2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumThanks to Bernie fans for the advice and concern regarding the speech transcripts.
I've noticed an uptick in the number of threads suggesting that Hillary release the transcripts, out of concern that voters might otherwise distrust her and think she has something to hide.
Now, this is a bit perplexing, since (a) as Bernie supporters, presumably they would be happy if Bernie benefited electorally from this supposed distrust and (b) the people offering this advice seem to already be quite convinced that Hillary is untrustworthy.
Still, thank you for the advice. But no thanks. As evidenced by the delegate count, Hillary is doing quite well without releasing any transcripts, evidently voters don't actually care about that. So there's no reason whatsoever to do anything that would give the silly speaking fee story another news cycle. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
berni_mccoy
(23,018 posts)DanTex
(20,709 posts)berni_mccoy
(23,018 posts)DanTex
(20,709 posts)berni_mccoy
(23,018 posts)That should be her next logo!
DanTex
(20,709 posts)rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)corp-media backing would be an automatic win and you need to be behind the winner. We will fight against the corrupt culture that your candidate represents and you embrace. Your wealthy friends can only take so much before we have nothing to lose. I know a lot of people already in that situation. Treat us with contempt but we will prevail. We are fighting to survive.
DanTex
(20,709 posts)track record and better qualifications for president than anyone who has run for a generation or more.
You're right, there are people fighting to survive. Ten million undocumented workers whose families will be broken up if Trump wins. The right to choose hanging in the balance. Millions of people who were able to afford health insurance for the first time, could see that go away.
Hillary is what stands in the way of that. I certainly hope that you don't let your personal animosity over some speech transcripts get in the way of your judgement as far as what is at stake in November.
Response to DanTex (Original post)
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H2O Man
(73,692 posts)how her refusal plays to people -- and I'm not speaking of folks here who clearly dislike her -- but who do not view Hillary as honest and trustworthy?
DanTex
(20,709 posts)When it comes to the GE, she's doing the right thing: don't release hers unless her opponent releases his. Use it as a bargaining chip to exert pressure. I don't see the benefit of releasing anything unilaterally. Do you?
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)So the fact that she does not, it's not got the smell of freshly roasted coffee in the morning.
DanTex
(20,709 posts)and who want to see her lose the primary, are good people to take advice from.
H2O Man
(73,692 posts)But there are way more people -- including here -- who favor Bernie in the primaries, but who will campaign and vote for Hillary, if she's our party's nominee. Those are the ones you might pay attention to.
DanTex
(20,709 posts)is to dig through them and come up with something to attack her with. And the other reason is that just the act of releasing the transcripts will give the speech issue another news cycle.
Given that the primaries are effectively over, I can only think of one reason to release them: to get that news cycle out of the way now rather than later. But even in that case, there's no rush -- anytime before the convention will do, so why not wait until the win is official.
The downside or releasing them, of course, is that it gives the GOP potential ammo. Personally I have no interest whatsoever in what's in the speeches. I've been to corporate events with speakers, and these speeches are boilerplate. But that doesn't mean there aren't sentences in there that can be taken out of context or whatever. I mean, given how much the far left hates Goldman, even her saying "I'd like to thank all of you at Goldman for having me" will send them into conniptions.
H2O Man
(73,692 posts)I am 100% sure that Bernie Sanders understands exactly how offensive the transcripts are. And, if Hillary Clinton is our party's nominee, the republicans will attack her, no matter if she releases the transcripts or not. It puts her campaign in a position where they are forced to attempt to explain why she refuses to let them see the transcripts -- and attempt to shift the attention and blame to literally everyone else in the race.
While I don't expect you to admit it, I'm sure you recognize that doesn't play well with anyone but her supporters. It's a tough position to attempt to justify.
DanTex
(20,709 posts)And they obviously don't care very much.
As far as the content of the speeches, I have a pretty good guess what's in them, and I imagine you do too. She says some good things about Goldman, which is hosting her, and talks a little about the state of the world, and says that the financial industry is important to America's economic strength, and so on. The thing is, if she says something like "the government and financial firms like Goldman should work together" then you know Glenn Greenwald will come out with an article the next day interpreting that as a proposed fascist coup. Which is why releasing them at this point would make no sense.
