After looking up to the former First Lady for years, I now realize who she really is
When I first saw Hillary Clinton, it was when an unknown governor of Arkansas Bill Clinton was running for President in 1992. She used the name Hillary Rodham Clinton and was an attorney for the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock.
Her hair was worn in a long bob style and she became famous for her headbands, sort of like Larry King is with his suspenders. I was mystified by her. Unlike Nancy Reagan or Barbara Bush, I could tell she was ambitious. She became a pseudo mentor for me and because of her, I did the 10 year night school method to get through college. Thank you Hillary.
During Bill’s presidency, Hillary became quite controversial. She made statements such as “I don’t stay home and bake cookies.” She tried in vain to reform health care. She tried to be part of her husband’s cabinet and she was admired for standing by her man when Bill’s sexual appetite caught up with him.
When Bill left office, she ran for Senator in New York even though she’s from Illinois. She started wearing New York Yankee baseball hats, bought a home and campaigned like a native New Yorker until she won the election. Her record in the Senate is impressive with the exception of voting for the Iraq war.
In 2008, she ran for president against Barack Obama, another senator who ironically is from Hillary’s home state of Illinois. Their debates were heated, but in the end I thought she was going to come out on top. For the first time, Democrats had the choice between a woman and a black man.
After President Obama won the election, the nation was elated to have the first black president. Obama soon appointed Hillary to be Secretary of State. I thought Obama really took the high ground seeing as how he took several punches from her during the campaign. Clinton dressed the part and clocked more hours and miles than any other Secretary of State that came before her. I remained impressed by her, but something in my gut didn’t feel right.
When Hillary resigned as Secretary of State, the rumors instantly began about how she was going to rest up so she could run for President again in 2016. She wrote in a letter, “I am more convinced than ever in the strength and staying power of America’s global leadership and our capacity to be a force for good in the world.”
In my lifetime, this woman had come a long way. In many of her speeches, she has been a champion for women’s causes, but nothing ever really changed. In fact, they have gotten worse. As much as I would like to see a female president, Hillary is not it, not by a long stretch. Historians say that a politician’s legacy is the true story of how they did their job.
In October, 2014, Mother Jones published an article called “How Hillary Clinton’s State Department Sold Fracking to the World.” She urged other countries to use the process and to “give it another chance.” I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Everything she had done keeps bringing her down a rung on the ladder.
In Hillary’s book, “Hard Choices”, she refused to take a stand on the Keystone pipeline. On her watch, the State Department ignored a major pipeline spill in 2010 by another Canadian company called Enbridge (the first major spill of Canadian diluted bitumen in a U.S. river). The State Department then gave the green light to Keystone saying a Keystone XL rupture would not impact public health. The residents of Marshall, Michigan would strongly disagree.
Benghazi has become a joke because of the endless Republican led hearings, but after doing some research on other embassy attacks, Christopher Stevens was the only ambassador to be killed. That’s why Benghazi was such a big deal. I still wonder why she didn’t insist on extra protection right after the United States helped topple their dictator.
When John Kerry took over as Secretary of State, foreign affairs were in far worse shape, particularly in the Middle East, than when Clinton was sworn in. The United States is currently carrying out military operations in eight countries. The more I think about it, the more I realize that President Obama has never talked about her accomplishments during her time as Secretary of State.
I do however remember who Hillary is married to. I remember Bill Clinton signing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and GATT. I remember how he gutted welfare. I remember he did away with Wall Street regulations right before leaving office (we know how that went). The Clinton’s are globalists and corporatists. They have only perpetuated the the damage of Reaganomics.
Unemployment is down now, but salaries are still low and many skilled and educated workers are doing jobs they didn’t train for. Many people are working full time, but are still living in poverty. I’m starting to think the Clinton’s sabotaged the country more than they have helped. Even in the 2014 midterms, both Clinton’s campaigned for several Democratic candidates and they all lost.
