Sunday, June 10, 2007

"I'D RATHER BE THE DEVIL THAN BE THAT WOMAN'S MAN"

COMMENTARY

BREAK WITH THE DEMOCRATS-BUILD A WORKERS PARTY

Leave it to legendary blues man Skip James to come up with just the right phrase to capture my feelings after having just read part of an ‘unauthorized’ biography of Senator Hillary Clinton. Believe me even that much was tough going and I refuse to go further. No, not because of the nasty details of the Clintons’ lives ‘exposed’ but because I knew all of this before as did almost any political neophyte. These people, the Clintons, have been part of the political landscape so long it seems really improbably that there is much we haven't had our noses rub in already. Between, snoops, special prosecutors and impeachment interrogators what is left?

The ‘highlight’ of the current expose is thus suppose to be the ‘pact with the devil’ that Bill and Hillary made that they would support eight year presidencies for each other. First for Bill, and then (now) for Hillary. I do not know what they call it in bourgeois circles but in the workers movement we call it a united front- that is a temporary agreement over a certain issue or goal. What is the big deal? That such a non-starter is seen as some kind of conspiracy to take over the republic tells more about the authors than about the Clintons. I repost a comment that I made in an earlier post dealing with the presidential campaign. I think it rather sums up the real point that eludes of all these biographies and exercises in conspiracy theory.

"Not to be outdone the Democrats have had some tempests in teapots themselves. A couple of “unauthorized” campaign biographies have come out on one ex-First Lady and current New York Senator Hillary Clinton. I have only read reviews on the books but seemingly they are as the Clinton campaign has argued they are- old news, or no news. The only important point to note is that it is obvious that Ms. Clinton has that same “fire in the belly” to be president that commentators, including myself, have noticed about the more successful candidates in presidential contests. Hillary is still 5/2 against the field in my book and now we are getting a better understanding of why. It is not a pretty sight. And once again, as with the Republicans, we are in trouble."

1 comment:

  1. I have taken a certain amount of flack from my feminist friends in the use of this title. They apparently thought that it was a prima facie case of male chauvinism or misorgyny, a favorite topic during this campaign season. However, just to show that I am an equal opportunity hater of bourgeois politicans, regardless of gender I make the following addition. The folk/blues singer-songwriter Rory Block has done a version of this Skip James song and changed the words a little to reflect the change of gender. She sings it as "I'd rather be the devil than be a woman to that man". Is all forgiven now?

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