POLJUNK

My lack of enthusiasm for Hillary's persona, of course, is nothing compared to Republicans' foaming-at-the-mouth hatred for her. Never mind that they react to her policy positions by calling here everything from a terrorist appeaser to a communist, they hate Hillary the person too. There is practically a cottage industry in America (or is it really in China?) dedicated to making novelty items that mock and deride Hillary. Think of the Hillary Clinton nutcracker that, no doubt, thousands of Republican die-hards received as stocking-stuffers this past Christmas. If you haven't seen it, one places a nut between Hillary's legs and a good squeeze of her legs should crack the nut. The inherent implication that Hillary is a ball-buster should be obvious to even the most fair-minded.

I also recently saw a t-shirt proudly worn by a sure Republican voter that sported a rebus consisting of (in order) an eye, a heart, an image of Hillary, a tree, and a treble clef with some musical notes. The caption read, "I love country music." Or, in English, "Hillary Clinton is a cunt."

Other anti-Hillary bumper-sticker slogans I have seen include:

Life's a Bitch, Don't Vote for One
Stop Mad Cow
It Takes a Village Idiot
Clinton: The Only Hill our Military Can't Take

There is no shortage of such items, which suggests that there is considerable demand for them. The mainstream media often reinforces the idea that Hillary is "unelectable," partly because she doesn't represent the traditional American ideas of what women are allowed to do, say, and be in public. Indeed, much of America is still grappling with the idea of women in positions of power. Pundits often portray her as a cold and calculating bitch. Right-wing blogs are often merciless toward her.

So, here's my question: If we take Hillary's positions on the issues (whatever those positions might be this week) off of the table and we simply look at the character of Mrs. Clinton, does she not possess the very qualities that a woman would need to be an effective president of the United States? Let's say that she is a ball-breaker, a cunt, and a bitch. Let's say that she is cold. We're talking about the presidency of the United States. Hillary isn't running for Miss Congeniality. This is not a job for lightweights, as we have found out these past seven years. If America were to someday have a woman for its president, then wouldn't she have to possess some of these qualities, or at least be able to tap into them if needed?

In short, and without implying an endorsement of her or her positions on specific issues, are some of the things that many people so dislike about Hillary perhaps the same things that would make her an effective president?