What is Hillary's greatest accomplishment?

[Radical Activist]

Clinton talks about her record of accomplishment and ability to bring about change. What dramatic change has she brought about in her career? Has she done anything more than window dressing serious problems?

She says the great cause of her life is universal health care. She failed at passing that and then gave it up for over a decade. She spent years advocating small changes short of universal coverage. It looks like her record on her top issue is one of horrible failure.

What record of making change is supposed to impress me?

[Syrinx]

1. can't really think of anything off the top of my head

(I'm an Obama supporter, at this point.)

But to be fair, I can't think of any great accomplishment by Obama or McCain either.

[Big Blue Marble]

3. How about being the first black president of the Harvard Law Review?

That was a very good one. Or graduating summa cum laude from Harvard Law School.

They are all United States senators. That is one of the most powerful positions in the world.
I would argue that HRC does not get full credit for her achievement although I know
you get hell for saying it around here. Her husband's name recognition took
her along way in New York.

Imagine a corporate lawyer from Little Rock suddenly deciding to move to New York
and run for the senate. How would that work out?

[Syrinx]

6. I was thinking more along the lines of...

Advancing some form of change for the betterment of society, not a personal accomplishment, like getting a really good education or reaching a position of power.

[polpilot]

45. Iraq War?? Healthcare for all (Well she said she tried?)...NAFTA?

Helped Arkansas to be #1.(teenage pregnancy, welfare,...I know #1 in chicken processing)

[Radical Activist]

4. Obama

did a lot in the state legislature like passing major campaign finance reform and a long list of other bills. Off the top of my head, his ethics reform package is the only major US Senate accomplishment that comes to mind. Of course, Obama hasn't had the same opportunities Clinton has had to make change since he hasn't been in positions of power as long, and Obama isn't basing his campaign on his experience.

[Syrinx]

7. no need to convince me

I'm in Obama's camp. I think he is more likely to accomplish a lot of great things than Clinton, in the future, if he is elected. I voted for him Tuesday.

[sandnsea]

15. There's more at the federal level

Lugar-Obama non-proliferation. usaspending.gov The Step Up summer education program. Mentoring programs to help women and minorities in the sciences. Investigation into formaldehyde in FEMA trailers and tracking their health. Changes in Katrina bidding and investigation into fraud. There's a lot he's gotten passed actually, more than this.

[Radical Activist]

18. That's impressive for a freshman Senator.

[woolldog]

14. re

During the first 8 years of his elected service, Obama sponsored over 820 bills. He introduced

233 regarding health-care reform,
125 on poverty and public assistance,
112 crime fighting bills,
97 economic bills,
60 human rights and anti-discrimination bills,
21 ethics reform bills,
15 gun control,
6 veterans affairs

His first year in the U.S. Senate, he authored 152 bills and co-sponsored another 427. These included the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006, the Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act, and many more.

[karynnj]

48. Here's two for Obama - both very impressive

The first a bill that required videotaping when police questioned people - this works against coerced quilty pleas and intimidation and is a REAL increase to preserving civil rights.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/03/AR2008010303303.html

The second his contributions to the ethics bill. If you think it was an easy accomplishment, read the part of how angry it made Schumer. The lobbying provision is real. (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/20/us/politics/20ethics.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=Senate+ethics+bill&st=nyt&oref=slogin) and a great Dkos diary on how Obama and Clinton are distinctly different on ethics reform.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/2/7/101110/2068

Though very different, both the Illinois bill and the Ethics bill show that Obama was willing to do the hard work of building a coalition behind something he believed in and getting it passed.

There was also an article of how he was instrumental in getting healthcare passed in IL. His method of talking to all the stakeholders is the opposite of HRC's closed process on healthcare in the 1990's.

[Jed Dilligan]

58. Good for him!

It's time to rein in the corrupt police.

[Big Blue Marble]

2. Sinking fast.

I will kick it. I would like to know the answer too.

I have noticed when I post threads like these; they don't last too long.

And they are very, very quiet.

[Radical Activist]

5. I'm sure someone can come up with something.

It probably won't be anything I'm overly impressed by, but I'm curious to see what people come up with.

[Big Blue Marble]

17. See what I mean real quiet.

They never answer.

[Radical Activist]

19. To be fair

All the Clinton supporters may have me on ignore. haha

[Big Blue Marble]

20. Yah, but them manufacture new ones every day.

You put two on ignore and you get four more.

[MH1]

57. ..

