By now most of you are familiar with Hillary’s latest dirty trick when, in the last debate, she accused Bernie of voting to deregulate the financial markets in 2000. WTF? Bernie supporters were all understandably gobsmacked by her latest attempt to deflect attention from her Wall Street puppet strings.
Daily Kos: Hill People continue to push Clinton's most dishonest moment from last debate — Why?
Truth-out: The Most Disingenuous Attack on Bernie Yet
Truthdig: Hillary Blames Bernie for an Old Clintonite Hustle
What Hillary conveniently left out is that her husband, President Bill Clinton, along with her current campaign’s chief financial officer, Gary Gensler, drafted and pushed to insert the Commodities Futures Modernization Act (CFMA) into an 11,000 page must-pass annual budget appropriation at the final hour. Then her husband enthusiastically signed it into law.
Only the most naive or deceitful would suggest that voting for a huge spending bill to keep the government from shutting down means you are voting for every single thing in the legislation. After Bernie (and other Democrats) discovered the manipulation, he championed the fight against the CFMA, including later getting the “Enron Loophole” removed and trying (unsuccessfully) to block Goldman Sachs’ Gary Gensler from securing an Obama appointment to chair the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
What does Hillary do instead? She hires the $60-million Gary Gensler to advise her campaign and help her with debate prep. No doubt he and his ilk are on her short list for Treasury Secretary.
As progressive radio host, Thom Hartmann, explains,
Video: The Most Disingenuous Attack Against Bernie Yet
“He (Bernie) voted for the annual omnibus budget appropriation and that (CFMA) had been slipped into it whether he knew it or not. But it was HER (Hillary’s) advisor who put it there. And it was HER husband who signed it. And it was HER (sic) who hired this guy who wrote this legislation that she just attacked Bernie for. So what the hell is going on here?”
While Hartmann admits he is more ideologically aligned with FDR Democrats like Bernie, he often takes great pains to enthusiastically support Hillary and avoid a circular firing squad on his radio show. That’s why I found his next words both surprising and refreshing:
“I would like to ask Clinton supporters, what is it you’re supporting? What is it that you support?
Hillary Clinton opposes single-payer healthcare. She opposes reinstating Glass-Steagall.
She opposes a $15 minimum wage.
She is in favor of the death penalty.
She wants to send special forces into Syria and have a no-fly zone.
She thinks the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel is wrong.
She opposes marijuana legalization.
She opposes free tuition at universities.
She supports the Clinton-Gingrich welfare reform.
She supports hydraulic fracturing.
She supports the Patriot Act and thinks Snowden is a criminal.
She wants to make flag burning a felony.
What are you voting for? What are you supporting?”
Wow, thanks for listing many of my disagreements with Hillary’s policies (I didn’t even know about the flag burning one!). So right back at ya, Thom — Why are YOU supporting Hillary Clinton in the primary? There will be time enough for holding our noses and voting for the lesser of the two evils should she be the nominee in the general. Now’s the time to swing for the fences and put real progressive policies on the agenda.
Hillary’s latest deceit reminded me of why, as a newcomer to politics in 2008, I came to dislike her and voted for Obama instead. While the Clintons may support some good policies here and there, they love hobnobbing with the billionaire class and they lie with such ease. And you know the old saying about liars, “If they’ll do it WITH ya, they’ll do it TO ya.” Just you wait until Hillary flips back and supports TPP after the election.