Whoopi cited Clinton’s statement that she would end tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. Whoopi previously believed that Obama had made that pledge first, but apparently she was mistaken.
Chalk one up for who was right first… It’s good to see some folks are paying to attention to what both of the candidates are saying and weighing things out. Apparently, watching the video, Whoopi wasn’t the only one on The View paying attention.
(Note: You can watch the video for yourself at Pamela's web site.) For some observers, including Whoopi, this seems to be a matter of nuance. While I respect and appreciate Pamela's opinion, the question for me, though, is not so much who said it first, but why they are not saying it more often or more loudly. This is one of the most pressing issues facing our economy and damaging the formerly vibrant middle class of our country. Senator Clinton apparently "mentioned" this over a year ago according to this report, but I've certainly heard nothing of it since. Senator Obama has apparently only just started slipping it into his stump speech, almost as an afterthought.
While I applaud Hillary if she is truly serious about tackling this issue I shall continue to have some reservations. All of this "free trade" nonsense which is crippling our country is not just some sort of GOP / Bush problem. It started under Bill Clinton's watch. And if Senator Clinton is going to continue claiming her tenure as First Lady to be part of her executive experience for the job she seeks, then the "fair trade" debacle must be laid, at least in part, at her feet. I would take her more seriously on this issue if I saw a bit more sack cloth and ashes, an apology for getting this wrong, and a firm resolve to address the issue on day one. This should be stated clearly, boldly, and far more often than once every eighteen months.
Over at Open Left today, I have the text of a stump speech which both Clinton and Obama should be using at every appearance if they want to get me behind them with any degree of enthusiasm.
