Hillary defends Defense of Marriage Act, Welfare Reform, and passes the buck on Telecom Act

[LBJDemocrat]

"Clinton defended DOMA ("it served a very important purpose") and welfare reform ("the positives far outweigh the negatives"), passed to former Vice President Al Gore on telecommunications ("Al was very involved in designing and pushing that through") and acknowledged that NAFTA wasn't ideal ("it did not realize the benefits it was promised.")"

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/

It speaks for itself. I'll give her credit for having the guts to speak against the crowd and for acknowledging that NAFTA is a failure (though seriously, NAFTA is no longer the real issue; China is). But if this is how she's like when speaking to the Democratic base, imagine how far to the right she'd shift after the nomination. And I'd like to see what she has to say about our trade policies with China because that's the real issue right now, not NAFTA.

[still_one]

1. Most likely you and I would agree on Hillary, but most likely she will win the nomination

There are ONLY TWO reasons I will vote for her in 2008:

1. The Supreme Court
2. To send a message to the republicans how badly they have screwed the country

I wish it could be Edwards or Gore, but right now it doesn't look too good

[Somawas]

4. I hope you are wrong about her being nominated.

But this DLC kind of crap is the reason that if she is nominated, I will vote Green in protest.

[RC]

10. That is what the DLC & the repugs are counting on.

Makes it easier to keep the criminals in office.

[Somawas]

16. You could be right. I've been a Democrat for almost 40 years. Voting Green

will be a first to me. But nominating Hilary would tell me that the Democratic Party now thinks it owns my vote. It's mine. Not theirs. They'll have to earn it.

Nominating Hillary tells me that my Libertarian friends are right-there is not a significant difference between the two. So I'll vote lefter.

[still_one]

26. Because of the Supreme Court I will vote Democratic, I don't understand why people don't see that

After 2008, you can tell the Democrats to go to hell if they don't go back to their roots, but to ignore the surpeme court, WHICH IS ALMOST COMPLETELY GONE, is asking for decades of disaster

[Cha]

6. Don't count her in

just yet.

[still_one]

27. I hope you are right, but the money and the media are sure behind her /nt

[xchrom]

2. it really is about corporate influence in government and what

that equation gives america.

DOMA and defending is inexcusable -- and frankly horrifying.

it simply exemplifies the roll over tactics that certain people used in the face of phony conservative outrage.

and points to the kind of thing that makes so many here break out in a rash over -- a less than muscular response on the part of democrats when conservatives use bullying and phony scare tactics to move the population.

PUSH BACK -- HIT BACK -- GO RABID DOG ON THEIR ASS!

[msongs]

3. you could just put words in her mouth for her and be done with it nt

[Meldread]

5. Thank you, Hillary for reminding me who was one of the first to screw us gays over...

...yeah I thank you and your WONDERFUL husband ever-so much for DOMA. You're right, it served a very important purpose indeed - ensuring that good, honest, law abiding Americans could not have equal rights. If not for DOMA we could possibly have legalized gay marriage now thanks to it being legal in Mass.

Thank you again ever so much! :sarcasm:

[Cha]

8. hillary's playing to the

great brainwashed..she doesn't even see us.

And I'm talking about the "looney left"..I'd rather be compared to a loon than a chickenshitwarhawk.

[MasonJar]

7. Hillary is probably the most liberal/progressive candidate if Al does not

run. Why do y'all hate her so? And voting for the green party! Bah to that! The pugs love dems like you.

[w13rd0]

9. Would you care...

...to explain to us how she is the most liberal/progressive candidate bar Gore? Recent statements, policy positions, anything at all really. And won't those, like you, presently claiming, without any real foundation, that's she the "most liberal/progressive" now to try and placate and browbeat the democratic base just turn around and claim she's a "solid middle of the road centrist" come General Election time?

So please, tell us how she's the most liberal and/or progressive person in the race...should she have been on Kucinichs left?

[RC]

11. I don't know what you're smoking, but please stay down wind from me.

[IndianaGreen]

29. Let's do to heteros what heteros do to gays

Let's see how you like it, unable to marry someone you love, listening to all the homophobic hatred from the RW, and the closet homophobia from so-called "liberals."

[illinoisprogressive]

12. Everyone knows if nominated she'd be free to swing hard to the right

[disndat]

14. Yeah

she and Ruppert Murdoch will waltz into the sunset together.

[AtomicKitten]

24. I don't think so at all

... and I honestly don't understand how people can insinuate she would "swing hard right" expecting it to just float out there unchallenged. I realize people start out not liking a candidate and working backwards, but Hillary has a very liberal voting record which has been posted a gazillion times and I don't really feel it's worth my time to do it again.

