Although I don't support Hillary Clinton, all the folks claiming she's

[cali]

no different than a repuke, are driving me a little bonkers. So I've been researching her votes and positions. No, I still won't vote for her in the primary, but at least my decision will be based on facts. Anyway, here's a bit about her environmental record:


Hillary Clinton.
During her years representing New York state in the U.S. Senate (2001 to the present), Hillary Clinton has earned a 90 percent lifetime voting score from the League of Conservation Voters. She tends to run with the Democratic pack on climate and energy policy, putting particular emphasis on "energy independence."


Key Points


Proposes a Strategic Energy Fund that would raise $50 billion over 10 years by taxing the "excess profits" of oil companies and cutting their tax breaks. The money would be invested in "clean energy technologies," including renewable energy, energy efficiency, "clean coal," plug-in hybrids, cellulosic ethanol and other biofuels, and more. Clinton describes it as "an Apollo Project-like program dedicated to achieving energy independence."


A cosponsor of the Boxer-Sanders Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act, the most stringent climate bill in the Senate. It would establish a cap-and-trade system for greenhouse-gas emissions and require the U.S. to reduce its emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, and to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Clinton signed on more than three months after the bill was introduced. She had previously signed on as a cosponsor of the less stringent and more nuke-friendly McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act.


Made her campaign carbon-neutral in April 2007, one month after John Edwards did.


Calls for the U.S. to cut its consumption of foreign oil in half by 2025.


<snip>

Supports raising fuel-economy standards for automobiles to 35 miles per gallon by 2020.


Supports coal-to-liquid fuels if they emit 20 percent less carbon over their lifecycle than conventional fuels. On June 19, 2007, voted in favor of an amendment that would provide loans for coal projects, including liquefied coal; the amendment did not pass.


http://www.grist.org/feature/2007/08/09/clinton_factsheet/

[ruggerson]

1. Facts are routinely ignored around here

she's the devil's spawn, haven't you heard?

[Windy]

2. my major problem with Clinton is her votes on issues of foreign policy

I'm also not sure where she stands on Nafta/WTO. We need to make sure that the provisions with regard to tariffs are evenly applied. And there should be no tax breaks for companies that choose to move their plants onto foreign soil.

I'm from Michigan and the loss of manufacturing has crippled the economy of this state. Things must change.

And I'll do my own research, Rinsd, Telluride, Wyldwolf, et al! But frankly her vote on the IWR and her failure to admit it was a mistake, then voting for Kyl Lieberman makes it impossible for me to support her in the primaries.

[cali]

5. I understand that, but quite a few people are saying that

she's simply a corporate whore, and no better than the repuke candidates. It's simply not true. I too am concerned about her position on Iraq, and that's why I don't support her in the primaries, but like you I've been doing my own research. Oh, and she voted against Cafta.

[silverojo]

12. Here's why Hillary seems too conservative for me

Her husband destroyed welfare and turned it into a farce that completely locks out single people needing help, cuts off people applying for disability after only 18 months, and basically encourages women to get pregnant in order to get more welfare. Why penalize women who DON'T get pregnant, by denying them all access to welfare unless they're disabled? Even healthy people run into hard times, and they deserve a safety net, too.

What does this have to do with Hillary, you ask. The fact that she didn't publicly object to this terrible injustice speaks volumes: Hillary went right along with Bill.

As for the NAFTA question, remember this: Bill supported it. Hillary didn't object. Windy's 100% correct about what's happening in Michigan, and throughout this country. There needs to be change.

Hillary doesn't appear to be that agent of change. She's an agent of the DLC, and that's all you need to know.

[MGKrebs]

15. That damned NAFTA. If only we hadn't sent all those jobs to Mexico

we wouldn't have to deal with this humongous influx of people crossing the border illegally to work here.



Oh, wait....?




And it's really frustrating to go into WalMart and see that practically EVERYTHING is made in Mexico.

[Orrex]

3. Clearly you've been brainwashed by the Korporate Media

If you hadn't been, then you'd see her for the personification of hypocrisy and evil that she really is...

[Mythsaje]

4. Of COURSE she's different than a Repuke...

No Repuke woman would be allowed within firing range of the White House.

;)

[kurth]

6. Two words: Outsourcing and Iraq

She's okay otherwise.

[cali]

8. OK, so what do you have about Hillary's position

on outsourcing? And just out of curiosity, do you think the environment is an important issue?

[wyldwolf]

14. Hillary's position on outsourcing is close to Howard Dean's

The new chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Dr Howard Dean, believes the Indian-American community should find the Democratic Party more attractive as it is not only more favourable toward immigration, but also is a more diverse and welcoming than the Republican Party.

In an exclusive interview with rediff India Abroad Managing Editor Aziz Haniffa in Houston, Texas, recently, Dean, the former governor of Vermont, said he intends to bring Indian Americans to the upper and senior echelons of the party. He also said he would continue to reach out to the idealism and activism of the younger generation of the community at the grass-roots level that constituted the core of his presidential campaign.

Dean is travelling across the country trying to rally the faithful and undecided for the Congressional election in 2006 and the Presidential election in 2008.

On foreign policy, Dean said newly transformed US-India relations in recent years had a lot to do with policies adopted by New Delhi as much or more, than actions undertaken by Washington to push the relationship forward.

On outsourcing -- where the perception persists that Democrats are vehemently against it -- Dean said the party stood for free and fair trade and found India much more palatable than China.

...

On outsourcing, there was a perception that the Democrats were against outsourcing and it was perceived as India-bashing in a sense. How do you feel about outsourcing?

We are not against outsourcing. But we are in favour of fair trade. Now India is not the problem.

The problem frankly is China. In India, you can join an independent trade union. You cannot do that in China.

In India there are environmental laws. Now, we prefer the environmental laws be more similar to the United States.

Trade is not the problem. The problem is fair trade. We need to have the same kinds of rules apply to protecting workers and protecting the environment in every country and not just in some and others. India is closer to the model than China is.

India is not the problem. The problem frankly is China

[NastyRiffraff]

7. Uh oh! Now you've done it!

You put up actual FACTS about Hillary. Let the flaming begin.

[TreasonousBastard]

9. Her record is largely OK...

and much of what I don't like about it is dictated by the Byzantine New York politics all Democrats have to endure.

(Ironically, Lieberman's environmental record is pretty good, too, but I digress...)

I do have this existential problem with yet another Clinton in the White House and would prefer someone with fewer ties to the past, but if she does manage to get through this, she's got my vote in the general.

[daninthemoon]

10. Thanks for the stats on her environmental record. Good to know,

and good for her. My big problem with Hil is the war.
What has become interesting is the polarizing effect she seems to be having on DU. I can't quite tell if it's something media driven, rw driven, or maybe she actually is polarizing all on her own. The polarizing I see on DU seems to stem mostly from a defensive reactionary force from her ardent supporters to any slight they perceive. Seeing the turmoil here about her, is starting to make me question what actually may happen in the general election.

[sandnsea]

11. There's adequate and visionary

She'd be better than any Republican, but she isn't going to be visionary. We'll get nibbling around the edges when we need a massive overhaul. Lieberman has a good voting record in some areas too, or did until recently. She'll look more like him once she's in the White House. Mandates to buy insurance with tax credits at the end of the year says it all, clueless about helping working people. And so is Edwards, if that's his health care plan.

[cali]

13. I'm not arguing that she's a visionary; I'm arguing that

she's not quite the boogywoman that some here have made her out to be. Her record actually doesn't support some of the frequently made charges.