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[madbrian]

Posted: 7/9/16 at 6:37am

The text of HRC's email, posted earlier on this thread by bPal Joey, is trending (as it should).

[HorseTears]

Posted: 7/9/16 at 7:53am

PJ actually posted it in the Shootings thread, but it's worth reposting here:

 

****************************************

A NOTE ABOUT THE LAST FEW DAYS

From: Hillary Clinton

 

PalJoey -- 

Like so many people across America, I have been following the news of the past few days with horror and grief.

On Tuesday, Alton Sterling, father of five, was killed in Baton Rouge -- approached by the police for selling CDs outside a convenience store. On Wednesday, Philando Castile, 32 years old, was killed outside Minneapolis -- pulled over by the police for a broken tail light.

And last night in Dallas, during a peaceful protest related to those killings, a sniper targeted police officers -- five have died: Brent Thompson, Patrick Zamarripa, Michael Krol, Michael Smith, and Lorne Ahrens. Their names, too, will be written on our hearts.

What can one say about events like these? It’s hard to know where to start. For now, let’s focus on what we already know, deep in our hearts: There is something wrong in our country.

There is too much violence, too much hate, too much senseless killing, too many people dead who shouldn’t be. No one has all the answers. We have to find them together. Indeed, that is the only way we can find them.

Let’s begin with something simple but vital: listening to each other.

White Americans need to do a better job of listening when African Americans talk about seen and unseen barriers faced daily. We need to try, as best we can, to walk in one another’s shoes. To imagine what it would be like if people followed us around stores, or locked their car doors when we walked past, or if every time our children went to play in the park, or just to the store to buy iced tea and Skittles, we said a prayer: “Please God, don’t let anything happen to my baby.”

Let’s also put ourselves in the shoes of police officers, kissing their kids and spouses goodbye every day and heading off to do a dangerous job we need them to do. Remember what those officers in Dallas were doing when they died: They were protecting a peaceful march. When gunfire broke out and everyone ran to safety, the police officers ran the other way -- into the gunfire. That’s the kind of courage our police and first responders show all across America.

We need to ask ourselves every single day: What can I do to stop violence and promote justice? How can I show that your life matters -- that we have a stake in another’s safety and well-being?

Elie Wiesel once said that “the opposite of love is not hate -- it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death -- it’s indifference.”

None of us can afford to be indifferent toward each other -- not now, not ever. We have a lot of work to do, and we don’t have a moment to lose. People are crying out for criminal justice reform. People are also crying out for relief from gun violence. The families of the lost are trying to tell us. We need to listen. We need to act.

I know that, just by saying all these things together, I may upset some people.

I’m talking about criminal justice reform the day after a horrific attack on police officers. I’m talking about courageous, honorable police officers just a few days after officer-involved killings in Louisiana and Minnesota. I’m bringing up guns in a country where merely talking about comprehensive background checks, limits on assault weapons and the size of ammunition clips gets you demonized.

But all these things can be true at once.

We do need police and criminal justice reforms, to save lives and make sure all Americans are treated as equal in rights and dignity.

We do need to support police departments and stand up for the men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect us.

We do need to reduce gun violence.

We may disagree about how, but surely we can all agree with those basic premises. Surely this week showed us how true they are.

I’ve been thinking today about a passage from Scripture that means a great deal to me -- maybe you know it, too:

“Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season, we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.”

There is good work for us to do, to find a path ahead for all God’s children. There are lost lives to redeem and bright futures to claim. We must not lose heart.

May the memory of those we’ve lost light our way toward the future our children deserve.

Thank you, 

Hillary

****************************************

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/9/16 at 10:35am

 

I posted it on the Shootings thread. It's a must-read.

 

[HorseTears]

Posted: 7/9/16 at 12:49pm

So, as we know, earlier this week Hillary announced a major expansion of her college debt plan - putting her more in line with Bernie's proposals for relieving college debt and making public universities tuition free for families earning less than $125k.  Something she previously opposed.  

 

Today, Politico reports that the DNC platform committee approved a formal amendment to call for a national $15 minimum wage, something Hillary was opposed to (she originally proposed a $12 minimum wage and then later in the campaign amended that position by saying some parts of the country should be able to go up to $15/hr).  

 

And, several prominent Sanders AND Clinton delegates have sent a letter to the DNC platform committee urging them to add stronger anti-TPP language in the platform.  

 

I know that those of you who seem to loathe Bernie will probably never admit this, but absolutely ZERO of these things would have happened were he not in the race.  As much as I liked Bernie, by early June I, too, was over his campaign and was kinda pissed off that he didn't immediately drop-out and endorse Hillary.  Now, I take that back.  As big of a pain in the ass as he could be at times, by playing the long game and holding out for these concessions, he truly did everything in his power to see the major policy initiatives of his campaign through to the convention.  If he had dropped out and conceded immediately, I highly doubt Hillary would have announced this incredible expansion of her college tuition plan and I'm also pretty sure we would not have seen the DNC agree to a $15 minimum wage proposal.

