Thursday, February 7, 2019

Goddammit, Senator, You Broke My Heart

Everyone is just human.  That's the shittiest part, especially when it comes to voting for, and believing in, a leader of the free world.

Amy Klobuchar has been a rock-solid Senator who was overwhelmingly re-elected to the chamber for a third term last year.  She is seen by the left as a reliable progressive and by independents as bipartisan.  In other words, she is as non-controversial, and as universally respected, as any member of Congress I can think of.

And that is why she is holding a huge announcement Sunday afternoon at Boom Island -- to run for President.  And that is probably also why there is a hit piece that came out late last night from The Huffington Post that tells of her abusing her staff.

Frankly, this is a deal-breaker for me.  Well, it's not if she survives the Democratic primary.  If it's her vs. Trump, you bet your sweet ass I'll vote for Klobuchar, and without much hesitation.  But until then, you goddamn right I'll try and find someone else for the Democratic nomination -- someone who doesn't treat her staff as inferior.

I'm sorry to feel this way.  That story exposes her in a very negative light, but one that many people can ignore when it comes to politics and leading our nation.  But being belittled by an authority figure hits home for me, and I've vowed never to empower bullies, which I'm afraid Amy Klobuchar is.  Now, in the piece there are many people who go on the record as saying they felt totally respected by her when they worked for the senator.  And (and this is important) you have to remember that this burn-book accusation is coming out around the time of her impending announcement to run for the presidency.  Elizabeth Warren was exposed as claiming Native American heritage when going to school in Texas right after she announced she was thinking of running for office.  And don't forget the top two officials in Virginia trying to explain allegations of racism and rape.  All of these pieces have the markings of a Republican hit job.  At the very least, understand what the enemy's plan is.

But also in the piece there are many others who say that she isn't a bully, that instead she is very intelligent and committed to her office, and so she demands that level of intelligence and commitment from her underlings.  To me, that's code for, "I'm a bully, and I will tell you when you're not good enough for me."  (Aside: She is the daughter of famed local sports columnist Jim Klobuchar, who was a raging alcoholic through her childhood.  She is also the first born, and so that is a combination which can create a driven, high-achieving child who secretly hopes that her success earns the love of her father.  And that behavior inevitably leads to bullying.)  Like I said before, the Democratic primary is the time for us to be picky.  We should be having a fight, even a loud and contentious one, over who gets to go toe-to-toe with Trump.  And after seeing this, I'm going out of state to find my candidate.

Oh, and in the meantime I've unsubscribed to her e-mail list.  Sorry, no can do.

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