2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumWhat Carole King ('a New Yorker by birth and by heart') wishes you knew about Hillary Clinton
Marcy McGowan ?@marcylauren 25s25 seconds agoWhat Carole King wishes you knew about Hillary Clinton and this election http://ln.is/hillaryclinton.com/VW3kq #
If youve listened to the radio at any point in the past few decades, youve heard from Carole Kingif not her distinctive voice, one of the more than 1,000 artists who have recorded her songs. A prolific singer-songwriter, shes blazed a trail for women in the music industryand been a vocal advocate on behalf of the environment and other progressive causes.
The self-described New Yorker by birth and by heart recently dropped by Hillary Clintons campaign headquarters in Brooklyn to talk about her earliest memories of politics, hard choices, and the conversation happening in todays Republican Party.
When did you first get involved in politics?
Oh, gosh. I canvassed for John F. Kennedy before I was old enough to vote for him. That was when the voting age was 21. Then, in 1972, I did a concert for McGovern. And in 1984 I got involved with the Gary Hart campaign in New Hampshire. I still have some really good friends from thatSenator Jeanne Shaheen ran his campaign. I was involved in the first President Clinton campaignmay there be a second President Clinton!and then I got involved in John Kerrys campaign. So Ive been doing this for a while.
What inspired you to get involved?
I have an issue! Im a New Yorker by birth and by heart. But I live in Idaho, which also has my heart. Its the landscape and the people and just everything. And I became involved with an environmental project that would protect the Northern Rockies ecosystem. It has what are called wildlife corridors, where birds can migrate and so on. Right now, theyre being cut down by the timber industry, and these forests are all going away. Its contributing to climate change, and that affects people everywhere. Ive been involved in that for the last 25 years.
And what inspired you to support Hillary?
I support Hillary because she will support the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and make sure it can continue to do the work that it was intended to do. Thats a very big issue.
The other thing is the fact that she understands the big picture. She doesnt just see things as this issue isolated, or that issue isolated. For example, she sees the intersection between climate change, the environment, and the economy. She understands that creating jobs in renewable energy in the United States would not only help combat climate change, it would create jobsand those jobs would not be outsourceable. Her understanding of the big picture is the single greatest advantage she has over any candidate running.
What kind of president do you think Hillary would be?
When she represented New York, she represented everyone in New York. If she is fortunate enough to be elected presidentif we are fortunate enough to have her be electedshe will represent everyone in America.
Youve been involved in your fair share of elections over the years, and youve been following this one closely. Can you talk a little bit about what youre seeing?
I will say that there is a dynamic going on in the Republican Party that is outside of my radar screen. I dont understand how people can be campaigning about things that are so low on the spectrum of intellect, of understanding, of bringing people together, of seeing the big picture of what would really be good for the world.
Hillary understands that we are interconnected with the rest of the world, so anything you do affects people worldwide. And certainly she would represent the people of the United States first and foremost, but she is also thinking about how to integrate us into the rest of the world in a manner that acknowledges our commonality rather than our differences.
Of course, there are many countries that are not as easily reasoned with, just as there are many Republican candidates for president that are not as easily reasoned with. But I think its so important to have a leader for our country who gets the need for inclusivity and working together. I think people who think about limited issues, who dont see the interconnectedness the way she does, are missing something crucial.
What about on the Democratic side?
As for the people who support Bernie Sanders: I get them. When I have discussions with friends who are Bernie supporters, its always respectful. We really do want the same things. But they say, I think Bernie is the way to get there. And I say, Wheres his plan? I have no problem with the idea of free college, but I dont see how that happens. I do have a problem, however, with starting all over on universal health careand I wish we had universal health care! But I think we can get to it by building on Obamacare, and I love that thats Hillarys approach.
She wrote a book called Hard Choices. Boy, if I were in her position, I would find her choices that she had to deal with very hard. I come from an extremely liberal, progressive point of view. I was that way when I was youngand I still am that way. I think Hillary is in the same place. We are called upon to make hard choices all the time.
