Clinton's Weaknesses Are Hidden by Republican Disarray

[MrMickeysMom]

NOV 22, 2015 12:15 PM EST
By Albert R. Hunt

There's cause for concern in Hillaryland, the constellation of Democratic advisers, supporters and politicians counting on the former secretary of state to lead the party to a sweeping victory next November.

Hillary Clinton's nomination is almost a forgone conclusion, barring any unlikely legal or health issues. Democrats will offer a more coherent and unified front for the general election than fractious Republicans.

Still, this optimism is based on the weakness of the opposition, and ignores the candidate's own glaring vulnerabilities.

The worries of some Clinton insiders are focused on the general election. There is an "enthusiasm gap." She doesn't excite important constituencies: young people, independents, possibly even minority voters.

To be sure, a number of women, especially middle-aged ones, are energized by the prospect of electing the first female U.S. president. That's a strong asset.

But Clinton has a striking problem with young voters. A recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll showed a solid plurality of young voters has a negative view of Clinton. She did even worse in Bloomberg Politics national poll.

Bloomberg View Link: http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-11-22/clinton-s-weaknesses-are-hidden-by-republican-disarray

[Thinkingabout]

1. Hillary is working hard to win the presidency. Now seriously, who truly thinks Hillary would push

Policies forward which may be bad for her grandchild? Furthermore her record at the children's defense Fund has not been not been forgotten. The younger voters should be looking at Hillary as a hero and push for her election, the president who has worked hard for children's issues. Hillary, a president for everyone.

[daleanime]

4. Hillary's granddaughter is going to be wealthy.....

It's the other people of her generation that concerns me. But we won't agree so have a great day.

[Thinkingabout]

10. Not everyone thinks along the lines of who is wealthy or not. It is not my thought to look to see

How much wealth a person has in order for me to think about whether or not the person is good or not. Why would this be your first thought. Hillary went to migrant families, trying to see to the needs of the children, their nourishment, health needs, and education. Do you think for one moment she thought she was only going to help the rich kids?

[Fumesucker]

13. You were the one who brought up what would be good for grandchildren

Someone pointed out that what was good for Hillary's grandchild might not be good for those who don't have large quantities of family money and many connections thanks to an accident of birth.

[Thinkingabout]

17. I pointed out wealth does not matter to lots of people, Hillary could have accepted a position in a

lucrative law firm, she chose the CDF, she was not rich by any means at the time she worked for CDF. It was not the wealthy she sought in the migrant camps.

[daleanime]

22. So it's a accident?

[Thinkingabout]

25. No, it was a choice Hillary made because of who she is, willing to help others.

[MrMickeysMom]

5. "Hillary, a president for everyone..."

... who is not living under the conditions that 90% of Americans are, since you asked.

I've no doubt that Mrs. Clinton cares for her grandchild. The real question is whether her policies consider the majority of grandchildren not only in our country, but in the world. That would be the same world where she believes women should have a stronger voice.

But, how can a voice be heard anywhere on this planet when those policies which are good for her grandchild are bad for theirs?

People who realize this do not believe her rhetoric. This article is but one nod to that fact. For more information, I suggest you get out and speak to these same people who may not get what Hillary's granddaughter has.

[Thinkingabout]

20. What more could a candidate present which could be better for young children, she went into migrant

camps, seeking the parents of young children, seeking to find what it would take to get these children into schools, their health care, nourishment. In her travels in the world she has advocated for women's rights, getting better wages because with better wages mother could better care for their children, halting the violence against women which usually is against young children, she has pushed education for women for this is bettering lives for women and their children.

What other candidate has worked for the CDF, gone into migrant camps trying to help children?

I live among people who probably will never get what Hillary's daughter or granddaughter has. BTW, the Clintons did not live in wealth in their young life, they have made their wealth after Bill left the presidency. They also lived among poor people.

[MrMickeysMom]

26. Yours, mine, the Bill Clinton family and countless others were not well off, true...

This is all the more reason that after all of the fact-finding and listening tour missions of her earlier run for office is all the more difficult to understand when lined up to her current favor with the banking industry, the extreme hawk approach to international reaction in what this country began to expand with politico-military dominance over countries we unlawfully occupied. It does not make us strong. It makes us weak in what we (by this time) should know is the path to peace... not only in the ME.

There are other candidates who have been working on behalf of migrants and international peace. There are other candidates who have not strayed from that by making the wrong choice to follow politico-military control as a first choice. I tout them in the virtues of my own choice, which you already know. I compare them to the candidate who has not remained true to "walking the walk".

