What Could Have Been
By Ani on November 13, 2008 at 7:15 AM in Backfire, Backtrack Obama, Campaign promises, Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, Housing & Housing Crisis, Howard Dean, Infrastructure, Mortgage Crisis, Nancy Pelosi
This was a statement and release from the office of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton:
Senator Clinton Calls for New Stimulus to Boost Economy and Help Those Hardest Hit by Recession, Calls for Investments in Infrastructure, Green Jobs, Mortgage Relief, Aid to Cities and States, and Extending Unemployment Insurance
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today called for a comprehensive new stimulus package to jump start the ailing economy. In a letter to President Bush and Senate leaders, Senator Clinton outlined a series of measures that would protect those Americans hit hardest by the recession and put the nation on the road to recovery.
The text of her letter to the President follows:
November 11, 2008
The Honorable George W. Bush
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500Dear Mr. President:
Our economy has lost more than one million jobs this year alone. The scope and scale of the economic challenges facing the American people are vast. Businesses, large and small, are struggling to secure financing to survive. Families cannot find affordable mortgages and consumer loans. The housing crisis, which has already wiped out hundreds of billions of dollars in home equity and even more in investment losses, grows deeper every day, with another wave of foreclosures looming.
The State of New York is the epicenter of this crisis. New York projects that more than 160,000 New Yorkers will lose their jobs as a result of the economic downturn. A recent analysis estimates that New York City will lose almost 30,000 construction jobs by 2010, in addition to the tens of thousands of jobs already lost to turmoil on Wall Street.
We are in a recession which demands decisive action. I believe that in order to stimulate this economy, we need to get people working, earning, and building – not just spending. We have borrowed hundreds of billions that have gone to banks and financial institutions and borrowed tens of billions more to energize the economy, yet the economic downturn has continued and the financial turmoil has worsened. What is clear is that any action we take – especially as we borrow more money to do so – must pay off in the near and long term. That is what America does best: we can address this crisis while preparing for our future.
However, we do have immediate needs that cannot wait between now and when the next Congress and the next President takes office. And although your Administration has voiced skepticism about the need for a stimulus bill, I believe that the current conditions call for a coordinated response now.
The most recent jobs report, indicating another 240,000 jobs lost last month and the worst unemployment rate in 14 years, shows that steps need to be taken to shore up the safety net as millions of Americans continue the search for work. Expanding Unemployment Insurance and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would not only provide relief to those hit hardest by our economic downturn, it would also spur economic activity as this money is immediately spent. New York alone has hundreds of thousands of people who will face the unemployment line and the loss of their food assistance during this economic downturn.
In the midst of one of the greatest fiscal crises to hit our states, an increase in the Medicaid FMAP rate would help prevent further and deeper cuts to health care and other essential services like education, child care and public safety. Rising demand for health insurance coverage through Medicaid due to increasing job loss is straining state budgets, and the federal government should act to help ease this growing burden on our states.
It is also increasingly clear that we need to take steps now that not only mitigate the fallout, but also begin putting the nation on the path towards recovery. That is why I believe the stimulus we pursue should focus on rebuilding our infrastructure and building a new, clean energy economy. Stimulus should focus on putting people back to work by investing in infrastructure and green jobs. That is how we can restore our prosperity today and ensure it in the future.
So I am proposing, among other steps, that we speed investments in infrastructure, including $410 million in New York roads, bridges, and transit systems, as well as training for new jobs in the clean energy economy, or “green collar jobs.” A federal investment in our infrastructure serves the dual purpose of modernizing our country’s deteriorating roads, bridges, and transit systems while stimulating the economy. Investing in these projects will create tens of thousands of good paying jobs. More than 40 highway, transit and rail projects are “shovel-ready” in New York alone.
I am also proposing an investment in training programs to prepare a new green workforce for the clean energy jobs of the future. I believe we can create at least five million green collar jobs – and we can speed the creation of those jobs while also training displaced workers to fill them in the very short term.
