Daily Clips: November 16th, 2015
Democrats need to learn to defend Obama’s record on foreign policy: If you watched Saturday night’s debate, you would have seen the Democratic candidates uncomfortably defend the status quo in the Middle East. It felt awkward and half-hearted.
Matthew Ygelsias provides a useful narrative for Democrats to champion Obama’s foreign policy going forward:
…But then again, the Middle East was a violent and chaotic place when Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush were in office. Obama has not managed to solve the problems of the region, but he has defended America’s core interests — including, crucially, the absence of terrorist attacks at home — without incurring the thousands of American military casualties than we saw under his predecessor. It is, all things considered, a pretty good record.
Across the country, voters want to limit money’s control of politics: Americans are demanding new solutions “to the age-old problem of money in politics.” From Seattle to Maine, Americans are trying to ameliorate this situation and “piece by piece and city by city, we’re strengthening the levees of our democracy. From city halls to the Capitol, we are working on adopting innovative approaches to give all Americans the ability to be heard. The returns from Maine and Seattle suggest there is common ground and voters are ready to act. Left, right and center, everyone has had enough of politics that serves only the interests of big political donors.”
Obama says no to ground troops: “It is not just my view, but the view of my closest military and civilian advisers, that that would be a mistake,” Obama said of putting boots on the ground. “A strategy has to be one that can be sustained,” the president added.
Growing number of states refuse to accept Syrian refugees: Michigan, Alabama, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, and Indiana have all refused the relocation of refugees after the Paris attacks.
