Lazy Saturday Reads: Clinton’s Embarrassing Memory Error and Escalating Violence at Trump Rallies
Posted: March 12, 2016 Filed under: morning reads, U.S. Politics | Tags: Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, presidential debates, presidential primaries and caucuses 51 Comments
Probably nothing to worry about: People raise arms pledging to vote for Trump at the University of Central Florida on March 5, 2016 in Orlando (h/t Slate) Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Good Morning!!
It has been a long and disturbing week for us political junkies. On Sunday night there was the Democratic debate from Flint. We’ve had a number of presidential primaries and caucuses, two Democratic debates and a Democratic town hall, and a Republican debate.
We watched one of the most famous and accomplished women in the world be shushed at the debate in Flint, MI by the 74-year-old not-quite-so-accomplished white man who is running against her.
We watched as debate moderators in Miami asked her “who gave you permission” to use a private email server; and suggested she might be indicted for doing what past Secretaries of State and high level government employees have been doing forever. We cringed as she was forced to respond to insulting questions about why some people don’t like or trust her.
Yesterday we saw her viciously attacked after she made an embarrassing mistake while trying to say something kind about Nancy Reagan at the latter’s funeral. Yes, she made a serious gaffe, but she immediately apologized with no hedging or excuse-making. Note that her opponent has never apologized for a single thing he has said or done–including his sexist behavior and comments.
On the Republican side, we watched another shudder-inducing debate and the country witnessed escalating violence and hate speech at Donald Trump’s rallies.
Rock Hudson at the White House a year before his death from AIDS
On the Nancy Reagan story, I think what Hillary was probably thinking of was Nancy’s efforts later in the Reagan years to convince her husband to soften his stance on funding AIDS research. It was too little, too late, but it did in fact make a difference in terms of making the AIDS epidemic more visible to the millions of Americans who had previously been ignorant about it. From The Advocate: Remembering Nancy Reagan, Her Involvement in AIDS Crisis.
She is being remembered today as the creator of the “Just Say No” to drugs advertising campaign, but most importantly as a powerful ally for her husband, not shy about speaking her mind on political matters affecting Ronald Reagan throughout his career, including as governor of California.
Her husband, though, is notorious among LGBT activists who survived the Reagan presidency, when the AIDS crisis raged, and when the president largely ignored the problem. Reagan didn’t give a formal speech about the epidemic until 1987, after thousands had died. In 1985, he was named The Advocate’s Homophobe of the Year and repeatedly made that annual list.
Nancy Reagan is sometimes credited with pushing her husband to do something about AIDS, and he eventually supported some funding for research. The death of their friend, actor Rock Hudson, is often referred to as a pivotal moment.
But, the Advocate notes, the Reagans refused to help a dying Hudson when he begged them to get him admitted to a French military hospital that supposedly had a “special treatment.” Nancy’s friend Elizabeth Taylor reportedly asked Nancy to get in involved in the AIDS issue, and Nancy was “frosty” about it. However, Nancy later supported marriage equality, according to her daughter Patti.
“She does,” Davis said during a radio interview with Michelangelo Signorile. “I’m hesitant to speak for anyone else, and she’s not comfortable going out in the public eye and getting in the firing line of anything. So, you know, I want to be cautious about speaking on someone else’s behalf. But let me put it this way: I think if she had disagreed with what I said publicly about my father she would have said something publicly. … Let’s just put it that way. That’s the most sort of politically correct way I can answer that question.”
The first same-sex couple to room together at the White House might also be due to Nancy Reagan. According to a 1984 column reportedly published in the Washington Post, interior decorator Ted Graber spent the night with Archie Case while celebrating Nancy Reagan’s 60th birthday.
The Advocate also linked to some PBS clips about Nancy’s role in the AIDS crisis.
C. Everet Koop
Ronald Reagan’s Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, a right wing Christian, also made efforts to deal with the AIDS epidemic. From Slate:
When C. Everett Koop accepted his post as the U.S. surgeon general in 1982, few thought he would become one of the most outspoken advocates of sex education in public schools. Koop was an emerging leader within the Christian pro-life movement, and his conservative credentials caught the attention of Ronald Reagan’s team, who approached him about serving as surgeon general even before the 1980 election. Koop’s appointment reflected Reagan’s appreciation for the conservative evangelicals who voted him into office.
