There is some speculation that Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton are slightly at odds regarding their political ideology. Has Hillary moved farther to the left, and is Bill still the moderate he was in the 1990’s?

I don’t think that our 42^nd president has changed to a large degree. However, I do believe that the events of the last seven years required Hillary to move more to the progressive wing of Democrats. When Republicans became more extreme and morphed into the ‘party of no,’ the American people realized that change is needed. The only way to move our nation back towards the center is to neutralize the efforts of the TEA Party and retake our nation for the majority.

This will require multiple changes. Income inequality must be addressed seriously. Education is the future, and must once again be a priority. All men and women must be treated equally; race, religion, and sexual orientation must not divide us in the future.

None of this will be accomplished by believing that the two parties will work in consort to serve the working class. Until true Republicans regain control of the GOP, only one party in Washington gives hope to the majority.

The rise of Donald Trump is the result of voter’s displeasure with those they previously elected. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are TEA Party darlings. Cruz has done nothing in just over three years in office with the exception of leading extremists in their efforts to destroy our government, wage war on women and the middle class, and attempt to force all Americans to become Christians.

Although Rubio has been in office since 2011, he has nothing to add to his resume. But that’s understandable. Since he began his presidential campaign, he has failed to perform his job in the Senate 40 percent of the time.

Although there are questions regarding Bill Clinton’s role in Hillary’s campaign, and if he is as effective in 2016 as he was in 1992, most agree that the differences between them are advantageous for Hillary.

“Hillary Clinton is clearly not running as a Bill Clinton New Democrat,” said Todd Shaw, a professor of political science and African-American studies at the University of South Carolina. “It actually benefits her more to run on Obama’s legacy than on her husband’s.”

The right wing continues to talk about ‘being conservative enough.’ The actual meaning is that they are not far enough to the extreme right. Far too many Republicans have become reactionaries, and have left conservatism far behind.

The only way America works is when the parties meet in the middle. Neither party can be effective if they always say no to their constituents across the aisle.

The greatest positive changes for the majority of Americans have only been attained through deliberation and compromise. Isn’t it interesting that both Cruz and Rubio have attacked Donald Trump because he said he knew how to work with Democrats to ‘get things done?’

But the Republican Party just doesn’t get it. The leadership of the GOP refuses to change and move forward into the 21^st century.

The entire Republican ‘debate’ last evening was a sad farce for the American people, but two people watching the fiasco made it even sadder. As George and Barbara Bush stared at the stage, their expressions spoke volumes. And when they began to gently shake their heads it was obvious that the real Republican Party is but a memory.

Op-Ed

By James Turnage

Source

Photo Courtesy of Marc Nozell

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