US Opinion and Commentary

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Michelle Obama: This Issue Is Personal for Me

Posted October 11th, 2016 at 9:48 am (UTC-4)
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[W]hen I had the honor of meeting Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head just for trying to go to school, this issue got really personal for me….That’s why I decided to work on global girls’ education as first lady…

The Makeover of Hillary Clinton

Posted July 27th, 2016 at 4:25 pm (UTC-4)
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When you’ve been in the public eye for 25 years and your unfavorable ratings are an average of 17 percentage points higher than your favorable ratings, what do you to try to change things?

Hillary Clinton’s re-branding effort reached its peak Tuesday night with a lineup of speakers who shared personal stories about her impact in their lives.

The most personal came from her husband, former president Bill Clinton. By reflecting on their courtship, parenthood and her commitment to public service, Clinton the former president did his best to humanize Clinton the wannabe president.

While accentuating the positive, he left out the negative challenges the couple faced, which wasn’t lost on the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump.

Trump has his own 17-percentage point deficit in favorability ratings. Who did a better job to close the gap will be played out over the next few weeks.

Democrats Standing United?

Posted July 26th, 2016 at 4:51 pm (UTC-4)
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From the opening gavel through most of the evening, the old Will Rogers trope “I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat” appeared to hold true for the first day of the Democratic National Convention.

Bernie Sanders supporters rained boos upon any speaker who uttered the name Hillary Clinton. They also jeered keynote speaker Elizabeth Warren as a traitor to the progressive cause. Not until first lady Michelle Obama delivered a speech that drew near unanimous acclaim did it appear that there would be any semblance of unity.

Sanders closed Monday evening’s session with a strong endorsement of Clinton, taking most of the air out of the Bernie of Bust movement.

Tuesday’s roll call of states to vote on her historic nomination may be the last chance for Sanders supporters to protest Clinton’s rise to head the Democratic Party. After she wins the nomination, it’s all about Hillary.

Her husband ,former President Bill Clinton takes the stage Tuesday night as well as House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi, both focused on giving the first woman major party presidential nominee a post-convention boost.

Michelle Obama: For girls, a heartbreaking loss — and an opportunity

Posted July 1st, 2016 at 9:27 am (UTC-4)
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Ralphina wakes up early each morning, cooks for her family, cares for her younger siblings, and goes to work at a local market — all before she even gets to school. But she still attends class each day, working especially hard in science and math so she can fulfill her dream of becoming a nurse.