http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/02/04/sot.clinton.personal.cnn?iref=videosearch
Hillary Clinton visited Yale University Monday, and experienced a moment quite similar to her very popular visit in the New Hampshire Primary. She became emotional and became teary eyed again, showing her human side, a side that is much debated of the media and every political figure in this race. Clinton was introduced by a lawyer that worked with her back in her college days at Yale.
It must be really hard for a woman in the presidential candidacy with all of these men everywhere. Hillary has kept her composure modestly. She is debating and defending herself and her beliefs day in and day out. This is the first time a woman has come into her skin and really given America and her competition a run for their money.
We see this video and hear Penn Rhodeen, her mentor says "Here is the abiding truth we know — you have always been a champion for children. Welcome home, dear friend. We are so proud of you."
Clinton’s eyes reflected red and became watery as she said "Well, I said I would not tear up; already we're not exactly on the path." Hillary Clinton has had the hardest time in the candidacy as far as I am concerned. If America is questioning her candidacy I would wonder why, because it could not be her resilience, courage, strength, or knowledge. After finally hearing praise for her efforts and works, she showed her human “womanly” self, I think this is important to see; it shows she is real, feels real things and understands them.
After all of the criticism Hillary has been undergoing for years, even while Mr. Clinton was in office, do you blame her?
From President Bush’s current approval rating, I believe it is safe to say the country wants something different. He hardly gets emotional, usually just has a smirk and a deep look in the eyes. However the media chooses to frame this, which will be in mostly negative ways, I believe through the expression of her emotions, Hillary is offering a discontent America something very different for a president in 2009.
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4 comments:
To me, Bush has always looked like a monkey. Here's a side by side comparison of GWB facial expression with monkeys: http://www.loyno.edu/~jpkutner/pictures/snapshots/bush_monkey3.gif
A rhetorical analysis of that picture is obvious: GWB looks like a monkey, so he is one.
To be fair, anybody who gets their face photographed enough will end up with some ugly mugs caught on film. Still, GWB always looks dumb to me. :-p
Hmm, that link didn't work. Let's try this:
Bush-Monkey Comparison
I know I said that I don't really like Hillary, but I also agree that she has it harder than anyone else in this campaign. She has to appear strong in order to be perceived as capable of being President, but she also has to be worry about violating gender norm expectations. If she isn't "womanly" enough, potential voters will respond negatively to her. Frankly, I don't think it matters that she tears up; I do think it matters whether she does so in a calculating way. I think her emotional responses are genuine, but it will still be a battle to convince the voter. In other words, I think people respond negatively not to her show of emotion but to any hint that she is faking emotion in order to come across in a persuasive way.
I think the uproar regarding Hilary tearing up is absolutely ridiculous. Do people want someone who is cold, heartless, and emotionless for president? I am not exactly the world's biggest Hilary supporter, but I think whether or not the poor woman tears up is absolutely irrelevant. So she has a soul? Is this really a reason to believe she's not a strong enough candidate? I feel like people are focusing on the wrong things, here. Candidates should be judged on their policy, not their emotions. Hilary isn't bawling and shrieking and causing an uproar here, she just got a little teary. I'm not entirely convinced she would be a good president, but I am not aware of a time when compassion in moderation was ever a bad thing. We do need a strong leader, but we don't need a heartless one.
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