The Sadness of Stupidity

Let it go!

That shouldn’t have been the general theme of the night, but it somehow turned out to be.
Those three words in some inexplicable fashion ushered out more euphoric interjections, such as “Let’s Unify” or “Together We Stand, Divide We Fall.” And I’m sure AARP would understand if there slogan was used by others for the night.

But that wasn’t the case, because life doesn’t always go in the direction of the rational. Correction, the people in life don’t always follow the highway to that sensible destination. Instead of taking the left, they take the right, and that isn’t any political innuendos of criticism by the way.

And when they choose not to go in either direction, they crash right into a sign that says “Turn Either Way”. It is the worst form of stupidity, not when you don’t have knowledge of the situation. That’s naivety, even though if you drive right into a sign it’s still idiotic. However, it pales in comparison to the epitome of simple mindedness, the informative stupidity. When you know what’s the consequences of your actions and you still go on and do them.

Whether it’s robbing a local grocery store when the cameras are on (and placing yourself as the latest figure on TruTV) or pushing yourself to be on an episode of “Scarred”, stupidity is at its zenith when people are cognizant of the risk they take. And sometimes it’s funny to laugh at how people placed themselves in embarrassing situations because of being stupid (Tom Cruise anyone).

On the other hand, there are moments when it is down right depressing to see people subject themselves to the lowest kind of common sense in the most arrogant of ways. Intelligent, smart people that is. Hillary Clinton has added herself to that shameful list.

That list of people who know when to stop for their own good, but refuse to do so.

She had every chance to congratulate Barack Obama last night at Baruch College in Manhattan. Not that “congratulations on running a great campaign” line that has become more tired than anything Terry McAuliffle or Harold Ickes has whined about. Officially congratulating him on his consistent benevolence towards her, never at all wanting the race to be over like some people have wanted. Congratulating him on not using a majority of the media’s facts and level headed opinions to force her out of the race. Congratulating him for acknowledging her tenacity repeatedly like he was apart of her campaign team.

Congratulating him on winning.

On having the most delegates, which are the rules of the process last everybody checked.

On beating her. “You beat me, and you were the better candidate.”

And just imagine this gem she could have came up with.
“I can’t say you were the better man, however.” It would have been the darling quote of the year, and one of the memorable quotes in political history.

She couldn’t say those words at all; she couldn’t embrace a moment that could have actually exonerated her for all the divisiveness she, her husband, and her campaign have placed on the Democratic Party and this race. Those denunciations of Obama’s goals and the cheap shots at his church affiliation and his strength could have all been forgiven, even if she didn’t deserve that outcome.

Instead, Hillary Clinton chose to make the moment all about her. When her supporters at Baruch began chanting “Denver” vociferously, did it ever cross her mind to halt those cries? The fact of the matter is it did, but she chose not to do it. She let the crowd continued in that belligerent tone and basically invited them to do so. It was a total jaw dropping moment that you couldn’t believe. In a primary season where the unthinkable has become a reality, this was the Pau Gasol to Kobe Bryant’s Lakers, the Oompa Loopas to Willie Wonker, and the dot that would make a lowercase “I” look like an “I”. It magnetized the situation in front of our eyes, and it quite possibly became the most defining moment in this nomination journey.

More so than Obama’s tone setting win in Iowa. More so than the former First Lady’s tears in New Hamsphire. More so than Bill Clinton’s horrific comments in South Carolina. More so than the candidates titanic duel of strategy and drama in their debates, most notably the one in Los Angeles, where the pre-game festivities were almost College Gameday like in its fervor. And more so than all the other events in between, from “Do or Die” primary after primary to Rev. Wright’s life documentary. Plus, who can forget about “gas-tax holiday?”

This history is secondary compared to what Clinton did at Baruch. It was self-centered selfishness at its finest display. Concession speech be damn, it was the same rhetoric of a person who still believes she can be president. It’s probably the reason why she’s in so much debt if she still believes mathematically that she has a chance. And if she doesn’t believe mathematically any more (or you would hope so), she now believes spirituality, emotionally, and irrationally that she still can be. Combine those three and you have utter stupidity.

“Let It Go” is a slogan that may have to be more powerful than “Change” in the upcoming days. It maybe is the lone answer to ceasing the plugging of the website HillaryClinton.com in the most ungracious of times, asking her voters to say what they feel she should do (no mention if she wanted sentiments from those who didn’t vote from her). The key reply to unwillingness from the one who continues to state her healthcare plan is one she wants to see passed in the Senate. The only forceful choice to a person who still believes, along with her now fully tarnished husband and the delusional fools on her side, she is the stronger candidate and still mentions that she won the popular vote of the primary.

What stupidity can do to even the brightest people, can’t it?

Clinton and her group are the paradigm of denial and obstinacy. There are many talking heads like the great Ed Schultz, who have decided to forgive anything Clinton did last night as a short convalescence period for her. They choose to practice patience instead of petulance for the New York Senator. If Clinton doesn’t decide to give up the executive branch aspirations, then they will do it themselves by burying her for her childish resistance to reality.

But she has already had enough time to “Let It Go.” Unfortunately, instead of telling herself that, she still felt that something colossal was going to happen. That he was going to slip up big time, more than any banana pill Wright gave him in April, and crumble under her pressure. “I/We can’t possibly lose this” is what her, her husband, her daughter, Lanny Davis, James Carville, Howard Wolfson, McAuliffle, Ickes, and so many others around have said in every space of their parietal lobes. You could have understood them holding that thought even when they didn’t win North Carolina and get the “gamechanger” she wanted. You could have slightly understood it after Kentucky and Oregon. But after the Rules and By-Law Committee (at the behest of Ickes) didn’t give Florida and Michigan the way she wanted, for Clinton and her people to still be in complete disbelief over the inevitable outcome has to be considered the new definition for “stupid.”

We all know the reasons why Obama continued to be gracious to Clinton. Yes, his benevolence towards her is partially because of his continued execution of the plan not to show any signs of irking or angering her base from his mouth. He has been tremendously discipline in that regard, never being foolish to get anywhere arrogant about his massive accomplishment. But it’s because he recognizes that it is not all about him. He doesn’t need to fabricate or force himself to give credit to her. It’s just in the man’s nature to heap accolades to her. Despite all of the praise (or “kissing up” if you want to be critical) that he has given her, she continues to see only her picture.

Clinton’s refusal to say “He won, I lost” is akin to that one episode of the Powerpuff Girls (yes, you read correctly) when Buttercup struggled to utter the word “sorry”. She never use that five letter apologetic diction before, always making the “sorrrrr” sound but refused to cave in. And Buttercup felt that she didn’t have to say it to a paste eating whipping boy who she humiliated in front of the entire class. That same boy later turned into a genetic monster who was on the verge of destroying her sisters Blossom and Bubbles. In order to save them, she had to say “sorry”. And after an intense battle with her lips, teeth, tongue, and mind, she finally said the magic word to save the day.

That is not an analogy that will automatically make Clinton become a hero if she admits defeat. It is just a direct parallel to how incongruous and ignominious she was last night.

It is sad that “Let it Go” maybe is the only remedy needed to stop the vanquished presidential ambitions of Hillary Clinton (and even her growing vice presidential subliminal threats). Because regretfully, no other campaign slogan seems to suffice.