Clinton defends family foundation from charges of favoritism

[Larry Engels]

Source: AP

KEENE, N.H. (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton dismissed swirling questions about her family foundation Monday as little more than political attacks from Republicans eager to gain an early advantage in the 2016 presidential contest.

Clinton, campaigning for the Democratic nomination in the liberal bastion of Keene, pushed back against accusations that foreign governments that made donations to the Clintons' charity received preferential treatment from the State Department while she served in the Obama administration.

"We will be subjected to all kinds of distractions and attacks," she told reporters after a roundtable event at a wood furniture factory. "I'm ready for that. I know that that comes, unfortunately, with the territory."

On Monday, she criticized her opponents for focusing so much of their attention on her.

"It is, I think, worth noting that the Republicans seem to be talking only about me," she said. "Hopefully we'll get onto the issues."




Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/clinton-trying-recapture-hampshire-magic-070356382--election.html

[cantbeserious]

1. I'm Ready For Oligarchy - Are You? - Vote HRC

[Thinkingabout]

6. Could you provide some information on Oligarchy, the stand on issues, education etc.

[Larry Engels]

9. Well, first you get some 'garchs, see?

Then you rub grease all over them to get an oily-garchy. This makes them too slippery to have a "stand" on issues, education, etc.

[Thinkingabout]

10. Gotcha

[OnyxCollie]

21. "The choice is clear. There is none."

[Fred Sanders]

2. Hello, media! Hello!! Chris Christie. Private jets. Private sports boxes. Taxpayers robbed. REAL corruption. Go fetch.

How many polling points over the GOP Clown Car has Clinton gained after the email "scandal"??

Keeping a Democrat a train length ahead of that carload of insane warmongers, fascists and haters is Job One.

[forest444]

4. Not to mention Paul Singer and the other pirates of the Caribbean

http://www.thenation.com/article/170643/mr-singer-and-mr-ryan

http://www.thenation.com/article/170644/mitt-romneys-bailout-bonanza#

http://onpolitics.usatoday.com/2014/06/20/paul-singer-contributes-to-american-crossroads/

That's one brigand with plenty of parrots of his payroll - though he did lose one very big-headed parrot recently: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.radionacional.com.ar/%3Fp%3D49313&prev=search

[freshwest]

20. Wow! Mittens had several such relationships. Exceedingly nasty ones, IIRC.

Inexplicably, I had a soft spot for him. Since 'Mittens Rhymes with Kittens.' Nonetheless:

[forest444]

24. Someone should publish a list of Paul Singer's tax cheat/drug money clients in the Caymans.

And throw Singer in a South American jail while they're at it.

He could do the laundry.

[A Simple Game]

7. Maybe you should check the polls again. Seems Hillary didn't get any bump from declaring.

She is sinking in most polls and trailing Rand Paul in some.

Here's one article to get you started:http://www.quinnipiac.edu/news-and-events/quinnipiac-university-poll/2016-presidential-swing-state-polls/release-detail?ReleaseID=2184 there are lots more, do a google.

Didn't take long for a repeat of 2008 to start, did it?

[yallerdawg]

13. Let me help.

National poll results released today, Rand Paul trailing Hillary by 19 points.

In general, Republicans see Bush as the best possible candidate to match up against the Democratic nominee in 2016, but in hypothetical general election matchups against Clinton, Bush trails by a large margin, as do each of the other seven Republicans tested.

Marco Rubio fares best against the former first lady, trailing Clinton by 14 points, 55% to 41%. Bush trails Clinton by 17 points, 56% to 39%. Christie and Paul fall 19 points behind Clinton, each putting up 39% to Clinton's 58%. Huckabee, Walker, Carson and Cruz each trail Clinton by more than 20 points.

http://us.cnn.com/2015/04/20/politics/2016-elections-republican-field-poll/index.html

[A Simple Game]

23. National polls don't tell you the true story, you need to watch the state polls.

But it is too far out to be of much use either way.

[freshwest]

16. She's good at firing back. I'm sure none of this is unexpected. Go for it GOP!

We'll save our dirt on you, the really dirty stuff, so you can get your very own October Surprise! Then so long, GOP!

[swilton]

3. Wood Furniture Factory?

I'm from Keene and I know of none.

[justiceischeap]

5. Whitney Bros. ring a bell?

From a WSJ article on the event:

Hillary Clinton stops and talks with company president Dave Stabler as she tours the Whitney Brothers children's toy and furniture factory in Keene, N.H., on Monday.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/hillary-clinton-talks-with-workers-at-new-hampshire-campaign-stop-1429566036

[Thinkingabout]

8. What about Whitney Brothers?

[justiceischeap]

12. This is the factory Clinton was in today in NH

The one that the person I replied to didn't know was in their hometown.