Today I saw a article from The Hill with the headline: “Warren Trounces Clinton.” It was such a relief to read that progressives would rather have Elizabeth Warren first, Bernie Sanders second, and Hillary Clinton third for the 2016 presidential election. If the rumors are to be believed, Hillary is going to announce her candidacy for president in January of 2015.
I doubt Hillary will make it. The debates are going to be very confrontational if Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders decided to run. They will justifiably slam her for being a corporate shill. Not supporting or voting for Hillary Clinton will not be a hard choice for me at all.
I am a Tea Party Libertarian who thinks we have TOO MUCH government. Michelle Simmons is correct to say that Hillary is a corporate shill. I will probably vote Republican, because some Republicans want freedom. But I admit, I trust Bernie Sanders to fight the corporations. Bernie is the truth. Hillary would climb a tree to tell a lie. All she does is lie.
You had better be right about Hillary not making it, because you missed this:
According to Mother Jones Magazine, in Hillary’s own words, she is under the spiritual tutelage of Doug Coe:
“Coe, she writes, “is a unique presence in Washington: a genuinely loving spiritual mentor and guide to anyone, regardless of party or faith, who wants to deepen his or her relationship with God.”
And according to the excellent investigative reporting of Jeff Sharlet on ‘The Family’, the cult which sponsors the ‘National Prayer Breakfast’, Coe, in his own words, is no stranger to violence in politics:
“Doug Coe offered Pol Pot and Osama bin Laden as men whose commitment to their causes is to be emulated. Preaching on the meaning of Christ’s words, he says, “You know Jesus said ‘You got to put Him before mother-father-brother sister? Hitler, Lenin, Mao, that’s what they taught the kids. Mao even had the kids killing their own mother and father. But it wasn’t murder. It was for building the new nation. The new kingdom”
http://ronaldthomaswest.com/2014/08/09/hillary-clinton-in-four-short-paragraphs/
^
Apparently none of you look at her poll numbers. If you did you would realize that you are in the minority. Democrats overwhelming support Hillary Clinton for President by nearly 80% and she is the only candidate that beats EVERY potential Repug contender in states like FL and OH. Sorry if Bernie or Liz ran they would not win. They would be painted as anti-business communists and the Repugs would slaughter them. One thing we can see for sure is the R’s are afraid of Hillary and all the slamming they have done of her, hasn’t hurt her. The next person that runs at the top of the ticket in either party will need a minimum of 3 BILLION dollars to run!! There is no question that Hillary Clinton has the clout, the money and backing to raise this. Neither Liz or Bernie show they can. At the core of Hillary Clinton (who I have followed since 1992 as well) she is a progressive at heart. She stands with the left on every key social issue. There is NO WOMAN better suited to run the country than Hillary. In the end, Independents decide elections and Independents are comfortable with Hilary for President.
Well, maybe strategically ad financially she has muscle however voters should vote their conscience and stay true to their values. Ironically, I am a registered Independent and progressive. If she won’t take on Wall Street, the environment, fracking, oil pipelines and explain her foreign policy blunders publicly without someone having to purchase a $28.00 book. She’s still in a true run for her money. It is ufortunate that so many already have her elected and she hasn’t even announced her candidacy.
It is Vital that a progressive minded person like Hillary become Pres in 2016 or we will face more right wing nut jobs on the Supreme Court. If Hillary is the DEM nominee are you saying you wouldn’t vote for her? You’d rather have Jeb,Mitt, Rand for President & face an even further right wing Supreme Court??
Exactly Ms. Michelle Simmons.
If you want another corporate whore in The Oval Office, then Hillary Clinton might just be exactly what you’re looking for.
Top Ten Reason to Just Say No to Hillary:
1.) If you love NAFTA and think that it has been a good thing for our country – it destroyed my home state of Michigan and decimated the manufacturing sector of our economy.
2.) If you are anxiously awaiting the implementation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership – it’s like NAFTA on steroids.
3.) If you want to continue the “war on terror” and give more of your money to the defense contractors of the military industrial complex.
4.) If you want to continue the failed “war on drugs”.