Much more at the link.
Hillary’s words were hurtful to many people, and everyone has the right to feel anger, disappointment, forgiveness, or any other emotional reaction. However, she did quickly realize her mistake and she immediately apologized. I hope she isn’t going to be crucified for it. History is complex and so are people, and human memory is often inaccurate.
Now on to another issue that involves not just words, but actions–the escalating violence at Donald Trump’s campaign rallies.
Last night hundreds of protesters disrupted a Trump rally in Chicago, causing Trump to abruptly cancel his appearance at the University of Illinois Chicago. CNN reports:
Donald Trump’s campaign on Friday postponed a rally in Chicago amid fights between supporters and demonstrators, protests in the streets and concerns that the environment at the event was no longer safe.
The announcement, which came amid large protests both inside and outside the event at the University of Illinois at Chicago, follows heightened concerns about violence in general at the GOP front-runner’s rallies. Illinois holds its Republican primary on Tuesday.
Hundreds of demonstrators packed into an arena, breaking out into protest even before Trump had shown up. At least five sections in the arena were filled with protesters.
“Mr. Trump just arrived in Chicago, and after meeting with law enforcement, has determined that for the safety of all of the tens of thousands of people that have gathered in and around the arena, tonight’s rally will be postponed to another date,” the Trump campaign said in a statement. “Thank you very much for your attendance and please go in peace.”
Demonstrators celebrate after Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump cancelled his rally at the University of Illinois in Chicago March 11, 2016. REUTERS/Kamil Krzaczynski
Chicago police later said they did not recommend cancelling the rally. That was Trump’s decision.
Several fistfights between Trump supporters and protesters could be seen after the announcement, as a large contingent of Chicago police officers moved in to restore order.
Supporters of Trump still inside chanted “We want Trump” after the event was canceled. Protesters, meanwhile, shouted “We shut s*** down” and “We stumped Trump.” Others chanted “Bernie” as supporters whipped out Bernie Sanders campaign signs.
Some protesters were being detained and forcefully carried out.
Earlier in the day there were problems at a Trump rally in St. Louis. KTLA reports: Violence Erupts at Donald Trump Rally in St. Louis; At Least 32 People Arrested.
Thousands of people attended the Missouri rally, and “battle lines” were drawn between supporters and protesters, MSNBC reporter Trymaine Lee tweeted.
At least 32 people were arrested in protests both inside and outside Trump’s rally at the Peabody Opera House, police said.
Thirty-one people were charged with disturbing the peace, and one was charged with third-degree assault. St. Louis police declined to provide further details….
At the scene in St. Louis, one man was seen with a blood-spattered shirt and tissues inside his nose, apparently stopping blood from flowing.
In video posted online, he could be heard saying, “he sucker punched me.”
It was not clear what led to his injury, and he was receiving medical treatment, according to a Black Lives Matter supporter who used the Twitter username @southards_3.
Protesters outside Trump’s rally in St. Louis yesterday. Getty images.
Here’s what Trump was saying during the St. Louis event, according to the Chicago Tribune:
Facing intensifying criticism for the violent clashes between supporters and protesters that have come to define his rallies, GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Friday continued to taunt those who interrupt his events while promising that police and security would be “gentle” as they removed them.
“They’re allowed to get up and interrupt us horribly and we have to be very, very gentle,” Trump said in response to one of nearly a dozen interruptions as he spoke in St. Louis at the regal Peabody Opera House. “They can swing and hit people, but if we hit them back, it’s a terrible, terrible thing, right?”
Throughout his speech, Trump was deeply critical of the protesters, all of whom appeared to leave the venue largely without incident. Police later said that 31 people were arrested and charged with general peace disturbance, and one person was charged outside the venue with third-degree assault.
