I’m fascinated by the amount of angry messages and "Wall posts" I’m getting on my Facebook page from my friends these days after I announced that I’m supporting Hillary for president (for reasons that I do not wish to delve into now). Most of the angry messages came from my Jordanian/Arab friends who made sure to tell me that they do not agree with me. Here are some examples:
Come on now, she flip flops, she is owned by the Jewish lobby and she has a one sided view of the Arab Israeli conflict. She is no Bill.
Boooo…. Obama…Obama!
Why Hillary she is a devil wearing Prada…Because she is a woman ?!!
Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?
I am aware that Hillary is a pretty divisive choice but I never realized how much she is hated in the Arab World until now. I guess I have been away from the Middle East for a long time and now I’m no longer connected with the "Arab street." However, I’m not backing down. I’m someone who believes in the individual’s freedom of choice. By that I mean a choice that stands on its own that is not influenced by the preference of a community or society. I’m at a stage of my life where I no longer want to chant the same song with a familiar crowd. I want to chant my own song and make individual decisions. So for that I say, go Hillary.
Yeah that was the case last time he ran, but he still won, so I’m quite sure its still the case. You know whats amazing, one of many stories I can go on and on about. I was talking to a co-worker the other day (white American guy) who drinks more than a gutter and quite liberal and he said the following:
“You know Bush as all the credentials of an idiot, but he is the right president because if no one did what he did in Iraq then who would have made the world a safer place”
Quite of those exist!!!
Arabi
I’m afraid if Bush could run again he has a very good chance to win
I’m not so sure I agree with that. Polls have shown that he is thought of by the vast majority as the worst president the U.S. has ever had. His popularity has completely dropped drastically over the past 4 years…and deservedly so.
Jeff
Good post, however, one point to correct is that Arab Americans supported republicans during Bush’s first round, but during the 2nd one the vast majority supported the Democarts. You can look at the stats on http://www.aaiusa.org posted by Zogbi International.
2nd point is that I agree the President of the US SHOULD support the will of the people. While I understand because I lived in the US and understand American politcs, I feel its hard to convince people in the Middle East that American Democracy is working with such a maniac in the White House. That part I don’t even understand myself. Even today, I’m afraid if Bush could run again he has a very good chance to win. Is it possible that over 50% of Americans are that naive.
Arabi
What are your thoughts on Ron Paul?
Khaled,
The web is a large large place. Please a choose a blog that you like and stop harassing people that you disagree with. I do not appreciate your comment (which is meant to mock me and my husband, please correct me if I’m mistaken). I have the free will to support whoever I want to. I do not expect readers to this blog to agree with me and I’m not here to justify my decisions. I only expect them to be decent and polite.
Personal attacks are not tolerated here. Users who violate the rules are banned.
And yes, I’m very happy with my supportive husband. I hope your spouse (current or future) is that supportive.
Thank you.
I love it how Jeff always comes to the rescue: Whenever Natasha gets in trouble or gets challenged by somebody here (on her blog), Jeff always comes to the rescue and saves her life. What a perfect husband you are!
Several things deserve mention here. First and foremost, one of the greatest parts of freedom, is the choice to elect one’s leaders for reasons of individual choice. That’s really the motivation behind this post I think. It’s an empowering feeling.
Second, leaders in the US Congress represent the desires of their constituency. It’s what gets them into trouble with earmarks/pork spending. But it also must be noted that the attitudes a senator/congressperson takes need to reflect those of their constituency or they will not be re-elected. This is a simple concept that seems to be completely ignored when considering Clinton’s record on things. Frankly, you cannot discount it. She chose this area — choosing to establish residency expressly for her Senatorial run — for a purpose and she has worked to maintain a position there that would allow her to run for presidency. While many, including myself, do not agree with her choices. They are not really ‘her’ choices, are they?
The United States is a representative government, not a dictatorship. She must represent those that elected her, else she will not return. That needs to be plugged into the equation and calculated.
Third, it is this sort of attitude — against Clinton, like against Gore, like against Kerry — that led to two terms of Bush. I’m sure many thought, “oh those democrats have sympathies that don’t jibe with mine in the Middle East.” Likely many thought that Bush in the White House would mean better things for those living in the Middle East. Clearly, that is not the case. It was a mistake to throw support — TWICE — in his direction with that kind of mindset.
For my own part, I’m undecided, but it is clear that the US needs a change and needs to move away from letting “old white men” run things this time around — it’s clearly not representative. And we clearly do not want another four years of republican rule in Washington. Perhaps Clinton’s ties and that sort of uneasy feeling one gets when thinking about ‘legacy’ make her a difficult choice. But she is clearly an experienced, tremendously intelligent woman that would be miles beyond what is in the White House today. Obama has the charisma and a freshness to DC politics that makes him, in my eyes, equally appealing. The two together would make a formidable ticket.
But bottom line here, it’s a mistake to lean any other direction than democrat this year, regardless of whether the face representing that is female or not. Eight years of republican rule clearly showed that any belief that republicans could do no harm in the ME was very misplaced. Second, Clinton does what a representative should: she supports the policies of her constituency. Of course, she has attitudes of her own, but she cannot replace the beliefs of those she represents with her own. When and if she has an opportunity for the White House, she will surely represent the will of the American people, as one would hope any elected official would – the current resident being perhaps a glaring exception.
It’s hard for me at least to make a clear choice between the top two democratic contenders. But at least this time round, the choice of “sides” is clear as a bell and honestly, either democratic choice would be a much needed respite from the current status quo.
dm
I guess we agree on something finally, I wouldn’t want a Repbulican back in office either. Socially Hillary will be democratic, economically and internationally I think she would be closer to the republicans. I don’t like Obama either, but I dislike him the least out of the poor options we have for president.
Arabi
Hareega,
I respect that and thank you. I will say that one of the reasons I am voting for her is because of her stance on healthcare. Healthcare has become such a HUGE issue in the U.S — always has been actually. As a nurse, I see how people are either left behind or get the VIP service just because of how much money you have. I think that she has done a lot for the healthcare system and I would love to see if she would be able to better it if elected president. Can she do that? I believe so. WILL she if elected? We will only find out if given the chance. Who knows? When electing someone we can only hope that they’ll fullfill their campaign promises, which most of the time doesn’t happen.
That’s one of many reasons.
I really don’t like Obama, and I’ll be DAMNED if another Republican is in office again.
dm,
I respect your decision and Natasha’s not to mention the reason(s) why you’re supporting Hillary, but it’s difficult to make a case why you think she can be a good president when you’re not stating the reason why you’re going to vote for her. I understand that there may be reasons to support her, but when you’re not stating them a lot of people, not necessarily me, would assume that they’re not valid reasons to vote for someone to become president (like showing some tears in N.H.)