Is my dislike of Hilary personal or ideological? An explanatory rant..

[Armstead]

I realized that most of my recent posts on DU have been anti-Hilary ones. So I guess I'm a card-carrying member of the Clinton-Bashing wing of DU.

I've asked myself why am I semi-obsessed with her? Why does my blood pressure go up whenever I hear anotehr news report basically anointing her as the defacto nominee?

She's not a bad person. I actually like her. I agree with much of what she says. I've seen her work a crowd in person, and recognize that she has a certain charisma. I've got no problems with how is representing the neighboring state of New York.

BUT THE THOUGHT THAT SHE WILL BE THE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE MAKES ME WANT TO VOMIT.

Why is this? Upon reflection, here are my basic reasons.

1)She is aligned with the brand of "Democrat" that has been just as responsible as the GOP for ruining this country over the last 25 years. The brand of DLC Democrat that is allergic to the word "liberal." The brand of Democrat that identifies more with the Corporate and Political Elite than with average Americans or the disadvantaged. The brand of Democrat that became so "pragmatic" that they basically castrated the entire idea of politics as being a contest of ideas and ideology. The brand of Democrat who enabled the GOP Right Wing by their refusal to defend honest-to-goodness liberalism and progressive reform.

2)She epitomizes the phony and meaningless polarization of the country. She's great at throwing zingers to members of the "vast right wing conspiracy' and twisting the undies of right-wingnuts into a knot. But so f'ing what? rather than attempt to put politics back on the course of an honest contest of ideas, she provokes the politics of personal destruction and insult. This is too often a distraction. She hardens the lines of pseudo-partisanship instead of winning over the so-called "center" -- or convincing misinformed grassroots conservatives that liberals are actually on their side in terms of social and economic justice.

3)Her personality and campaign style is the epitomie of Robotic Programmed Politics. Every word has to be sifted through 30 consultants before it is uttered. Questions are never answered directly, except in the most generalized way possible (or when they are safe partisan zingers). "But then again..." and "I don't want to deal in hypotheticals..." etc.

AND THIS IS WHAT REALLY GETS MY GOAT.

After seven years of being driven into the ditch by the GOP and the Corporate Elite, Americans WANT a change. There is a hunger for real change and reform. There is more openess to "liberal" ideas in the mainstream than there has been in decades.

It's perhaps the greatest opportunity to get the US back on track and moving in a positive direction since JFK.

But what are the Democratic poobahs and the media and corporate Elite doing? Force feeding us more of the same old same old. Even the name is the same.

That, in a very simplistic nutshell, is why I really, really,really hope that the Democratic Party comes to its senses and breaks out of this cycle of Fast Food Corporate Democracy that we have been trapped in for decades. We need something otehr than Ronald McDonald Clinton.