The thing about the bad position she's in by refusing to release them is true only in the primary, where Bernie has nothing to release. Once we switch to the General, she's up against Trump who has a ton of things to potentially release -- he doesn't even want to release his tax returns. At that point the shoe is on the other foot, and "I'll show you mine if you show me yours" becomes an extremely effective argument.
renate
(13,776 posts)If there's anything in those transcripts that could be damaging, I'd rather we Democrats know it before the primaries are over than before. (If Mitt's 47% speech had been public before the convention, the Republicans would have been absolutely right to consider another nominee.)
I will happily vote for Hillary in the general election even if it turns out her Wall Street speeches are about making coats out of puppy fur because nothing will keep me from voting Democratic. But her reluctance to release them is not doing her image any favors; even her supporters are aware that, deserved or not, she has a reputation for not being entirely honest. (Some of that--a great deal, probably--has rubbed off on her from Bill, which isn't fair but that's the way it is.) I mean, the point could be fairly made that What is the big f-ing deal? What's in them that you aren't telling us? (I doubt she's being coy about it because they're boring.)
Honestly, I'm already assuming her speeches are about how Wall Street and capitalism are the lifeblood of America, blah blah blah, because look at the audience. What else would she say? And that's fine with me.
But I'll vote for her, if she's the nominee, no matter what. I'm not the one she needs to impress with the honesty it would demonstrate if she released them and I'm not the one who will withhold my vote till she does.
DanTex
(20,709 posts)But you said it in your post. Her speeches are about how capitalism is the lifeblood of America, and how the financial system is an integral part of that, and that those Goldman Execs are providing a valuable service, and all that. That's what makes this political theater. It's the kind of stuff that will drive Matt Taibbi to lose his head, and cause people who hate her to continue to hate her, but nothing more.
That's what makes it political theater. The only question, in my mind, is when, or if ever, is the right time to release something like that. Maybe the thing to do is to release it sometime before the convention but after Bernie drops out. Or maybe the thing to do is keep it as a bargaining chip to try and get Trump to release something during the GE.
But, given that there's not going to be any actual quid pro quo or puppy torture or anything like that in there, I don't see the value of releasing it now.
H2O Man
(73,692 posts)that Hillary's supporters believe that her setting a standard in the primary, that has nothing to do with her primary opposition, but that is reportedly aimed at the three republicans, is golden.
At least in theory: aren't Democrats supposed to have higher ethical standards than republicans?
LonePirate
(13,437 posts)The only reason people here on DU are forcefully and loudly advocating for the release of the transcripts is in the hope that she said something which Bernie could use against her during primary season. The people who make posts about it being X days without them being released fall into this category.
The number of people who care enough about the whole transcripts issue and want them released for the sake of honesty and transparency and nothing else is exceptionally small.
Armstead
(47,803 posts)I hate to break the bad news, but independents are even less forgiving than progressives.
EndElectoral
(4,213 posts)Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)Mrs. Clinton, Show Voters Those Transcripts
By THE EDITORIAL BOARD FEB. 25, 2016
Everybody does it, is an excuse expected from a mischievous child, not a presidential candidate. But that is Hillary Clintons latest defense for making closed-door, richly paid speeches to big banks, which many middle-class Americans still blame for their economic pain, and then refusing to release the transcripts.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/26/opinion/mrs-clinton-show-voters-those-transcripts.html
casperthegm
(643 posts)Dan, it's broke. Big time. I'm not sure how or when it became ok to embrace outside money, give speeches for hundreds of thousands of dollars a pop, not divulge those transcripts, embrace fracking, vote for going to war in Iraq, oppose Glass Steagall, not be a proponent of free college education, support NAFTA and the TPP (before flip flopping). Is this what the Democratic party is? It ain't broke? Really?
