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Clintons are in No Position to Surf the Populist Wave
Townhall.com ^ | April 1, 2016 | Jonah Goldberg

Posted on 04/01/2016 12:58:21 PM PDT by Kaslin

With apologies to Buffalo Springfield, there's something happening here. What it is ain't exactly clear.

Here's Bill Clinton in Spokane, Washington, making the pitch for his wife last week: "But if you believe we can all rise together, if you believe we've finally come to the point where we can put the awful legacy of the last eight years behind us and the seven years before that ..."

The awful legacy of the last eight years? That'd be a strange thing for any Democrat to say, but it's particularly odd given that Hillary Clinton has made it abundantly clear that she's running for a third Barack Obama term.

Last year, she loved telling voters that she wasn't running as a continuation of Obama. But that was before Bernie Sanders ignited a left-wing populist backlash against the status quo. Unable to get to Sanders' left -- understandable, given that it would require embracing Bolshevism -- Clinton was forced to defend the administration she worked for.

Also, as has been widely reported and dissected, Clinton's strategists concluded months ago that she had no choice but to embrace Obama and his policies, because Obama is popular with precisely the voters Clinton needs in order to assemble a winning coalition. These voters may think the country is on the wrong track, but they don't blame Obama for it.

That's one reason why Team Clinton has charged, sometimes hysterically, that Sanders is somehow attacking the president when he says, for instance, that Obamacare doesn't go far enough. The Clintonistas touted the fact that Sanders blurbed a book by left-wing writer Bill Press critical of Obama as if it were a confession of treason.

But now comes the former president attacking the Obama record head-on. The Spokane speech wasn't a fluke. Bill has also taken to explaining that the real reason this election is so crazy is that 80 percent of the American people haven't gotten a pay raise since the crash."

No doubt he wouldn't put all the blame on Obama, but that's some odd messaging for a campaign looking to run on "four more years."

One obvious explanation is that the Clinton team has come to grips with the fact that the Sanders and Trump insurgencies are two faces of the same larger phenomenon. Huge swaths of the American electorate are fed up, ticked off and wildly disappointed with the direction of their country.

In a society so polarized along ideological lines, it's no surprise that partisans will have partisan explanations for why this is so. But the underlying conditions driving the discontent are in fact bipartisan. Anyone who listened closely to both the tea parties and the Occupy Wall Street crowd could hear the echoes of similar complaints. The incestuous relationship between big business and big government drives both the left and the right crazy.

As a conservative, I think the right-wingers have better remedies for the problem. In a nutshell, big corporations will always have the resources -- financial, political, legal, etc. -- to manipulate and navigate around regulations. Smaller firms simply can't handle the compliance costs of draconian regulations.

The result: Only the really big companies can survive and thrive, which in turn makes them "too big to fail." That's why community banks are being destroyed by Obama's policies: They can't carry the costs the way the big banks can, and, lacking connections and influence, they're small enough to fail.

In other words, if you think Big Business and Big Government are hugging each other too much, the last thing you should do is have government tighten the embrace.

But that's a policy argument for another day. And besides, the underlying problems with the economy are much larger than, and in some cases wholly unrelated to, Wall Street excesses.

But as a political matter, Wall Street is a useful scapegoat. And the Clintons, both darlings of Wall Street who have enriched themselves by exploiting their connections to it, are badly positioned to withstand, never mind exploit, the populist tide. That's why Hillary Clinton can't put Bernie Sanders away. That's why Bill is turning up the heat on the "awful legacy" of the last eight years. And that's another reason Hillary will have a harder time in the fall than people think.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 04/01/2016 12:58:21 PM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

o Great White , where art thou ?


2 posted on 04/01/2016 12:59:38 PM PDT by LeoWindhorse
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To: Kaslin

Who is that old geezer shilling for that Clinton wom....

Oh, never mind. It’s him.


3 posted on 04/01/2016 1:07:24 PM PDT by onedoug
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To: Kaslin

I guess the syphlococcus and cocaine finally got to Bill’s brain or what’s left of it.

Think of the British version of “House of Cards” and how it ended. I hope Der Schlickmeister has good SS coverage. Or maybe I don’t on second thought.

Maybe they will both be found in the morning, bruised and bloody with their hands around each others throats.


4 posted on 04/01/2016 1:13:09 PM PDT by Seruzawa (If you agree with the French raise your hand. If you are French raise both hands)
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To: Kaslin

The effects of a prolonged case of Syphilis are beginning to tale their toll on Slick Willie. Or alternatively, the blood starvation to his big brain by the need for his “small brain” to be sustained has finally resulted in permanent cognitive damage. Either way, I’m tickled!


