One month ago, Senator Clinton said: "I'm going to focus on what I would do as president".
Following her rapid decline in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and national polls and also in head-to-head matchups against 5 Republican candidates, the Senator from New York has launched a series of attacks, focusing not on what she would do but on what she asserts Barack Obama won't do.
So, let us set the records straight.
American soldiers and hundreds of thousands of civilians have died in the Iraq invasion. Billions of dollars that could've been used to improve schools in SC, create jobs for thousands of Iowans, provide healthcare to millions of uninsured Americans, fund research on renewable energy and help rebuild the devastation of Katrina is being spent yearly in Iraq. It's easy to forget the past, but the fact is that if Senator Clinton and others had headed the warnings of Barack Obama, 3000 America soldiers would be with their families today. The truth hurts, but if you've lost someone in this war, you will understand why Senator Clinton who did not read the NIE and has refused to apologize for her vote to authorize the war, is most unqualified to lead this country.
John Edwards and other candidates who authorized this war have taken responsibility and renounced their vote, calling it a mistake. They also stood up against the Kyl-Liebermann amendment that George Bush could exploit to invade Iran or extend the war in Iraq. Senator Clinton on the other hand, refused to take responsibility for her decision to authorize the war, instead worsening matters by giving George Bush another blank check on Iran.
As a state senator, Barack Obama stood up to the lobbyists, the drug and insurance companies by successfully passing legislation that offered healthcare to 150,000 additional Illinoisans. Senator Clinton on the other hand failed to stand up to the lobbyists and special interests when she tried to fix healthcare in 1993. The result was a fiasco that has left Millions of Americans without healthcare to this day. Senator Clinton has often shifted the blame to Republicans and lately, her husband has claimed that it was his fault, not hers. In other words, the experience is hers, but the failure is his. Is that an argument voters are supposed to believe?
The bottom line: Senator Obama got it done and Senator Clinton got it wrong!
Senator Clinton often talks about being the most experienced candidate. Such a ludicrous claim isn't justified by her records, most of which Iowa caucus goers will not be able to see in order to determine the validity of her experience claim. It also shows how the Clintons have taken Democrats for fools who will swallow everything they spin. If Senator Clinton believes the solution to the problems facing America's future is an experienced Washington hand, we urge her to drop out of the race and endorse Joe Biden or Chris Dodd.
A few months ago, Senator Clinton said "All Democrats are for universal healthcare". Now that she's on a free-fall, she's attacking Obama for refusing to share her approach that universal healthcare will necessarily be achieved by forcing people to buy health insurance. If mandatory health insurance is what America needs right now, we suggest John Edwards plan instead of Clinton's.
But the fact of the matter is, there is no status-quo on universal healthcare in America, except a failed one authored by Senator Clinton. So it's silly to claim that a particular approach that has never been tested previously is the one guaranteed to work. At least at state level, we know for certain that mandatory health insurance isn't working. Furthermore, a health plan without an enforcement strategy for a mandate is a suspicious plan whose 'terms and conditions' are not completely spelled out.
No problem in America can be solved with a 51% majority. Obama's highest cross-over appeal and highest net positives, nationwide, suggest that he's the best candidate capable of creating a new majority required to pass universal healthcare. With half the country saying it will NEVER vote for Senator Clinton and her negatives at all-time highest, even if she ekes out a victory in November, it is very likely her plan will end up again as nothing but textbook material.
Every election, politicians make sound-bite promises they hardly keep and you applaud. The American people get played for suckers year in year out with meaningless phrases like "ready to lead from day one" that exploit voters' fears. In the end, the "most experienced candidates" lead us into an ill-conceived war, but no real solution to the problems of middle-class folks. Hillary Clinton is part of a failed system that wants to force her down our throats. But she has failed the American people far too many times and does not deserve another chance.
On January 3, Iowans will pass judgment on who has the level-headedness to lead a dangerous world, the humility to listen to the views of the other side, who can be trusted to tell the truth on hard issues like social security, universal healthcare, foreign conflicts and who's better capable to end the war in Iraq - a candidate who authorized it or one who warned against it before it began.
In making your decision, we ask you to judge the character and record of the candidates over the course of their life, not simply based on carefully designed sales pitches suited for the moment. Because you will not get a permanently reliable president from a temporally crafted message!
Signed:
Carrington Ward, Jackson Heights, NY; Jimmie Willis, Beavercreek, OH; Victoria von Szelinski, Beverly Hills, CA; Jeff Schragel, Indiana, PA; Gerald Williams, Harrisburg, PA; Stacie Munger, AZ; Danielle Clarke; Rosalind Ware; Sharane Miller; Girish Manchaiah; Sharon Barolet; Jessica Caruso; Deborah Phelan; Pam Riddle; Dixie Siegel; Eileen Prussman; Cyd Reider; Tim Prudhel; Artemis OakGrove; Roberta Kelinson; Gebreyohanns Mehari; J. Ying Williams; Ciara Arnette; Diamond E.; Rosa Velez; Muriel Williams; Kim Slack; Leo Henton. |