The next wave of foreclosures looms, and we should address it immediately. It is critical that we modify unworkable mortgages into clear and stable terms if we are to prevent the bottom of the housing market from falling even further. I have proposed HOME, the Home Owners Mortgage Enterprise, based on the successful program enacted during the New Deal which not only saved one million homes but also turned a profit for the Treasury. We should continue focusing on initiatives large and bold enough to meet the scale of the challenges presented by the faltering housing market.
The road to recovery will be difficult. But it is imperative that we take these urgent and important steps to kick-start the economy and hasten a return to prosperity that is shared and strengthens the middle class. I ask that you work with congressional leaders in developing a comprehensive stimulus package that the Congress can pass next week to reach your desk immediately thereafter.
Sincerely,
Hillary Rodham Clinton
cc: Majority Leader Harry Reid
Senator Robert C. Byrd
Senator Daniel Inouye
Take a good look. That’s leadership: the difference between a work horse and a show horse. Not for glory. No headlines. For the American people. It is still heartbreaking that we are being deprived of someone so caring and capable at the helm.
I know some are angry that Senator Clinton went out and campaigned for Barack Obama. But before anyone starts any Hillary bashing, this woman has been fighting on behalf of the Democratic Party for over 35 years. Severely outspent, in debt, with the press lynching her daily and her own party actively pushing and rigging it for the other guy, she did what she had to do to live to fight another day. Furthermore, she kept her word to the American people to fight for the Democratic nominee and a Democratic agenda.
I know that President-elect Obama has reversed himself on his policies and associations at lightning fast speed, so giving his word may not mean anything. But I do know to her, it means everything. It may seem an irritating quality at times. If I give my word, I don’t break it. Ever. My word is my bond.
Furthermore, had Hillary behaved any differently and shunned the Party, rest assured her crucifixion would have followed. Just witness the disgraceful treatment Governor Palin is receiving as we speak if you doubt this.
I will not second guess her. I just observe that Hillary is still out there “putting her shoes on” and doing her job. And while I may wish she had acted differently these last couple of months, I am certainly glad to have her earnest and dedicated voice in the Senate, still working on our behalf.
Notice, too, Senator Clinton is asking for action to be taken immediately, unlike Obama who is basically saying ‘it’s Bush’s mess ’til I get here in a couple of months.’ Where are his immediate solutions? Suggestions? He is not even planning on attending the emergency economic summit later in the week, but sending surrogates in his stead. If I were set to take over in a couple of months — I’d want to show up and keep my ears open and learn something.
People are hurting right now. It doesn’t matter which administration gets the credit. Help is required for the American people. Scorekeeping is not the issue. Hillary gets that.
Thank you so much Speaker Pelosi, Chairman Dean, Senator Reid, Senators Byrd, Kerry, Kennedy, McCaskill, Rockefeller and the rest of the backstabbers for throwing this good lady under the bus and instead, leaving us with Mr. Hopey Changey who seems to think it’s more important he choose a puppy for his daughters right now.
How’s that working out for ya’?
(Release: November 13)
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Don’t blink or you’ll miss when Obama steals it as his own.
Everything in the news the last 2 wks or so have said blatantly that it’s going to get worse, much worse before it gets better.
rather scary-
What? I thought the messiah was going to fix everything? Now they actually expect thing guy to do something? I’m terrified and have been since about March. I wish they would have listened to me.
Is Barrakula getting any bad press yet? Or are we going to have a focus group on what he should feed his new puppy if he gets one.
The dumbing down of America…completed.
That Peru dog was about the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen. Poor thing. That dog would give kids nightmares, and I’m sure Obama’s kids don’t need anything else scaring them in their sleep.
I guess everyone read the headline article today that the “Regulators” have ruled out help for consumers in credit card debt. So, the taxpayers can bailout the big corportions, but there’ll be no help for the people who work to pay the taxes to bailout the corporations. ANd since when did any of the regulators in this country start regulating anything? Oh, yah, when bending the rules might help average people. Disgusting.
They said people had been irresponsible to get into credit card debt and if they stepped in to relieve it Americans would lose confidence in the banks!!!!
At 30% usury rates. It’s absurd.
