I want you to read this.Hillary Clinton's unexpected defeat stunned me deeply. Twenty-four hours later I feel the same kind of grief as though a friend had died. It's not quite the America I thought it was. There will be time for post-mortems later. For now I wanted to use this space to share with you the kind of graciousness and class this woman has. Below I have reproduced her letter to her supporters. It is heartfelt and constructive, designed to help heal our country, because that's the kind of person she is.
Steve --
Thank you.
Last night, I congratulated Donald Trump and offered to work with him on
behalf of our country. I hope that he will be a successful president
for all Americans.
This is not the outcome we wanted or we worked so hard for, and I’m
sorry we did not win this election for the values we share and the
vision we hold for our country.
But I feel pride and gratitude for this wonderful campaign that we built
together –- this vast, diverse, creative, unruly, energized campaign.
You represent the best of America, and being your candidate has been one
of the greatest honors of my life.
I know how disappointed you feel, because I feel it too. And so do tens
of millions of Americans who invested their hopes and dreams in this
effort. This is painful, and it will be for a long time. But I want you
to remember this: Our campaign was never about one person or even one
election. It was about the country we love -- and about building an
America that’s hopeful, inclusive, and big-hearted.
We have seen that our nation is more deeply divided than we thought. But
I still believe in America –- and I always will. And if you do, too,
then we must accept this result -– and then look to the future.
Donald Trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead.
Our constitutional democracy enshrines the peaceful transfer of power,
and we don’t just respect that, we cherish it. It also enshrines other
things –- the rule of law, the principle that we’re all equal in rights
and dignity, and the freedom of worship and expression. We respect and
cherish these things too -- and we must defend them.
And let me add: Our constitutional democracy demands our participation,
not just every four years, but all the time. So let’s do all we can to
keep advancing the causes and values we all hold dear: making our
economy work for everyone, not just those at the top; protecting our
country and protecting our planet; and breaking down all the barriers
that hold anyone back from achieving their dreams.
We’ve spent a year and a half bringing together millions of people from
every corner of our country to say with one voice that we believe that
the American Dream is big enough for everyone -- for people of all races
and religions, for men and women, for immigrants, for LGBT people, and
people with disabilities.
Our responsibility as citizens is to keep doing our part to build that
better, stronger, fairer America we seek. And I know you will.
I am so grateful to stand with all of you.
I want to thank Tim Kaine and Anne Holton for being our partners on this
journey. It gives me great hope and comfort to know that Tim will
remain on the front-lines of our democracy, representing Virginia in the
Senate.
To Barack and Michelle Obama: Our country owes you an enormous debt of
gratitude for your graceful, determined leadership, and so do I.
To Bill, Chelsea, Marc, Charlotte, Aidan, our brothers, and our entire
family, my love for you means more than I can ever express.
You crisscrossed this country on my behalf and lifted me up when I
needed it most –- even four-month old Aidan traveling with his mom.
I will always be grateful to the creative, talented, dedicated men and
women at our headquarters in Brooklyn and across our country who poured
their hearts into this campaign. For you veterans, this was a campaign
after a campaign -- for some of you, this was your first campaign ever. I
want each of you to know that you were the best campaign anyone has
had.
To all the volunteers, community leaders, activists, and union
organizers who knocked on doors, talked to neighbors, posted on Facebook
- even in secret or in private: Thank you.
To everyone who sent in contributions as small as $5 and kept us going, thank you.
And to all the young people in particular, I want you to hear this. I’ve
spent my entire adult life fighting for what I believe in. I’ve had
successes and I’ve had setbacks -– sometimes really painful ones. Many
of you are at the beginning of your careers. You will have successes and
setbacks, too.
This loss hurts. But please, please never stop believing that fighting
for what’s right is worth it. It’s always worth it. And we need you keep
up these fights now and for the rest of your lives.
To all the women, and especially the young women, who put their faith in
this campaign and in me, I want you to know that nothing has made me
prouder than to be your champion.
I know that we still have not shattered that highest glass ceiling. But
some day someone will -– hopefully sooner than we might think right now.
And to all the little girls watching right now, never doubt that you are
valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in
the world.
Finally, I am grateful to our country for all it has given me.
I count my blessings every day that I am an American. And I still
believe, as deeply as I ever have, that if we stand together and work
together, with respect for our differences, strength in our convictions,
and love for this nation -– our best days are still ahead of us.
You know I believe we are stronger together and will go forward
together. And you should never be sorry that you fought for that.
Scripture tells us: “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season, we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.”
My friends, let us have faith in each other. Let us not grow weary. Let
us not lose heart. For there are more seasons to come and there is more
work to do.
I am incredibly honored and grateful to have had this chance to
represent all of you in this consequential election. May God bless you
and god bless the United States of America.
