Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Hillary Clinton Flip-Flops on Medicare for All

Hillary Clinton is dramatically different from Bernie Sanders, Harry Truman, FDR, LBJ and JFK. Clinton offers no bold or new solutions, just "more of the same" — and only promotes small and incremental changes that would be barely noticeable as a blip on the radar screen — and her "safe" and mediocre ideas would do very little to help anyone who is still alive today. Take healthcare for example...

Bernie Sanders (Medicare for All) "It has been the goal of Democrats since Franklin D. Roosevelt to create a universal health care system guaranteeing health care to all people. Every other major industrialized nation has done so. It is time for this country to join them and fulfill the legacy of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson and other great Democrats."

FDR (Social Security): "We can never insure one hundred percent of the population against one hundred percent of the hazards and vicissitudes of life, but we have tried to frame a law which will give some measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against the loss of a job and against poverty-ridden old age."

LBJ (Medicare): "The people of the United States love and voted for Harry Truman — not because he gave them hell, but because he gave them hope. I believe today that all America shares my joy that he is present now when the hope that he offered becomes a reality for millions of our fellow citizens."

JFK (Space exploration): "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard."

Hillary, Bill and Chelsea Clinton have been lying about Bernie Sanders' healthcare proposal. Hillary called his idea "a risky deal" and said that he wanted to rip up the Affordable Care Act and start all over again. She and her supporters claim Hillary is a "progressive who gets things done" — and says that Bernie Sanders's ideas have no chance at all of getting through Congress (as though the Republicans are loving her more than Bernie.)

Video below: Recently Hillary Clinton (while trying to scare people with fear-mongering) said of Bernie's plan for Medicare for All: "People who have health emergencies can't wait for us to have some theoretical debate about some better idea that will never, ever have to pass!"

Then 3 days later (while pimping for votes) it sounded as though Hillary Clinton was agreeing with Bernie Sanders: "I know that we can finish the job of universal healthcare coverage for every single man, woman and child."

LBJ: "If one morning I walked on top of the water across the Potomac River, the headline that afternoon would read President Can't Swim".

If one morning Bernie Sanders walked on top of the water across the Potomac River, Hillary Clinton would also complain that he couldn't swim — while the rest of us were drowning.

And if Hillary Clinton were our president in 1962, we would never have landed on the moon.

23 comments:

  1. A lot of Bernie supporters won't vote for Hillary in the general election. Despite claims from the Hillary campaign, Hillary does NOT generate the same enthusiasm as Bernie Sanders. So many Bernie fans won't vote at all, especially young people. If Hillary is chosen to be the Democratic nominee, she will lose the general election because more Republican voters will turn out to vote. The Democrats will lose the White House and the Republicans will also gain more seats in Congress — all because of the stubbornness of the Democratic political insiders who refused to listen to their base, and insisted on giving Hillary the delegates she needed to be the nominee. It's unbelievable how the Democratic political elites will destroy their party by not going with a true and authentic "progressive" candidate. The Dems and DNC (with their manipulation, dirty tricks and lies) might reap what they sow come November 2016. If so, then by 2020, there might be real and viable 3rd political party.

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  2. It's not right that older Clinton supporters and the Clinton campaign are attempting to deny the wants of young, who want a vote in their own futures.

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  3. The Establishment’s Last Gasp (by Jonathan Taplin)

    "We know the change is going to come. Its just a matter of how bitter the resistance is going to be ... what Sanders is trying to do is to get us to imagine a country that no longer has to spend close to a $1 trillion a year on defense, and instead, reallocates some of that money on Medicare for all and free college tuition for the needy. But this kind of bold vision is rejected by the Democratic establishment as being unrealistic. They are saying that Sanders’ Revolution is impossible and that incrementalism is the only hope for progressives ... Both Clinton and Sanders believe in the demographic shifts that will make America a true multi-culture. Both embrace the science of climate change and believe it is a key priority. But it is in the other two elements that I worry about Clinton. She is no less a hawk than Rubio or Cruz. The possibility of radically rethinking why we spend almost 60% of our discretionary budget on the military will not happen on her watch. And then there is the matter of Wall Street. There is nothing in the 25 year history of the Clintons that would lead me to believe they would really take on Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. Bill and Hillary can talk like populists, but they consistently come down on the side of the plutocrats. So that leaves true reform progressives with Bernie Sanders ... It’s clear the Clintons spent last year making sure that Elizabeth Warren or Deval Patrick did not run. They clearly didn’t think that an obscure 74 year old democratic socialist from Vermont would be a real challenge. But he is. It may be that 2016 is the last gasp of the establishment on both sides of the aisle and we will see a Clinton vs. Rubio election in November ... But if [Sanders] could get Elizabeth Warren as his running mate, perhaps we could get out of this Interregnum sooner rather than later."

    https://medium.com/@jonathantaplin/the-establishment-s-last-gasp-f7be493f5372

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  4. I wish the DNC would release the NUMBER of actual votes for each candidate during the Iowa caucus, rather than just the “qualified delegates”. What are they trying to hide, hmmmmmmmmmm?