Here's your answer.

* People who work 40 hours a week do not deserve to earn poverty wages.

* Corporations do not deserve the welfare state of not paying any income taxes, based on relaxation of the law.

* Wall Street does not deserve to use financial terrorism to tell those same Americans you care about to bail their banks out to the tune of $700 Billion Dollars, only to grow bigger.

* Pay equity does not deserve to as unbalanced in organizations who's top wage earners pay have exploded, while the supportive technical/vocational worker pay has purposely been depressed to dollars comparable to the 1970 wage.

* Walking the walk means that you to refuse to take any of Wall Street and Pharmaceutical bank to support your campaign, IF you truly walk the walk on these issues.

There's a candidate who refuses the above and has done so for over 40 years... He's 7 years her senior, and like a brother, he has said nothing negative about her.

There's your answer to "What more could a candidate present which could be better for young children?"

[Thinkingabout]

27. Are you familiar with Dodd Frank Act?

[MrMickeysMom]

29. Yes, I am

[Thinkingabout]

39. Then you know if a bank fails it will be busted up.

[MrMickeysMom]

42. What's you're definition of a bank FAILING?

If you intimidate the population into thinking the ECONOMY will fail, should they not bail out the said bank, the result is that you have the catastrophe of failed policy ending any hope of every busting them up.

That's what happens when you repeal the legislation that would otherwise enable you to bust them up.

Have you heard about the passage in 1933 of Glass-Steagall in the wake of the 1929 stock market crash that led to the Great Depression?

Repeal of it stopped keeping commercial banks separate from investment firms. Well... there went our ability to regulate Wall Street effectively.

[Thinkingabout]

43. Have you heard the Glass Stegall would not have prevented the finaninical crisis?

A big contributor of the financial crisis was passing the Commodities Futures Modernization Act of 2000 had a lot to do with the financial crisis, Sanders voted for this bill. Dodd Frank was passed after the financial crisis. If a bank fails then it will be busted up, this is what Sanders is calling for, it is covered by Dodd Frank.

[MrMickeysMom]

45. Obviously it is NOT covered by Dodd Frank...

... and I don't see your source for implying that Glass Steal would not have prevented Wall Street Crime. I know that this is what Bill Clinton said in defense of how Hillary would not support t's reinstatement, since his administration ushered it in.

G/S did away with position limits on futures contract and introduced a fertile ground for conflict of interest. The effect on this uncontrolled casino that socialized taxpayers with debt was the social justice that would have been separated by Glass Steagall.

Investment banks and commercial banks have to be separate, or this conflict of interest is inherent. You should be an investment bank or you should be a commercial bank, but you shouldn't be both, which everybody pretty well understood after the depression. However, fast forwarding to the 1990's and you see that Wall Street screamed and lobbied their way into the change that included the Modernization Act and repeal of Glass Steagall, which effectively removed the barrier to being BOTH. The result was that it set up up for that very financial crisis.

You're interested in seeing that it was the only vote that you and I can both call sloppy of Sanders, but you don't look any further because of with Phil Gramm's legislative guile and what Sanders did once again in 2000. Sanders was already an unpopular figure with big banks. The prior year, he had vigorously opposed the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act.

Bottom line... He's been one of the few voices to reinstate it, and she hasn't. The outcome is bad if you don't.

[Doubledee]

7. Perception is everything

Last edited Tue Nov 24, 2015, 04:48 PM - Edit history (1)

While you correctly note Mrs. Clinton's work for the Children's Defense Fund, it has indeed been forgotten by many as it has been a very long time in the past. Further, it is but a single bright spot in an otherwise blemished political history of this candidate.

Since then there is a differing , and startling, history of her campaigning on one position and then, after election, reversing herself. This very history is what has led to the rift between her and her former ally, Elizabeth Warren. To Senator Warren's credit (?) she has chosen to remain on the sidelines rather than speak out about Clinton's NY campaign against the evils of Wall Street, a position in which Warren was closely associated and was, in fact, her chief adviser, and Clinton's subsequent turn away from it after her successful race.

I believe younger voters are alienated from the process because Senator Clinton's reversal on Wall Street is seen as all too common among politicians by these young potential voters. It is a fact that our next generation is somewhat poisoned by the process, as all thinking citizens should be actually. But we need, and desperately, their involvement and not their alienation. Clinton the candidate does not offer anywhere near the hope to these young voters than does her rival for the nomination, Senator Sanders.

