What Happened? The Review

Alright, so finally after a while, my reserved copy of Hillary Clinton's book came in, and I started reading it. This doesn't happen often, and might be a result of blood pressure medication, but I am trying to sort out my thoughts about what I have read thus far, and I am not having much luck with it. Maybe the outrage about every little thing that happened in the primaries is too fresh, maybe the anxiety of how big of a mess we are actually in is clouding how I feel. Maybe its just that I can't get over the commentary of the Clinton supports, that continues to this very day, hasn't come to a head, and its not truly ready to be excised from my mind. One thing I know for certain, the wounds that were inflicted in the primaries, and the aftermath of this freak show aren't healing, and that will take time. Time we simply do not have.

Where do I begin? First, I am down on Clinton, I don't like her policies, I don't like her hawkishness, I don't like her ties to things I feel are wrong with our country. I'm just a simple guy at heart, I want a nice ride, a nice home, to eat out without fear of breaking my bank account. I don't want a job, I want a career, someplace I can hang my hat for twenty or thirty years, walk out on my own terms, to live comfortably with a wife and kids. And at the heart of my disdain for Secretary Clinton is the notion that I wouldn't have any of those things. Its the same reason I hold disdain for President Trump. Nothing changes for the better, everything just continues its slow decent until it doesn't, it just falls off the cliff into an abyss of misery and suffering that most people in the United States simply cannot understand.

A quick rehash before I start, because this needs to have a some levity to it. In the last decade, I have watched my family business fail. I have been homeless. I watched my father die after being assaulted in a hospital. I have faced racism. I have faced classism. I have faced poverty. Long term unemployment. Heath crises. I have stood against political corruption for almost two decades, I have gone to places in the US that most wouldn't believe existed. Not just me, my entire family, and countless other families. I should probably say we, but I use I, because I am writing out of personal experiences, family lore, and what I have personally seen others encounter and face. It is true, a Liberal sees things and says this should never happen to anyone. For me, it is a case of nobody should be forced, or have to walk down the same path I do. For it is dark and lonely and cold, and every step you take, you loose something else of yourself, and should you finally emerge from the cold and lonely darkness, you are never really the same.

So, where to begin here? Well, when I first picked up the book, I noticed that the story is her story, and that is perfectly fine. I've nothing against writing from perspective, I do it all the time. We all do, and I know some people will see this as more of the “It's all about me!” deal that Clinton is notorious for, its an acceptable thing. She is after all writing her thoughts and views. The book is short, around 470 pages not including the authors note and index. Yeah, this book comes with an index so you can read her views on specific things, like you have in a school book. The picture on the inside cover is her accepting the nomination, and guess what, the protesters are shown sitting in darkness. She explains the purpose of the book quickly, and without fanfare. But quoting the movie A League of Their Own, and Nietzsche, when Jerry McGuire (“Show me the Money!”) would likely be more fitting for the Democratic Party today. Nietzsche, a nihilist, was interesting to quote, even if it is one of his most famous quotes. At this point, I need to say that it is not true, “What does not kill us, makes us stronger.” is patently false. What does not kill us, takes years off of our lives, and incurs massive medical bills, which creates stress, and will ultimately lead to coronary failure or stroke.

I should mention that this review is going to be slightly disjointed, as things tend to pop into my mind randomly. So, I might have read something earlier in the book, and yeah, I just thought it was relevant. Anyway, she spends most of the first chapter, if you can call this a chapter in a traditional sense, talking about persevering in the face of adversity. Hey, that is legitimately heart warming, we come into this world kicking and screaming, we go through life settling, and at the end we mostly peaceably leave this life. Me, I came in kicking and screaming, I'm still kicking and screaming, and when I die, I'll be kicking and screaming. Okay so what was this first chapter discussing, the loss. How she felt in the immediate aftermath of loosing to Trump. She grieved over loosing, took it hard, decided that it was best after a contentious election to stay away from the protests that happened afterwards. She spoke of going to Trump's wedding, even though they weren't friends, and I'm sorry, but even if asked, I don't go to weddings of people who are passing acquaintances. Yeah, I am not famous, but thats just weird, even if it was just for “star power.” We move onto the Inauguration, in which Clinton says that “Dubya” Bush said that Trumps Inaugural speech was “That was some weird s—t.” We move onto gratitude for the loss, and really jump in both feet.

So we next return to the fall of 2014, when Clinton first started kicking around a run for President. Obama, according to her, persuaded her to run, to continue his legacy. She wasn't reluctant to run, by no means, she was motivated by helping. But she also says that in retrospect, her speeches to Wall Street, while perfectly normal and acceptable (which they are), were not the best choice given the economic blowup of 2008-2009. Yeah, let us forget that Clinton, Bill for that matter, made no effort to fight deregulation that helped the 2008 Economic blowup, and that Hillary deferred to Schumer, a neutral person. Let us also acknowledge the fact that this happened on the GOP's watch, while she held a seat in the Senate, and was hands off on Wall Street regulation. In her mind, because she took a hands off approach she is clear of any blow back from the 2008 issues. Furthering this, she had no problem giving private speeches to the very entities who practically destroyed our economy. She recounts telling the story of Bin Laden being killed multiple times, and while its great fodder, I have a feeling that there was always more to these speeches. It is her contention that she should have realized that giving those speeches could potentially be problematic in the future, given the resentment against Wall Street. You think? They nearly destroyed the economy, people lost everything they owned, they lost their savings, their retirements, and all I got was a $200 check, that I had to pay taxes on the following year. Hey, I admit it, I'm still bitter about that whole f—k up. Hey, things were looking bad on the farm in the lead up to the collapse, but we had survived worse than a market downturn. What we couldn't survive, was a market downturn and a full down economic collapse in which loans evaporated. So, yeah, I think the agitation about Wall Street is well founded, given how much people lost, how much Wall Street got in bailouts, and we the people got a few dollars.

