Hillary Clinton is No Progressive - Common Dreams

[peacebird]

http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/07/21/hillary-clinton-no-progressive
As a strong challenge from the left emerges in the form of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, who was once thought to be headed for a coronation in the Democratic presidential primary, has tried to recast herself as a progressive champion. However, in her mad dash to the left, Clinton cannot escape her history of supporting, as the First Lady and then as a senator, the decidedly centrist and corporate-friendly policies of her husband, President Bill Clinton.

The contrast in views espoused by First Lady/ Sen. Clinton, versus 2008, and to a greater extent, 2016 presidential candidate Clinton, could emerge as a major problem for her campaign. Although Clinton has been extremely close-lipped to the media thus far in her latest bid for the Democratic nomination, by attempting to portray herself in speeches as a progressive during a time in which the political winds of the millennial generation are blowing left, Clinton has unwittingly shown herself to be a consummate flip-flopper who takes the positions that are most likely to return her to the White House.

A runthrough on a litany of issues important to progressives reveals a candidate in Clinton who once held decidedly anti-progressive views on many of the important questions of the day.

[Zorra]

1. Recommend. nt

[DCBob]

2. According to to her voting record in the Senate she was in the Liberal top tier.

In fact she was ranked 13th most liberal Senator near Mikulski and Leahy and a bunch of others who are often considered "real" liberals.

http://voteview.com/SENATE_SORT110.HTM

[Scuba]

7. A sad, sad commentary on the makeup of Senate "Democrats."

[ibegurpard]

3. I just flat-out don't believe her

I don't know what it would take to change that. Is she better than any of the Republicans on a number of issues important to me? Without a doubt. But i dont believe she's even close to being on my side on others.

[MisterP]

4. that's one of Clinton's core problems: "you say X after candidate N said X? you've always opposed X

but said you were X's greatest champion, all while condemning X like it'd killed your parents in front of you"

[Historic NY]

5. its been debunked numerous times .... even by progressives.

<The harsh truth is that people can piss and moan about Hillary Clinton all they want, but they seem to forget that she redefined what it meant to be a First Lady; she was the face of the Clinton push for health care reform in the early-90?s – long before the ACA; and she didn’t just sit on her ass doing nothing during Bill’s eight years in office.

She then went on to become a senator and Secretary of State.

The bottom line is, she might be one of the most qualified candidates to run for president that we’ve seen in a very long time. Oh, I know… I know. “But she voted for the Iraq War, she’s a neocon and war-monger!” First, she’s already admitted that voting for the war was a mistake. Let’s also not forget that this country was being blatantly misled and lied to by the Bush administration and many other Democrats voted for the war as well, including Harry Reid and Joe Biden. No matter how much people want to complain about her support for the war she can’t go back in time to change anything. All she can do is admit it was a mistake, which is exactly what she’s done, and learn from it.

Tell me, how exactly is she “not a liberal”? When it comes to gay marriage, just like President Obama, she’s also gone from an opponent to a supporter in the last few years. In fact, since officially announcing that she’s running for president she’s made marriage equality and equal rights for the LGBT community a key building block of her campaign.>

Read more at: http://www.forwardprogressives.com/debunking-myth-hillary-clinton-isnt-liberal-enough/

[Doctor_J]

6. and there it is

since officially announcing that she’s running for president she’s made marriage equality and equal rights for the LGBT community a key building block of her campaign.

She only takes positions long after the actual leaders have made it politically safe to do so. This piece makes it sound like the Iraq War is the only issue on which she's flip-flopped. She doesn't support UHC or single payer. She won't commit on a minimum wage, TPP, XL, drilling, H1B visas.

Why is it suprising to so many that some of us prefer a senator who's always been liberal?

[Scuba]

8. Pro-war, pro-Wall Street, pro-fracking, pro-Keystone XL, pro-H1B Visas. Nope, she's no progressive.

[nc4bo]

9. +1 nt

[madokie]

10. I'll vote for Hillary if I have too

but right now I'm in Bernies court. 100% then some.
I Kinda' like Martin but something about him kinds of reminds me of a politician, not so much with Sanders or Lincoln, actually

[arely staircase]

11. Oh no not commondreams!

LOL