Will someone please tell Chuck Todd that the person running for the Democratic nomination in 2016 is Hillary Clinton, and not Bill Clinton? Todd seems unable to make a distinction between the two.
The final panel question onMeet the Press this morning concerned Bill Clinton's crime policies.
"You know, it was interesting this week to watch Hillary Clinton backtrack from a Bill Clinton policy on crime," Todd observed.
Because the wimmens always walk in lockstep with their husbands, dontcha know? Todd went on to observe that he was old enough to remember when Martin O'Malley, who also endorsed Bill Clinton's crime policy, was a DLC Democrat and not a populist outlier.
I hope Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have a vigorous primary and that the outcome is meaningful to the ultimate Democratic platform and for the good of the country. This is not an endorsement of her over anyone, but I do object to Chuck's wonderment at her ability to objectively see the outcome of 1990s crime policies.
Hindsight is 20/20. Unlike our conservative opponents, it's good to see Democrats stepping back and actually seeing what those policies have done to communities all over the country. Bill Clinton has already admitted his policies didn't achieve what they were supposed to achieve. And yes, Hillary Clinton did her part in 1994 to press his case, because that's what First Ladies do when they're First Ladies.
Hillary Clinton is not a clone of her husband and never was. The author of It Takes A Village was never shy about her belief in the power of government to improve the lives of children and women. It's what she's been about for her entire life.
As First Lady, Hillary Clinton played the role she was assigned, which was to be generally supportive of Bill Clinton's policies. As Senator, she was able to step out of that role and into her own, which was quite clearly defined as one that was populist.
She voted to assist homeless veterans, better heating and housing subsidies for poor people, she co-sponsored the Lilly Ledbetter act, she introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act and legislation to help single parents forced to pay for child support collection. Those are only a few. One of her bills near and dear to me was her multiple efforts to pass legislation to accelerate lead removal, a leading cause of learning disabilities, behavior problems, and IQ loss in children exposed to lead paint. That was a bill she sponsored early in her Senate career, and reintroduced at least twice.
Chuck Todd may try to insinuate that Hillary Clinton is just a rerun of Bill Clinton, but she's not. Pundits should just lose that idea right now. Bill is an asset in some ways and a liability in others, but Hillary Clinton is owed the courtesy of being evaluated on the strength of her own accomplishments, which do include 4 years as Secretary of State, and 8 years in the Senate.
She has a record. Anyone can read it, and the record consists of more than one vote on Iraq. Much, much more.
If anyone wants to see where Hillary Clinton's heart is, they should have a look at the long list of bills she sponsored while in the Senate.
Kimberly Strassel may think it's all about Elizabeth Warren, but Warren is following in Hillary's footsteps, again with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight with regard to the banks.
If you disagree with Hillary Clinton's politics, then fine. Disagree on a policy basis. But it's way past time to pretend she's a clone of her husband. She has never been that, which is why the right-wing attacks on her have been just as brutal as those on her husband.
Chuck Todd should get out of his bubble for awhile, and talk to some real people. That might actually really revolutionize the Sunday Yak shows. In the meantime, we'll keep watching so you don't have to.