:rofl:

(I've noticed that too.)

[Diane R]

8. Raising Chelsea. Other than that....can't think of anything.

[Radical Activist]

11. Chelsea seems great

But I don't think most of her female supporters will appreciate the irony of you naming that as her greatest accomplishment. :)

[jedgarbauer]

9. She Was A Duped Wife for Infidelity????

How about a lousy window dressing for a bad HGTV segment?

A weak socialist trying to convene the Senate into even worse give-away legislation?

She has a $110 Billion HealthCare bill now that will result in an unfunded $4 Trillion unfunded plan.

Hillary = Bush Lite

Leave Iraq in 60 Days??? ROTFLMAO!!!!

[Radical Activist]

10. ouch

I don't like her either but the duped wife thing is ugly.

[Syrinx]

12. she's a socialist and a Bush clone?

That's a neat trick. That must be her greatest accomplishment!

[Radical Activist]

13. lol

agreed

[Whisp]

16. she tries to change Bill's shitty diaper mouth???

sorry, can't come up with anything.
like say something good about Bush thingie.

[Window]

21. Kick

and recommended.




Peace:thumbsup:

[Radical Activist]

22. Anyone?

[jefferson_dem]

23. Wow. Good question.

Hmmm...

[Maribelle]

24. CHIPS

No doubt about it.

[Radical Activist]

26. An answer! Thank you!

Sponsored by Ted Kennedy and Orrin Hatch. Passed in 1997. No doubt its a good thing. I looked up the details to remind myself.

It was part of the incremental strategy to implement universal health care. Since the strategy never resulted in universal health care I wouldn't call it a total success but at least its something. The recent expansion was vetoed by Bush so that's not a success either.

By the way, since this happened while Bill was President, how do we know what things we should give Hillary credit for and which things she shouldn't get credit for? Sometimes she doesn't like to take credit for things like NAFTA. It gets tricky.

[nonconformist]

27. There are millions of children that would beg to differ on if it was a success. nt

[Radical Activist]

29. I didn't have health insurance in '97

and I didn't get it for another 10 years. So I know what it means that she gave up even pushing for universal coverage.

[nonconformist]

31. I don't have health insurance now, haven't for years.

It's a huge issue for me. But thanks to the CHIP program, my children do. That is vital.

[Mass]

28. SHe convinced Bill to support it - He did not want to.

That seems clearly established. But SCHIP success is a shared success between a number of actors.

[Bread and Circus]

34. But let's be clear that it was Kennedy's bill, that Hillary only lent moral support to it as first

lady. She was not in the legislature at the time.

Give credit, where credit is due.

[Radical Activist]

52. Fair enough.

If her greatest accomplishment anyone can come up with is assisting the passage of a much scaled back version of what she really wanted (universal coverage) then it makes me concerned about what she will give up and abandon as President. This is exactly what I don't like about her. I have a hard time believing she'll stick by most of what she says.

What really bothers me is that people can't even point to her being a tireless advocate for universal coverage after '93. Both Bill and Hillary stopped talking about it almost entirely except during the '96 campaign. And even that campaign focused on prescription drugs for seniors and a patients bill of rights rather than universal coverage. And now Hillary is raising the issue again during her campaign.

I know it was unlikely to happen during a Republican Congress but failing to try guarantees failure. When Democrats don't even argue for our core values then we only have ourselves to blame.

[Maribelle]

32. You are totally correct. Those Senators and the President deserve the credit for making it reality.

Hillary was not in any position to introduce legislation or to vote on bills back then.

Much like Martin Luther King was not.

[Bread and Circus]

35. But Martin Luther King led a movement for civil rights. Hillary has done no such thing.

You are comparing apples to screwdrivers.

[Maribelle]

36. I was not trying to imply Hillary would be compared to MLK regarding a movement.

I was also not trying to compare Hillary with MLK regarding his religious work as pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.


Too bad the true analogy might have been 32,000 feet over your head.

[Bread and Circus]

38. How is Hillary using her insider influence to persuade the same as MLK

marching in the streets with people who have been abused, neglected, rejected, segregated and subjugated?

It's not the same sport, let alone the same ballpark.

[Maribelle]

40. Again, that was not hardly the analogy I made. That's strike two on you.

Care for a third?

[karynnj]

46. Hillary was NOT like MLK on this

She did not lead a movement that made people demand that Congress do this. She lobbied her husband to support it. Important - but only because Bill Clinton was not behind it.

