I saw possibly the hundredth iteration (today) of "Why isn't Hillary more likable?" on my Facebook feed today, and it made me want to scream. It also made me think about why it is that I've always liked Hillary - felt like she was a kindred spirit, etc..
You see, I grew up with Hillary. Or rather, a woman who I suspect is a lot like Hillary - my mom. And when I say "grew up with", I'm being almost literal - Mom was just barely 17 when she had me, so we sort of raised each other at times. I could write a book about how freaking incredible my mother is - at some point, I'm sure I will - but back to the Hillary similarities.
Mom was a project manager - still is. You want stuff done, you go to my mom. She knows how to listen, to bring people together, to use the right person with the right skills and to keep them on track. Sound like Hillary? But you can't be a candy-ass if you're a project manager... you have to keep things going, and you have to be smart - and let people know that you're smart. You have to stand out - and for a woman, that means you're going to have to get in people's faces at times. It's not something that's necessarily going to make people like you - people don't like being prodded - but it's going to make people respect you (and want to be on your team again.) There's a reason why most people who worked with Hillary have endorsed her - same with Mom, people who worked with her wanted to work with her again because she got shit done and she made them look good.
Mom cares, too... almost too much at times, so she won't let it show if she doesn't know you. She's had to be strong for a long time - being a single mother in the 60s and 70s wasn't easy (especially when you've got a daughter who is also a strong, smart little wench.) But if there are hard decisions to be made... that strength comes through. If you're on a ventilator, you want my mother making the decision as to whether or not to pull the plug - and I personally want someone like her to be the one making the decision on whether or not to push the button. Someone who cares, who knows the implications and has thought through all the possibilities... and who will cry later, because for now, stuff has to get done.
Mom was never June Cleaver - well, she might have tried, briefly, back in Salmon, but it was always bad drag. Kind of like how Hillary tried briefly with the cookie recipe, but we all knew she had better things to do with her time. And I'm not saying that June isn't wonderful - I've got a couple of aunts that I love that could give June a run for her money - but June isn't what our country needs right now. We need someone who can get us back on the right direction, someone who can bring people together and make them do the right thing - we need a project manager. And since Mom is busy with the goat ranch, we need Hillary.
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