Hillary Clinton's Alleged Ties to the Left

[BayCityProgressive]

okay, so I read lots of stuff saying that Hillary at one time wrote a paper on Saul Alinsky, supported the National Lawyers Guild, was anti-war, supported the Black Panthers, the Sandinistas ect ect...can anyone verify that ANY of this is true? If so it would actually make me respect her a little bit...

[illinoisprogressive]

1. she was anti war. A long way to being republican lite of today

[SaveElmer]

2. Frankly...and with all due respect...

You don't know what you are talking about!!

There is no definition of Republican that fits Hillary Clinton's record..

[mmonk]

4. More troops?

Before she changed her mind.

[SaveElmer]

5. She announed her oppostion to the "surge"...

Weeks ago, and reiterated it on the nite Bushie speechified!

[MannyGoldstein]

7. Weeks Ago?

Do you have a reference? I only caught the one two hours after the speech - presumably after her post-speech polling was completed.

[SaveElmer]

10. On t he "Today" Show...

December 19th

[MannyGoldstein]

14. I'm Not Seeing That

As far as I can tell, that was the show on which she finally said she'd have voted differently on the IWR if she knew then what she knew now. No frank admission of a screw up, of course. Nothing on the "surge".

[SaveElmer]

15. ...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16267456/

[MannyGoldstein]

17. Thanks. But...

Thanks, I hadn't seen that. However, she waffled with a Clintonian "unless it was part of a broader long-term plan to stabilize the region".

The only appropriate answer would be "uh... with 140,000 troops the place went from peaceful to murderous catastrophe. Bush is tellin' us that 15% more troops will turn this around? In your dreams!"

[SaveElmer]

20. On Dec 19th...

The detils of the so-called surge plan were not even known...it was a leaked rumor at the time. her characterization is the same taken by many Democrats, and not out of bounds for something no one had any details on. Her job is not to go off half cocked on every rumor that is leaked.

On the night of Bush's speech, when it was confirmed that his plan was not part of a plan for getting us out of the region, she hardened her opposition...

[MannyGoldstein]

6. Both Patriot Acts... IWR...

The first draconian bankruptcy bill (2001 - she missed the vote on the second one)... sole sponsor of legislation to criminalize flag burning... co-sponsor of a bill with Lieberman to increase the military by 100,000 troops... "free" trade legislation... fleeing from censure...

Nope, no Republican record here. Move along, nothing to see.

[SaveElmer]

9. ...

Bankruptcy Bill

36 out of 49 Democrats voted for the 2001 Bill

She explicity stated she was opposed to the second...and the only reason she missed the vote was because her husband was in the hospital haveing heart surgery...

"co-sponsor of a bill with Lieberman to increase the military by 100,000 troops"

The troop increase was supported by many Democrats and was proposed by John kerry during the 2004 election...

It was not an increase of troops into Iraq, it was an increase in the size of the military so soldiers would not have to serve 3 and 4 tours of duty....a proposal opposed by Bush btw...

"free" trade legislation

She voted AGAINST CAFTA

"sole sponsor of legislation to criminalize flag burning."

Wrong...there were a number of sponsors, and the legislation was proposed to head off a constitutional amendment which looked like it was headed for passage, which she did oppose.

"Patriot Acts"

Hmmm...lets see...well known conservtive Paul Wellstone voted for the first...

Well known conservative Barbara Boxer voted for both

She votes the Democratic Party position 95% of the time. By your definition 95% of Senate Democrats are Republicans!!!

[MannyGoldstein]

12. Yes.

By my definition, most of today's Democrats ARE Republicans - they are certainly to the Right of Eisenhower.

Which is why the Middle Class has been so thoroughly sodomized for the last 30 years. Remember when a single typical 40-hour-a-week job could support a family? That was before the Democrats became "Democrats".

I'll vote for the Democratic wing of the Democratic party, thank you.

[SaveElmer]

13. So what...

Even if I grant your characterization...which is simplistic...

Party ideology shifts all the time...

Doesn't matter how she compares to Democrats and Republicans 60 years ago...it matters how she compares now...

Now she is at the moderately left end of the Democratic spectrum ...and therefore not a Republican...

[MannyGoldstein]

16. That Kind of Thinking Harms Us

If your argument is that she Okey-Dokey because she's less of an extreme Righty than some other "Democrats", I take issue with that. If we vote for "sucks less than he/sh could" rather than "does the right thing", we are doomed.

[SaveElmer]

18. I was resonding to it in terms of your characterization...

And claims that she is a Republican...

She is not...not even close...

She is right on virtually every issue I care about, takes her job seriously, and in my opinion would make a very good President.

[MannyGoldstein]

19. Name Three Issues That She Has Led On

Where she took the lead, rather than waiting to see which way the wind blew?

[SaveElmer]

22. Children's rights...

Health Care, civil rights, women's choice...

Not to mention her work on behalf of New Yorkers after 911

[Lusted4]

21. Careful now you'll wake up the Nader haters. nt

[Lusted4]

8. Would being on the board for Wal- Mart?

[SaveElmer]

11. Oh please...

That particular slander was dispensed with months ago...

While on the board she was an advocate for workers rights, and for pushing Wal Mart to be more environmentally friendly...

WalMart did not become the odious entity it is now until after Sam Walton died...

[Reterr]

3. I have heard such rumors myself

:shrug: