The (recent) past is rapidly becoming another country

[selenak]

While searching for something completely different, found this link again in an old post. Hillary Clinton in the spring of 2009, responding to a question (in the House) about the role of U.S. government supporting access to safe abortion, contraception, maternal health care and education abroad with a vigorous defense of reproductive rights and family planning.

"Sec. Hillary Clinton Defends Reproductive Rights and Family Planning" (Watch on YouTube)

This is why "just as bad/no difference/no one knew what she was standing for/didn't do anything for others in her time of office" talk still makes me so furious.

Comments

[muccamukk]

I just feel so bad for HRC now. She worked so hard, her whole life, and ok, I didn't like her husband, and no she wasn't perfect, but a life time of genuine service and she lost to THAT?

(I think the people I'm mostly angry at are the 50 (or so) % who didn't even try to vote.)

[selenak]

Same here, as with Brexit. The non-voters who only now go "oh, but I didn't think my vote counted!" or "I didn't vote as a protest" or just "eh, who cares" - those are the ones who madden me the most.

[likeadeuce]

The 'she didn't give people anything to vote for' (as opposed to against) talk drives me nuts. There was plenty to vote for*, people just didn't CARE.

*This isn't to say her campaign couldn't have done a better job with their 'message,' I'm not an expert in this field, but so much of the talk sounds like a combination of sour grapes and 'I told you so,' that I have trouble listening to it.

[selenak]

Same here. I mean, just yesterday I read yet another article claiming that she ran solely on the message of "I'm not Trump", offering people nothing else, and I feel like I did when watching GDR news as a child (we lived close to the border and thus could get East German tv). No, Eurasia wasn't always at war with Oceania.

[msilverstar]

FUCKING FURIOUS! She is a good and decent woman and there was so much crap in the so-called "liberal" media, it just disgusts me. Sure she could have been a better candidate, but we could have donated and called more. And of course, she actually won. I'm going to use this icon a lot.

[selenak]

Yes, by, how much is it now, nearly two million votes? Your electoral college system so needs reforming, and I hope Dianne Feinstein's initiative will succeed.

[likeadeuce]

The US Constitution is really hard to amend (fortunately, right now, on most fronts) so it's unlikely we'll see the abolition of the Electoral College, but there is a movement under which the individual states could agree to allocate their votes to the winner of the national popular vote. The latter seems like a more likely move to succeed, though it (like a lot of other important things right now) is going to depend on making changes in the state governments -- which I hope we will be able to do going forward. There's no magic bullet, unfortunately.

[kore]

It's interesting, at least one switch I've seen in the liberal electorate is the seizing of the states' rights mandate -- which the right has used for a long, long time. California and MA declaring they're not going to stop their policies of being safe havens especially. And if people are energized now to do stuff at the state level, maybe that could lead to a popular-winner-take-all change.

[selenak]

I've just read this article re: electoral colleges, what do you think?

[likeadeuce]

The thing is, the Republican electors are likely to be people who voted for Trump. Even if tge election goes to the House, it's going to be a house whose members are up for reelection in two years in front of voters who like Trump more than they like their congressmen. Even if I thought it was a good idea -- and I'm not sure I do -- it seems very unlikely to happen.

[likeadeuce]

(Not sure it's a good idea as in, Trump's a nightmare but so is an executive w/ questionable legitimacy and Trump + his supporters on the loose with a plausible narrative about how the election was stolen. All things considered I think trusting congress & the courts to do their job resisting a bad executive and voters to show up in the next few elections is a better option for those disposed to long term thinking.)

[kore]

Yeah, almost 2M -- it's probably just going to go up. http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/11/20/hillary_clinton_s_popular_vote_lead_increases_to_almost_1_7_million.html

[fallingtowers]

Have you already seen this excellent article by Susan Bordo in the ZEIT? Might be relevant to your interests.

http://www.zeit.de/kultur/2016-11/hillary-clinton-image-deconstruction-susan-bordo

[selenak]

Yes, I've seen it, and agree. (BTW, was startled to realise I know the author via her Anne Boleyn writings.

[kore]

The "oh she offered nothing concrete, she was just not-Trump, she had no plans" narrative is everywhere now and it's DRIVING. ME. NUTS. It's so false and makes me so angry.

[selenak]

It also makes you wonder whether a single journalist who claims that ever bothered to listen to a single speech, or check the website. Plans, in detail: she had them!

[kore]

Yeah, I mean OF ALL THE CANDIDATES to say they didn't offer anything concrete in response to the opposition.....//boggles

Altho I guess "Clinton lacks the emotion-driven raw hatred that taps into human beings' worst nature which her opponent has in spades" is a less snappy headline. /bitter