Child Poverty

Marian Wright Edelman, my friend and founder of the Children's Defense Fund, says it best: "If we don't stand up for children, then we don't stand for much."

In my 35 years as an advocate for children and families, I have never met a child without potential. But I've met plenty of children growing up in extraordinary hardship and lacking the basic tools they need to succeed. Even in the United States, the wealthiest nation in the world, 13 million children still live in poverty and 5 million live in extreme poverty. Too many children are expected to overcome these hurdles, become productive citizens, and compete in a modern global economy without the benefit of sound schooling, decent housing, proper nutrition, and adequate health care.

This is not just an economic problem. It's a moral outrage.

I've been working to better the lives of children for 35 years, and the future of America's children will be a centerpiece of my presidency. The issue is personal for me. My own mother struggled through a childhood of neglect to give her own children the opportunities she never had. My mother taught me at a young age that all children deserve the chance to live up to their God-given potential and make the most of their lives.

For the better part of my professional and public life, I've focused on issues like children's health care, education, foster care and adoption, child care, and education -- all of which have a direct impact on children and their families. I took an extra year in law school to study child development and to work on legal assistance for the poor. Then I went to work for the Children's Defense Fund, where I represented abused and neglected children and children with disabilities. In Arkansas, I was tasked with leading an effort to reform the state's education system, then ranked near the bottom. I started a special program for mothers of pre-schoolers to get their kids ready for kindergarten, and also worked on reforming the state's rural health care system, which helped many poor families and their children. As First Lady, I pushed the effort to expand Head Start and help create Early Head Start, to reform our nation's foster care and adoption systems, and to strengthen child care across the United States.

After universal health care didn't succeed, I helped create the Children's Health Insurance Program, which now covers six million children in need.

Running for president has only strengthened my resolve to find solutions to problems affecting our children. In southern Ohio today, I announced a plan to take on child poverty -- and to end the moral outrage of children living in such neglect.

I have two bold goals: First, we're going to end child hunger by 2012. It's a national crisis and a national disgrace that more than 12 million children in America go hungry every day. I will do everything I can to reduce that number to zero.

Second, we're going to cut child poverty in half by 2020, lifting more than 6 million children above the poverty line.

You can learn the full details of my plan on my website.

These goals are ambitious, but we can -- and must -- achieve them. Child poverty is an affront to our most basic American values. Indeed, our treatment of children is a measure of our decency, compassion, and humanity as a people. It's time for the best of America -- our talent, innovative spirit, and potential for progress -- to be reflected in our children. The children of America are a national treasure -- and a national responsibility. Securing their future will be at the heart of my presidency.

Comments

[goldenshaman]

By 2012?

Is this mystery radio?

I'm sure all the hungry kids will appreciate that.

[peacehappens]

NAFTA is not the only reason we have lost jobs in this country.

For years manufacturing jobs have been moving overseas because labor and parts are cheap - China comes to mind because it has been in the news. Made paying Chinese labor and parts but sold at US prices. IT work and jobs have moved overseas because labor is cheaper.
Call centers have been moved overseas as well.

Revising NAFTA will not stop companies from sending jobs to India, China, Vietnam, etc.

"Jetliners are being built with substandard parts manufactured in China, Japan, Brazil, Italy, France and Australia, in addition to the United States." "The Federal Aviation Administration lacks an adequate system for checking the quality of airplane components, according to a federal oversight report." There were engine failures as a result.

Both Clinton and Obama are slamming NAFTA because it is politically correct at the moment but neither has committed to getting out of it.

What is the plan to bring these jobs back home?

[mix2007]

Hillary should drop out now. She is hurting the party. It is a choice of her ego versus the good of the party. For the good of the party, she needs to quit on March 4th.

If she hangs in after that, she will be blamed if the Democrats lose in November. Does she want to go down as the person who ruined the Democrats best chance in a generation?

Please Hillary, DO THE RIGHT THING -- END THIS NOW!!!

[grlpatriot]

Obama should drop out now. He is hurting the party. It is a choice of his ego versus the good of the party. For the good of the party, he needs to quit on March 5th. If he hangs in after that, he will be blamed if the Democrats lose in November. Does he want to go down as the person who ruined the Democrats best chance in a generation? Please, oh please, Barack Obama, DO THE RIGHT THING -- Drop out on March 5th!

[DRPike]

Why exactly would Obama drop out, he's winning?

