Archive for the ‘Hillary Clinton’ Category

Catalysts That Have Acquired Post Pandemic Durability in India and the US – The Citizen

What will the world look like after the coronavirus induced shut down?

I am not in possession of a crystal for global survey but I can activate my intuition on the basis of two stories I have covered.

I was in the US for the 2016 Presidential elections and I have followed the 2020 drama within the Democratic Party. In both the campaigns Democrats have been in convulsions not to select a nominee but to keep out the one they do not want Bernie Sanders. And now they are all mimicking the Sanders platform. The coronavirus has brought out in bold relief, the idea of Bernie Sanders as the panacea for the general distress. The platform the senator from Vermont stood on was total anathema to the great American establishment, its soul torn between Mammon and Joe McCarthy.

The pandemic has brought the powerful establishment to its knees. People now matter and democracy begins to look like one. Neither the democrats nor the republicans will ever mention Sanders by name. That would be like eating crow. But they are all furtively lifting the Sanders manifesto. The idea of Sanders in todays context is larger than the possible nomination of Joe Biden.

In the Indian context, the idea of Shaheen Bagh, has likewise acquired a post pandemic, durability. The statement issued by Shaheen Bagh protests speaks for itself. As we continue our struggle to be heard by our government, we wish to reiterate that we have merely suspended public gatherings, our movement is on. We will use other means to continue to resist CAA, NPR, NRC. For our detractors, it would be a sobering exercise to compare our protests with any in recent history.

Shaheen Bagh all over the country now soars with our strong resolve and blooms in our hearts. Each one of us is now a Shaheen Bagh.

The authors of the statement, from protest sites across the country, sign off with Inquilab, which means revolution, a term Bernie Sanders supporters have been using to describe their challenge. And in the American context, revolutionary his platform is: Medicare for all, $15 an hour as minimum wages, expanding social security, no tuition fees, housing for everyone who needs it. Does this list sound all that outlandish in the time of coronavirus? What explains the eruption of hashtags, and twitters: We deserve Sanders.

This chant by the voters in total defiance of the Democratic establishment is not surprising. I shall never forget the banners in Philadelphia explaining why Trump won. If you make Bernie Sanders impossible, you make Trump inevitable.

It was a prescient statement. During the 2016 campaign as in 2020 when Sanders was on a roll, he had sensed the electorates mood. It was totally against the Washington centered establishment. While Sanders was hammering away at the Establishment from the Left, Donald Trump was doing exactly the same from the Right.

When even Jeb Bush failed the nomination bid, the Trump candidacy seemed inevitable. At this stage, Laura Bush, the former first lady, let the cat out of the bag. Lets support Hillary Clinton then, she squealed. In other words, the Bush family, the central column of the Republicans, sees Hillary Clinton as a member of the same club which goes under the label Washington Establishment. The same discredited Establishment that electorates everywhere are disgusted by. They find themselves hemmed in by two party systems serving the same corporate interests.

Even though it was universally accepted that Hillary Clinton was untrustworthy, indeed a liar, the Democratic party hierarchy chose to keep its corporate interests in humour even if it meant electoral defeat.

Three months before the 2016 election, film maker Michael Moore was prescient. This election is only about who gets out to vote, who gets the most rabid supporters the kind of candidate who inspires people to get out of bed at 5.00am on election day because a wall needs to be built. Muslims are killing us! Women are taking over! First in line with the polls.

Moore was emphatic: Those who vote for Clinton are those who would do so only to keep Trump out. They are not running towards someone they love; they are running away from someone they dislike. Therefore personal persuasion on a large level was required and it wasnt available to Clinton. Those depressed at Bernie having been grounded would need extraordinary persuasion to walk to the polling booths to vote for Hillary.

Had the Democratic Establishment learnt a lesson from their 2016 reversal, they would have seen the popular surge for Sanders as an asset. But they have once again produced a candidate (most likely) whom Laura Bush from the other side of the aisle would reach out to in preference to Trump. It is a compelling speculation: would Laura Bush and the Democratic establishment have acquiesced in Trump rather than risk American capitalism in the hands of a Democratic Socialist?

And now look at the alchemy of coronavirus: even Trump is dusting up measures which Prof. Jean Cohen, a political theory expert at Columbia University, describes with great emphasis, thats not free market capitalism. She offers descriptive choices: regulated capitalism; interventionist state or Democratic Socialism. Private profit making is making way for policies which serve the public good.

Ed Murrow, the great CBS reporter, had single handedly, and successfully taken on Senator Joseph McCarthys witch hunt against Americans who deviated from raw capitalism. Has Bernie Sanders altered the terms of the socialism-capitalism debate in the very citadel of capitalism?

In the same way, an apolitical movement spontaneously evolving at Shaheen Bagh, has the potential to tone down the shrill tenor of Indian politics. Coronavirus has cast a pall on all our lives but, as Shakespeare said, There is a soul of goodness in all things evil, would men observingly distil it out.