5 posted on 04/01/2016 1:13:28 PM PDT by vette6387 (Obama can go to hell!)
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To: All


6 posted on 04/01/2016 1:22:23 PM PDT by Liz (SAFE PLACE? A liberal's mind. Nothing's there. Nothing can penetrate it.)
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To: All

READY FOR HILLARY? 2014 Net Worth... Income Sources

Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI) (Spouse)

Abu Dhabi, UAE $500,000

Bank Administration Institute (Spouse) Chicago, IL $200,000

HSM Americas, Inc. (Spouse) New York, NY $175,000

Deloitte Services LP (Spouse) New York, NY $200,000

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (Spouse) New York, NY $200,000

Highland Capital (Spouse) New York, NY $175,000

TD Ameritrade (Spouse) Las Vegas, NV $200,000

American Express (Spouse) New York, NY $200,000

World Market Center SPE, LLC (Spouse) Las Vegas, NV $175,000

UBS Wealth Management (Spouse) Dallas, TX $165,000

Jeffries & Company, Inc. (Spouse) New York, NY $200,000

Magic Dreams Productions, Inc. (Spouse) Panama City, Panama $325,000

Fundo Comunitario of Keren Hayesod Sao Paulo (Spouse) Sao Paulo, Brazil $200,000

World 50, Inc. (Spouse) New York, NY $175,000

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (Spouse) New York, NY $200,000

UBS Wealth Management (Spouse) Los Angeles, CA $150,000

Bank of America Merrill Lynch (Spouse) $200,000

Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCOC) (Spouse) Toronto, Canada $175,000

Beaumont Health Systems (Spouse) Troy, MI $260,000

HCL America, Inc. (Spouse) Orlando, FL $200,000

Hualuo CEO Forum (Spouse) Shanghai, China $550,000

Telefonaktiebolagel LM Ericsson AB (Spouse) Hong Kong, China $750,000

Masie Center (Spouse) Orlando, FL $200,000

Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) (Spouse) Boston, MA $175,000

Defense Research Institute (DRI) (Spouse) Washington, DC $204,000

Silicon Valley Information Business Alliance (SVIBA) (Spouse), Santa Clara, CA $200,000

City of Surrey (Spouse) Surrey, BC, Canada $175,000

American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) (Spouse) Las Vegas, NV $200,000

Achmea (Spouse) Achlum, Holland $600,000

Yum! Restaurants International (Spouse) Vancouver, Canada $160,000

Highstar Capital (Spouse) Washington, DC $175,000

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) (Spouse) $255,000

Cambridge Energy Research Associates $175,000

Business and Finance Media Group (Spouse) $125,000

The Philharmonic Center for the Arts (Spouse) $200,000

Kuwait America Foundation (Spouse) $175,000

RSA, Security Division of EMC (Spouse) San Francisco, CA $175,000

Hualuo CEO Forum (Spouse) New York, NY $200,000

Barclays Capital (Spouse), Davos, Switzerland $325,000

Tanmiah Commercial Group (Spouse) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia $300,000

Bridgestone America Tire Operations (Spouse) Huntington Beach, CA $175,000

Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) (Spouse) Chicago, IL $170,000

Cisco Systems, Inc. (Spouse) Kiawah Island, SC $210,000

Leaders and Company Ltd. (THISDAY Newspaper Group) (Spouse) Lagos, Nigeria $700,000

Center for Global Dialogue and Cooperation (CGDC) (Spouse) Vienna, Austria $500,000

Ilau BBA USA Securities, Inc. (Spouse) New York, NY $175,000

TD Bank (Spouse) Fredericton and Antigonish, Canada $260,000

Fidelity Investments (Spouse) Orlando, FL $175,000

The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare (NCCBH) (Spouse) San Diego, CA $260,000

HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. (Spouse) Key Largo, FL $200,000

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association (PhRMA) (Spouse) Jersey City, NJ $200,000

Goldman Sachs (Spouse) New York, NY $200,000

Whisky Productions (Spouse) Grand Cayman $225,000

Nideias Comunicacao Ilimitada Ltda (Spouse) Manaus, Brazil $390,000

JP Morgan Custody Account (Cash) $50,001 - $100,000

Random House (Spouse) - My Life $50,001 - $100,000

Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance (Cash Value - Whole Life Policy) (Spouse) $5,001 - $15,000

Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance (Cash Value - Whole Life Policy) $5,001 - $15,000

Simon & Schuster, Inc. - Living History $2,501 - $5,000

US Treas NTS 4.875% 8/15/16 BOND $2,501 - $5,000

US Treas NTS 4.625% MAT 2/29/12 Bond $1,001 - $2,500

Fed Home Ln MTG 4.875% 11/15/13 Bond $201 - $1,000

US Treas NTS 5.00% 2/15/11 BOND $201 - $1,000

SOURCE http://www.davemanuel.com/pols/hillary-clinton/


7 posted on 04/01/2016 1:23:32 PM PDT by Liz (SAFE PLACE? A liberal's mind. Nothing's there. Nothing can penetrate it.)
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To: All
At first glance, the Clintons astounding honoraria and humongous Foundation donations seem to provide the bulk of the couples mega income.

