Hillary Clinton Not Ready to Confront 'Billionaire Class,' Bernie Sanders Says

[Purveyor]

Source: Bloomberg

The Vermont independent says he'll make a decision “shortly” on whether to challenge her for president.

Apr 15, 2015 11:23 AM EDT
Heidi Przybyla

Hillary Clinton isn't ready to confront the nation's billionaires to address rising income inequality, said Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent deciding whether to challenge her for president in 2016.

“It's not what she says, it's what she does,” Sanders said in a meeting with Bloomberg reporters and editors Wednesday in Washington. He said he'll be making a decision “shortly” on whether to launch a presidential campaign.

“Is Hillary Clinton, are other candidates, prepared to take on the billionaire class?” Sanders said. “Based on her record, I don't” think so, he said.

“It's not what she says, it's what she does.”
Senator Bernie Sanders

On Tuesday, Clinton criticized executive pay and tax rates for hedge-fund managers during a stop in Iowa as she tries to make her commitment to helping struggling Americans the centerpiece of her campaign rollout. Clinton announced her candidacy on Sunday.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-04-15/hillary-clinton-not-ready-to-confront-billionaire-class-bernie-sanders-says

[mn9driver]

1. Bernie sees the same pattern that many here see.

Talk is cheap.

[forest444]

19. True; but remember:

These are not people Hillary, Bernie, or anyone else can confront; only confer with.

And even that's a challenge.

[MisterP]

66. but words speak louder than actions, no?

[mike_c]

2. yes....

Be still, my heart. He's going to run.

[onehandle]

3. Will he become a Democrat?

If not, then Bernie, whom I greatly admire, is just another Nader if he runs.

And promoting him at Democratic Underground, will not be allowed.

[arcane1]

11. Yes. He's said it a thousand times already. If he runs, it will be as a Dem.

[JDPriestly]

36. Do you have a link for that?

I want him to run as a Democrat. As one who has worked in Democratic campaigns on a regular basis, I understand how running under the umbrella of the Democratic Party makes a campaign more efficient.

No matter who wins the primary, Bernie needs to run and get his solid, common-sense, no-hype message out there. The American people really, really, really need to hear Bernie Sanders. I hope he runs as a Democrat because I think he is most likely to be heard loud and clear if he does.

[arcane1]

43. I found these. I've mostly seen him say it in interviews

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/232161-sanders-i-would-run-to-win-in-2016

http://inthesetimes.com/article/17572/bernie_sanders_president

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

49. I only counted 246 times. But it's a consistent answer.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

14. I would welcome a Sanders run, as well as others, to show the HC crowd that she is not a shoe in.

Whether or not the admis want to promote him will not matter to the great many disaffected progressives who see Hillary as a major mistake.

[frylock]

17. promoting him at Democratic Underground will be frowned upon regardless of his party affiliation

[truebrit71]

37. No shit.....we're all supposed to get in line and watch the coronation...

[nenagh]

51. OMG, biggest laugh today..

Thanks truebrit71..

[Phlem]

68. His sig

"Honestly, I think we should just trust our president in every decision he makes and should just support that, you know, and be faithful in what happens."

says it all. Ooops

[appalachiablue]

47. It's already been mentioned how he shouldn't be able to use what the Party has built up,

as in 'infrastructure'. I'm sure Bernie knows all of this given his experience.

[Phlem]

69. He's being funny or being upfront. Dry humor can get lost.

What he's saying has no connection to anything else. Just a statement with no affiliation.
It's frustrating getting sucked up into the drama but frylock is a stand up guy.

[appalachiablue]

70. Oh yes frylock is cool! I mean a comment I read a day or two ago on another post, it was rather

'pointed', as people can be. Wadda 'ya gonna do? Sorry I wasn't clear- Things will definitely start to heat up-

[donnasgirl]

4. It is my hopes that Bernie

Gives me hope and Jumps in the fray, Sorry Hillary fans But Bernie is my first choice right along side Elizabeth Warren.

[MissDeeds]

24. Mine too

I'd love to see a Sanders-Warren ticket.

[donnasgirl]

26. I know it is alot to ask

But that ticket would be the ultimate Dream ticket.

[olegramps]

29. I am afraid that it would be a dream ticket for the Repuks.

[donnasgirl]

35. In my opinion

It would be a ticket that the Republicans could not surmount, and why I am at it I would throw a little Sherrod Brown in there somewhere.

[JDPriestly]

38. No. The dream ticket for the Republicans is someone like Hillary who says one thing and does

another. They can profit from the inconsistencies between actions and message of a Hillary. She takes money from Wall Street while promising to fix what's wrong with Wall Street. She says she wants to end the Citizens United bribery party, but has a war chest that would not exist without Citizens United's ruling.

