“Republicans in Congress insist on using this issue
to give relief to community banks as a Trojan Horse for rolling back
protections for consumers and rolling back the rules for the biggest
banks,” 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton
said Tuesday at an event in Iowa.
Clinton has angered the press corp by basically
ignoring them. They spend a lot of time complaining that she won’t
answer questions from them and griping about the way she is running her
campaign, because she is focusing on small groups and even individuals,
instead of big campaign events.
Tuesday, for example, Clinton had a discussion with small business and lending communities in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She advocated for something that sounded distinctly Senator Warren-ish, saying that the regulations needed for big, too-big-to-fail
banks should not apply to small, community banks with deep local ties
that are being squeezed by regulations meant for Wall Street banks.
“We should not apply the same restrictions on
community banks as those needed to regulate our big banks,” Clinton
said. She continued to call out the way that Republicans use “concern”
for small businesses to justify giveaways for big business, which
actually harms small business.
“It’s not the big banks that need relief from
Washington, it’s small banks and small businesses. We should be doing
more to rein in risky behavior in Wall Street and too-big-to-fail banks,
not less. I fully support the regulations from Dodd-Frank on the big
banks, but we should pass common sense community banking reform right
now. However Republicans in Congress insist on using this issue to give
relief to community banks as a Trojan Horse for rolling back protections
for consumers and rolling back the rules for the biggest banks… We
should call this what it is, a cynical attempt to help those at the
top.”
During these micro events, Secretary Clinton is able
to discuss the issues that the press hasn’t been very interested in yet
— issues of wage equality, actual small businesses as opposed to
pretend small businesses, and good paying jobs. Things that really
matter to the average American, instead of chasing the latest scandal
and playing personality politics. But the press has focused more
attention on the already debunked claims of a disgraced Republican agitator author and the resulting questions of that author’s conspiracies than the issues that actually impact American voters.
Every candidate should answer questions from the
press, which Clinton did today, but the press should accept
responsibility for amplifying every conspiracy artist the Republican
machine cranks out against Clinton before they even vet their claims.
Accountability is a two way street. This is particularly annoying when
it results in harming democracy, the very thing reporters are claiming
is being harmed by Clinton not engaging with them. Democracy is for the
people, to discuss the people’s issues, not to elevate Beltway drama and
gossip.
The real question here is why won’t our press get as
invested in actual issues. Clinton handed them a great story today, by
busting the way Republicans use small business rhetoric to hurt small
businesses while they deregulate and subsidize too-big-to-fail.
Or maybe I just think it’s a great story because it
has bothered me for years and I’ve wondered why no politician has made
it an issue. Clinton made it an issue today — but the press responded by
commenting on her treatment of them and asking about the money she made
from speaking events, as if earning money means that her actual policy
positions don’t matter.
It’s
not that their questions shouldn’t be asked and answered, it’s that the
people’s questions deserve some air time as well. And the press is
supposed to be asking questions for the people. The people do not give a
crap about much right now, except why they are working so hard but
getting screwed again and again while Republicans hand their tax money
to big businesses who aren’t even paying taxes.
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