KMOD

KMOD's Journal

July 30, 2016

How do you like your clams?

Clams are yummy, yummy summertime fun food.

July 30, 2016

The Hillary Clinton I Know

Hillary Clinton gets a lot of blame for the Clinton era policies progressives don't like, but what people don't understand is that she was the leading advocate for progressive policies in Bill Clinton's administration. As the main person working with progressive groups to push things in a more progressive direction, Hillary was the one I would go to help me fight those battles, and she consistently went to bat for me. One of the earliest examples: in an early budget meeting in 1993, Bob Rubin was pushing hard for lowering the deficit, and at one point he suggested we cut back on the increase we had laid out in the campaign for the Earned Income Tax Credit for the working poor. I spoke up at the meeting in opposition to Rubin, but I knew that in a battle of me vs. Rubin, I had no chance, so I went to Hillary, and she immediately got fully engaged. We quickly won that fight. That pattern played out again and again over the time I was in the Clinton White House: whenever I was in a pitched battle with more conservative people in the administration, Hillary was my ally in making our proposed legislation better. Even on issues she wasn't working on much at all because she was so focused on health care reform and other budget issues, she had my back. For example on NAFTA, she supported me when I tried to get the US Trade Rep's office to at least listen to progressives who had concerns about NAFTA.

On health care reform, she was a fierce advocate for a more progressive bill than a lot of the DLC types wanted to pass. Very early in the process, our chief lobbyist told her we should dramatically scale back the bill because it would be too tough to pass, and- her voice rising- she said "there are children in America dying every day because they don't have health care, and you want me to back down because we think this will be hard? It is our job to fight for those dying kids, don't tell me to give up before we even make the fight." At another point, we were in a meeting talking through some policy ideas being pushed by business lobbyists and some inside the administration, and she just said flatly "these guys want the HMOs to have the power to run everything. That is ridiculous, they are not getting their way." She fought off efforts by the health care industry to get us to strip out the provision of our bill that gave the states full freedom to pursue the single payer option, and she insisted that our bill make businesses carry more of the load for health care than individuals.

Hillary fought for that bill until the very end. I remember organizing a big meeting for progressive leaders close to the end, and I have never seen her fighting spirit better, as she rallied advocates to keep fighting the good fight. When the bill finally died, she immediately started talking to Teddy Kennedy and other congressional leaders about what we could do to at least get children covered, and the eventual result was the CHIP program, which today covers 8 million kids.

snip

I have so many other stories I could tell about the Hillary Clinton that I know would surprise my progressive allies, but I just want to say this: I know that us progressive movement folks won't agree with Hillary Clinton on every issue when she becomes president. There will be plenty of powerful big business interests, as well as those in Congress that she has to work every day with, pushing her to support the usual pro-corporate policies. There will be plenty of conservative defense industry types and generals wanting her to be more aggressive militarily. We will have to work our hearts out after she is elected to influence her, her appointees, and the House and Senate to do the right thing. But this election is in no way the lesser of two evils. Yes, it is important to beat Trump, and we should never lose sight of that imperative. But progressives should also understand that it is equally important to elect Hillary president because we will have a genuine chance to get a lot of good things done in a Hilary Clinton presidency. The Hillary I know has deep progressive values and a big heart. She will work with us on a lot of issues, and will move our direction if we organize effectively even when she starts out in a place we don't like initially.
This election is a choice between the most openly bigoted man to run for president since the early 1900s and a woman who has genuinely fought on behalf of progressive values her entire life. With our enthusiastic support, we could help her create a wave election that will decimate Trumpism for a long time to come, and give our ideas a genuine chance to become policy. We need to get to work.

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/07/hillary-clinton-i-know

July 30, 2016

This Guy’s Story About Hillary Clinton Is Going Viral For The Best Reasons

Hillary Clinton basically helped save this guy’s life.

Apparently, in light of the Democratic National Convention, in which Hillary Clinton formally became the Democratic Party’s nominee for president, James Grissom decided to share his story about his experience with Hillary, and his story is honestly incredible if it’s even half true.

Like so many others in this election, Grissom was feeling the Bern. For many Democrats, young and old, Bernie Sanders’ ideas felt necessary and radical — a breath of fresh air.