5.) If you think that Wal-Mart is a great company and business model. (She loves them and used to be on their Board of Directors.) Plus, she is knee deep in bed with Monsanto!
6.) Did you watch the movie “Primary Colors”? It was written by Slick Willie’s former press secretary.
7.) Do you care at all about our environment?
8.) Do you think we should be able to drink clean water?
9.) Did you know that one of her primary objectives while she was Secretary of State was to launch the Global Shale Gas Initiative, now called the Unconventional Gas Technical Engagement Program, to encourage countries around the world to tap into their natural gas resources. Hillary is very much in favor of fracking. In fact, I’d call her a “mother-fracker”!!!
10.) I’m all for a woman to be our next president – just not her. That woman needs to be Elizabeth Warren.
NOTE: I know that Warren has said that she’s not running. However, if (those of you who are religious and believe in your magical skydaddy) all get together and pray for Hillary to have more fainting spells captured on video in the next 8-12 months…she might be forced to ride off into the sunset and spend more time with her granddaughter. And, speaking of her granddaughter – just imagine if Chelsea had married a Latino/Hispanic. Then, they could have named the baby girl “NAFTA” in honor of grandpa’s shining achievement for shafting the people and rewarding his corporate masters.
For those of you who don’t think that this is possible…just roll your calendar back to November 23, 2006: that was roughly two years before the ’08 presidential election – hint, that’s the same time period from today to the election in 2016.
At that time back in 2006, who was the front-runner for the democratic nomination? Did ANY person in this country actually think that a freshman U.S. Senator from Illinois named Barack Obama would get the nomination for the Democratic Party…much less, become PRESIDENT???!!! For me, in 2016….it’s “anyone but Hillary” because she is nothing more than a corporate whore and about as fake as it gets…just like the marriage (in name only) to her hubby Slick Willie.
p.s. It’s a shame that Slick Willie isn’t sitting in a federal prison cell right now. When he signed NAFTA into law that was the most traitorous act against our nation’s people that I have witnessed in my lifetime. Wake up, sheep! We don’t need any more Clinton’s (corporate whores) in The White House. If Hillary gets the nomination, I’ll be writing in my dog’s name on November 8, 2016. In the meantime, I’ll continue to hope that she has quite a few more well documented fainting spells in the coming months!
https://www.facebook.com/demsagainsthillary?fref=nf
Great response…do you want to write for quietmike.org?
I’m with you Skip Mize. Well said.
My biggest concern about Clinton is rooted in the way she campaigns, like a Republican. Attack, attack, attack, and nothing positive to say about herself. That’s why she lost to Obama in 2008 and why we cannot have her represent our party in 2016. There will already be one Republican on the ballot, we don’t need two.
This is my message to my fellow progressive Democrats; Hillary Clinton is not one of us. She can call herself whatever she wants, I can call a chicken a duck all day long, that won’t make it quack. Clinton is a corporatist, an elitist, a self promoter and, most of all, a REPUBLICAN. Karl Rove must be so proud of her (after all, it’s his campaign techniques that she’s adopted.)
I agree completely. She is not a shoe-in.
LOL Cvilleguy, your comment reminded me that it’s a twisted sort of Rod Serlingish bit of irony that we have Hillary to thank or blame for Citizens United. : )
Thank you for writing this, I will pass it along. I don’t think HTC is the right person for the job either. Glad you put this out there, she has that greed factor that we just need to get away from.
25 years in DC and she has enough money. No more dynasties!
Nice try. Nobody is fooled by you, “Michelle Simmons”.
Exactly what are you insinuating with your vague bitter comment? Nothing stated in the article is factually incorrect.
I’m not trying to fool anyone. If you don’t like it…great. Negative reaction is better than no reaction. And thanks for the extra “hit” on my op ed article. It just makes it more successful.
Nobody is fooled by me? I’m not trying to fool anyone. Your comment is personal for some reason, not about the content. Weird.
This article is missing one thing. FACTS.
