired-just demoted. She was on GMA this morning and I could barely keep my breakfast down. If she somehow ends up the nominee I honestly don't know if I'll be voting and that's depressing as hell.

The Christian Progressive Liberal said...

Big Man:

Here's some more "fantasy" tales Hillary might tell:

"I used to run chain of soul food restaurants in Harlem and LA called 'Hillary's Fried Chicken & Watermelon Shack' or, "Jesus called me to run for POTUS and He directed me to tear down the Democratic Party because they aren't the party of Jesus anymore."

After her "Tales of Bosnia" and "Meeting MLK moment" dream sequence, I will assume she is lying just by virtue of her opening her mouth.

Anonymous said...

I was thinking that these were mistakes too. Then it occurred to me that she is taking a page out of Bush's notebook - in addition to the pages you've spied.

Hillary and her peeps must know that these lies will consistently get exposed - but who's watching? Isn't her exposure by pundits and intah-lek-chuls part of her "their picking on me appeal" to folks who don't keep up with the news.

Most people here the first lie - as reported in the MSM - and never stick around for the cleanup. I don't read my local papers every day...never have. I do not watch network TV news. If I did, I'd probably share the "dumbed down" view of Hillary that has people thinking she's honorable.

Now, with that said, I don't believe that makes me smarter than people who do so. It simply means that I find that option less than optimal for me.

Anonymous said...

Get ready for the blockbuster new "Hillary Rodham" fantasy series from J.K Rowling, beginning with "Hillary Rodham and the Pollster's Stone"

Big Man, you're a sci-fi/fantasy junkie, too? Man, I ate up Tolkien in my sixth-grade classroom and had graduated to grittier things like Stephen R. Donaldson by junior high. Liked McCaffery for a while too. Devoured the Dresden File books more recently over the period of a month. And here I was thinking the only word-related commonality you and I had besides blogging was the fact we're both journalists.

Truthiz said...

Another "On Point" topic Big Man!

BTW; The quote you referenced is one that I stumbled across about 4 years ago while researching the topic of NeoCONS.

The lines that I find especially applicable to the delusional, narcissistic and arrogant thinking of the Clintons are as follows:

"..when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality – judiciously, as you will – we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors...and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do."

You know_it’s now being reported that "within the Clinton campaign, Penn is NOT the highest-ranking adviser with financial ties to Columbian trade deals." Nope.

...that honor goes to Bill Clinton. And WHO, pray tell, is surprised?!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/08/bill-clintons-ties-to-col_n_95651.html


Yes indeed, Bill and Hillary have certainly mastered the art of “creating” their own “realities”.

Now if only all of America_AND the rest of the world, for that matter_would learn to appreciate the great “gift’ that the Clintons and the neoCONs possess_!

Big Man said...

Temple

I agree with you on the failure of people to stick around to hear the lies corrected. That's what pisses me off the most when people in my profession don't fact check certain easily verifiable things. Then again, I've been known to do the same thing so I can't complain too much.

Deacon

Man, I love sci-fi. It was so bad as a kid that my mom wouldn't let me got to the library alone because I was always coming back with what she called "demonic" books. She used to make me takes book back if she didn't like the cover.

Lolo

I think your narrative about how the Clinton's fooled us is on point.

Truth

That was the part of the quote that bothered me the most. It points out that this is a planned attack on reality. The only question is does Clinton understand that her new reality is false, or does she really believe the hype. Because I think her aides understand they are using lies to advance their cause, but I'm wondering if Hillary suffers from teh George Bush disease of believing the lies.

Truthiz said...

"..but I'm wondering if Hillary suffers from the George Bush disease of believing the lies."

BINGO!!!

...give the Big Man a cigar!

I suspect that Hillary and Bill have probably spent most of their adult lives LYING to themselves, TO EACH OTHER, and to d*mn near everybody else_friends and foe alike_about virtually EVERYTHING!

At some point, in time, an already twisted pathology grew into an even more disturbing pathology. In "Hillary World" just as in "Dubya's World", LIES are "truths" and TRUTHS are "lies."




Raving Black Lunatic