Whats one thing you wish people knew about Hillary?
We hear from people, quote: I dont know if shes trustworthy. Let me answer that by saying that her opponents, and people who are scared of her politically, have spent millions of dollars throwing mud at her. They do that because they hope some of it will stick. If you think shes untrustworthy, some of it has stuck! And Im here to tell you that I know her, and I trust her to lead our country to the best possible place it can be. To help you achieve your dreams. To help us achieve our goals. To make a better world for my children and grandchildren and your grandchildren, if youre reading this.
Hillary Clinton ?@HillaryClinton 28m28 minutes ago
@Carole_King stopped by the office. We interviewed her: http://hrc.io/1YiLSy3
reddread
(6,896 posts)this poor lady.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)so what if she supports the other candidate from me.
reddread
(6,896 posts)I seriously detest drugs that destroy talent and spirit.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)reddread
(6,896 posts)priorities.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)it used to be. Age can do that...it certainly does it to opera singers...
reddread
(6,896 posts)but when she would rather score than play,
it does.
its a tragedy.
cigarettes are just as bad, really.
not unrelated addictions I imagine.
maybe I just dont know how to have a good time?
NBachers
(17,119 posts)She makes a lot of sense, and I admire her for being involved.
Carole King has made a huge contribution to the world so far, and her life is far from over. She'll contribute more.
Her music has created love, beauty, and joy billions of times for people over the course of her life.
Let's see your resume of world contributions.
There's always a hemorrhoid in the crowd.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)a real shy homebody. that poster is just making up shit because they are bitter.
bigtree
(85,998 posts)...not very progressive.
reddread
(6,896 posts)nothing progressive about slavery.
or anything else on the Clinton/Saudi agendas.
Arkansas Granny
(31,518 posts)drug problems.
Response to Arkansas Granny (Reply #11)
Post removed
Arkansas Granny
(31,518 posts)reddread
(6,896 posts)its trivia.
and in the music industry?
beyond trivial.
until they cant produce product.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)tralala
(239 posts)Not saying she didn't do it in her younger days. A lot of artists did back then.
Fawke Em
(11,366 posts)Armstead
(47,803 posts)tralala
(239 posts)NorthCarolina
(11,197 posts)Bonobo
(29,257 posts)She is very welcome to her own opinion.
JudyM
(29,251 posts)on environmental issues such as recycling... So her responses here are disappointing to read. She clearly does not know about Bernie's platform with any depth, and is simply, like many Hillary supporters seem to be, content with what they know about Hillary. What about fracking, what about wars and their cost and aftermath, what about pay to play at the highest level of government with arms deals? Etc.
It's ludicrous to imply that Hillary is going to be a stronger supporter of EPA and the environment when it's a huge issue for Bernie and he doesn't have to answer to major supporters with countervailing interests.
Sorry, Carole, love your music but you are not a progressive any more.
dubyadiprecession
(5,714 posts)don't believe BS. Most sensible people on the left don't.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)And, here she is singing the eulogy, SO FAR AWAY, for Bernie's nomination prospects:
WhiteTara
(29,718 posts)Damn that's getting to be a VERY large bus.
brooklynite
(94,592 posts)...also, we're rolling out new buses with wifi and charging stations.
Jitter65
(3,089 posts)Lucinda
(31,170 posts)making the world better for everyone herself, and able to shine a warm light on her candidate without directing anger and destructive rhetoric at the opposition.
And she is damn talented too.
bigtree
(85,998 posts)... her music is a big part of the fabric of my youth.
DrDan
(20,411 posts)Chezboo
(230 posts)NO, we don't! It's a damn coverup by Clintonland. I don't subscribe to neoliberalism and find it hard to believe that if most people knew those are the principles Clinton follows they would not be shocked. A vote for her is going to wind up taking all of us to her pal's special place in hell.