we have to pause for a moment and assess how Clinton has actually responded to the email scandal.
First of all, there is ample evidence she simply lied. A lot.
We know that she originally stated she used a private server to allow her to email from one device. That has been proven false.
We know that despite apologizing for poor judgment, she has consistently passed the blame onto others, suggesting that her colleagues were the ones who should have known the rules.
We also know that she has really refused to take seriously the idea that sensitive and classified information was mishandled and that that information may have actually been leaked.
Most importantly we have clear evidence that she has handled this mess with spin and rhetoric more than actual leadership.
Taken together those behaviors might not make her a criminal–although there is some real doubt on that point — but I believe it is fairly clear that they suggest serious flaws in a future president.
The point is that it is time to revise Bernie Sanders’ statement that “we are sick and tired of hearing about her damn emails.”
Even if the whole investigation was politically motivated, it turns out that there are some legitimate things to worry about.
As Lee Camp explains on Redacted Tonight, the actual content of the emails is real cause for concern.
That’s not even mentioning the whole host of other Clinton practices—her hawkishness, pro-Wall Street record, cronyism, etc. — that are worth critiquing.
There is one additional disturbing consequence to the Hillary bashing blowback, though.
It is not just the fact that the anti-Hillary and pro-Hillary sides have become completely incapable of nuance or reason; it is the fact that those of us advocating for critical thinking are increasingly stuck in defensive positions that lead us to become more and more intransigent, more and more angry, and more and more inclined to bully back.
In one example, Trevor Noah attempted to cover the story with some nuance, but he still ended up calling Hillary “Grandma Nixon.”The Nixon analogy might be apt, but calling her Grandma smacks of Limbaugh.
Whether fair or not, the Clinton campaign may get credit for finally driving the nation fully into sectarian opposition and away from anything resembling healthy democratic debate. The real question is whether we will find any productive way to talk about it.
http://www.salon.com/2016/07/12/the...rt_reasonable_criticism_of_clintons_campaign/