Today's edition of Hillary News & Views begins with Clinton once again using her star power to rebuild the Democratic Party in a very red state.
The Hoover Sun reports:
Hillary Clinton is scheduled to visit Hoover in October to speak at the Alabama Democratic Conference convention, conference chairman Joe Reed said tonight.
The Democratic front-runner for president is set to speak at a luncheon on Oct. 17 at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham – The Wynfrey Hotel.
She will be the only presidential candidate speaking at the convention and likely will be endorsed by the predominantly black political group when it votes that Saturday afternoon, Reed said.
The group expects to hear her speak on issues such as immigration, voting rights, education and the minimum wage, Reed said.
“She’s a good candidate. I feel certain she’ll be the next president,” he said. “Secretary Clinton is very popular with the ladies and very popular with a lot of other segments of the population. We’re just looking forward to her coming.”
Alabama Democratic Conference members can buy tickets for the luncheon for $50 through their county chapters, Reed said. The general public can get tickets by calling the ADC state office at 334-263-4040. Ticket prices for the general public begin at $150 and go higher for seats closer to the speaker, Reed said. Platinum sponsorships with tickets for three tables (30 people) will cost $5,000, he said.
Clinton has already done similar events in Arkansas, Idaho, Utah, and other solidly red states.
Clinton has also been talking on the campaign trail about her plans to strengthen the Affordable Care Act. That will include getting rid of the "Cadillac tax."
CNN reports:
Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that Congress should repeal the unpopular "Cadillac tax," an Obamacare tariff on premium health care plans.
Her position is a win for unions, who vehemently opposed the tax, set to go into effect in 2018.
Clinton said that while the Affordable Care Act -- one of President Barack Obama's top legislative achievements -- was "working, plain and simple," there were some changes that needed to be made.
"I have proposed new reforms to build on the progress we've made and lower out-of-pocket costs for families," said Clinton in a statement. "That's why, among other steps, I encourage Congress to repeal the so-called Cadillac tax, which applies to some employer-based health plans, and to fully pay for the cost of repeal."
Clinton said some of her proposed reforms to Obamacare, which she has rolled out in the past month, would more than cover the cost of repealing the Cadillac tax, a measure that helped to pay for the health care reform law.
The media continues to goad Clinton into criticizing President Obama, and they continue to fail miserably.
From her interview on Meet the Press:
Chuck Todd: You have said you're not running for Barack Obama's third term. What are a couple of places you differ?
HRC: I think I would have a different job. I have said I'm not my husband's third term, either. Both of them faced economic challenges inherited from their Republican predecessor, and President Obama inherited the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
It was his job to stop the bleeding, begin to repair the economy, dig us out of the ditch we were in - which he has done - and begin to see the recovery of jobs.
But what we haven't seen is the recovery of income. We haven't seen paychecks rising yet. People have not recovered either their paycheck or their wealth that was so devastated by the crisis of '07, '08, '09.
CT: But where do you differ from the president:
HRC: Well, I have a different set of specific priorities because I will face a different set of issues.
I also will defend the Affordable Care Act, but I want to take it further. I want to make improvements in it.
I will defend Dodd-Frank, but I want to impose a much harsher set of restrictions based on risk on the financial markets.
So I think that it won't surprise you to hear that I believe the economy and the country does better under a Democratic president. So I want to build on what works from both my husband's term and President Obama's, but I want to go further, and I will face different challenges.
She also commented on TPP:
Chuck Todd: Are you willing to say where you are on TPP?
Clinton: I have to see what's in TPP. From what I hear, it's kind of a moving target.
They haven't finished the negotiations.
I've been very clear. If it does not support American jobs, if it does not give us the kind of advantages we need to keep the economy going - we had 3.9% growth last quarter, we need to keep moving in that direction - and if it's not in our security interests, I'm not going to support it.
So once I have a chance to review it, I will state where I stand on it.
CT: In 2007 in a debate, you said that NAFTA was a mistake in hindsight. Do you still sort of believe that?
HRC: You know at the time, I thought that NAFTA held out a lot of promise, but the fact that a lot of the so-called side agreements were not actually in the treaty, I thought was a problem.
And it has turned out that I don't think we had enough of an enforcement mechanism when dealing with NAFTA.
