Clinton touts support for middle class during stop in Houston

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Associated Press

By JUAN A. LOZANO Associated Press Writer

HOUSTON — Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, continuing her efforts to secure the endorsement of unions, told a crowd of nearly 1,100 people at a labor hall Saturday that she will fight to help the middle class if elected.

"Nobody works harder than Americans. Wages aren't up. Benefits aren't secure. But corporate profits are up. It's not the rich who made America great. It's the hard working middle class," Clinton said as the crowd at the Communications Workers of America hall loudly cheered.

While Clinton's nearly 30 minute campaign speech touched on a variety of issues, including the war in Iraq, lessening America's dependence on foreign oil and offering more support for the country's police officers and military veterans, the New York senator's comments focused mainly on her support of the working middle class and the labor movement.

"This is a house that labor built," she said. "The American middle class owes a lot to the labor movement."


Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5046693.html

[rfranklin]

1. Then she flew off in a corporate jet for a dinner with Rupert Murdoch...

Jesus H Christ, I wish we could have a candidate who will really support working people and not just give lip service.

[mountainvue]

2. Let's face it. She's never been "middle class" in her life.

Loved Hillary '94. She's come a long way since then and in my eyes, most of it ain't good. No worries though. If it comes down to it, I'll put the clothespin on and vote for her. Kucinich and Edwards get it. Haven't seen enough from Dodd or Richardson yet. I'm still praying for a miracle that Gore will enter the race.

[leftchick]

3. no shit

it is beyond sickening...

[FreeStateDemocrat]

12. Clinton's support of NAFTA screwed the working class, not the BS said but what they do that counts.

[bluestateguy]

4. I wonder if this was more of an ATM visit for her, rather than a real campaign stop

I can't shake this fear that if she is the nominee, she will ignore the South, and all but a few Mountain West states.

[Malva Zebrina]

5. and next week what will her "TOUT" be?

Whatever the polls say it should be. I am somewhat glad that she chose to enter this race way ahead of the primaries. She just gets deeper and deeper into the triangulaton mode and so far, those who want to know, are treated to one contradictory statement after another. Hey, you got the corporations money, the support of the lobbyists, who are generously contributing, then you have to play this game

AND NO ONE IS ASKING HER ABOUT HER IRAQ WAR VOTE.

How many were blown up over the last few days? Ask Hillary who seems to have no remorse whatsoever for allowing it to happen, indeed, has made up a few "excuses" for thaT VOTE once it became obvious that, err, it was a total and complete frink up.

And NO ONE questions her on that vote. No one that I have seen. In fact, even so called progressives will vote for the candidate of their "party" should she be the nominee, even if they have to "hold their nose",in a bizarre imitation of Republican lemmings blindly voting for the candidate of thier
party".

Then we read that party over principal is exactly what the Republicans do. Excuse me progressives. Please explain to me how you can possibly vote for anyone candidate that allowed this slaughterhouse in Iraq and then tried to spin that vote with flimsy excuses.

I really want to try to understand this new "progressive" mindset.

[antigop]

6. And, uh, exactly what is her healthcare plan? n/t

[Deja Q]

8. Is it the same one from 1994 where Repubs kept calling her a communist because of it?

:shrug:

Can't be. Lots of Repubs are said to like her.

Of course, China is a communist nation. And they can't be our enemy anymore as we've helped them build rather a somewhat large but far more symbiotic economic empire...

Confused? I am too.

[antigop]

10. Well, I don't think she really has a plan yet, does she? n/t

[Deja Q]

7. Hmmm.

She turns to us and says "I feeeeeel for you, middle class." Turns around, and tells the Indian corporation "I'm going to allow more to shovel jobs for you lot! Now don't you turn on us or, worse, make your own companies! We own you!"

Since she wants unlimited H1Bs, she must have something new to restore America's local economy in our globalized world economy. Or does she?

[TheFarseer]

9. Is she going to help the middle class

by helping export their jobs to China and India? How is she going to help the middle class? She can diagnose the problem, but she has no solutions. Blowing sunshine up my ass doesn't actually help me. This is true for anyone, not just bush.

[Kip Humphrey]

11. When candidates come to Houston, its never about the middle-class, or labor. Its all about seeking

money and directions from the oil overlords.

[camero]

13. ROTFLMAO.....

Just when you think you've seen it all.

