If Barack Obama has the "Audacity to Hope," then Hillary Clinton has the audacity to think she can win. As if bashing San Francisco wasn't bad enough, it turns out she criticized and lied about MoveOn, the very organization that was formed to help her husband during his impeachment crisis.
MoveOn, as in "Bill was a bad boy but now we need to Move On" got its start ten years ago in the wake of the Republican frenzy to remove Bill Clinton from office over sex and now has grown into a dominating force of 3.2 million people that only want to see Democrats win in office and protect the progressive values they hold dear. Two months ago they weighed their options between Barack and Hillary and an online democratic vote was held that determined they would endorse Barack Obama. Since all Hillary cares about is winning, she went from applauding MoveOn to bashing and lying about them to a closed door meeting with her donors. Now the audio tape is out for all to see.
From The Huffington Post:
"Moveon.org endorsed [Sen. Barack Obama] -- which is like a gusher of money that never seems to slow down," Clinton said to a meeting of donors. "We have been less successful in caucuses because it brings out the activist base of the Democratic Party. MoveOn didn't even want us to go into Afghanistan. I mean, that's what we're dealing with. And you know they turn out in great numbers. And they are very driven by their view of our positions, and it's primarily national security and foreign policy that drives them. I don't agree with them. They know I don't agree with them. So they flood into these caucuses and dominate them and really intimidate people who actually show up to support me."[...]
The comments also contradict Clinton's previous statements praising this year's elevated Democratic turnout in primaries and caucuses, and appear to blame her caucus defeats on newly energized grassroots voter groups that she has lauded in the past as "lively participants" in American democracy."You've been asking the tough questions," Clinton said in April of last year at a MoveOn-sponsored town hall event. "You've been refusing to back down when any of us who are in political leadership are not living up to the standards that we should set for ourselves... I think you have helped to change the face of American politics for the better... both online, and in the corridors of power."
All that matters to her is to win at all costs, even if it means fracturing the party wherever she sees fit. And of course that comment about Afghanistan is completely untrue, a lie that was started by none other than the vile Karl Rove. Now Hillary is parroting his remarks so again, we must correct her divisive rhetoric with a high dose of truth.
In a statement to The Huffington Post, MoveOn's Executive Director Eli Pariser reacted strongly to Clinton's remarks: "Senator Clinton has her facts wrong again. MoveOn never opposed the war in Afghanistan, and we set the record straight years ago when Karl Rove made the same claim. Senator Clinton's attack on our members is divisive at a time when Democrats will soon need to unify to beat Senator McCain. MoveOn is 3.2 million reliable voters and volunteers who are an important part of any winning Democratic coalition in November. They deserve better than to be dismissed using Republican talking points."
Reduced to Republican talking points, what a shame.
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