Shame on them.
tek-
A while back Barack Obama had an opportunity to help get the ball rolling with regards to protecting consumers from credit card companies but he chose not to.
Perhaps an indicator of things to come?
http://www.beyondchron.org/articles/The_Obama_Craze_Count_Me_Out_5413.html
CREDIT CARD INTEREST RATES:
“Obama has a way of ducking hard votes or explaining away his bad votes by trying to blame poorly-written statutes. Case in point: an amendment he voted on as part of a recent bankruptcy bill before the US Senate would have capped credit card interest rates at 30 percent.
Inexplicably, Obama voted against it, although it would have been the beginning of setting these predatory lending rates under federal control. Even Senator Hillary Clinton supported it.
Now Obama explains his vote by saying the amendment was poorly written or set the ceiling too high. His explanation isn’t credible as Obama offered no lower number as an alternative, and didn’t put forward his own amendment clarifying whatever language he found objectionable.
Why wouldn’t Obama have voted to create the first federal ceiling on predatory credit card interest rates, particularly as he calls himself a champion of the poor and middle classes? Perhaps he was signaling to the corporate establishment that they need not fear him. For all of his dynamic rhetoric about lifting up the masses, it seems Obama has little intention of doing anything concrete to reverse the cycle of poverty many struggle to overcome.”
End of excerpt
My opinion of Barky all along. I just read that he’s PUSHING for $50 billion for the auto makers.
Why can’t the pols put a bill through Congress to relieve consumer debt the way they put a bill through Congress to bailout the corps?
The irritating thing is that this was all forseeable, but no one would hold the government agencies accountable during the last 8 years. Now We the People have suffer for it.
The mostintetesting part of the article is that Barky wants to bailout the auto industry and create an oversight czar–like the one in 1979. Hmm, that worked real well, didn’t it? Then the article lists the previous bailouts of the auto industry!
Let’s see, who works in the auto industry–in Detroit, MI?
One of the commonalities between what Senator Clinton and Prez Elect Obama talk about is this concept of 5 million “green collar” jobs.
I know I am probably about to step in poo poo, but please know that this question comes with absolutely no snark attached…what is an example of a “green collar” job?
I mean, an actual example. What would someone actually be doing on a daily basis that would be considered a “green collar” job? What are the job duties?
It is a term all the candidates, including McCain, threw around, but I’ve just never heard a good example of what one of those jobs would be. I’m just trying to clear up my ignorance, not make a point.
Thanks for your help.
That was my first thought, too. Sad.
THANKS, ANI!
This is a great post that sums up the essence of Hillary’s legacy-to-come!
She did her duty, as millions of women do every day, whether it’s to stick by a jerk cause you have kids’ school expenses and can’t hack it alone, or whether it’s to simply Survive for Another Day as best you can….
Ah, what we, what the World has missed! Nancy, Reid, Donna, Deano, and the Puppet on the String Himself should be tried for inducing a political abortion…
Now, just wait for the full catastrophe as Zorba would say….Bush I being replaced with yet another moron oBUMMER II.
BJ:
He already did and sent tons of memos out repeating much this as his own it seems.
Charlie Rose tonight had 2 guys on the show explaining how BO’s central “idea” after “fixing the immediate economy” is “energy” as in “green energy” (create jobs, infrastructure, etc etc.). And why then low gas prices were “bad”…
These guys even talked about nuclear energy as being part of BO’s plan.
Now: did anyone got the sense the “energy” was the central piece of BO’s plan during the campaign?????
Yes there is definitely a world of difference between what we could of had and what we are ending up with! Obama’s call for a stimulus amounted to nothing more than a hopey changey bribe to middle and low income families. As someone who’s family is among the working poor. I can tell you I would much rather have more jobs in the country so my family doesn’t have to worry about layoffs quite so much. Over a $500 check that would literally be gone by the very next day being spent on bills. I know the bills need paid, and they will be. But I’d rather pay another $5 late fee, than end up with no family income at all! Trust me, it’s much easier to live on a tight budget than it is to live with no budget.
