A Womans Blog

I know what Hillary is doing wrong. And before I get knee-deep into this, let me state for the record - I voted for Barack Obama.

There is no denying Hillary is smart, gutsy, driven and experienced. She probably would make a fine commander-in-chief. But she just doesn’t inspire. I don’t swoon with hope when she talks. Half the time, I feel flat out bored when I listen to her.  I agree with the CNN analyst, it’s like eating a bowl of gumbo but something just ain’t right. No punch to it. Bland.

After watching the Texas debates this past week, I know why she doesn’t move me. Only twice in the whole 2008 presidential campaign have I felt even remotely close to liking Hillary. Once, in New Jersey, when she broke her reserve and emoted about how ‘hard it is’ and talked about why she was in public service. Then again, in the Texas debates,  when she spoke more openly about what really moves her to run.

Most democrats know Obama and Clinton have similar ideas. And, we’re reasonable enough to know that after Congress sticks their hands in the pot, those ideas might or might not still retain the uniqueness that keeps Obama and Clinton’s plans from sounding identical. What we really want to know is why they are running for president. And going further than that, we want to know if that motivation will push the candidate to move beyond partisanship and actually work to get stuff done.

Americans are tired of watching their elected officials prance, preen and pose. We’re tired of dealing with the same crap we’ve always dealt with while nothing gets accomplished. We’re tired of reading foreclosure and denial of care letters while we hear about members of the senate trouncing through public bathroom stalls. We just want to know that after November 4th, both sides will come together and work to get the job done.

So, when it comes to Hillary Clinton, we want to know how she is going to be different from the status quo. Those sold on Obama are sold because we are moved when he speaks. We believe things can be different and he will lead the Democrats and Republicans to make change domestically. We believe he has the temperment and people skills necessary to build bridges of diplomacy to our enemies and our friends worldwide. We believe he has enough experience and intelligence to do a good job. Plus - he gives us hope.

But with Hillary? We hear the same bullet-point list of accomplishments and are fearful that maybe she could get the job done, but won’t have the motivation or ability to stop the in-fighting that is now the legislative branch of government.

So Mrs. Clinton, if you are out there spending a Saturday afternoon reading low-level blogs (as if), let me give you a bit of advice from someone who makes a mean gumbo. Spice it up! Add a kick of flavor to your resume-driven speeches and let us know what moves you. Tell us why you care so we can figure out if we should.

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