One the leading Republican women in Congress says Hillary Clinton’s record shows the former Secretary of State is not a champion of women’s issues and her indifference to women’s equality around the world and in her own office adds to Clinton’s trust deficit with all voters.
“There’s a lot of disparity in what she says and what she actually does,” said Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. “I think people want representatives that are going to be genuine and honest and they’re not seeing that play out with the Clintons.”
According to Blackburn, this week is indicative of what the country would get with Mrs. Clinton in the White House. Multiple allegations have surfaced in the forthcoming book “Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich” by Peter Schweizer. The most explosive accusation to date is that Clinton’s State Department approved the U.S. ceding 20 percent of its uranium reserves to Russia after a key player in the deal made a $2.35 million donation to the Clinton Foundation.
“One of the things that it speaks to is the crony capitalism that they practice and it also points at how this has made our world less safe,” said Blackburn. “That is one of the things that concerns women the most is the security issues, whether it’s national security, job security (or) retirement security.”
While the Clinton campaign and the national media are focusing on the potential of Clinton to be the first female president, Blackburn says both women and men are plenty weary of the Clintons.
“The American people have great muscle memory when it comes to the Clintons. Her actions and the revelations are reminding the people why they did not like having Bill and Hillary Clinton in the White House,” said Blackburn.
“The actions of crony capitalism, the lack of attention to security, the lack of attention to security of employees of the State Department has caused those issues to resurface and to be front and center. It’s a problem for Hillary Clinton,” said Blackburn.
Blackburn is even challenging the very thesis of Clinton’s campaign.
In her tour of Iowa, Clinton repeatedly said her candidacy was a result of her lifelong commitment to fighting for women and families. The congressman says Clinton’s record as Secretary of State tells a very different story when it comes to fighting for oppressed women around the world.
“She does not have a record of making this a priority issue. When you look at the practices of some of these nations against women, the lack of freedom that they have and the abuse that some women suffer. Hillary did not take that opportunity when she was given the opportunity to address those issues,” said Blackburn.
“She flew a lot of miles and she visited a lot of countries, but she did not address those issues,” she said.
Blackburn says Clinton’s lack of action on this issue is evident in another black eye for the Clinton Foundation.
“The Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation has accepted money from countries that do not honor the rights of women,” she said.
Diplomacy can be a delicate game. Saudi Arabia, for example, has a very poor track record on women’s rights but is a strategic partner of the U.S. in terms of oil and in trying to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Nonetheless, Blackburn says there are a number of things Clinton could have done to show the issue was a priority in our dealings with Iraq.
“Number one would have been to continue the outreach that the State Department started after the Gulf War,” she said.
Blackburn herself traveled to Mosul in 2003 to promote educational opportunities for women and to encourage women and girls to take advantage of schooling.
“Wouldn’t it have been great for Hillary to have made that a priority. Also, pushing forward having women elected into their parliament and bringing those opportunities forward for those women. Those are things she could have done, ought to have done but chose not to do,” said Blackburn.
In contrast to the concerns of women around the world, Blackburn says Hillary also neglected to act to help the women who surrounded her on a daily basis. Far from the equal pay demands that Clinton champions on the campaign trail, Blackburn says the secretary’s track record is pretty dismal.
“When you look at positions, males and females in the same job, that have been in her employ in the Senate and in the State Department, the females with the same qualifications at the same grade level were lower in that range than the men,” she said.
One advantage Clinton may have in her campaign is the allegation that criticisms against her from male candidates constitute a form of sexism and that a female candidate like Carly Fiorina may be the only one who can attack Clinton with full force.
Blackburn disagrees. She says Clinton is fair game for everyone, but urges all GOP hopefuls to stick to the facts.
“Instead of personalizing it, you look at her record. We’ve talked about her record at the State Department. We’ve talked about her record as a U.S. senator. What did she accomplish? She was a big earmarker for the state of New York. So her record is all you need to talk about,” said Blackburn.
Blackburn has not endorsed any Republican candidate for president and says it is unlikely she will do so prior to the nominee being determined. However, she is excited about the GOP field and what the candidates bring to the race.
“We’ve got a deep bench and a lot of great candidates that are out there. The fact that we do have thinkers out there from every different corner of our party shows the Republican Party is a big tent,” said Blackburn.
“We are going to be focused on the security issues. We fully realize that the American people are saying, ‘Look, the campaign is not about the candidates. It is about us, the individuals, the American people,” she said.
