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A little over a year ago, when I first heard the rumors of a possible candidacy, Hillary Clinton seemed like the perfect candidate for me: a woman speaking on my behalf in favor of all the things I believed in.
I was ready for Hillary.
Not that the Clintons had a much credible reputation before, but when the news came out that Hillary was using a private email server to deliver government-related information while Secretary of State, opinions on her integrity fell drastically.
When you hear things that contradict your beliefs, you try to ignore them at first. But when the truth is too obvious to handle, you start looking the other way.
If you don’t see how problematic the email scandal can be, here is a hint: Almost every Hillary Clinton headline now carries the word ‘email’ in it, focusing less on her political platform and much on her email scandal.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, 60,000 emails were exchanged by Clinton before leaving office in Dec. 2014. About half of them are now in possession of the FBI.
As with any good political scandal, Clinton did not leave the stage without a ‘oops, I’m sorry.’ In an interview with ABC News Clinton’s apology appeared almost unapologetic.
“What I had done was allowed, it was above board,” Clinton said. “But in retrospect, as I look back at it now, even though it was allowed, I should have used two accounts. One for personal, one for work-related emails. That was a mistake. I’m sorry about that. I take responsibility.”
Don’t you sound sorry now, Hillary?
According to a CBS News report, 53 percent of voters now see Clinton unfavorably. But don’t forget: she is still leading the Democratic race.
Political science associate professor Jason Casellas said this is just the beginning of the damage done to Clinton’s campaign.
“The issue with the email scandal is that (it) reinforces a perception many people have that Hillary Clinton is not honest and trustworthy,” Casellas said. “The gradual release of emails by the State Department does not help her campaign either because it creates more stories about this issue which she would rather just go away.”
Clinton could make it out of the mess, but carrying out a presidential campaign may be a little too much on your shoulders when you’re spending half of your campaign time having to apologize.
The 2016 year is about to be interesting for Democrats; not so much for a compelling race, but for a lack of better choices.
Opinion Columnist Luiza Braga is a print journalism senior and may be reached at [email protected]
Go ask McCarthy!