Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Democrats cannot afford to be civil towards Republicans until they are back in power. The former Secretary of State made the comments in an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.
Amanpour asked Clinton about the calls for civility to return to our political process. She responded that she would “love to see us return to civility,” but that it is not possible with “the Republican Party that exists today.”
Clinton listed a litany of offenses that she believes the GOP has committed which make civility difficult. She referred to their treatment of Merrick Garland, replying “I think they did” when asked if the GOP “stole a Supreme Court justice from the Democratic Party.” She claimed that “Republican operatives” shut down voting early in Florida in 2000, referred to the “swift-boating” of John Kerry in 2004, stated that the GOP mistreated John McCain in 2000, and referenced the way Republicans have treated her “for 25 years.”
Clinton told Amanpour that civility cannot return until the Democrats have more political power. She said, “You cannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for,” adding, “If we are fortunate enough to win back the house and/or the Senate, that’s when civility can start again.” She claimed this is true because “the only thing the Republicans recognize or understand is strength.”
Clinton argued that the public needs to know “more facts about the Republicans.” She elaborated on this point by saying there was an “accumulation of facts” which showed that President Trump and his father manipulated their businesses and violated the spirit of our nation’s tax laws. She also accused President Trump of having done business with the mafia and being “indebted to the Russians.”
Former Attorney General Eric Holder also said civility was off the table in our current political climate. Speaking at an event to support Georgia Gubernatorial Candidate Stacey Abrams, he referenced Michelle Obama’s famous saying “When they go low, we go high.” Holder then wagged his finger saying, “No, no.” Then he told the audience, “When they go low, we kick ‘em.” The audience responded with laughter, applause and a short chant of “Fight, fight.”
Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) dismissed Clinton’s comments, telling CNN’s Anderson Cooper that they were “ridiculous.” She said, “I can't imagine how you get anything done if you don't bring civility back into politics, and that goes for both sides."
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