[Pepper14]

Please, oh please, Hillary Clinton, DO THE RIGHT THING--Drop out on March 5th.

[kay]

I'd like to ask Senator Clinton about Countrywide.

Senator Clinton travels to Hispanic sections in Texas and appears with Henry Cisneros. She talks about subprime lenders, mentions Countrywide Lending by name, as an egregious example of corporate greed.

But, as reported in the Wall Street Journal on Friday, up until last year, Henry Cisneros was on the board of Countrywide, where he made 360 k a year. Henry Cisneros still owns more than 5 million in stock in Countrywide.

And, Mark Penn accepted a lucrative contract to rehab Countrywide's "IMAGE" problems just last year.

Why doesn't Hillary Clinton tell Hispanics in Texas about her campaign's connections to Countrywide, the second largest subprime lender in the country?

Why doesn't Hillary Clinton mention, when she appears on a stage with Henry Cisneros, and decries Countrywide Mortgage, that Mr. Cisneros profited hugely from the subprime debacle, along with Mark Penn?

The Clinton's have a character problem. They lie to supporters.

I think Hillary Clinton should be asked about her campaign connections to Countrywide.

[asl3676]

Hillary's connection to Countrywide? What is this six degrees of separation? And what did Countrywide do that was so bad?

[democraticjack]

Did your comments come from page one or two of the Obama talking points memo?

[WilliePilgrim]

The best way to end child poverty is to end their parents' poverty. Make it easy to open up small business and for those businesses to hire workers. Take down the barriers to small business. Right now, between the overburden of taxation (and the paperwork (always more and more time consumeing paperwork)of reporting) and requlations for employers (try opening a small business and you'll see what I mean), the incentive to create wealth by individuals is very much discouraged. As it is right now, I feel that if Hillary (or anyone currently in the running) wanted to promote small wealth generating business we'd see a proposal for a large invasive program designed to "promote small business" that would require small business to comply with some time and attention consuming program. See, there is the problem. It will take a change in her total philosophy on how govenment can help people. And it's not just Hillary. Bush wants to help the people who are suffering in the enconomy so he proposes a rebate. Rebate? Why not tell people when it's tax time to knock off several hundred dollars from the check they will be required to send in as taxes? Why? Because that eliminates the government from being involved and while I'm not "anti-government", I am against un-neccesarily complicated processes that make things inefficient and discourage the individual, who's time and resources, unlike the government's perception of itsown, is not unlimited. They want to spend time with their community and family, not filling out quarterly forms or dealing with the complexities of a beaurocracy they never asked for nor needed...that should be Hillary's job, filling out the forms that she thinks are important for us...that's what governement services should do for us, not design a new program to help kids get out of poverty. Leave that to the hardworking parents who know their kids are their number one investment. It's not the government's job to do that. Let me, not the govenrment decide where my village begins and ends.

[gg57]

For those of you basing your choice against Hillary because of her vote on Iraq.
I urge you to take the time to read this.

http://clinton.senate.gov/speeches/iraq_101002.html

[jojojo]

Voting for Obama is not the same as a "choice against Hillary."

Just don't vote for Nader, who delivered us Bush and war and 4000 dead and Billions od dollars lost and thousands of dead Iraqis.

[morphizm]

Nader delivered that to us? Can I have what you are smoking?

[rbrooks]

I'm voting for Obama, just to be clear. But I agree with Nader on the issues he raises, and I believe that the citizens of this country owe him a great deal. His lifelong work as a consumer advocate has saved countless lives, and in a rational world I believe he would be one of our country's heroes.

I would support Nader if I thought it would accomplish anything; but however much I respect the things he has done for this country, I don't think running for president is a wise or successful way for him to get attention paid to the causes he fights for so passionately. The corporate media happily allows him plenty of exposure, but presented as a loser and a diversion from the serious business of reporting on the real campaigns. Running for president makes it too easy for the corporate media to marginalize him and by association, of course, his views. I happen to believe that allowing the media to frame your views is far too high a price to pay for media exposure, and I wish Mr. Nader would listen to me. But I would take to the streets, armed, to defend his right to do it.

My point is that it was Jeb Bush and the Supreme Court who gave us Appointee Bush. Don't overlook the fact that Gore won; in fact, he won big. It strikes me that in view of the lengths to which the outlaw establishment was willing to go to hijack the 2000 election, it wouldn't have made much difference how many votes Gore won by, or in how many states. The 2000 election was not only stolen, it was a coup. It wasn't Nader who stole Florida, or who stopped the counting. The ocean of blood that has been shed in the past eight years belongs solely on the hands of the Bush family and the hands of five members of the Supreme Court.

