Hillary Clinton has been very busy, as today's edition of Hillary News & Views will attest.
As she makes the case for her candidacy, she is wholeheartedly embracing the legacies of both the Clinton and Obama administrations, and making the case for the Democratic party as a whole.
CBS News reports:
I obviously am running because I think it's better for the country if a Democrat who has the kind of approaches and values that my husband had and Barack Obama has follows this presidency...
And that's why I have an economic policy that is centered on raising incomes, because I think what we inherited from the Bush administration, what President Obama had to deal with had the potential of becoming a great depression, not just a great recession.
We have now recovered 13 million jobs, after losing 800,000 a month when he came into office. So, why would we go back to the same policies? Call them insider. Call them tilted toward the rich. Call them giving corporations a free pass to do whatever they want.
I'm against that. I have always been against that. I want to go back to economic policies where we create millions of new jobs and where people's incomes rise not just at the top, but in the middle and at the bottom, like they did under my husband.
So, you know, I'm not running for Bill's third term. I'm not running for President Obama's third term. But it would be really foolish of me not to say, you know, that worked better than what the Republicans offer.
Clinton followed up this point on Twitter:
She also endorsed President Obama's recent remarks on the importance of empowering young black women and girls:
Clinton proposed a significant increase on the number of refugees allowed into the United States.
CBS News reports:
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said Sunday that the United States should accept 65,000 refugees from Syria to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis created by the war there.
"We're facing the worst refugee crisis since the end of World War II and I think the United States has to do more," the former secretary of state said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation." "I would like to see us move from what is a good start with 10,000 to 65,000 and begin immediately to put into place the mechanisms for vetting the people that we would take in."
She said there should be a focus on admitting the most vulnerable, like persecuted religious minorities, or those who had been brutalized, like the Yazidi women.
Clinton also said, "I want the United States to lead the world," and said the United Nations Secretary General should call for a meeting at the upcoming U.N. General Assembly meeting in which countries make specific commitments about to provide money and aid.
Tomorrow, Clinton will roll out her proposed expansion of Obamacare.
The Los Angeles Daily News reports:
Hillary Rodham Clinton says she’ll soon roll out a proposal for controlling the cost of prescription drugs, a key fix to President Barack Obama’s signature health care law.
“We have a lot of positives. But there are issues that need to be addressed,” the Democratic presidential frontrunner she said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation. “I’m going to address them this week, starting with how we’re going to try to control the cost of skyrocketing prescription drugs. It’s something I hear about everywhere I go.”
Another highlight from the
Face the Nation transcript has Clinton aggressively defending abortion rights:
DICKERSON: Let me ask you about those Planned Parenthood videos. Have you watched them?
CLINTON: I have seen excerpts from them. And I have certainly read about them.
And what I am troubled by are the misleading, inaccurate allegations about them that we heard from Republicans at their debate. This is really an attack on Planned Parenthood, which provides a lot of health services, from cancer screenings , to contraceptive services, to so many other of the needs women have.
And to shut down the government, which some Republicans are advocating, over funding for Planned Parenthood, which takes care of millions of women's health needs, is just the height of irresponsibility.
DICKERSON: That's the policy debate this has turned into. But what was your reaction just when you watched them?
CLINTON: Well, look, as Planned Parenthood has said, these were misleadingly edited. They were intentionally taken out of context.
The fact is that, if we want to have a debate in this country about whether we should continue using -- or doing fetal research, then it's not only Planned Parenthood that should be involved in that debate. All of the experts, all of the scientists, all of the research institutions, everybody who is looking for cures to Parkinson's, for example, should be asked, should we continue this?
But so far as I am aware, what they did, despite the way it was portrayed, is within the laws that were set up for this.
DICKERSON: This week, the Senate is going to vote to impose a federal ban on late-term abortions. Do you support a federal limit on abortion at any stage of pregnancy?
CLINTON: This is one of those really painful questions that people raise. And, obviously, it's really emotional.
I think that the kind of late-term abortions that take place are because of medical necessity. And, therefore, I would hate to see the government interfering with that decision. I think that, again, this gets back to whether you respect a woman's right to choose or not. And I think that is what this whole argument once again is about.
Regarding the primary race, Clinton's fluctuating poll numbers are being influenced by Biden siphoning off some of her support, as shown in a new national poll released today.
CNN reports:
Hillary Clinton's lead in the Democratic presidential primary race has grown -- and if Vice President Joe Biden decides to stay out of the race, her numbers would rise even higher, a new CNN/ORC poll shows.
Clinton is backed by 42% of Democratic primary voters nationally, compared to 24% for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, 22% for Biden and 1% for former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley.
That's a marked improvement over an early September CNN/ORC poll that found Clinton leading Sanders, 37% to 27%, with Biden at 20%.
And Biden's support comes almost entirely from Clinton's camp. Without the vice president in the race, Clinton's numbers climb by 15 percentage points, while Sanders' increase by only 4 points -- giving Clinton a nearly 2-to-1 lead at 57% to 28%, with O'Malley moving up to 2%.
Clinton continues to reserve all of her fire for the GOP, keeping the Democratic rivalries positive.
