“Old Soldiers never die, they just fade away.” – Gen. Douglas MacArthur
That quote is one that Hillary Rodham Clinton should take to heart. Not unlike Gen. MacArthur whose “Caesar complex” cost him his United Nations command during the Korean War 67-years-ago, Hillary faces the same fate.
The former First Lady, New York Senator, Secretary of State and two-time presidential loser has seen her day come and go. Like so many Hollywood stars that shone during their heyday, she has relegated her celebrity in later years to fruitless comebacks past her prime. The movies and their theme have passed her by.
Obviously it takes a huge ego to persevere in the public limelight for so many years. It is tough to face the fact of life that we grow older, our star often fades and younger people pick up the better parts in life. Hillary now faces that very situation and a world of fame that has passed her by.
With 2016 in their rearview mirror, it makes sense that Democrats need change to remain relevant. Their box office attendance is way down and their film has no message at present. They are looking for young and new faces to bring the crowds back.
But like so many stars of the past, Hillary isn’t ready to exit stage left. She stills yearns for the camera and the adoring throngs that pressed at the ticket window to see her again and again. The last thing these new faces and ideas want to see come election 2020 is fading star Hillary taking the lead actress role in another failed movie.
Many of the old Hollywood actors refined their appeal playing older people in supporting roles. They got work as the mothers, fathers or grandparents of younger people that fit their age better on screen. There were many that made the transition and continued to be viable screen actors for years past their prime. They faced life’s realities.
Hillary, like Norma Desmond, an aging actress past her prime in “Sunset Boulevard,” wants one last comeback. That is exactly what she’s doing declaring herself the “head of the resistance.”
Clinton is launching a new group called “Onward Together,” which ostensibly would be geared toward opposing Donald Trump every step of the way. Clinton is already meeting with deep pocketed donors and forming a board of directors. But every dollar given to Hillary’s organization is one dollar that doesn’t go to other Democratic politicians.
Yes, Hillary has become a liability, if not an embarrassment to the Democratic Party. She will not go quietly and is forcing the hand of a sometimes cruel audience to face life’s reality; it’s over.
There are those who will always remember her as the queen of the stage. Her cadre of hangers-on must be thrilled to see she will finance her own movie.
But the majority of Democrats are demoralized and looking for their new shining star to light up the screen and bring back the crowds. They face a world where their party holds the fewest number of elected seats in a century and they are divided.
Clinton’s self-proclaimed “comeback” will likely prolong the misery. Oh, she does draw the media in a curious sense. They want to know “What is the has-been saying today that is bitter and angry?”
She has become a political-dead end, box office poison and a distraction for what needs to be done to bring back the glamor. It must be hard to realize your star has been ceded to a 75-year-old socialist who will never star on the silver screen as the king of anything.
Hillary’s last two pictures left her audience demanding someone else take the role. She had her day in the sun and now it is left to others to clear the stage. She will no longer achieve roles as the great savior. It’s time to go away quietly since she refuses to act in a supporting role. She is with younger actors that may have that something to bring them back for more.
It is time for her to fade away. Take a history course from Gen. MacArthur. No one’s star shone bigger than his in his heyday. It took a sitting president to give him his walking papers.
Who will provide Hillary’s walking papers? It could be the rank and file Democrats. Only time will tell, but look for rallies that draw much smaller crowds than she thinks she should get. Of course, if she gives enough money away in freebies, that might help her. Democrats love freebies.