[PrdAmerican]

Hillary Clinton as admitted that she relied upon those directly from the Bush administration to brief her on Iraq instead of reading the NIE report. When you then read such stories as this one ( http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10782562 ) it's just another indication that had she and a few other senators taken the "time" to read this report instead of relying upon Bush's lackeys we might not be in this god awful mess. It shows poor judgment on her part, plain and simple. Yes, she wishes she could now take back that vote which is of little comfort to the families who have lost their son or daughter...or the child has who has lost their mother or father.

Clinton supporters would have us say that there is more to their candidate than a single "vote". I fundamentally disagree. In that vote, she showed as did 29 other democratic senators, that they would vote out of fear rather than reason, they would vote in favor of their political careers rather than risk them, they would vote to do what no senator or president ever should do....to send our men and women into harms way without FULLY knowing the facts, and certainly, this nation was militarily prepared to fight a two prong war (as we have seen in the lack of body armor and properly armored humvees which has resulted in far more deaths and injuries than should have occurred). This nation, because of Iraq, is now more econimcally unstable than it has been in decades, and is closing in on the instability of the depression era. We have destroyed our foreign policy and crediblity around the globe and as a result have LESS security as nations have withdrawn support and aide in hunting down terrorirst. Afghanistan is but a blip on the radar screen...the right war was left; the true master mind of 9/11 has been allowed free reign in Packistan and Afghanistan.

One vote does matter....and Clinton, clearly, is getting to understand for herself how damaging VOTES can be.

[BillForObama]

Looks like she was just swallowing Bush cheese!

[Viper]

Well FOX News is now on its 4th hour of PRO Clinton Support. Need I say more.

They want this to keep going so the DEMS are split!

And you will not get much change from Hiliary. Experience yes. But as I near 60, her years of experience is during a tremendous decline in the U.S.. Its the wrong expereince! Its been the wrong direction. Not her fault in large part, but she was there for the party, time to go home and let some one else clean it up and who does not have to explain his/her past support for mindless free trade and IRAQ!

Regards

[jackpinesavage]

The word "we" appears five times in this post (two of those appearances is in a quote). The word "our" appears six times (five of them in the final paragraph). The word "I", however, appears 14 times. And "me" or "my" occurs seven times. 21 - 9 is the final score. Note: two more of the "we" appearances are suggesting that "we're" going to do something, which is, in fact, referential to "my" administration and what "I" plan to take credit for.

I realize that Sen Clinton is running for President, but does Sen Clinton realize that it will take much more the a President to address/solve the monumental problems facing us? Nowhere does she reference the fact that for her broad - and ambitious - goals to become reality, she will need a Congress with at least a solid majority...if not a super-majority.

Finally, she's lying through her teeth: we are not the world's wealthiest nation. We are the world's worst debtor nation in history; those bills will be coming due, and we'll have to find a way to pay them before we can spend more billions that we don't have.

[KarenZipdrive]

Jack, that you took the time to count tells me you were scrambling for anything to bitch about.
I daresay you wouldn't be man enough to call Hillary a liar to her face.
But then, we are all SuperGiants behind our little PC screens.

[DRPike]

Your personal attacks against a person you by anything apparent know nothing about asside, should Jack fear calling HRC a liar to her face? Perhaps he should, that is another good reason to vote for Obama.

BTY; unlike yours Jacks point is a substantive one, Obama is beating HRC more that any other reason on the fact that he is running on what he believes we can do as a nation from the bottom up if properly lead while HRC is running on the idea that we should trust her to take over for w running from the top down.

[Viper]

For 35 years we have ebgaged in mindless free trade. That faith based mantra has taken us from a country that had 33% GDP MFG with trade surpluses to 6%, From the largest Creditor nation in the world to largest debtor nation in the world. From one trillion in debt amassed over 200 plus years to 10 trillion amassed in just 35 years and half of that in just 7 years. From 50% of the worlds economy to just 21 percent.

Along with these declines are the declines in real wages, increases in crime and droput rates, declines in educational and literacy standards that place us in the 3rd world category along with the devalued dollar on its way to becoming the American Pesso. 700 military basis in 250 countries... WHY? No one else has ten!

