Hillary's Moving, Brilliant Speech

The Nation: Clinton’s Speech Situated Her More Firmly Than Ever In Women’s History

(The Nation)  This column was written by Tom Hayden.

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Hillary Clinton's moving and brilliant speech today cemented an independent place for herself and feminists in general in the unfolding historical drama of the 2008 presidential election.

The speech, which situated her more firmly than ever in women's history, provided a powerful endorsement for Barack Obama, while at the same time reinforcing her position as virtually his equal in the Democratic primary race.

Clinton essentially empowered her audience by implying that they, more than anyone, could make the historic difference by electing an African-American President on the rising tide of the women's vote. She assured them that the two candidacies had shattered all gender and racial barriers to democracy's highest office.

Hers was not the surrender pose traditionally expected of "losers" but a redefinition of what winning ultimately means. It suggested that she will be treated as a full partner in the process, and it was a victory speech for the power of social movements.

She bravely rejected the bitter destructiveness that gnaws within all campaigns that lose closely, and held the high ground.

Characterizing her decision as a "suspension," however, still left open the prospect of hard bargaining with Obama over a range of issues, but apparently in a greater atmosphere of unity.

One wonders if she would be the nominee if she had pursued the tone of today's speech more and the advice of her (male) advisers less. It took a year, and a string of campaign disasters, before she threw out Mark Penn, though still leaving in place a cast of male operatives like Lanny Davis, who only blighted her image as an experienced, pragmatic representative of the sixties student, antiwar and women's movements.

Her 2002 vote to authorize the Iraq War, which opened the door for Obama's candidacy, was advised as the way to prove that a woman could be Commander in Chief. So were her later comments about obliterating Iran. Her male advisers incessantly pressured the media to play up the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Bill Ayers, race-baiting and red-baiting positions she never would have adopted in the late sixties.

This wasn't a problem unique to Clinton alone, of course. If Bill Clinton had not promoted NAFTA and the WTO, there would have been no space for Ralph Nader to run in 2000. Had John Kerry followed his 1970 antiwar, anti-establishment instincts in 2004, he probably would have been President today. The Democratic Party consultant class has been counseling retreat from the sixties ever since... the sixties. It has been a risk for Obama's centrist campaign as well, although his 2002 antiwar stance and the unified enthusiasm of the black community position him firmly within a progressive history.

This basic identity confusion at the center of the Clinton strategy was the crucial reason, next to Obama's superlative campaign, for her narrow defeat. The irony is that her resurrection can now begin.

[irliberal]

Great job Hillary - you made a good run of it and bowed out when you should have. Nearly everything else you read here is just neocons about to soil their undies in November. 8-) Maybe I should buy stock in "Depends"... what company makes those?

[jameshaun]

I am not sure that I would characterize her forced concession as either brilliant or moving. If it had not been for Rep. Rangel, she might never had made this half-hearted endorsement. She still clings to her sense of entitlement and skewed reality. I feel sorry for the 18 million people who drank the Kool-Aid with her. Young women derserve better than her for a role model.

Obama 08 & 12

[rushlimpdrug]

More impressive than the speech
were the men behind the curtain.

How much for one of those
superdelegate
votes?

Why do democratic voters
vote anyway since the
demo candidate is chosen
by the superdelegates?

[citadelma]

Brilliant, my aching a**. I can''t believe the rampant naivety of all those dunces that fell blissfully into the HRC vortex of latent B S and spin. This lady could never honestly endorse Obama. After her unceasing litany of games and dirty tricks during the Dem primary, does anyone with an ounce of sense really believe that? She suspended her campaign, not ended it. She won''t rest until by whatever means possible she gets him out and herself back in. The problem is she doesn''t have either the ability or the intelligence to pull it off. The only thing she may stumblebum herself into is giving McBushcain another four furious years of George B''s failed business as usual. These days, our ''super power'' status has deteriorated into just another insipid global joke, one with no more significance than any other GOP inspired wet dream.

[one-american]

"Hillary Clinton''s moving and brilliant speech today cemented an independent place for herself and feminists in general in the unfolding historical drama of the 2008 presidential election."