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  5. I can't get excited about Hillary Clinton's campaign (by Kristina Keneally)

    Try as I might, I cannot get excited about a Hillary Clinton presidency. If the results in the Iowa caucuses are anything to go by, neither can half of all likely Democratic voters ... She lacks a raison d’ĂȘtre for her campaign ... Her candidacy seems motivated in equal parts by “it’s her turn” and “it’s time for a woman”. Does Clinton need to be president to satisfy herself? Clinton also lacks authenticity ... Clinton’s lack of purpose and the lack of authenticity are related ... Clinton’s wealth and questionable financial decisions undercuts her claim to be the advocate for everyday Americans ... Clinton lacks charisma and a common touch ... Clinton also lacks an ability to unify the nation. She is and always has been a polarizing figure in America ... Before the sisterhood tears up my membership card for harshly judging a woman on her personal ambition and style, let me make this point: these things matter ... Ambition and vision for the nation, and an ability to connect emotionally and spiritually with its citizens: I want that in any president, regardless of gender. But because I want the first female president to succeed, I want it even more so in whoever she is.

    http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/feb/03/i-cant-get-excited-about-hillary-clintons-campaign-it-lacks-a-raison-detre

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  6. Washington Post: How Sanders caught fire in Iowa and turned the Clinton coronation into a real race:

    Bernie Sanders’s rise in Iowa exposed weaknesses that could haunt the Democratic front-runner. A self-described democratic socialist who was running 30 points behind her in the polls as recently as November, Sanders drew support from young people, liberals and independents. The photo finish showed that Republicans are not the only voters looking for qualities beyond experience and electability. But the fact that whether he could beat Clinton in Iowa was even a question became an accomplishment in and of itself, especially given how far back Bernie Sanders had started. And now, a party that expected a coronation is settling in for a marathon.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-sanders-caught-fire-in-iowa-and-turned-the-clinton-coronation-into-a-real-race/2016/02/02/83b08d22-c79a-11e5-8965-0607e0e265ce_story.html

    [An excerpt from the article below]

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    Replies
    1. Bernie Sanders was headed to his May 31 campaign rally at the American Indian Center in Minneapolis. While still blocks away, the car he was in was not moving.

      “Is there a wreck ahead?” Sanders anxiously asked his field director.

      “No,” Fiermonte replied, “they’re here to see you.” More than 3,000 of them, many standing outside because the hall was full.

      “It never occurred to me in a million years that line was for us,” Sanders later recalled in a telephone interview on the eve of the Iowa caucuses. “I said, ‘Whoa.’ That was the first inkling that I had that this campaign was catching on.”

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  7. Half of voters in Iowa said being “honest and trustworthy” and “caring about people like me” were the most important factors in deciding who to support. There are clearly a lot of Democrats who are not ready for Hillary. At the Sanders party, a live feed of Clinton’s “sigh of relief” speech froze, eliciting cheers from the crowd. When it resumed and she said “I am a progressive,” there were boos. And then the crowd started chanting “Feel the Bern” to drown out the audio.

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  8. When Bernie Sanders recently said Hillary Clinton was a progressive "on some days", she complained that it was a "low blow". This recent video shows Hillary saying shes a "moderate" — not a progressive.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTCilxp-TBI

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  9. From the Hill:

    A Sanders aide told The Hill that the party did not send impartial staffers to 90 caucus sites and is now reaching out to candidates for help reporting the data. That would mean that precinct captains from the rival campaigns will have to self-report totals from the caucus, which could lead to arguments over a swath of precincts that could more than make up the margin between the two candidates ... The Democrats do not rely on paper ballots for caucuses — supporters instead physically cluster together and are counted by precinct chairs. That means there are no provisions for a recount on the Democratic side, since those events are not possible to recreate.

    http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/267845-iowa-dems-push-back-on-sanders-claim-of-lost-votes

    * First it was reported that Hillary won one precinct by a coin toss. Now that number has grown to 6 precincts being decided by coin tosses. The statistical chances of winning 6 straight coin tosses is near ZERO.

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  10. Here is Eric Holder, the former attorney general, pimping for Hillary Clinton on her YouTube channel:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-aZpQE5bKM

    There is a YouTube warning that says "This video is unlisted. Be considerate and think twice before sharing."