[IndianaGreen]

14. If Hillary really cared she would call for repeal of Taft-Hartley, and pull out of NAFTA & WTO

When Hillary speaks of middle class, she speaks of investor class. Hillary is also ignoring the working poor, and the poor altogether.

[HughBeaumont]

15. Uh . . . OK.

Again, she needs two lunches. One for each face.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/GC01Df03.html

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/538674.cms

I cannot and WILL not get behind a Hillary Clinton candidacy.

Let's toss aside the IWR vote, which don't get me wrong is a sore spot.

It's her trade position, which you gotta admit isn't exactly worker-friendly. Ohio (especially Cuyahoga County) has bled so many jobs, white and blue collar, due to free-trade policies which she continues to support and make no apologies for supporting. There AREN'T two sides to outsourcing as she has claimed. This practice DOES NOT work for Joe Dayjob; it only benefits the wealthy of the countries involved. She's WRONG on this issue.

And until she starts making a strong stand for worker protections, some compromise in amending the existing lousy trade agreements her husband signed and his friend's (41) administration authored and stands against greedy corporations and the Republicans that run them, I can't get behind that.

It's so important and critical for the future of the youth of this country that economic fairness be stressed as a top priority. You cannot have politicians and leaders keep telling America's young to go into Math and Science and Technology as a career, when the reality is, they'll likely already be priced out of a job when they graduate thanks to cheap offshore labor. Right now we simply don't have fairness or any kind of a plan to amend this course of rotten and it's getting worse. I'm not convinced that a Hillary presidency is going to change that. I believe it will be more of the same.

[RBInMaine]

16. I'm with Edwards but....

I'm with Edwards now but if Hillary is nominated we must get behind her 110%. If it comes down between Hillary or a ReThuglican in the general election, I'd support Hillary every day of the week and twice on Sunday compared to 4 or 8 more Republican years. WE CAN'T ALLOW THE R'S TO WIN THE GENERAL ELECTION AGAIN! And there will still be VAST differences between Hillary and ANY ReThug in the general election.
She'd be a tiptoe through the tulips compared to a ReThug, so please let's not forget this most important point. We better darn well close ranks and get the hell around WHOMEVER the Dem nominee is come November '08.

[hatrack]

17. Best you hurry, Senator.

There will be significantly less of the middle class you're claiming to support by this time next year, and even less by the following January, should you win.

[0007]

18. Let us say "Working Class" - - I'm tired of these hacks using

the word "Middle Class"

Just what is the Middle Class? Folks that earn between 35k and 500k?

[Odin2005]

20. The term "middle class" has evolved into a phase that is practically meaningless.

Originally the term was reserved for professionals, middle managers, and small business owners. Somewhere along the line the term started being stretched more and more to cover working class people. Try telling a working class person making $50,000 a year that he/she is not in the "middle class" and he/she will take it as an insult, people want to call themselves middle class even though there not; for a similar reason everyone thinks that they are going to be rich someday even though they won't.

[InkAddict]

21. I used to think "middle class" was more about values

and that certain gratitude that as much education as one could eek out, steady, useful work and patient sacrifice would create balance, goodness, and comfort, after all, there were always those worse off by choice ("bad" ones). Never entered my mind that great portions of that "middle" class would actually be thrown under the bus driven by these corporate WHORES and their rackets that have essentially wiped out what "good" was earned and came out of those values! When * spouts that "they hate us for our freedoms," one now has to wonder just who the "they" are? I guess those values were just too American in this new global world...First, you :blush: Next you: :cry: Then you: :shrug:

Last choices include: :hide: :rant: :banghead:

or :rofl: :popcorn: :grouphug: :patriot:

Just luv'n the smilies today!

[0007]

22. ....hate to bug you! But I got another issue. Just what is the hell

is meant by small business? Are the fast food franchise's and Wall-Marts considered small business? Or is it just the mom & pop stores? .. And big business is what?

We all know what big corporations are, I think? Doesn't General Electric controls the media and dictates to the administration.

Isn't the word government a misnomer? Aren't we misled to believe that the people is the government? When in actuality it is the powerful corporations that are the government and control the destiny of the working peons?

What do they teach in school these days?

[catgirl]

19. Comments like this make me dislike her even more.

Why not comment about the lack of health insurance Hillary? Oh I forgot,
her goal this week is to get the union endorsements.

I hope the unions hold off for Gore.

[ramapo]

23. Should we be impressed?

Isn't there something seriously wrong when a presidential candidate needs to tout their support for the middle class?