He panned the protesters as weak “troublemakers,” ordered them to “go home to mommy” or “go home and get a job” because “they contribute nothing.”
“These are not good people, just so you understand,” Trump said. “These are not the people who made our country great. These are the people that are destroying our country.”
This kind of encouragement of attacks on protesters has become standard behavior for Trump at his campaign appearances.
As Trump attempts to unify a fractured Republican Party, racially charged images of his supporters attacking protesters and allegations that he’s inciting violence have cast new attention on the divisive nature of his candidacy.
It intensified this week, when a North Carolina man was arrested after video footage showed him punching an African-American protester being led out of a rally in that state on Wednesday. At the event, the billionaire real estate mogul recalled a past protester as “a real bad dude.”
“He was a rough guy, and he was punching. And we had some people — some rough guys like we have right in here — and they started punching back,” Trump said. “It was a beautiful thing.”
Is this man really someone Americans want in the White House with access to nuclear codes?
For comparison: Ovation for Hitler in the Reichstag after announcing the successful Anschluss, 1938
Nick Gass at Politico on the St. Louis speech: Trump: ‘There used to be consequences’ for protesting.
“Part of the problem and part of the reason it takes so long [to kick them out] is nobody wants to hurt each other anymore,” Trump said during a speech at the Peabody Opera House — around 12 miles from Ferguson, Mo., the site of racially charged mass protests in 2014.
“There used to be consequences. There are none anymore,” Trump said. “These people are so bad for our country. You have no idea folks, you have no idea.” ….
“These people are so bad for our country, folks. You have no idea,” Trump continued during a longer break in the action. “They contribute nothing. Nothing. And look at the police, they take their lives in their hands.”
“We don’t even win here, with protesters anymore” he complained. “The protesters end up taking over. And frankly, I mean, have to be honest: From my standpoint it makes it a little more exciting, and it gives me time to think about where I want to go next. It’s beautiful. It’s like intermission. And the guys that are near the event, they see some pretty good stuff.”
Then Trump lashed out at the media.
“And these people in the media, the most dishonest human beings on Earth. They are the worst. They are the worst. So what they’ll do is they’ll take 10 minutes worth of clips of that and if one policeman accidentally moves a finger and touches this wiseguy, it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen.’ And yet the police are being abused for 10 minutes, OK? ” he said. “Give me a break. Give me a break. We better toughen up, we better smarten up, and we better stop with this political correctness because it’s driving us down the tubes.”
After the events in St. Louis and Chicago, Trump cancelled an appearance in downtown Cincinnati. He has now rescheduled it at a suburban location.
A couple more links:
Mashable: All the times Trump has called for violence at his rallies.
Mother Jones: This Is What It Looks Like to Get Beat Up at a Trump Rally. Here are 10 really ugly incidents.
What are your thoughts on Hillary’s gaffe and Donald’s inciting of violence? What other stories are you following today?
peej
Carissa
ecocatwoman
mablue2
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
Have a great weekend, Sky Dancers!
Thanks for the good post BB.
As I told Dak last night, the gay people I know were stunned by the gaffe, but it will not affect their vote. I attributed the misspeak to fatigue and the fact that this was the presidency that preceded Bill’s presidency by 4 years, so her memory of events is more fractured than those of us who lived it from the inside. There was really nothing positive that Hillary could have said about Nancy Reagan that would have landed well on the ears of the LGBT community, so there’s that to consider also.
Also what this proves is that these campaigns are too long and too exhausting and that humans cannot get in front of a camera 24/7 and totally avoid this sort of gaffe.
Not to worry SkyDancers, this won’t affect the vote of any fair minded person.
