"Americans have fought their way back from tough economic times, but the deck is still stacked in favor of those at the top. Everyday Americans need a champion... and I want to be that champion."
This is the message Hillary Clinton puts forth in her first Presidential campaign announcement video, just released on April 12. I have to be honest with you. I find this initial message to be a bit troubling, as well as a stark reflection of how Hillary views herself. Chiefly, I take issue with anyone that claims they want to be your champion. Who says something like that? It's so presumptuous and grandiose. I don't need a champion speaking for me and neither do you. We are our own champions. Every day, we rise out of bed and fight our own battles. Not once have I ever turned to a politician and asked for them to espouse my life. I seriously doubt that any of my readers have, either.
"Any American who is prepared to run for president should automatically, by definition, be disqualified from ever doing so." -- Gore Vidal (1925-2012)I might be a progressive, independent voter, but I have never been a fan of Hillary's. Since Americans first came to know her in the early '90s, she has always emanated this strange aroma of discontent and treachery. The amount of space I'd have to spend explaining the murky dealings of the Clintons would require a separate article all to itself. To make a long story short, I would never vote for Hillary, even though she's supposedly the "champion" of a more moderate and progressive America. Truth be told, she wouldn't be any better than a Republican president. Both would maintain the status quo.
Perhaps the second biggest issue I take with Hillary is that she's basically assumed she'll be on the Democratic Party's ticket in 2016. This links to the previously mentioned stark reflection I spoke about. Without batting so much as an eyelash, Hillary has already positioned herself as the only Democratic choice for president. No matter that there's a whole nineteen months until Election Day 2016, or that there will be countless debates and a primary election process to go through. Nope... it's a done deal. Humph! Such pompous tomfoolery completely negates the fact that there are other worthy contenders within her own party -- chiefly Elizabeth Warren. I find Warren to be an Independent wolf in a Democratic sheep's clothing. She's one of the very few (I can count them on one hand) politicians aligned with either the Republicans or Democrats in Washington that I actually respect. Were she to run, I'd actually consider voting for her. America has been ready for a woman to be president for a long time. Unfortunately, I don't think Hillary is that woman. She's just too deeply entrenched in typical Washington politics to do the average American any good.
As it stands now -- I won't vote for anyone that's a Republican or a Democrat in any election -- state, federal or local. There's no real difference between the two parties, other than their name. They both support the same old song and dance that's ravaged our nation for decades. By creating the illusion of two parties, Americans can take sides and feel like they're on the winning team. All the while, the crooks are playing a giant shell game in Washington and stuffing their pockets. A vote for either of the two major parties, in nearly all instances, supports this never-ending machine of profit and power. As I always have, I advise you to vote for independent and third-party candidates.
Finally, I want to point out a simple, but powerful fact. Hillary Clinton, by very definition, is one of those at the top. Hillary's net worth, which is extremely difficult to nail down exactly due to loopholes in financial disclosure laws and the broken federal tax code, officially floats anywhere between $5 Million and $25 Million. This doesn't even take into account income which may not directly be in her name. Because many of her personal filings were made private once she became a Senator, there's just no real way for Americans to know how much Hillary is worth. What we do know is this -- confirmed figures for earnings from publishing, personal appearances and speaking engagements between 2001 and 2012 for the Clintons total to at least $136.5 Million. If you take this into consideration, her campaign announcement message takes on a much different connotation. The deck truly is stacked in favor of those at the top -- just ask Hillary, she would know!
"Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich, by promising to protect each from the other." -- Oscar Ameringer (1870-1943)
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