One of today's most polarizing political figures, Hillary Clinton has spent her 6 years in Senate proving to New York and the country that she is a tireless politician with a thick skin. Her political experience extends to her days as First Lady, when she took advantage of her role to tackle the issue of health care. While that initiative failed spectacularly, she did prove her mettle, conviction and dedication, and continues her involvement with public health.
Clinton is a member of the following Senate Committees:
Armed Services
Environment and Public Works
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Special Committee on Aging
Abortion
Education
Hillary Clinton focuses her educational priorities on regulatory measures to increase resources to poor schools, reduce class size, and ensure schools are a psychologically and physically healthy place to learn. She has a track record of attempted improvement, with her “America’s Better Classrooms Act” and “The Healthy, High Performance Schools Act of 2001” though the former has yet to make it to a vote. Clinton prefers to focus her educational policy efforts on funding and providing accurate resources rather than structural changes in the way education is delivered.
Energy
Clinton would increase production, mandate conservation, and subsidize new technologies. She has consistently voted to increase CAFE standards and recently became a supporter of ethanol after having opposed it in 2002. She would double tax breaks for hybrid and clean diesel vehicles and compensate carmakers for the costs of achieving higher fuel economy standards. Through taxes on oil companies’ profits, she would create a strategic energy fund that would fund research into alternative energy. She has not championed nuclear energy but would allocate $3.5 billion towards R&D for clean coal, and she supports an RPS of 20% by 2020. The oil and gas industries contributed nearly $80,000 in political donations by April 2007, second only to Bill Richardson in the field of Democrats.
Environment
Clinton
has a solid record on environmental protection, often linking problems
in the physical environment to preventable health ailments (and thus to
her pet issue of health care). She was one of 19 cosponsors of Clean
Power Act of 2005 and introduced the Coordinated Environmental Public Health Network Act of 2005, neither of which made it out of committee. She supports the provisions of the Climate Stewardship Act of 2003,
which sets regulations on greenhouse gas emissions mainly through
tradable allowances. She was one of 69 cosponsors (remember, only 100
Senators…) of the Brownfields Revitalization and Environmental Restoration Act of 2001 which passed overwhelmingly in the Senate but never became law. Clinton opposes drilling in ANWR and supported a bill
protecting the roadless areas of the National Forest Systems. She
voted against confirming the conservative/libertarian Gale Norton as
Secretary of Interior and for including oil and gas smokestacks in
mercury regulations.
Gun Rights
Like many others, Hillary Clinton sees bans on assault weapons as well as an increased police presence as key to the reduction in gun-related crime that occurred in the 1990’s. However, her new campaign mantra has been to find out how additional laws failed (given that the Brady Law tightening background checks failed in the case of the Virginia Tech shooter) before piling on more restrictions. She believes that addressing other causes, such as unemployment, are also instrumental in reducing gun crime. In the past, Clinton hoped to reduce other causes of gun crime, especially the headline grabbing kind, through tighter background checks for mental instability, as well as through an age limitation (21). Work with social workers and counselors at school could also help look for early warning signs for children who are a threat to themselves and others, with or without guns. She has agreed in the past that a national registry and requiring all handgun owners to have a photo ID would be an effective control measure. Furthermore, Clinton voted no on S 397, a 2005 bill that prohibits lawsuits against gun manufacturers. That bill passed.
Like many others, Hillary Clinton sees bans on assault weapons as well as an increased police presence as key to the reduction in gun-related crime that occurred in the 1990’s. However, her new campaign mantra has been to find out how additional laws failed (given that the Brady Law tightening background checks failed in the case of the Virginia Tech shooter) before piling on more restrictions. She believes that addressing other causes, such as unemployment, are also instrumental in reducing gun crime. In the past, Clinton hoped to reduce other causes of gun crime, especially the headline grabbing kind, through tighter background checks for mental instability, as well as through an age limitation (21). Work with social workers and counselors at school could also help look for early warning signs for children who are a threat to themselves and others, with or without guns. She has agreed in the past that a national registry and requiring all handgun owners to have a photo ID would be an effective control measure. Furthermore, Clinton voted no on S 397, a 2005 bill that prohibits lawsuits against gun manufacturers. That bill passed.
That Clinton learned from her past attempt at health care reform is apparent in her new plan. The plan eliminates most of the central bureaucracy that bogged down her first plan in 1994. The new plan requires that all Americans be insured through a variety of means, including employers (most employers are required to provide coverage though small businesses are exempt), government programs, or individual purchase of programs. Included in the latter is an option to buy into a government run plan. People buying coverage on their own would be assisted through a variety of tax breaks. Parts of the plan itself would be financed by eliminating George W. Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy.