    Here's the comment I left at YouTube:

    From the man who wouldn't prosecute bankers for breaking the law.

    http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/how-wall-streets-bankers-stayed-out-of-jail/399368/

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    1. I just noticed that you have to be signed in to see the comment I left on Eric Holder’s pimp-formercial for Hillary. -- I'm surprised it wasn't deleted ;)

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-aZpQE5bKM

      Delete
  11. Hillary Clinton's press secretary Tweeted:

    Q: When is a win not a win?
    A: When the winner is Hillary Clinton.

    It links to a WaPO article titled: "Cut Clinton some Slack"

    My reply was:

    @brianefallon If an evil socialist can tie her, how well would a "viable" candidate have done?

    https://twitter.com/brianefallon/status/694680245258063876

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  12. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) played down Bernie Sanders’s showing in Iowa: “You know, Iowa was hardly Hillary’s best state. Last time she came in third and she won this time." Schumer, a long-time career politican, is in line to become the Senate minority leader.

    From the Washington Post:

    Clinton’s battle with Sanders has exposed vulnerabilities that her backers find worrisome. Chief among them is what is being called an enthusiasm gap — an apparent inability to ignite the kind of excitement that the gruff, rumpled Sanders is generating among young people and on the left. Not even the prospect of making history as the first female president has been enough to add electricity to Clinton’s candidacy ... Clinton tends to dwell on the granularity of her policy proposals — many of which are incremental steps on a traditional Democratic agenda — at a time when voters are in a rebellious mood ... It wasn’t just the college vote that boosted Sanders. He over-performed in some rural areas and some urban areas that were expected to lean toward Clinton, as well as among union members ...

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/clinton-supporters-prepare-for-a-long-battle-after-her-close-call-in-iowa/2016/02/02/859e2628-c9d2-11e5-a7b2-5a2f824b02c9_story.html

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  13. Washington Post:

    While Hillary Clinton barely edged Bernie Sanders to win the Iowa caucuses, one thing became clear Monday night: The race for the Democratic nomination is turning into a battle of the ages. The dividing line was 45 years old — voters that age or older went decisively for Clinton, while those younger flocked to Sanders. Voters under 30 were the most emphatic, with an astonishing 84 percent backing Bernie.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/once-again-hillary-clinton-struggles-among-young-voters/2016/02/02/21dc9a80-c9d6-11e5-a7b2-5a2f824b02c9_story.html

    * The Democratic elites want to still the futures of young people by FORCING thier ideas on them.

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  14. The Washington Post:

    If you were a Democrat who was caucusing for the first time, you were very likely to be for Bernie Sanders. If not, you were almost certain to be a Hillary Clinton backer. The splits between first-timers and those who had attended a caucus before were striking. Sanders won first-timers by 22 points while Clinton won previous caucus attendees by 24. There's considerable overlap, of course, between Sanders's massive 70-point victory among 17-to-29-year-olds and his strength among first-time caucus-goers.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/02/02/8-things-i-learned-from-the-iowa-entrance-polls/

    * If the Democratic elites force Hillary on Democratic voters, she could very well lose to low voter turn out.

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  15. New York Magazine:

    Bernie Sanders and the Democratic Generation Gap

    Anyone covering the Iowa caucuses live could not help but be impressed by the size and enthusiasm of Bernie Sanders's younger supporters. They showed up very early in the downtown Des Moines caucus site I covered, and fought Hillary Clinton's well-tempered organization to slightly better than a draw in one of her strongholds ... In New Hampshire the "Grand Canyon–sized" generation gap in the Democratic nomination contest is likely to significantly erode Hillary Clinton's advantage among women, much as Barack Obama's appeal to African-Americans did in 2008 ... Since young voters are the most marginal electoral participants of them all, Team Clinton should be especially worried that under-30 voters won't turn out for her in a general election. Indeed, some Republicans fantasize about stealing the youth vote behind a candidate like Marco Rubio ... This is another reason Hillary should be careful about letting her competition with Bernie Sanders become too savage.

    http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/02/bernie-sanders-and-the-democratic-generation-gap.html

    * Like I said, the Democrats could lose the White House with Hillary.

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  16. Chicago Tribune (by Eric Zorn)

    He'd won dramatically among younger and lower-income voters and, like Barack Obama eight years earlier, he'd galvanized first-time voters ... Under the slogan "Bernie or Bust!" the website "Revolt Against Plutocracy" claims to have collected more that 40,000 pledges from Sanders supporters either to write in Sanders' name or vote for the Green Party candidate if Sanders isn't the Democratic presidential nominee.

    http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/zorn/ct-sanders-fans-boo-hillary-perspec-0203-jm-20160202-column.html

    [* I especially like the reader's comments]

    So, according to Eric, "Clinton may be a liar, but she's OUR liar, so let's get behind her."

