Clinton in the White House would be more of the same

Michael Howard, Contributing Writer

If the 2016 Presidential campaign has taught us anything at all, it is that the GOP has gone completely off the deep end. Donald Trump, Ben Carson, and the other dunderheads lighting up the news headlines, are useful in that they underscore just how ludicrous “conservative” politics in this country have become.

Not convinced? Take a look at the ongoing Speakership debacle, and then tell me that Noam Chomsky’s characterization of the Republican Party as a “radical insurgency,” that has “long abandoned the pretense of functioning as a normal parliamentary party,” isn’t accurate.

With this in mind, it is totally unsurprising that the GOP can offer us nothing in the way of a plausible presidential candidate.

Atop the polls sits a corporate blowhard who thinks that vaccines cause autism. Nipping at his heels is an accomplished neurosurgeon who happens to be a Biblical literalist. (Cognitive dissonance or doublethink? You decide.) Apart from this campaign, neither man has a shred of political experience.

Consequently, it is safe to assume that the vast majority of Independents (along with the small sector of still-lucid Republicans) are going to vote for the Democratic nominee. And that nominee, in spite of Bernie Sanders’ unexpected success, is almost certainly going to be Hillary Clinton.

Now, before any and all criticism of Hillary gets conflated with sexism and misogyny (which is bound to happen, and soon) it is useful to outline what can be reasonably expected from a second Clinton presidency.

Here are four things everyone should know about Hillary Rodham Clinton.

(1) She’s a war hawk. We all remember the Bush 43 administration’s criminal and disastrous war in Iraq. What a lot of people don’t remember, however, is that Hillary Clinton was one of its leading exponents. Yes, as State Senator from New York, Hillary Clinton (ostensibly convinced by bogus intelligence) voted in favor of the 2003 invasion. Needless to say, she also supported the war in Afghanistan.

But, more importantly, as Obama’s Secretary of State, Hillary was the brain behind NATO’s military “intervention” in Libya; the results of which were catastrophic. Libya is now an absolute nightmare, with dozens of Islamic militant groups (including ISIS) vying to fill the power vacuum left by Gaddafi’s erstwhile regime.

This is all a product of Hillary’s foreign policy—the “Hillary Doctrine,” as it was called in her private email correspondence. By the way, upon learning of Gaddafi’s murder (during which he was sodomized with a knife), Hillary said this: “We came, we saw, he died.” Then she giggled.

She also took an exceptionally militant line on Syria during the first years of that conflict, calling for the funneling of American weapons to “moderate” Syrian rebels, most of whom have since been absorbed by jihadi groups like al-Nusra Front (an al-Qaeda franchise). In addition to being very foolish, arming said rebels was a flagrant violation of international law as outlined by the UN Charter.

(2) She’s a corporatist. Hillary served on the board of Walmart (the epitome of corporate greed) for six years, in spite of the company’s notorious opposition to organized labor, which Hillary now claims to champion. Alice Walton – daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton – is just one of numerous billionaires who have donated to Hillary’s 2016 campaign, which is projected to pull in $2.5 billion.

This is a crucial point. At over $2 billion, Hillary’s campaign is a record-breaker.

That money has to come from somewhere, and it doesn’t come from Hillary’s bank account (she’s only worth a paltry $31 million, by the way.) No, it comes in the form of donations from this country’s financial sector. It comes from the corporate firms responsible for the biggest economic meltdown since the Great Depression.

Would these capitalist crooks finance Hillary’s campaign if they thought she was serious about checking their corrosive influence? Think about it.

If you’re into obscene wealth inequality and corporate hegemony, Hillary’s your girl.

(3) She hates Palestinians. How else can we make sense of her recent promise to be a “better friend,” to Israel than Obama has been? Let’s be clear: Obama has done absolutely nothing to redress Palestinian suffering. In fact, he has actively perpetuated it.

Exercising his veto power, Obama killed a 2011 UN Security Council resolution condemning illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories.

In the summer of 2014, while Israeli missiles rained down on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip (killing over 2000 people, most of them civilians), Obama refused to join the rest of the world in condemning Israel’s excessive use of force. Hillary, taking a more callous line, denounced the global condemnation as “uncalled for and unfair.”

Because of its unconditional support for Israel and its numerous crimes, the US is perceived by a significant percentage of the world as hypocritical and duplicitous. Based on what we know, Hillary means to consolidate that reputation.

(4) She has already been in the White House. It is well known that Hillary, for all intents and purposes, served as co-president during Bill’s time in the Oval Office. She played a much bigger role in the administration’s policy-making than any First Lady before or since, advising Bill on everything from foreign policy to cabinet selections.

Among her relatively independent projects, Hillary’s attempt at healthcare reform is the most familiar. “Hillarycare,” as it came to be known, was a total flop. It was byzantine and naïve, and it offered no solution to the problems faced by the millions of Americans who could not (and still cannot) afford decent healthcare. “Hillarycare” was officially defeated in 1994, after meeting with harsh criticism from all sides of the debate.

As First Lady, Hillary even had her own team of political advisors, known as “Hillaryland.” Such was the extent of her involvement in White House affairs.

On that note, it should be remembered that a Hillary Clinton presidency is in effect another co-presidency, this time with Bill as First Lady. Perhaps he will have an unofficial cabinet of his own. Call it “Billaryland.”

Joking aside, for the people who remember the sordid details of Bill Clinton’s presidential legacy (do yourself a favor and research the bombing of the al-Shifa pharmaceutical plant in Sudan), having him back in the White House is a galling prospect. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like we have much of a choice.

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