View original post here:
Catalysts That Have Acquired Post Pandemic Durability in India and the US - The Citizen

Hillary and Bill Clinton sent over 400 pizzas to New York hospitals fighting against coronavirus – CNN

This week, the Clintons sent over 400 pizzas to all the hospitals in their home county of Westchester "as a small token of their appreciation for everything medical professionals are doing for their communities," according to Angel Urea, spokesman for President Clinton.

With a note that read, "Thank you for protecting our communities. From Bill and Hillary Clinton," 80 pizzas were delivered Wednesday evening to St. John's Riverside Hospital alone.

"When someone is thoughtful enough to bring in food, then our doctors don't have to think about it and it allows them to continue doing their job," Denise Mananas, the hospital's senior director of external affairs said.

20 pizzas were also sent on Tuesday evening to Blythedale Children's Hospital, which cares for babies and children with medical complexities.

"The impromptu pizza party for our frontline caregivers was a tremendous surprise and was greatly appreciated by all," said the hospital's spokeswoman Connie Cornell. "The Clintons have always been good neighbors, and their kindness during a tremendously difficult time for health care workers truly boosted everyone's spirit."

Abi Krasniqi, the manager of Mr. Nick's Brick Oven Pizza, said his restaurant delivered 20 pies to Phelps Memorial Hospital. While the move was obviously supportive of the healthcare workers, Krasniqi said it helped his business too.

"Business has been steady but it's not the same as it was before all this happened," Krasniqi said. "It goes to show that (the Clintons) care about their people, they care about their country."

But when famous individuals like the Clintons show their support, Mananas said "they have the power to spread the word about what our hospital is facing."

On Wednesday, Hillary Clinton wrote a message of support to not just the medical professionals, but all the other workers and employees who are continuing to serve in their essential roles.

Go here to read the rest:
Hillary and Bill Clinton sent over 400 pizzas to New York hospitals fighting against coronavirus - CNN

Biden’s lead evaporates in new poll that finds him weaker vs. Trump than Hillary Clinton was in 2016 – TheBlaze

Former Vice President Joe Biden's national lead over President Donald Trump has nearly evaporated according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll that shows the Democratic frontrunner facing a "massive enthusiasm gap" in the November general election.

Although Biden maintains a solid lead over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination, he finds himself in a statistical tie with the president in a head-to-head matchup, only slightly ahead by two points (49-47%) among registered voters. The pollsters noted that Biden's standing has deteriorated since their last survey in February which found him with a more comfortable 7-point (52-45%) over Trump.

Meanwhile, among Democratic primary voters who support Sanders for the nomination, 15% said they'd back Trump over Biden in November.

A major red flag for the Democrats is that the ABC News/Washington Post survey found Trump's supporters far more energized than Biden's backers. While 53% of Trump voters described themselves as "very enthusiastic" about supporting him, only 24% of Biden's backers said the same. Trump also leads Biden on key issues.

Despite the economic standstill resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, 57% of voters approve of Trump's handling of the economy, the highest ever in ABC/Post surveys. Biden also trails Trump, 42-50%, when it comes to who voters trust to manage the nation's economy.

Meanwhile, Trump and Biden are about even (45-43%) in terms of who voters trust to handle the coronavirus outbreak.

Another ominous sign for Democrats is that the poll suggests Biden may be a weaker general election candidate than Hillary Clinton was in 2016.

For instance, on the question of voter enthusiasm, the ABC/Post surveys taken September-October 2016 found that, on average, 46% of Clinton's supporters described themselves as "very enthusiastic" about her candidacy, nearly twice the percentage of Biden's backers who said the same. In races that are decided by the slimmest of margins, voter enthusiasm is considered a key indicator of which candidate's supporters are likeliest to show up to the polls.

As the poll's analysis shows, the lack of enthusiasm surrounding Biden's candidacy is on par with that of other recent losing presidential campaigns. "As few as 17% of former Republican presidential nominee and Arizona Sen. John McCain's supporters were very enthusiastic about his candidacy in 2008, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney saw 23% in 2012," Sofi Sinozich wrotefor ABC.

"Indeed, strong enthusiasm for Biden among his supporters at just 24% is the lowest on record for a Democratic presidential candidate in 20 years of ABC/Post polls," she added.

Methodology: The ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted March 22-25, 2020 among a random national sample of 1,003 adults with a partisan composition of 30-24-37%, Democrats-Republicans-independents. Results have a margin of error of 3.5 points.

Continue reading here:
Biden's lead evaporates in new poll that finds him weaker vs. Trump than Hillary Clinton was in 2016 - TheBlaze

Max Boot: Coronavirus Outbreak Wouldnt Have Happened if Hillary Clinton Had Won – Breitbart

Never Trump stalwart, Iraq War advocate, and CNN analyst Max Boot has written an op-ed in in the Washington Postinwhich he claims that the coronavirus outbreak would not have been as bad if Hillary Clinton had won the 2016 presidential election.

