Why, Democrats, why are you making us choose? Why must we have either the practical, down-to-Earth Hillary or the dreamy, optimistic Bernie? Please find a way to fashion a candidate who is both. Last night’s “town hall” on CNN once again highlighted the tough choice between idealism and calculation.
I guess it’s dumb to complain — we have two great candidates to choose from, while the Republican options are basically an overflowing toilet.
But Clinton’s best quote of the evening (actually a Mario Cuomo quote) is the best summation of the race I’ve seen so far. In comparing Bernie’s emotional appeal to her wonky qualifications, she said, “You campaign in poetry. You govern in prose.”
Nicely put, Hillary. That’s very poetic.
Still, it sure would be nice if we could get some kind of hybrid Bernie-Hillary candidate who combines all the great things about them and none of the negative qualities. Both of them had high points and low points during the town hall.
My favorite Hillary moment — aside from her little poetry reading — was when she called out Trump.
“It’s not only shameful and contrary to our values to say that people of a certain religion should never come to this counry, or to claim that there are no real people of the Muslim faith who share our values,” she said. “It’s not only shameful and offensive, which it is. I think it’s dangerous.”
She also had a catty dig at the Republicans, who’ve had some particularly mean things to say about her since, oh, the 90s. “I consider them worthy adversaries, which they are,” she said, then added, “When I’m actually in office, they say very nice things about me.”
An audience member asked her about her transparency problems with her secret emails, to which she LAUGHED, oh Lord, did she laugh, a crazy, furious, murderous laugh. It’s the same response she gave when someone asked her if she’d release transcripts of the speeches she gave to Goldman Sachs in exchange for wheelbarrows full of cash. LAUGH LAUGH LAUGH, Hillary replied.
When it was Bernie’s turn (they all talked separately, since the DNC wouldn’t let CNN have another debate), he went after Clinton for being slow to address climate change and bank regulation. And then he made a chilling comparison: yeah, she’s got plenty of experience, he acknowledged. But remember Dick Cheney? “He had a lot of experience too.”
Uh. Yes. That’s true, I guess. Is Bernie really saying Hillary’s the Dick Cheney of the Democrats? I don’t even know what to do with that comparison because I think it is kind of a good thing? Like, wouldn’t it be awesome if Democrats had a Dick Cheney of their own?
Another person asked Bernie what democratic socialism means to him. His response: “What democratic socialism means to me is that economic rights, the right to economic security, should exist in the United States of America… Creating a government that works for all of us, not just a handful of people on the top. That’s my definition of democratic socialism.”
That is kind of a wordy definition so let me help you shorten it: “a thing that will probably never happen.”
Martin O’Malley was also present.
Poetry, this abortion of an article is not.
“a thing that will probably never happen.”
Ha ha! Yeah! Let’s continue to vote against our own best interests!
Nice job trying to mask your boring conformist ideology behind a thin veneer of false evenhandedness and snarky cynicism. That’s what the kids are in to, right?
Thanks for the Merc for covering this campaign talk! All Merc readers can view it on youtubes and the like in its entirety. Happy viewing and making up your minds individually all!
What the fuck is this anti-Sanders tripe? You know what hybrid candidate has none of the negative qualities of the two? Bernie Sanders. The Republicans are going to be utterly intransigent no matter which Democrat is elected, but this article painting Sanders as “dreamy” and “emotional”, as if Clinton is capable of being an iota more effective against them, is ridiculous and offensive. Fuck you, Mercury, for giving in to the right wing, throwing Sanders under the bus, and disguising your disgusting pro-Clinton editorializing as news coverage.
For chrissakes, he literally said “Wouldn’t be awesome if Democrats had a Dick Cheney of their own?”
You couldn’t fire this asshole soon enough, Mercury. What the actual fuck
… so says the Sanders supporter as he smears shit on the car windows (or bikes) of Mercury staffers….
When you support War criminals you get poop on your windows.