Hillary's Tactic in an Early Democratic Debate

A quick follow up to the Democratic debate a couple of nights ago...As is her inclination, Hillary once again used the occasion to mischaracterize Bernie's positions, this time on the issue of the bail out of the auto industry. As George Zornick explains in a recent article in The Nation, Sanders' vote on the allocation of TARP funds, which only partially were to be directed to the auto industry, was motivated by his mistrust regarding the enforcement of measures designed to punish wayward fund managers. In this instance, the bail out of the auto industry was inseparable from the larger issue of the Wall St. relief effort, a proposition that inspired understandable skepticism. What Clinton intentionally neglected to point out was Sanders' wholehearted support of the 2008 bill which provided unambiguous and direct support to the auto industry. This was yet another underhanded attempt to discredit her opponent by deliberately distorting the facts to gain political advantage. She might capture a small, short term benefit from such behavior but the millions of Sanders' supporters, hungry for authenticity and integrity in the political process, will not soon forget her less-than-honorable tactics.