We couldnt have avoided the coronavirus, but we could have ameliorated its effects, he argues.

Boot, a military historian, calls coronavirus the most foreseeable disaster in history though he did not tweet about it until February, particularly after it came up in the Democrat debate Feb. 25 in South Carolina. (His only tweet about coronavirus prior to Feb. 26 references a report by an eighth grader.)

In his op-ed, Boot claims that Trump wasnt paying attention to intelligence reports. He fails to mention the travel ban on China that Trump imposed Jan. 31. (Boot has alsomockedTrumps travel ban on Europe, which was recommended and endorsed by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the infectious disease expert on the presidents coronavirus team.)

Boot writes:

Because of Trumps negligence, the United States lost two months of response time precious days that should have been used to test the population, produce more N95 masks and ventilators, and build new hospital beds. This past week, the Pentagon finally announced that a Navy hospital ship would be heading to New York but it will take at least two weeks to get ready. Why wasnt the deployment order given sooner? Even now, with the crisis upon us, Trump hesitates to use his full authority to order wartime production of ventilators needed to keep thousands of patients alive.

Utterly lacking in empathy, Trump is incapable of rallying a shell-shocked nation. When asked on Friday, What do you say to Americans who are watching you right now who are scared?, Trump launched into a tirade against the reporter who asked the question. Like the snake-oil salesman that he is, his version of reassurance is to tout miracle cures that have not been verified by medical science.

Boots reference to the question about Americans who are scared neglects to mention that Trump only reacted to the reporter, NBCs Peter Alexander, after the latter accused the president of giving false hope to Americans. The NBC White House correspondent later issued a statement accusing Trump of lacking empathy for Americans.

At no point does Boot explain what Hillary Clinton would have done differently. He simply asserts that she is a sane, sensible adult i.e. unlike Trump.

Read Boots full op-ed here.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He earned an A.B. in Social Studies and Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard College, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author ofHow Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

See original here:
Max Boot: Coronavirus Outbreak Wouldnt Have Happened if Hillary Clinton Had Won - Breitbart

Cancer Center Fires Executive Who Demanded Trump Supporters Be Left To Die Of Coronavirus – The Daily Wire

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York, has terminated one of their vice presidents after discovering a Facebook post in which she demanded supporters of President Donald Trump be required to give up ventilators if they are diagnosed with coronavirus and end up in intensive care and suggested that Trump supporters chew some ibuprofen and get on with your day in regards to treating the dealy virus.

Laura Krolczyk, a former staffer for Hillary Clinton when Clinton was in the Senate, and a former aide to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), was Roswell Parks vice president for external affairs until Saturday when she made the fateful post, bashing Trump over his refusal to pay General Motors far above market price for ventilators (Trump later ordered GM and its supplier, Ventec, to produce the medical necessities under the Defense Production Act).

The exchange according to screen grabs posted by [Republican operative Michael Caputo] began when Krolczyk posted a link to an article by the Hill news site about the Trump administrations reluctance to pay $1 billion to General Motors and Ventec for ventilator production, Buffalo News reported Saturday.

Krolczyk shared the article with a comment: Vote Trump.

[Krolczkys Facebook friend Lisa] LaTrovato responded: But will waste more than that on a wall and space force.

Krolczyk replied: Trump supporters need to pledge to give up their ventilators for someone else and not go to the hospital.

LaTrovato responded: I think they should be the only ones in packed churches on Sunday.

Krolczyk then said: They should barricade themselves in there and ride this out.

LaTrovato replied: Yup.

Another of Krolczyks friends chimed in, blasting the pair for deciding who lives or dies in a pandemic based on political beliefs. Instead of apologizing, though, Krolczyk, who is responsible for operations at one of New Yorks leading health care facilities told her friend that, Thats literally what hes saying. Take your wow and comprehend what your hero is saying. Your hero is saying YOU dont need a ventilator. So dont take one.

She then added, Also dont cash your stimulus check. Its all a hoax. Chew some ibuprofen and be on with your day.

Krolczyk was initially placed on an administrative leave while Roswell park investigated the incident. She was let go at some point on Saturday, according to a statement released by the cancer center, which distanced itself from and disavowed Krolcyzks commentary.

This employee was terminated today after our Human Resources team concluded its investigation. We followed standard procedure, which required that we gather and verify relevant information before taking any disciplinary action, the center said. Dr. Johnson and her team responded with swift and appropriate action. We have always been and continue to be a center serving everyone who needs us. That is core to our mission, our culture and the experience our patients and families can expect every day. This behavior is not tolerated at Roswell Park. If any team members act in a way that does not accord with that commitment, we will take swift and appropriate action, just as we did in this instance.

The other woman involved in the exchange, Lisa LaTrovato, a development director for Hauptman Woodward Medical Research Institute, has also been placed on leave.

Original post:
Cancer Center Fires Executive Who Demanded Trump Supporters Be Left To Die Of Coronavirus - The Daily Wire