Wait till the election. Hillary Clinton's inconsistencies, the differences between what she says and what she has done, will be framed and sliced into videos for all to see.

I remember the pictures of Dukakis in a tank, Carter shooting, what was it, a duck?, etc.

Pointing out the hypocrisy of a candidacy like Hillary's is what the Karl Roves of this world do best.

You have to look far and wide to find hypocrisies of Bernie Sanders. He is not going make duck-hunting a part of his campaign even if he is not anti-guns. Bernie Sanders will focus on substance and not get tricked into making a fool of himself because some handler says it will raise his numbers in the polls. Bernie Sanders is too savvy and experienced for that. And besides, he knows that is not what is going to make him succeed.

Hillary -- on the other hand. Her initial video was an exercise in phony public relations. Oh, boy! This is going to be a very trying campaign as Republicans twist Hillary's well meant shift to populism into some hypocritical reality show.

I'm volunteering for Bernie. I think he will run as a Democrat. It's the smart thing to do, and Bernie is smart. Also, he has said he does not want to be a spoiler.

[donnasgirl]

40. I will work for Bernie

And put countless hours in doing so for the very reason Bernie Sanders is the real deal.

[Enthusiast]

44. Go, Bernie!

[brooklynite]

57. How is that inconsistent?

She states policies, and individuals or PACs decide to support her. Unless you can prove she's shifting policy positions because of the money, there's no problem -- expect for the people here who weren't going to support her anyway.

[NorthCarolina]

61. Well, she has said many times

"I am not running for President", BUT as far as I can recall, she has never indicated she wouldn't run for Vice President. Perhaps your dream team isn't such an impossibility afterall. That WOULD be a bombshell ticket now wouldn't it. If Sanders wins the nomination, our resident third-way Dems will absolutely HAVE to support him because whats their alternative, a Republican? Oh, wait. OK, well they'll have to do it because of SCOTUS...remember the judges! Oh, wait. Well, they'll do it for party.

[Adrahil]

71. I don't have an issue with that, but remember...

A President is not the king. In the end, it doesn't mean much unless you have a Congress that will pass your agenda. Given that, electability in the generals is a major issue.

[Agnosticsherbet]

5. Bernie, announce your candidacy for President or you are not ready, either.

[frylock]

18. he has stated that a decision will be made by the end of April

[Agnosticsherbet]

20. When he makes his decision, we will know if he is ready.

[totodeinhere]

25. Bernie has been confronting the billionaire class throughout his

political career. He doesn't need to announce a presidential candidacy to do that. But regarding becoming a presidential candidate, I hope he does run and run as a Democrat. But that's up to him. Perhaps he hasn't decided yet whether he can be more effective running for president or whether he should stay in the Senate and advocate for what he believes there. Personally I wish there were 99 others just like him in the Senate.

[Agnosticsherbet]

33. His Critique was that, as a Candidate, Hillary Clinton was not ready to face the wealthy.

It is time for Bernie to fish or cut bait.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

50. No that time will be the end of April.

[totodeinhere]

52. As I already said, Bernie has been confronting the wealthy while Hillary Clinton and

her husband were sucking up to them. Bernie is already fishing.

[Populist_Prole]

6. Keep the heat on man!

Influence the debate with leftward pressure.

[Larry Engels]

7. Uh-oh! Bernie said "class."

Not supposed to say that word in American politics.

[ProudProg2u]

8. Trust Hillary who selects her words very carefully...

and won't answer direct questions with direct answers....Or, the honest "Untouchable" E. Warren and B. sanders...???? Made my choice long ago...Wait until years after Hillary is "Selected' or just believe what Warren?sanders say...This madness has to stop someday

Warren/Sanders
Sanders/Warren...2016

[totodeinhere]

27. I would even be happy with either Bernie or Elizabeth at the top of the ticket

regardless of who the VP candidate is. If it's necessary to pick someone else from a swing state to help win the election I'm fine with that. After all, the VP pretty much does and says what the president tells him or her anyway. What is important is who is at the top of the ticket.

[cosmicone]

9. She just confronted hedge fund managers .. for pete's sake

Her campaign is exactly three days old and people are expecting miracles already!!

YES ..

we KNOW Hillary has not eliminated hunger.
we KNOW Hillary has not eliminated disease.
we KNOW Hillary has not created world peace.

Tell us something we haven't been told by right wing talk radio, Faux news and Hillary haters on DU.

[Larry Engels]

10. Her son in law manages a hedge fund.

And she and Bill got Chelsea a job working for one.

This is just empty campaign rhetoric. She is running to the left in the primaries. She will run right back to the center in the general election and will forget all about this.

