WaPo: Clinton defends bankruptcy vote from Senate career, saying Biden played a role

[portlander23]

Clinton defends bankruptcy vote from Senate career, saying Biden played a role

Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday defended a controversial Senate vote on a bankruptcy bill disparaged by progressives in her party, suggesting her support in 2001 came at the suggestion of then-Sen. Joe Biden, who is now a potential challenger for the Democratic nomination.

The legislation, pushed by credit card and banking interests, would have made it more difficult for people to get relief from debts through bankruptcy. Clinton noted that she had opposed a similar proposal during her tenure as first lady.

“When I got to the Senate, I wanted to see some changes so that alimony and child support would be protected, and so I negotiated those changes and then the people who had been handling the bill said, ‘Well, if we take your changes, you have to support it,’” Clinton said. “That’s the way the Senate works.

“And so I said ‘It’s really important to me that we don’t hurt women and children, so I will support it even though there are other things I don’t like in it,’” Clinton continued. “And it was Vice President Biden, who was the senator from Delaware, and the Republican co-sponsor that I was talking with, so I said I’d support it even though I’d opposed it before.”

In response to a question, Clinton said she plans to announce a position "soon" on where she stands on the Keystone XL pipeline, a project the left wing of her party strongly opposes. She previously had said it wouldn't be appropriate to take a position while it is still under consideration by the Obama administration since she played a role in initial deliberations.

[peacebird]

1. Sweet, Lady MacBeth throws Joe Biden under the bus as her excuse for her piss poor decision/vote

Color me suprised - NOT.

[Kelvin Mace]

6. Ummm, not a fan of either,

but it was Biden's baby. He was totally in the tank for the Banksters.

So is HRC.

[jfern]

2. Biden made her screw over divorced men?

That ranks there with "my dog ate my homework".

[dsc]

5. that is the opposite of what she said

she said she wanted the changes that made child support not able to be discharged and that to get them she had to agree to support the bill. She is saying she wanted those changes.

[sabrina 1]

10. Then she should have fought for them, WITHOUT compromising other principles. This is

the reason I do not support her. She is always trying to make excuses for her past record. Leaders shouldn't have to do that.

On the Iraq War vote. Many Dems didn't claim they believed one of the most obvious, lying administrations in history, they, like WE, knew they were lying and cast the right vote as a result.

IF she believed Cheney/Bush would not abuse their power, she is far, far too naive to be president.

And if she didn't want to harm women and children why did she work so hard, which she has boasted about as one of her major accomplishments btw, right up to the 2008 election, to 'get votes for the Welfare Reform Bill'?

She had so many good people warning her about how that awful, Heritage Foundation dream come true, would harm women and children.

Then there was DOMA. And as late as two years ago she was still defending 'the sanctity of marriage'.

Look, nothing against her personally, but what is it about her that should cause progressives to believe that she won't make MORE bad decisions only to have to make excuses way after it is much too late?

I want a leader who had the foresight and judgement to make the RIGHT decisions when s/he was presented with issues.

We can't afford to allow our leaders to do their evolving while they are in positions of power. Look at the results see all the women and children who are STILL being harmed by the Welfare Bill.

And as for Iraq, it is simply too tragic for words that not enough of our Reps saw through the lying war criminals deceptions and cynical use of 9/11 which has caused so much killing and torture and caused millions, starting at the beginning, of people to have to flee their countries.

Sorry, but to try to defend any of this, seems pretty shocking to me.

[dsc]

13. If the bill would have passed without her changes

and it likely would have, then frankly she might well have made the right decision.

[sabrina 1]

14. Bills don't pass if people vote against them. That's why we elect

people, to vote FOR what benefits the people and AGAINST what doesn't. If everyone did that, we haven't be living in a country where a majority of the people are struggling to get by while a few hundred obscenely wealthy people are hoarding money that they could not do if Congress wasn't helping them.

[dsc]

15. she had 1 vote in the Senate

not 100.

[sabrina 1]

16. That's all Bernie Sanders has also. But he uses it to support the people's agenda.

If Hillary had done the same, that would be two votes. And if other Dems did it also it would accumulate and the notion that 'we had to go along with the Repubs because whatever, would disappear as more and more Dems did what we elected them to do.

Take a lesson from Republicans. THEY too only have one vote each, but instead of making excuses as to why they may as well go along with Dems, they ALL agree to vote for THEIR agenda.

Now if they can do it, why can't Dems do it? Maybe because some of our Dems are not that committed to working for the people rather than for those who fund their campaigns?

[CharlotteVale]

3. Disgusting. There is indefensible and Exhibit A of why I don't support her.

[colsohlibgal]

4. What Will Be Her Iraq Excuse?

She either bought into the Bush gang's paper thin propaganda or she was scared to make a stand. Either way it does not reflect well on her.

She has been both for the greedy Banksters and Cheney's war profiteering adventure,

We are overdue to have a woman president but that does not mean any woman for a lot of us,

Feel the Bern!

[hedda_foil]

7. If true, it's crappy reasoning on her part. If it's not true, it's a crappy cover story.

She was the junior Senator from NY, home of all those yuuuge Wall Street donations, so pardonez moi if I don't believe her rationale holds water. Either way, it's a nasty bit of business.

[portlander23]

8. Defense or offense

I confess, I don't know if this response is more designed to deflect blame, or an offensive move to paint Mr. Biden with blame as well in anticipation of his entry.

[JRLeft]

9. How can you not have a position on keystone pipeline?

She must be waiting for the polls to direct her.

[99Forever]

11. The filthy rich protecting the filthy rich.

In other breaking news, water has been found to be wet.

[ibegurpard]

12. really???

Own your fucking record!