DanTex
(20,709 posts)As for the rest of the standard Hillary-bashing bullet points, meh. The primary electorate isn't buying what you're selling.
casperthegm
(643 posts)Yes, she's leading. Yes, she may win- still a long way to go. But my point is that the things listed in my post have been republican talking points in the past. Yet, somehow they have migrated into the Democratic party. That HRC supporters don't see these things as deal breakers is very telling regarding the state of the Democratic party.
DanTex
(20,709 posts)Is it perfect? Nothing is. But the part of the party I don't care for is the part that seeks to constantly demonize Hillary Clinton. I could also list a bunch of bad votes that Bernie has made, but ultimately both Bernie and Hillary are strong progressives.
More to the point, this has nothing to do with the speech transcripts, which are just political theater.
MrMickeysMom
(20,453 posts)OF COURSE!!!! That's how to measure how well a candidate is doing!!!!!
Don't bother with any of those other metrics, Dan!!!
DanTex
(20,709 posts)What other metrics do you have in mind?
riversedge
(70,443 posts)JonLeibowitz
(6,282 posts)Just a guess.
MrMickeysMom
(20,453 posts)Thanks...
I knew I would have ended up playing twenty questions with that one.
whatchamacallit
(15,558 posts)That's why it'll never happen.
NuclearDem
(16,184 posts)they'll desperately look for some sort of smoking gun document that somehow invalidates their opponent's legitimacy.
Response to NuclearDem (Reply #18)
whatchamacallit This message was self-deleted by its author.
Response to whatchamacallit (Reply #23)
NuclearDem This message was self-deleted by its author.
whatchamacallit
(15,558 posts)How 'bout you?
Response to whatchamacallit (Reply #31)
NuclearDem This message was self-deleted by its author.
whatchamacallit
(15,558 posts)I had to look that up. You're right about the meaning. embarrassing... Ok, disregard the last party of my post.
NuclearDem
(16,184 posts)riversedge
(70,443 posts)3 weeks or so ago I think.
Anyway--desperate times call for desperate measures as they say
Bleacher Creature
(11,258 posts)Do private organizations even hire people to transcribe speaker's remarks at an event? And if not, are That the Sanders people just clamoring for her prepared remarks?
I've been to events with like these, and I can all but guarantee you that her remarks are almost certain to be painfully benign and noncommittal.
That said, seeing how the Sanders brigade likes to take quotes out-of-context, it probably still makes sense not to indulge in this silliness (even though I agree with you that not releasing them helps perpetuate the bogeyman).
0rganism
(23,989 posts)burden is on the underdog to change their strategy and develop the game, not the leader -- if things play out as they have so far, HRC has a lock and there's no reason to adjust.
however, there is the matter of the general election to consider. while i doubt her Republican opponent will have the same footing as SBS when calling for those transcripts, the speeches could come up as an issue. i hope she has a very strong rebut prepared for... whoever it turns out to be.
a while back i thought she could gain credibility by releasing the transcripts, as rumors about the speeches would probably be worse than the speeches themselves, and someone from GS might release a video of the speech anyway. i think that time has passed, at least as far as the primary goes -- not releasing transcripts has happened, to the extent that a non-event can be said to happen.
Vinca
(50,326 posts)She'll keep those babies under lock and key until the votes come in.
Karma13612
(4,555 posts)transcripts will/would most likely give a few of her supporters pause.
Buyer's remorse as it were.
HERVEPA
(6,107 posts)DanTex
(20,709 posts)isn't showing anymore...
HERVEPA
(6,107 posts)That is not saying all are arrogant, just certain ones.
SamKnause
(13,114 posts)The people who are voting for her don't care.
They don't care about a lot of things.
I have trouble finding out exactly what her supporters do care about.
DanTex
(20,709 posts)I care about raising the minimum wage, protecting and expanding ACA, a path to citizenship, avoiding further erosion of abortion rights, investing in clean energy, for starters.
And I care a lot about not having Trump be president.
I most certainly do not care about Hillary's speech transcripts.
SamKnause
(13,114 posts)Do you like Hillary's record on fracking ??? She supports fracking globally.
