Tag Archives: Hofstra debate

First match-up between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton at the first presidential debate, held at Hofstra University, Long Island, September 26, 2016, was no match © 2016 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

By Karen Rubin, News & Photo Features

The primary “appeal” of Donald Trump’s candidacy, we are told, is that he is a businessman, not a politician, that he has created jobs, whereas Hillary Clinton is a “politician” who has never created a single job or met a payroll. Donald Trump is the outsider, the change agent, versus the insider, while Hillary Clinton is “the Establishment” because she has spent 30 years as a public servant.

Setting aside the fact that Trump is the worst caricature of a Businessman, who, records now show, has built up the fortune he inherited by exploiting others, by lying and cheating, and the fact that Hillary Clinton, while she has spent her life in public service working to better the lives of others, has only briefly (as a US Senator and in her campaign for the presidency been a politician, there is a difference between public service and politics, and between business and government.

Trump says that because he is such a brilliant businessman, he will be the best “jobs creator God ever made.” He promises to bring back the manufacturing jobs that were lost 20 years ago, and says he will restore jobs in the coal mines, oil rigs and steel mills. How? He says he will tear up trade agreements (that will only start a trade war as countries retaliate by imposing tariffs on American goods, which will damage our exports which has been rising); tax goods brought in by an American company (even if he could do that, it would only be passed on to consumers in higher prices), eliminate corporate taxes (the biggest, most profitable companies don’t pay any tax anyway, and no business pays the “nominal” 35% tax rate), reducing taxes on the wealthiest Americans, like Trump (who we find pays zero or less than the average janitor so one wonders why there is any compelling need to go to a flat tax of 15% which will harm middle class people the most), and finally, eliminate the estate tax which would produce a $4 billion windfall for the Trump kids (so they have a real investment in Daddy becoming president) if Trump is not actually lying about his wealth (which Forbes estimates is more like $3.7 billion than the $10 billion he boasts). Trump’s fantastical promise of 4% annual growth in GDP that he pulls out of thin air would likely only spur crippling inflation.

This is, as Hillary Clinton so eloquently put it, “Trumped Up Trickle Down”, the George W. Bush economy on steroids, and we saw how that played out. And just like Bush Economics turned the Bill Clinton budget surplus into massive deficit and the $1 trillion for war he put on a national credit card exploded the national debt, economists have said that Trump’s economic plan would add $5 trillion to the debt, cost 3.5 million jobs, and exacerbate income inequality (because once again, all the tax advantages would flow to the top) and very likely plunge the US into another recession,

Hillary Clinton’s economic policy has a lot to do with economic justice and sustainable economic growth: paid parental leave, raising the federal minimum wage to $15, eliminating college debt, clawing back tax incentives from companies that use “inversion” to avoid taxes, promoting the rise of clean energy industry which already is creating more jobs than fossil fuel industry, easing the way for small businesses and entrepreneurs, investing $275 billion in infrastructure and billions more for medical research such as to combat Alzheimer’s disease, promoting universal pre-K and affordable child care, requiring pay parity for women. And yes, she pays for it by eliminating tax dodges corporations use and raising taxes on the wealthiest, “because they have made all the gains in the economy. And I think it’s time that the wealthy and corporations paid their fair share to support this country. Broad-based, inclusive growth is what we need in America, not more advantages for people at the very top.”

To which Trump replied, “Typical politician. All talk, no action. Sounds good, doesn’t work.”

Not work? These are policies that actually will create jobs – as they did during Bill Clinton’s administration, when he created 22 million jobs, largely by unleashing the new Internet industry, when incomes across the board were created, and by Barack Obama who already has created 15 million, despite coming into office enduring the worst recession since the Great Recession, produced the longest string of jobs growth in history and the fastest increase in wages in years and the most rapid decrease in poverty since 1968 (Johnson’s Great Society).

Yes, a politician does create jobs by fostering the policies that promote jobs-creation, and literally hiring the private contractors who build the roads, bridges, airports, water and communications systems. But a public servant does even more.

