Clinton: "I feel like my political beliefs are rooted in the conservatism that I was raised with"

[JonLeibowitz]

In 1996, Hillary Clinton said on NPR’s Morning Edition that her political beliefs were, "Rooted In Conservatism," and touted the fact she was A "Goldwater Girl.”

Transcript:

MR. SIMON: I mean, did you ever back in the '60s, between when -- I believe you were a Goldwater girl --
MRS. CLINTON: That's right.
MR. SIMON: -- and whenever you became politically –
MRS. CLINTON: That's right. And I feel like my political beliefs are rooted in the conservatism that I was raised with. I don't recognize this new brand of Republicanism that is afoot now, which I consider to be very reactionary, not conservative in many respects. I am very proud that I was a Goldwater girl. And then my political beliefs changed over time.

(NPR's Weekend Edition, 1/13/1996)

[Zambero]

1. In all fairness

Understandably, Goldwater may not represent an admirable role model to many who consider themselves to be progressive, but he was nevertheless well to the left of today's gaggle of right-wing whackos. I'm fairly certain he would have some choice words for them if he was still around today. The term conservative has been co-opted by train wreck extremists who are anything but cautious and prudent, characteristics of what "conservative" used to mean.

[JonLeibowitz]

3. I am not so concerned about the Goldwater comments, so much as the declaration of conservatism.

It is unfathomable to me how someone can claim to be a progressive, a moderate, and a conservative and get away with it.

[Hortensis]

7. Because Hillary's a liberal. Openness to ideas is a

primary characteristic of liberals. In different eras and different situations, answers that work best may be labeled liberal or conservative, progressive or government-hands-off. Open minds allow people to ignore labels and examine all possible solutions for efficacy, including mixing tools from each into one solution.

A liberal mind also allows one to understand that others can be right in some respects and in some situations even if believed wrong in others. This allows respect for others.

In contrast, a narrow viewpoint and closure to "outside" ideas are primary characteristics not only of conservatives to various degrees, but as we see here on DU strongly characteristic of people with extremist tendencies to the left of liberals and the right of normal conservatives.

[JonLeibowitz]

9. So her beliefs are rooted in conservatism because she's really a liberal?

That's an impressive pretzel, but I'm not buying it.

[Hortensis]

12. Well, read again. I'm trying to explain something you

would find useful to know. This is a big part of why liberals make so much better leaders of free, diverse nations like ours. Democracy and equality are inherently liberal, borne from Enlightenment thinking.

BUT, half our population is wired some variety of conservative by genetics. They are all citizens and some even vote. Only people who really don't get that, including extremists with authoritarian tendencies*, believe they can just be ignored and run roughshod over.

Compromise is so necessary to democracy that it will literally die without it. Today we are in trouble because people plotting the overthrow of liberalism have encouraged America's conservatives to be as extreme and unwilling to compromise as possible. And this manufactured divide has also infected the left.

* Many here have held the fantasy that Bernie's faction will become so powerful that it will impose its will on everybody else and change everything regardless of everyone else. That's that famous extremist authoritarian trait at work.

[JonLeibowitz]

14. Oh I completely agree that compromise is necessary and that far-left liberalism isn't the future

Reasonable compromise with conservatives is also necessary, but not with far-right reactionaries and certainly not compromise to the extent that you betray core liberal values (going to war, legalized bribery, etc.)

I agree with you about Democracy and equality being inherently liberal. I would also posit that we have no democracy if special interests decide our policies (both campaign contributions, largely to congress, and special access to politicians is concerning) -- that is oligarchy, not democracy.

However, Hillary's declared conservatism means she should be the standard bearer for a center-right party (which is what she would be considered in many of the major countries on earth). She would be a fine standard bearer and would probably win the election -- but she isn't progressive nor truly represents traditional Democratic values. And this video shows that she is personally proud of that, but must go through the charade of progressivism for the dog and pony show of a primary election.

[Hortensis]

19. Circular reasoning in that last, and apparently access sealed.

The only reason I answer is the notion the notion that not going to war is a core liberal value. Wish it was, but it is not. Being warlike is wired into the human psyche, only varying in intensity, and imagining one cannot be a liberal and support war is a mistake.

