Denise Tiller, Midwest Voices 2008

I can't figure out what's going on inside Hillary Clinton's head.

We encourage our daughters to follow their dreams. After all, what's life without a dream? We place a high value on effort, honesty, and honoring commitments as well as graciousness and humility. And we tell them to rejoice in what they have.

As parents, we also have to warn them that they will not always get what they want. No matter how hard they work or how much talent they have, some times thing just don't work out. It's okay to be sad and disappointed for a time, but they need get over it. They have to view obstacles as new challenges. They need to reflect on their talents and their dreams and revise. They need to find a new path, a new goal, and sometimes they will get more than they ever anticipated.

I appreciate the effort Hillary Clinton is making, but the numbers just aren't there. Now I understand that doing the same thing over and over again expecting a better result is a sign of insanity--unless it involves a computer problem. If she were my friend I'd congratulate her on doing so well, but I'd tell her it's time to be gracious. Not everyone gets to be President, but there is so much she can do for the World that can be better than being President.

Right now, she reminds me of Tracy Flick, the "popular girl" in the movie ELECTION, the girl no one likes because she doesn't care about anyone but herself and she bullies people into doing what she wants. People give into her her just to make her go away. She's a "mean girl."

I didn't like the mean girls in high school and I still don't like them. I'm in the demographic that should be her biggest base and I'm not a fan anymore. I hope she reexamines her values and the desires and do something more constructive with her time and money.

Denise Tiller, Midwest Voices 2008