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TheDormouse
TheDormouse's Journal
TheDormouse's Journal
March 31, 2016
So, can you see why some might be skeptical when certain candidates say that their decisions in office have been and will be completely uninfluenced by concerns over campaign or family foundation donations from wealthy patrons and corporations?
When the Lincoln Bedroom was up for sale during the Clinton Administration
--allegedly.
Why do so many Americans question the ethics and trustworthiness of the Clintons?
A large part of it is that the Republicans and conservatives have been gunning for them for the past quarter-century.
But here's the thing:
The Clintons' own actions haven't really helped.
February 1997
President Clinton and top aides were intimately involved in orchestrating a broad campaign fund-raising operation during his first term and explicitly authorized the use of the White House as a tool to woo or reward big donors, according to internal documents released yesterday.
Although the president has portrayed himself as removed from the money-collecting tactics that have spurred congressional and criminal investigations, the records show he took a hands-on role in directing the effort down to small details.
Among other things, Clinton personally authorized a variety of perks for top party contributors, including golf games and morning jogs with him and overnight stays in the Lincoln Bedroom, the documents show. Memos written by close advisers confirm that small White House gatherings with the president were intended to stroke wealthy backers. The documents include references to "Coffee w/Top 20 Fundraisers," "donor events . . . in the White House East Wing" and "servicing dinners (White House)" for those who chipped in at least $100,000....
During a brief exchange with reporters yesterday, Clinton denied trading White House sleep-overs for large checks, saying his motive in inviting contributors to stay at the executive mansion was to soothe the bruised feelings of supporters who considered themselves shut out since his election in 1992....
In (Harold) Ickes's files, the idea of using overnight stays in connection with campaign fund-raising first appeared in writing in the White House response to a Jan. 5, 1995, memo from Terence R. McAuliffe, then national finance chairman of the Democratic National Committee, who outlined several strategies to "energize" generous givers.
Clinton welcomed the idea. "Ready to start overnights right away," he scrawled in response....
Ickes's records show that the White House was also concerned with raising money for the legal defense fund set up to pay costs from the Whitewater investigation and Paula Corbin Jones's lawsuit against the president....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/campfin/stories/lincoln.htm
Although the president has portrayed himself as removed from the money-collecting tactics that have spurred congressional and criminal investigations, the records show he took a hands-on role in directing the effort down to small details.
Among other things, Clinton personally authorized a variety of perks for top party contributors, including golf games and morning jogs with him and overnight stays in the Lincoln Bedroom, the documents show. Memos written by close advisers confirm that small White House gatherings with the president were intended to stroke wealthy backers. The documents include references to "Coffee w/Top 20 Fundraisers," "donor events . . . in the White House East Wing" and "servicing dinners (White House)" for those who chipped in at least $100,000....
During a brief exchange with reporters yesterday, Clinton denied trading White House sleep-overs for large checks, saying his motive in inviting contributors to stay at the executive mansion was to soothe the bruised feelings of supporters who considered themselves shut out since his election in 1992....
In (Harold) Ickes's files, the idea of using overnight stays in connection with campaign fund-raising first appeared in writing in the White House response to a Jan. 5, 1995, memo from Terence R. McAuliffe, then national finance chairman of the Democratic National Committee, who outlined several strategies to "energize" generous givers.
Clinton welcomed the idea. "Ready to start overnights right away," he scrawled in response....
Ickes's records show that the White House was also concerned with raising money for the legal defense fund set up to pay costs from the Whitewater investigation and Paula Corbin Jones's lawsuit against the president....
So, can you see why some might be skeptical when certain candidates say that their decisions in office have been and will be completely uninfluenced by concerns over campaign or family foundation donations from wealthy patrons and corporations?
March 30, 2016
Philadephia 2008
Valparaiso, Indiana 2008
And she was more than willing to accept Senator Harry Reid's endorsement in the Nevada caucuses last month despite the fact that Harry Reid has been one of the NRA's best Democratic friends in Congress for most of his career.
December 2012
Just a reminder: Harry Reid has had a B rating from the NRA; Bernie's had a D rating.
Hillary also doesn't seem to have any problem taking money from people who have made their money lobbying against gun control measures.
https://theintercept.com/2016/03/01/nra-lobbyist-will-co-host-clinton-fundraiser/
Why does Hillary's hypocrisy on gun control get ignored?
Hillary criticizes Bernie for his having taken the position in the past, as a senator representing a rural state, that federal gun control laws need to accommodate the rights of rural citizens. That is exactly the same position Hillary herself has taken in the past!
Philadephia 2008
CLINTON: What I favor is what works in New York. You know, we have a set of rules in New York City, and we have a totally different set of rules in the rest of the state. What might work in New York City is certainly not going to work in Montana.