We are a country that nolonger feeds itself, clothes itself or makes much of anything but hamburgers. Yet we still spend more than the next 18 largest nations on defense combined. If/when asian currency is delinked for from the dollar, the cost of products will quickly double at Wal-Mart. We went from a producer economy to a consumer economy, which is a very hollow economy. You cant create a stimulus package that does the U.S. more good than it does China... and you have to borrow the money from China to pay for the stimuli program. How SAD!

Mandated healhtcare does not reduce the cost of healthcare. Single payer cutting the middlman insurance companies out ( like the way Wal-mart cuts the middleman out) and getting our drug cost in line with Europe, does cut healthcare by more than 50%. When thats done you can then talk about universal healthcare. I opettae/own Cancer treatment centers.


You cant blow up countries that had nothing to do with 911 and then pay to rebuild them when you are a broken country. Economically OSAMA has one!!!!

You cant charge China a 2.5% tarriff while they charge us a 22.5% tarriff... thats free trade or Mexico charges a 15% tarrif? Americans cant compete with workers whose wages are 1/20th theirs no matter how good ( so stop that bullshit)!.

You cant import h/s workers when only 25% of your science gradutates find jobs in their chosen field and yell that worker re training is the solution to the gutting of the middleclass. And you cant keep wages up on the jobs left, if you allow million of illegal aliens into the U.S., when the high paying MFG jobs are nolonger now here.

Other than than the above I like you.

Regards

[BTN]

Ridiculous comment, we need more free trade if this country is to grow and we are to relieve poverty here and abroad.
Read this:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120432883739204247.html?mod=todays_us_opinion

[PardonMyFrenchFries]

Thank you Hillary,

My family and I greatly apprerciate what you have done for this country. You are a real hero and you shoud be our next President. Personally, I have been so offended by the democrat party that I will be changing my status permenantly if you continue to be mistreated by our rank&file dems. If you don't get nominated by the party, I will send Nader my vote. But let's hope it doesn't come to that.

Go Hillary!!!

[kanyingi]

You will actually vote for Nader who has no chance of winning the presidency if Hillary loses????

'Thank you' for voting for warlord McCain.

[jojojo]

" the democrat party"...?

lower case "d", and "democrat", not "democratic". You use Republican terminology. I wonder if you're actually a Republican, hmmm?

And Nader gave us Bush and his war, torture, domestic spying, 4000 dead soldiers, and on and on...

Nader is the Republican stealth bomber.

[MsLiz]

It was Joe McCarthy who first started using "democrat" instead of "Democratic" party. Enough said.

[dustyoh]

Too little too late, but it's a nice commercial. I don't think you can understand the disappointment I felt as we marched in Chicago against this war. Think of what you could have done with half a trillion dollars to help children that we have flushed down the toilet in war you did not vote against because it was politically incorrect at the time. It's not that I "hate" you, but trust is something you can never get back once it's gone.

[Adrienne4Dean]

Yeah, Hillary Clinton personally started a war. Sure she did.

Meanwhile, Obama is a man of courage and principle.

Dream on.
http://www.beyondchron.org/articles/The_Obama_Craze_Count_Me_Out_5413.html

*****A

[cakelady]

I want to thank you for the informative article on senator Obama. I honestly think that not enough people have looked into his record. I've said this several times. Nothing against him, but he needs more experience. He hasn't even had one full term as senator and I did question a lot of his votes in Ill. as senator. He has a way of not committing to anything that really will show which way he will go if elected president. I'm not comfortable with things he has said or done during the campaign. He keeps telling us how he was against the war, but he was not in the senate at that time he was only a sitting senator in Ill. and did not have all the information that they had and the trouble from the republicans who were questioning the democrats on there seriousness in terrorism and protecting the United States aganist another attack. He himself once said that he was not sure how he would vote if he was in the senate then and had to commit to a vote.
Great articlel, I think everyone should read it. Once before we were fooled by a nice guy who didn't have much in the way of experience. This time around we need someone who knows what to do and not learn on the job. That was what our favorite J.F. K. said, that he was literally learning on the job and we had the bay of pigs problem in Cuba. Think long and hard people.

[DRPike]

No, Hillary Clinton did not personally started a war. She did however stand with and facilitate those (he) who did.

