I have decided to write to each candidate because I have the right to express my opinion, my concerns, my fears. Because as America contemplates and prepares to go to the polls, my nation has a stake as well.
As in all things in life, a personal message is just that. It is about what is important to the person…and from the start, I will say that each person is different. Where you are in your life is likely different from where I am in mine. So if you have a different opinion, I celebrate the freedom we have to express it. This is my opinion, nothing more…and perhaps equally as important, nothing less.
The first open letter went to Bernie Sanders. This one goes to Hillary Clinton.
Dear Hillary,
You seem like a bottom line type of person. So let me start with the bottom line. Oh. My. God. No. There is no way in hell that I would consider voting for you, not for a single moment. Perhaps that is too blunt in the diplomatic world in which you live, but I don’t live in that world and so I will express my feelings and thoughts and hope you will listen. I don’t know if American Jews will vote for you – as they voted for Barack Hussein Obama. They were wrong then…many of them now admit that. IF they vote for you, they will be wrong again. Of all the candidates, you are the easiest to dismiss; the first to fall as even a possibility.
I grew up in a liberal family, strong on social issues, strong on civil rights, focused on believing that we lived in a nation of opportunity – opportunities that must be open to all. The success of America, back then, was that from all over the world, people had come to create a better place, a better world. America was the great melting pot where you threw in immigrants from all over the world and out came proud, grateful, dedicated Americans. It was, it turns out, a lie, but we didn’t know it back then.
So my mother served in the Democratic party and to my mind, in my formative years, the Republicans were all male, white businessmen who understood nothing of life outside Wall Street. On a key issue in my life – Israel – they were neutral; and on all the other issues such as social justice, the rights of the individual, they were on the wrong side. It was so clear back then. Only, that was a lie too.
Your husband was the last Democrat I voted for, the last time I came close to trusting the Democratic party. He was young, enthusiastic, energetic. He was, we all thought, the answer to what America needed. That was him and that was the time…now it is you, and you bring nothing of that charisma to the playing field.
Over the years, the truth about your husband…and you…came to the forefront of America. Honestly, I felt bad for you back then. Who would want to be married to a man like that? But you don’t vote for someone because you pity them or are embarrassed for them. And after 30 years of marriage I have learned the one great truth of marriage is that it is what both husband and wife put into it.
My memory of you as the wife of the President is overall, one of failure. Gracious, you were not. Intelligent, you certainly are but despite what you think, you actually are not smarter than everyone else. You have been blessed in your life – at least in some things. Perhaps not in love, but certainly financially and yet, you insulted millions of Americans who worry how they will pay their mortgage or dream of financing their children’s education by trying to gain points by claiming you too were impoverished. Whatever your roots might have been, you have been a governor’s wife, a president’s wife, a US Senator and Secretary of State…there is nothing in your life for the last 40+ years that comes close to enabling you to claim that you know poverty and helplessness from a firsthand point of view.
As a woman, I question how you could take donations for your Clinton Foundation from nations that have notoriously poor records on women’s rights – for example, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Algeria and the United Arab Emirates. My God, women can’t even drive in Saudi Arabia. In many of these places, an unaccompanied woman is considered one with loose morals. Are these really the people you want to claim as supporters of the causes you champion?
As a Jew and as an Israeli, I can tell you that I don’t trust you. Honesty seems to be rather low on your scale of priorities. You sat there as Suha Arafat slandered my country, my sons. You smiled as she said we poison the air they breathe; the food they eat. You nodded your head as a polite listener should, while that vile and stupid woman spoke and never bothered to point out that the only poison that could be confirmed was what was coming out of Suha’s mouth.
You have shown no respect to Israeli leaders, and little respect for the real issues that face my homeland. You would think someone with your intelligence could understand the facts and the challenges we face here. And yet, consistently, you choose to pressure Israel to make concessions while giving the Palestinians a free pass. For those who care about Israel, you are not the answer for the 2016 presidential elections.
And finally, as an American, I just can’t get past the image of four brave Americans waiting to be rescued in Benghazi while you played politics. Under your watch, these men were abandoned and left to face a brutal death when rescue, for at least some of them, was close enough to become reality.
And as an American, I am disgusted with the idea that you can think Americans are so stupid as to believe the nonsense you told about using a non-secure email account referencing classified information. You consistently play by your rules believing yourself to be higher than others. But worse, when caught, you believe that any lie you tell will automatically be accepted, as if it were your due.
I don’t believe a Black man or a Jewish man, a Chinese man, for that matter, would inherently make a better president simply by virtue of his race or religion or gender. Perhaps I am biased when I say that I do believe that a woman could bring great character traits to the office of the White House. A woman’s perspective is often different from a man’s. We are often more compassionate, slower to anger, more open to listening to others. Some day it will happen…but that day won’t come in November with the elections (or January, 2017 and the inauguration ceremony). And when it does happen, I hope she will be the best women have to offer, not some senior politician who has spent her life playing the game.
As I write to each candidate, my thoughts become more clear…I can explore their stand, the good things they could bring to the office of president of the United States, and the bad things that would come with it.
For you, Hillary, I have the least to say. I don’t trust you. I don’t like your politics. But most of all, Hillary, I believe that you would sell out anything and anyone. You sold out those men in Benghazi; you’d sell out Israel without the slightest hesitation but the fact is, Hillary, you’d sell out America too.
No, Hillary – even if you said world peace depended on your becoming president, I would deem you lacking. At this point in your career, my suggestion for you is retirement. Let America be governed by someone with less of a history, less errors and misjudgments. Let America move forward without all the tremendous baggage you bring with you. Retire, Hillary.
I feel bad for African Americans who will always have to look at Barack Obama as their first foray into the presidency. I would wish more for American women than you. When there will be a woman in the White House, let her be a true representative of women – compassionate, honorable, focused on what is best for America. Till then, we’ll have to settle for the best man for the job and you, Hillary, are not that.