So for the federal government to be having any kind of, you know, blanket rules that they're going to try to impose I think doesn't make sense.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But, Senator, you were for that when you ran for Senate in New York.
CLINTON: I was for the New York rules; that's right. I was for the New York rules, because they have worked over time. And there isn't a lot uproar in New York about changing them, because I go to upstate New York, where we have a lot of hunters and people who are collectors and people who are sport shooters. They have every reason to believe that their rights are being respected.
You walk down the street with a police officer in Manhattan, he wants to be sure that there is some way of protecting him and protecting the people that are in his charge.
So for the federal government to be having any kind of, you know, blanket rules that they're going to try to impose I think doesn't make sense.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But, Senator, you were for that when you ran for Senate in New York.
CLINTON: I was for the New York rules; that's right. I was for the New York rules, because they have worked over time. And there isn't a lot uproar in New York about changing them, because I go to upstate New York, where we have a lot of hunters and people who are collectors and people who are sport shooters. They have every reason to believe that their rights are being respected.
You walk down the street with a police officer in Manhattan, he wants to be sure that there is some way of protecting him and protecting the people that are in his charge.
Valparaiso, Indiana 2008
“I disagree with Sen. Obama’s assertion that people in our country cling to guns and have certain attitudes about trade and immigration simply out of frustration,” she began, referring to the Obama comments on small-town Americans that set off a political tumult on Friday.
She then introduced a fond memory from her youth.
“You know, my dad took me out behind the cottage that my grandfather built on a little lake called Lake Winola outside of Scranton and taught me how to shoot when I was a little girl,” she said.
“You know, some people now continue to teach their children and their grandchildren. It’s part of culture. It’s part of a way of life. People enjoy hunting and shooting because it’s an important part of who they are. Not because they are bitter.”
Minutes later, in a slightly awkward moment, Clinton faced a question from a woman in the audience whose son had been paralyzed by a gunshot. The woman asked Clinton what she would do about gun control as president.
Clinton touted her husband's record on gun control during his administration, and said "there is not a contradiction between protecting Second Amendment rights" and the effort to reduce crime.
Noting that many hunters and gun collectors want to keep weapons out of the hands of criminals, Clinton referred to her positive childhood experiences with firearms.
"As I told you, my dad taught me how to shoot behind our cottage,” she said. “I have gone hunting. I am not a hunter. But I have gone hunting."
Clinton said she has hunted ducks.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/04/12/clinton-touts-her-experience-with-guns/
She then introduced a fond memory from her youth.
“You know, my dad took me out behind the cottage that my grandfather built on a little lake called Lake Winola outside of Scranton and taught me how to shoot when I was a little girl,” she said.
“You know, some people now continue to teach their children and their grandchildren. It’s part of culture. It’s part of a way of life. People enjoy hunting and shooting because it’s an important part of who they are. Not because they are bitter.”
Minutes later, in a slightly awkward moment, Clinton faced a question from a woman in the audience whose son had been paralyzed by a gunshot. The woman asked Clinton what she would do about gun control as president.
Clinton touted her husband's record on gun control during his administration, and said "there is not a contradiction between protecting Second Amendment rights" and the effort to reduce crime.
Noting that many hunters and gun collectors want to keep weapons out of the hands of criminals, Clinton referred to her positive childhood experiences with firearms.
"As I told you, my dad taught me how to shoot behind our cottage,” she said. “I have gone hunting. I am not a hunter. But I have gone hunting."
Clinton said she has hunted ducks.
And she was more than willing to accept Senator Harry Reid's endorsement in the Nevada caucuses last month despite the fact that Harry Reid has been one of the NRA's best Democratic friends in Congress for most of his career.
December 2012
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is a gun man, always has been....
Guns, their role in everyday life and the extent to which that right is protected by the Second Amendment were matters Reid simply didn’t question, according to those who worked with him — not after Columbine; not when the assault weapons ban expired (he’d voted against it); and not after Virginia Tech, the country’s deadliest single-shooter assault, happened in the first year of his majority leadership in the Senate.
“I haven’t seen him spend a lot of time wrestling with this issue over the years,” said a former aide who was close with Reid. “In years past he’s largely ended up toeing the NRA line. But I’m not convinced that’s going to happen this time.” ...
Reid has maintained a “B” average NRA rating, pretty high for a Democrat, and although he has never received the NRA’s endorsement in a Senate race, he usually receives its money — even rarer for a Democrat.
