Hillary Rodham Clinton Sounds Like A Realist – Not A Republican

[riversedge]

Hillary Rodham Clinton Sounds Like A Realist – Not A Republican
By: Rmuse

http://www.politicususa.com/2016/01/19/hillary-rodham-clinton-sounds-realist-republican.html


Tuesday, January, 19th, 2016, 11:04 am



Reality is often difficult to embrace for some people and it is curious why seemingly intelligent people continue gravitating towards fantasy. The reality in America today is that one side of the political spectrum cannot comprehend that they are not in charge, have little hope of being in charge, and yet believe one man will put them in charge and transform Republicans into a compassionate, caring, and socially conscious political party. This is in spite of a solid six years of Republican barbarism targeting the American people and a steady increase in their dominance in state legislatures and Congress. All the while, a segment on the left are dead certain that with the election of their chosen candidate, Republicans will magically self-transform into raging liberals and give their undivided support to what many, many Americans regard as ‘socialistic’ policies; this segment of the left are the EmoProgs.

Yesterday, a particular point of contention between Democrats running for the presidential nomination prompted neo-Democrat candidate Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to claim that former Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was “sounding like a Republican” because she failed to support his monumental healthcare overhaul. So it has come to the point that, like every Republican, evangelical, and tea party conservative is wont to do, not supporting a policy is “sounding like the opposition.” It is a troublesome practice Mr. Sanders is prone to employ and nearly as despicable as accusing Democrats of endorsing the Koch brothers when they ask the Sanders campaign to receive fewer email requests for donations.

What has Senator Sanders upset with Clinton is because she said her healthcare position is strengthening “Obamacare” and bringing down costs as opposed to Senator Sanders’ “Medicare-for-all that will raise health care costs for average Americans;” something Senator Sanders said is just plain wrong. However, he also said that “Sometimes where the discussion becomes really absurd is that we will increase Medicare premiums, that is true. Yes, there will be Medicare premiums, it’s not free, but we are doing away with all private health insurance costs.” Now, forget that Medicare premiums will be increased under the “single payer” plan because “it’s not free;” that is obvious. But doing away with all private health insurance costs is a fantasy unless Republicans suddenly vanish off the Earth.

Imagine how many Republicans, or Democrats for that matter, will ever support “doing away will all private health insurance costs;” something that implies doing away with private health insurance. ........................



Now, like it or not, stating or facing reality is not “sounding like a Republican” any more than asking a political campaign to stop inundating one’s email inbox with donation requests is “endorsing the Koch brothers’ agenda.” Accusing anyone who fails to agree with you, or support a particular policy, of sounding like ‘the enemy‘ is a typically Republican tea party ploy and frankly is beneath any Democrat, new or old. It is particularly true when the accused, in this case, Hillary Rodham Clinton, sounded like a realist, not a Republican.

[truedelphi]

1. Oh for Pete's sake, the woman is to the damn far right of Richard Nixon!

Along with all the other entrenched members of Dem Party leadership.

[MADem]

4. That's just a flail. nt

[stonecutter357]

10. thanks for stepping up for Hillary.

[Cha]

15. lol You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Just meaningless cheap pot shots

.. no validity whatsoever.

[MADem]

2. This article is a good "compare and contrast" essay.....

http://www.vox.com/2016/1/17/10784528/bernie-sanders-single-payer-health-care


And this is a good overview of her opponent's rather naive approach to politics:


https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2016/01/18/bernie-sanders-doesn-get-how-politics-works/GYDR7MTl0Vu3TSAHRMWipJ/story.html

[ladym55]

3. Being a realist is very important

I always think about how Ted Kennedy operated in the Senate. He worked to get what he could and then built from there. Medicare and Medicaid developed over time (and over the ongoing screeching of the right). ACA will do the same. Single payer is awesome, but at this point, I don't see the overwhelming Democratic majorities in the House and Senate needed for that to happen. I remember how hard it was for Nancy Pelosi to keep the Dems in line for the ACA, and that was modest. They couldn't even get a public option in.

I do worry about Bernie supporters. They believe that Bernie will walk into office, and all the nice Republicans will line up and let him do whatever he wants -- just like they did for Barack Obama. Oh, wait.

[MADem]

6. I remember Pelosi getting her ass singed here for....I'm not sure what--refusing to horsewhip

stragglers? Not bringing it home single-handedly? Damn her, she didn't wave her magic wand and dazzle the caucus into voting for ponies and puppies?

Politics is the art of the possible. She got what was possible.

[truedelphi]

14. SHE told us voters that if we made sure that we gota Dem Party majority

in the election of Nov 2006, that she would personally see to it that Bush was impeached.

I know she said that as I paid money to attend an event that John Conyers appeared at.

And he said she said that.

But then the majority was a Democratic Majority, and they were inaugurated in January of 2007. Immediately, they were far too busy helping Amazon to get a deal ensuring that small businesses paid more for the US Postal Service while meanwhile, Amazon got a super discount, so they never had the time to spend a moment contemplating impeaching Bush. (New robber baron, with the same old robber baron techniques of impoverishing smaller companies - Amazon!)

Of course, over the intervening months between Pelosi said what she said, and when the new Democratic Party majority took office, it dawned on Pelosi that her big time buddy and mentor, one Diane Feinstein, would be in serious trouble if the the Democratic majority Congress took on Bush.

I mean Feinstein was at least as complicit as Bush was about the war against the people of Iraq.

Sen Diane Feinstein served on top secret Congressional committees and then she released the information revealed to her to her husband so that he could score contracts for "construction" in areas of Iraq that would be bombarded. Think about it - you get a gazillion dollar deal and you have secret insider knowledge that you will never have to make good on it because the area you are going to construct is going to be blown up soon! How sweet is that?

So to bring down George W, Pelosi would have also had to bring down her mentor Diane, and that was certainly not going to happen.

[radical noodle]

5. A realist is more likely to get things done

Even with Medicare and the premium that goes with it, I have to pay for a supplemental private insurance plan to pay for things Medicare doesn't pay. I also have to buy a drug plan from an insurance company to cover my prescription drugs. If I want vision and dental that's an additional policy. Nothing I've seen addresses this issue of what is not covered under Medicare. This is the reality that some don't or won't acknowledge about Bernie's plan.

[Thinkingabout]

11. Very true, there is a premium, it is not free, I also have a supplement to pay the difference

in my medical care. I am thankful for the Medicare, many of those on Medicare is only receiving SS and the average received is $1200 a month and the premium still has to be paid.

[Ratty]

7. Good comparison

Republicans hear We'll build a wall and make Mexico pay for it! and couldn't care less whether it's actually feasible. Deport all the muslims, constitution be damned! Give refugees a Christian test! We don't care whether it's fantasy. Our candidate is saying what we want to hear and getting congress to approve it is just a minor detail.

Yeah, thanks. I'd rather a president who doesn't over promise and can actually get things done.

[Thinkingabout]

12. Are you supporting Sanders?

[comradebillyboy]

8. Hillary is relentlessly pragmatic. I like that.

[Little Star]

9. Yes & I like that also.

[Gothmog]

13. Hillary Clinton has the best resume and is the most qualified candidate

[Hekate]

16. KnR