If presidential hopeful Senator Hillary Clinton doesn't win the Democratic primaries on March 4th, at least no one would accuse her of going down without a fight. Barack Obama's mantra is Change and Hillary Clinton's is obviously Win At All Costs.
I admire her persistence, but her and her camp's widely publicized tactics reek of desperation. Forget her policies; if the nomination will be handed to the person who seems to want it the most, she has already won. No one wants this as bad as Hillary Clinton. Well, maybe the Republican Party really wants her to get the Democratic nomination, but that's only so they can get the opportunity to steamroll her in the general election season. But that's beside the point. Who better to be given the presidential nomination than someone who really, really wants it? Maybe that's why superdelegates are flocking to her side even when the public has clearly shied away. I mean, there seems to be no other logical reason for Obama to be winning with Democratic voters but losing amongst superdelegates. Again, I digress.
As I said, I admire Clinton's persistence, but I take issue with someone who strives to win no matter what the tactics. From tears in New Hampshire, to aggressively courting superdelegates, to mocking her opponent, to changing her position on whether Florida's delegates should count at the Democratic National Convention, to accusing her opponent of plagiarism, Clinton seems to be willing to use any tactic, whether or not it is ethical. Maybe it's time for someone to turn to her and say, as she said to Obama, Shame on you.
She should especially be ashamed of her camp's lowest blow of all: the photograph circulated around the Internet of Barack Obama dressed in local garb while he was in Kenya, his father's home country. Leave it to the Clinton camp to tap into America's irrational fear of Muslims and their grossly exaggerated potential for terrorism. Obama has already said he isn't a Muslim, and instead he is a Christian. The fact that he has to clarify or risk being marked as un-American and a terrorist is utterly ridiculous. What if he were a Muslim? Would he be unfit for the presidency? Would that make him lose his appeal? Whoever circulated those photos must think so. Why? Lucky for Senator Obama, he isn't a Muslim and is just a victim of dirty politics.
Clinton's camp commented on the photo, Hillary Clinton has worn the traditional clothing of countries she has visited and had those photos published widely. A photo of Senator Clinton in a turban would have the same effect of a photo of Senator Obama decked out in a Scottish kilt ' none whatsoever, and everyone knows that, so that rebuttal is absurd. As of Monday, the Clinton camp neither confirmed nor denied that they circulated the photograph, but it is certainly not beneath the Clinton camp to do such a thing as try to elicit fear in the hearts of the American people in order to secure the nomination for Hillary. I can't imagine what she will do next if Democratic primary voters once again tell her, Nice try
but I choose Obama on March 4th. No matter what, I hope America has moved on from their unfounded fear of Muslims and people of Middle Eastern descent across the country G? even when politicians try to reignite it.
I know that politics are full of the outrageous; think of Bill O' Reilly and his lynching comment about Michelle Obama, or the simple fact that Ralph Nader is running for president solely because he can (he is certainly not going to win), or The New York Times allegations-without-evidence against Senator John McCain. However, to play into racial or religious fears against another candidate (who at the end of the day, is on the same team) makes the perpetrating candidate's nature questionable.
For whatever reason, Senator Clinton is convinced that she is the person who the Democrats should nominate (and I am not saying that I disagree with her). However, voters must think about the character of a candidate and how he or she is approaching politics before that candidate even sits in the Oval Office. A person may be the best for the job, but voters must consider if the experience of a candidate is enough to rely on when that candidate no longer relies on that experience and instead resorts to throwing stones at an eventual teammate and trying to manipulate the system. Before March 4th, voters must consider if a candidate willing to win at any cost is even the right candidate for the job. Smear tactics, cheating, manipulation, exaggerations and tears may be politics as this country knows it, but I think it's time for a change. Maybe it's just me.
Alissa Griffith is a junior journalism major. Send her an e-mail at ag180505@ohiou.edu.
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