[researcher]

the vote for the war is too much for me to forget. true it appeared the politically right thing to do at the time to look tough on terrorism but:

you tired to show you could be as tough as a man. in a way i feel for you as this country is very agressive but:

the system must be changed by people not within the system. too much at stake for those within the system to change the existing system. must follow jefferson's advice.

after several decades of corp fascism americans may want to change the system but dont count on it as iIwatch ohio voters I can tell most want to be wal mart greeters. the more you take away their jobs the better they like it.

would not surprise me if mc war won ohio in nov. like bush did in 2004. americans are not the brightest bulbs on the planet.

[seejake]

to all my fellow Obama supporters, please try to be nice. that is in the end what separates us from them. take issue with policies and debate them earnestly, but don't stoop to tearing our opponents down. trust me, give them enough rope, and they will hang themselves. besides, all of your negative words have the exact opposite effect you are going for. if you need to vent, write a friend who doesn't mind listening. be tough and keep fighting, but fight fair. this isn't a street fight... it's a chess match.

and Hillary just left her queen undefended.

[vsign]

It is too late.

I have seen and heard the hate Obama has INSPIRED in his followers.

I will not forget.

I do not expect Obama to take any responsibility for this hate he has inspired. He is too much the blank slate for him to acknowledge the harm he has done.

I do not want religion from the highest politician in the land. I have a church. I believe in the separation of church and state. I believe VOTERS deserve much more than Obama has offered.

If Obama's campaign had offered fairness and justice to Democratic Party voters, maybe I could consider his candidancy. Without respect for my vote, Obama's accent to power will be without me.

I will give my passion and my vote to the candidate who exhibits the best judgement, public service, and ability to win the General Election.

This year - the best man for the job is the woman!

[BillForObama]

I resent your statement that Mr. Obama inspired his followers to hate. It has been the past eight years that has inspired us to hate. It is Mrs. Clinton who is dividing the party.

Look at all the problems created by the Bush administration. Take the war in Iraq, for one. Despite her desperate attempts to distance herself from her vote, she keeps digging herself into that proverbial hole.

Her campaign has been ridiculous. Before the first ballot of the 2008 primary Senator Clinton considered herself to be the "presumptive' nominee. Should she become the nominee, it won't be presumptive. Let her try her "presumptive" attitude against Senator McCain afther she would have single-handedly destroyed the Democratic Party.

What Mrs. Clinton has that Mr. Obama does not have, Mr. Obama can get. What Mr. Obama has that Mrs. Clinton does not have, she can never get.
Alec Baldwin

What Mrs. Clinton has that Mr. Obama does not have, Mr. Obama does not want. What Mr. Obama has that Mrs. Clinton does not have, she wishes she had.
William Jackson

[CommittedDem]

There is so much hatred towards Hillary on this site. There's so much hatred and opposition to her points although Obama himself basically endorses the exact same things. If Obama had written the exact same words, the comments here would be completely different. This site is a big joke! It's a place for hate-mongering. I don't know how on earth Obama supporters expect Hillary supporters to support Obama in the general after all the hatred that has been aimed at her supporters on this board. Do you really not what her supporters' vote? Do you believe you can carry the general election with 51% of the Democrat base and a few independents sprinkled in? Good luck with that...
Whatever happened to the politics of hope?

[Demonax]

Are you really a "Committed Dem" as your user name suggests? Then what's with the threat not to vote for our nominee this fall? Are Hillary supporters sore losers or what? Like it or not, Hillary is NOT going to be the Democratic nominee. This Tuesday John McCain will clinch the Republican nomination. It's time for Hillary to drop out of the Democratic race so we can unite behind our candidate, Barack Obama.

[democraticjack]

I won't vote for either Obama or McCain. By all indications the hope, change and uniter candidate has legions of supporters who indulge in the most hate filled spin and rhetoric I have ever had the displeasure to read. If that is the new "Democratic" party, I really don't fit in anymore and I want no part of it. I'll just be voting for local and Congressional candidates.

[MikeMidCity]

This site isn't the DLC.

The people here don't understand a vote to start an immoral and unjustified war of preemption.

[grlpatriot]

CommittedDem, I'm with you all the way and you are not alone. Many Democrats and Indies have been so put off by Obama's supporters and their hatred and intense disrespect of Hillary and her supporters. I have heard on message boards and blogs repeatedly how there is no way they are voting for him if he is the nominee. I think many people are either staying home, voting for Nadar, or voting for McCain on the experience issue if Obama is the nominee.

[DRPike]

Taking the comments of a few supporters to form you view of a candidate is simply silly. If that is your position then so be it, that is your right, but think about it for a minute "CommittedDem" you would hurt the party to poke some anonymous disrespectful blog posters in the eye? Are you serious?