[Stephanie]

73. Sponsored by Ted Kennedy? Passed in 1997?

What did she have to do with it, exactly?

[Bread and Circus]

33. S-CHIPS is Ted Kennedy's Baby - Clinton lent moral support, but

she was not in the legislature at the time. She was first lady. It was Kennedy who brought us S-CHIPS

Given that a lot of Hillary supporters here now beat up on Ted Kennedy, I find some of you hypocritical.

[Maribelle]

37. She did a lot more than to lend moral support.

Here is but one example of the history of this vital legislation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Children%27s_Health_Insurance_Program

[Bread and Circus]

39. I've read about it, she used her position for personal influence.

She gets credit for helping, but give credit where credit is due.

And did you denounce all the Hillary supporters here who have ritually shit on Ted Kennedy as of late?

[Maribelle]

41. Wrong. She did a lot more than that.

Maybe you should try reading more?

[Bread and Circus]

42. I've read real time source articles as well as your wiki link.

Am I missing something?

[karynnj]

44. Exacty - It is absolutely amazing that

Kennedy got the largest expansion of government health insurance since Medicare through a Republican dominated Senate. There were 55 Republicans - as many as before the 2006 election.

It is equally amazing that there was a need to lobby the Democratic President to back it being in the budget after it passed.

[karynnj]

43. Except he role was simply to get her husband to accept it in the budget

after Kennedy got it passed in a Republican dominated Congress. It started as Kerry/Kennedy in fall 1996, using a MA program that passed over Weld's veto. In early 1997, Kennedy worked with Hatch to make changes that brought in enough Republican support to pass. Hatch's comments in his Senate speech dilineate that there are many changes from Kerry/Kennedy - it was changed from an entitlement program to one that must be renewed and the states were given more leeway in designing their programs. He makes the point several times that this was NOT HRC's plan. Kennedy's speech does not mention HRC.

It strikes me as sad that the biggest accomplishment she has is a program that Kennedy, Hatch, Kerry and Dodd created and passed - and her contribution -which she has exaggerated - was to lobby her husband. That was important because there was some real possibility that a Democratic President might have sunk an expansion of children's health care that passed a Republican dominated House and Senate.

Stranger still, Bill Clinton in his book, released in July 2004, after wistfully speaking about how much he liked Weld, who had vetoed the MA version, did not list Kerry's work as the author of that bill as a reason to support him. (But then he credited only McCain on actions that led to opening Vietnam, and failed to site Kerry's work on the Contras or BCCI or his foreign policy experience.) It was also rather strange, facing 55 Republicans in the Senate, that he would even think of not supporting a scandal free incumbent - he doesn't do this in other races. I guess Clinton did not see it as important.

It is galling that the author of much of the language, per Kennedy, was not given credit by the media, but HRC is.

Here is the NYT article from the time:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980DEFDC113CF932A2575BC0A961958260&sec=health&spon=&pagewanted=1

[Radical Activist]

50. interesting article.

[nonconformist]

25. There are several, but a big one was the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997

Which corrected problems in the foster care system that deterred the adoption of children with special needs.

Clinton has served on five Senate committees: Committee on Budget (2001–2002),Committee on Armed Services (since 2003), Committee on Environment and Public Works (since 2001), Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (since 2001) and Special Committee on Aging. She is also a Commissioner of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (since 2001).

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Clinton sought to obtain funding for the recovery efforts in New York City and security improvements in her state. Working with New York's senior senator, Charles Schumer, she was instrumental in quickly securing $21.4 billion in funding for the World Trade Center site's redevelopment. She subsequently took a leading role in investigating the health issues faced by 9/11 first responders.

Clinton has received over a dozen awards and honors during her career, from both American and international organizations, for her activities concerning health, women, and children.

And I have to say, a few of the responses in this thread are downright disgusting, something you would expect to see on Free Republic.

[Radical Activist]

30. Those are good things.

They're the kind of things I've come to expect from Bill or Hillary. Those are definitely good actions that help people. They're also mostly non-controversial and don't make the kind of dramatic change I think we need right now.

And yes a couple of people got too nasty.

[stevietheman]

47. The Republican Revolution of 1994? That's the biggest "accomplishment" I can think of.

Hillary's mismanagement of HillaryCare was a major trigger of this revolution, and with Republicans in control of Congress, the Clinton administration was hounded to the end.

That's the "accomplishment" that stands out in my mind the most.

