A Challenger Arises

You can read the text of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's speech here. Clinton broke down point by point a handful of the very wrong things that Donald Trump has said with a brief explanation of why he's very wrong. There might be some areas where Clinton's perspective about policy and political reality differs from mine, but to see her define Trump as badly informed and of poor, not to say dangerously rash (OK--exactly to say that!) temperament was necessary.

This is something that no Republican primary challenger could have done, because in being knee-jerk opponents to anything President Obama has done, they at least had to support Trump's constant, if wrong, criticisms. Clinton, as part of Obama's circle, has an intimate knowledge of why some things were done, and not others. She understands, for example, the importance of the diplomacy of the Iran nuclear deal. She appreciates that trade is also a part of foreign policy. While her speech has been discussed as being short on the specifics about what we can expect from a Clinton foreign policy, I think the point is, that with or without specifics, there is no good that comes from the foreign policy of a badly-prepared media-mediocrity who is spurred by personal whims and a thirst for stirring public opinion.

And look how weak pitiful Trump's response to Clinton is:

In Crooked Hillary's telepromter speech yesterday, she made up things that I said or believe but have no basis in fact. Not honest!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2016

Sad! Because Clinton fired back:

You literally said all those things. https://t.co/6VX5AfR7gL https://t.co/U8LfWdPU7x

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) June 3, 2016

Because there is a link where someone lovingly archived every dumb policy statement Trump ever made, to shove back down his silver-spoon stupid throat. Maybe he was hoping no one was listening carefully? Well, the truth is, some of us are listening very carefully!

To me, this was what I wanted to see. Someone who knew what the hell she was talking about, just substantively giving Trump and his half-assedness what-for.

This is what I did not want to see. I don't get past the first paragraph without calling bullshit. This wasn't the moment to call out Clinton--it was a moment to show unity in calling out Trump. And the Sanders campaign kind of missed me with that right there. And he has gotten fair marks from me before, but we are in the final stretch. It wasn't necessary.