[Thinkingabout]

19. Maybe a relook at Hillary's positions. She went on a listening tour, she listened and she has

responded with policy issues. No, she is not pushing for free college for all, she realizes her granddaughter does not need free education. In the work with CDF, she pushed education K-12. On Wall Street, what reversal would you like to see her take?

[daleanime]

23. It's not a matter of what position we would like her to take.....

It's which position can we trust her to hold on to?

[Thinkingabout]

24. I prefer to have a candidate who can listen to present issues and make a decision than refusing to

change their position or the inability to do so. I can't trust a candidate who is unable to listen to reason because they may need to rethink their position. Most of this is negotiating, a wonderful trait of a president.

[Doubledee]

36. Interpretation is everything it seems

Not embracing free education because , after all, she can afford to send her family to college , is not the kudos you seem to claim for it.

As far as what she campaigns upon, I believe that was addressed in my first post , what veracity when her history shows her not only capable of , but assured of , changing her position once elected.

I would love to see, but will never do so, her sticking to her campaign promises as Senator of regulating, and strictly so, her now lucrative partners on Wall Street.

I believe Hillary Clinton has given me far more reasons to distrust, than to trust, her words. My choice after all. Perhaps we can agree that, when both of us weigh the evidence, we arrive at differing conclusions.

[Thinkingabout]

38. She is saying community college free and some state colleges but there needs to be some type of

community services rendered for the college education, the community gives and in return for some work back to the community. It is a win-win situation. Also refinancing of student loans. She knows her grandchild should not have free education, their family can afford for their child to be educated, Romney's grandchildren does not need their education paid, this would allow many others to have free education, extend the Pell grants, etc in order to have education available for those who can not afford to attend colleges.

If you think Sanders is going to be able to deliver on all of his policies, don't count on it, there is more than a president than just saying this is their policy and it gets passed. Obama spent a lot of political capital on healthcare but it was important to him but a president does not just promise and it happens.

[Doubledee]

55. "She" says a lot of things

As so many nations around this world provide free or inexpensive education already, and have for a very long time, I do not believe, as do you, in the impossibility of that happening here. That the comparatively few can afford the money to educate their families is a simple and not very astute position from which to defend Clinton's position.

Nor is it at all to assume that Sanders, solely because you do not support him, cannot do as he says he will try to accomplish. Your argument seems trivially dismissive of the hardships inflicted upon our children who begin their working lives seriously burdened by the debt of obtaining their degrees, as well as trivially dismissive of Sanders campaign promises and not dismissive enough of Hillary's.

I think you do your candidate disservice frankly with such spurious and shallow responses. Sorry for the harsh words.

[Thinkingabout]

61. Good other nations does this, I have no objection to having you fund this

Endeavor.

[Doubledee]

62. What a smarmy response

Hope your Thanksgiving was filled with love and family . Please let us end this , if only to save you from further embarrassment.

[Thinkingabout]

63. Yes, I had a very good Thanksgining filled with love of family and friends.

[Thinkingabout]

28. Let me ask you this, do you truly believe Sanders is going to be able to fulfill his campaign

policies?

[Doubledee]

56. Oh Please

Stop with the inanities. Substitute Hillary for Sanders in your remark and the uselessness of the question remains.

[Thinkingabout]

57. No, the question is whether he can follow through?

[Doubledee]

58. That you repeat yourself

and that the same argument you use applies to both candidates promises equally, makes this seem as if the discussion has run its course.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

[Thinkingabout]

59. Yes, it applies to both candidates, I can admit Hillary is not perfect, since I see the

same argument day after day then it appears I am repeating the same day after day.

[JaneyVee]

9. K AND R!

[senz]

30. Her grandchild is a one-percenter.

She doesn't have anything in common with the 99%.

[Thinkingabout]

40. Do you think the Clintons has always been in the 1%?

[Floyd Steinberg]

50. Yes I do.

They've been in the 1% range since 2000.

[Thinkingabout]

53. That has only been 15 years, what happened in the first 50 years of their lives?

[lumberjack_jeff]

35. Her grandchild's fortunes are tied to those of Wall Street. n/t

[Thinkingabout]

41. Probably, her father works there.

[senz]

44. Loved it when Hill said, "Those hedge fund managers" as if

she disapproved. Pretty funny. Or is that "phony?"

[MrMickeysMom]

52. It's both funny and phony...

I caught that one, too.

