Clinton Derangement Syndrome
A few days ago Kevin Drum wrote a post about Andrew Sullivan’s unexplainable descent into Clinton Derangement Syndrome (CDS), a development that is beginning to make his blog unreadable:
Obviously lots of people suffer from Clinton Derangement Syndrome. That’s not news. But over the past couple of years Andrew has practically scourged himself senseless over the fact that he got sucked into the hubristic and self-absorbed neocon dream of revolution in the Middle East. He plainly recognizes the danger of being dragged down into that particular fever swamp.
Clearly, CDS is a much more serious psychological condition than its close cousin, Bush Derangement Syndrome (BDS), both of which exist under the umbrella of Presidential Derangement Syndrome. For those of you unfamiliar with CDS, the symptoms can be anything from “an outright rejection of data based on source” to potentially violent animosity directed toward a president or in this case, a presidential candidate (hair flip to Sin City Siren), however, somehow I expect more from Sullivan because of his clearly superior education and knowledge of philosophy and politics. While the sleaze of the Bill Clinton years may be offensive to some (and please allow that the conservatives responsible for the public debate at the time share a good deal of responsibility for that sleaze), most find the violence of the Iraq War and occupation and the, in some ways, equally violent assault against the Constitution of the United States to be even more offensive. Sullivan seems obsessed with the Clinton marriage more than anything else:
If she is the nominee, it will be the two of them again. The real risk is that it will mean the same never-ending psycho-drama, the same petty sleaze, the same constant beat of marital-political intrigue that we endured in the 1990s. It’s worth recalling: just because their enemies were often vile doesn’t mean the Clintons didn’t give them plenty to work with – often needlessly. Another term of the two of them could well lead to the same kind of sexual scandals that distracted and near-paralyzed affairs of state in the 1990s. If you don’t believe that, then you simply haven’t grasped the depth of Bill Clinton’s needs and compulsions and Hillary Clinton’s life-long enabling of them. Their act in power could in turn provoke the same response from the hard right – empowering the Christianists just as they are finally being marginalized, funding them, uniting re-energizing them, rebuilding the GOP around social conservatism and war. I am told by my Clinton-friendly readers that I am obsessed with this matter, seized with hatred, a mouthpiece for Republican talking points, a woman-hater, etc etc. Fine. Whatever. Have your say.
But if you think we would be electing a normal presidential candidate in Hillary Clinton, as opposed to a co-dependent, scandal-drawn power-couple with almost no accountability within their marriage, let alone outside it, then you’re welcome to your delusions.
Sullivan is practically begging to be psychoanalyzed writing words like the above. I agree that if Clinton is selected as the Democratic nominee, then we will have to relive some of the 90s political sleaze and probably experience a new level of bi-partisanship, and that would suck, but I find Sullivan’s compulsion to consider the psychology of the Clinton marriage to be bizarre, especially considering his usual hands off the home approach.
By the way, way to be collegial there Senator McCain.
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