I like Hillary Clinton. And if, by some strange miracle, she wins the nomination, I will vote for her, donate money to her, work for her, and basically do everything I'm capable of doing in order to ensure that she kicks the crap out of that wretched, warmongering, psychotic asshole, John McCain. And I think, or at least I used to think, that she would make a very good President, despite my reservations about her hawkish foreign policy. And up until very recently I have trusted her even more than my preferred candidate to govern properly as an executive. That time is over and gone. This is why:

I hate Hillary's campaign. Democrats, including myself, DO NOT LIKE IT when one of their candidates engages in a McCarthy-esque, racially tinged smear-fest against another Democrat. Please stop making excuses. Please stop blaming everyone and everything under the sun - the caucus process, the DNC, the media, the rich, the minorities, the urbanites, the young, etc... for her failure. Her campaign is not just a small part of the problem - her campaign IS the problem. And boy is it a big fucking problem. Hillary is (almost certainly) going to lose this contest not because of who she is, or what she believes, or how she has achieved what she has achieved.

Hillary is going to lose because her campaign is disgusting.

Hillary is going to lose because she has managed to piss off people like me, who by all rights should be her natural supporters. Her campaign has gone to great lengths to try to instill in the American consciousness the idea that Barack Obama is a black supremacist, America-hating, sixties-radical-sympathizing Manchurian candidate. And the excuse that is given over and over again by her and her supporters is that "this is what the Republicans will do to him in the general!"

No fucking shit.

I fully expect whatever the Republicans do to Obama in the general to be ten times worse than the worst Clinton's campaign has dished out. A black liberal running for president? No fucking shit the Republicans are going to pile on like a bunch of crazy inbreds hollering that The Bad Man is going to Destroy The Country. I expect that of them. I expect nothing less, really. What I, and a lot of other Democrats DO NOT EXPECT is to have that kind of fear mongering CONDONED, SUPPORTED, and ENCOURAGED by a member of our own party.

I do not expect politicians to fight clean. I do not expect the Clintons, of all people, to take the high road. Part of the reason I love them, or used to love them, is that they are willing to fight the dirty fight. But this has gone too far. The Clintons are fast becoming that which they despise. They are no longer simply taking a page from the Republican playbook, they are legitimizing the entire Republican worldview and encouraging it. I am horrified by what their campaign has become. I had extremely high expectations for Hillary when she announced she was running. If there is one person, I thought, who can change the trajectory of our political discourse, it's her. I still wish it was her, but it isn't. My only consolation is the knowledge that she is losing because of the way her campaign has behaved. May this serve as a lesson to any other Democrat who wants to run for office: Don't shit where you eat.

I've started to hear a few people around here talking about writing in either another Democrat, or going 3rd party, or not voting at all if some person, usually Hillary, gets the nomination. Let me make this as clear as I possibly can to those people: If you really want to see the day when the United States can elect a President with politics like Kucinich's, for instance, then four more years of Republican rule is the worst thing that could possibly happen to your agenda. Another four years of the Republicans using that bully pulpit of the Presidency to drive the country as far to the right as they possibly can is not going to help us. It's not going to help you. It's going to hurt the progressive cause, not to mention the shambles it will make of any kind of effort for change that originates in congress.

In 2000 I voted for Al Gore, even though at the time I didn't really like him. I did this over the strenuous objections of some of my friends who said that there was no difference between the Democrats and the Republicans, and that I should vote for Nader because his policies most closely matched my own views. Those people were wrong. And I would like to think that the evidence of the last seven years would be enough to convince everyone of that, but maybe it's not.

I'm not going to vote for Rudy Giuliani. And I'm certainly not going to do effectively the same thing by going third party or writing in my favorite just because I don't like Hillary (or whoever) or their policies because, in the immortal words of Our Leader Who Done Tells It Like It Is, "Fool me once, shame on... shame on you. Fool me can't get fooled again."

Of course, every time I bring up the "pointless waste of time and resources that could be better applied elsewherre" argument, I get shouted down as a freeper or a DLCer or some other such nonsense, despite the fact that I dispise Lieberman as much, and probably more than the netroots crowd, and for a lot more reasons. The netroots have succeeded in proving that they can influence the primary process, which is important, and also extremely frightening considering the utterly pointless way in which they chose to exercise this power. Unfortunately, they didn't chose to influence the primary process anywhere where it might have made a difference. Don't get me wrong, I respect their commitment to making this country a better place. I just have to wonder what fucking planet they think this country is on.

Here is what we can expect if the liberals win:

* Amnesty for 12,000,000 illegal immigrants.

They appear to have confused us with the Repbulicans.

* A push to make homosexual marriage and polygamy legal in all 50 states.

Yes, and when we're done there, we'll FORCE you to marry a goat! Or even two goats! Goat polygamy! FORCED goat polygamy!

* Only liberal judges will be appointed. They will create laws to implement the social agenda liberals cannot get passed through the legislative process.

Ha! Little do they know that this is just a PLOY to distract from the GOAT POLYGAMY!

* Liberals will make the killing of the unborn more difficult to stop.

That has to be the most anticilmatic statement in the history of anti-abortion gibberish.

* Liberals will continue to try to rid our society of Christian influence, including any reference to God in our Pledge and on our currency.

And once we've rid the flag and the dollar of God, we'll go even further! Soon even the DIME will be without reference to God! And then the PENNY! And then the WORLD! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!...Ahem...

* A return to the "Fairness Doctrine" in broadcasting where opposing views must be given equal time. Every conservative talk show host will be forced to give a liberal equal time on every issue. The purpose of this rule will be to shut down conservative talk shows.

No, the purpose of this rule will be to string Nancy Grace up by her toenails. I think this is one issue where we can find common ground with the religiously insane.

* An increase in taxes to push new social programs.

Yes, but there's a "Trailer trash buck-toothed inbred Jesus freak" exemption in that bill, which will result in a net tax decrease for most of your followers.

* Passing a new "hate crimes" law making it illegal to refer to homosexuality in a negative manner.

Well... Only a goddamn faggot would object to that.

* Liberals will give terrorists from other countries who try to kill Americans the same rights American citizens enjoy under our constitution.

Seeing as Americans no longer enjoy ANY rights under their consitution, this provision of our EvilAgenda is relatively harmless.

* We will withdraw from Iraq, sending the message to the terrorists that if they will just be patient they can win and bring their terrorist acts to the U.S.

Call it a "strategic realignment." We're sending the troops to fight Evolutionists in Kansas.

Jesus, these people have NO consideration for others.

Reccomended.

Remember Vince Foster? The only difference is scale. And much of the reason for that difference is the popularity of the internet, and of discussion forums in particular. Now all of the formerly isolated, socially retarded conspiracist whackjobs have a place where they can come together to celebrate and reinforce their mental disorder. They can "publish" their "research" and be sure to win the praise of their fellow whackjob conspiracists. I'm sure there will be a torrent of new right-wing conspiracy theories whenever a Democrat is next in the White House. Hate to say it, but I think this is the new "normal."