Economists who analyzed Hillary Clinton’s proposals found that it would likely create 10 million jobs, and that means with the increased revenue because of fairer tax policies and getting the wealthy and corporations to pay their fair share, the national debt would be reduced and prosperity would be more widely shared.

Hillary Clinton has spent her entire working life creating jobs. And if you look at what the State Department does – things like USAID – they are in the business of fostering economic development (jobs) around the world. During her tenure as Secretary of State, the US increased its exports by 30% and exports to China by 50%, and that contributed to the first increase in manufacturing jobs since the Clinton years. The Clinton Global Initiative which she served after leaving government, devised new methods of fostering public-private partnerships that have been applied by the Obama Administration in the Smart Cities program, Joining Forces (which promotes jobs for returning veterans and military families), in its Apprenticeship program, for example (I’m betting no one realizes these programs even exist), and would have done far, far more if the Republican Congress had not blocked legislation including the Infrastructure Bank and the American Jobs Program (it even has “jobs” in its name).

And there is a very great difference between being a businessman and a public servant. Donald Trump said it himself, to justify how “smart” he is to avoid paying taxes (which is probably why he is being audited):

He has said that he earned $650 million last year, but has boasted about paying zero taxes or avoiding paying taxes. “That makes me smart.”

“So if he’s paid zero, that means zero for troops, zero for vets, zero for schools or health,” Clinton replied. (This doesn’t sway Trump’s supporters because they see not paying taxes as stiffing the government – sticking it to the Establishment – and though they pretend to salute the flag, it is the “Don’t Tread on Me” one.)

And if he stiffed workers by refusing to pay them and challenging them to bring him to court, and stiffed investors by declaring bankruptcies, and called himself the “King of Debt,” he says, “Which our country should do, too.”

His idea to bring down the national debt? Not pay the interest on the obligations – force creditors to take less. That’s called default and it would forever crash the “full faith and credit of the United States” and the world economy.

“My obligation right now is to do well for myself, my family, my employees, for my companies. And that’s what I do.”

Ah ha, that’s it in a nutshell: a for-profit charter school can simply close up shop and leave the kids on the street, a public school has to take everyone regardless of their intellectual or physical ability; a for-private hospital just shuts down. A public servant has to consider all constituencies, with competing interests, not just self-interest, has a broader responsibility beyond a “fiduciary” responsibility (which is why corporations should be prohibited from paying into any political campaign and the Supreme Court Citizens United decision is so counter to democracy), and a longer view beyond the next quarter.

And the icing on the cake for would-be Donald Trumps? Elimination of regulation, overturning financial controls like Dodd-Frank, the EPA – an open invitation for a bankster free-for-all that will make the Bush Financial Crash look like peanuts. And those blue-collar working stiffs who are the “core” Trump supporters, who somehow imagine that Trump will make them billionaires, too? They will find themselves bilked, just like the Trump University chumps.

Being the chief executive of the United States, the head of a government of millions of workers, serving the interests of more than 300 million citizens (not just those who vote for you), working with partners from around the country and around the world, managing your board of directors (the Congress), is not like being CEO of a business with a single purpose – to make money for its owners – but does require professional skill, experience, expertise.

You wouldn’t hire a real estate developer to perform brain surgery on you, pilot your airplane, or plead for your life in court, would you?

But regardless of Businessman or Public Servant, it comes down to the individual’s own character, personality, temperament, skill, background, values and vision. It’s not that government is inherently bad, bloated and inefficient, or that businesses are inherently more productive, efficient and honest (if that were true, so many wouldn’t go bankrupt or be overcharging government by three and four times), but the workers we encounter at the hotel or country club, the factory workers who actually assemble the cars, and the people who get hired for government, and most importantly, the individual politicians we elect to office. As easy as it is for Trump to hurl stereotypes, slogans or jingoisms, people are not widgets that are interchangeable by label or category.

Responding to the New York Times report that Trump took advantage of his business failures in the 1990s to claim a $915 million loss in 1995 – enough to shield him from federal taxes for 18 years – his campaign stated, “The incredible skills Mr. Trump has shown in building his business are the skills we need to rebuild this country.”

Heaven forbid a President Trump treat the country as he has his businesses, his workers, his contractors, his investors.

