Some Questions for Hillary Clinton Supporters
Published on Sunday, April 17, 2016
by Common Dreams
Some Questions for Hillary Clinton Supporters
by John Atcheson
John Atcheson is author of the novel, A Being Darkly Wise, an eco-thriller and Book One of a Trilogy centered on global warming. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun, the San Jose Mercury News and other major newspapers.
1.) Why is Wall Street Giving her Money?
Since Sanders made it an issue, Ms. Clinton has repeatedly said she would be tough on Wall Street and the big banks. If that’s the case, why have they given her so much money?
Are we to believe these savvy, bottom line types aren’t looking for a return on their investment?
Here’s a few more related questions for you. Could the banks and Wall Street believe she’s only saying what she thinks the people want to hear? Do they have assurances – beyond her track record – that she’s on their side? Which brings us to …
2.) Why is she so unwilling to share what she said to the big banks in her multi-million dollar talks?
This issue has hurt her as much as anything throughout the campaign, and yet it is the easiest one to put behind her. If she’s telling the truth, if she has nothing to hide, why doesn’t she simply release them?
3.) Why is she on record championing the repeal of Glass-Stegall, among other regulations?
About the best Clinton could do when challenged for being too cozy with Wall Street was to claim that she told them to “cut it out,” in her words. The facts tell a different story.
4.) If she understands how big a mistake her Iraq vote was, why does she continue to advocate regime change without examining what happens the next day?
She’s doubled down on what is essentially a neocon foreign policy with her positions on Honduras, Libya, and Syria. Her belligerent approach to foreign policy is closer to that of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney than it is to Obama’s. Do you want to run the risk of perpetual war? Which brings us to …
5.) Can you really be “Ready on Day One” if you got most things wrong and haven’t learned from it?
She got Iraq and foreign policy wrong. She got trade policy wrong. She got deregulation wrong. But these aren’t the only area she’s demonstrated poor judgment.
6.) Do you want to risk having a Republican win the Presidency?
First, in polling she doesn’t do as well in head-to-head races against Republicans and Sanders does, and that’s been true for months, now. .... if the convention deadlocks, Republicans will try to nominate a more electable candidate, in which case, Democrats are in serious trouble if Hillary gets the nomination.
Second, Ms. Clinton is weak in each of the most important factors in gauging electability -- the ratio of favorable to unfavorable ratings, her “likability”, and a candidate’s perceived trustworthiness. Hillary Clinton is the least liked and has the worst favorability ratio of all candidates except Trump. And her trustworthiness has been below even his, on most polling.
Finally, do you honestly think that what this country needs right now is incremental change?
C’mon. You know we are in a crisis. Elections and candidates are bought and sold like cattle, the middle class is disappearing, our infrastructure is collapsing, our climate is on the way to creating the biggest disaster humanity has ever known, and all Ms. Clinton has to offer is “deals.”
Sanders is right. It will take a political revolution to deal with the challenges we face. It will take a candidate who attracts new voters; one who uses the Bully pulpit and people power to confront the Oligarchy and the political establishment that has created this mess. The neoliberal economic consensus and the militaristic neocon foreign policy Ms. Clinton espouses amounts to putting trim tabs on sinking ship.
And in your heart, you know it.
Read the entire article at:
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/04/17/some-questions-hillary-clinton-supporters
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