Obama Supports Bernie on the Issues and is Critical of Hillary [View all]

[senz]

On Feb. 16, 2016, President Obama attended a summit of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, California, where he gave a speech followed by a press conference. During the Q & A period, a reporter reminded him that “Hillary has been casting herself as the rightful heir to your legacy and the one, the candidate who will be the keeper of your legacy, while also saying the Bernie Sanders has been disloyal to you. Is she right?”

President Obama gave a politically careful reply, saying that he “knows Hillary better than I know Bernie because she served in my administration and she was an outstanding Secretary of State. And I suspect that on certain issues she agrees with me more than Bernie does. On the other hand, there may be a couple issues where Bernie agrees with me more. I don’t know. I haven’t studied their positions that closely.”

He then went on to list the principles that Democratic voters believe in. Every principle listed by President Obama perfectly matches Bernie’s long-held stands on the issues and several made subtle -- and not so subtle -- criticisms of Hillary Clinton.

The President said:

Here’s what I have confidence in — that Democratic voters believe in certain principles. They believe in equal opportunity. They believe in making sure that every kid in this country gets a fair shot. They believe in making sure that economic growth is broad-based and everybody benefits from it, and if you work hard you’re not in poverty. They believe in preserving a strong safety net through programs like Social Security and Medicare. They believe in a foreign policy that is not reckless, that is tough and protects the American people but doesn’t shoot before it aims. They believe in climate change. They think science matters. They think that it’s important for us to have some basic regulations to keep our air clean and our water clean, and to make sure that banks aren’t engaging in excesses that can result in the kind of thing that we saw in 2007 and 2008. So there’s a broad convergence of interests around those issues.

President Obama listed six major principles that Democratic voters believe in:

1. They believe in equal opportunity. They believe in making sure that every kid in this country gets a fair shot.
   
   
2. They believe in making sure that economic growth is broad-based and everybody benefits from it and if you work hard you’re not in poverty.
   
   
3. They believe in preserving a strong safety net through programs like Social Security and Medicare.
   
   
4. They believe in a foreign policy that is not reckless, that is tough and protects the American people but doesn’t shoot before it aims.
   
   
5. They believe in climate change. They think science matters. They think that it’s important for us to have some basic regulations to keep our air clean and our water clean,
   
   
6. and to make sure that banks aren’t engaging in excesses that can result in the kind of thing that we saw in 2007 and 2008.

Closer examination:

1. “Equal opportunity, every kid in this country gets a fair shot.” Bernie has long been a solid advocate educational fairness for children and youth. As an advocate for universal childcare and prekindergarten, in 2011 Bernie introduced the Foundations for Success Act, which would have awarded a grant to ten states allowing them to create an Early Care and Education System. In 2014, together with John Conyers, Bernie proposed a youth jobs and job training program for disadvantaged young Americans. Bernie is the only candidate to propose tuition-free public colleges and universities.

2. “They believe in making sure that economic growth is broad-based and everybody benefits from it, and if you work hard you’re not in poverty.” This is a direct reference to income inequality. Income inequality is the central issue of Bernie’s economic platform. Throughout his campaign, Bernie has proclaimed, “No one who works 40 hours a week should be living in poverty.” Bernie is the only candidate who proposed increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. Bernie has always fought against trade policies that export millions of jobs, while Hillary was a vocal proponent of the job-killing NAFTA, WTO/GATT and, until recently, the TPP. He has long fought for workers’ rights, for the right to collectively bargain for better wages and benefits, for a living wage, and gender wage equality.

3. “A strong safety net through programs like Social Security and Medicare.” Strengthening and expanding Social Security and Medicare are Bernie Sanders’ core issues. He has worked to preserve them his entire legislative career. He has fought against any reductions to these programs, no matter which party suggested them.

4. “A foreign policy that is not reckless” and “doesn’t shoot before it aims.” Hillary Clinton and President Obama hold deep policy differences on foreign affairs. Her recklessness as SOS has caused serious, long-lasting problems in several countries, most notably Libya, Syria and Honduras. Her reckless actions could mar the president’s legacy. Bernie Sanders has been correct in resisting every failed U.S. intervention in recent history and his foreign policy proposals take a wise, cautious approach that is closer to the President's.

5. “Climate change. Basic regulations to keep our air clean and our water clean.” Bernie’s environmental record is excellent. In the first Democratic debate, Bernie was the only candidate who said climate change in answer to a question about the worst problem facing the world today. Hillary’s backers include some of the worst polluters in the world. As Secretary of State, Hillary urged fracking for other countries.

6. “To make sure that banks aren’t engaging in excesses that can result in the kind of thing that we saw in 2007 and 2008.” The banking excesses that caused the crash of 2008 were a result of Bill Clinton’s elimination of Glass-Steagall. Bernie led the fight in 1999 to defend Glass-Steagall's provisions and currently is a co-sponsor of the Elizabeth Warren/John McCain bill to reinstate those provisions. Hillary opposes the restoration of Glass-Steagall. Bernie has a well-thought out set of reforms for Wall Street excesses. Bernie favors breaking up the big banks. Hillary does not. Wall Street is the largest contributor to the HRC campaign and was also the primary audience for her secret speeches.

Video and transcript: http://www.shallownation.com/2016/02/16/video-president-obama-press-conference-tues-feb-16-2016-rancho-mirage-california/ (The Q&A is at the end, this segment starts around 32:30)