Bruce Fein: November will present clear choice


Story Transcript

MATTHEW PALEVSKY, JOURNALIST: The Democratic debate was held in Austin, Texas, a state that Hillary Clinton has to win, many say, in order to have a chance for this nomination. Did she do enough in this debate to gain some momentum? What jumped out at you?

BRUCE FEIN, FOUNDER, AMERICAN FREEDOM AGENDA: No. I think what she did was lose momentum by answering questions and with her facial gestures and tone of voice indicating she’s lost, being quite defensive, and I think hitting at the capillaries rather than the jugulars, for example raising the issue of plagiarism from speeches drafted by his own chairman of his campaign, Deval Patrick, also a Massachusetts governor.

(CLIP BEGINS)

HILLARY CLINTON: I think that if your candidacy is going to be about words, then they should be your own words. That’s I think a very simple proposition. And, you know, lifting whole passages from someone else’s speeches is not change you can believe in; it’s change you can Xerox. And I just don’t think—.

[crosstalk]

CLINTON: No, but, you know, Barack, it is, because if you look—.

(CLIP ENDS)

FEIN: So on that score, I think she had all the earmarks of a loser rather than a winner, and I think that she will be decisively defeated in Texas.

PALEVSKY: Anything else jump out that might foreshadow the general election?

FEIN: I think that what the comments that were made by both candidates on health care, dealing with Castro in Cuba, and the issue of national security indicates that McCain being the Republican nominee, this is going to be one of the clearest campaigns where decisive policy differences will emerge. And to that extent I think this will be a good opportunity for the voters, then, to decide the direction of the country. It’s clear, for example, that McCain will stay in Iraq for a prolonged period. He’s not going to move out. And he’ll be very aggressive, I’m certain, with regard to Cuba. He wouldn’t talk to Castro or anyone else there with a ten-foot pole. And he’ll by very aggressive in Iran. It’s also clear to me that McCain is not going to be promoting a national health insurance plan that will cover everyone, that he’s far more devoted to free-market economics. And it’s clear that Clinton and Obama are the old-time liberals when it comes to the economic issues, whether it’s moratoriums on mortgage foreclosures or more spending to try to revamp the economy, the green economy, if you will—all policies that suggest the government knows better than the private marketplace and we can somehow manipulate supply and demand curves. And the people will be given, I think, a very clear choice which direction they want to go.

DISCLAIMER:

Please note that TRNN transcripts are typed from a recording of the program; The Real News Network cannot guarantee their complete accuracy.


Story Transcript

MATTHEW PALEVSKY, JOURNALIST: The Democratic debate was held in Austin, Texas, a state that Hillary Clinton has to win, many say, in order to have a chance for this nomination. Did she do enough in this debate to gain some momentum? What jumped out at you?

BRUCE FEIN, FOUNDER, AMERICAN FREEDOM AGENDA: No. I think what she did was lose momentum by answering questions and with her facial gestures and tone of voice indicating she’s lost, being quite defensive, and I think hitting at the capillaries rather than the jugulars, for example raising the issue of plagiarism from speeches drafted by his own chairman of his campaign, Deval Patrick, also a Massachusetts governor.

(CLIP BEGINS)

HILLARY CLINTON: I think that if your candidacy is going to be about words, then they should be your own words. That’s I think a very simple proposition. And, you know, lifting whole passages from someone else’s speeches is not change you can believe in; it’s change you can Xerox. And I just don’t think—.

[crosstalk]

CLINTON: No, but, you know, Barack, it is, because if you look—.

(CLIP ENDS)

FEIN: So on that score, I think she had all the earmarks of a loser rather than a winner, and I think that she will be decisively defeated in Texas.

PALEVSKY: Anything else jump out that might foreshadow the general election?

FEIN: I think that what the comments that were made by both candidates on health care, dealing with Castro in Cuba, and the issue of national security indicates that McCain being the Republican nominee, this is going to be one of the clearest campaigns where decisive policy differences will emerge. And to that extent I think this will be a good opportunity for the voters, then, to decide the direction of the country. It’s clear, for example, that McCain will stay in Iraq for a prolonged period. He’s not going to move out. And he’ll be very aggressive, I’m certain, with regard to Cuba. He wouldn’t talk to Castro or anyone else there with a ten-foot pole. And he’ll by very aggressive in Iran. It’s also clear to me that McCain is not going to be promoting a national health insurance plan that will cover everyone, that he’s far more devoted to free-market economics. And it’s clear that Clinton and Obama are the old-time liberals when it comes to the economic issues, whether it’s moratoriums on mortgage foreclosures or more spending to try to revamp the economy, the green economy, if you will—all policies that suggest the government knows better than the private marketplace and we can somehow manipulate supply and demand curves. And the people will be given, I think, a very clear choice which direction they want to go.

DISCLAIMER:

Please note that TRNN transcripts are typed from a recording of the program; The Real News Network cannot guarantee their complete accuracy.

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Bruce Fein is the founder of the American Freedom Agenda. He served in the US Justice Department under President Reagan and has been an adjunct scholar with the American Enterprise Institute, a resident scholar at the Heritage Foundation, a lecturer at the Brookings Institute, and an adjunct professor at George Washington University. He was an advisor to Ron Paul. Bruce is also the author of the book "American Empire: Before the Fall."