 

Yes, these are "just" policy proposals.  Yes, that college plan will be as difficult to see through as Obamacare was and will require cooperation of the States.  Yes, I think Bernie's a little too black-and-white on trade and globalization as well.  But, at the end of the day, his legacy in this race will not be about his ego as so many have claimed, but about his incredible influence in pushing the party, its  policies and, yes, it's candidate (and future POTUS) further to the left and in the interest of lower and middle class Americans.  So, kudos, Bernie.  AND, well done, Hillary!  She has shown enormous flexibility and willingness to evolve on these matters.  Some will argue that that's flip-flopping, but this isn't a purity test or a race to see who got there first.  This all makes me proud to vote Dem this November. 

Updated On: 7/9/16 at 12:49 PM

[South Florida]

Posted: 7/9/16 at 1:23pm

Well written.  He'll be a smash hit at the convention.

[madbrian]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 10:11am

Looks like it's now official: Sanders will be joining Clinton at a rally in New Hampshire tomorrow.

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/bernie-sanders-clinton-new-hampshire-225349

[HorseTears]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 11:06am

So perched for tomorrow's Hillary + Bernie rally.  That's going to be a barnstormer.  

 

Meanwhile, former Dem Sen. Evan Bayh is apparently set to announce that he's running for his old seat again. And, he's got $10M in the bank from his last campaign.  Potential good news for Dems in November! 

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 11:57am

That Trump will lose this fall seems a foregone conclusion to the anti-Trump Republicans. The only question is by how much, and whether the size of that defeat will affect how quickly and effectively the party can rebuild for coming elections.

 

 

HUFF POST: Republicans Left Wondering If Donald Trump Will Kill The Party Or Just Maim It: The party of Lincoln contemplates how to take the reins from the party of Trump.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-gop-control_us_5782d526e4b0c590f7e9ec0d

 

 

[madbrian]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 2:02pm

Out of nowhere, Evan Bayh has announced that he is running for the open Senate seat in Indiana.  This gives the Dems another realistic opportunity to pick up another seat.  

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/evan-bayh-readying-indiana-senate-comeback-run-225360

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 2:11pm

Gen. Michael Flynn, a registered democrat and major pro-choice advocate but also harsh critic of Obama's national security policies, is currently being vetted and seriously considered for Trump's VP slot. Cannot wait to see how all those hardcore rightwing nut jobs react if it comes to fruition. They'll probably just conveniently forget about his party affiliation and position on abortion. So funny. 

[madbrian]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 2:31pm

VP choices need to be approved at the convention, which is one of the reasons McCain decided against trying to put Lieberman on the ticket with him.  Difficult to see today's GOP approved a registered Dem who is pro-choice and supports marriage equality.  And Trump's already challenging fundraising would get even tougher.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 3:05pm

Except that he absolutely eviscerates Obama on all matters related to national security and foreign/military affairs, so I could see the Republicans overlooking his positions on social issues. 

[madbrian]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 3:15pm

Well, the social issues must matter.  I just read that he 'clarified' himself as pro-life on Fox News today, just 24 hours after explicitly stating that women should be able to make their own decisions.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 3:21pm

Interesting. He must be worried about losing out on being VP. What political bullsh!t. 

[madbrian]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 3:38pm

Liza's Headband said: "Except that he absolutely eviscerates Obama on all matters related to national security and foreign/military affairs..."

I wouldn't concede that point.  His philosophy is way out there.  In brief, he thinks we should defeat Islam on the battlefield, then claim we won because God is on our side.  

[Kad]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 3:46pm

Ezra Klein has written an interesting piece on Hillary and her leadership style- how it's different than what's come before, how it helps her, and how it hinders her.

Understanding Hillary

Updated On: 7/11/16 at 03:46 PM

[madbrian]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 3:49pm

You need to fix your link.

[Kad]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 3:51pm

Fixed! Sorry about that.

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 4:56pm

I briefly met Bayh at the 1996 Convention in Chicago. His aides were putting his twins in carseats.

Flynn would be a bizarre pick to me, but I understand little that has occurred this year! 

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 5:04pm

I don't always like Ezra Klein, but that is a must read.

[South Florida]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 5:59pm

I think it's obvious her listening that one time to Elizabeth Warren is what made her so enthusiastic, good article Kad.

 

[madbrian]

Posted: 7/12/16 at 11:50am

Sanders is endorsing HRC right now.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/12/16 at 11:59am

Sanders gave an really excellent endorsement speech just now. I'm very happy this finally happened.

[madbrian]

Posted: 7/12/16 at 12:14pm

HRC is feeding off the crowd Bernie fired up.  She's giving a fantastic speech.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/12/16 at 12:17pm

She is. And she keeps bringing Bernie and his supporters into the mix and including them in the conversation about everyone working together moving forward. It's so smart.