I was going to call her Virtuous - Updated

By Libby

Out of deference to the Clinton supporters I know and love, I was determined to ignore Hillary's speech but I find I can't move past it without venting some of my thoughts. I had many and I'm glad I was offline most of the day so I could reflect on them for a while without becoming distracted by the buzz. I've read little reaction beyond the speech itself.

I found it bizarre and ungracious, but I'm more disappointed than angry. I expected better of her. I wanted her to confound the toxic media narratives and make a brilliant concession speech. I wanted her to highlight the good her candidacy brought to the women's movement and trot out my unity pony.

She could have pledged to take the battle to the GOP. She could have announced she was going back to the Senate and redouble her efforts to deliver on her platform promises in her quest to serve the people. That would have been stunning and would have restored people's respect to a great degree. Or at least it would have restored mine. As it stands at the moment, I've lost the last shreds I had.

I feel sad and embarrassed for her.

Update: I no sooner posted than the news broke. It's over. I think I'll name that pony Hallelujah.

Comments

[Earl]

Agree with you 100% so I've been trying to figure out the big why...

I admit that I don't know why, but with what has already happened, I'm just trying to figure it out.

[JohnShreffler]

What you said, Libby. She's out on Friday but it apparently took several conference calls involving enraged Supers from both the House and the Senate telling her to get out yesterday for that to happen. Sad for her. She isn't going to be anyone in the party now, just a pariah. That Tuesday speech of hers was a bad miscalculation.

[Libby]

I'm sorry she missed her opportunity for a really great moment. Unfortunately even the most brilliant speech in the world won't have the same impact now.

I doubt her career is over, but she would have come out much stronger if she had conceded gracefully yesterday.

[Carol]

Sigh...Obama miscalculates, and we triangulate explanations to explain why it was really a good miscalculation. Clinton miscalculates and we fall all over ourselves trying to paint her as a loser and a has-been. You folks (I would say guys, since that leaps out at me) are sad and sorry.

[Steve Hynd]

Uh, Carol? Libby's very definitely not a guy.

[Kat]

Libby: "I expected better of her."

Exactly what I expected of her -- although it's a little hard to explain why I had such low expectations, since up til now, I haven't bothered to analyze my persitently negative gut-feeling about her.

If I had to sum up it up in a word, I'd say 'ego'. Sure -- if you run for the nation's highest office, it's a given that you have to think pretty highly of yourself. But, somehow, Hillary reminded me a bit too much of Bush -- indulging in the egotism of believing she deserved the office just because she wanted it, rather than actually having the kind of self-esteem that comes from understanding one's true strengths and weaknesses via introspection, self-reflection. The most damning supportive evidence has been practically everything she's done since Super Tuesday.

[BJ Bjornson]

I do wonder a bit why I wasn't nearly as upset by her speech as many others. Bigotry of low expectations perhaps. Having been burned by her a few times, I wasn't expecting much in the way of gracious concessions. Basically so long as she wasn't leading the "Denver! Denver!" chants, I was and am willing to basically ignore her for a few days.

And as for the news that she is, in fact, dropping out, still waiting until we actually hear the words from her lips. Until then, we'll keep a wary eye pointed her way. I do agree that it would have had a bigger impact for her own reputation had she done so last night. One final miscalculation in a campaign full of such, I suppose. (She won't hit pariah status unless and until she does or says something more to undermine Obama. She's on very thin ice with a party highly determined to retake the White House. Any slips at this point will lead to savage backlashes.)

[Libby]

It's funny. Since my near brush with death I've recovered my zen outlook that I lost somewhere along the way. For most of my life, I've prepared for the worst, but expected the best of people.

It's good to get that back, despite the disappointment that Hillary didn't seize the moment to turn this around to something that could have ended in greatness.