[greguganus]

49. She married Bill. n/t

[HopeforChange]

51. Stand by your man n/t

[Radical Activist]

53. Is that really it?

That's her record of accomplishment? I just can't understand how she has any support.

[Cha]

54. Her lust for power is still being

fed..time to take care of that.

[faithfulcitizen]

55. Very Good Question.

[sidwill]

56. This a long thread and all I see for Hillary accoplishments is

Lending moral support for SCHIP.

Not

Bloody

Impressive

[Indenturedebtor]

59. Really

Please someone speak up from the Hillary camp or I'm going to vomit on myself if she gets the Nom.

Please say something... seriously no sarcasm.

[Stephanie]

76. Lending moral support for SCHIP is not much, and that's the whole list so far.

She must have other accomplishments. Well, she brought Tata Consulting to Buffalo. Umm. Thinking...

[Sir Jeffrey]

60. I'm not a Hillary supporter at all, but here is what I found on Wiki...

1. She wrote well received scholarly papers on child advocacy issues while in Arkansas.

2. She did a lot of pro bono work in child advocacy cases.

3. She helped co-found the Arkansas division of the Children's Defense Fund.

4. She helped obtain federal funding for rural hospitals in Arkansas.

5. She made a high profile but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to implement universal health care.

6. She made several significant reforms in Arkansas public schools

7. She helped Ted Kennedy get SCHIP passed into law

8. She somehow managed to stay with Bill during the Monica Lewinsky bullshit.

9. She did the typical ceremonial First Lady bullshit

10. She helped secure the $21 billion to rebuild WTC

11. She voted against Bush's tax cuts

12. She voted against John Roberts

13. She voted against Sam Alito

14. Advocated for the Family Entertainment Protection Act, but it never passed

Now, speaking as an Obama supporter, I will point out that these things are admirable, but it seems obvious to me that these are not the things one builds a presidential campaign on. She is running on her husband's record of accomplishments, and I find no fault in that if more voters prefer that to what Obama is offering. However, I find it disingenuous for her or her supporters to tout her record of accomplishments and "35 years of experience" as a reason to cast a vote in her favor. At least be honest and claim that you are voting for a co-presidency, not for President Hillary Clinton.

[Radical Activist]

61. I'm more convinced that Obama has a more substantial record of accomplishment than Hillary.

Maybe Obama will make that argument in his campaign at some point. Hillary and Bill are both good at rattling off a long list of minor programs but I'm looking for real change this time.

[nonconformist]

62. Interesting you say that... "not the things one builds a presidential campaign on"

So, what are Obama's significant achievements that you think make him more qualified? You might have to delve, because up until 2 years ago, he was just a mere state senator.

[incapsulated]

63. EXACTLY

If you think Hillary's record is too thin, how in gods name can you support Obama?

[Radical Activist]

64. Read upthread.

There are a number of impressive accomplishments more substantial than what I've heard about Hillary. It looks like Obama has done more in his three years than Hillary has in her 7.

[nonconformist]

66. Well, considering that you admitted above that you wouldn't be impressed anyway...

I'm not surprised that you think that an ethics bill trumps national healthcare for children or adoption for special needs children. What changed more lives, I ask? Hillary has also been virtually the only person to keep on fighting for 9/11 first responders. But, if we're comparing Congressional records, here ya go:


Clinton:

Hillary Clinton missed 145 of 2396 votes (6%) since Jan 23, 2001.

Statistics: Hillary Clinton has sponsored 352 bills since Jan 22, 2001, of which 305 haven't made it out of committee and 2 were successfully enacted. Clinton has co-sponsored 1713 bills during the same time period.

Obama:

Barack Obama missed 179 of 1088 votes (16%) since Jan 6, 2005

Statistics: Barack Obama has sponsored 129 bills since Jan 4, 2005, of which 120 haven't made it out of committee and 1 were successfully enacted. Obama has co-sponsored 535 bills during the same time period.


I also think it's INCREDIBLY disingenuous to talk about congressional success without noting that when Obama entered office, so did our thin Democratic majority. There's only so much someone can do with the Republicans stopping everything when they had the majority.

[Radical Activist]

77. SCHIP is good

There's no doubt about it. But Hillary is running on her 35 year record of accomplishment. The fact that the goal was universal coverage and the closest she got was coverage for some children but not all, isn't a very impressive record if that's her main argument for being the better candidate. Especially when she claims this is the issue most important to her.