[cosmicone]

12. And Bernie or Warren if nominated

will NOT run to the center for the general and remain extreme liberals?

Are you kidding me?

The last experiment of the anti-Hillary crowd was Obama ... and look how center-right he has been throughout his presidency.

[Larry Engels]

16. Where did I say anything about Bernie or Elizabeth?

Nowhere. You just set up a straw man and a false dilemma. Congratulations. You should go to law school, and learn how to do this for a living.

All candidates run to the center in the general election, including Republicans.

[cosmicone]

21. Then why are you blaming Hillary for doing the same? n/t

[Larry Engels]

62. You really don't get it, do you?

I blame them all.

Just because I don't approve of Hillary, you think that means I must like Elizabeth or Bernie?

Wrong. That's your narrow minded false dilemma at work.

[dotymed]

22. Bernie has 30+

years of a real progressive record to look at. He sure will not lead from the center right if elected..

[totodeinhere]

28. I think it's more likely that either Bernie or Elizabeth will stay true to their convictions

during the general election campaign. And IMO, if we want a Democrat to win in 2016 that candidate needs to say on the left. If they move to the center for the general election campaign the base will see right through that and disprove. To win we will need to have the base committed, enthused and organized. I don't see Clinton making that happen.

[arcane1]

45. Good lord, voting for Obama made people into "the anti-Hillary crowd" too?

By that logic, Hillary supporters are "anti-Obama"

[olegramps]

34. There is nothing immoral or illegal about hedge funds. It is the tax structure.

They can operate for the benefit of the nation or operate like the fund run by Romney. The problem as I see it is the lack o congress to restrict their investments and the tax structure. You can not blame people for taking advantage of a tax scheme that was designed to encourage investment in businesses by taxing at a lower rate if the investment is maintained for over a year. It is the failure of congress and their ties to major businesses.

[JDPriestly]

42. Yes. and thanks. Many of us take for granted that what you are saying is understood when

we talk about narrowing the disparity in wealth. But it is good when someone takes the time to spell it out.

Those on DU who want some sort of huge revolution a la the French Revolution are few and far between. Many of us also have savings and at least enough money to buy a computer.

For me, when I look back on my life, it seems that it is investments in the public commons that have lost out as disparity in incomes has grown out of proportion. That and things like home ownership for the middle class.

By the public commons, I mean public schools and colleges, non-profit or municipal hospitals and low-cost medical care, reasonable housing costs that allow even minimum wage workers to live in dignity, job opportunities in both the public and private sectors for people of all ages (we have too many young people and too many people over 50 out of work even now), better SIDEWALKS (public easements in most of our cities that are dangerously neglected and for which the cities are financially responsible), better police forces that face lower stress and have time to get to know the people they are policing, better fire protection (especially in drought-ridden, beetle-ridden areas like California), better regulation of pipelines and fuel distribution, a better response to climate change, and so many other things in our lives that we need and rely on, all of us -- parks, for example.

Our tax structure emphasizes income taxes. But when the incomes of ordinary working people are stagnant and cannot produce enough tax revenue to meet the rising costs of caring for our commons and the increased wealth is being captured so that it is not taxed, we run into not just a disparity in income levels, not just a disparity between the opulence of the rich and the oppressive poverty of the poor with a middle class sinking into that more oppressive state with each paycheck, but we find that the tax revenues needed to maintain and improve the commons is insufficient. So I am repeating what you are saying to a great extent. I just don't think we can say it often enough.

Thanks for your post.

Someone accused me the other day of advocating for stealing the money of people. That is not the point. I find it a bit crazy that wealthy people think they are being stolen from when in fact they avoid paying the taxes that are needed to maintain the very commons that supports their ability to invest and create wealth. It just makes no sense to me.

If you eat, you have to clean your dishes. If you make a lot of money, you have to clean the environment and support the society in which you make that money. And in a democracy, you have to relinquish your fetish about controlling where that money goes. Philanthropy is great, but it has only a limited role in a democracy. Philanthropy can become the enemy of democracy if it means that the very wealthy, the oligarchs, use it to control and determine social policies that need to reflect the will of all voters, of all the people.

[LanternWaste]

53. No doubt, your own mother-in-law is defined by your career too.

No doubt, your own mother-in-law is defined by your career too.

[BlueStater]

55. So nice you had to say it twice? n/t

[RufusTFirefly]

13. K & R! n/t

[nolabels]

15. I have watched it before, no amount of money will get you elected if your message is weak

Several overtly rich people have tried such things here in California and it didn't work. It's easy to extrapolate into a national scale with that same kind of model

[arcane1]

46. Meg Whitman comes to mind. Not to mention Romney and McCain.

[nolabels]

73. and how about a Carly Fiorina, Michael Huffington and also a William Edward "Bill" Simon, Jr

They were also trying to buy office

[bvar22]

23. Hillary WILL battle the Billionaire Class....

...but only for a seat at their table.

