A couple of days ago when George Will made his snide reference to "what ‘catharsis’ is ‘owed’ to disappointed Clintonites," I thought he was just being, well, snide. It apparently escaped me at the time that the word "catharsis" was in quotation marks (meaning, to those of you who are punctuation challenged, that it was a direct quote).
Then, in the Maureen Dowd column I chose for tomorrow’s paper, there was another reference to it. So I looked around, and sure enough, it seems that Hillary has been going around talking about how part of the upcoming convention should be devoted to letting her supporters vent about how ticked off they still are. And apparently, she has used the word, "catharsis."
This is needed, you see, to deal with all that "incredible pent-up desire" out there. See the video above.
They’re serious about this, serious as a crutch. No sense of irony or self-mocking here. There’s even a reference to "Greek drama," without any laughter or snorting or anything. Now, in perfect fairness, all this discussion arises from a fairly innocuous question about whether she could be offered, symbolically, as a "favorite daughter" candidate, as in days of yore. (No reference in the question as to which state might offer her thus. New York? Illinois? Arkansas?)
Well, we know there are some rather extreme feelings out there (is it sexist to say "feelings" in this context?) among her most ardent admirers. That’s been documented here before.
But acting out at the convention? Couldn’t they just have a VPS treatment or a Chill Pill instead? Or maybe a good, stiff drink?
This is weird, folks.
Anyway, Obama was asked about this the other day, and gave a pretty careful (as you might imagine), but pretty direct, answer, to the effect of "No way:"
“I’m letting our respective teams work out the details,” Mr. Obama said. “I don’t think we’re looking for catharsis. I think what we are looking for is energy and excitement about the prospects of changing this country, and I think that people who supported a whole range of different candidates during the primaries are going to come out of that convention feeling absolutely determined that we have to take the White House back.”
It occurs to me as I finish this post that maybe y’all have seen all this on TV "news," which I don’t watch, because this is just the kind of pooge they really get into. But in case you were as insulated from the all the passion as I was, I share it now.
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Sen. Clinton needs to work with what is, not what she wished was. And so do her supporters. If they stay out, and somehow, Sen. McCain is elected (he who is currently prostrating himself to the far right of his party), it will be their fault, not Sen. Obama’s. By the way, didn’t I hear the other day, someone in his campaign say that Senator McCain did not necessarily speak for his campaign??!!
Simple scenario: If Hillary is not on the ticket, she wants to dominate the convention, minimize Obama’s bump from the convention, and run for president again four years from now after Obama loses.
Of course this is weird, Mr. Warthen. There are Clintons involved.
Never underestimate Hillary Clinton. This is not theatrics, a power play, or head games.
This is real life, people. And Obama has never been truly involved in that one.
Hillary has really done it this time. She missed the catharsis! The cathartic moment was when she admitted defeat in the democrat primary. The next catharsis will occur in november, no matter who wins.
Where is Superman?
David
Not sure I got the Superman part. Are you saying Hillary is Lois Lane, and she wonders why Superman hasn’t save the day: “Where IS he! Jimmy, try your signal watch again…”
In which case, who is Superman? Bill? Slightly changing the subject, Al Gore always reminded me of Clark Kent — same blue suit, red tie, hair, stiff attitude. I actually referred to that in a column back in the early 80s, which I would link to if it existed electronically…
Wait — do you think that Al could really be the Man of Steel? Naaaaah.
As Yogi Berra once famously said, “It’s deja vu all over again.” It may take us a long time to shake the Clintons and their self-referential outlook on life.
Isn’t it amazing that pundits want to discuss Obama’s arrogance in the face of the overwhelming hubris displayed by the Clintons?
They all lack ability to govern, so their only fuel is arrogance.
Blehhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!
You’re all just HillJamBuzzers. I am not even a Democrat — but I DO want to see her reach the winner’s circle.
Bamy is a SCAM-Y.
i.e.,
You’re all just JAMMING HILLARY’S BUZZ!!!!!!!!
What was that, some kind of hepcat talk?
No, Vintage Tom Petty.