It's not too late to open your heart to Hillary

Having been part of Hillary’s world for more than a decade, I’ve encountered enough Hillary hate to understand what causes it (sophisticated billionaire-funded negative rightwing narratives pushed by the corporate media) and how intense it can be (very). But I also know it isn’t a permanent condition.

Hillary’s favorability ratings have fluctuated significantly over the years. The surge in negative sentiment over the past 18 months directly correlates to the savage assault on her character as she attempts to break a 227-year barrier.

If all you hear is this:

corrupt lying evil monster corrupt lying evil monster corrupt lying evil monster corrupt lying evil monster corrupt lying evil monster corrupt lying evil monster corrupt lying evil monster corrupt lying evil monster corrupt lying evil monster corrupt lying evil monster corrupt lying evil monster…

You’ll end up with a chart that looks like this:

Look at the right side of that graph and ask yourself how Hillary could enjoy a +20 favorable rating in 2015 and -20 in 2016. She didn’t change. Perceptions changed. And perceptions are distinctly not reality.

It doesn’t help that the corporate media create a vicious and self-fulfilling loop by relentlessly focusing on negative perceptions of Hillary and categorically refusing to show any enthusiasm for her, even when she has millions more passionate supporters than her rivals.

Hillary-hate isn’t based on facts. It is entirely the product of systematic lies and smears promulgated by her opponents. And the corporate media won’t give people the truth to rebut the false accusations. Consider this astonishing statistic:

Since the beginning of 2016, ABC’s World News Tonight, CBS Evening News and NBC Nightly News have devoted just 32 minutes to issues coverage, according to Andrew Tyndall.

32 minutes to issue coverage all year. Meanwhile, major media outlets have devoted 600 days to Hillary’s email server.

When a lifelong public servant who has devoted her career to helping women and children is despised with more intensity than a serial killer, you know the problem is not with her but with the brutally effective propaganda techniques of her professional detractors.

‘Professional’ is the operative word. Trump has surrounded himself with the likes of Roger Stone, David Bossie, Rudy Giuliani, and Roger Ailes. These are men who have spent a combined century attempting to destroy Hillary’s public image. They have been supported by conservative billionaires who fund shadowy think tanks that produce sophisticated research on how best to render her toxic to the public. And they are aided by mainstream media figures who hold deep-seated grudges against her.

But their efforts invariably fail. Hillary has withstood decades of these coordinated attacks and is still standing strong, a smile on her face and a lightness in her step. Her indomitability is infinitely vexing to her opponents but very easy to explain: She knows she is a good person at heart and that millions of her supporters understand it too.

What is left unsaid in the avalanche of email coverage and leaks and hacks is this: Nothing that has been revealed shows bad character on her part. To the contrary, the actual substance of what she says is thoughtful, insightful and reflects the mind and heart of a decent and dignified public servant.

Those who have bought into the endless and venomous anti-Hillary propaganda feel a burning hatred for her. We’ve all encountered it. Their rage can be triggered by a single word, even if the facts behind the words don’t match the innuendo. Benghazi. Emails. Wall Street. Clinton Foundation. In each of these cases, there is not a scintilla of proof that Hillary engaged in wrongdoing. None. Zero. If anything, interminable investigations always end up exonerating her.

It is one thing to disagree with a candidate, another altogether to be consumed with rage and to want them imprisoned or executed. It is painful to see fellow citizens live in a state of hatred for someone who has done nothing to harm them and everything to help them.

Hate hurts the hater much more than the hated.

To everyone out there who is on the fence: It’s not too late to open your heart to Hillary. You’ll be surprised how good it feels.