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Hillary Clinton book reveals no surprises

A few weeks ago, Hillary Clinton’s book, “What Happened,” was released to the public and I would like to share my impressions on it. But first, a disclaimer: I’m a Democrat. I’m hot-blooded on Democrat-leaning issues and ideals. I voted for President Obama both times, no regrets. I voted for Hillary and still mourn her unjustly loss. I hate Trump with every fiber of my being.

And now, a brief review: This is not a book that discusses in fine Sherlock Holmes-style detail what happened that caused Hillary to lose the electoral vote, nor should anyone expect it to be. Hillary doesn’t reveal anything that anybody who’s been paying attention didn’t already know (Russian interference).

What her book, for the most part, really is, is a memoir, where she talks about her beginnings in activism, her struggles against a steep learning curve of politics, and, of course, her time as a candidate for president of the U.S. She talks about her high points, she talks about her low points (there were a lot of highs, but the lows were definitely huge ones). In the end, this book is about “What Happened” that made Hillary who she is. Personal anecdotes that she shares tells us that she had a mother who inspired her above all others; a husband that is her best friend as well as cheerleader; a daughter that brings a sense of calm to any troubling time; and so on and so forth.

And, there are three final points I’d like to make before finishing. One: Yes, she does tell of the negativity that plagued her campaign, giving her personal insight into all that went wrong. Emails unnecessarily dragged out, Russian interference, a last-minute October surprise from Comey. If it was just one of these things, the election might have turned out differently, but with all three happening, it could be something of a miracle that she won the popular vote. Again, these aren’t newly revealed things, which is why she doesn’t spend the entirety of the book on them. These are just the facts that everyone paying attention knows.

Two: Considering that this is West Virginia, I must mention that, yes, Hillary does talk about that one time she said, “we’re going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business.” In her words, it was the one gaffe that she regretted most. Taken out of context, she sounds heartless and uncaring, but if we in West Virginia weren’t so stubborn about coal and took time to look at all she said, we’d have coverage that focused on this line, right before her mistake: “I’m the only candidate who has a policy about how to bring economic opportunity using clean renewable energy as the key into Coal Country.” Funny how one little, off-the-cuff line can ruin the whole message.

Hillary did talk about helping us. Hell, after she made that unfortunate comment, she decided to make her words as clear as possible by coming to West Virginia itself. But she was greeted with outright and unjust hostility. Why? Because too many people in West Virginia are too damn stubborn to see the big picture (or blinded by the Republican Propaganda Machine, aka, Fox News). I say that as someone born and raised in West Virginia, and I say that as someone who spent his entire life never, not even once when I spent three straight years unemployed, wanting to set foot in a coal mine. The majority of West Virginia shot themselves in the foot on this one, and sadly my foot got caught in the crossfire.

Third, and finally: Hillary peppers and ends her book with a sense of pride, love and hope going forward. To me, that was the most important thing. She talks of persisting, even in the face of defeat. She talks of how, even after the worst thing to ever happen to us as a democracy, we are still stronger together, that love still trumps hate.

Edward S. Brenwalt

Kerens

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