Hillary Clinton took to New York's historic Roosevelt Island to give a speech about her domestic platform for 2016. There's a lot there, but whether or not she can get Republicans to go along is anyone's guess.
As we have since our founding, Americans made a new beginning.
You worked extra shifts, took second jobs, postponed home repairs... you figured out how to make it work. And now people are beginning to think about their future again - going to college, starting a business, buying a house, finally being able to put away something for retirement.
So we're standing again. But, we all know we're not yet running the way America should.
You see corporations making record profits, with CEOs making record pay, but your paychecks have barely budged.
While many of you are working multiple jobs to make ends meet, you see the top 25 hedge fund managers making more than all of America's kindergarten teachers combined. And, often paying a lower tax rate.
So, you have to wonder: "When does my hard work pay off? When does my family get ahead?"
"When?"
I say now. (Cheers, applause.)
Prosperity can't be just for CEOs and hedge fund managers.
Democracy can't be just for billionaires and corporations. (Cheers, applause.)
Prosperity and democracy are part of your basic bargain too.
You brought our country back.
Now it's time -- your time to secure the gains and move ahead.
And, you know what?
America can't succeed unless you succeed. (Cheers, applause.)
That is why I am running for President of the United States. (Cheers, applause, chanting.)
It was a pretty good speech, actually. Clinton laid out much of what she planned to call for as president if elected.
For decades, Americans have been buffeted by powerful currents.
Advances in technology and the rise of global trade have created whole new areas of economic activity and opened new markets for our exports, but they have also displaced jobs and undercut wages for millions of Americans.
The financial industry and many multi-national corporations have created huge wealth for a few by focusing too much on short-term profit and too little on long-term value... too much on complex trading schemes and stock buybacks, too little on investments in new businesses, jobs, and fair compensation. (Cheers, applause.)
Our political system is so paralyzed by gridlock and dysfunction that most Americans have lost confidence that anything can actually get done. And they've lost trust in the ability of both government and Big Business to change course.
Now, we can blame historic forces beyond our control for some of this, but the choices we've made as a nation, leaders and citizens alike, have also played a big role.
Our next President must work with Congress and every other willing partner across our entire country. And I will do just that -- (cheers, applause) to turn the tide so these currents start working for us more than against us.
At our best, that's what Americans do. We're problem solvers, not deniers. We don't hide from change, we harness it. (Cheers, applause.)
But we can't do that if we go back to the top-down economic policies that failed us before.
Americans have come too far to see our progress ripped away.
Now, there may be some new voices in the presidential Republican choir, (laughter) but they're all singing the same old song...
A song called "Yesterday." (Laughter, cheers, applause.)
You know the one -- all our troubles look as though they're here to stay (laughter)... and we need a place to hide away... They believe in yesterday.
And you're lucky I didn't try singing that, too, I'll tell you! (Laughter, cheers, applause.)
We'll see what she can back that up with.
Back in 2008, everyone knew that Obama and Clinton were ideological peas in a pod: the nomination was decided on other grounds, primarily organizational.
ReplyDeleteSo Obama, as President, was a good liberal and he wanted all the right things but he was not able to enact all the good stuff by sheer force of desire. Thus the kossacks and the firebaggers denounced him as persona non grata who had never really been a liberal in the first place. Standing the historical analysis on his head, they preemptively denounced Clinton as persona non grata who had never really been a liberal in the first place neither: they will have Bernie, or they will burn the place to the ground.
I of course find this to be silliness of the first water, that will set back the progressive cause by another decade or two. This bums me out as I went to the funerals of two friends this week, and I may well not live to see the pendulum swing back in the direction of peace and economic justice. This life long social democrat wants these ignorant and self serving people to pipe down and go away before they cause another catastrophe like they did in 2000.