by D. Cupples | With Indiana's and North Carolina's primaries upon us, some polls are showing a significant number of undecided's. Good! Choosing the Democratic nominee is an important decision: people should take time making up their mind.
Campaign ads aren't very informative: they're too short to do much beyond generating sound bytes, and some ads are misleading or false. That and many media have been too busy campaigning to objectively report issues and events in a way that helps voters.
That said, I figured it wouldn't hurt if I listed some of my reasons for supporting Hillary -- starting with her U.S. Senate voting record (i.e., some of her votes of which I approved).
Some of Hillary's Votes (from Project Vote Smart)
Jobs & Benefits:
- Voted to increase minimum wage (Jun '06)
- Voted to stop tax breaks for companies moving jobs abroad (Mar '05)
- Voted to extend unemployment benefits for 13 weeks (May '04)
- Voted to protect workers' pensions (Apr '04)
Homeland Security:
- Voted to implement 9/11 Commission recommendations (Jul '07)
- Voted to restore Homeland Security grants that Bush cut (Mar '05)
National Debt:
- Voted against increasing national-debt limit (Mar '06)
Health Care:
-Voted to expand SCHIP (Sep '07)
-Voted to fund stem-cell research (Jul '06)
-Voted against Medicare Prescription Drug Act (Senate roll call) (Nov '03)
Investor Protection & Corporate Fraud:
- Voted to increase SEC funding (Jul '02)
Elections & Campaign Finance
- Voted to require uniform voting procedures (Apr '02)
- Voted for campaign-finance reforms (Apr '01)
Education:
-Voted to stop lenders from scamming taxpayers (Jul '07)
-Voted to increase grants for needy college students (Oct '05)
Energy & Climate:
- Voted for alternative-energy funding (Jun '07)
- Voted against EPA's loose standards on mercury emissions (Sep '05)
- Voted to decrease dependence on foreign oil (Jun '05)
- Voted for research on hydrogen cars (Jun '03)
- Voted to prevent oil drilling at ANWR (Mar '03)
Taxes:
- Voted to increase child tax credit (Sep '04)
- Voted against taxing the Internet (Apr '04)
Military, Wars & Contractor Fraud
- Voted for rest periods for troops in Iraq & Afghanistan (Sep '07)
- Voted to set up time lines for troop withdrawal from Iraq (Mar '07)
- Voted to investigate contractor fraud in Iraq & Afghanistan (Nov '05)
- Voted to increase veterans' health care funding (Nov '05)
- Voted for habeas corpus for Guantanamo detainees (Nov '05)
Executive Branch Appointees
- Voted for "No Confidence" re: Attorney General Gonzales (Jun '07)
- Voted against confirming Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito (Jan '06)
- Voted against confirming Supreme Court Justice John Roberts (Sep '05)
- Voted against confirming Gonzales as Attorney General (Feb '05)
- Voted against confirming Ashcroft as Attorney General (Feb '01)
- Voted against confirming Gale Norton as Energy Sec. (Jan '01).
Other Reasons to Vote for Hillary
Before Pennsylvania's primary, I listed 10 of my reasons for supporting Hillary. Rather than repeat myself verbatim, I'll just summarize them:
1. Hillary grasps economic concepts and pressing problems like our national debt, job loss, credit crunch, recession, gas prices, the larger energy crisis....
2. Hillary has a plan to get us out of Iraq, a plan that impressed 30+ flag rank military officers, which is partly why they endorsed Hillary.
3. Hillary has a health care plan that offers broad coverage for Americans.
4. Hillary's Senate committee assignments gave her a broad foundation from which to shape public policy, including veterans affairs, education, military issues, labor, health, and the environment.
5. Hillary understands foreign policy and has dealt with officials from dozens of other nations.
6. Hillary's can take on John McCain because she has broad support, evinced by her primary wins in big-states (e.g., California and New York) and swing states (e.g., Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania).
