I do understand the fairytale-like quality of the “David vs. Goliath” story — trying to paint it as though Hillary Clinton (Goliath) is a Republican in disguise that needs to be defeated by Bernie Sanders (David). Unfortunately, this is reality — the real world. And we are currently choosing who should be the next President of the United States.
One of the best ways we can make an educated decision is by not forgetting history.
Rachel Maddow recently did a segment on how Obama wanted to usher in an era of ‘new’ politics (just like Bernie Sanders does). In 2008, Obama tried to work with Republicans during his first-term, barely passing the Affordable Care Act despite having Democratic majorities in both chambers:
During Obama’s final State of the Union speech, Obama expressed regret that Washington has become more, not less, polarized under his Presidency.
As Rachel Maddow highlights: the Clintons, being firsthand survivors of the GOP onslaught during the 1990s, knew Obama was being naive in 2008. But I guess he had to learn the hard way. In 2016, however, I don’t want someone who requires on-the-job training. I want someone who can take the baton from Obama and hit the ground running.
Unfortunately, they say Democrats want to “fall in love” while Republicans want to “fall in line.” Well, we opted for an idealistic message in 2008. Now in 2016, Washington is more polarized than ever before. I’m ready for the pragmatic Clintons to go in there and fight. I’m ready for the Clintons to build on and defend Obama’s progress against relentless GOP attacks.
In 2016, we shouldn't have to be defending the Affordable Care Act amongst Democrats:
As Hillary noted in her response to Bernie's suggestion we start over from square-one, the revolution on healthcare never came in 1994. And she has the scars to prove it:
NANCY CORDES: “Secretary Clinton, back in 1994, you said that momentum for a single-payer system would sweep the country. That sounds Sandersesque. But you don't feel that way anymore. Why not—“
HILLARY CLINTON: “Well, the revolution never came. [LAUGHTER] And I waited and I've got the scars to show for it.”
On the topic of healthcare, Hillary proves she possesses the political skill to take on the Tea Party whack-jobs, while also having the best plans to continue Obama's progress. Meanwhile, Bernie's over there talking about starting over from square-one, something which was barely passed with a Democratic Congress. If that doesn't show his ineptness about political realities regarding the current state of the Tea-Party controlled Congress, I don't know what does. The last thing we should be doing is undoing the progress of the Affordable Care Act.
We need someone who can strategically navigate the Tea Party infested waters of Washington. Like it or not, the Clintons are political animals and play to win. And it was the Clintons who warned us about the Republicans, being firsthand survivors of their onslaught during the 1990s. Sometimes I think the Clintons secretly want to tell Obama: “We told you so.”
At this point, the Bernie campaign knows if they don’t win New Hampshire, it’s over. Being from the neighboring state of Vermont (which is to his advantage), Bernie knows he has to pull out a victory in New Hampshire, the state that gave both Clintons a “come-back” at different points in their careers.
Bernie is also using being from Vermont as an excuse for giving immunity to the gun lobby. Unfortunately, fellow Vermont Senator Leahy voted with Clinton and Obama AGAINST making the gun industry the only industry in America with immunity from accountability. Given the way Senator Leahy voted, using Vermont is nothing more than an excuse for standing in lockstep with the NRA.
As President Obama said, he will not campaign for anyone that doesn’t favor revoking immunity for the gun industry:
The NRA hailed the gun immunity bill as the 'most significant' piece of pro-gun legislation in the last 20 years. Obama and Clinton voted against it. Bernie voted for it. Clinton, not Bernie, will continue Obama's progress on combating gun violence in America.
It’s also funny to watch Bernie supporters explain away his immunity vote when Bernie also voted against the Brady bill 5 times. Thankfully, President Bill Clinton was able to pass the Brady bill without Bernie's support and protect our nation from gun violence:
Bernie Sanders refused to admit his vote giving gun manufacturers immunity was wrong. 90+ die a day and 30,000+ die a year from gun violence. This is a huge issue in urban, African-American communities, something Bernie supposedly doesn’t recognize being from the 95% caucasian, heavily rural state of Vermont. An example of his white privilege.
Bernie just needs to admit he was wrong on the immunity vote. Why is it so hard? It seems as though Bernie wants to remain “consistent” despite evidence and facts to the contrary. Personally, I admire Clinton for changing her positions in-light of new evidence. Republicans, not Democrats, are the ones that refuse to change their position despite new evidence to the contrary. Given Bernie Sanders refusal to admit giving immunity to the gun industry was wrong, the Brady Campaign has endorsed Hillary Clinton.