Other highlights include disease prevention for high-cost preventable diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, paperless record keeping using incentives and federal programs to ensure widespread adoption, coordination of better care for the nation’s chronically ill (expenses for the chronically ill are a huge burden on all), the end of insurance discrimination for those with pre-existing conditions, assessment of best medical practices, reduction of prescription drug costs by allowing for more generic drugs, legalizing re-importation of drugs and limiting direct-to-consumer marketing, and the institution of logical malpractice plans, using incentives for doctors to admit medical error and negotiate directly with patients.
Immigration
Clinton has not played a major part in Congressional negotiations on immigration or border security.
She has spoken out against a points-based immigration system and in favor of immigration based on family ties. To this effect, she introduced a (failed) amendment to the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 that would have exempted the spouses and minor children of lawful immigrants from visa caps. She also co-sponsored legislation to push back the cutoff date for family backlog reduction, facilitating visa consideration for family members of legal residents in the U.S.
In spite of the failure of these amendments, she ultimately voted in favor of the comprehensive immigration reform package.
Clinton favors the creation of a guest worker program that would create a path to legality for illegal immigrants, even though she had previously called for employees to stop employing illegal immigrants. Interestingly, she voted in favor of the Dorgan amendment which would have eliminated the temporary nonimmigrant worker program from the 2007 comprehensive immigration reform bill.
Clinton voted to build the border fence and increase funding for the Border Patrol and has also expressed support for strengthened worksite enforcement. She has voted in favor of allowing unauthorized immigrants to participate in Social Security.
On the language issue, Clinton has argued against making English our official language. Such a law, she suggested, would make it difficult for resident non-English speakers to participate in civil society and receive basic government services.
She has spoken out against a points-based immigration system and in favor of immigration based on family ties. To this effect, she introduced a (failed) amendment to the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 that would have exempted the spouses and minor children of lawful immigrants from visa caps. She also co-sponsored legislation to push back the cutoff date for family backlog reduction, facilitating visa consideration for family members of legal residents in the U.S.
In spite of the failure of these amendments, she ultimately voted in favor of the comprehensive immigration reform package.
Clinton favors the creation of a guest worker program that would create a path to legality for illegal immigrants, even though she had previously called for employees to stop employing illegal immigrants. Interestingly, she voted in favor of the Dorgan amendment which would have eliminated the temporary nonimmigrant worker program from the 2007 comprehensive immigration reform bill.
Clinton voted to build the border fence and increase funding for the Border Patrol and has also expressed support for strengthened worksite enforcement. She has voted in favor of allowing unauthorized immigrants to participate in Social Security.
On the language issue, Clinton has argued against making English our official language. Such a law, she suggested, would make it difficult for resident non-English speakers to participate in civil society and receive basic government services.
Iran
Castigated by the rest of her party for voting for the non-binding Kyl-Lieberman amendment that declared the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization, Clinton has held her ground. Clinton justified her vote by saying that the non-binding resolution gives “teeth” to all the “talk about dealing with Iran” and might facilitate the application of diplomatic and economic sanctions. Overall, Clinton has been reluctant to eliminate any strategy of dealing with Iran. While she cites diplomacy as the first step, she will not take the use of force off the table. However, Clinton was also one of only a few cosponsors of S. 759, a resolution prohibiting the use of funds for military action in Iran without express congressional authorization. That bill has yet to be voted on as of Nov. 11, 2007.
Castigated by the rest of her party for voting for the non-binding Kyl-Lieberman amendment that declared the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization, Clinton has held her ground. Clinton justified her vote by saying that the non-binding resolution gives “teeth” to all the “talk about dealing with Iran” and might facilitate the application of diplomatic and economic sanctions. Overall, Clinton has been reluctant to eliminate any strategy of dealing with Iran. While she cites diplomacy as the first step, she will not take the use of force off the table. However, Clinton was also one of only a few cosponsors of S. 759, a resolution prohibiting the use of funds for military action in Iran without express congressional authorization. That bill has yet to be voted on as of Nov. 11, 2007.
Iraq
Senator Clinton voted for the authorization of the use of force in Iraq in March 2003. Since then she has been a harsh critic of the Bush administration's handling of the war, but has herself refused to apologize for her vote, explaining that if she'd known what she knew now, she would have voted differently. Clinton believes staying in Iraq will not help stop the violence there and that the Iraqis must now take responsibility for stabilizing the country. She opposed the 2007 surge and voted against the war-spending bill which passed in May because it failed to include a timeline for withdrawal. Clinton's Iraq Troop Protection and Reduction Act of 2007 offers a plan to end the war. In short, the plan proposes redeployment of troops 90 days after the bill’s passage, leaving behind a small contingent of troops who would be charged with preventing instability from spreading throughout the region (they would not intervene in sectarian killing). The plan also includes benchmarks and consequences for the Iraqi government.
Hillary Clinton is generally well regarded in the LGBT
community, though not without some friction. While Clinton generally
backs LGBT rights, she is sometimes seen as willing to back down on
them for political gain.
