During the MSNBC Democratic town hall from Las Vegas, Hillary Clinton gave a performance that illustrated all the reasons why Republicans are afraid to face her in the fall.
Clinton began by hammering Republicans with the first question about President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee. She bluntly said that what Republicans are saying is that they will not vote on anything.
On the Apple vs. the federal government fight, Clinton said that this is a dilemma’. She said that she was calling for the government and the tech companies to come together to figure out the path forward. Clinton said that this is why you need people in office that will try to bring folks together to find common ground.
Hillary Clinton was asked if she should be held accountable for her husband’s legacy. She rattled off a long list of her husband’s accomplishments and then pivoted to Sen. Sanders’ attacks on Obama and said that maybe it comes from the fact that he wasn’t really a Democrat until he decided to run for president. This drew a mixed reaction from the crowd. She replied to the boos, “It’s true. You know it’s true.”
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Clinton promised that if elected, she will begin to work immediately on priority legislation. She considers immigration reform a priority issue. She said that she wants to be begin working on priority legislation and appointments as soon as she wins the nomination. Clinton promised to introduce her immigration legislation in the first 100 days of her presidency.
Former Sec. of State praised Pope Francis’ stance on immigration and laid out her reforms that would take care of and provide total due process for children who arrive in the US.
Clinton was asked about the transcripts of her Goldman Sachs transcripts being released. She said that she will release everything she has when every other candidate does the same. Clinton added that even Sen. Sanders has given speeches to private groups. She then touted her Wall Street reform plan. The Goldman Sachs speeches could plague her in the future. It would be best for her campaign if she would end the questions by making the transcripts public.
She discussed the issues of mortgage discrimination and Social Security with ease. On Social Security, Clinton said that the first priority is to prevent Republicans from privatizing the program. Clinton talked about the combination of raising the cap and going after the passive income of the wealthy that comes from income earned on capital gains and investments. Former Sec. Clinton flat out rejected raising the retirement age in the next ten years.
Clinton was later asked if her debt free college proposal would give Latino students the same opportunities as others. She said that she is going to everything she can to clear all of the barriers away.
Later, Clinton was asked if she will take a stand against Walmart’s anti-union efforts. Clinton said unions had endorsed her because they know she is on their side. She was asked if she would support a living wage of $15/hr. She said that she supports a federal minimum wage increase to $12/hr, but she supports states and cities going higher. She said $12/hr is a floor, but she supports $15/hr.
Republicans are afraid of Hillary Clinton because she already has a plan, and she is going to hit the Republican Party with a full agenda if she wins the White House. The fact that Clinton is going to start planning the path to getting her agenda implemented as soon as she wins the Democratic nomination should terrify Republicans.
There is a distinct possibility that Hillary Clinton could be planning her agenda while Republicans are locked in a primary bloodbath for much of the spring. Even if Clinton and Sanders engage in a long primary, the Democratic nominee is guaranteed to be in better shape that whoever survives the Republican process.
Former Sec. Clinton is primed to be president. Her biggest hurdle is the Democratic primary. If Clinton comes out of the Democratic primary as the nominee, she could be everything that the Republican Party fears most.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