Bills honoraria increased dramatically pocketing some $50 million during Hillarys four-year term as Secretary of State....including an Irish scholarship fund, a Korean conglomerate, and, a Nigerian newspaper company......each of whom paid Clinton more than half a million dollars for a single speech.

The Wash/Post reports Hillary earned $11.7 million for 51 speeches since Jan 2014.....she pocketed an astonishing $625,000 for two speeches in one day.

===============================================

I firmly believe the Clinton Foundations gigantic donor list, and their astonishing blizzard of speaking honoraria, are a smoke screen for their secret wealth....and the way they make billions sub rosa....intertwining their vaunted do-goodism and their multiple tax-paid public offices.

The calculated Clintons have sought to branch out into other business activities. All of that is kept under wraps. Very little is known about the exact nature and financial worth of Bill and Hillarys non-speech business interests.

Reports keep surfacing indicating the Clintons were party to multi/billion dollar Mideast arms deals....Kazakhstan uranium mines....and Haitian gold mines...Libyan oil deals....telecom businesses, deals w/ financial powerhouses like Teneo, Goldman Sachs.....etc etc etc.

THE CON ARTIST CLINTONS GRABBED EVERYTHNG THAT WASNT NAILED DOWN Lucrative business interests were cunningly intertwined w/ the Foundations transparent do-good activities....enabled by Hillarys catbird seat at the State Dept.

At last count, the Clintons apparently raised an astounding $2 billion from their foundation activities and their political campaigns.....

.....does not include monies flowing in from the various lucrative business ventures, interest accrued, safe deposit boxes, real estate assets, passive income on which they pay no taxes, income from Chelseas hubbys hedge fund, monies invested in Goldman Sachs, interest in financial powerhouse Teneo..... etc etc etc.......

================================================

The Clintons are worth a bundle.....accumulated in record time. Their livelihood was collected as they marched through American politics.

They co-opted taxpayers by using OUR govt and information they were privy to by virtue of govt office in order to pocket big bucks.

8 posted on 04/01/2016 1:26:53 PM PDT by Liz (SAFE PLACE? A liberal's mind. Nothing's there. Nothing can penetrate it.)
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To: Liz
At last count, the Clintons apparently raised an astounding $2 billion from their foundation activities and their political campaigns.....

Astounding when you consider that his salary as Arkansas Governor was $35K per year.

....but the benefits are GREAT!!


9 posted on 04/01/2016 1:29:04 PM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: Liz

This is why I’m pretty sure Hillary skates on servergate.
She has enough dough to bribe her way out of the problem.


10 posted on 04/01/2016 1:36:21 PM PDT by nascarnation
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To: Liz

bttt


11 posted on 04/01/2016 1:37:33 PM PDT by Dante3
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To: onedoug

Slick is developing a kind of dementia, from all those ashtrays and table lamps that were flung at him and made contact somewhere on his head over the years.

That and tertiary syphilis.


12 posted on 04/01/2016 1:53:52 PM PDT by alloysteel (If I considered the consequences of my actions, I would rarely do anything.)
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To: Liz

Just print that out, hers on one side and his on the other, and pass it out outside her events. Watch her numbers plummet even further.


13 posted on 04/01/2016 2:16:41 PM PDT by TigersEye (This is the age of the death of reason and rule of law. Prepare!)
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To: TigersEye

Great idea.


14 posted on 04/01/2016 3:04:13 PM PDT by Liz (SAFE PLACE? A liberal's mind. Nothing's there. Nothing can penetrate it.)
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To: Liz

I had no idea there were so many speeches.

I would think that Bernie supporters would take that info
and flood Clinton rallies with it.


15 posted on 04/01/2016 3:20:52 PM PDT by TigersEye (This is the age of the death of reason and rule of law. Prepare!)
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16 posted on 04/01/2016 7:28:15 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (Facing Trump nomination inevitability, folks are now openly trying to help Hillary destroy him.)
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