hillary supporter

Below is a transcript of a conversation I had with a friend, self-proclaimed feminist, and Hillary Clinton supporter. Keep these things in mind as you read. This kind of logic represents the uphill battle Obama faces in unifying the party before the convention.

(links added after the fact, comments separated from actual conversation by some sweet //)

me: oh come off it
hillary_fan: im mad you think HRC is an albatross
me: for obama, she would be
me: as vp
me: lets be real here
hillary_fan: he would be lucky to have her
me: LOL
hillary_fan: who is better? CERTAINLY not jim webb
me: no, definitely not
hillary_fan: im definitely voting mccain with webb on a ticket. maybe this kathleen sibelius person? i dont know
me: if he is going with a woman, he has to go with the madam governor of kansas
hillary_fan: 18 million people voted for hillary - thats a lot
me: lets quit rounding up here
me: 18 mil voted for obama as well
hillary_fan: right
me: by the rules, he won
hillary_fan: so doesnt that mean 36 mill would vote for both
me: it should!
me: they're all "democrats"
hillary_fan: oh i know he won, im not disputing that
me: as long as you discount those fiendish righties who voted for hillary to prolong the campaign
hillary_fan: or fiendish righties who voted for obama because they know mccain will demolish him
me: mccain isn't closer policy wise than obama
me: oh right
me: limbaugh wasn't urging his people to go out and vote for obama
me: they should FEAR obama
me: he inspires people
me: mccain literally looks like he is going to croak any minute
hillary_fan: why though - he inspires false hope.
hillary_fan: i want to believe him brendan
me: FALSE HOPE?!?!
hillary_fan: i want to sooo badly - i just DONT
me: you are crazy right now, friend
me: I think you need to cool down a bit after the hillary let down
hillary_fan: im sorry! i cant help it! i just dont believe what he says - and thats always been the case
hillary_fan: i mean - i believe he honestly wants change, etc etc. but i dont believe he can do it
me: even if you don't believe in his message of hope, POLICY wise, he supports more similar things than mccain
me: you can't deny that
me: so you can't honestly say that you would rather have mccain in office
me: the gop is dying right now
hillary_fan: everyone says he wants a new kind of politics, but you cant just decide to change everything - sometimes you need to work within an imperfect system to actually accomplish anything, and as much as people hated clinton for thinking she was manipulative, thats what being a succsessful politician IS
me: I'm not saying that he will be 100% successful
hillary_fan: i honestly think obama wouldnt do shit and mccain would keep us safe while taking away some of my rights maybe - and i need to decide which i prefer
me: WOW
me: not just taking away rights... denying them // just ask ellen
me: HE stands with the people who would rather not let gay people get married
hillary_fan: i know
me: HE stands with the people who want nonsense taught in our schools
hillary_fan: and thats an obvious negative
me: HE stands for most everything you DISLIKE!!!
hillary_fan: i KNOWW but i also think he could do positive things - immigration reform, etc
me: I mean he is better than the average repub on some things, but not by much
hillary_fan: and you have to balance that
me: I am telling you right now... he could be a more disastrous president than bush
me: he is all too ready to put other countries to the sword
me: he is against the Webb GI Bill for christ's sake // check that link, its a gem
me: the man makes no sense
hillary_fan: im just going to have to learn more about him, is all im saying
hillary_fan: im not tying mysef down blindly to one party - that makes no sense
me: he claims to be a foreign policy guy but can't keep sunni and shiite straight!
me: thats true
me: but the whole reason for parties is to facilitate collective action
hillary_fan: ill watch the debates, research them both, and make an informed decision
me: collective action based on common beliefs
me: clinton and obama have common beliefs
hillary_fan: i dont want to take collective action for someone im not sure will meet my needs
me: mccain lies far away from those beliefs
hillary_fan: i KNOW they do - practically identical - but he wont do anything
me: so you would rather have someone enacting policy you DISLIKE than someone who will at least try (and probably succeed with a democratic congress on his side) to enact policy you LIKE
hillary_fan: yes - but only because the person i dislike would also inevitably do some things i like
me: bonnie, you must see the fallacy in this
me: I see
hillary_fan: i see it this way - obama would do zero things in office, and mccain would do maybe 10 - 8 of which i would hate, but 2 of which i would like
hillary_fan: so that means mccain would do 2 more things that i like than obama would
hillary_fan: so whats the problem
...
me: I will guarantee you that there will be a bigger democratic majority in the next congress
me: and if thats the case
me: and somehow mccain gets elected with the help of clinton dem defectors
me: that will be the biggest political blunder in decades
me: DECADES //nay, centuries... reference the Whig's missed chance with the death of W.H. Harrison and subsequent Presidency of John Tyler
me: thats my story and i'm sticking to it
hillary_fan: well obviously the dems will take congress - but if mccain wins we KNOW he can be a bipartisan politician, and is, in fact, more moderate than obama, so whwats the problem
me: he was bipartisan... in 2000. he was a maverick... in 2000
me: he has become a right wing panderer in his quixotic quest for the republican nomination and the presidency
me: he doesn't make sense anymore
hillary_fan: in order to get the nomination, he had to. he'll inevitably center himself now
me: and is trying to be ronald reagan and failing
hillary_fan: thats the way he'll win - positioning himself as a moderate to obama's radical communist, or whatever
me: haha // for the record, thats a nervous laugh


This kind of thinking just won't do, Hillary fans out there. Yes, you were emotionally invested in a candidate you thought would be a great president. But she's out of the game now and you need to come to your senses and support the next best candidate for your personal political preferences. So unless you were one of those "Reagan Democrats" anyway, one that has been voting for Republicans since the 80s or whatever and would honestly prefer McCain's policies, get over it. Take your sour grapes, make some wine, and join the Obama camp because we're going to be partying when its January 20, 2009.