Don't Cry For Me

"There's no crying in baseball!" We all remember a bloated, drunken Tom Hanks character shouting those immortal words at one of his players in the fine Madonna vehicle A League of Their Own. Until the other day, I thought that was the credo for politicians as well.

A lot has been made of Hillary Clinton's "emotional moment" on Monday, so I figured I should weigh in as well, seeing as I'm widely considered a political pundit, and by "widely" I of course mean that no one in their right mind would consider me a political pundit. I just like the sound of "political pundit". It feeds my love of alliteration, and allows me to spew spittle (see, alliteration, the writing equivalent of my Achilles heel) ala Walter Matthau in Grumpy Old Men. Everyone from media "experts' to the homeless guy in the park has been spouting their opinions on the episode. Was it a calculated move by a savvy politician, or a genuine moment of emotion by a woman pushed to exhaustion? Was it a sign of weakness, or a glimpse of humanity? Wow, I'm even starting to write this like a talk show host. Feel free to pretend you're calling my show when you answer the previous questions. I have seen a lot of people cry, or get choked up, which is a more accurate portrayal of what senator Clinton did, but since I'm not a true "political pundit" but a wisenheimer I can exaggerate a little. I had never seen such behavior from a person seeking the Presidency. I've heard of the Ed Muskie incident in 1972, but the fact that I was only 9 at the time means I was not accurately following politics like I should have been. The only crying I saw was my own when my Stretch Armstrong began leaking green goop. (I can't stop)

It would be easy to dismiss the emotions of Hillary Clinton as a measured ploy to attract voters. Many people on both sides of the aisle feel that may be the case. The cynic in me feels that way too. I have first hand knowledge of the inner workings of political campaigns, (not Clinton's) and I know that all kind of strategies are implemented to garner votes. It would be easy to write the Senator's show of humanity off as just another tactic, but I won't. I'm going to tap into my inner softy and choose to believe that she was being genuine. The driven, polished politician finally showed us all that she actually is made of flesh and blood and not just hard wired by some evil computer genius like the cyborgs in the Terminator films. It was nice to see a hint of a real person lurking beneath the pant suits and pearls. I just hope the rest of the field doesn't take this as a cue to start bawling at the drop of a hat. I can't see John McCain breaking down like he's looking at a basket of kittens during some stump speech, but to be honest the thought of John Edwards having a hissy fit when his hair gets messed up fills me with glee.

I do hope that this sends a message to all the candidates that besides being informed on the issues and having a plan for the future, the voters want to believe that their leaders are people first, who do have feelings and are able to express them. I don't want my President blubbering like a simpleton all the time, but it's good to know that everything isn't always black or white. If that were the case, we'd all vote for Mr. Spock. Hey...there's an idea. See, punditry in action. Later...Brian