    They so often give the same opinion. “Hold your noses and nominate Hillary. She’s our best shot at winning.”

    They booed and called her a liar because she said "I am a progressive". I think that is a lie too — and with young Bernie supporters that doesn't fly.

    Eric, you're really messed up. Open your eyes. She's a horrible candidate, and documented LIAR.

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  17. The Daily Beast:

    Hillary Clinton aides once dismissed supporters of Bernie Sanders as “Sandernistas”. Now Clinton is in the difficult position of needing to defeat Sanders without alienating his supporters, which the Iowa results suggest could be as much as half the Democratic electorate ... The real danger Clinton faces isn’t from Sanders, it’s from Team Hillary itself. If they go after Sanders the way they went after Barack Obama in 2008, it would be a massive, self-inflicted wound that could cost her the election, especially if the Republicans nominate a next generation candidate like Marco Rubio. She can’t win in November without the Sandernistas ... Killing a dream is messy work, and with millennial voters turning out 9-to-1 for Sanders in Iowa, Clinton would put at risk the coalition she needs in the general election ... If the Iowa caucuses had been held on January 3rd, when the college kids were still on winter break (the way they were in 2008), Sanders would have rolled up bigger numbers and Clinton would have lost ... The razor thin outcome revealed her vulnerabilities. The age skew is dramatic — the “empathy gap” reflected in Sanders’ edge on the question of “who cares about people like me” is concerning for a party that is running on rebuilding the middle-class.

    http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/02/03/hillary-clinton-can-t-go-nuclear-on-bernie-sanders-yet.html

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  18. COMMON SENSE AMERICA: REFLECTIONS OF A SANDERS SUPPORTER, BY MY 88-YEAR OLD DAD

    http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/02/03/1479029/--COMMON-SENSE-AMERICA-REFLECTIONS-OF-A-SANDERS-SUPPORTER-BY-MY-88-YEAR-OLD-DAD

    * Why some elderly Americans are Feeling the Bern — Bernie Sanders being compared to FDR, by someone who knew FDR.

    =======================

    Democratic Ideals versus Realpolitik, A Populist Struggle for All Times

    http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/2/3/1478817/-Democratic-Ideals-versus-Realpolitik-A-Populist-Struggle-for-All-Times

    * Why Ordinary Americans are Feeling the Bern — A "Mr. Smith goes to Washington" analogy.

    ======================

    The Sanders Revolution Has Revived the American ‘Left’

    http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/02/03/1479086/-The-Sanders-Revolution-Has-Revived-the-American-Left?detail=emailcommunity

    * A reminder of why the Clinton years weren't all that great.

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  19. NEW DEBATE SCHEDULE -- 4 DEBATES ADDED (plus a "forum" and a "town hall".

    The Hill: Clinton, Sanders agree to four more debates
    http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/268079-clinton-sanders-agree-to-four-more-debates

    This article says "beginning with a Thursday night showdown in New Hampshire" (sponsored by MSNBC and the New Hampshire Union Leader).

    * I thought this was a "forum", and not an actual "debate". Or am I confusing this with the "town hall" tonight on CNN?

    One comment at The Hill said: "It won't be a debate with Rachael Maddow and Chris Matthews tossing out soft-ball questions pre-screened by the candidates."

    The last two previously scheduled debates are:

    5th Democratic Debate

    February 11, 2016
    Univision Democratic Primary Debate
    Location: Miami, Florida
    Sponsors: Univision, The Washington Post
    Moderator: ?

    6th Democratic Debate

    March 6, 2016
    PBS Democratic Primary Debate
    Location: Wisconsin
    Sponsor: PBS
    Moderator: ?

    Then after that they will square off again in another debate in Flint, Michigan — also sometime in March, but no date was mentioned.

    After that, there will be two other debates — one in April and one in May, but did not specify the locations or dates. The Washington Post reports that the April debate will take place in Pennsylvania and the May debate will be in California. (The Clinton camp reportedly wouldn't agree to a debate in New York. I wonder why.)

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  20. I'm too young to remember Jimmy Carter's campaign (10 years old). I remember seeing him as president on TV after he was elected. But from what I remember and what I've seen of him lately it appears he was a pretty authentic guy.

    But BERNIE!! Hands down the most authentic candidate of my lifetime without a doubt. Every other candidate is just a corporate/plutocratic puppet of the 1%.

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