The investment in infrastructure is another thing that is becoming a vital need in many area’s. We need to update many antiquated systems in this country, one of the most pressing being the power grid! It is still one of the most vulnerable public necessities in the nation. Not only to any possible terrorist attack, where a single small bomb in the right place could literally black out have the nation for hours. But severely at risk for a cascade failure that could leave millions without power for days through a simple overload at the wrong place!
The thing I like most about her idea for a stimulus package though, is that it does not try to be just a quick fix and ultimately ineffective bandage on a bleeding nation. Her plan has short and long term effects that our country desperately needs.
0mama has to call for aid to the poor and downtrodden. That way when it doesn’t get passed, he can hold this one little token out to the koolaid “gas and mortgages” crowd as an effort on their behalf.
It goes to guys like Rezko, remember the rehab scams in Chicago?
I just do not expect it to be any different, they paid a lot of money to place Obama in the Presidency, they want their due.
Where they’re going to get it form I don’t know, the business of government is kinda destroyed.
It goes to guys like Rezko, remember the rehab scams?
They paid a lot of money to place Obama in the Presidency, they want their due.
But the business of government is kinda destroyed.
Hmmmm…Beebop…I’m po and downtrodden and I don’t see m’self gettin a break…lol…Course I’m white….and gettin a federal break for me has been a problem in this part of the country…lol…
I get a fairer shake if I go to Catholic Charities.
I’m just sayin’
Couric lets the inner cat out: Palin should keep her head down
http://edgeoforever.wordpress.com/2008/11/13/couric-wants-palin-to-keep-her-head-down/
I think Katie should keep her head down, work really hard and learn about journalism.
I think
KatieCatty Couric should keep her head down, work really hard and learn about journalism.Catty = Subtly cruel or malicious; spiteful:
“catty” is word applied to unpleasant women similar to “bitchy.” If we all are upset about the media’s sexism in it’s treatment of Sen. Clinton and Gov. Palin, we should not chose exist words such as “catty,” ” bitchy,” “shrill” or other words with a direct or implied gender bias.
Does that mean I can’t call Axelrod a prick?
Just askin’
lol…or PUTZ?…I prefer the yiddish m’self…
Schmuck is good too…
lol…Yeah gotta love Yiddish…
How about this…
Moecha civilis putida
Dirty political slut!…chuckle…
Ironic thing is that Axelrod is Jewish..
Oy gottenu.
Kkkkkatie Couric continues to desperately seek…Validity…sheeesh!
It will be interesting to see how Sen. Clinton fares in the next session of congress…Hmmmm…
Meanwhile I posted this link on another thread and post here because although I don’t often agree with Pagila she has a good rant here…It’s a good read.
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2008/11/12/camille-paglia-attacks-medias-sadomasochistic-anti-palin
I hear Ted Turner is lonely. Quick. Somebody introduce Couric to him and open up that evening news chair to someone with a brain.
LOL…Well stranger things could happen…No?
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2008/11/birth-certifica.html
Lots of interesting things on the Barky BC issue.
This one about the stange occurences with the NJ suit and SCOTUS…Hmmmm…Lots of fodder for the fiction writers I must say…( grimley that…chuckle…)
I felt that barky was just trying to diss the AA on the bench to make himself seem less black. He seldom had a black face in any of his ads. He does have an uncanny ability to step in it, don’t you think? His footprints are all over history and those are the ones that eventually will come to light. Where he was, what he was calling himself, etc. can’t stay under wraps forever. With a bad economy and journalists now being able to pay for information that is anti-barky, we should be seeing dirt any second …. imho
I hope Hill is not still tutoring O.
Hmmmm….Well GWB the current Prez invited Barky to participate in the global economic summit being held in DC…Aaaaand Barky said NO cause there can only be one Prez at a time…LOL…
So I guess gong to the meeting and listening to other leaders chat about how to solve this crisis and get a heads up etc…Photo ops…etc…Just aint’ worth it unless Barky is CENTER STAGE!
IN MY MEMORY AN OFFER LIKE THIS…I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF…GWB…WHO KNEW?