Thanks for the round up re the AIDS story. I’m inclined to think it was a case of trying to be nice at a funeral. But its brought up memories and feelings. History is very contextual. I wasn’t in a big or liberal city, I was in Spokane. We had no Act Up, we had people dying. I was the first person there to offer pro bono massage for pwa’s. Every other therapist I tried to recruit refused out of fear, even the gay ones. Some people stopped coming to my home office when they found out, my daughter was bullied. I remember being at the hospital, the orderlies refused to come in to clean the rooms, when the meals were delivered they would set the tray on the hallway floor outside the room and push it through the doorway with their feet. This was routine. I remember a father who sat in the car outside, too judgmental and afraid to be in the room with his dying son. I sat all through one long night holding the hand of a dying man while his mother and sister got drunk, argued over who would get his things, and took apart his cherished photo albums in the same room he was dying in. His partner of 14 years had no legal right to object and I had even less. Homophobia and discrimination was the norm, not the exception. The Reagan administration was criminally slow to act and led badly and that accurately reflected where American culture was at the time.
It’s one thing to learn from the past so as not to repeat it. It’s entirely another to condemn how people behaved in the past based on today’s cultural context. Some of my LGBT brethren who are so upset might do well to reflect upon how well we as a community are stepping up to meet the challenge of the continuing AIDS epidemic among communities of color. Pay it forward friends.
Lastly, I read this quote from Amy Fried this week and it sums it up for me for this election at this time:
“Elections aren’t about self expression. They’re about who holds government positions that affect people’s lives.”
As for the melee at the Trump rally last night, the thing that surprised me the most was that both the anti trump protesters were young (racially & ethically mixed) and the pro trump supporters also young people (white), is not like anything I’ve seen since the 50’s early 60’s. This doesn’t bode well for race relations nor does it bode well for the fight against xenophobia. We are in for a long rough road until this election season is over.
A friend sent me a link this a.m. to a CBC Fifth Estate episode:
http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/episodes/2014-2015/the-fire-breather-the-rise-and-rage-of-donald-trump
One of the comments in response resonated with me (in a typically Canadian understated way).
“I feel that a big part of the reason why Mr. Trump appeals to so many is that he’s such a polarizing figure, which I couldn’t agree with more, yet he’s polarizing like a magnet, which can both attract or repel, and is guaranteed to do one or the other when coming into contact with particular elements, and would certainly do both if he was in charge of the entire country. America has to ask themselves if this is really what they want in their next President. I love the US and its people. I’ve always admired how deeply patriotic they are and protective of their various rights. However, I have also always seen it as a country that is, and some would say always has been, deeply divided along certain lines, and perhaps more so than most countries around the globe. Political and racial divides seeming to be the primary two. This isn’t an opinion nor a criticism, but merely an observation. Americans are a very passionate people, which is a great trait to have, yet it can also lead to a lot of problems when there is tremendous passion combined with completely opposite beliefs. They need a leader who can bring people together. All that I can envision with Donald Trump as President is more divisiveness. Look at all the protests that have surrounded his campaign, either anti or pro. Imagine now what it’ll be like if he ever actually occupies the Oval Office.”
Sanders supporter Ben Cohen (of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream) says he sees lots of similarities between Sanders and Donald Trump. Might vote for Trump if Sanders doesn’t win nom. Click link to read quote.
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Politico: Sanders had big ideas but little impact on Capitol Hill
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/03/bernies-record-220508#ixzz42iSu6p62
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Re-posting what I said last night: I think Hillary wanted to give Nancy Reagan credit for what she did, even if very little and late, because women so rarely get credit for what they do. Especially women in politics.
This lack of credit is even illustrated by so many people thinking that Nancy Reagan did absolutely nothing, because official history ignored her except in her wife-appendage role.
I think so too, but I understand the reaction. Still I’ll bet the reaction would have been much more muted if Sanders had said the same thing. Hillary really can’t do anything without someone becoming outraged, mostly because of their fear of her strength and that a strong woman might actually become president.
Similarities between Sanders & Trump? Well, neither have specifics to explain how they would accomplish their goals. But the Bernie supporters who say they might vote for Trump in Nov if Bernie isn’t on the ballot are simply showing their sexism.
Yes.
Not necessarily. While sexism has to be a factor for some people, there are enough people who don’t like how both parties do business and are attracted to a populist candidate who is running against the party establishment and promises economic protectionism and makes a big deal of not being under the influence of special interest groups. Can you guess the two candidates matching the description?