Hillary
Showing posts with label Clinton Hillary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clinton Hillary. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Why We Need Hillary Clinton
Some of my progressive friends downplay or are unimpressed by the prospect of a Hillary Clinton presidency. Some may be unenthusiastic about voting for her, but I feel such sentiments are seriously misplaced. There are plenty of reasons to vote for Clinton based on what she will do and try to do, irrespective of the necessity of voting against the horror that would be a President Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton in the White House would move the ball forward on a number of crucial issues. Everything mentioned below would likely go the other way and be lost in the event she is not elected. So be sure to vote! Here are ten to ponder:
1. The Supreme and lower Federal Courts. She will nominate judges who will restore the Voting Rights Act, overturn the awful Citizens United and McCutcheon rulings, safeguard women's rights to make their own decisions on reproductive issues, defend the recent rulings on LGBT rights, and allow reasonable safety measures with regards to curtailing gun deaths without taking away the legitimate rights of law-abiding gun-owners.
2. We will finally get a comprehensive immigration plan that secures the border, protects American workers, and makes reasonable accommodation to US businesses to legally bring in foreign workers when necessary. This will be done while still keeping immigrant families together and providing a path to citizenship to the undocumented who have been here a long time, are self-supporting and have stayed out of legal trouble.
3. The wealthy and corporations will see their taxes go up, though not to the levels they were under Dwight Eisenhower in the 1950s. The revenues generated will create tremendous opportunity, including free state university for the working and middle class, paid family leave for new mothers and fathers, make America the world leader in solar energy and create 10.5 million jobs in a massive renovation of our national infrastructure. If you've been overseas anytime recently you know how badly we need this.
4. We will uphold our climate agreements and make it at least possible to avoid the worst effects of human-generated climate change.
5. Twenty million people will not have health insurance taken away from them.
6. She will fight for a national minimum wage increase to $15 an hour.
7. The NATO alliance will be preserved. The only way Vladimir Putin's Russia dares to move on former Soviet-occupied states such as Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and others is if NATO breaks up or the U.S. gives indications it may not defend its allies in Europe, as Trump has done. She won't let that happen.
8. Iran won't get the bomb. Rather than "tear up" the Iran nuclear deal, which would remove all our inspectors, give Iran free rein to pursue nuclear weapons, and leave us with no other option but military attack, Clinton will keep the agreement in place and enforce it.
9. The U.S. will remain committed to nuclear non-proliferation. The policy under a Clinton presidency will be to prevent the spread of nukes to any new countries, as opposed to Trump's view that places like Saudi Arabia and Japan probably ought to have them.
10. Our daughters and granddaughters will finally see that the American dream can happen for them; that smart, committed females can be the boss too!
1. The Supreme and lower Federal Courts. She will nominate judges who will restore the Voting Rights Act, overturn the awful Citizens United and McCutcheon rulings, safeguard women's rights to make their own decisions on reproductive issues, defend the recent rulings on LGBT rights, and allow reasonable safety measures with regards to curtailing gun deaths without taking away the legitimate rights of law-abiding gun-owners.
2. We will finally get a comprehensive immigration plan that secures the border, protects American workers, and makes reasonable accommodation to US businesses to legally bring in foreign workers when necessary. This will be done while still keeping immigrant families together and providing a path to citizenship to the undocumented who have been here a long time, are self-supporting and have stayed out of legal trouble.
3. The wealthy and corporations will see their taxes go up, though not to the levels they were under Dwight Eisenhower in the 1950s. The revenues generated will create tremendous opportunity, including free state university for the working and middle class, paid family leave for new mothers and fathers, make America the world leader in solar energy and create 10.5 million jobs in a massive renovation of our national infrastructure. If you've been overseas anytime recently you know how badly we need this.
4. We will uphold our climate agreements and make it at least possible to avoid the worst effects of human-generated climate change.
5. Twenty million people will not have health insurance taken away from them.
6. She will fight for a national minimum wage increase to $15 an hour.
7. The NATO alliance will be preserved. The only way Vladimir Putin's Russia dares to move on former Soviet-occupied states such as Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and others is if NATO breaks up or the U.S. gives indications it may not defend its allies in Europe, as Trump has done. She won't let that happen.
8. Iran won't get the bomb. Rather than "tear up" the Iran nuclear deal, which would remove all our inspectors, give Iran free rein to pursue nuclear weapons, and leave us with no other option but military attack, Clinton will keep the agreement in place and enforce it.
9. The U.S. will remain committed to nuclear non-proliferation. The policy under a Clinton presidency will be to prevent the spread of nukes to any new countries, as opposed to Trump's view that places like Saudi Arabia and Japan probably ought to have them.
10. Our daughters and granddaughters will finally see that the American dream can happen for them; that smart, committed females can be the boss too!
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Presidential Race: Time to Ante Up and Pitch In
In a typically thorough and brilliant analysis, Nate Silver's fivethirtyeight.com election prediction operation finds the gap between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump narrowing. Read his latest ten-point analysis here. Silver has predicted the last two presidential elections with remarkable accuracy. His projections currently give Clinton about a two-to-one 67% to 33% likelihood of winning the election.