7. Hillary has demonstrated concern for fellow Americans -- starting with her civil rights activities during college and her work during the seven years after college, which she devoted largely to public service.8. Hillary has broad life experience and perspective: as well as public service, she has also worked in the private sector.
9. Hillary has learned how to get things done in Washington, through 7 years in the U.S. Senate and 8 years as first lady.
10. Hillary is strong and resilient. She has faced more scrutiny and ugly attacks than most politicians, yet she's still fighting.
Other Things That Impress Me
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1. Hillary's Ability to Unite People. I'm impressed by Hillary's ability to have constructive conversations -- even with people who have demonized her. Our next president will need such skills to build coalitions, negotiate, and find solutions to our nation's immense problems.
As evidence, I offer Hillary's editorial-board interview with arch conservative Richard Mellon Scaife and Hillary's recent policy debate with Fox's Bill O'Reilly (see video clips here).
2. Hillary's Concern for Fellow Americans. I'm impressed by Maya Angelou's endorsement of Hillary, because it's a testament to both Hillary's civil-rights leadership and her concern for people who need help.
3. Hillary's Political Astuteness. I'm impressed by Hillary's having turned John McCain's political posturing against him over the gas-tax holiday. Instead of knee-jerk opposing his idea (and feeding sound bytes about Dems being against dropping gas prices), she saw what was wrong with McCain's idea and came up with a plan that wouldn't do harm (unlike McCain's) and that might offer a little relief to consumers.
Realizing that people have only so much time to read blog posts, I'll stop there. Let me end by pointing out that some recent polls conflict. Regarding Indiana, for example, Suffolk has Hillary 6 points ahead, while Zogby has her 2 points behind. In other words, the race is up in the air -- so your vote does count.
If you're registered in Indiana or North Carolina, please get out and vote!
Incidentally (and for what it's worth), the latest Ipsos nationwide poll favors Hillary (47% to 40%):
"Among Democratic supporters across the country, 47% say that if the 2008 Democratic presidential primary or caucus was being held in their state today, they would choose Clinton, while 40% would vote for Barack Obama." (Ipsos)
Memeorandum has commentary.
Other BN-Politics Posts:
* Gas Price Watch: North Central Florida
* Indiana & North Carolina Primaries: Which Polls will be Wrong?
* Shoddy Work by Military Contractors Killing Troops
Very best list of WHY VOTE HILLARY. THANKS!
Please, Buck Naked Politics, can you find a way to help get this going today?
JOIN today's MAY 20 EMAIL PROTEST TO SUPER DELEGATES. Let's exercise our rights while we still have any democracy - Below this comment is an exclusive EMAIL ADDRESS LIST of Super Delegates
We all know the obama camp intended today as his coronation - at least that seems postponed (thanks to many like us) . However, he is still holding some big phony rally in DesMoines Iowa tonight (you know, the state where he won the first phony caucus) His intention is to detract attention from the Primary voters who are shown to support Hillary tonight - when the votes come in.
Last week, his antics to steal the thunder from WVa 70% HILL win was to put edwards on center MSM stage and send naral/prochoice group on national phone bank to brag they endorsed him. Smart naral state chapters received such a flood of email protests that the local chapters have distanced themselves from the national. Their national leader retorted that "women need to heal their broken hearts and get on with the business of politics". When asked reason for the endorsement (and its awkward timing) she said that organizations today need to focus on the 'under thirties' demographic.
There we go again - now it's throw everybody over 30 under the bus.
PLEASE SHOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT OBAMA by sending EMAIL protests to this list of Super Delegates today and tonight. Tell them in your own way, why they should Hillary Clinton, NOT obama. If you can, do this today, May 20. Let's steal his thunder for a change!
JOIN MAY 20 EMAIL PROTEST TO SUPER DELEGATES. Let's exercise our rights while we still have any democracy - Below this comment is an exclusive EMAIL ADDRESS LIST of Super Delegates
We all know the obama camp intended today as his coronation - at least that seems postponed (thanks to many like us) . However, he is still holding some big phony rally in DesMoines Iowa tonight (you know, the state where he won the first phony caucus) His intention is to detract attention from the Primary voters who are shown to support Hillary tonight - when the votes come in.