All right, all right, I am still touchy about that, and I do believe that had our Senators and Congress people had actually been, I don't know, doing their job, half of that nonsense wouldn't have happened. In my mind it was the greatest single theft in the history of the world. And here she is saying, “Yeah, giving speeches to the very people who nearly destroyed everything was likely a bad idea.” No shyte. Well at least she says she told them to “cut it out.” before they tanked the economy ruining countless numbers of people. According to one executive, “She wasn't engaging on those issues. She just didn't have a lot of interest.” ~sighs~

So she claims that she ran for president to help people, because as a Senator, a Representative, or Secretary of State you can't help all that many people, but as president you can save the world. Well, at least the world that matters, Americans, while we continuing to carpet bomb the crap out of everything else. I'm sorry, but as a Senator or a member of the House of Representatives, you have more power than the President. Hey, I've got a new drinking game all planned out. While reading this book about life, the universe and how Hillary Clinton couldn't beat the single worst presidential candidate in my recollection of human history, every time she brings up the Clinton Foundation you take a shot of liquor. Every time she talks about all the good it has done, drink a few more shots. If she talks about daughters life experiences drink several more. When she talks about her grandchildren, don't drink, do it for the kids. Thus far, almost a quarter of this book is about her foundation, and her plans, but she doesn't flesh out her plans, just that she had them.

So at this point, we are on the Kessel Run... I mean on a secret trip to Iowa, and she isn't even committed to running for president in 2016. They've loaded up Scoobie (a black van) and have set off on a secret trip, only to be foiled by Chipolte, and grainy security camera footage. As we move along we get into the Primary and Caucus seasons, and irony of irony, she talks about how Sanders got more delegates because he won a caucus in Washington State. I seem to recall that even when they were close to tie, the media (which she said was on a witch hunt), she would have several more delegates than Sanders. That whole, Super Delegates being tallied along with regular delegates. She now she is hitting the revisionist button. She did have a large lead in the delegate count, when you take into account the Super Delegates. Really? Tim Kaine her VP pick was a Super Delegate, and if you say that you or he could be impartial about a vote, considering you are voting for/against the person offering you a job... I'll call you a liar, each and every time. You are going to vote for the person offering the job. She rejects the notion that her campaign was flawed, considering all the events that happened during the cycle. But the truth is, even should she wish to ignore it, this was an anti-establishment cycle, people who were seen as insiders were viewed with cynicism, and she was the inside candidate. Certainly the FBI letter didn't help her cause, but being honest, she messed up.

I don't think I have been very fair here. I came in really not liking Secretary Clinton, and while I have been decent, I haven't been overly nice. I am trying to stay neutral, hard as it can be. But she is right about something here, Democrats need better data, and they need to adapt better than they have in the past. The problem is, even my own representatives, they tend to live in a bubble. Listening isn't a strong point, of anyone in office these days, they listen to money. Follow the money, and you'll find the voice on the other end of the tin can.

Okay, so, I have to say something, because honestly I am offended here. Yeah I know, its easy to offend me at times, it is just a matter of the subject. If you tell your daughter that she could become the President of the United States, great. Honestly, I believe that there is a young woman somewhere in this land that has that dream, and rightfully so. We do not need anyone to say they are going to be the first to confirm that dream. That dream is valid all on its own, as is the dream of some youth who believes he has the skills required to play professional ball, or to be the CEO of a major corporation. All we need do is plant the seeds in our daughters, and to instill that the will to achieve must be strong as steel, but flexible as a twig in the wind. We must teach out daughters to be strong and resilient, to deal with the stupidity of others, while being confident in their ideology and themselves.

You know, I thought this might be a little fun, I figured I could read her book, and get to see things from her point of view. But the thing is, this book, all four hundred some odd pages are really just a rehash of the election. Yeah, Trump went to the low hanging hate fruit. But thats been their thing since 2001. Hatred of Muslims, fear of terrorist attacks, fear of gun grabbing, hatred for the poor, etc... Hate and fear are what drives the GOP, and I don't need to hear it from Clinton, I see enough of its poison on a daily basis. And yeah, she talked a big game about unity, while her online surrogates played the same game the GOP does, and they know the game, so they won it. To some extent, now they are playing the “I told you so.” card, and yeah, thats going to work out really well here. The fact of it is, for all the good she says she wanted to do, it doesn't matter now. Stronger Together, Love Trumps Hate, or whatever catchy slogan you want to pontify, or if you insist on asking all those who voted for neither Trump or Clinton and Trump's supporters “If they are happy now?” I can tell you, they weren't happy at the start of the election cycle of 2016, they are equally as unhappy today. To me, all this book is, is just a means of keeping the hornets wet and angry. I wish I could say this book was insightful, well the half I read of it, but its just rehashing the same tired song and dance, red meat for her base who feels screwed, cringe worthy for those who aren't her base. I don't know, maybe you'll take something else away from it. I won't tell anyone to buy it, just go check it out at the library, or wait a while, I'm sure it'll find its way to the bargain bin shortly. Basically the first half of the book is mostly about her foundation, the next portion talks about her policy ideas, without even discussing them, just I had ideas. Followed by Sanders hanging around too long, and GOP fear and hate. Honestly, I doubt anything will be gleaned from finishing this book. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to come up with some money so I can cover yet another set of unexpected bills that I acquired for myself. I would say thank Obama, or Thank Trump, but at this point, I am going to thank my crappy genetics and a hard life made so much better by Trickle Down Economics, something Democrats and Republicans agree with.