2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: On what issue is Hillary better than Bernie? [View all]Sancho
(9,067 posts)but we all know that Bernie continued to vote for war funding. Bernie did his share of representing Vermont before and after the F35, even if the corporation in question was part of the evil empire. The F35 is a clear example.
We can debate (again) all the complexities of Congressional votes (poison pills, compromises, representation of your own constituents, etc). I'm just saying that if you are going to continue to go back to one vote on one issue over and over and over, then it's possible to criticize ANY member of Congress. Hillary voted once for something she was fooled on and she says it was a mistake in hindsight. Hillary did NOT intend to vote for a 10 year, trillion dollar war - virtually no one intended that to happen except maybe a few Cheney's who actually planned on profiting. Bush probably didn't "know" it would turn out like it did after all.
Funny, I just watched the "Iron Lady" movie about Margaret Thatcher last night, and they correctly portrayed her charge into the Falkland Islands war; when the cost and lives quickly became more than either size expected.
If you held the Iraq war vote today, knowing what we all know, it would likely not pass.
The thread response focuses (again) on Hillary's vote as the NY Senator to supposedly go after the guys who caused 911, even though many didn't trust Bush and didn't like the authorization.
It may not seem so to you, but as I was alive to witness Korea, Vietnam, the cold war, Cuba missile crisis, etc. I had a bomb shelter in my back yard in the 1960s (really). I spent a few years growing up on military bases at the height of tensions.
I think that spending on the F35 is continuing the MIC that is just as responsible for our economic conditions and international conflicts as "Wall Street" or anything else. I think EVERY vote should be to reduce military projects and spending until it gets to be about 1/3 it is now, and almost every oversea US base is closed. To me, those votes are just as harmful as the Iraq war even if it's not on the news every day. Just saying..