HILLARY CLINTON CAMPAIGN REPS SPEAK TO EAST COUNTY DEMOCRATS

By Juwan Armstrong and Miriam Raftery

July 18, 2015 (El Cajon) --Representatives from Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign spoke at the East County Democratic Club last Thursday at MJ’s Family Restaurant in El Cajon, seeking to fire up local support.

 A former Secretary of State, First Lady and Senator, Clinton is focusing her campaign vision on four goals: building an economy for tomorrow, strengthening America’s families, defending America and our core values, and revitalizing our democracy.

Patrick Alexander, JD, added that one of the most important issues in the campaign will be the appointment of up to four Supreme Court Justices that the next president could make – appointments that could shape the high court for the next half century and impact rulings significant for women's rights, voting rights, minority rights, labor, the environment, the enviroment and more. 

Alexander, who formerly worked for President Bill Clinton, believes it is imperative for a Democrat to win--and he and believes Hillary Clinton is the Democratic candidate most capable of winning against a Republican in the November 2016 general election. There are currently around 20 Republican candidates vying for the nomination in the GOP primary.

Alexander said the goal of Hillary 1000 is to enroll 1000 democratic activists locally, educate them on the issues, and energize them to help get e vote on Election Day.

Sarah Moga (photo, right), communications director, says that she believes Clinton will “fight for a lot of things that are important for me” and other women.  Moga says she struggles with the reality that the United States is one of the few countries in the world that does not require companies to pay for maternity leave. “Women should be encouraged to have a family,” she adds.

Moga believes that Clinton will also make a change in revamping the definition of the term ‘family.’ She states that Clinton will continue to help support families, including improving  LGTB rights, and strengthening legal protection for families who immigrated to the U.S. or have family members who came here so that “we’re not tearing families apart.”

A student, Andrew,  working for Hilary 1000  said he ttrusts that Clinton is the only Democratic nominee that can go toe to toe with any Republican candidate, an advantage he sees over other Democrats in the race including Bernie Sanders, Martin O’Malley, or Lincoln Chafee. He argues that Clinton has the right balance between idealism and pragmatism, knowing how to reach across the aisle and compromise to get things done.

“With problems including discriminatory laws prohibiting people from voting and Supreme Court cases permitting big corporations to trump special interest Clinton is the candidate that have solutions to theses problems,” he says. He also believes she has the expertise to cut through partisan gridlock in Washington and will help make the U.S. a clean energy superpower.

The Hillary 1000 campaign states that Clinton promises to repair the damage made to the Voting Rights act, defend and expand in-person early voting, implement universal automatic voter registration, support the Affordable Health Care Act, and propose a constitution to undo the Citizens United.

However, some members of the East County Democratic club believe that other opponents such as Bernie Sanders could achieve the same goals if elected and focus on issues such as closing the wealth gap.  Some also voiced concerns that Clinton might compromise too much with Republicans or monied interests, while others felt Sanders’ self-proclaimed  “democratic socialism” could turn off moderates needed to win.

One thing all club members seemed to agree on is that the presidential candidates are going to have to appeal to independent voters, who ultimately will decided the outcome of the 2016 presidential race.

“The Focus has to be on the independent vote. The candidates have to listen to what the independents are talking about because it the independent middle class is the class that is having a tough time surviving,” says Alexander.

He added that the campaign is not taking any votes for granted. “We are going after every single vote in El Cajon, and in North Dakota.”

The East County Democratic Club has not yet endorsed a candidate in the primary, and club members held a vigorous discussion on the respective merits of those running. The club has invited a representative of the Bernie Sanders campaign to speak at a future meeting.

East County Democratic Club President Bonnie Price  (photo, right, with Rick Forbes) shared her stance on why she is voting for Clinton, stating that “Republic legislators across the country are taking away women’s rights.” She believes decisions about contraception and reproductive rights should “not be decided by a bunch of men. We need women in charge who will take a firm stand for women’s lives.”