Arrogance and Entitlement (Hillary’s) 2

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First came the surprise that Obama was indeed a viable candidate.  I could tell that Ms. Clinton felt certain she had the nomination and would have no real competition, that she was surprised and taken-aback by the viability of Obama.  She clearly felt entitled – that the nomination was hers.  Certainly she was/is entitled to run but unless and until selected, the nomination is not hers.


Then came the arrogance.  Hillary Clinton floats the idea that Obama be her running mate.  Never mind the fact that he has more votes and delegates…he should be her running mate.


Then came prejudice  in the form of Geraldine Ferraro’s statement, proving once again that feminism does not exempt one from prejudice.  Hillary softly denounces but does not reject Ms. Ferraro.  Funny how, in the debate a couple of weeks ago, she demanded that Obama reject not just denounce the unsolicited support he received from Minister Louis Farrakhan (which he did immediately during the debate).  Denouncing wasn’t good enough then.


I am not naïve enough to think that politics is anything but the down and dirty game it is but HC is flapping her arrogance about her entitlement to win and her sense of innate superiority over this viable candidate.


Who is she or anyone to tell Obama to wait his turn?  In the pantheon of previous white male candidates, this is what we’ve seen (and this is a short list):



  • You can be an actor with short-term political experience (Reagan) and dare run and get elected;

  • old and pre-Alzheimer’s (Reagan) and dare run and get elected;

  • crazy as hell (Nixon) and dare run and get elected;

  • immoral (Kennedy, Clinton to name a few) and dare run and get elected;

  • non/anti intelligence (Bush) and run and get elected;

  • unprepared but privileged (Bush) and dare run and get elected. 

Guess what Ms. Clinton – you don’t get to decide who runs and when.  Your dismissive evaluation that Obama lacks experience yet McCain has a lifetime of experience and you have 35 years of experience doesn’t wash.  As far as I can tell, McCain wasn’t leading in his childhood and infancy – so he doesn’t get to have a lifetime of experience – he’s got a lot but not a lifetime.  As far as I’m concerned, the only thing your 8 years as wife of President Clinton qualify you for is to advise Michelle Obama how to be an effective First Lady.  So I don’t count those years of White House service as being years of political experience.   In the #s game – Obama has 2 years experience as U.S. Senator and 7 years experience as Illinois State Senator.  Clinton has 7 years experience as U.S. Senator.  Neither one of them has vast #s to tout – but #s do not equal capacity to serve the nation well.

Better be careful with the numbers, HC, in a minute you might slip and designate Obama 3/4rds of a man.*


Run on, Obama, run well.  And, please, please, please don’t accept the second spot if it comes to that.  You are Presidential – nothing less.



(*Thanks, TC, for this.)

About Candelaria Silva

Candelaria Silva-Collins is a marketing, community outreach and programming consultant; writer; and trainer/facilitator who lives in Boston, Massachusetts. She has designed and facilitated workshops on a wide variety of topics including communication, facilitation, job search skills, team building, and parenting issues. She currently coordinates the Community Membership Program of the Huntington Theatre Company. Her work as Director of ACT Roxbury was profiled in several publications, including The Creative Communities Builders Handbook. Candelaria’s children’s stories, short stories, essays and reviews have been published in local and national publications and she is an active blogger. Her publications include the booklets, Handling Rejection; Pushing through Shyness: Networking Tips when You’re Shy, Slow to Warm Up or Just don’t Feel you Belong; and Real Questions about Sex & Relationships for Teens: A Discussion Guide for Parents. She has served on the boards of Goddard College, Wheelock Family Theatre, Boston Foundation for Architecture, and Discover Roxbury. She is currently Chair, Designators of the Henderson Foundation.

2 thoughts on “Arrogance and Entitlement (Hillary’s)”

  • Jim

    When a large, previously uninvolved segment of our population can be inspired to participate in our democracy and commit themselves to solving the problems of our culture, the leader who inspires that change and can bring the mainstream along is a leader who will get my vote. Obama is that leader. And like it or not, his blackness, his feelings about himself, his mixed feelings about race, are my feelings, my own white and black feelings. Yes Geraldine, I am voting for Obama because he is black…and white and not about to let either interfere with what is right. And by the way, I agree with you, Ms. Ferraro, he wouldn’t be getting the support he’s getting if he wasn’t black, but so what? More to the point is this; he wouldn’t be getting the support he’s getting if he wasn’t Barack Obama. Get it?

  • PisceanChick

    Thanks for laying out a number of good points! Hillary is showing herself to be a hypocrite, a sore-loser, divisive, and dishonest. Not my choice for a president, because she (especially with those qualities) would just uphold the status quo that no one needs. I particularly appreciate that you point out that Obama actually has more experience than Clinton.

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