Back in 2004, I wrote an essay predicting "the progressive populist moment" was at hand. Katrina vanden Heuvel disagreed. It turns out I was premature. In this year's Democratic primary, the activists and rank-and-file of the Democratic Party have been the magnet pulling the candidates towards a common platform of ending the Iraq war, misguided trade agreements, and economic injustices that have ruined the lives of so many Americans. The movements for peace, justice and economic reform should be proud of the contributions they have made to public opinion.
It was not so long ago that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were hawkish neo-liberals, eager to prove that they were neither peaceniks nor mindless populists. Now they appear as solid progressives in sync with the broad base of their party.
In tonight's debate, Hillary Clinton personified the empathy of Franklin Roosevelt while Barack Obama invoked the new spirit of John F. Kennedy. I thought Clinton excelled with her wrap up, which led to a standing ovation. She succeeded in expressing a deep empathy for working families. Obama won on the issues of Cuba, Iraq, and held his own on health care against her severe attacks. They seemed equal on their opening statements, what they would do on Day One, Mexican-American issues, and Bush earmarks. Once again, Clinton's attacks seemed to bounce right off Obama.
Her performance might re-ignite her campaign, but also could be a memorable farewell, a dignity in defeat, for which she will be well remembered and honored.
Come on you well-to-do progressives! Get off
your egos and really care for people who need help.
We need leadership from people like Hayden NOW to prevent a Nader run.
Take a look at the Supreme Court. Call it the "Nader Court."
How about the "Bush/Nader" War in Iraq.
He ain't that pure. He's got his health insurance. And his actions make it clear that he doesn't give a damn if I have insurance.
He will be remembered as a selfish oddball. Egotistical and uncaring. A cold, self-centered fish.
And ALL the people I know that support him have health insurance too: trust fund babies and university
profs, and organic farmers with million dollar spreads but wear down and dirty threads.
COme on. Get real. Come on you check-book progressives, Give people without health insurance a real break.
Thank you John Edwards.
When will people who go to work everyday and care about their families ever learn?
You say, "The kids on Obama-Aid don't even really grasp what Obama is saying; their behavior shows that."
What do you mean by this? Frankly, I don't think a lot of people "really grasp what Obama is saying", nor do they "really grasp" what Clinton is saying.
But your statement here seems a bit presumptuous, not to mention shortsighted. I'm not a kid, but I know there are some who are politically aware, and there are more kids involved right now than there have for a while.
One thought I have in this matter is that what Obama is talking about has never existed during the lifetimes of many of these "kids" to whom you refer.
Perhaps you can elaborate on what you mean by your statement?
I'm 40, hardly a kid. I've read all of Obama's positions on his website and read up on his record, not just listened to his speeches. I've done the same for Hillary. Obama's record and platforms are more progressive, that's why I chose him over Hillary. I've also taken note that Obama has run a much tighter focused organized compared to Hillary. She's let too many people screw this up for her. That speaks to a candidate's leadership qualities.
I chose to support Obama over Hillary based on intellectual reasoning, not emotional whim. If I were to make a strictly emotional choice for a candidate, as a woman I'd have chosen Hillary because she's a woman. But I know that would be wrong.
I will vote and support whoever the Democratic nominee is and not be the least bit worried because whoever it may be will be light years above John McCain.
She has been through a lot and has conducted herself with a lot of grit and grace considering the forces against her for so very long.
Have Obama and/or Clinton made the same commitment McCain has made to refuse to issue signing statements that in effect repeal the law? It is important to force them to make a similar commitment and not just trust them on this.
Although McCain is a stupid, contemptible, unprincipled warmongerer still fighting the Vietnam War, he must be congratulated for his position on signing statements.
Now let's see if the Dem frontrunners will take the same position. Both of them are sufficiently squishy on the war and national security that we need a direct answer from them.
Seriously, John McCain is going to say what fits the crowd he's in front of. He hasn't an ounce of credibility.
Gunboat diplomacy is a failure - it just makes everyone work harder to have the biggest gunboat.
Military should be for defense, not negotiations. Sanctions should be a punishment for the worst offenders who don't even respond to attempts to talk.
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As for the Health Care debate: Senator Clinton makes some false analogies by comparing Social Security and Medicare to her Health Care plan. Let me detail them for those who aren't sure -
1. SS and MC are GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS, which collect TAXES out of people's PAYCHECKS PROPORTIONAL to their INCOME (to a certain extent, at least) and GUARANTEES the protections for everyone. There are NO penalties for not being on SS nor MC - you just are, at no extra cost to yourself.
2. The part of Senator Clinton's Health Care plan that MANDATES everyone BUY INSURANCE from PRIVATE COMPANIES. The mandate will make it ILLEGAL to NOT HAVE INSURANCE, therefore GUARANTEEING profit windfalls for the INSURANCE INDUSTRY. If you don't buy insurance, the GOVERNMENT will GARNISH YOUR WAGES with FINES and you STILL WON'T HAVE HEALTH COVERAGE. What you have to PAY is NOT COMPARED TO YOUR INCOME but is what the INSURANCE COMPANIES DECIDE TO CHARGE. Her plan DOESN'T GUARANTEE COVERAGE, her plan GUARANTEES PENALTIES FOR THOSE WHO REMAIN UNINSURED.