[freshwest]

17. Perhaps 'Wood Furniture' meant wooden furniture? IDK! LOL at DU these days. n/t

[Thinkingabout]

19. Oh

[quadrature]

11. Is she still doing it? ...

taking money from other countries?

not sure, but I think I read somewhere...
she still takes money
from certain countries....or not..?

[Demeter]

14. I am so tired of Hillary and her quest already

How am I gonna make it through the political process?

[Larry Engels]

15. Tired of the quest?

What if she wins? Then it's a 8 years of all Hillary all the time. Get ready for chronic fatigue syndrome.

[emulatorloo]

30. I am already tired of the attempted Swiftboating of the Clinton Foundation by the Goppers

and those here on DU who are helping out with it.

[arikara]

33. I know, right?

I mean for pete's sake nobody even knows who's going to run against queen Hillary yet. And who cares who's trailing who at this stage of the game, all this idiotic polling stinks.

[candelista]

18. Not exactly a "defense," is it?

Her "defense" is that the attacks are politically motivated. OK, but are they true?

[Trajano]

22. Where is your offense?

Tell us whether you read and fact checked the Republican activist's book.

First go on offense, then criticize the defense.

[candelista]

25. Sorry, your post is incomprehensible.

You know what the accusations are. So what is your point?

[yellowcanine]

28. No. If one replies in specifics to everything spewed out it just encourages them.

Right wing talking points are right wing talking points and are best ignored or dismissed.

If they actually have something, let them spell out what they have and then we can discuss. But nebulous charges of "favoritism" - not so much worth acting on.

[candelista]

29. So you like non-answers?

At some point she will have to address these questions. They are not just "right wing" talking points. An Iranian businessman is the biggest donor to the Clinton Foundation. What did he get for his money? Just a nice cozy warm feeling inside?

Oh, right, I forgot. We're not supposed to talk about this stuff.

[yellowcanine]

32. I disagree with you. They are right wing talking points. No evidence of anything. All just

supposition. You got nothing. Talk all you want. But we don't have to agree.

[awake]

26. This is the beginning of the"Swift Boating of Hillary"

Correct me if I am wrong did not Kerry react in much of the same way when the Swift Boating start just brushing it off and letting it fester. The fact that major papers like the New York Times and the Washington Post picked up this so soon can not be a good sign.

[quadrature]

34. not at all .... Kerry reacted by announcing that reporters would be

allowed to see his '180' (or whatever that form was),
and then later it was his only his friend
at the Boston Globe.
or something like that.

[awake]

36. Was that right after to charge was made or a bit latter

I recall a lot of talk that Kerry waited too long to respond, my point is that if HRC does not get out in front and nip this in the bud it will grow, then again maybe she can not put it to bed.

[tularetom]

27. It really isn't, I think, worth noting why the repubs are only talking about her

Who the hell else are they supposed to talk about. She's the only announced Democratic candidate.

Seems to be a bit full of herself.

[Demeter]

31. Query: Do any of the GOP declared candidates have their own private philanthropic foundation

getting millions of dollars in donations from foreigners and corporations?

[Evergreen Emerald]

35. Um... How about the issues?

[tularetom]

37. Well, she hasn't exactly been the picture of specificity when it comes to issues

Look, I totally get it, the republicans are scumbags and she doesn't want to give them anything tangible they can beat her up with.

However at some point she's going to have to stop mouthing platitudes and generalities and make some specific policy statements on things like the TPP, bank regulation, funding Social Security and Medicare, minimum wage, so that she can convince the skeptics in her own party that she actually believes in something that the Democratic party is supposed to stand for.

[Evergreen Emerald]

39. So this string is about the republican candidates

Refusing to discuss issues and instead attacking Clinton, and you are justifying the republicans ignoring the issues to attack Clinton because she is too vague on the issues?

[tularetom]

40. I'm not justifying anything, what they're going to do is a reality

At this point she's probably smart to pass it off as a personal attack but she can't parlay the victim card into a general election victory.

It's fine to blather on about how tough things are for the middle class but eventually the middle class is going to want to hear what she proposes to do to get their jobs back, protect their retirement benefits, allow their kids to get an education without being up to their asses in debt, etc.

Bill Clinton and Obama had the personal charisma to sell us a bill of goods and get us to accept it. Ms. Clinton lacks the oratorical skills and the magnetism to do that, she needs to be straight with the public.

Right now she's the only candidate in the race and she hasn't offered any concrete policy positions. So its no big surprise that she's being attacked by her prospective opponents. That's what happens in politics.

[Kingofalldems]

38. Too bad we have a couple DUers joining in on the attacks.