I said I'd be concerned and comment if Trump's chances got above 30 and so they have. I am concerned. Clinton's still in the driver's seat in popular vote and electorally, but the slide had better stop. What's happening? She's been off the campaign trail most of August, raising a massive haul of money ($140 million). She needs to and is now back campaigning. That money needs to buy a flood of effective adds, positive and negative, and fund a great organizational registration and get out the vote, (GOTV) effort, especially in the battleground states. This is where Clinton would have a big edge in states that are very close. She has dozens of offices in Florida and Ohio, for example, while Trump has only a small handful. But she's also hurt by the incessant drip about emails, eroding credibility among the persuadable. Clinton must break through the sleaze reporting with her positive growth plans and needs to (and should) turn in her normally impressive debate performances which should highlight how much more she knows, is better prepared, and is personally suited for the presidency than Trump.
The odds are about right. She is ahead and ought to win. But there is enough of a chance for Trump that it's not a certainty. That's cause to keep taking action. I just made my fifth contribution to the campaign since she announced. The Young Democrats college club I sponsor voted today to join the Registration and GOTV effort and commit to signing up 200 voters and then walking precincts the last two weeks up to Nov 8. We're still ahead and have the inside track with a more plausible route to the winning total of 270 electoral votes. But it's no time to rest easy at all.
I said I'd be concerned and comment if Trump's chances got above 30 and so they have. I am concerned. Clinton's still in the driver's seat in popular vote and electorally, but the slide had better stop. What's happening? She's been off the campaign trail most of August, raising a massive haul of money ($140 million). She needs to and is now back campaigning. That money needs to buy a flood of effective adds, positive and negative, and fund a great organizational registration and get out the vote, (GOTV) effort, especially in the battleground states. This is where Clinton would have a big edge in states that are very close. She has dozens of offices in Florida and Ohio, for example, while Trump has only a small handful. But she's also hurt by the incessant drip about emails, eroding credibility among the persuadable. Clinton must break through the sleaze reporting with her positive growth plans and needs to (and should) turn in her normally impressive debate performances which should highlight how much more she knows, is better prepared, and is personally suited for the presidency than Trump.
The odds are about right. She is ahead and ought to win. But there is enough of a chance for Trump that it's not a certainty. That's cause to keep taking action. I just made my fifth contribution to the campaign since she announced. The Young Democrats college club I sponsor voted today to join the Registration and GOTV effort and commit to signing up 200 voters and then walking precincts the last two weeks up to Nov 8. We're still ahead and have the inside track with a more plausible route to the winning total of 270 electoral votes. But it's no time to rest easy at all.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Primary Update: Do Hillary and Trump have Things Locked Up?
It's time for our weekly look-in at the 2016 presidential races. Big wins in New York by the two front runners, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, are the key development this week. The key question is whether this translates into nomination gold for them. We'll look first at the Democrats and then the Republicans.
Democrats
Hillary Clinton's 16-point 58 to 42 percent win over Bernie Sanders gave her a delegate edge of 139 to 106 in the Empire State. That lengthens her delegate lead by 33 in the race for the nomination. In the overall count of pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses she now has 1428 to his 1151. There are 1472 pledged delegates left to win in the states that haven't voted yet. A total of 2026 secures the majority, so Hillary would need 598 of those, about 40.5%. Bernie would have to win 875, about 59.5%. He'd have to win the remaining contests by an average of 19 points to overtake Hillary. Is that possible?
To find out, let's look at what's coming up in next Tuesday's votes. Five Northeastern states will be in play on April 26, all holding primaries. All Democratic contests award delegates proportionally to the vote. So, does the Bern look to have a good chance to do some catching up? Well, if the polls are anything close to accurate, not so much. Pennsylvania is the big prize, 189 delegates. Hillary leads there by 16 points in the average of recent polling. Maryland offers 95 delegates, with Hillary up by 21. Connecticut has 55 and Hillary leads there by an average of 7. Then you have two small states with only one recent poll in each. Rhode Island has 24 delegates and the one survey there had Clinton up by 9. Delaware will send 21 delegates to the convention in Philadelphia, and the one poll taken there this month showed Hillary ahead by 7. If these polls are right, and most recent polling this primary season has had good accuracy, the former Secretary of State will win 219 delegates next Tuesday and the Vermont Senator will pick up 165. That means another 54 added to Clinton's lead.
So it's looking more and more that the Democratic nomination is effectively wrapped up. After those results next Tuesday, Sanders would have to win all the remaining races by an average of almost 30 points to catch up in pledged delegates. And if you add in the super delegates it's even more certain. Hillary has the support of 502 to Bernie's 38, with 172 still undeclared. With them counted into the mix Bernie would need a whopping 72 percent of all the still unchosen delegates to win at the convention. The bottom line? It's all over but the shouting. Hillary Clinton is the 2016 Democratic nominee.
