Today's edition of Hillary News & Views covers Clinton decimating Mike Huckabee, her campaign reaching out to #Black Lives Matter, and more on her proposals on climate change.
Let's kick things off with Clinton's extensive comments regarding Mike Huckabee's abhorrent use of the Holocaust to illustrate his opposition to the Iran deal.
Clinton does not heart Huckabee, as reported by Politico:
"I am disappointed and I am really offended personally,” Clinton said after touring a transit station in Des Moines. “I know Governor Huckabee. I have a cordial relationship with him. He served as governor of Arkansas. But I find this kind of inflammatory rhetoric totally unacceptable.”
“One can disagree with the particulars of the agreement to put a lid on the nuclear weapon’s program of Iran, and that is fair game. But this steps over the line and it should be repudiated by every person of good faith and concern about the necessity to keep our political dialogue on the facts and within suitable boundaries,” Clinton added on Monday.
CNN reported further comments from Clinton:
"Comments like this are offensive and they have no place in our political dialogue," Clinton said during a press availability in Iowa.
"It should be repudiated by every person of good faith and concern about the necessity to keep our political dialogue about the facts and within suitable boundaries," Clinton added.
More News & Views after the jump!
Hillary Clinton's campaign quietly began outreach to the Black Lives Matter movement over the weekend. BuzzFeed reports:
A Clinton campaign official on Saturday confirmed to BuzzFeed News that Drane “had one-on-one meetings and group listening sessions to engage stakeholders including ministers, community organizers, elected officials, and other individuals in Cleveland for the Movement for Black Lives.” An Ohio native, Drane engaged people inside the movement and listened to a range of suggestions related to Clinton’s outreach, as well as policy recommendations, the official said.
“We will continue to engage a wide array of stakeholders, including members of the black lives matter movement, when crafting policy on important issues like reforming our criminal justice system,” the official said.
The campaign's presence was so under the radar that it drew something of a rebuke from BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors:
“Maybe [Drane] has met with folks, but she hasn’t met with us,” said Patrisse Cullors, the co-founder of Black Lives Matter. Cullors added that her other co-founders Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi would have liked to meet with Drane.
As “someone who was a part of shutting down the Netroots presidential forum,” she said, “I’m tight she met with folks and not us.”
Clinton’s campaign maintains that it is still in the middle of a long process of engaging principals in the Black Lives Matter movement, and that just because Drane met with some activists and not others, that doesn’t mean the campaign won’t be reaching out to them, too.
My suggestion? Clinton should meet directly with the movement's leaders, rather than a campaign surrogate, to show the importance of the movement.
Big credit to BuzzFeed for the scoop, and also for being one of the few media outlets to acknowledge this:
As a candidate and before her announcement, Clinton has expressed her support for the movement — including once in a December speech and in an April essay when she wrote, “We can stand up together and say, yes, black lives matter” — but this is the first indication real communication between the campaign and the movement exists.
A campaign spokesperson also explained the thought process behind working with BLM, and how it fits into the overall philosophy of Clinton's candidacy:
“Hillary Clinton is committed to developing real policy solutions that are informed by having listened to ideas and concerns from a wide range of voices, which is why we felt it was important to hear from those gathered in Cleveland this weekend for the Movement for Black Lives Convening,” Clinton spokesperson Karen Finney said in an email to BuzzFeed News.
“Throughout this campaign, Hillary Clinton will continue to work with a wide array of stakeholders, including members of the Black Lives Matter movement,” she continued. “Both Hillary and the campaign know that in order to implement real change, we need to work together in crafting policy, raising awareness, and building a coalition to ensure every American knows what it means to be secure, safe and free.”
Clinton also continued to pitch her first major environmental policies on the stump yesterday, with many headlines trumpeting her desire to be the
"Renewable Energy President."
In Des Moines, Clinton reiterated her reasoning for not taking a position yet on the Keystone XL pipeline. From the Associated Press, via the Houston Chronicle:
Clinton said she wanted a State Department review started when she was secretary to run its course.
"I put together a thorough, deliberative, evidence-based process to evaluate the environmental impact and other considerations on Keystone," said Clinton. "I'm confident that the pipeline's impact on global greenhouse gas emissions will be a major factor in that decision, as the president has said."
Her deference to the Obama administration on this issue might frustrate some environmentalists, but she's received a lot of positive feedback from them since announcing her first climate change policies yesterday.
CNN reports:
Tom Steyer, a hedge fund billionaire and the head of NextGen Climate, a non-profit focused on climate change, issued an open letter on Friday that called for all 2016 Democrats to "lay out a clear and concrete plan to achieve at least 50 percent clean or carbon-free energy by 2030."
He [called the Clinton] plan "an ambitious framework to put our nation on a path to a clean energy economy," adding that Clinton "emerged as a strong leader in solving the climate crisis and ensuring our country's economic security" due to the proposal.
CNN also reports feedback from the League of Conservation Voters:
Tiernan Sittenfeld, an executive for the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund, called Clinton's video "spot on" and said it proved Clinton "will make it a top priority throughout her campaign."
"This," Sittenfeld sad, "underscores Secretary Clinton's longtime commitment to confronting the climate crisis."
In terms of funding Clinton's initiatives,
Associated Press reports her plan to have the oil and gas industries help foot the bill:
Clinton declined to specify how she would pay for her proposal, telling reporters that while there would be some upfront costs, "A lot of these changes will pay for themselves."
As a presidential candidate in 2007, Clinton called for implementing a market-based system to reduce carbon pollution by capping overall emissions and letting companies trade pollution credits. But she made no reference to that kind of approach.
One of Clinton's current proposals would create a "Clean Energy Challenge," which would set up competitive grants for states, cities and communities that pursue renewable energy projects.
Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon estimated the 10-year cost of the grant program would be $60 billion, which he said would be offset by raising taxes on the oil and gas industry.
That's all for today. Thank you to all of the readers who keep putting these posts on the Recommended list and fostering such great discussion in the comments!
For more on Hillary Clinton's campaign for the presidency, check out…
The Hillary 2016 Platform Series
Part 1: Criminal Justice Reform
Part 2: Immigration Reform
Part 3: Voting Rights
Unfiltered Hillary: The Transcripts
July 20, 2015: Facebook Q&A
July 17, 2015: Iowa State Democratic Party Hall of Fame Dinner
April 23, 2015: Women in the World Summit
Crossposted at Hillary HQ.com, an independent, progressive blog committed to electing Hillary Clinton as the next President of the United States.