The Democratic National Convention has begun in Philadelphia and one elaborate theatrical performance after another took center stage in the Wells Fargo Arena on opening night. Last week the pundits had much to say about the drama and expected royal entrance of Donald Trump on the RNC stage, but nothing, and I mean nothing, compares to the tear-jerking performances I witnessed on the first night of the DNC.
Placed front and center on stage were the handicapped, meant to make a statement about Trump’s alleged disdain for the disabled; mothers of young black men killed by police officers, meant to imply the innocence of young black men and the racism of police officers; and every conceivable variety of protestor under the rainbow (pun intended.)
Then to cap off the evening, First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama, keynote speaker, made the bulk of her comments, with tears frequently in her eyes, about Hillary Clinton – the mother figure.
You know, when I think of women who are exemplary mothers, Hillary Clinton does not come to mind. Even at the bottom of a very long list. But to hear the first lady tell it, if Hillary is elected president, we can expect to call her either Madame President or Mommy President.
The FLOTUS regaled the delegates with fuzzy musings about Clinton’s child rearing abilities (she said she raised Chelsea Clinton “to perfection”), and her willingness to enter the fight to end bullying, bigotry, and childhood poverty. Obama says she can happily point to Clinton as the right person to lead this “village” that will help bring up the next generation of Americans, referring to Clinton’s 1996 book, “It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us.”
She said, “With every word we utter, with every action we take, we know our kids are watching us. We as parents are their most important role models. And let me tell you, Barack and I take that same approach to our jobs as president and first lady because we know that our words and actions matter, not just to our girls, but the children across this country, kids who tell us I saw you on TV, I wrote a report on you for school.”
Yes, Michelle, they are watching and wondering why the Democrats are trying to feed them a bill of goods! Children want to know why Hillary said in her Benghazi testimony that her words and actions didn’t really matter. “At this point, what does it matter?” she said after four Americans lost their lives when Islamists stormed the American embassy in Libya.
They want to know how Hillary can support and endorse third trimester abortions and consider a fully-formed baby not yet human. They are waiting for an explanation on why she supports opening up all bathrooms to people of either sex, under the guise of transgender rights, thereby making our children fair game to pedophiles and sex offenders.
They want to know how she understands what it is like to go to bed hungry and to seldom see their parents because they are working multiple jobs just to keep a roof over their heads while the Clintons charge millions of dollars for speaking engagements and pay their daughter a six-figure salary for running the Clinton Foundation.
And on a lighter note, every kid knows that great moms at least know how to use email correctly!
Hillary Clinton is not the woman Michelle Obama portrayed in her speech. She knows it and Clinton knows it. She tried to pass off Clinton’s dogged determination to achieve the highest office in the land as nothing more than Clinton’s dedication to public service.
Obama says Hillary “never quits.” That is true. When Bill Clinton, first as governor and then president, showed his true character with multiple episodes of infidelity, Hillary stayed. She didn’t quit – not because they had a solid marriage worth fighting for, but because he was a rising star that put her on the right trajectory.
When she ran and lost the nomination for president eight years ago, she didn’t quit. Was it because she had a servant’s heart who wanted nothing more than to see the success of her country? No, it was more because she wanted nothing more than her own success and had not yet breached the summit.
When I think of women who have been great mothers, I see that they have one attribute in common. A great mother puts herself last. The needs of her children are first and foremost in her mind when she wakes up each and every day, even when they are grown and have left home for a life of their own. Great mothers exhibit grace, humility, and strength in the storm. These are not characteristics I have seen in the political life of Hillary Clinton.
One of the hallmarks of Donald Trump’s campaign has been straight-talking honest truth. The American public is sick and tired of a steady diet of platitudes about the fine stature of political leaders – leaders who say one thing and do another. We are sick and tired of the Obamas and the Clintons, Elizabeth Warren and Tim Kaine with their lies, their cover-ups, and their self-serving intentions.
This week at the DNC and the remainder of the presidential campaign is setting itself up to be “the greatest show on earth,” replete with smoke, mirrors and Oscar-worthy theatrics.