Last week, his antics to steal the thunder from WVa 70% HILL win was to put edwards on center MSM stage and send naral/prochoice group on national phone bank to brag they endorsed him. Smart naral state chapters received such a flood of email protests that the local chapters have distanced themselves from the national. Their national leader retorted that "women need to heal their broken hearts and get on with the business of politics". When asked reason for the endorsement (and its awkward timing) she said that organizations today need to focus on the 'under thirties' demographic.
There we go, thrown under the bus, again.
PLEASE SHOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS by sending EMAIL protests to this list of Super Delegates today and tonight. Tell them in your own way, why they should Hillary Clinton, NOT obama. If you can, do this today, May 20. Let's steal his thunder for a change!
LemireDahlman@rangeweb.net stephanie_schriock@tester.senate.gov montanaflyfish@yahoo.com joycebrayboy@gmail.com judgebutterfield@aol.com jcouncil@co.cumberland.nc.us jmeek@ncdp.org geri_gaginis@conrad.senate.gov elizabeth_gore@dorgan.senate.gov christy_beach@dorgan.senate.gov dhannaher@hannahers.com maxsonlaw@minot.com reneepf@btinet.net strauss_david@msn.com mwake@medicine.nodak.edu achelpohl@usa.net katfahey@cox.net franklamere@msn.com melanie_rogge@bennelson.senate.gov dostergard@neb.rr.com vimapo@aol.com martha.fullerclark@leg.state.nh.us dnorcross@snjaflcio.org danaredd999@yahoo.com crs@ntuaft.com fharris@unm.edu teresa_benitez@hotmail.com steven@stevenhorsford.com kittyspraggins@aol.com egoubeaux@woh.rr.com m.mallory@att.net lanamclin@aol.com nsonnyn@aol.com tekicatt@aol.com rwhitten@whittenburragelaw.com mzlivability@yahoo.com jen@defazioforcongress.org info@jasonaltmire.com ccampbell215@msn.com
james_brown@casey.senate.gov sara_mabry@casey.senate.gov chafinlawfirm@charter.net pmurphy@murphy06.com celita_a_de_r@hotmail.com gcobbhun@BellSouth.net waringsh@bellsouth.net carol@fowlercommunications.com jackbillion@sio.midco.net drey_samuelson@johnson.senate.gov sonja_dean@johnson.senate.gov mnemec@sullybuttes.net stroschein@nrctv.com rep.loisdeberry@legislature.state.tn.us BrooksViceChair@aol.com ydavis2455@aol.com olga@pgog.net al@aledwards.com chris@chetedwards.com denise_johnson@ibew.org bjenellhamlett@mail.house.gov moses.mercado@ogilvygr.com senfronia.thompson@publicans.com wholland@utdemocrats.org crbenjamin1019@yahoo.com jbevans@coatchworksfarm.com icarleton@vtdemocrats.org kevin_mcdonald@leahy.senate.gov chuckr@gmavt.net patnotter@gmail.com cewaliser@hotmail.com wisgov@gov.state.wi.us mary_irvine@feingold.senate.gov will_sebern@feingold.senate.gov steve@kagen4congress.com ellisshir@sbcglobal.net raejason@yahoo.com lissa7453@yahoo.com wineke10@charter.net beth_provenzano@rockefeller.senate.gov kerry_ates@rockefeller.senate.gov pjorgensen@jorgensenassociates.com jmillin@cheyenneeyeclinic.com constance@cborde.com liv.gibbons@gmail.com boleary1@bloomberg.net
Also: LINK TO DEMAND FLA/MI VOTE COUNT http://
hillaryclinton.com/action/flmidnc/
Posted by: jmk | May 20, 2008 at 03:25 PM