Opinion: Clinton makes the wrong move with new book

 

I’m not ashamed to admit Hillary Clinton was not my primary choice in last year’s presidential election. I have retweeted “Bernie would have won” more times than I can count, and I believe that she ran an abysmal campaign from start to finish.

However, I knew despite having problems with some of Clinton’s positions, such as her support for drone strikes, a vote for her would stop a flood of immoral ideals that Trump echoed throughout the campaign.

When I heard of Clinton’s new book, titled “What Happened,” I was not stunned.

Unfortunately, I knew what the book would be about: self-pity and an inability to grasp the reasons why she lost. While that might seem harsh, her book plays the blame game in why she lost to the most unpopular presidential candidate in American history.

Some of these excuses have truth to them. Yes, the email and Benghazi “scandals” had too much time in the spotlight, and sexism undoubtedly played a role in the election results as well.

Parts of the book show her feelings about her primary opponent Bernie Sanders, that he and his supporters cost her the election through his criticisms of her and Sanders’ supporters failing to support her in the general election.

The idea that Clinton was not a polarizing figure before the 2016 election is a fantasy. Whether the reasons were legitimate or not, a large portion of the population has intensely disliked Clinton for almost 30 years. To blame Sanders for creating attacks used against her would be to have a false sense of reality.

The idea that Clinton and her campaign made few mistakes is laughable. Her campaign lacked any real, solid message, and it failed to excite voters. On the other hand, her opponents in the primaries and general election both managed to do so.

On top of bashing Sanders and his voters and nonvoters, the book is just unnecessary. After infighting ever since the primary, the party has been more united behind an issue this week than it has in a long time. Sanders’ “Medicare for all” bill is being co-sponsored by both sides of the party, from Elizabeth Warren to Kamala Harris to Cory Booker.To release a book and give interviews reigniting the infighting shows nothing but pettiness at this point.

“What Happened” wouldn’t be so bad if Clinton pointed out the mistakes she made instead of constantly pointing fingers at seemingly everyone but herself.

While I regret that Donald Trump won the presidency, I do not feel sorry for Clinton that she lost. Her uninspiring positions and campaign cost her, not Sanders, Jill Stein or non-voters.

Going forward, her blame game is only hurting her own polarizing reputation.

Drew Taylor is a columnist, contact him at [email protected].