My Whole Expanse I Cannot See…

I formulate infinity stored deep inside of me…

Oct 12

Looking past perception

So, if Hillary Clinton is such a horrible disgusting corrupt liar, why isn’t she in jail, or at least out of politics? Well, as I see it, there are three options to consider. First, the Clintons are so wealthy, so powerful, that Presidents, Federal Agencies, judges all bow down to their awesome power. Second, America’s just a corrupt, filthy place. Just the right people in just the right places like the Clintons, particularly Hillary. Two senate elections got rigged for her, people covered for her crimes. We live in an awful country. Third, they can’t take Secretary Clinton down because they just don’t have the tools. There’s no smoking gun, no damning documents, nothing. The first option is just stupid. I can’t believe in theory number two, I have faith in our government, I believe that our founding fathers built something so lasting, because it is good. That leaves option three, if they could have laid Secretary Clinton low, they’d have done it. If the weapon existed, they’d have fired it like the Death Star.

There’s a tactic found in the political Dark Arts manual; throw enough darts at your opponent until one of them sticks on the board. Truth has nothing to do with anything, get down deep in the gutter, do whatever it takes. Bury your opponent in so much trash all your opponent has time to do is dig out, and even after the digging, they can’t help coming out looking dirty. Note the word, looking. Even if none of the accusations are true, none of the darts hit the board, the trash isn’t deep enough to suffocate your opponent, you still call it a win. It’s a win of perception, the perception that your opponent is absolutely guilty of… SOMETHING! This is what we see with Hillary Clinton. The right slings accusations, Republican leadership brings investigations, hearings, you name it. The media has to report, Hillary Clinton today has been accused of… Hilary Clinton is under investigation for… Hillary Clinton just wrapped up eleven hours of testimony during a Senate committee hearing on… People have had to listen to these things for nearly three decades, hence the perception, the false-perception, that she’s done SOMETHING bad. The accusations never come to anything, the investigations never uncover anything, the hearings bear no evil fruit. Sadly, with too many people, none of that matters. All that matters is perception.

The news media does these “voter on the street” segments, they ask kids, first-time voters shopping at Target with mom and dad, who are a Trumpians, So, why are you voting for Donald Trump“Well, you know, Hillary Clinton’s just a liar, she should be in jail for the e-mails and stuff, she’s like, really bad for America. Trump’s really honest, he tells it like it is, and I like that.” Their moms and dads basically say the same things. That’s not just a coincidence. Also not a coincidence, when pressed, nobody, adults, young voters, nobody, can say exactly what she lies about, or why exactly “the e-mails and stuff” ought to land her in jail. Nobody can give specifics on anything Secretary Clinton has done that’s so corrupt, specifics backed by credible sources. If specifics are given, it’s all from Breitbart, or InfoWars, or The Heritage Foundation, or The Donald himself. Of course, The Donald gets his proof of Secretary Clinton’s corruption from Breitbart, and InfoWars, and The Heritage Foundation, and his own American Horror Story: Freakshow mind. Nor do these people realize that when fact-checked by legitimate sources, Trump’s lies, flat-out lies, total in the eighty plus percent range. Still, his supporters would swear to Christ Himself that Donald J. Trump is the only honest man in politics. It’s all about perception, again, false-perception. The perception is that Trump is a “straight-shooter,” though factually he is not. The perception is that Secretary Clinton is a corrupt liar, though factually she is not. Once perception sets in, it’s a brutal task to shake it. I want to help shake the perception that has been chained and padlocked to Hillary Clinton, but I’m not going to list all her supposed sins and litigate them. The fact that nothing on the list can be proven through a single credible source says everything.