Not warring for profit, for national supremacy, or to impose our ways on others is a core liberal value.

Liberals by nature are far more accepting of "others" and far more likely to choose to trade ideas with others and resolve conflicts by negotiation.

Conservatives are wired to view "outsiders" with suspicion and fear and tend to believe vanquishing and conquering them is required for their own "protection," and for many national and private profit and empowerment are also very worthy goals.

Liberals are different all rgiht, but even liberals are not completely free of that unfortunate tendency. We will do war also if we decide it's necessary.

[JonLeibowitz]

20. Yes, the Iraq War was purely a war of profit and national supremacy.

Some wars are consistent with liberal values: WW1, WW2, afghanistan arguably. Many others have not been necessary.

I was speaking to the unnecessary wars we have been fighting recently, perhaps I should have been more clear.

Oh, and there was no circular reasoning in my post, but nice try.

[BillZBubb]

38. Hortensis's Dictionary: Liberal (n) - A conservative who compromises. See Clinton, Hillary.

[Marr]

23. lol, no kidding.

Whatever it takes, apparently. Sense be damned.

[whatchamacallit]

31. Her satananic roots have made her a better christian too

[kristopher]

34. LOL

[Zorra]

13. Can you name one single conservative idea that you believe to be productive?

Or name five good things that republicans have done since 1900?

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. I can, but none would be in the modern party platfrom

the national park service
The Interstate highway system
The EPA
The tax rate under Ike (which he carried on from the new deal, but he kept it)
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969

And here, Nixon's record on the environment will surprise you.

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/politics/photos/six-good-things-richard-nixon-did-for-the-environment/national

[Hortensis]

21. Well, for both, many Pubs supported FDR's New Deal.

Although the hard right opposed it with everything they had, they lost because of the cooperation between progressive conservatives and progressive liberals.

NOTE, that is a big clue to what has been happening in later decades. In order to dismantle the New Deal, ultraconservatives have invested many billions since the late 1970s in changing the way conservatives think and artificially widening the gulf between sides so that most believe cooperation with us in anything would be harmful to the nation.

It worked on many on the left also, who don't even know that there are reasonable and responsible conservatives who want many of the same things they do, maybe just in "lighter" versions.

[Zorra]

43. It's true, less than 4 years of the New Deal cured some republicans of the notion

of conservatism being good for them forever by the time of the 1936 election. Democrats controlled our government for about 20 years after FDR was elected.

"...In order to dismantle the New Deal, ultraconservatives have invested many billions since the late 1970s in changing the way conservatives think and artificially widening the gulf between sides so that most believe cooperation with us in anything would be harmful to the nation."

True, I saw it happen. Nevertheless, conservatives gave us that mythical gift of "pragmatic conservatism" with Nixon in '68, and again in '72. And then went on to insult the entire universe by electing Reagan an 1980. Conservative Democrats joined with conservative Republicans to place an unquestionably evil man in the position of Commander in Chief of the United States. So not cool. The "left" is the very antithesis, the polar opposite, of Reagan.

I'm old, and the older I get, the more I see the damage inflicted upon humanity by conservatives continue to mount. Even in its least extreme form, it still contributes to impoverishment of our people, and the destruction of our planet.

"Democrats moving to the middle is a double disaster that alienates the party's progressive base while simultaneously sending a message to swing voters that the other side is where the good ideas are.' It unconsciously locks in the notion that the other side's positions are worth moving toward, while your side's positions are the ones to move away from. Plus every time you move to the center, the right just moves further to the right." George Lakoff

[Hortensis]

47. Excellent points, Zorra. Regarding moving to the left,

I forgot to mention the most insidious thing the plotters have accomplished and that is to convince large numbers of Americans that government is intrinsically oppressive and causes problems, not solve them. With that success, ultraconservative forces have been able to dismantle many proven programs and repeal many proven laws with the blessing of a majority of the populace.