Many Sanders supporters respond by bringing up conspiracy theories regarding Hillary and Wall Street or her Iraq war vote.
So let’s set the record straight on both:
Hillary gave Bush the authorization to go to war as a *last* resort. Bush went to war as a *first* resort. Bush also didn’t let the UN inspectors finish their job, something he said he would let them do.
Hillary already said she regrets giving Bush the authorization for the war. But as New York Senator, she trusted him in the aftermath of 9/11, something most Americans regrettably did. Patriotism and trust was at an all-time high after 9/11/2001, and no one thought Bush would go into Iraq before the inspectors were finished.
Bernie supported funding the war, so he gets to claim he voted against the Iraq war, yet didn’t do anything to actually stop it.
Hillary Clinton on the Iraq War:
“Well, I have said repeatedly that if I had known then what I know now, I never would have voted to give the president authority.
It was a mistake to trust George Bush that he would do what he told all of us he would do. … Now, I do not think that that is a necessarily wrong judgment at the time.
What was wrong is the way this president misused the authority that some of us here gave him. And that has been a tragedy.”
It is important to look at Hillary’s *FULL* record, which includes being one of the few to advocate for the successful raid against Osama Bin Laden. It also includes imposing the toughest sanctions on Iran by convincing the Chinese and Russians to agree to them. Both are things the Bush Administration couldn’t get done. Furthermore, Hillary’s START treaty with Russia still exists and she improved U.S. favorability worldwide by over 20 points. Without Hillary, the Iran nuclear deal would not be in existence today, something that is *PREVENTING* war.
At the end of the day, Hillary didn’t vote for the Iraq war. She gave Bush the authorization to go to war as a *LAST* resort and only after the U.N. inspectors finished their job. The authorization vote was simply meant to be used as leverage against Iraq.
Bush lied. People died. Period. Stop placing Bush’s war on Hillary for political gain.
As for Hillary’s bankruptcy vote, she recently corrected the record:
CLINTON: When I got to the Senate in 2001, one of the first big votes there was on a version of the bankruptcy bill and I was deluged by women’s groups and children’s advocates groups to do everything I could to make sure that child support and women’s precarious financial situation in case of divorce or not being able to get the kind of funding they needed from a partner or a spouse in bankruptcy would not be endangered. And it was. The current — that bill was making it a very low priority. So I did go to work on behalf of all these women’s groups and children’s groups because they needed a champion. And I got that bill changed. And in return, it had nothing to do with any money whatsoever — and I resent deeply any effort by the Sanders campaign to so imply. It had to do with trying to get a deal that would protect women.
And so then three years later, part of Senator Warren said, you played. You didn’t play the whole thing, because we’ve been allies. I faced a tough decision and I stood up for women and children.
I went to the Senate floor, said that was exactly what I was doing. Then the bill did not pass. It never became law. And then when the next bill came up, 2005, women’s issues were taken care of because I had made that a point back in 2001. And so then I was against that bill. I didn’t get a chance to actually vote against it because Bill was in the hospital having a heart procedure. But I put a statement out. I was against it. So I’m happy to set this record straight. And I really want to, once again, call out the Sanders campaign, which claims they like to run a positive campaign. But they have been quite artful in raising questions and trying to cast doubts about my record.
And I really am not going to sit and take it anymore.
I have a public record. I have never, ever been influenced in a view or a vote by anyone who has given me any kind of money. So I’m just going to keep setting the record straight.
Hillary voted for a version of the bankruptcy bill after working with Congress to include amendments directly addressing Elizabeth Warren’s concerns, specifically those regarding women and children. The bill then went to the Republican-controlled Congress, which subsequently removed the amendments protecting women and children. When the bill was sent back to the Senate, the Democrats (including Hillary) filibustered the bill. Later, another version of the bill passed that Hillary opposed. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are misrepresenting Hillary’s bankruptcy vote.
"My experience has been that whenever you closely examine the attacks on Hillary, whether they come from the left or the right, they break apart under scrutiny."
~Zachary Leven
No candidate is perfect.
Let us also remember Bernie only opposed DOMA on the basis of state’s rights and that Bernie voted to deregulate derivatives in the year 2000, one of the direct causes of the 2008 financial crash.
Despite the media and Karl Rove propping up Bernie, and propelling this ‘David vs. Goliath’ (underdog) storyline, Hillary is the one who will build on Obama’s progress with regards to gun violence. Hillary is the one who will build on and defend Obama’s progress with regards to healthcare.
Hillary will build the coalition needed to achieve change and success within our current system. She’s proven it time and time again.