________________________________

© 2016 News & Photo Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. For editorial feature and photo information, go to www.news-photos-features.com, email [email protected]. Blogging at www.dailykos.com/blogs/NewsPhotosFeatures. ‘Like’ us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures, Tweet @KarenBRubin

Election 2016, Presidential Campaign 2016, Presidential Politics

Hillary Clinton v Donald Trump Hofstra Debate Pits Substance v Nonsense

September 27, 2016 krubin

Taking a victory lap: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton greets supporters at The Space, Westbury, after the first presidential debate at Hofstra University, Long Island, Sept. 26, 2016 © 2016 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

By Karen Rubin, News & Photo Features

Donald Trump did a mitzvah at the first (maybe only) presidential debate, which was held at Hofstra University on September 26. He brought his true self – not a studied, rehearsed character who could recite the positions scripted for him by Kellyanne Conway.

Instead, he dared to say in mixed company what he has been saying to his rabble, letting his words hang in the air alongside the reasonable, practical, solid policy solutions that Hillary Clinton has been proposing for more than a year.

He showed his true colors – and they were a nasty mishmash of clash that didn’t make sense.

He was incoherent, hysterical. With bloodshot eyes, sniffling, guzzling water (recalling his attacks on Marco Rubio) he looked reptilian (is he hiding a health issue, I wonder?).

Bloodshot eyes, sniffling, guzzling water (reminding how he badgered Marco Rubio), one can reasonably wonder, Does Donald Trump have an undisclosed health issue? © 2016 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Hillary Clinton had to be perfect – not a single inappropriate word or phrase or misplaced comma or gesture or glance. She had to strike just the perfect tone between showing that a woman could be powerful, professional and command authority, but also be “likable,” “pleasing.” And authentic – she elucidated the positions (on investing in infrastructure, keeping the nation safe, attacking ISIS) she has long advocated, and did it with passion, fully immersed in knowing all the parameters of the issues and seeing the long view. She had to show she could stand up to his attacks, send them back without appearing shrill or shrewish, and still present her own positive solutions that will help this country achieve “broad-based, inclusive growth” which, she said, “is what we need in America, not more advantages for people at the very top.” And do it in two minutes.

And she was perfect. Indeed, pundit Howard Feinman said it was like an elementary school teacher schooling an unruly child (yet another sexist remark – remember when they criticized Obama for being like a “college professor”?).

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump meet in first presidential debate: “\“I think Donald just criticized me for preparing for this debate. And, yes, I did. And you know what else I prepared for? I prepared to be president. And I think that’s a good thing.” © 2016 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

With every answer, Trump’s credibility was shot (as were his surrogates who declared him the winner after), he was exposed as the ridiculous Reality TV buffoon he is, and his Swift Boating tactic which Republicans have been exploiting since Bush v. Kerry, where he accuses his opponent of the very thing he is guilty of (ie. pay-to-play) boomeranged so perfectly when he accused Clinton of not having the “temperament,” judgment, or the “look” to be President.

“I think my strongest asset, maybe by far, is my temperament. I have a winning temperament. I know how to win. She does not have a…” he said, as the audience could not contain its snickering.

The ultimate was when he attacked Clinton on her stamina – a woman who even with pneumonia soldiered on the campaign trail and ran rings around him in the Commander-in-Chief forum – saying, “She doesn’t have the look. She doesn’t have the stamina. I said she doesn’t have the stamina. And I don’t believe she does have the stamina. To be president of this country, you need tremendous stamina” – which all at once reinforced his misogyny and ridiculousness, and exposed him to her withering rejoinder:

“Well, as soon as he travels to 112 countries and negotiates a peace deal, a cease-fire, a release of dissidents, an opening of new opportunities in nations around the world, or even spends 11 hours testifying in front of a congressional committee, he can talk to me about stamina,” she retorted.

