that I prefer Hillary Clinton.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephen-schlesinger/why-hillary-clinton-still_b_86985.html
Why Hillary Clinton Still Matters
by Stephen Schlesinger
In the remaining Democratic presidential primaries, voters are blessed
with two candidates who are smart, energetic and forward-looking.
Nonetheless the residents of states like Wisconsin, Texas, Ohio and
Pennsylvania still have to decide between the two of them who will be
the most qualified starting on the first day in the Oval Office. My
choice is Hillary Clinton.
I have had the good fortune to observe Hillary Clinton's career while
living in New York. Up-close, she is an unusually tough, savvy as well
as charming political figure. While not as visible as Mayor Giuliani
on 9/11, she showed great mastery in the difficult days after the
attacks in helping to bring about the physical and emotional recovery
of New York City and gaining Federal assistance for Ground Zero
workers exposed to toxic air. As importantly, in her eight years in
the Senate, she has compiled a strong liberal voting record in the
tradition of the FDR-JFK wing of the Democratic Party. While she has
known defeats (e.g., health care in 1994), she has turned her
reversals into legislative prowess on the Hill.
Her work on the Armed Services Committee and her fact-finding visits
overseas belie the notion that she has limited foreign policy
experience. Her vote for the congressional resolution on Iraq in 2002
was a vote for continued weapons inspection and diplomacy and in
opposition to preemptive war, as she clearly stated in her Senate
floor speech. She has said on many occasions she would have voted
differently had she known that President Bush would misuse his
authority and dispatch US troops to Iraq without allowing UN
inspectors to complete their job. Today she vows to end the war and is
currently trying to prevent the establishment of permanent US bases in
Iraq by requiring prior Congressional approval for any such outposts.
Of extraordinary importance, she has taken the lead on the most
important economic crisis to face our country in decades. She was
among the first of the first Democratic contenders to propose a bold
economic recovery program designed to rescue the nation from
recession. Over a month ago, Senator Clinton advocated a $70 billion
emergency spending and a back-up of a $40 billion tax rebate should
economic conditions worsen. Hers is a direct attempt to help the most
threatened people in America - namely, lower-income families facing
foreclosures of their mortgages, those in need of home heating aid,
the unemployed who require extended jobless benefits and funding for
alternative energy and environmental programs. Her opponent, Senator
Obama belatedly came out with his own plan a few days ago which
seemingly lifts most of his ideas straight out of Senator Clinton's
proposal.
On a more specific level, Senator Clinton's recommendations on helping
Americans caught in the sub-prime mortgage mess are far-reaching. She
has called for a moratorium on foreclosures, a freezing of interest
rates, the use of federal subsidies to help homeowners keep up with
payments and restructure loans, and augmented regulation of the
financial industry. Senator Obama has come up with an alternative
plan, which, by contrast, does none of these things but tinkers around
the edges. He backs a bill against mortgage fraud, supports an average
$500 tax credit for homeowners and endorses additional funding for a
limited class of homeowners. This is a tepid response to an enormous
tragedy.
In many ways, Senator Clinton is to the left of Senator Obama. Hillary
Clinton has outlined a program of universal health insurance --
meaning that every person in America would be covered. By contrast,
Senator Obama's plan is more restrictive and would leave 15 million
people uncovered. Lastly, Hillary Clinton is a fighter for change.
Senator Obama, on the other hand, is a self-described conciliator.
What Democrats want today, however, is a battler, not a motivational
speaker. They have suffered enough from the vicious blows of President
Bush and the Republicans. What the party needs is a nominee who will
take the contest directly to the opposition. Come the Fall showdown, a
candidacy of "friendly persuasion" is going to be swiftboated into
oblivion.
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