[MosheFeingold]

31. "but only for a seat at their table."

Yep. She's Jeb Bush Lite.

[Duval]

30. Bernie would get my vote! Here's hoping. nt

[Phlem]

32. She Never Will, Period.

She'll get her 200 advisers to work on empty, feel good rhetoric and spin for the unwashed while the 1% continue on as if nothing happened.

[jakeXT]

39. Will $2.5 Billion be enough ?

Why Does Hillary Need $2.5 Billion for Her Campaign?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-heffernan/why-does-hillary-need-25-_b_7056586.html

[JustAnotherGen]

41. I've seen where Senator Sanders has stated this

In a few different posts in different venues.

My question is - how would he do it? What is his plan? He has said this a few times.


Bloomberg article for today - though I disagree she is the front runner. Right now she is the ONLY runner and I don't think solid Democratic Leaders are just going to give it to her on a silver platter - others are going to come and run . . .


http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-04-15/hillary-clinton-not-ready-to-confront-billionaire-class-bernie-sanders-says

The pro-Clinton group Correct the Record came to the Democratic frontrunner's defense. “Hillary Clinton is a fighter for everyday Americans and her life’s work reflects her belief that the financial health of our nation depends on the financial health of middle-class and working families,” spokeswoman Adrienne E. Watson said in an e-mail. “Hillary has called for ending corporate off-shore tax havens, advocated for the idea of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and proposed increasing oversight of complex financial products—all to level the playing field so every American has a fair shot at success.”

Clinton wants to:
End corporate off shore tax havens
Advocate for the IDEA of a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (whatevah??? Wasn't this what Warren was tasked with but the Cons have done everything in their power to dismantle????)
Increased insight of complex financial products (Again - Warren tried and the Cons ripped it to shreds)

I'd like it - if Sanders and any other contenders punched back with -

It's real simple. Let's reinstate Glass Steagall. Let's do all of those things Warren advocated for, that Dodd-Frank July 2010 promised - that were then dismantled because some bankers widdle feelings got hurted-ed. But if you fuck up again - you go to jail. You don't pass home (DC) with your hand out and crying about how the world will end if you don't get a few trillion dollars.

See I think if Sanders runs - he can very effective run on reimplementation of Glass Steagall and it will put her in a position of having to defend it being dismantled in -

What year was that again?


I love a good primary. Bring it Bernie!

[Enthusiast]

48. Billionaires paying tax rates equal to blue collar workers is a right of center position.

A left of center tax rate for billionaires would be highly progressive. Anything else is Supply-Side trickle down.

So stop with the silly characterizations on tax rates. You know who you are!

This should not be the least bit controversial! Everyone should be in favor of higher taxes for billionaires. Because the tax rates for the billionaire class have been far too low, for far too long.

[sadoldgirl]

54. I hope that this indicates that he is running!

He is totally right. What HRC says now has to be compared with
what she said and did before whether it was about the banks
or about the lobbyists.

Run, please, Bernie run!

[BeyondGeography]

56. So become a Democrat and run

[JustAnotherGen]

58. I agree

Saying this as many times as he has - he needs to put up now. His supporters at DU have shared that he will make a decision before the end of April.

[BeyondGeography]

60. I think the best outcome is he goes for it

He will represent people who presently feel left out and they (the more open-minded among them at least) will realize Hillary's actually more genuinely liberal than they think when they face off in debates.

[INdemo]

59. So far Hillary has made statements to try and gain liberal support

but those statements about the "deck is stacked" "the 1% need to pay their fair share" just don't seem to come from the heart.
And so far Bernie is correct she hasn't talked or attacked the billionaire class because the majority of her funding is coming the "billionaire class"

Hillary cannot run as a liberal if she too is part of the 1%.

[Unexploded Scotsman]

63. The Senator is Correct

Nor is she willing to confront poisonous lobbies like the NRA or AIPAC.

[NobodyHere]

64. Shut up or run Bernie

nt

[blkmusclmachine]

65. http://www.salem-news.com/stimg/january222009/1percent.patch.jpg

[JackRiddler]

72. Wonder why...

[Sparky 1]

74. I spent a lot of hours doing research on the candidates and Bernie is my first choice.

Elizabeth Warren is my second choice.

Hillary is my third choice, and I love her in some ways but in others she scares me (TPP, Wall Street, War).

ANY Democrat is better than ANY Republican and the Republican field is terrifying, more than ever.