Anyone can make a statement like that. Care to be specific and provide evidence to refute what it is you disagree with, then we can have an intelligent discussion?
This is a op-ed piece. You can refute the facts yourself, either here or for your own satisfaction.
Michelle, is your comment directed at me or Aaron? I assume me as it is indented under my comment, not under Aaron’s. My comment was a response to Aaron’s comment of “This article is missing one thing. FACTS.” It was not a challenge to your op-ed piece. My comment is indented under Aaron’s so I would have thought it was obvious that it was directed at him.
Aaron
If that’s what you think you have some serious reading comprehension problems. You should work on that, then read the article again. Clinton is not right for our country, she’s all about personal ambition, she wants a legacy, not a healthy and happy America.
Again, these are not facts, CvilleGuy, this is your opinion. You think she’s “all about personal ambition…wants a legacy, not a healthy and happy America.” You’re just buying into the progressive party line.
So since you expressed yours, here’s my opinion. Hillary will be a strong champion for important causes, will help to expand the middle class, and help to lift people out of poverty. She will work tirelessly, as she always has, to advance the causes of women and children, which will help the country thrive and be healthy and happy.
Really? eight years as a Senator and six as Secretary of State and nothing has improved for women. In fact, they’ve gotten way worse. She flipped on same sex marriage and DOMA and women still make 78 cents on the dollar. Please explain how her rhetoric has helped the middle class, lift people out of poverty, or advance the causes of women and children? I’ll leave the clusterfuck in the middle east alone for now. HRC loves the industrial military complex.
Well Aaron, you made a 37 minute YouTube video about me (I’m flattered) so I dare you to post it here. It will get a lot more views than 16. Have a good day.
So Happy to read an article about the Real Hillary as opposed to the Fan Club adoration she seems to elicit from the Left….Young Americans need a Candidate who will show the difference in Party Policies. ..Now they are Apathetic because both Dems and GOP look like the same old …same old
Unless someone like Sanders or Warren take the positions of inequality and oppression of Middle Class and Working Families as a platform. ..GOP or Corporate Dems will continue the destuction of the democracy and The Democratic Party will end up as a group of a single issue voters with no cohesion as a voter bloc…
The GOP has been successful in uniting a bloc of similar interest groups together into a force..
Democrats need to find the way to unite dispirite groups into one…common interests as opposed to…environmental. ..but not equality. ..Woman’s health..but not worker’s rights..
For Sure Hillary cannot make this transition
Thank you. I was nervous to write this but I just had to. It’s like she’s already been elected and she hasn’t even formally stated that she is a candidate. I have heard that she is going to make that announcement in January of 2015. Way too early for someone with a 25 year history in DC politics in my opinion.
Thank you for expressing my misgivings about Hillary so clearly. I never could bring myself to vote for Bill and I wouldn’t vote for her. (I live in a state that’s “not in play,” so I can vote for third party candidates with impunity.) NAFTA and Welfare “Deform” (hat tip to Molly Ivins) were deal breakers for me then. Hillary’s very aggressive imperial stance is a deal breaker now. There has to be a better way. As you say, there’s too much at stake this time around.
Thank you. I think she did a horrific job as Secretary of State, the ME has exploded into more and more violence, she supports the Keystone XL Pipeline as well as other pipelines, fracking, Monsanto, Wall Street and is a corporate shill. She and Bill are globalists…they don’t give a crap about the United States. The Clinton Global Initiative? Between the Bush’s and Ciinton’s following Reagan this country is a disaster!
Souvenir. Wish my Nook had spellcheck.
Wow! Excellent blog, dispassionate, factual and succinct.
I hope your well-expressed opinion is the emerging tip of a progressive iceberg. Any viable progressive presidential candidate must be able to overcome Hillary’s forminable PR machine.
Duck Michelle! I think I see a cleated-shoe souviner taken from Hillary’s keepsake campaign chest headed in your direction. Comin’ pretty fast too. : )
Thank you!
Boy!! Were you right!