In as much as a flea on the hide of an elephant controls the mind of the elephant.

[G H M]

It cost her over 19 million, to give these speechs!!
The GOP-ers are really crying that she didn''t win! They are the ones that are saying they won''t vote for Obama.
ALL Democrats will!
McSame McNasty, McNoway

[jn122736]

All of those ""hillary haters"" and/or racists posting here have about as much credibility as all the other Bush apologists who constantly comment on this and other sites.
The only difference between them is that some commenters are motivated solely by gender or racial bias.
And the others (mainly bush apologists) have nothing but incompetence and fiascoes (Iraq) from the Bush administration to use in their defense.

[yongamerica]

Her speech wasn''t moving nor brilliant. It was poorly written and terribly self centered.
Her extensions to unite the Democratic party were empty. She is obviously one mad lady.

[texanforlogi]

Hillary''''s speech was inspiring for women who have faced the hostile environments of work, neighborhood and culture. I will NOT vote for Obama, but will change parties since the democrats no longer choose to represent women and working class values.


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Posted by votehillary at 04:53 PM : Jun 09, 2008

And McCain does? The adulterer who calls his wife a c u n t in public? Your values are very skewed, my friend.

[cbsfan73]

Please don''t be so incredibly naive as to believe that it was "her" speech. Just like all other rhetoric that spews from a politician''s lips, this speech was conceived and hashed out by her team of psychologists and political analysts.

[Razzl]

I dunno, Hayden is making too big a deal out of this, however good it may have been for the party in the fleeting moment it''s hardly likely to advance feminism. Feminism took a big step backward when Geraldine Ferraro soiled her iconic image as the pioneering woman vp by making racist remarks; Hillary''s racist strategy and use of feminism as a red herring issue also made this campaign a regression point for feminism and civil rights. The next step forward for women may have to be a candidate like Obama was for race, someone above and beyond the issue...

[feelfreee4u]

LOL. HA HA. Folks, consider the source. This article is from The Nation, the country''s #1 leftist flaming liberal magazine. The article was written by Tom Hayden. Remember old Elephant Seal-Nose Man? The ugly focker who was married to Hanoi Jane Fonda? The most liberal radical to come from California in the last 50 years? So, you may now know why this article fawns over Hillary as if she was Mother Teresa.

[brianp55]

I was not particularly impressed with her concession speech. She still spends a great deal of time having to read directly from her notes and can''t conceal her vain attempts to feign conviction and passion.

[twotraps]

Hillary Clinton is a politician first....she abuses the gender issue brilliantly as she does her supporters in her long drive to become President.

She is a woman, she is in politics, she has hard fought experience from a variety of roles over a long career. She also has lie, manipulated, miss-spoke, miss-remembered along the way. She is the first First lady to testify in a grand jury, she has a trail of unanswered legal issues...including a civil trial that will start in August. Judge Munoz has required her to testify after the campaign.

Yep, your hero is due in court. Your champion for women everywhere has made so many questionable decisions it hurts!!

Think about it.

[destardi]

Nice try, NATION...you can go screw yourself.

McCain 08! (Hillary 2012)

[votehillary]

Hillary''s speech was inspiring for women who have faced the hostile environments of work, neighborhood and culture. I will NOT vote for Obama, but will change parties since the democrats no longer choose to represent women and working class values.

[notopennshut]

It''s time to stop the blame game, whether it was sexism, racism or whatever. Plain and simple: she lost to another candidate and time to unify and ensure a win in November. Racism and sexism will still be there, because all those women and men who would not support Obama because he is male or black! These are not die-hard supporters of the democratic party, especially when they say they will vote McSame. These are the racists and sexists, and will not be a loss for the party, even if the party does not win in November. It is better to have real folks rather than those in "sheep''s clothing", regardless of what they claim to be.

[tejasdemo]

" One wonders if she would be the nominee if she had pursued the tone of today''s speech more and the advice of her (male) advisers less."

One way or another it is ALWAYS the man''s fault. Even if it is beyond all common sense knowledge that it is the woman''s fault---it is the man''s. ROFL.