Republicans
On the GOP side the main question is whether Donald Trump can clinch the nomination on the first ballot of the Cleveland convention. After taking 60 percent of the vote in his home state to 25 for John Kasich and 15 for Ted Cruz, Trump walked away with 89 delegates to Kasich's 3. He now has 845, followed by Cruz with 559, Marco Rubio, who has suspended his campaign, with 171, and Kasich with 148. Trump needs 1237 for a first-ballot convention triumph and there are 674 Republican delegates still to be awarded in the upcoming states. That means The Donald would need to get 392 of them, a little over 58 percent. Is that doable? Well, it looks like it's going to be very close one way or the other. He could just make it or could fall just short. Complicating matters are the varied and sometimes bizarre delegate selection formulas used by Republican parties in the different states.
Here's how things stand in the five April 26 Republican primaries. Pennsylvania has 71 delegates and the polls say Trump 44, Cruz 25, Kasich 24. Maryland gets 38 and the race is similar to Pennsylvania's, Trump 41, Kasich 26 and Cruz 25. Connecticut, 28 delegates, has Trump at 49, Kasich 27 and Cruz 18. Then come Rhode Island and Delaware, with only one poll each, as with the Dems. RI has 19 delegates and the one poll from February gave Trump 43 with Cruz and 10 and Kasich at 14. Rubio had 25 percent support back then. Delaware has 16 delegates and the one April poll showed a big lead for Trump: 55 to 18 for Kasich and 15 for Cruz. In terms of delegates, as near as I can figure given the different rules in play in each state, Trump stands to win 71 delegates, Cruz 12 and Kasich 18.
Then there are 54 delegates to be elected in Pennsylvania's 18 congressional districts, three per district, who are winner take all by district, but who are not bound to vote for the winning candidate of their district once they get to the convention. Talk about strange. Depending on who those delegates are and how they are selected, they could vote for anybody even if Trump wins their district. And judging from the polling there, one would expect Trump to win most of those districts. But GOP insiders do not have much love for Trump, so who knows what they might do if Trump's campaign apparatus can't insure their supporters occupy those seats. If they can, Trump would come away with 105 delegates next Tuesday to Cruz's 22 and Kasich's 28.That would leave Trump at 950 delegates, needing 287 more to get to the magic number with 539 still to be elected in the remaining states. That outcome would bring Trump's needed percentage to clinch down to 53.2%, seemingly a doable feat, especially considering he is running 9 points ahead in delegate-rich California, which awards most of its delegates to congressional district winners on a winner-take all basis. But if the insider game denies him those votes, he would need 63 percent of the rest of the unchosen delegates to win on the first ballot in Cleveland, a much taller order. The bottom line on the Republican side is that it's nip and tuck and could go either way. It should be pretty dramatic to watch.
Democrats
Hillary Clinton's 16-point 58 to 42 percent win over Bernie Sanders gave her a delegate edge of 139 to 106 in the Empire State. That lengthens her delegate lead by 33 in the race for the nomination. In the overall count of pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses she now has 1428 to his 1151. There are 1472 pledged delegates left to win in the states that haven't voted yet. A total of 2026 secures the majority, so Hillary would need 598 of those, about 40.5%. Bernie would have to win 875, about 59.5%. He'd have to win the remaining contests by an average of 19 points to overtake Hillary. Is that possible?
To find out, let's look at what's coming up in next Tuesday's votes. Five Northeastern states will be in play on April 26, all holding primaries. All Democratic contests award delegates proportionally to the vote. So, does the Bern look to have a good chance to do some catching up? Well, if the polls are anything close to accurate, not so much. Pennsylvania is the big prize, 189 delegates. Hillary leads there by 16 points in the average of recent polling. Maryland offers 95 delegates, with Hillary up by 21. Connecticut has 55 and Hillary leads there by an average of 7. Then you have two small states with only one recent poll in each. Rhode Island has 24 delegates and the one survey there had Clinton up by 9. Delaware will send 21 delegates to the convention in Philadelphia, and the one poll taken there this month showed Hillary ahead by 7. If these polls are right, and most recent polling this primary season has had good accuracy, the former Secretary of State will win 219 delegates next Tuesday and the Vermont Senator will pick up 165. That means another 54 added to Clinton's lead.
So it's looking more and more that the Democratic nomination is effectively wrapped up. After those results next Tuesday, Sanders would have to win all the remaining races by an average of almost 30 points to catch up in pledged delegates. And if you add in the super delegates it's even more certain. Hillary has the support of 502 to Bernie's 38, with 172 still undeclared. With them counted into the mix Bernie would need a whopping 72 percent of all the still unchosen delegates to win at the convention. The bottom line? It's all over but the shouting. Hillary Clinton is the 2016 Democratic nominee.
