So.
It’s over. Two weeks of heightened politics, back-to-back conventions for each
major party, and all the excitement and controversy of protests, other parties’
candidates’ input, and media hype. Like you,
I used my own inner compass and life experiences to evaluate the process and
choose a side. It won’t surprise most that I’m a democrat. A liberal. Who likes
to see progress, as in progressive, as in the progressive agenda. And though I would’ve been fine with Bernie as our nominee, Hillary
captured my attention in a way she hasn’t before. How? By being deeply
determined, truly human, and surprisingly flexible.
Now,
look, the name of the game is politics and no candidate—however honest and
forthright—opts out of strategy, positioning, or the goal to win. This game has
been going on since the dawn of elections, and if you’re frustrated or shocked
by the stuff that’s been revealed to us about the political process in the past
decade, research the earliest elections. There weren’t microphones, cameras, or
iPhones recording every word, eye roll, and wink. And there wasn’t a way to
broadcast those secret moments within minutes of their recording. Also, news
wasn’t on a 24/7 cycle, and in the end, lots of shady stuff went unheard,
unseen, or became boring and unimportant by the time it hit the masses. But
shade was there, and sometimes worse than the shade we have going today.
But here’s the thing…
I’m
noticing a shift. A big shift. And I’m certain that Hillary Clinton sees it and
embraces it. Why else would she admit, on stage, at the national convention, in
primetime, that she had moved on some of the most important issues for today’s
democrat? And then give credit to her party opponent, Bernie, and his supporters for
opening her eyes? Why else would she invite disillusioned republicans to the
podium to speak and continue mentioning their concerns in her own speeches?
Sure, sure. It’s easy to dismiss it as part of the game, but if we pull back
the cynical curtain, we see a real woman standing there. Determined, human,
flexible. And we see that what she’s always wanted is this big shift. The shift
into unity. We ache for it. Regardless of party affiliation, spiritual views, skin
color, sexual orientation, gender, we ache to relate. To work together to
improve humanity. And she aches for it too.
In
the end, I believe, media coverage of Hillary's fierce democratic competitor and a
failing, fear-mongering opposing republican party brought the story of equality and unity out of the shadows. And as
we, the people, voiced our desires, Hillary listened. Closely. They say that about Hillary—that she’s an excellent listener—but what puts me
squarely on her side is that she listens and
she acts. And in that order.
So. I
rarely write and share things like this on the Writes blog. But during the DNC,
the comments about how Hillary will continue to be
portrayed for the 101 days until the election struck me as noteworthy. Truly,
she’s a bit of an unknown—not in her service to the people, but as a woman. A
person. This has allowed a caricature of her to be developed and many people believe the caricature over the person. They believe she's cold, untrustworthy. A liar. Someone with a sketchy past. It's certain she's made mistakes. Like all of us, she's not without faults and has had moments were she was aloof or made a questionable comment or decision. Like all of us, some of those moments were important moments. Not because of the error, but because of how she recovered and returned to her true, better self. Which got me thinking...
What if there was a more honest, factual expression of Hillary?
And
what if, as a daily ritual, I created it? A practice in art. And listening. Learning. About Hillary.
Yes, I could do that.
I
will do that, I decided.
And so, here it is.
hillary: i see you.
quote sources: DNC Hillary film and HRC's Tweet