I have to believe that though there are more of you they are to few to matter.

[Thinkingclearly]

What's been interesting is that Hillary's campaign - not the Republicans has been the source of the Muslim nastygram email against Barack, the picture, and now they're trying to stir up trouble with the Jews as well.

Hillary likes to talk about how she'll fight - but she fights dirty and that's how she's lived her life. From the time she and Bill were in the Governor's mansion and selling lots to the elderly in Whitewater - then repossessing them if payment wasn't received in 30 days (and selling them over and over again). She and Bill treated the military staff in the White House like dirt - even asking them if they had to wear their UNIFORMS! Her position on the Armed Services Committee was done just to combat that - but remember the disdain and how she treated General Petraeous when he came to report on the surge. And now she's telling us SHE'S the national security candidate.

What bothers me is that her spin becomes the news, the news becomes the beliefs of the people who listen to it. Frankly the repeating of her rants is must free negative advertising for her - nonstop.

[generaldelivery]

"What's been interesting is that Hillary's campaign - not the Republicans has been the source of the Muslim nastygram email against Barack, the picture"

More repetiton of surrilous lies. Get thee behind me, republican.

[gopSTEALSyourTAXmoney]

SNAP!

[RnR]

Senator Clinton: I hope that sometime in the future the people of this country are honest enough to look at the treatment you were given here, on this website, and by the MSM. When and if they do, (and by that time the bloom will be off the rose if you know what I mean) and they try to make amends...please do a lot of us a huge favor.

Give them the fucking finger. :) And I'm not even sure I'll vote I'm so disgusted by the cheap treatment given to a woman by the gasbags who have access to the airwaves. I don't think Obama is anything more than another corporate democrat. I'm sure you didn't apologize for your vote on the war due to the Israeli factor...where are they now? I do realize that the fat lady hasn't sung yet, but there is a lesson to be learned here.

[veracity]

RnR (the spirit of Ronny Raygun?) wrote: "Give them the fucking finger..."
Damn, RR, WE'VE ALREADY GOT a PRESIDENT who does that... who calls a competent reporter "a major league a__hole" and a VP who tells a distinguished member of the opposition, on the senate floor no less, "Go f___ yourself!"
(And btw. Senator Patrick Leahy was one of the two Senators who was a target of the mysterious Anthrax terrorist attacks... as if any self-respecting Arab terrorist would target Tom Daschle and Patrick Leahy with a deadly letter, and then warn the victims of the need to get immunized!)

You are obviously pretty happy with the way things have turned out over the past 8 years, and with the fact that Her HRC Highness hasn't used one fifth of the weapons in her arsenal to oppose that agenda. (e.g. she has never _led_ a filibuster, she has never opposed an in-your-face partisan nominee, she can't even, despite her seat on the Senate ARMED SERVICES committee, STAND UP FOR VETERANS returning home traumatized, wounded, warehoused, and neglected by this current administration... even though _all_ the Washington Post had to do to break the "Walter Reed Army hospital Neglect Scandal" was... go visit Walter Reed Army hospital, there within a 15 minute ride of the Capital building.
Perhaps her Highness has more important things to be chauffeured to, than seeing to the welfare and rehabilitation of our thousands of combat-wounded veterans?

(Here are two cases where Republicans SHOT DOWN decent, help-Americans legislation on PARTY LINE VOTES, both from Senator Patty Murray's website. The second one was Republicans shooting down the Murray Amendment to fund $2.7 billion in VETERAN'S REHAB and health care... what we Americans OWE our veterans, since VA funding was then at pre-Iraq War levels. Her HRC Highness couldn't deign to LEAD a fight, a REAL, MEANINGFUL FILIBUSTER FIGHT, on either of these critical issues... but today, you want Democratic voters to flock to the polls and fight for her?)
Repubs shoot-down student loan bill reform, on party line vote, Dem. "leadership" refuses to make a FILIBUSTER FIGHT of it....
http://murray.senate.gov/news.cfm?id=226175

Repubs SHOOT DOWN VETERAN'S CARE additional $2.7 billion on STRAIGHT PARTY LINE VOTE: HRC, like all the Senate Democrats, REFUSED to make a FILIBUSTER FIGHT of this issue, an issue at the very CORE of "WE SUPPORT THE TROOPS! Democrats DON'T!" Republican partisan propaganda:
http://murray.senate.gov/news.cfm?id=226175