(I’m not going to vote for Trump, don’t worry, because there’s more to Trump than that. I’m just giving a non-sexist reasoning why some might switch the vote from Sanders to Trump.
What the heck? An Ohio judge said that 17 year olds can vote in the elections! Can they do that, just change the rules in the middle of the campaign?
Apparently they can.
Wonder if they are going to let them drink in bars at 17?
LOL! When I was in high school in Indiana, you could buy 3.2 beer at 18. Kids would drive across the state line to buy it. At one time the drinking age there was 16.
http://www.answers.com/Q/When_did_Ohio_do_away_with_3.2_percent_beer
I don’t have a problem with 17 year olds voting if they will be 18 on election day. The voting age is 18.
During the Vietnam war they lowered the drinking age to 18 in all States. They decided if a solider was old enough to go to war and die, he was old enough to drink.
As far as I know Ohio has always allowed 17-year-olds to vote if they will be 18 on election day.
You might want to look at exit polling data and see for yourself how few “white” men are voting for Hillary. She’s winning white women, she’s winning big with women of color and men of color, but white men, in most every exit poll, go big for Bernie. I wonder why? There’s some truth behind these numbers (maybe it’s called sexism) that may push white men to vote for Trump if Hillary is the nominee, don’t you think?
And I respect the fact that you support Bernie, but you took the time to say you wouldn’t vote for Trump, but you didn’t say that you would vote for Hillary. I think we’ve all said we would vote for Bernie if he’s the nominee! So, how about it?
Maybe not in that comment, but multiple times when I commented on this blog I said I would be happy to vote for Hillary in November.
As for white men, I’m sure there’s some number of men voting against Hillary because she is a woman, as well as some number of women voting for Hillary for the same reason. So there’s gender bias pulling men and women apart in both directions .
Well I’m glad to hear that you would vote for Hillary instead of Trump, that makes me feel better.
It should make you feel better that I would vote for her even over people like Biden, Kerry, or Gore.
“I’m sure there’s some number of men voting against Hillary because she is a woman, as well as some number of women voting for Hillary for the same reason.”
You really don’t get it do you? Even if what you say is true there’s a big difference between voting for someone and voting against someone. I think there are a lot of men not voting for Hillary because she is a woman. I don’t think there are women who are rejecting Bernie’s candidacy because he is a man.
And consider this, perhaps women are voting for Hillary simply because she is supremely qualified to be POTUS. Just because in our 227 year history we’ve never had a woman nominated by any Party, or just because we’ve only been able to vote for 95 years doesn’t mean that women are voting for Hillary because she has a uterus. Women only hold 104 seats of a 535 member Congress, I think there’s ample evidence that men don’t want women in power and when given the opportunity to squash a woman’s chances in the ballot box they do!!!! The same is true of the workplace.
the whole republican party is voting and working against women. They have a full big fear of women holding office, having access to money, and having the right to abortion. They know big changes will come if we women have adequate representation in Congress.
About white men and their votes. I lived in wonderful N’Awlins when David Duke was running for Governor against Edwin Edwards (and we all had the bumperstickers saying “Vote for the crook. It’s important.”)
Duke won the white vote in that election. Without the blacks to rescue the state, we’d have had a declared Nazi Governor.
I guess the point of this comment is that people will do anything to defend what they see as their privilege.
Maybe in a perfect world we’d have the inverse of the old laws limiting suffrage. Instead of allowing only propertied white men we’d disenfranchise only propertied white men. (Or whichever group is the top dog at the time.)
List of X has said he would vote for Hillary.
He told me. 🙂
“there are enough people who don’t like how both parties do business and are attracted to a populist candidate who is running against the party establishment”
It makes me wonder why Trump is running as a Republican and Bernie as a Democrat. Why use the establishment election mechanisms if you’re anti-establishment? Why not just run as an Independent and live your high anti-establishment principles?
Bernie – because for all his differences between him and Clinton, while they were both in the Senate, they voted the same way something like 93% of the time. There might be bigger variances between Clinton and some Blue Dog Democrats.