[lumberjack_jeff]

46. So do her grandparents. n/t

[Thinkingabout]

47. Which firm?

[lumberjack_jeff]

49. All of them. n/t

[Thinkingabout]

54. Well, if they are working for all of them then they need a pay raise.

[WillyT]

2. HUGE K & R !!! - THANK YOU !!!

[firebrand80]

3. Clinton Definitely Has Weaknesses

That's why Obama had an opening to win last time.

It think she'll do fine. She showed me last time that she becomes a better campaigner when her back is against the wall (ex. the NH comeback, her performances in OH and PA).

Also, once the Primary is over she'll have the full party machinery behind her. She won't energize the entire Obama coalition, but Obama will help her mobilize a significant portion of it. And If the GOP doesn't quickly get their act together with respect to Hispanics, it's not going to be pretty.

[MrMickeysMom]

6. "She showed me last time that she becomes a better campaigner..."

Let us not confuse "better campaigner" with better candidate for presidency.

That logic is why her lessons to be a better campaigner will only show how throwing good money after bad policies cannot win you the election.

You demonstrated well why it's foolish to support her policies (if you can't pin one down long enough to know it didn't just come out of some focus group in response to how young voters already respond to Bernie Sanders.

Pitiful reasoning you have there.

[JaneyVee]

8. What utter bullshit. We're a year away from elections.

[MrMickeysMom]

12. And?

So?

What's bullshit about it?

[JoePhilly]

11. Republicans are ruining everything!!!

[MrMickeysMom]

14. They're being prodded on by those who act like them...

...by those who have left Democratic party values to blend in more with that ever-loving, ever-growing fascist element the U.S. Congressional District representatives.

Pretty pathetic when you have to play both sides. You forgot who and why you got into the fight to begin with.

I'm reminded of that Emma Thompson quote as the character she played in Primary Colors (long suffering wife of John Travolta... )

You know as well as I do, that plenty of people playing this game, they don't think that way. They're willing to sell their souls, crawl through sewers, lie to people, divide them, play on their worst fears for nothing! Just for the prize.

Some prize...

[JoePhilly]

15. The GOP clown car is former democrats?

[MrMickeysMom]

16. Is that what you think?

What are you saying? Are you making a declarative statement?

I was... My statement was what people are willing to do as Democrats... What's yours?

[JoePhilly]

21. What a particular Dem does probably depends a great deal on the ...

...state in which they run.

I'm simply trying to understand the point of the OP, which seems to suggest that Hillary is only beating Bernie by 20+ points because the GOP candidates are so bad.

As if perhaps, Hillary would not be doing as well (and Bernie would be doing much better) if the GOP had better candidates.

Is that not the point?

[Orsino]

18. Wish there were some better Republican candidates for ours to have to be better than. n/t

[senz]

31. K&R -- the Republicans are dominating media coverage of 2016 campaigns

If the media were to focus more closely on the Democratic side, people would know more about Democratic candidates and could compare them. And that's where Bernie shines.

Of course the DNC debate schedule -- few debates, inconvenient days -- keeps the focus off the Democrats as well.

It's deliberate. When you're pushing a very flawed product, you don't want people to know the alternatives.

[MrMickeysMom]

33. That aptly describes this...

... and it doesn't speak well for fatigued Democrats disappointed over and over again that their view easily becomes obscured by the flawed product.

See the alternative, America. Wake yourselves up.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

32. The Republicans seem to be a mess right now

ANY Democrat is going to look a thousand times better once the GE comes around. And, without having a crystal ball, let's be real: Once in office, Hillary won't wind up being some kind of radical right-wing Republican-esque Neocon DINO and Bernie won't wind up being a liberal Messiah who will single-handedly solve all of our social and economic problems. That's just reality.

[MrMickeysMom]

34. Reality...

... is about to unfold. Reality is going to carry the Democrats to the White House.

Bernie has said over and over again that he cannot single handedly move this political revolution forward. That's were we get off our hands and understand the issues.

[Dawson Leery]

37. +1,000,000

[Beacool]

48. A load of drivel, particularly about Hispanics.

Most Hispanics supported Hillary in 2008 and only went to Obama in large numbers when he became the nominee. Ditto for Jewish, Indian and Asian voters. Hillary would also have large numbers of women and over 40s in her corner. Independents normally lean either Republican or Democrat. Would the Democratic leaning Independents vote for Trump, Rubio or Cruz? Please.........

[Dawson Leery]

51. Asian voters are by far and large not going to

go with a party that supports vigilantism and anti-immigrant sentiment.

[demwing]

60. Almost seems intentional...

The Clintons are family friends with the Trumps, and before 2012, Trump donated primarily to Democrats. Is he crazy, or crazy like a fox?