The Huffington Post reports:
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said Sunday that she had "no interest" in running negative television ads against her main rival for the nomination, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
CBS News' "Face the Nation" host John Dickerson had asked Clinton whether she would pledge to refrain from running such ads.
"I want this to be about ideas and about policies," she said. "I know Bernie. I respect his enthusiastic and intense advocacy of his ideas. That's what I want this campaign to be about, and I hope people who support me respect that."
Regarding Biden's potential entry into the race:
"This is such a personal decision and the vice president has to sort this out," Clinton said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation." "He's been so open in talking about how difficult this time is for him and his family and he's obviously considering what he wants to do including whether he wants to run."
"I just have the greatest respect and affection for him and I think everybody just ought to give him the space to decide what's best for his family," she added.
As Clinton prepared to speak at the New Hampshire Democratic Convention, she picked up another big endorsement from the state - Governor Maggie Hassan:
The New Hampshire Union Leader reports:
“I’ve known Hillary for years, and I know that she is deeply committed to making sure Granite State families get ahead and have the support they need to stay ahead,” Hassan said in a statement released by the Clinton campaign. “Whether it’s through her comprehensive plan to make college more affordable for our students, her multi-pronged approach to combating substance abuse, or her unwavering commitment to protecting access to reproductive health care for women, all Granite Staters have a champion in Hillary Clinton.”
Clinton called Hassan a pragmatic and inspirational leader.
“I have drawn inspiration from her leadership on making college more affordable, combating substance abuse, helping innovative businesses create the jobs of tomorrow, making strides towards ending gender pay discrimination, and protecting access to affordable health care for everyone—not just those who can afford it,” Clinton said. “I hope that Friday’s forum on college affordability is the beginning of a partnership, during which Gov. Hassan and I will fight for the families of New Hampshire for years to come.”
With Hassan’s endorsement, Clinton has garnered the support of New Hampshire’s top three elected women. U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen endorsed Clinton two weeks ago, and U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster is also on board.
As typical of Clinton, she reserved all of her ammunition for the GOP opposition during her convention speech.
CNN reports:
"If you want a president who will tell you everything that is wrong with America and who is to blame for it, you've got plenty of other choices. And my goodness, didn't we hear enough of that the other night at the Republican debate," Clinton said to a cheering crowd. "But if you want a president who will listen to you, work her heart out to make your life better, and together to build a stronger, fairer, better country, then you are looking at her."
Clinton's remarks were chock full of red meat, lines aimed at connecting with the reliably Democratic primary voters.
The former secretary of state described CNN's GOP debate this week as "15 candidates, five hours, not a single fighter for the middle class."
And on her new favorite talking point -- the candidacy of GOP front-runner Donald Trump -- Clinton said his recent failure to correct a questioner about President Barack Obama's faith was "shocking but not surprising."
"He has been trafficking in prejudice and paranoia throughout this campaign," Clinton said.
Not all Republicans, though, drew Clinton's ire. Clinton mentioned South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham twice during her nearly 40-minute speech, noting that they worked together on National Guard issues during their time in the Senate and the fact that Graham said something nice about her at the GOP debate.
"Hillary Clinton has a list a mile long to help the middle class," Graham said at the debate. Clinton said that was possibly the only true thing said during the GOP event.
The Boston Herald has more of her Trump comments:
Clinton slammed Trump yesterday for failing to refute a town-hall attendee’s assertion on Thursday night that President Obama is “not even an American” and that Muslims are “a problem in this country.”
“He knew or he should have known that what that man was asking was out of bounds,” Clinton told reporters yesterday. “It was untrue, and he should have from the beginning repudiated that kind of rhetoric, that level of hatefulness. … I would call on him and all the candidates to stop this descent into the kind of hateful, mean-spirited divisive rhetoric we’ve seen too much of.”
Trump tried to laugh off the comment Thursday night by telling the audience, “We need this question? This is the first question.” But he canceled a campaign event in South Carolina yesterday, citing a pending business transaction, as the controversy grew.
Clinton said she would have handled the situation much differently.
“I don’t think that person would have come to my event, but if that person had come to my event, I would have called him out on it, and told him it has no place in the kind of discussion we’re trying to have,” Clinton said.
Programming Note: Work responsibilities will make it more difficult for me to participate in the comments than in the past. Just a reminder that these news diaries are not meant to be fodder for pie fights. Please keep the comments on topic, and follow the example of both of our leading candidates when you see attempts to derail. Thank you! -
Lysis
For more on Hillary Clinton's campaign for the presidency, check out…
The Hillary 2016 Platform Series
Part 1: Criminal Justice Reform
Part 2: Immigration Reform
Part 3: Voting Rights
Unfiltered Hillary: The Transcripts
September 4, 2015: MSNBC Interview with Andrea Mitchell
August 14, 2015: Iowa Wing Ding Dinner
July 31, 2015: National Urban League
July 20, 2015: Facebook Q&A
July 17, 2015: Iowa State Democratic Party Hall of Fame Dinner
April 23, 2015: Women in the World Summit
Crossposted at Hillary HQ.com, an independent, progressive blog committed to electing Hillary Clinton as the next President of the United States.