Do you think $12.00 is a living wage ??? I don't. Bernie doesn't.
Do you like Hillary's stance on abortion ??? She wants it to be rare. Bernie flat out says
it is up to the woman and her doctor.
Are you against Medicare for all or single payer ??? Do you know people who can't afford
to see the Dr. because of the high deductibles and co-pays ???
Do you really think that someone who takes money from Wall Street and corporations
will rein them in ???
Bernie beats Trump is almost every poll by double digits.
I really don't understand Hillary supporters and I never will.
DanTex
(20,709 posts)Are there some things I disagree with her about? Sure. Same goes for Bernie, by the way.
SamKnause
(13,114 posts)I have come to the conclusion you have no idea why you support her.
She is pro fracking. You say you support clean energy. How does that make any sense ???
DanTex
(20,709 posts)all of them. Why is this so confusing?
Since you insist.
I have mixed feelings about fracking. The thing that Hillary and Obama bashers miss here is that the reason for the fracking push is to replace coal as an energy source with natural gas. The reality is, as things stand now, if you're anti-natural gas, then you're de facto pro coal, and coal burns dirtier.
$12 would be a huge increase in the minimum wage, to the highest level ever adjusted for inflation.
Please. Hillary's credentials on women's health are unimpeachable.
I'm in favor of universal care, but single payer is not the only way to get there, and is not the most practical way in the US, particularly since we already have Obamacare in place. Remember, SP failed in Vermont, and that's even after it had already passed the legislature. It simply turned out that it would be too expensive. And Bernie decided not to use any political capital to try to exert pressure to get it to happen. Also, Bernie's cost estimates for Single Payer are ludicrous. So while Single Payer might be good in theory, there's currently no practical way to get there in the US, never mind the political pressure. Hillary's approach of expanding Obamacare is superior in practice.
Hillary's plans for reining in Wall Street have won praises from a wide range of progressive economists. The silliness about the paid speeches and all that is something that I don't care about at all, and her supposed "corruption" is mostly conspiracy theories from the far left.
Yes, but he's never faced the GOP attack machine.
Now my turn to ask a question. If Hillary is the nominee, will you vote for her? Because I'll tell you what. If you don't, then any pretense that you actually care about the issues confronting working people, women, immigrants, or anyone else in this country is out the window. Say what you will about Hillary, Trump or Cruz are worse by miles and miles.
Octafish
(55,745 posts)Really, you should be concerned about what's in those speech transcripts, especially how many trillions of dollars went to support Wall Street banksters during the bailout. At least $16 Trillion per Bernie Sanders, whom you should thank for making certain the bailout was audited.
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/the-fed-audit
DanTex
(20,709 posts)And, no, I have no interest in what those speech transcripts contain. I've seen speeches at corporate events. They're boring and predictable.
redstateblues
(10,565 posts)It's funny how nobody provides that after they smear Hillary. Envy is an ugly emotion
Octafish
(55,745 posts)Hillary Helped UBSand Then the Bank Funneled Millions to the Clintons.
UBS is a Swiss bank that is enjoying better days, thanks to the US taxpayer and a number of key US political leaders.
It's all legal-like.
Hillary Helps a Bankand Then It Funnels Millions to the Clintons
The Wall Street Journals eyebrow-raising story of how the presidential candidate and her husband accepted cash from UBS without any regard for the appearance of impropriety that it created.
by CONOR FRIEDERSDORF, The Atlantic, JUL 31, 2015
The Swiss bank UBS is one of the biggest, most powerful financial institutions in the world. As secretary of state, Hillary Clinton intervened to help it out with the IRS. And after that, the Swiss bank paid Bill Clinton $1.5 million for speaking gigs. The Wall Street Journal reported all that and more Thursday in an article that highlights huge conflicts of interest that the Clintons have created in the recent past.
The piece begins by detailing how Clinton helped the global bank.
