To win progressives, Hillary has to dump Bill (OP from USAToday)

From USAToday:

It’s time for Hillary Clinton to do what some wish she had done a long time ago: Ditch Bill. After last night's tussle over who is the real progressive in the Democratic primary, Bernie Sanders or Hillary, a formal separation is more needed than ever. This isn’t about his horrible behavior with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky or any other sex scandals, real or imagined. And I’m not talking about divorce. But if Mrs. Clinton plans to continue touting her progressive bona fides, she must account for her husband’s political legacy — which was far from progressive — and then distance herself from it. Otherwise, she may continue to struggle beating Bernie Sanders in other Democratic primaries and — assuming she’s the nominee — getting her base out to vote in November.

Her first concern should be that the percentage of Democrats who identify as liberal or progressive has been rising. According to a Gallup poll taken last year, nearly half of them do. Hillary Clinton — a candidate who has been cozy with Wall Street and has hawkish tendencies — needs them. She can’t afford to look like a half-hearted, or worse, opportunistic progressive. Let’s take immigration and trade as examples. While Clinton has made comprehensive immigration reform part of her campaign platform, her husband championed trade policies while president that some experts believe have hurt immigrants and U.S. citizens alike.

Hillary's position has been anything but consistent. At times, Hillary has distanced herself from her husband's North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), something she publicly favored previously. She opposed the Colombia Free Trade Agreement before she changed sides and was in favor. And now she has been on both sides of Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP.

And trade and immigration can be two sides of the same coin. The Rev. Dr. Ellin Jimmerson, director of an award-winning immigration documentary titled The Second Cooler, has criticized NAFTA in particular for forcing the “unauthorized migration of poor and indigenous peoples from Latin America to the United States.” Jimmerson argues that NAFTA lifted tariffs against U.S. exports to Mexico while removing protections for Mexican farmers, forcing them and their families into migration just to survive. Meanwhile, the broken U.S. immigration system offers few opportunities for those who are essentially economic refugees.


[link:http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/02/05/hillary-clinton-progressive-bernie-sanders-debate-msnbc-new-hampshire-column/79845012/|