Furthermore, had Hillary behaved any differently and shunned the Party, rest assured her crucifixion would have followed.
I’m sorry, this is no time for excuses and hero worship.
HRC campaigned for the vote stealers, and the crucifixion of the country is what followed.
That is all.
So now she’s just in solitary confinement? Is that somehow better? Ignored? Marginalized? Yeah. I know she’s got to be feeling grateful just to be alive.
I understand your point, but Hillary’s letter supports the opposing argument. If she committed political suicide, we might be minus her effectiveness as a senator in the future.
Exactly right. Thanks for your observation.
Her political suicide — going out in a blaze of glory was not going to stop him nor was it going to change the party — much as many of us, including me, would have liked to believe otherwise. She is needed where she is.
And hero worship has nothing to do with it. She is a flawed candidate — but still twenty times better than what we have.
I am amazed at the lack of either empathy of some, or the realities of how politics work. What people were asking of Hillary was unheard of — and would not have worked.
That says it all…
Ani, thanks for your clear and eloquent defense of this great woman and leader. As always, you say perfectly what I have been wanting to say myself.
I am now convinced that this election was fixed for years and that Hillary never had a chance. We were all duped — out of money, time, energy, passion, blood, sweat, and tears. And I believe that Hillary was duped, too. Indeed, I do believe she ran in earnest until that ugly fact was doubtless. And while we have always known that she is a woman of her word beyond measure, I also don’t question for a moment the machinations and threats, perhaps more implied than stated, that led her to acquiesce and campaign so heartily (it seemed) for Obama.
Hillary’s letter to Bush and her detailed plan for economic rescue underscore what I have been confident in all the while: that she knows what she is doing and that she will prevail as a force to be reckoned with, admired, and maybe even envied by “President” Obama himself.
thank you for this post. This letter is a perfect example of what a stellar President Senator Hillary Clinton would make. Hope and change? There is hope and change written in the entire context of what she says. Intelligent, sensible, doable, fair and would produce results quickly. I didn’t see anything in there about rebate checks either. Extended unemployment so people can eat and pay housing costs. Ways to stimulate jobs. Details, details, details. What has that asshole Obama given, not JACK SHIT.
I am beginning to wonder if Bush, Cheney, Rove and all his cronies didn’t want McCain in there because he is for reform and Obama is a crook just like they are. And all those people who support Obama fell for it, hook, line and sinker. You people who hated Bush just voted in him for another term.
I totally agree with you. Dems are to money as Repubs are to power. None of those who just got elected want any investigations. Look for Fitz to get a meaningless job somewhere in Homeland Security to keep him far from investigating those in power.
Wodiej,
Absolutely correct – they did just vote in Bush for a third term. I and many others have been saying this for a year.
Unfortunately, a tree falling in the woods that no one heard.
why is she not our next president! we were robbed! just so the media could have their *story*. I admit, I was mad at her for going above and beyond. I still think she is/was our best candidate, but I was irritated. But I still love her! :O)
Thanks for this post, I needed it.
I’m stayin focused…On Barky and his travelin glam sham…Not Sen. Clinton. I’ll wait and see how she does in the next session…
I wish Hillary and the rest of the Senate along with Congress just stop with the bailouts and proposals to give our money to theses under managed companies.
If every tax paying citizen were to get a bailout of this magnitude, we would each recieve +250,000 dollars (after taxes) how BETTER to stimulate the economy?
Each of us would buy something, cars, boats, houses, pay off loans – house, credit, student….
No – we give it to the wrong guyz all the time …
Hmmm….Gorbachev sez we need Peristroika…lol
Had I entertained any doubts about Hillary’s qualifications or the sincerity of her commitment to her constituents, I would not have voted for her. She’s my Senator and, unlike the self-serving Treacherous Chuck, who lost my vote long before his first run for the Senate, Hill on the Hill has been good for NY (though I think she was having a “Blondie moment” when she dreamt up that Woodstock project).
That said, while I found the proposals outlined in her letter both thoughtful and well-conceived, they should have been articulated BEFORE Congrees handed Paulson $700B of our money.
