Rarely does a political party have the chance to reclaim the White House after 8 years. The Democratic Party finally has a chance to build on our progress with two consecutive Democratic President’s: Obama and Clinton. The last time we attempted this was in 2000 with Al Gore. Unfortunately, Al Gore rebuked the Clinton legacy and liberals turned their backs on President Bill Clinton. Nader proved to be an effective enough spoiler in Florida, triggering such a close contest that Governor Jeb Bush was ultimately able to decide the 2000 election in favor of his brother. What a disaster.
Clik here to view.
It took a Clinton to clean up after the first Bush, and I think it will finally take a Clinton to build on Obama’s progress and get us back to where the Clintons left us in the year 2000: 23 million new jobs, a balanced-budget, surplus, and wages rising at all income levels.
Don’t let Bernie become the Nader of the 2016 election and rip away our historic opportunity to have a Democratic President follow another: the first African American President and the first female President. Two historic achievements.
According to Bernie Sanders new ad, one Democratic vision (the Obama/Clinton vision) is to:
“...take millions from big banks and then tell them what to do.”
Hillary pointed out on Rachel Maddow that Bernie is targeting Democrats and President Barack Obama with his attack ad:
“It’s also a very direct criticism of President Obama who, as you might recall, took a lot of money from the financial industry when he ran in 2008. That didn’t stop him from fighting for the hardest regulations on Wall Street since the Great Depression, signing Dodd-Frank, getting everything he could get out of the Congress at that time.
So it’s a funny kind of charge. It’s sort of a pox on all your houses for all the Democrats.”
Wall Street donations didn’t stop President Obama and the Democratic Party from forming the coalition needed to impose tough financial regulations on Wall Street. Why is Bernie painting so many Democrats with such a broad-brush?
Hillary is currently building on the Obama coalition with Planned Parenthood, the Brady Campaign, and Bernie’s fellow Vermont legislatures. A coalition that needs to reverse the fact that under President Obama, Democrats have lost 900 legislative seats. A trend the Clintons are working hard to reverse in 37 state’s that are currently controlled by the GOP. As of now, Hillary has raised $18 million for down-ticket Democrats.
Hillary is working with Democratic President Barack Obama to develop a strategy and platform for success in 21st Century America. Obama’s signature achievement is the Affordable Care Act, something the Democratic Party has been fighting for since Harry Truman. As evidenced by the Bernie campaign posting a vintage photo of Hillary fighting for universal healthcare in 1993, Hillary has the scars to show for this battle. Hillary Clinton knows firsthand that the Democratic nominee should be defending the Affordable Care Act, not going back to square one.
Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders is advocating for a single-payer system with no specific details. Remember: the Affordable Care Act was hard to achieve despite having majorities in both chambers of Congress. The Affordable Care Act supports 11-million Americans, particularly low-income women. We can still achieve universal healthcare by defending, not dismantling, Obamacare.
Just last week Republicans tried to rip away our progress by voting to (yet again) defund the Affordable Care Act. Given this toxic political environment, we should be defending and building on our progress rather than playing right into the hands of the Republicans. If Bernie can’t defend his plan against Hillary, how will he be able to defend his plan against Republicans?
Though Bernie hasn’t released the specifics of his single-payer proposal, he has, however, introduced a single-payer plan to Congress 9 times. All 9 times Bernie’s plan has failed. Under this plan, state’s would have to come up with 14% of the funds. How will that work with the 37-state’s that are GOP controlled? Taxes would also have to increase on Americans across the board. Is this a good strategy to build on Obama’s progress?
In a country where 900 Democratic seats have been lost under Obama and 37-states have a GOP dominated legislature, the path forward is not to relitigate a single-payer healthcare system. Hillary will defend and build on Obama’s progress rather than employ an already failed strategy.
If Bernie is bringing up a substantive debate about Wall Street with his new attack ad, why can’t Hillary bring up substantive debate around healthcare, tax policy, and guns? That’s not going negative, that’s a substantive debate.
In terms of Wall Street, according to Bernie’s new ad his plan is to:
“...break up the big banks, close the tax loopholes, and make them pay their fair share.”
Hillary’s plans have been deemed by experts to be tougher and more comprehensive than Bernie’s. Hillary’s plan goes right after the root cause of the 2008 economic collapse: shadow baking and derivatives, something Hillary drew attention to back in 2007. Hillary, not Bernie, saw the writing on the wall in regards to the 2008 economic collapse.
Hillary has also called for the “Buffet Rule” and ending the “Romney Loophole.” I hope Bernie endorses both of those ideas because he needs to be honest with the American people and release his plans in full (both his single-payer healthcare plan and his tax policy). That’s only fair to the voters of Iowa.
Wonder if Hillary will follow through on her promises given her corporate contributions? Well, Obama and the Democrats did. Which is why Bernie’s new attack attack ad doesn’t make sense.
Hillary has been working to even the odds for women, children, the poor, and under-privileged Americans her entire career:
First Lady of Arkansas:
- Children’s Defense Fund
- Investigated racism in South Carolina prisons
- Co-founded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families
- Arkansas Children's Hospital Legal Services
- Secured federal funds to expand medical facilities in poor areas as chair of the Rural Health Advisory Committee
- Successfully reformed the Arkansas education system as chair of the Arkansas Educational Standards Committee
- Successfully reformed the Arkansas healthcare system
First Lady of the United States:
- Increased research funding for prostate cancer and childhood asthma at the National Institutes of Health
- Office on Violence Against Women
- Campaign Against Teenage Pregnancy
- Adoption and Safe Families Act
- Foster Care Independence Act
- Children’s Health Insurance Program
Inequality is fought by tackling all issues facing all Americans. Hillary has scars for taking on universal healthcare in 1993 and is now taking on the most powerful special interests in the country: the NRA. For those that say Hillary is inauthentic or bought by special interests, one needs to look no further than the battles she has fought. The scars she has obtained. The accomplishments she has achieved.
What has become crystal clear is that Bernie hasn’t been operating at the highest levels of American government. Clinton and Obama know how best to fight for progressive values within our current system. And they have the scars to show for it. That is why Hillary has been receiving so many high-profile endorsements from organizations such as Planned Parenthood and the Brady Campaign. These organizations know Hillary is tested, tough, and proven. She has the strategy to move us forward. No candidate will build on Obama’s progress better than Hillary Clinton, especially considering we have lost 900 legislative seats and 37 state’s to the Republican Party. Only the Clintons can reverse this.
There’s a reason the GOP targeted Hillary during the debate and is currently running ads against her in the early voting state’s. They know the coalition she is building on can actually create change within our system. Republicans know Obama is laying the groundwork for Hillary to hit the ground running on healthcare, guns, and Wall Street. Across the board, Hillary is the one ready to carry the torch forward for progressive causes in 21st Century America.
Clik here to view.
Hillary endorsements by Planned Parenthood and the Brady Campaign show she understands all issues facing all Americans. She understands the big picture: we must continue reigning in Wall Street and get incomes to where they were in the 1990s. But we must also build on and focus on the needs of those in the Obama coalition. A coalition Hillary has been fighting for her entire life.