Up the Hillary and Down the Hillary

One of the most exciting things for me in this phase of my life is that I am finally going to be able to vote for President...I am 58 years old and I have never been afforded the means by which to vote for President.

I lived 38 years on the wonderful island of Puerto Rico. The island is part of the United States, called a territory by some, a colony by others, but while people born in Puerto Rico are American citizens and they carry an American passport the island is not a part of any electoral college so no one living in Puerto Rico can vote in National elections; no matter where you were born. So, a Puerto Rican who moves to the States can register and vote and a registered American born citizen who moves to Puerto Rico cannot. The exception to that is if you are registered to vote in any of the 50 states your state electoral board can allow you to vote by proxy. The trade-off, however, is that you must pledge not to vote in the local Puerto Rican elections.

So, now I am living in Texas and I am thrilled by the notion that at last I can execute my desire to vote in a National election. I have chosen, so far, to support Hillary Clinton. Not because she and I are women ( I do not support gender bias no matter what direction it takes ) but because I believe she is an intelligent, authoritative and discerning person whose entire adult life has been intimately involved with public issues and who has the experience to lead the country.

But then this Alberto González kerfuffle replaced real issues with an apparent desire to play "pay back". I have started receiving e mails from the Hillary Clinton for President group urging me to sign a petition to get González to resign. The e mails suggest that the "scandal" goes "all the way to Carl Rove and beyond." This is not the kind of activity that I would like the candidate I support to indulge in. This is precisely the type of political shenanigans that crippled the United States during President Clinton's administration and which we should be lead to eschew, not lead toward like a blinded group of rabid lemmings. Senator Clinton; I expected more from you. There are many issues facing our nation now and I agree with those who point to the decaying quality of our politicians as one of those issues. But from you I expect behavior that separates you from that decaying mass of political flesh, not behavior that classifies you as the flag bearer of it.

I hope that this is merely a sign of bad advice given to you by someone and that you will soon realize the error of your campagin's current focus. I hope that you will find your North and re-direct your intellect and your privileged talent of fostering programs that result in benefits to ALL US citizens and not just registered Democrats. I hope that I can continue to feel elation at being able to cast my first vote for President for someone I admire; for someone who tempers ideals with reality and a clear understanding of the path she is undertaking.