To be fair, she adds to this plans to bring costs down and offer subsidies to lower income families, but for me it is the whole "it is the law to have to buy insurance from a private company" that bugs me - this DOESN'T affect HMO's and everything that is wrong with the USA's health care industry - it solely addresses the uninsured period. As Michael Moore will tell you, the insured have big problems too. And not just costs.
To be completely fair, Senator Obama's plan is only really substantially different on the MANDATE side - it too doesn't really address the issues, but it doesn't make things worse either.
Gunboat diplomacy is a failure - it just makes everyone work harder to have the biggest gunboat.
Military should be for defense, not negotiations. Sanctions should be a punishment for the worst offenders who don't even respond to attempts to talk.
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As for the Health Care debate: Senator Clinton makes some false analogies by comparing Social Security and Medicare to her Health Care plan. Let me detail them for those who aren't sure -
1. SS and MC are GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS, which collect TAXES out of people's PAYCHECKS PROPORTIONAL to their INCOME (to a certain extent, at least) and GUARANTEES the protections for everyone. There are NO penalties for not being on SS nor MC - you just are, at no extra cost to yourself.
2. The part of Senator Clinton's Health Care plan that MANDATES everyone BUY INSURANCE from PRIVATE COMPANIES. The mandate will make it ILLEGAL to NOT HAVE INSURANCE, therefore GUARANTEEING profit windfalls for the INSURANCE INDUSTRY. If you don't buy insurance, the GOVERNMENT will GARNISH YOUR WAGES with FINES and you STILL WON'T HAVE HEALTH COVERAGE. What you have to PAY is NOT COMPARED TO YOUR INCOME but is what the INSURANCE COMPANIES DECIDE TO CHARGE. Her plan DOESN'T GUARANTEE COVERAGE, her plan GUARANTEES PENALTIES FOR THOSE WHO REMAIN UNINSURED.
To be fair, she adds to this plans to bring costs down and offer subsidies to lower income families, but for me it is the whole "it is the law to have to buy insurance from a private company" that bugs me - this DOESN'T affect HMO's and everything that is wrong with the USA's health care industry - it solely addresses the uninsured period. As Michael Moore will tell you, the insured have big problems too. And not just costs.
To be completely fair, Senator Obama's plan is only really substantially different on the MANDATE side - it too doesn't really address the issues, but it doesn't make things worse either.
I thought last night was a self-inflicted disaster for her: the obvious low point the insistent and frantic worrying of the plagiarism talking point like a dog with someone's pantleg, bookended by Mr. Rogers. And all the way through, the unnerving fake smile.
Why don't I trust this woman? Dunno, but could it be the tension between her progressive applause lines and the repulsive presence of her chief strategist, Mr. Monsanto, Mark Penn? Anyway ... with all due respect - did we see the same debate?
From the cheap seats, it's hard to figure why this obvious plagiarism isn't mentioned.
To my amazement, CNN had clips of Hillary's closing effort, and of Bill Clinton and John Edwards delivering the heart-tuggers she had ripped off. It was astonishing. I expected to see these clips up on Youtube but it was a shocker to see it on CNN. But that was around 5:30 EST - haven't seen it since, did they pull it?
Even if they did, there's Youtube. I think, and hope, she's toast.
It's the old lesson that a smart woman like Hillary should know well; you don't throw rocks when you live in a glass house yourself.
He is allowed to use the words of others. That is ok... but he is not allowed to claim he is so new and different, when he doesn't have words of his own.
Will BO have a quote that people remember for years to come? I can't think of one so far.
But what about, "Women's rights are human rights." Thousands of women around the world will never forget those words.
Yes SHE Can... and she DID last night
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RernchYH-Ec
Sure, I'm being unfair by not recognizing Obama's ability to inspirate and actually give hope.........more like just seeing down the road though, seeing that republicans will coldly dismantle Obama's mirage.
Hillary knows it all.
The citizens of New York state should have a recall election for dereliction of duty (not that she did anything of note in the Senate before the 2007-2008 endless presidential campaign).
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Thank you. We should all reflect a bit on the value of graciousness--in defeat and in victory. Thank you for modeling some graciousness yourself.
You need to realize that the rest of us who haven't voted need to be heard....
Sell us short and there will be a lot of folks who may decide to stay home....
Hillary had to do two things tonight - she had to smear Obama's character for a national audience with something that would stick - "xerox" and she had to come out of that attack smelling like a rose - thus the nicey-nicey at the end.
Unfortunately, the video of her husband using the same words years before is already all over the internet, and Hillary will be exposed for the hypocrite she is.
Meanwhile, the campaign is still hitting up it's richest corporate donors to fund the 527 that will attack Obama's character. They consider the fine they'll pay for breaking campaign finance laws to be "just an expense."
Unbelievable how gullible people are.
Obama's been beat up for a week over Clinton's plagiarism allegations, but she's guilty of worse: HYPOCRISY!
Bill Clinton 1992: "The hits that I took in this election are nothing compared to the hits the people of this state and this country have been taking for a long time."
Hillary Clinton Tonight: "You know, the hits I’ve taken in life are nothing compared to what goes on every single day in the lives of people across our country."
Edwards the December 13 debate:
"What's not at stake are any of us. All of us are going to be just fine no matter what happens in this election. But what's at stake is whether America is going to be fine."
Hillary Clinton Tonight:
"You know, whatever happens, we're going to be fine. You know, we have strong support from our families and our friends. I just hope that we'll be able to say the same thing about the American people. And that's what this election should be about."
Get real. Try turning off your computer, going outside, and getting some sun.