Reid voted against the assault weapons ban; applauded the Supreme Court’s recent pro-gun decisions in District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago; and worked closely with the NRA to promote gun sports, such as securing federal funding for the Clark County Shooting Range.
http://lasvegassun.com/news/2012/dec/28/harry-reid-may-have-change-his-tone-gun-control/
Guns, their role in everyday life and the extent to which that right is protected by the Second Amendment were matters Reid simply didn’t question, according to those who worked with him — not after Columbine; not when the assault weapons ban expired (he’d voted against it); and not after Virginia Tech, the country’s deadliest single-shooter assault, happened in the first year of his majority leadership in the Senate.
“I haven’t seen him spend a lot of time wrestling with this issue over the years,” said a former aide who was close with Reid. “In years past he’s largely ended up toeing the NRA line. But I’m not convinced that’s going to happen this time.” ...
Reid has maintained a “B” average NRA rating, pretty high for a Democrat, and although he has never received the NRA’s endorsement in a Senate race, he usually receives its money — even rarer for a Democrat.
Reid voted against the assault weapons ban; applauded the Supreme Court’s recent pro-gun decisions in District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago; and worked closely with the NRA to promote gun sports, such as securing federal funding for the Clark County Shooting Range.
Just a reminder: Harry Reid has had a B rating from the NRA; Bernie's had a D rating.
Hillary also doesn't seem to have any problem taking money from people who have made their money lobbying against gun control measures.
https://theintercept.com/2016/03/01/nra-lobbyist-will-co-host-clinton-fundraiser/
March 29, 2016
-- POLITIFACT rates this TRUE
Bernie was the Roll Call Amendment King in Congress when the Republicans controlled the House of Representatives from 1995-2007.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/mar/24/bernie-s/bernie-sanders-was-roll-call-amendment-king-1995-2/
Bernie's record in Congress shows he can get things done despite GOP opposition
Bernie Sanders passed more roll call amendments in a Republican Congress than any other member.-- POLITIFACT rates this TRUE
Bernie was the Roll Call Amendment King in Congress when the Republicans controlled the House of Representatives from 1995-2007.
"From 1995 to 2007, Sanders passed 17 amendments by a recorded roll call vote — more than any other member in the House....
In comparison, Hillary Clinton passed zero roll call amendments during her tenure as a senator from New York from 2001-09."
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/mar/24/bernie-s/bernie-sanders-was-roll-call-amendment-king-1995-2/
March 28, 2016
Arizona Sec of State admits voter party registrations were switched
Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan (R) just admitted to the AZ House elections committee that some voters' party affiliations were changed, which led to them not being able to cast normal votes on the presidential preference election day last week. Some of those voters cast provisional ballots as a result. Reagan says this happened to someone in her own office.
She says her staff are now reviewing paper registration forms to try to pinpoint where the problems occurred. She also said that they have made counting the provisional ballots a top priority.
http://www.abc15.com/live
March 27, 2016
Why has Hillary been refusing to debate Bernie in New York?
I'd figure that she would want to debate there, with the home-team advantage.
https://twitter.com/berniesanders/status/694667209797316608
http://www.politicususa.com/2016/03/27/bernie-sanders-challenges-hillary-clinton-debate-york.html
March 27, 2016
Delegates: Sanders 956, Clinton 1234 -- 2383 needed to win
Current delegate count per Associated Press (per NY Times & Real Clear Politics)
Hawaii still pending ...
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/democratic_delegate_count.html
March 25, 2016
Helen Purcell (Maricopa Cty, AZ): "We are required by law to have no more than half ..."
In the midst of the huge presidential preference election day fiasco in Maricopa County, Arizona, the county recorder, Helen Purcell, said in an on-camera interview that "We are required by law to have no more than half of our normal polling places." That was her justification for why the county had reduced the number of polling places from 200 to 60, resulting in 5-hour long lines.
Has anyone in the media followed up on that statement? What law is she talking about?
Did she misinterpret the law?
Arizona Statutes 16-248 section C:
Each county with two hundred thousand or more active registered voters shall determine the number of polling places for the presidential preference election by using no more than one-half of the number of precincts as of January 1 of the year of the presidential preference election.
Is this^ the law she was referring to? Maricopa County has over 700 precincts; half of that would be at least 350 voting places, not 60.
March 24, 2016
Are you satisfied with the current Democratic establishment?
We've heard a lot of talk about "the Establishment" during this campaign.
Two questions for you:
1. Do you feel that the current establishment adequately represents your interests?
2. Are you basically satisfied with the establishment as it is (with maybe just a few nips and tucks here and there) -- versus
Do you want to see the establishment completely overhauled?