I think people are fooled by her faux hawkish demeanor not factoring in the fact that she is knee-deep in an election and she's a girl. The first girl, in fact, to run for president.

But if you take the time to look at her actual record and not rely entirely on DU lore, you will find quite a different record than characterized here for the most part and you would realize how absurd that prediction is.

She's not my choice in the primary, but just in case she is the nominee, I don't think it's too much to ask to try to keep this caliber of snark at bay. It's not truthful, not based on factual evidence, and it takes a poop in the place we may be standing if she is the nominee.

[Major Hogwash]

31. If she swings much harder to the right now, she's going to be in McCain's left pocket!

She defended the entirely stupendously, stupid and irrelevant DOMA AGAIN!

If so, she hasn't learned a gawd damned thing since she's been in Congress.

And I'm not even gay.

[terrya]

13. She defended DOMA?

I hope she's grilled about that at the debate this Thursday...for LGBT issues.

I'm sorry that she still feels it necessary to defend a discrimiatory piece of legislation.

[AtomicKitten]

15. DOMA was an affront to all Americans.

I agree with Hill's explanation that Don't Ask Don't Tell was incrementalism, that it was a step in the right direction and probably the very best legislation that was possible at that particular time.

And although Bill Clinton vetoed DOMA twice before finally acquiescing right before the 1996 election - those GOP f*uckers have a knack of putting the Dems between a rock and a hard place before elections - it was for all practical purposes a nod to the ignorant prejudice that still sadly prevails in America. IMO he should have hung tight and never put his name to such egregious legislation.

It's time to smack Red State America upside the head and press forward with equal treatment under the law for all Americans ... that's ALL Americans.

[Meldread]

19. ...and yet... 2007 Hillary still supports it.

I'm sorry, but selling ANY group of American's Human Rights down the tube for political expediency speaks to the moral of any man or woman's character. This piece of legislation completely eclipses every good deed done by Bill Clinton, and tarnishes Hillary's own reputation by her STILL standing by it today. She can AT LEAST IMPLY that NAFTA was a mistake (without coming right out and saying it in true Hillary fashion), but she can't say the same about DOMA?

[AtomicKitten]

23. I agree that's a good reason to not support her.

Democrats need to stand for something and this issue is a good place to assert themselves.

It's time to draw a line in the sand.

[goodgd_yall]

30. Hillary Clinton's stand on DOMA

Clinton, as well as the other Democratic candidates are for doing away with the part of DOMA that says the only unions the Federal government will recognize are those between a man and a woman. This means that in those states that have legalized gay marriages---only Massachusetts now---the partners would receive all federal benefits that heterosexual married couples now receive.

HRC has said that DOMA is why the a constitutional amendment against gay marriage did not get the votes it needed. Since DOMA was in place, those members in Congress who opposed gay marriage felt it was enough. This is her reasoning behind defending it.

Personally, I'm certain Hillary Clinton doesn't give a rat's ass about people of the same sex marrying each other, i.e., I don't think she is personally opposed to it. I think she's a savvy politician who tries to find realistic solutions.

[IndianaGreen]

32. Hillary doesn't give a rat's ass for LGBTs. All she wants is our money

Hillary, and others like her, are too willing to surrender LGBT rights on the altar of political expediency, just as a previous generation of Democrats did the same on desegregation. Let's not push for desegregation lest we offend our Southern Democrats and split the party!

Talking about a record of appeasement on race and sexual orientation!

[dsc]

17. I have seen your posts on marriage equality

and frankly you are being about as hypocritical as it gets here. Your position and hers are not one ounce different.

[LBJDemocrat]

18. Link please?

I can't recall discussing the issue here.

Besides, all I mean to illustrate here is that she's pretty far to the right. Nothing hypocritical about it. The DOMA might not be especially important to me, but I respect the concern of other DUers about the subject.

[dsc]

20. I can't find it

so I am either mistaken or can't use the search engine well.

[dsc]

21. I can't find it

so I am either mistaken or can't use the search engine well.

[LBJDemocrat]

22. I might've said

that the GLBT issues shouldn't be at the front-and-center of the platform in 2008 because the candidates are trustworthy in that area and because it galvanizes the Republican frothing-at-the-mouth bigots who are that party's base (I'm skeptical about HRC regarding the first reason). I'm pretty sure we disagree on this point, but I assure you that I never said anything said anything against gay rights and I especially never promoted that demeaning piece of legislation known as DOMA.

[AX10]

25. There is no chance in Hell that Hillary is going to...

push for any sort of media re-regulation. She's in Murdoch's pocket.

[IndianaGreen]

28. Fuck Hillary on all 3 counts, particularly on DOMA

She can rot in Hell with her philandering husband!