On the other hand, she used his own words to attack him – he basically admitted he pays zero tax (“That makes me smart.”); that he did in fact stiff contractors (“Maybe he didn’t do a good job and I was unsatisfied with his work” …“But on occasion, four times, we used certain laws that are there. And when Secretary Clinton talks about people that didn’t get paid, first of all, they did get paid a lot, but taken advantage of the laws of the nation”) and turned it into an advertorial for his new hotel; that he did insult women (“Rosie O’Donnell deserved it”), or how his business was sued for housing discrimination (“We settled the suit with zero — with no admission of guilt. It was very easy to do.”).

Stop and frisk unconstitutional? (the answer he offered when asked about how to deal with rising racial tensions, especially with police shootings of unarmed black men). “No, you’re wrong. It went before a judge, who was a very against-police judge,” he said lamely.

Hillary Clinton used Donald Trump’s own words against him, while making a forceful case for her own policies, during their first presidential debate, at Hofstra University, Long Island © 2016 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

She didn’t just parry his attacks – on her record as Secretary of State, in which he tried to blame her for everything that has gone wrong in the world for the past 30 years – she sent them boomeranging back, making a strong case for the Iran nuclear deal, for supporting NATO, for her plan to defeat ISIS, (the list goes on and on).

When he said, “The single greatest problem the world has is nuclear armament, nuclear weapons, not global warming, like you think and your — your president thinks,” he not only reminded voters that he is advocating countries like Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia get their own nuclear weapons), but that he has called climate change “a hoax” perpetrated by China (then lied that he hadn’t said that), and, finally, his pejorative use of “your” president, should have not only had progressives, anti-nuclear activists, environmentalists but also African-Americans throwing shoes at the TV (they surely screamed at the watch party at The Space in Westbury).

When he tried to attack her saying, “For 30 years, you’ve been doing it, and now you’re just starting to think of solutions,” he did her the favor of reminding people that she has had a stunning array of accomplishments on behalf of women, girls, families, working people (not to mention her work as Senator and Secretary of State) over the past 30 years – what has he accomplished for anyone but his own self interest, using bankruptcies, stiffing contractors, outsourcing jobs overseas, hiring undocumented workers.

Hillary Clinton comes to The Space, Westbury to greet supporters after first presidential debate at Hofstra University, Long Island, Sept. 26, 2016 © 2016 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

And she managed to both present her argument for an economy that benefits for all, that invests in the middle class, in infrastructure, in education, and paying for it by having the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share, while at the same time throwing back the question of trust and transparency back on him using how he has failed to disclose his taxes, saying, “So if he’s paid zero, that means zero for troops, zero for vets, zero for schools or health. And I think probably he’s not all that enthusiastic about having the rest of our country see what the real reasons are, because it must be something really important, even terrible, that he’s trying to hide.”

I disagree with the pundits insistence that the debate did not provide enough “policy.” If they actually listened, they would have realized how Clinton managed to get in her policy points on a score of key issues (go back and read the transcript). This was a contest of Substance versus Nonsense.

And finally, when he tried to criticize her for not being on the campaign trail for a few days before the debate, she came back with the line that sums up this contest:

“I think Donald just criticized me for preparing for this debate. And, yes, I did. And you know what else I prepared for? I prepared to be president. And I think that’s a good thing.”

________________________________

Election 2016, Presidential Campaign 2016, Presidential Politics

Hillary for America Campaign Issues Alert to Be on Lookout for ‘Trump’s 7 Deadly Lies’ in Debate

September 24, 2016 krubin

Hillary for America campaign has issued 19 pages of Donald Trump’s lies, including the seven the Republican presidential candidate uses most often, as a guide to be used in the upcoming debate at Hofstra University, Long Island, on Monday, September 26 © 2016 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

By Karen Rubin, News & Photo Features

The Hillary for America campaign has issued 19 pages of Donald Trump’s lies, including the seven the Republican presidential candidate uses most often, as a guide to be used in the upcoming debate at Hofstra University, Long Island, on Monday, September 26.

The campaign is calling out the moderator, Lester Holt, of the first Presidential Election debate, as well as reporters and viewers to hold Trump to account.

For his part, Trump has warned the moderator will be “afraid” to attack Hillary Clinton and that if he is attacked, it is only proof that the system is “rigged” against him.