As for Trump, aren’t you glad he’s running as a Republican and tearing GOP apart? I know I am. 🙂
I’m not glad Trump is running! His influence on this contest is devastating to our country. And I’m not glad Cruz is running either. They’re both dangerous demagogues.
No I’m not glad Trump is running. I think he is damaging the discourse level in this country to the point that he’s encouraging hate speech and hate crimes.
The problem with taking people at face value when they say they’re not sexist is that sexism, like racism and homophobia, is often unconscious bias. One clue to people real reasons is to look at their the level of emotion they show in their denials. The anger and actual rage coming from at Hillary from Bernie supporters suggests unconscious misogyny. Same with their anger toward black people who refuse to vote for Bernie.
And their racism. Both
Yes.
Yup
Exactly right. The lack of specifics is a clue that there is something else driving the appeal. It’s also interesting that their supporters speak in vagaries like “Tells it like it is…” and “At least it’s something different…”
The similarities I see are that they are both demagogues and both shout at the top of their lungs about vague policies. But the similarity that Ben Cohen liked was that they both are against free trade.
I watched part of a Bernie Rally last night and this morning and he was really stoking it!!! Today he was back on the Hillary must release transcripts of her speeches. Bernie has done more to encourage Hillary hatred than Donald Trump ever dreamed about. Implying that she is on the take because she has PAC’s. Implying that she is in the pocket of Wall Street. Implying that she is hiding something when she doesn’t release transcripts. Acting as if her Iraq vote is what caused the Iraq war when he knows full well that her vote, as much as I disliked it, was a vote to authorize the POTUS to go to war if he deemed it necessary, not a vote to go to war. Still, he whines that his votes are being mischaracterized when his entire stump speech is sprinkled with mischaracterizations of Hillary, her votes, her intentions, her life.
Hillary chalked up 9 more delegates today. Bernie got 2. Lead widens for Hillary.
Wow. This speaks volumes.
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No shit!!! Bernie has been accusing Hillary of quid pro quo arrangement with Wall Street and in accepting super pac contributions and it’s time someone told him to stop. I accuse Bernie Sanders of being a hypocrite who touts his independence from the establishment while running as a candidate for POTUS in the Democratic Party, which is part of the establishment. I accuse him of taking millions of dollars from the Party that he despises and in-kind contributions of it’s demographic data donor records and it’s IT resources. It’s debating system, it’s ability to draw interest from networks and it’s ability to showcase him as a candidate and open the door for him to talk on every cable network at will and every Sunday talk show, nearly every week. If he doesn’t want to be part of the establishment, if he wants his independence, then he needs to repay the DNC in full and run as an independent. Hillary is running in the campaign finance system we have, not the one we wish we had. She has every right to raise money in that system without having to endure Bernie’s assaults on her integrity and honesty.
Brava! Every. Word.
I’m past Berned out. I think he is harming Dems standing for the general. Not good.
I like what HRC says about tearing down barriers to opportunity. At the right strategic moment I hope she will add in something about building up and building bridges. So much rage right now, the Better Angels will need to be invoked in time.
Amen. I lost respect for him a long time ago. He doesn’t need to attack Hillary’s integrity and sully her reputation. It’s sickening.
I reported a Bernie supporter on Twitter yesterday because he was putting the hash tag #KillHer on all of his tweets. Bernie supporters also have been giving out an official-looking button–in Chicago and NC so far:
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No class whatsoever. Bernie’s is a dirty campaign that will do most anything to win.
Disgustingly!
There is a special place in Hell for this.
Bravo, Howard!
Hillary published a post at Medium about her mistaken remarks about Nancy Reagan.
View at Medium.com
Hillary Clinton
Wife, mom, grandma, women+kids advocate, FLOTUS, Senator, SecState, hair icon, pantsuit aficionado, 2016 presidential candidate.
I love her.
That was wonderful, thank you for sharing.
I just got that in an email blast. Shows she’s listening, as I know she does. I’m so glad she linked progress now to the expansion of Medicaid. People are still dying here in USA, still not getting treatment. Unconscionable.