Republicans
On the GOP side the main question is whether Donald Trump can clinch the nomination on the first ballot of the Cleveland convention. After taking 60 percent of the vote in his home state to 25 for John Kasich and 15 for Ted Cruz, Trump walked away with 89 delegates to Kasich's 3. He now has 845, followed by Cruz with 559, Marco Rubio, who has suspended his campaign, with 171, and Kasich with 148. Trump needs 1237 for a first-ballot convention triumph and there are 674 Republican delegates still to be awarded in the upcoming states. That means The Donald would need to get 392 of them, a little over 58 percent. Is that doable? Well, it looks like it's going to be very close one way or the other. He could just make it or could fall just short. Complicating matters are the varied and sometimes bizarre delegate selection formulas used by Republican parties in the different states.
Here's how things stand in the five April 26 Republican primaries. Pennsylvania has 71 delegates and the polls say Trump 44, Cruz 25, Kasich 24. Maryland gets 38 and the race is similar to Pennsylvania's, Trump 41, Kasich 26 and Cruz 25. Connecticut, 28 delegates, has Trump at 49, Kasich 27 and Cruz 18. Then come Rhode Island and Delaware, with only one poll each, as with the Dems. RI has 19 delegates and the one poll from February gave Trump 43 with Cruz and 10 and Kasich at 14. Rubio had 25 percent support back then. Delaware has 16 delegates and the one April poll showed a big lead for Trump: 55 to 18 for Kasich and 15 for Cruz. In terms of delegates, as near as I can figure given the different rules in play in each state, Trump stands to win 71 delegates, Cruz 12 and Kasich 18.
Then there are 54 delegates to be elected in Pennsylvania's 18 congressional districts, three per district, who are winner take all by district, but who are not bound to vote for the winning candidate of their district once they get to the convention. Talk about strange. Depending on who those delegates are and how they are selected, they could vote for anybody even if Trump wins their district. And judging from the polling there, one would expect Trump to win most of those districts. But GOP insiders do not have much love for Trump, so who knows what they might do if Trump's campaign apparatus can't insure their supporters occupy those seats. If they can, Trump would come away with 105 delegates next Tuesday to Cruz's 22 and Kasich's 28.That would leave Trump at 950 delegates, needing 287 more to get to the magic number with 539 still to be elected in the remaining states. That outcome would bring Trump's needed percentage to clinch down to 53.2%, seemingly a doable feat, especially considering he is running 9 points ahead in delegate-rich California, which awards most of its delegates to congressional district winners on a winner-take all basis. But if the insider game denies him those votes, he would need 63 percent of the rest of the unchosen delegates to win on the first ballot in Cleveland, a much taller order. The bottom line on the Republican side is that it's nip and tuck and could go either way. It should be pretty dramatic to watch.
Monday, October 26, 2015
Hillary Turns Benghazi Tables on GOP
Hillary Clinton's testimony before the House Benghazi Committee last Friday was a remarkable display in many respects. She has rarely been more impressive, and a political show trial has not been more obviously exposed as a partisan witch hunt since the McCarthy hearings of the 1950s. You can watch C-Span footage of it here.
Secretary Clinton, in short, mopped the floor with her Republican interrogators. She kept her cool through a grueling 11-hour marathon of grilling, accusation and unfounded innuendo, answering each question forthrightly. Some tried to make the case she didn't care about the men who died. Several tried to raise questions about her email server, or the fact that she is friends with Sidney Blumenthal and got a lot of emails from him. A couple insinuated she ordered a CIA security team to stand down, or prevented military forces from flying in from Italy. (The CIA team got to the Benghazi compound in 24 minutes. Forces from Italy would have taken hours to get there.) Most questioners adopted an unprofessional tone of badgering rudeness rather than that of an objective panel trying to find new facts about what happened and good ideas about preventing the next such incident.
This was the eighth investigation into the Benghazi attack, but this is the only one that hasn't bothered to interview the military or intelligence officials involved. They have only wanted to talk to Hillary Clinton and her aide Huma Abedin. Their "investigation" has lasted longer than the Pearl Harbor and 9/11 commissions. It's even surpassed the Watergate hearings. Yet they have released no report and no recommendations. To give you an idea of how a responsible, bipartisan committee operates, here is a link to the Senate Intelligence Committee's report and recommendations on the same topic.
Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy was the first to officially admit what everyone suspected all along, letting the cat out of the bag by admitting the committee was an exercise designed to damage Clinton's poll numbers. Watch him here. Republican Representative Richard Hanna of New York admitted the same thing. As a result, and combined with Mrs. Clinton's well-prepared and unflappable testimony, their plans have backfired. Following the committee hearing, her poll numbers have actually soared, as you can see here.
As usual, transparently mean-spirited Republicans have overplayed their hand. Instead of hurting the Clinton campaign, they have succeeded in providing her a forum in which she looked to the whole nation as just what they didn't want--presidential.
Secretary Clinton, in short, mopped the floor with her Republican interrogators. She kept her cool through a grueling 11-hour marathon of grilling, accusation and unfounded innuendo, answering each question forthrightly. Some tried to make the case she didn't care about the men who died. Several tried to raise questions about her email server, or the fact that she is friends with Sidney Blumenthal and got a lot of emails from him. A couple insinuated she ordered a CIA security team to stand down, or prevented military forces from flying in from Italy. (The CIA team got to the Benghazi compound in 24 minutes. Forces from Italy would have taken hours to get there.) Most questioners adopted an unprofessional tone of badgering rudeness rather than that of an objective panel trying to find new facts about what happened and good ideas about preventing the next such incident.