Expectations are so skewed that the fear is Trump only has to appear calm, even if ill-informed or shallow and lacking in any real understanding of policies, while Hillary Clinton has to be perfectly in command but also “attractive” and not too “studied” or scripted. In this, Hillary, a trail-blazer for women’s rights, will experience the same kind of gender-bias as when she became Arkansas’ First Lady and wanted to be known as Hillary Rodham, instead of Mrs. Clinton, and when in 1992, campaigning for her husband, Bill Clinton, she said she didn’t want to back cookies and stand by her man like Tammy Wynette.

A misplaced comma in a phrase could cost her the debate while the big question for Trump is whether he will be able to resist his verbal tick of calling her “Crooked” Hillary.

But Donald Trump’s, who has used his background as a Realty TV star as his strongest advantage in the campaign so far has won PolitiFact’s “Liar of the Year” award, after it rated 70 percent of his claims as “four Pinnochios” or “Pants on Fire.”

“Debates are about each candidate laying out their vision for America, not making things up. Donald Trump has shown a clear pattern of repeating provably false lies and hoping no one corrects him. Voters and viewers should keep track: any candidate who tells this many lies clearly can’t win the debate on the merits,” said HFA Communications Director Jennifer Palmieri.

The campaign issued a handy guide to Trump’s Seven Deadly Lies

1. FALSE: Trump opposed the Iraq War.

Washington Post: Trump: “I was totally against the war in Iraq.” // Four Pinocchios.”

As our timeline shows, Trump was not ‘totally’ against the Iraq War. Trump expressed lukewarm support the first time he was asked about it on Sept. 11, 2002, and was not clearly against it until he was quoted in the August 2004 Esquire cover story. (We even made a video documenting how this is a bogus claim.) Yet he repeatedly claims he opposed the war from the beginning — and thus, earns Four Pinocchios.”

FALSE: Trump opposed intervention in Libya.

Factcheck.org: Donald Trump on Libya, May 20 interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”: I would have stayed out of Libya.” // False.

“Trump’s claim that he ‘would have stayed out of Libya’ doesn’t square with his comments at the time. In February 2011, Trump, referring to Gadhafi, said that the U.S. should go into Libya ‘on a humanitarian basis’ and ‘knock this guy out very quickly, very surgically, very effectively and save the lives.’”

FALSE: Clinton supports open borders.

PolitiFact: Trump says Clinton wants to create ‘totally open borders.’ // False

“This is a huge distortion of Clinton’s proposals. Clinton has praised work already done to secure the border, and she said she supported a 2013 bill that would have invested billions more in border security while creating a path to citizenship for some undocumented immigrants. Her plan calls for protecting the border and targeting deportation to criminals and security threats.”

FALSE: Clinton wants to get rid of the Second Amendment.

ABC News: “Claim: Hillary Clinton wants to abolish the Second Amendment” // False.

“When Trump made this same claim earlier in the cycle, Politifact rated the claim false after finding no evidence of Clinton ever advocating for the abolishment of the Second Amendment… Bottom line: there’s no evidence to support Trump’s claim.

PolitiFact: “Donald Trump falsely claims Hillary Clinton ‘wants to abolish the 2nd Amendment,’” // False.

“We found no evidence of Clinton ever saying verbatim or suggesting explicitly that she wants to abolish the Second Amendment, and the bulk of Clinton’s comments suggest the opposite. She has repeatedly said she wants to protect the right to bear arms while enacting measures to prevent gun violence.”

FALSE: President Obama and Clinton founded ISIS.

Washington Post: “Is Obama the founder of ISIS?” // Absolutely not.

“Absolutely not. It’s like saying that Ronald Reagan is the founder of al-Qaeda because the arms he sent to the mujahideen in Afghanistan after the Soviet invasion led to the creation of al-Qaeda. It’s a ludicrous claim.”

Washington Post: “Trump also claims Hillary Clinton was a “co-founder” of ISIS. Does that make sense?” // No.

“No. Within the administration, Clinton was one of the loudest forces for keeping a residual force in Iraq and for intervening in Syria, such as arming the rebels. So the criticism especially does not apply to her, since she advocated a more hawkish policy than was undertaken by Obama.”

FALSE: Clinton would allow 620,000 refugees into the U.S. with no vetting.