A few weeks after Hillary Clinton was sworn in as secretary of state in early 2009, she was summoned to Geneva by her Swiss counterpart to discuss an urgent matter. The Internal Revenue Service was suing UBS AG to get the identities of Americans with secret accounts, the newspaper reports. If the case proceeded, Switzerlands largest bank would face an impossible choice: Violate Swiss secrecy laws by handing over the names, or refuse and face criminal charges in U.S. federal court. Within months, Mrs. Clinton announced a tentative legal settlementan unusual intervention by the top U.S. diplomat. UBS ultimately turned over information on 4,450 accounts, a fraction of the 52,000 sought by the IRS.
Then reporters James V. Grimaldi and Rebecca Ballhaus lay out how UBS helped the Clintons. Total donations by UBS to the Clinton Foundation grew from less than $60,000 through 2008 to a cumulative total of about $600,000 by the end of 2014, according to the foundation and the bank, they report. The bank also joined the Clinton Foundation to launch entrepreneurship and inner-city loan programs, through which it lent $32 million. And it paid former president Bill Clinton $1.5 million to participate in a series of question-and-answer sessions with UBS Wealth Management Chief Executive Bob McCann, making UBS his biggest single corporate source of speech income disclosed since he left the White House.
The article adds that there is no evidence of any link between Mrs. Clintons involvement in the case and the banks donations to the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation, or its hiring of Mr. Clinton. Maybe its all a mere coincidence, and when UBS agreed to pay Bill Clinton $1.5 million the relevant decision-maker wasnt even aware of the vast sum his wife may have saved the bank or the power that she will potentially wield after the 2016 presidential election.
SNIP...
As McClatchy noted last month in a more broadly focused article that also mentions UBS, Ten of the worlds biggest financial institutionsincluding UBS, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup and Goldman Sachshave hired Bill Clinton numerous times since 2004 to speak for fees totaling more than $6.4 million. Hillary Clinton also has accepted speaking fees from at least one bank. And along with an 11th bank, the French giant BNP Paribas, the financial goliaths also donated as much as $24.9 million to the Clinton Foundationthe familys global charity set up to tackle causes from the AIDS epidemic in Africa to climate change.
CONTINUED...
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/07/hillary-helps-a-bankand-then-it-pays-bill-15-million-in-speaking-fees/400067/
About UBS Wealth Management
It's Buy Partisan
After his exit from the US Senate, Phil Gramm found a job at Swiss bank UBS as vice chairman. He later brought on former President Bill Clinton. What a coincidence, they are the two key figures in repealing Glass-Steagal. Since the New Deal it was the financial regulation that protected the US taxpayer from the Wall Street casino. Oh well, what's a $16 trillion bailout among friends?
It's a Buy-Partisan Who's Who:
President William J. Clinton
President George W. Bush Heh heh heh.
Robert J. McCann
James Carville
John V. Miller
Paula D. Polito
Anthony Roth
Mike Ryan
John Savercool
SOURCE: http://financialservicesinc.ubs.com/revitalizingamerica/SenatorPhilGramm.html
One of my attorney chums doesn't like to see his name on any committees, event letterhead or political campaign literature. These folks, it seems to me, are past caring.
Some of why DUers and ALL voters should care about Phil Gramm.
The fact the nation's "news media" isn't really following this story should also be of great concern -- for the 99-percent.
noiretextatique
(27,275 posts)we will see how many still support that, if she becomes president.
Politicalboi
(15,189 posts)You might not care you support corruption, whatever. You guys just can't handle seeing her own words, so you don't want to see them. Cowards the lot of ya.
DanTex
(20,709 posts)Kaleva
(36,398 posts)The math is against him though and people are moving into GE mode.
Bern2WinUSA
(44 posts)a) Hill does not need to release the transcripts because she is waiting for the Repubs to.
b) Bernie has already released his There Are None...
c) that who email FBI investigation is a "vast right-wing conspiracy"
d) Hill is so arro "confident" that she is going to win that Bernie should drop out, even though he is in great shape steadily rising from 2-3% when he announced
e) Ignore the above Because Hill has 'Home' States of IL, AR, NY and Wall Street
f) Hit the Panic button and abandon Ship!!!!
Feel the Bern!!!