But, Grissom explained, there’s a difference between someone who says he or she will show up and get it done and someone who has always shown up to get it done.

http://elitedaily.com/social-news/guy-cancer-story-hillary-clinton-viral/1568828/

I thought this story was great. That's the Hillary I know. It's also great because it highlights the fact that Planned Parenthood offers so much more than many people realize.

July 30, 2016

I'm feeling lovey dovey

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July 24, 2016

Please rec if you are ready to move on from the wikileaks story

and to start getting pumped about our Democratic Convention.

An apology has been issued. Let's move on.

"I deeply regret that my insensitive, emotional emails would cause embarrassment to the DNC, the chairwoman, and all of the staffers who worked hard to make the primary a fair and open process," Marshall said. "The comments expressed do not reflect my beliefs nor do they reflect the beliefs of the DNC and its employees. I apologize to those I offended."

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/top-dnc-official-apologizes-insensitive-email-after-leak-n615606

July 23, 2016

My youngest graduated high school in June.

We're having the party tomorrow.

Then she'll be off to college in a month.

Feeling sentimental.

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July 23, 2016

Tim Kaine on Gun Control

http://www.kaine.senate.gov/issues/gun-safety

It seems very clear to me that Hillary is going to go full throttle in tackling this. Kaine is a solid pick in this fight.

July 23, 2016

It's our week and it's going to rock!

GOTV

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July 23, 2016

Hillary's email on Tim Kaine

Karen --

I'm thrilled to share this news: I've chosen Tim Kaine as my running mate.

Tim is a lifelong fighter for progressive causes and one of the most qualified vice presidential candidates in our nation's history.

But his credentials alone aren't why I asked him to run alongside me.

Like me, Tim grew up in the Midwest. During law school, he too took an unconventional path -- he took time off and went to Honduras to work with missionaries, practicing both his faith and his Spanish.

When he returned to the states and graduated from Harvard Law, he could have done anything. But instead of going to some big corporate firm, he chose to fight housing discrimination as a civil rights lawyer in Richmond. He and his wife joined a church, built a home centered around their faith, and raised three beautiful children. Then, after 17 years of practicing law, Tim ran for city council -- and won.

Tim says his experience on city council taught him everything he knows about politics. To the people in Richmond, an underfunded school wasn't a Democratic or Republican problem. It was simply a problem that needed fixing, and his constituents were counting on him to solve it. So Tim would do it. He'd roll up his sleeves and get the job done, no matter what.

He’s a man of relentless optimism who believes no problem is unsolvable if you're willing to put in the work. That commitment to delivering results has stayed with him throughout his decades-long career as a public servant. So I could give you a laundry list of things he went on to accomplish -- as mayor of Richmond, governor of Virginia, and in the United States Senate.

But this is what’s important: Tim has never taken a job for the glory or the title. He's the same person whether the cameras are on or off. He's sincerely motivated by the belief that you can make a difference in people's lives through public service.

That quality comes through in every interaction. To know Tim is to love him. When I was talking to people about this decision, I couldn't find anyone -- Democrat or Republican -- who had a bad thing to say about him. From his staff over the last 20 years to his colleagues in the Senate, Tim's beloved.

He is a genuinely nice person, but Tim is no one's punching bag. He will fight tooth and nail for American families, and he'll be a dogged fighter in our campaign against Donald Trump and Mike Pence.

Karen, I want you to know that I didn’t make this decision lightly.

I’ve had the privilege of seeing two presidents and two vice presidents up close. I want a vice president who can be my partner in bringing this country together. I want someone who will be able to give me their best advice, look me in the eye, and tell me they disagree with me when they do.

But what matters most is a simple test that’s not so simple to meet: whether the person could step in at a moment’s notice and serve as president.

I have no doubt that Tim can do the job.

I want him by my side on the trail and in the White House.

...

Not my personal favorite, but I can understand why she chose him.

Our convention is going to rock. GOTV and go Clinton/Kaine

July 22, 2016

While we wait, what is your gut telling you?

My feeling is it will indeed be Elizabeth Warren. Up til now I thought would be Xavier Becerra, but for some reason today I think it will be Senator Warren.

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