Washington Post: Trump: “This includes her plan to bring in 620,000 new refugees from Syria and that region over a short period of time.” // This is an “invented figure.”

“Trump has used this number before, but it stems from the unverified assumption that Clinton, who has called for 55,000 additional refugees from Syria, would continue at that pace for every year of her first term, on top of the Obama administration’s proposal for 100,000 refugees for fiscal year 2017. Trump then multiplies 155,000 times four years to reach 620,000 refugees. Clinton has never proposed such a “plan,” so this is an invented figure.”

Washington Post: Trump: “Under the Clinton plan, you’d be admitting hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Middle East with no system to vet them, or to prevent the radicalization of the children and their children.” // “It’s false…”

“Trump has repeatedly made this “hundreds of thousands” claim, usually referring to Syria, but it’s false… Trump also falsely claims there is “no system to vet” refugees. The process actually takes two more years, after vetting that starts with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and then continues with checks by U.S. intelligence and security agencies.”

FALSE: Trump will make Mexico pay for the wall.

NPR Fact Check: Trump: “And Mexico will pay for the wall. 100 percent.” // Mexican President “would not pay” for the wall.

“After his meeting with Donald Trump today, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto reiterated his insistence that Mexico would not pay for construction of a border wall. Peña Nieto said he made that clear to Trump during their meeting, although Trump told reporters that the issue of payment was not discussed. — Scott Horsley”

For the rest of the18 pages of Trump’s lies see The Briefing here.

“Our concern about Trump’s record of lying is what that means for how the debate unfolds and how viewers should judge,” Jennifer Palmieri said on a press call.

Trump should be expected to present his solutions – explain what his solutions are, demonstrate the knowledge and judgment. But so far, Trump has shown clear pattern of lying, expecting no one to correct them, she said.

“We have provided 19 pages of lies Trump has told during the campaign,” she said. Politifact has rated 70% of his claims as untrue; Factchecker gave him 47 ‘Four Pinnochios’ and rated 47 ‘Pants on Fire.’ He beat out all modern presidential candidates for fact checking – he was awarded the Lie of the Year and Trump was named the Liar of the Year.

“We think this warrants particular focus because his level of lying is unprecedented in American politics – reporters should keep this in mind,”

“Trump is a very unconventional, unusual, challenging candidate – recognize it’s true for press and moderators. It’s unprecedented in modern times to hold a conference to talk about special precautions because the opponent is a habitual liar, but we think it is necessary.

“When Trump has been chosen as Politifact’s Liar of the Year, for the moderator to let lies go unchallenged, gives Trump an unfair advantage. It is the role of moderator, particularly in this case, to call out those lies, and do so in real time.

“Clinton has a responsibility to defend herself – her own record. But given the historic record of how much Trump lies, it can’t be only on her to call him out if the moderator isn’t willing to stand up and challenge lies. We’ve provided 19 pages of them for helpful reference, plus the 7 he uses most often. This is unusual, but that’s the year we are in, that’s the campaign Trump is running, and it requires that kind of role for the moderator.”

Palmieri said that Trump would probably do what he could to “get under her skin,” but “good luck. We’ve all seen her endure tough questions – 11 hours during the Benghazi hearings. Trump may think he will be the first to get under her skin, but I doubt it.”

As for expectations of how Trump might perform, We had a dry run during the Commander-in-Chief forum which demonstrated that Trump could control his demeanor, and the concern is that will be the sole criteria for handing him the “win” in the debate.

“But maintaining demeanor and not becoming unhinged is not the standard for being considered President of the United States.” What should be the standard is that you demonstrate that you understand problems, have solutions, that you can explain them, that you have adequate knowledge, judgment to do the job “and that’s certainly what she is coming to the debate to do, and that’s what voters should judge Trump on as well.”

How Trump behaves and whether or not he maintains a calm demeanor is up to him, and we think that is within his power – I wouldn’t describe that as what we are pending a lot of time on. A good deal of our prep is thinking through the argument she would put forward that she would do – it is a useful exercise at debate as well as what closing arguments for last few weeks of campaign will be as well.

________________________________