Sorry, guys, but I think she missed the boat on this one, just as she did when she opted to campaign for BO. As one of few politicians who are in it for the people – NOT the power – I still believe she should have done a “Lieberman”, i.e., ditch the party and run as an Independent. Those 18 million PLUS the “buyer’s remorse” Obama voters from the primaries would have cleared her path right to the front door of the White House. But, as the saying goes, “No risk, no reward.”
As to Katie, I’d love to challenge HER to a game of “What Do You Read?” Trust me, she’d lose.
No, her concerns were articulated. By Hillary and others. don’t you see how the first proposal was solid after the 20% for ACORN got removed. But Congress waited until they could pass a pork bill late at night that voters hadn’t seen. This is the tragedy of the country today. The Dems and the Repubs are colluding to deny Americans a voice. This is why I believe Republicans must take off the blinders to Bush and the NeoCon philosophy if we are ever to work together to get our democracy back.
I agree that she should have ditched the party. What brought the Robber Barons down in the Gilded Age was the emergence of the Progressive Party. TR ran as a Progressive. He didn’t win, but the Progressives got so powerful, the Democrats had to adopt their platform and then they beat the corporate interests and turned the country around.
I’ve seen some commentary here that had she run as an Indie she would have lost her Senate seat (if she didn’t win the Presidency) but Lieberman kept his seat as an Indie, thanks in part to many CT Republicans crossing over to vote for him.
I don’t think HRC would have lost her Senate seat in any likely scenario.
but , I didn’t think an 0′bannion win was a likely scenario so wtf do I know?
I blame the U.S. electorate for being so led-by-the-nose gullible. How many lies and deceptions do the politicians have to tell before people catch on? The political class has caused these problems by their actions (and inaction) and has led this country and its middle class to utter ruination and destitution. Now they tell unbelievably naive voters they are going to “step in” and “fix” things. How can anyone still believe them?
Trusting big government clowns to do the right thing isn’t just stupid. It’s suicidal. The sick notion that “government cares” and will step in to protect our interests is dangerous nonsense that millions of gullible people have fallen into.
Thanx Ani! That is what REAL leadership looks like… remember that Michael Douglas line when he starred in *The American President* as President Andrew Shepard?
Lewis Rothschild:
People want leadership. And in the absence of genuine leadership, they will listen to anyone who steps up to the microphone. They want leadership, Mr. President. They’re so thirsty for it, they’ll crawl through the desert toward a mirage, and when they discover there’s no water, they’ll drink the sand.
President Andrew Shepherd:
Lewis, we’ve had Presidents who were beloved who couldn’t find a coherent sentence with two hands and a flashlight.
People don’t drink the sand ’cause they’re thirsty. They drink the sand ’cause they don’t know the difference.
Ani,
Your posts always seem to express exactly my feelings. I am at work and don’t have time to read all the comments, so I hope I don’t say something already said.
Yes, Hillary is the one who should have been president elect. I am so upset that she was so betrayed by the party that I actually hurt sometimes.
I wonder why I am not reading or hearing reactions to her letter to “W.” What is the response?
ANI
THANKS FOR THE GREAT POST!
Hillary was and is the workhorse. But in politics only Showhorses win.
Hillary was the only truly inspirational Leader we had running and not for glory! The OBama Diva will be another Bush shrub and soon he’ll be yelling:
Back to the end of the bus, ladies…
We owe Hillary a huge thanks for her example and perseverance and fighting spirit. But don’t blame her for being a Democrat! How many women stick with their asshole spouses just to….survive….of course, they can go to a shelter. But then who will pay for the kids’ education….eh?
Hillary is doing her DUTY. oBummer is doing his Show! At our expense!
What a disgrace. We are facing crises on so many fronts and people hired a man-child for the job. We had a brilliant leader, a workhorse, ready and willing to tackle the challenges, but voters wanted to feeeel good about themselves, showing how cool and “progressive” they could be. Qualifications and proven character were irrelevant. Well, when they are paying taxes through the nose, losing their jobs, homes and savings, don’t come cryin’ to me.