That temporary move left you mention was part of that era, but note -- it didn't stick! I need to read more about just when current historians mark the beginning of a return to liberalism, after Bill Clinton presumably, but before Barak Obama. Perhaps we should be thanking W's disastrously immoral and incompetent strongly conservative policies, obvious to the entire world, for shining a bright light on what the right had been deceived into embracing.

It seems the more conservative a person is, the slower and more reluctant the learner; but those on the left and middle who were told they were conservative family values people, not radical liberals -- and believed it -- no longer believe it. Even if we're not quite back to normal, the numbers of people who self identify as liberals -- and reject today's conservatism -- have been climbing for some time now.

[NWCorona]

17. Open mindedness and conservatism don't go hand and hand

[Gary 50]

39. Of course it's unfathomable to you and me but Hillary really is a progressive, moderate

conservative. It just depends on who she is talking to. Or which way the wind is blowing. Or if you are talking about yesterday, today or tomorrow. But her core beliefs never change. Her core beliefs being that she should be president so she can get things done for her constituency, the one percent. That's why she will never release the transcripts. They would remove all doubt about who she represents. But don't worry. Trump will release them. Then you can choose between the brazen oligarch and the stealth oligarch. Aren't elections fun when you can choose between two of the most awful candidates on earth? Bernie represents hope. Hillary, hopelessness, the continued slide toward third world status we have been on since Ronald Reagan.

[Zorra]

6. There is nothing honorable about conservatism, and history shows that it

is always a bad road politically, socially, and economically.

Researchers help define what makes a political conservative

BERKELEY – Politically conservative agendas may range from supporting the Vietnam War to upholding traditional moral and religious values to opposing welfare. But are there consistent underlying motivations?

Four researchers who culled through 50 years of research literature about the psychology of conservatism report that at the core of political conservatism is the resistance to change and a tolerance for inequality, and that some of the common psychological factors linked to political conservatism include:

Fear and aggression
Dogmatism and intolerance of ambiguity
Uncertainty avoidance
Need for cognitive closure
Terror management

"From our perspective, these psychological factors are capable of contributing to the adoption of conservative ideological contents, either independently or in combination," the researchers wrote in an article, "Political Conservatism as Motivated Social Cognition," recently published in the American Psychological Association's Psychological Bulletin.

http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/07/22_politics.shtml

Top GOP Pollster: Young Americans Are Terrifyingly Liberal

According to new polling by right-wing political consultant Frank Luntz, Americans 18 to 26 are extremely liberal — so liberal that “the hostility of young Americans to the underpinnings of the American economy and the American government” should “frighten every business and political leader” and “excite activists for Sanders and, to a lesser degree, Clinton activists.”

Luntz’s poll found that young Americans are optimistic about both the country’s future and their own: 61 percent say the best days of the United States are still ahead of us rather than behind us, and 88 percent are somewhat, very, or extremely optimistic about their economic prospects. But they have concerns, too. Their biggest, in order, are “corruption,” “greed,” and “inequality.”

President Obama is not their favorite political figure — Bernie Sanders is. Indeed, 31 percent said Bernie Sanders is the major political figure they “like and respect the most” — more than Obama (18 percent) and Hillary Clinton (11 percent). Fewer young people like and respect Republican politicians, with just 9 percent choosing Donald Trump, 5 percent George W. Bush, and 5 percent Ted Cruz. Bill Clinton has been nearly forgotten, with only 3 percent choosing him. Elizabeth Warren also has low visibility, chosen by just 2 percent. All in all, 66 percent of young Americans chose a Democratic political figure.

Admiration of Sanders is especially strong among the younger half of respondents, with 40 percent of 18- to 21-year-olds saying he’s the political figure they most like and respect.

https://theintercept.com/2016/02/24/top-gop-pollster-young-americans-are-terrifyingly-liberal/

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

2. We all feel that.

It's just that some us feel that's a liability, and others cheerfully embrace it.

[thereismore]

4. She is a corporate and militant Democrat. Some people like that. nt

[VulgarPoet]

5. #whichhillary.

All that needs to be said.

[CharlotteVale]

8. Yup.

[senz]

22. She cares about no one and nothing but herself.

And that is the truth about Hillary.