Clinton opposes same-sex marriage, calling it something that most people “can’t agree with." Nonetheless, she is in favor of civil unions that literally would be marriage in all but name. She also would permit states that chose to do so to grant marriage licenses.
The question of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is a particularly thorny one for Clinton since the policy was created by her husband’s first administration. Indeed, this is a major cause of mistrust among LGBT groups. Hillary’s current position helps to allay these fears, as she has come out in support of allowing gays to serve openly. Clinton believes that the policy is detrimental to the country’s security because it reduces the pool of qualified troops by “turning people away or discharging them not because of what they've done but because of who they are." Clinton also criticized remarks by former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace stating his belief that homosexuality is “immoral.”
Clinton also supports ENDA and making a sexual orientation a category for federal hate crimes laws.
While Clinton is far from the most liberal Democratic hopeful, she is often perceived negatively as being quite far to the left. Many believe that this is largely due to her depiction on talk radio during the 1990s. Fair or not, such a perception means that Clinton is not particularly eager to talk about LGBT questions, and her website makes no mention of them.
Clinton opposes same-sex marriage, calling it something that most people “can’t agree with." Nonetheless, she is in favor of civil unions that literally would be marriage in all but name. She also would permit states that chose to do so to grant marriage licenses.
The question of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is a particularly thorny one for Clinton since the policy was created by her husband’s first administration. Indeed, this is a major cause of mistrust among LGBT groups. Hillary’s current position helps to allay these fears, as she has come out in support of allowing gays to serve openly. Clinton believes that the policy is detrimental to the country’s security because it reduces the pool of qualified troops by “turning people away or discharging them not because of what they've done but because of who they are." Clinton also criticized remarks by former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace stating his belief that homosexuality is “immoral.”
Clinton also supports ENDA and making a sexual orientation a category for federal hate crimes laws.
While Clinton is far from the most liberal Democratic hopeful, she is often perceived negatively as being quite far to the left. Many believe that this is largely due to her depiction on talk radio during the 1990s. Fair or not, such a perception means that Clinton is not particularly eager to talk about LGBT questions, and her website makes no mention of them.
Taxes and Social Security
Senator Clinton believes in making the progressive tax system (which we currently have) more reflective of income—which means those who make the most should be paying the most. She disagrees with Bush’s tax cuts, which some have argued disproportionately benefited the wealthy. She has voted against raising the estate tax exemption to $5 million as well as against supporting permanent estate tax cuts. However, she did vote twice for retaining capital dividends tax cuts. If in office, she would likely raise taxes for the top-earning Americans and work to close tax loopholes for corporations.
When it comes to Social Security, Clinton opposes a privatized system that “would be tied to the fluctuations of the stock market.” Furthermore, she points out that a privatized system, that relies on an individual’s own earnings would penalize women, who often have less time in the work force due to childrearing. Despite her open criticism of private plans and stated dedication to find a long-term solution with Congress, Clinton has yet to shed light on how she would increase the solvency of social security with slowing population growth.
Senator Clinton believes in making the progressive tax system (which we currently have) more reflective of income—which means those who make the most should be paying the most. She disagrees with Bush’s tax cuts, which some have argued disproportionately benefited the wealthy. She has voted against raising the estate tax exemption to $5 million as well as against supporting permanent estate tax cuts. However, she did vote twice for retaining capital dividends tax cuts. If in office, she would likely raise taxes for the top-earning Americans and work to close tax loopholes for corporations.
When it comes to Social Security, Clinton opposes a privatized system that “would be tied to the fluctuations of the stock market.” Furthermore, she points out that a privatized system, that relies on an individual’s own earnings would penalize women, who often have less time in the work force due to childrearing. Despite her open criticism of private plans and stated dedication to find a long-term solution with Congress, Clinton has yet to shed light on how she would increase the solvency of social security with slowing population growth.
Trade Policy
Hillary Clinton appears to take the middle road on free trade. Her opinion of free trade can be summarized in her statement, “And it's important that we have an idea of how to maximize the benefits from the global economy while minimizing the impact on American workers.” She has voted yes on a free trade agreements with Oman, Singapore, Chile and Vietnam. She also voted yes on normalizing free trade relations with China, despite concerns over human rights. However, she also voted against CAFTA, against extending free trade to Andean nations and she has criticized NAFTA.
Hillary Clinton appears to take the middle road on free trade. Her opinion of free trade can be summarized in her statement, “And it's important that we have an idea of how to maximize the benefits from the global economy while minimizing the impact on American workers.” She has voted yes on a free trade agreements with Oman, Singapore, Chile and Vietnam. She also voted yes on normalizing free trade relations with China, despite concerns over human rights. However, she also voted against CAFTA, against extending free trade to Andean nations and she has criticized NAFTA.