The truth is, if you really look at her life, Hillary Clinton grew up in a blue-collar family who gave her a strong Methodist upbringing which taught her the belief that one should do as much good as they can, for as long as they can. She got into law, could have become wealthy in some private sector law firm, but she went into public service. Working for the Children’s Defense Fund she became aware of a disparity between disabled kids and public school attendance. She learned that schools didn’t accommodate kids with disabilities, so they stayed home, and the schools didn’t seem to care. Hillary took her research to Congress, and ultimately, it became law for disabled students to have access to public education. Some twenty years later, I got access to public education. She’s the first major party Presidential candidate who truly embraces disability issues. That says a lot to me about her heart. She fought discrimination, exposing schools that were supposed to be desegregated, but were not. As First Lady of the United States, after a hard-fought loss to pass Universal Health-Care, she went right back to work, this time successfully championing health care coverage for eight million children nation-wide. She served two successful terms as a New York Senator, fighting to care for 9/11 families and first responders who became ill simply by running toward the burning debris and toxic air to save others. As Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton reduced nuclear proliferation, fought for women’s rights and children’s rights on a global scale, and helped to finally bring Osama Bin-Laden to justice. She has done a great deal of good in her thirty years of public service, and as President, she’d do a lot more. Nobody’s perfect, but she’s good, which is what counts. As Secretary Clinton says, we are a great Nation, because we are a good Nation.

Donald Trump is a liar, a fraud, a fellow who brags about being able to commit sexual assault because his celebrity allows it. That alone should make him unfit for the Presidency. Still, there’s more. If boasting about physical sexual assault isn’t enough, how about dozens upon dozens upon dozens of instances of verbal assault against women? He’s described women as pigs, and dogs, and bimbos, and losers. He’s said his own daughter, Ivanka, is “a piece of ass.” He’s said, “For flat-chested women, it’s very hard to be a 10.” He’s made racist statements against African-Americans, Hispanics, Muslims. He physically and verbally mocked a journalist with disabilities. Still, people defend him, they rationalize his documented total lack of a morale-compass by saying, “Well, we’re not voting for Sunday-school teacher, we’re voting for President.” That argument doesn’t hold much water either, as Trump has absolutely zero experience in politics, let alone public service. He lacks the basic knowledge that I learned in ninth-grade American Government. His shallow understanding of policy, both domestic and foreign, is astonishing. He doesn’t understand that in America, Presidents don’t jail their political enemies. He doesn’t grasp that you don’t start a shooting war over Iranian soldiers making crude gestures toward our soldiers. He’s never held any form of public office, yet now he feels he’s entitled to the highest public office in the land. Donald Trump has spent his entire adult life in service to one person, himself. He is dangerously unqualified for the Presidency.

Hillary Clinton is a true public servant, she’s everything a President should be; kind, intelligent, level-headed, experienced. Look at facts, not perception, and make the right choice in November.

3 comments

3 Comments so far

  1. Don October 12th, 2016 8:33 pm

    Unfortunately, the vast majority of Americans are “low information voters” and only consume the media outlets that already match what they think. I’m also amazed at how many people only read headlines.

  2. Shawn Morgan October 12th, 2016 8:59 pm

    Mike, why don’t YOU run for office? Not president because I would not wish that ordeal on anyone I care about, but how about some office? You could restore dignity and vericity to some office and restore faith in the system. I mean it,; let’s start planning now for the next election for the office you choose. I will be a fervent campaign worker on your behalf.

  3. michael October 13th, 2016 2:28 am

    Don: I agree, but I have to try to wake a few people up, or AT LEAST be marked on the right side of history.

    Shawn: I don’t know… I feel like politicians sometimes have to talk fast, whereas I don’t talk at all. :-p Though, thank you. 🙂

    You know, whenever you two like something I write, it feels like Christmas. 🙂 Yes, I’m a nerd. All these years I’ve wanted to make you proud, I write because of you two and Jodi.

    Also, I know I’m 35, but is it okay that I use your first names? I know, I’m weird. :-p Jodi yelled at me for calling her “Ms. Pushkin” at lunch. Still, I feel it’s only right to ask.