This was the eighth investigation into the Benghazi attack, but this is the only one that hasn't bothered to interview the military or intelligence officials involved. They have only wanted to talk to Hillary Clinton and her aide Huma Abedin. Their "investigation" has lasted longer than the Pearl Harbor and 9/11 commissions. It's even surpassed the Watergate hearings. Yet they have released no report and no recommendations. To give you an idea of how a responsible, bipartisan committee operates, here is a link to the Senate Intelligence Committee's report and recommendations on the same topic.
Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy was the first to officially admit what everyone suspected all along, letting the cat out of the bag by admitting the committee was an exercise designed to damage Clinton's poll numbers. Watch him here. Republican Representative Richard Hanna of New York admitted the same thing. As a result, and combined with Mrs. Clinton's well-prepared and unflappable testimony, their plans have backfired. Following the committee hearing, her poll numbers have actually soared, as you can see here.
As usual, transparently mean-spirited Republicans have overplayed their hand. Instead of hurting the Clinton campaign, they have succeeded in providing her a forum in which she looked to the whole nation as just what they didn't want--presidential.
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
GOP Outs Itself on Benghazi
Good, we can stop with the pretenses now. The never ending investigations of Hillary Clinton over Benghazi have been an exercise in craven political theater, meant to damage the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. We have this on the word of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), the number two House Republican. The likely new Speaker of the House to succeed retiring John Boehner was attempting to curry favor with conservative Republican voters on the Sean Hannity Fox "News" program when he said this:
What you’re going to see is a conservative speaker, that takes a conservative Congress, that puts a strategy to fight and win. And let me give you one example. Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? But we put together a Benghazi special committee. A select committee. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping. Why? Because she’s untrustable. But no one would have known that any of that had happened had we not fought to make that happen.
If you want to see McCarthy say it in his own words, go here.
So the soon-to-be most powerful figure in the GOP congress admits these interminable hearings are a "strategy to fight and win." Commentator Michael Kinsley once observed that a gaffe is "when a politician tells the truth — some obvious truth he isn't supposed to say." McCarthy's "gaffe" has exposed this charade for what it is. There have been 8 investigations of Benghazi up to now, 7 congressional and one independent. All have exonerated Secretary Clinton of any malfeasance or negligence. None has found dereliction of duty or State Department conspiracy in play in the tragic killing of four American personnel there. Yet Secretary Clinton is about to be hauled before yet another one of these hearings Wednesday, October 22. At least now the public will know for sure what this is all about.
What you’re going to see is a conservative speaker, that takes a conservative Congress, that puts a strategy to fight and win. And let me give you one example. Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? But we put together a Benghazi special committee. A select committee. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping. Why? Because she’s untrustable. But no one would have known that any of that had happened had we not fought to make that happen.
If you want to see McCarthy say it in his own words, go here.
So the soon-to-be most powerful figure in the GOP congress admits these interminable hearings are a "strategy to fight and win." Commentator Michael Kinsley once observed that a gaffe is "when a politician tells the truth — some obvious truth he isn't supposed to say." McCarthy's "gaffe" has exposed this charade for what it is. There have been 8 investigations of Benghazi up to now, 7 congressional and one independent. All have exonerated Secretary Clinton of any malfeasance or negligence. None has found dereliction of duty or State Department conspiracy in play in the tragic killing of four American personnel there. Yet Secretary Clinton is about to be hauled before yet another one of these hearings Wednesday, October 22. At least now the public will know for sure what this is all about.
Friday, April 24, 2015
Clinton the Early Leader
The first major poll released since Hillary Clinton announced as a candidate for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination gives her a strong opening lead against any of her announced or potential Republican rivals. The CNN/ORC Poll matched the former Secretary of State, New York Senator and First Lady against eight prominent Republicans. Her leads against them ranged from 14 to 24%.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio did best, trailing Clinton by 14 points, 55 to 41. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush was next closest, though he was 17 points down at 56 to 39. After that came New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. Both lagged behind Clinton by 19 points, 58-39. The other four hopefuls sampled were more than 20 points back. Former Arkansas Governor and 2008 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee trailed by 21 at 58-37, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker was 22 back at 59-37, Texas Senator Ted Cruz was down by 24 at 60-36, and former neurosurgeon Ben Carson also lagged by 24 with numbers identical to Cruz.