[oldandhappy]

10. She grew up with old style politics and is still practicing old style politics.

She is about control and manipulation. I did not realize how deeply rooted it is in the whole Dem structure. DNC perfectly reflects old style politics. So does our local county structure. Demoralizing to me. Many of my Dem voting friends are ignoring the election stuff this year. Others are keeping the faith with Bernie.

[Orsino]

11. I gotta credit her for speaking this plainly.

There's no shame in having been raised to ultra-conservatism, or in having left that behind in adulthood.

I just wish her conversion had been more complete.

[azmom]

15. That explains a lot of things about her.

She only claims to have evolved for political reasons. Not buying it.

[Nonhlanhla]

16. She is not saying she is a conservative

She is saying that the liberalism that she grew into as an adult is rooted in the conservatism she was raised with. I suspect her parents were old-style conservatives who taught their daughter good values like hard work etc. It is unusual for a young girl of 17 to even care about politics, and yet she did. To be sure, it reflected the politics of her parents, which is quite understandable. But as a young adult she developed her own ideas and therefore became a liberal.

[Marr]

24. 'Hard work' is a conservative thing, huh?

Who knew.

[Nonhlanhla]

33. Obviously not

But that is what you want to hear in my post, go for it. All it tells me is that you are either lacking in reading comprehension, or just trolling.

[Fuddnik]

35. She doesn't have to say it.

Her record proves it. She's got a life-long record. Pretty steady conservative. She only started playing liberal when she was ready to run for President. about 12 years ago. And it's all a fraud.

No Hillary. No How. No Way!!!!

[Nonhlanhla]

45. That is a one sided

And indeed dishonest assessment of her record.

[Herman4747]

37. She is saying, "I AM very proud that I was a Goldwater girl"

and that's a quote. So, while PROUD of supporting the major candidate OPPOSED TO CIVIL RIGHTS, we wonder how much Hillary has changed.
Well, nowadays she's a Goldman-Sachs girl.

[TIME TO PANIC]

25. Sickening!

[merrily]

26. Shocker!111!

Great find, though.

[JonLeibowitz]

27. Credit goes to my twitter feed, but thanks!

[HassleCat]

28. Nostalgia for what never was

Clinton joins most Americans in wishing to return to a time that did not exist. Goldwater seemed to be a nice man, but he was a dangerous crackpot. I read a book, intended to be a hagiography, of Goldwater's comments on several subjects, and I was horrified by his weird racism and his primitive world view. I remember a nicer, "kinder gentler" Republican Party, as represented by Dwight Eisenhower, with whom I share a birth date, but Eisenhower was not a real Republican, and nostalgia for the Eisenhower years is misguided. Nostalgia for "moderate" Republicans like Goldwater is typical of all nostalgia, based on selective memory, but a universal human flaw.

On edit: The book is called Pure Goldwater, a collection of the late senator's journals, letters and speeches compiled by his son Barry M. Goldwater and John W. Dean.

[MariaThinks]

29. this is getting tiresome. I hope Hillary sows up the nomination next week.

[saidsimplesimon]

30. Thank you, Jon

I received my early primary voting ballot. It felt really good to connect the lines for the candidate I support, Senator Sanders.

Hillary has a history with Republicans in Arizona, not just Goldwater. Some will even say publicly that they will vote for her in the general if rump is on the menu.

[WillyT]

32. K & R !!!

[Attorney in Texas]

36. Shhh -- that's GENERAL ELECTION Hillary; we're still supposed to be quoting PRIMARY ELECTION Hillary

[valerief]

40. Yeah, but she was a child then. Only 49.

[mckara]

41. Hillary is Part of the Problem, NOT the Solution!

Why is anyone supporting her?

[Duppers]

42. Interesting thread

and comments.

[TBF]

44. No kidding. nt

[0rganism]

46. really not much of a criticism there

she's certainly no "Goldwater Girl" now, but it makes sense that she'd regard where she started out as her political "roots"

[eridani]

48. Goldwater is totally irrelevant. Goldman-Sachs is not n/t

[Herman4747]

49. Well, THIS TIME HILLARY'S BEING HONEST. n/t