Hillary Clinton embarks on her blame game book tour
Former Democratic presidential nominee points plenty of fingers for her 2016 election loss in her new memoir; reaction and analysis on 'The Five'
Editor's note: A version of this article originally appeared on September 13, 2017.
Hillary Clinton’s new book entitled “What Happened” was officially released on Tuesday.
Since then, she has been promoting it with the zeal of an indefatigable carnival barker. It seems to be working.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, escorted by Leonard Riggio, chairman of Barnes and Noble, arrives to sign copies of her book "What Happened" at a book store in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) (AP)
The line for her book signing at a store in New York City stretched around the block. Indifferent to her disciples who had already been waiting for hours, Clinton showed up an hour late. It must be difficult to meet such a demanding schedule, given all her promised appearances on “The View,” the “Today Show,” “CBS Sunday Morning,” CNN, MSNBC, the “Late Show,” and… well, you get the idea. Adoration can be burdensome for the adored.
I’ve spent two days and consumed three packs of Tums trying to digest all 464 pages. (I’m a fast reader.) I initially counted 43 reasons Clinton gives for her 2016 election loss, as she meticulously faults all the people who sabotaged what was rightfully hers. But upon closer examination, I have discovered thirteen more who are to blame. Incredible. But not surprising.
You see, Clinton has long had an aversion to the truth.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attends a signing of her new book 'What happened' at Barnes & Noble bookstore at Union Square in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., September 12, 2017. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly - RC121E6CA5A0 (REUTERS)
She twists it, bends it and contorts it to fit her own needs and ambitions. And so it goes in Clinton’s current “blame tour” as she hawks her book with an eye toward fattening her already considerable bank account.
If you are expecting the truth in “What Happened,” you will be left bereft. Her mythical memoir bears no resemblance to the truth of what happened in her losing quest for the presidency.
Instead, Clinton engages in what psychiatrists call “projection” –when people persistently blame others for their own failings. They view themselves as chronic victims, refusing to accept personal responsibility for the decisions they alone make.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, center, greets people who waited in line of a signed copy of her book "What Happened" at a book store in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) (AP)
In Clinton's universe, everyone is to blame but her. She seems to have adopted the Richard Nixon spoof, "I accept the responsibility, but not the blame."
And, like Nixon, Clinton’s name is synonymous with scandals and controversies, all of them self-created. No one forced her to set up a private email server. No one made her pocket $225,000 from Goldman Sachs for a speech. No one coerced her into using her foundation in a way that smacks of influence peddling and self-dealing.
In rationalizing her behavior, Clinton tends to manipulate the facts and engage in wholesale deceptions, peddling one fatuous canard after another. She does it so often and so cavalierly that it seems second nature. Distortions and fabrications are endemic in her personality.
Yet, Americans saw through it. Polling data consistently showed that a majority of voters did not trust Clinton because they didn’t believe her. In politics, if they don’t believe you, they’ll never believe in you.
This is Hillary Clinton’s fatal character flaw.
The truth is Clinton was an uninspiring candidate who ran a flawed campaign. She ignored the advice of experienced political professionals. She never understood what voters truly cared about and failed to devise a coherent message that resonated with Americans. And, of course, she was marred by scandals of her own making and the copious excuses she conjured that few seemed to believe.
But in her book and in her many public appearances and interviews, Clinton refuses to acknowledge the truth. That would take the kind of courage that demands honest self-reflection. She is incapable of doing so.
If you want to empty your wallet for a book of fiction disguised as non-fiction, be my guest. If you don’t, here is a list of all of those who Clinton blames for her losing presidential bid. The list will, undoubtedly, grow as she continues talking about it.
1. Sexism
2. Racism
3. Misogyny
4. Xenophobia
5. Suburban women
6. James Comey
7. FBI
8. Russians
9. Vladimir Putin
10. WikiLeaks
11. D.N.C.
12. Barack Obama
13. Joe Biden
14. Bernie Sanders
15. Anthony Weiner
16. Electoral College
17. Polling Data
18. Cable News
19. New York Times
20. Fake News
21. Bots
22. Facebook
23. Twitter
24. Netflix
25. TV Executives
26. ‘Anti-American forces’
27. Democrat documentaries
28. Low information voters
29. People wanting change
30. People who assumed she’d win
31. Republican Party
32. “Content farms in Macedonia’
33. Infowars
34. Goosefer
35. DC Leaks
36. Jill Stein
37. Steve Bannon
38. Voter I-D laws
39. Chief Justice John Roberts
40. KS Sec. of State, Kris Kobach
41. Citizens United
42. Colluding Trump officials
43. Benghazi
44. Rep. Kevin McCarthy
45. Gen. Michael Flynn
46. Julian Assange
47. Roger Stone
48. Reddit
49. Drudge Report
50. Alex Jones
51. Russia Today (RT)
52. Sputnik Network
53. Robert Mercer
54. Koch brothers
55. NBC’S Matt Lauer
56. Fox News Channel
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