It's very early and should be remarked that Rubio, Paul and Cruz are the only officially announced GOP candidates vying to take on Ms. Clinton, though it is plain the other four are all making the expected moves serious candidates would be expected to make at this stage of the political season. There may be other entries as well, such as former Texas Governor Rick Perry, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, Ohio Governor John Kasich and Indiana Governor Mike Pence. But even with that said, Clinton begins with a formidable advantage that cannot be completely discounted.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio did best, trailing Clinton by 14 points, 55 to 41. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush was next closest, though he was 17 points down at 56 to 39. After that came New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. Both lagged behind Clinton by 19 points, 58-39. The other four hopefuls sampled were more than 20 points back. Former Arkansas Governor and 2008 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee trailed by 21 at 58-37, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker was 22 back at 59-37, Texas Senator Ted Cruz was down by 24 at 60-36, and former neurosurgeon Ben Carson also lagged by 24 with numbers identical to Cruz.
It's very early and should be remarked that Rubio, Paul and Cruz are the only officially announced GOP candidates vying to take on Ms. Clinton, though it is plain the other four are all making the expected moves serious candidates would be expected to make at this stage of the political season. There may be other entries as well, such as former Texas Governor Rick Perry, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, Ohio Governor John Kasich and Indiana Governor Mike Pence. But even with that said, Clinton begins with a formidable advantage that cannot be completely discounted.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Hillary Clinton is Quietly Changing the World
Click on this link to see a recent Daily Kos article scratching the surface about the tremendous difference Hillary Clinton has made in the world over the past eighteen years since she went to China as first lady and raised a diplomatic stir when she spoke out for women, saying, "women's rights are human rights." In it, actress Meryl Streep introduces Clinton and calls attention to the consistent advocacy she has done as a matter of course as first lady, senator and secretary of state. The site also includes video segments from Streep and Clinton.
Because of her efforts to call attention to courageous individuals who have stood against their governments, many of those individuals are alive who would not otherwise be, such as Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma. Her efforts on behalf of education, voting rights, small business ownership, and protection against female sexual mutilation and rape have made a difference in many places around the world. Studies again and again have demonstrated that societies that empower women are more prosperous, peaceful and free.
Often times, changing societal perspectives can be even more important than enacting policy, passing legislation or negotiating a treaty. When attitudes evolve, the legal changes become possible. Witness our own history about extending rights in the examples of slavery, women's suffrage, racial segregation and marriage equality. The movement of minds was the necessary precursor to the progress made in every case. That and her own personal conduct have been the foundations of Mrs. Clinton's contributions over these decades.
Because of her efforts to call attention to courageous individuals who have stood against their governments, many of those individuals are alive who would not otherwise be, such as Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma. Her efforts on behalf of education, voting rights, small business ownership, and protection against female sexual mutilation and rape have made a difference in many places around the world. Studies again and again have demonstrated that societies that empower women are more prosperous, peaceful and free.
Often times, changing societal perspectives can be even more important than enacting policy, passing legislation or negotiating a treaty. When attitudes evolve, the legal changes become possible. Witness our own history about extending rights in the examples of slavery, women's suffrage, racial segregation and marriage equality. The movement of minds was the necessary precursor to the progress made in every case. That and her own personal conduct have been the foundations of Mrs. Clinton's contributions over these decades.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
GOP Chair Tries to Cow TV Networks
Every week, New York Magazine writer-at-large Frank Rich talks with contributor Eric Benson about the biggest stories in politics and culture. This week: Reince Priebus throws an ill-considered fit, Jeff Bezos buys the Washington Post, and Obama yucks it up with Jay Leno. (I'm only including the question about the Republican National Committee Chairman. To see the other questions and answers click on the link to the magazine in line one of this paragraph.)First, Benson's question:
NC chairman Reince Priebus delivered an ultimatum
to CNN and NBC earlier this week: Pull the plug on your planned Hillary
Clinton film projects, or we won't allow you to air the 2016 GOP
primaries. Do you think the RNC chair has a point? And, tactically, is this a smart fight for him to pick? (Actually, he threatened to freeze the two networks out of any Republican primary debates.)
And here's Rich's answer:
It seems that almost no one debating this has seen the Oscar-winning documentary Inside Job
directed by Charles Ferguson, who CNN has hired to do its Hillary
documentary. It is a scathing (and superb) takedown of the Wall Street
financial establishment that looted the country during the bubble and
precipitated the crash. My guess is that David Brock has seen Inside Job,
and that might explain in part why Media Matters is against Ferguson
taking on the assignment for CNN: It's impossible to imagine that
Ferguson would do a hagiography of Hillary, whose husband's
administration empowered many of the villains in Inside Job.
(And it tells you what kind of idiot Priebus is that he is looking a
gift horse from CNN in the mouth.) As for the NBC miniseries starring
Diane Lane, does anyone really believe that such a project long before
the election, broadcast on a network often seen by fewer viewers than
Univision, is going to seriously alter public perception of someone as
well known at this point as Hillary Clinton? Perhaps most idiotic of all
is Priebus's threat to bar GOP presidential primary debates from airing
on CNN and NBC in retaliation for those networks' "in-kind donations"
to Hillary. Does he really want to go there? Fox News, after all, is a
365-days-a-year in-kind donation by Rupert Murdoch to his political
party. But let's say for the sake of argument that Priebus pulls off his
boycott and even achieves what is surely his dream scenario - that all
Republican debates be held under the auspices of Roger Ailes at Fox.
