NYT Editorial Board: Why Mrs. Clinton Needs to Say More About the Crime Bill [View all]
Mrs. Clinton advocated for some of the most significant initiatives of her husbands presidency, which were most often the product of compromise in a divided Congress. Indeed, many Democrats revere Mr. Clinton as the leader who brought the party back from the political wilderness by eschewing ideological purity in favor of a more incremental, politically centrist philosophy.
That legacy and experience lies at the heart of Mrs. Clintons approach as a progressive who gets things done. And the 1994 crime bill, which has emerged as a hot-button issue in the current campaign, is a good example in both its substance and the style of the Clinton manner of policy making.
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Mr. Sanderss durability in this race is due in part to young, idealistic Democrats who werent born before or dont remember the partisan battles of the 1990s. Indeed, 2016s newest voters only know the Obama-era Congress, and its near-constant state of confrontation. On the crime bill, as on the Iraq war, trade deals and gay marriage, some young critics view Mrs. Clintons changes in position as politically convenient or unprincipled. The way to reach those voters is to acknowledge their objections and better explain what it takes to move an agenda through a hostile Congress.
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Mrs. Clintons record as a senator is one of pragmatism, reflecting temperamental and philosophical differences with Mr. Sanders, whose reluctance to compromise contributes to his limited legislative record. She should take this opportunity to spell out what she would do with Congress to address mass incarceration as president.
Much more @:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/13/opinion/why-mrs-clinton-needs-to-say-more-about-the-crime-bill.html
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Hillary Clinton's pragmatism is something this country could do without. Bill & Hillary's "pragmatism" got us financial deregulation, the crime bill, the PATRIOT act, the Iraq War, etc. But, hey, it sure got them a lot of friendly corporate partners.