And let's compare apples to apples with their Congressional record. What is Hillary's attendance record since 2007 when they both started running for President? I'm willing to bet the percentage of missed votes are much closer when you compare the same time periods. Do you have those numbers?

Also, why not compare Hillary's number of bills sponsored and passed in her first two years to Obama's first two years? Seniority in the Senate matters so once again, you're not making a fair comparison.

[Sir Jeffrey]

67. There is a distinction to be made here before you accuse me...

of whatever you seem to be accusing me of: Obama is not running for president as the candidate of "experience". But I will compile a list of Obama's accomplishments to sate your curiosity.

Same process as above, same source:

1. First black editor of the Harvard law Review

2. Helped pass bipartisan legislation in Illiniois on ethics reform

3. Helped pass bipartisan legislation in Illinois expanding health care coverage

4. Sponsored legislation in Illinois that expanded tax credits for low income workers.

5. Led the fight to pass legislation in Illinois that mandated police interrogations to be videotaped (if you know anything about criminal law you would see how important that is to protecting victims, suspects, and minorities)

6.Led the fight to pass legislation in Illinois that required police to record the race of each suspect they pull over (helps stop racial profiling)

7. Helped lead the effort to reform Illinois' death penalty laws

8. Spoke out against the Iraq War before it started and when it was politically unpopular

9. Co-sponsored bipartisan legislation that attempted to implement border security measures (defeated by House Republicans)

10. Sponsored the Secure Fence Act

11. Co-sponsored an expansion of the Nunn-Lugar cooperative threat reduction act to include weapons like shoulder-fired missiles and land minesC.

12. Co-sponsored the Obama-Coburn Transparency Act that required indexing govt spending into a searchable database (open govt shit)

13. Sponsored the Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act

14. Co-sponsored ethics reform legislation with Russ Feingold (Honest Leadership and Open Govt Act)

15. Tried with John McCain to get a bill mandating reduction in greenhouse gases passed (good luck with that)

16. Introduced the Iraq War De-Escalation Act, which is basically his plan to end the war

17. Sponsored an amendment to the 2008 Defense Authorization Act that closed a loophole that was allowing the govt to cut costs by discharging people with "personality disorders"

18. Sponsored Iran Sanctions Enabling Act imposing sanctions on Iran (one of those bills that means what it says)

19. Worked with Chuck Hagel to draft an amendment to the State Foreign Operations Appropriations bill that reduced the risk of nuclear terrorism

20. Drafted and successfully added a highly popular amendment to the SCHIP bill that would offer 1 year of job protection to family members caring for a family member suffering from a war-related injury (Bush vetoed the bill and Congress couldn't muster the votes to override)

He has actually served in govt longer than Hillary Clinton has served personally, so I would expect his list of accomplishments to be longer than hers. What I don't understand is why people are so eager to grant Hillary a significant amount of credit for the work that Bill accomplished. And your "just a mere state senator" comment reeks of irrational adherence to your candidate of choice. I could just as easily comment that most of Hillary CLinton's 35 years of experience were as serving in the capacity as First Lady to an elected executive.

[jackson_dem]

65. She's been able to thrive despite having the rethugs and msm against her for 16 years

[Radical Activist]

72. thrive at what? your post lacks substance.

[AngryAmish]

68. This

Prove me wrong.

[jillan]

69. s-chip; putting a fork in the privatization of social security; special education

to name a few.

[TexasObserver]

70. Putting up with Bill's horn dogging is her greatest accomplishment

[workinclasszero]

71. When Hillary sat on Walmart's board

she helped to bust the unions trying to organize the workers and made sure most of them didn't get any health insurance.:shrug:

[hedgetrimmer]

74. That she is a bad donkey.

She did Mich. and Fl. when the DNC told her not to. She's a bad donkey and that is her greatest accomplishment.

[mtnsnake]

75. Her greatest accomplishment was ridding the United States of 50% of its right wing morons

Her biggest gaffe was that she sent them all here by mistake, instead of to FR, dressed up as Obama supporters.

[Radical Activist]

78. Yes all the right wingers

voting for the candidate with an actual progressive record and a history of movement activism instead of working in the system. How very right wing of Obama supporters.

Just close your eyes and forget about the right wing President named Bill Clinton who brought us NAFTA, media consolidation and welfare reform and hope it doesn't happen again.

[Radical Activist]

79. I keep reading about Hillary's competence and experience

so I'm kicking this.