What the GOP will end up with is a presidential field that panders
entirely to the party's base - the perfect way to facilitate, say, a
Paul-Cruz ticket, provided that Herman Cain or Michele Bachmann doesn't
make a comeback. Good luck with that in November 2016.
Rich gives a great answer. Just as the most interesting question about the Democratic nomination contest for 2016 is "Will Hillary run?" the most interesting question on the Republican side is "Will they finally pull out all the stops and nominate a full-blown extremist?" As they come more and more under the spell of the Tea Party monster they've created, the answer has a stronger and stronger chance of being "yes." If so the likely result will be a defeat on the scale of the Goldwater debacle in 1964. Party Chairman Priebus's threat keeps that scenario open for the reasons Rich cites. This could all be a lot of fun. Things are, as Alice exclaimed in Wonderland, getting "Curiouser and curiouser!"
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Clinton Exonerated on Benghazi
Media outlets, particularly those with political axes to grind who breathlessly report stories when the first suppositions come in are often left looking rather foolish following a more complete examination of the relevant information. Recent revelations about the deaths of Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three other Americans at the U.S. mission in Benghazi last September 11 at the hands of terrorists are a case in point.
Fox News has, to no one's surprise, been joining the Republican congressional chorus seeking political blood regarding the attack. The prime target has been former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and the political reason for that is obvious. Polls show her to be the prohibitive favorite to capture the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination if she runs, and the heavy favorite in the general election against any of the likely Republican nominees that November.
Fox News therefore reported that on August 15 our embassy in Tripoli, Libya, the capital, held a meeting on the dangerous security situation on the other side of the country at our mission in Benghazi. They sent out a cable the next day saying a message would be drafted soon to make clear what would be needed. It read, "In light of the uncertain security environment, the US Mission Benghazi will submit specific requests to US Embassy Tripoli for additional physical security upgrades and staffing needs." So if that is all you know, along with the tragic deaths some four weeks later, then it is easy to jump to a conclusion.
However, McClatchy News reporter Nancy Youssef has done a little more digging and come up with the rest of the story. In an account published today, she reports that the fact is the very next day Gen. Carter Ham, in charge of U.S. Africa Command, without even waiting for the promised cable, personally telephoned Ambassador Stevens and asked him if he wanted a special security detail or other support. Stevens said no. Gen. Ham next spoke with Stevens at a conference in Germany, once again offering military assets if the ambassador wanted them. Stevens once again said he did not.
The attempts, therefore, to destroy the reputation of Hillary Clinton for failing to provide security that might have saved the ambassador and his three colleagues that night at the US mission in Benghazi are demonstrated to be little more than a conjectured smear campaign undertaken for the political pre-emption of a formidable potential campaign rival. For whatever reason, the ambassador himself turned down additional security assets and decided to go to Benghazi with minimal protection. He was the person in charge on the ground and made the call. We can all agree that what followed was a terrible tragedy, costing the lives of four brave Americans. We also now know that Hillary Rodham Clinton had nothing to do with it.
Fox News has, to no one's surprise, been joining the Republican congressional chorus seeking political blood regarding the attack. The prime target has been former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and the political reason for that is obvious. Polls show her to be the prohibitive favorite to capture the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination if she runs, and the heavy favorite in the general election against any of the likely Republican nominees that November.
Fox News therefore reported that on August 15 our embassy in Tripoli, Libya, the capital, held a meeting on the dangerous security situation on the other side of the country at our mission in Benghazi. They sent out a cable the next day saying a message would be drafted soon to make clear what would be needed. It read, "In light of the uncertain security environment, the US Mission Benghazi will submit specific requests to US Embassy Tripoli for additional physical security upgrades and staffing needs." So if that is all you know, along with the tragic deaths some four weeks later, then it is easy to jump to a conclusion.
However, McClatchy News reporter Nancy Youssef has done a little more digging and come up with the rest of the story. In an account published today, she reports that the fact is the very next day Gen. Carter Ham, in charge of U.S. Africa Command, without even waiting for the promised cable, personally telephoned Ambassador Stevens and asked him if he wanted a special security detail or other support. Stevens said no. Gen. Ham next spoke with Stevens at a conference in Germany, once again offering military assets if the ambassador wanted them. Stevens once again said he did not.
The attempts, therefore, to destroy the reputation of Hillary Clinton for failing to provide security that might have saved the ambassador and his three colleagues that night at the US mission in Benghazi are demonstrated to be little more than a conjectured smear campaign undertaken for the political pre-emption of a formidable potential campaign rival. For whatever reason, the ambassador himself turned down additional security assets and decided to go to Benghazi with minimal protection. He was the person in charge on the ground and made the call. We can all agree that what followed was a terrible tragedy, costing the lives of four brave Americans. We also now know that Hillary Rodham Clinton had nothing to do with it.
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