March 23, 2016
William H. Rehnquist was an attorney in private practice in Phoenix, Arizona in the 1950s and 1960s. He was active in the Republican party, and served as Barry Goldwater's campaign manager in the 1964 presidential election. He worked in the Justice Department during the Nixon administration, and was appointed to the Supreme Court by Nixon in 1972. Reagan appointed him Chief Justice in 1986. In all, Rehnquist served 33 years on the Supreme Court.
Shenanigans at polling stations is nothing new - ask your grandparents
August 2, 1986
WASHINGTON — Four witnesses Friday disputed Supreme Court Justice William H. Rehnquist's sworn testimony that he had not harassed or intimidated minority voters in the early 1960s....http://articles.latimes.com/1986-08-02/news/mn-973_1_justice-rehnquist
Sydney Smith, now a La Jolla, Calif., psychoanalyst, told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he had seen Rehnquist approach two black men waiting in line to vote in the 1960 or 1962 election in Phoenix, challenge their ability to read and tell them, "I would ask you to leave." ...
James Brosnahan, a San Francisco lawyer, told of being called at the 1962 election to a south Phoenix precinct as an assistant U.S. attorney to investigate complaints about challenges being made to black and Latino voters.
Brosnahan, whom Rehnquist has acknowledged knowing, said he is "certain" that Rehnquist was acting as a challenger at the polling place and that "a number of people" waiting to vote pointed him out as a person causing problems. "I have no doubt about that," Brosnahan said....
Manuel Pena, an Arizona Democratic state senator, told of being involved in a "close confrontation" with a Republican challenger at the Nov. 3, 1964, election at a Phoenix precinct. He said he recognized the challenger at the 40% Latino precinct as Rehnquist from a newspaper picture he saw a few years later.
Charles Pine, a former state Democratic Party chairman in Arizona, said Rehnquist "is currently suffering from a conventient lapse of memory" in denying voter intimidation. Pine said he saw Rehnquist at the 1962 election approaching voters and asking them: "Are you qualified to vote?"
A Phoenix lawyer and longtime Democratic activist, who said he did not want to be identified because he expected Justice Rehnquist to be confirmed as Chief Justice, said that at the 1962 election he was photographed by William Rehnquist as he and another Democrat approached a voting precinct in a minority community. Photographing Votershttp://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/04/us/rehnquist-in-arizona-a-militant-conservative-in-60-s-politics.html
''We asked him what he was doing, or perhaps he just told us, 'I'm taking pictures of everybody,' '' the lawyer recalled. ''We asked if that wasn't harassment. He just laughed and said, 'There's no film in the camera.' ''
William H. Rehnquist was an attorney in private practice in Phoenix, Arizona in the 1950s and 1960s. He was active in the Republican party, and served as Barry Goldwater's campaign manager in the 1964 presidential election. He worked in the Justice Department during the Nixon administration, and was appointed to the Supreme Court by Nixon in 1972. Reagan appointed him Chief Justice in 1986. In all, Rehnquist served 33 years on the Supreme Court.
March 22, 2016
https://www.nbcumv.com/news/hillary-clinton-tells-chuck-todd-her-organizing-principle-%E2%80%9Cdefend-our-security-our-interests
Hillary: I could compromise on abortion if it included exceptions for mother's health
From an interview with MSNBC's Chuck Todd that apparently was broadcast the week of September 29, 2015 on MTP Daily.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2015/09/29/hillary_clinton_i_could_compromise_on_abortion_if_it_included_exceptions_for_mothers_health.html#ooid=N1ODF1dzpHyB52_cmPb77qDHRLMY2We_
CHUCK TODD: Are there reasonable restrictions that you would ever support on abortion?
HILLARY CLINTON: I've said that there were.
CHUCK TODD: What are they?
HILLARY CLINTON: And that's under Roe v. Wade, that there can be restrictions in the very end of, you know, the third trimester. But they have to take into account the life and health of the mother.
I remember in '96, Chuck, my husband vetoed a very restrictive legislation on late-term abortions. And he vetoed it at an event in the White House where we invited a lot of women who had faced this very difficult decision that ought to be made based on their own conscience, their family, their faith, in consultation with doctors. Those stories left a searing impression on me. You know, women who think their pregnancy is going well and then wake up and find some really terrible problem, women whose life is threatened themselves if they carry their child to term, and women who are told by doctors that the child they're carrying will not survive.
And so, you know, again, I am where I have been, which is that, you know, if there is a way to structure some kind of constitutional restrictions that take into account the life of the mother and her health, then I'm open to that. But I have yet to see the Republicans willing to actually do that. And that would be an area, where if they included health, you could see constitutional actions.
https://www.nbcumv.com/news/hillary-clinton-tells-chuck-todd-her-organizing-principle-%E2%80%9Cdefend-our-security-our-interests
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