Now, I don't think it's as bad or as good as either its detractors or its supporters say, but I think we've learned - or, I hope we've learned - how better to do trade agreements.
I voted against CAFTA when I was in the Senate because I didn't think the lessons had been learned. I'm waiting to see what's in TPP.
Clinton's interview with Lena Dunham continues to get press, with many outlets reporting highlights from the conversation.
The Washington Post reports on Clinton's approach to Wall Street:
"When it comes to Wall Street abuses, I spoke out about those even when I was a senator from New York, and obviously Wall Street is in New York," Clinton tells Dunham in a clip for Dunham's new site, LennyLetter.com, echoing her trail pitch. "I really tried to sound the alarm when I was in the Senate. And when I was in the campaign in 2008 I was also really in the forefront of saying, `We've got big problems here.'"
Clinton again adds that Dodd-Frank legislation is "a good down payment" on broad financial services reform but said that it must go further. "It's not enough. ... As president, what has not been implemented I will absolutely implement. And then I will look for any other abuses that need to be stopped and curbed."
"I like to have plans for what I do. I may not always be the stem-winder about these things because I think it's important -- and I’ve been around Washington long enough to know -- you've got to get people to agree if you're going to get something done," said Clinton. "Trying to get bipartisan agreement is difficult but often it's essential."
"I've been progressive my entire life, and I would put my record up against anybody running for president or thinking about doing that,” Clinton said.
Time reports:
Clinton on her time at Wellesley
“We had lots and lots of vigorous debates back in those days. Civil rights, women’s rights, the Vietnam War, the assassinations of Dr. King and Bobby Kennedy — the campus was often in turmoil because of things that were happening in the larger world.”
[Clinton looking at a picture of herself leading a protest] “Curfews and visiting hours by men. That was what this was about. And you can see the crowd that it drew! These were people who really knew what they wanted….Turning the personal into the political is sometimes the only way to stay true to the personal.”
On her marriage to Bill Clinton
“I was terrified about losing my identity and getting lost in the wake of Bill’s force-of-nature personality. I actually turned him down twice when he asked me to marry him.”
On debt held by America’s students
“We have $1.2 trillion in student debt, and this is an enormous problem. I want to give everybody a chance to refinance their debt. Bring the interest rates down, because oftentimes in crowds, I will say, “Who has student debt?” And so many hands go up.”
On race and law enforcement
“One of the areas where we have problems is the relationship between communities of color and the police forces who are to protect them. In those police forces now, we have many more police officers who are from different races, different backgrounds, so it’s not only a question of white versus black. It is a question of how force is used, how our law enforcement are trained, what kind of mind-set they have as they go about their daily jobs.”
MSNBC reports:
“Whenever I’m talking to young women about politics, I always say, look, you don’t have to run for office, you don’t have to be actively involved, but you do have to exercise your brain in deciding what you believe and who you will support,” Clinton said. “And sometimes, it is choices between people that none of whom excite you, but study it enough to figure out, OK, if I vote for this person over that person, I’m more likely to see progress on something I care about.”
Clinton went on to urge young women to not “get turned off by the negativity and nastiness that is unfortunately too much in our politics today.”
“You kind of can cut through that and say, look, I not only have a right, I have an obligation to make a choice. That’s part of the service I pay for living in our country. So I’m going to vote for X or Y. Not because I think that person is perfect, but it’s going to be better than the alternative. If you can’t get excited, be pragmatic and do it anyway,” Clinton said.
The former secretary of state, who has praised the often-maligned millennial generation in the past, also told Dunham she believes “the millennial generation is so public service oriented.”
And the former secretary of state said she hoped that public service would translate to political involvement. “I meet young people who are doing incredible non-profit projects, charitable, faith-based, all kind of great work. But I always ask them, are you going to do that work for the rest of your life?” Clinton said. “Because you’re helping one person, but there are many more people like that person who need help. That’s why we need political leadership and decisions that actually lift everybody up.”
Politics, Clinton added, “can seem cold, it can seem hostile, it can seem mean, all of that. I’m not sure it’s ever been any different, but now it plays out on the global stage and literally second by second we can follow what is or isn’t happening.”
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.