Hillary's Mental Health Agenda And Trump
By Thom Hartmann A...
Contrary to what you might think by watching cable news - Hillary Clinton is - in fact - running for president - and she's using the opportunity to put out same very detailed policy proposals.
Last week, for example, she unveiled her mental health agenda.
The purpose of this agenda - according to a statement Clinton released on her campaign's website - is to "finally [put] the treatment of mental health on par with that of physical health".
In order to do this - Clinton wants to:
- promote early diagnosis and intervention
- create a national initiative for suicide prevention
- and integrate our mental and physical healthcare systems.
She also wants to:
- boost community-based treatment
- train police officers in crisis intervention
- and place a greater emphasis on treatment over jail time for non-violent offenders.
Oh yeah - and Clinton ALSO wants to:
- enforce mental health parity "to the fullest extent of the law"
- improve access to housing and job opportunities
- and invest in brain and behavioral research.
Important stuff - but also very, very wonky stuff - which is probably why you didn't hear much about it on mainstream cable news.
CNN - MSNBC and Fox are all Trump all the time - and the traditional networks aren't much better.
There's a very simple reason for this: Trump is easy to cover. Unlike Clinton, he has zero substance whatsoever. I mean, it's not even clear what his stance is on immigration - one of the top two or three issues that helped make his campaign.
But what Trump *IS* good for is drama. He's a reality TV show guy - and he knows how to keep an audience glued. Cable news, of course, is happy to oblige.
Trump is good for ratings and, as I mentioned, much easier content than a wonky discussion of mental health policy.
Now whether or not this symbiosis between his substanceless, shock-driven campaign and the substanceless profit-driven media is actually good for Trump himself is open to debate.
If his slipping poll numbers are any indication - all the overexposure is starting to hurt him.
But it's also hurting Clinton.
All the nonstop coverage of Trump and his craziness takes away from the serious policy plans she's put forward.
Hate her - despise her - or disagree with her - she's at least a serious candidate.
That can't be said for Trump - and the media couldn't be happier.
Comments
#2
There is no substance to any of clintoris' empty promises/lies. I would have voted for her if not for that.
#3
It seems to be the purpose to diminish the female candidate as much as possible. Hillary has been criss-crossing the country but all we hear is that she has not given a press conference in 270 days. Matt Lauer talks over her (how many women can relate to that) and it is the filly against a stallion horse race not a campaign to win the presidency.
#4
The best thing Hillary could do for the mental health of this country is withdraw
from the election.
Even if you think she is less terrible than Trump, can you believe a word out of her
mouth?
ct
#5
The real mental health problem in this country is in Washington. We The People should require that our leaders pass a thorough mental health exam before they can run for office. Washington has so many paranoid-schizophrenics and psychopaths now it's a wonder anything gets done...oh, wait, that's right...nothing is getting done!
#6
The Bern has done a disservice to the Green Party by not endorsing its platform let alone Jill instead of the $hillary and dead-demo's whopping it up to beat Drumpfster, rather much two flips of the oligargic coin it's so disgustingly corrupt baldly for the world to see I cringe and can't believe it.
Worst of all we declare war and air-space supremecy from Syrian dirt supporting the vermin beheading folks along with our allies in Yemen for air-time drama such were the Romans skilled at these public atrocities.
Oh, we bomb hospitals, they're in the way of getting the "terrorists", eh?
How advanced can we get, drones are under precise control, eh?
Wanna' buy an F-35 we have a special going this week only ... step right this way --->>
#7
All I can say about Trump's policy for America is by how he's behaved in the past; not distant past - current past. He stiffs people out of money - people who have worked hard for him (and he's STILL doing it!). He pays his own companies for many of his campaign costs they've billed to him. And he's made and held onto money with which he has enriched himself and his family by buying companies, raping the retirement funds and as many other assets as possible, then files bankruptcy. If given AMERICA to oversee, how many trillions more will he run up here and find ways to enrich himself and his family and their respective companies before he gets his cronies in Congress to authorize the U.S.A. to file for bankruptcy in the World Court?!
#8
Not so "very wonky stuff".....1 The employee free choice act, 2 raise the cap, 3 single payer/public option, 4 end citizens united, 5 end free trade. All of these items are supported by the vast majority, both informed as well as misinformed citizens.
Hillary must win by a landslide, or just like Bush twice, election fraud will put dangerous Donny in charge of the largest military the planet has ever seen. She better become like Bernie very quickly or all is lost.
Everybody missed Trump's flip flop on privatization of the VA...very strange?
#9
The digital voting machines are very easily manipulated at the local level in the battleground states!
#10
Nope, I am afraid you are wrong and, I am happy to say, that Thom is right: "Trump has zero substance." Regarding your retort to this: "This is not completely accurate. Trump's position on immigration is quite clear. He is against illegal immigration." What about the space of time in 1995 when his future wife was busy involved in girl-on-girl frontal nude modeling? She boasted that she always made sure to exit the country to keep her VISA valid. However, this is not necessary with a working VISA, but it is under a travel VISA. So, while spitting vile verbiage about them, he's actually married to one! I call that a man with zero substance and a warped set of morals. And besides, would you actually want that to be First Lady, with such a sorted past? My God, you don't even have to have an imagination.
#11
This is great! I love when the progressive left is finally looking at reality. We are screwed for four years no matter who wins. Both of these offerings suck! HRC is the most arrogant lier ever! Trump is a joke and given the opportunity to be POTUS, he will fail as he does not realize that governing is not like being a CEO of a for profit corporation. The only hope we have is to be sure that the congess and the administration are on opposite sides of the fence. Four years of NOTHING getting done. Then we should fire all 545 humans that control the future of 300,000,000 citizens then start over with rational, intelligent humans. And of course stop the money flow into elections. Like the UK. 6 weeks, all free media, no lobbyists. No Corp Citizens. Just my dream.............!
#12
savvmut - The "that" you are referring to is a human being
Kindly quote your source(s) of information
You could be gossiping!
#13
Of course that's Hilllary's plan.. Just like her stinking Teen Screen.. She wants every single man, woman and child in the world on drugs because she's in bed with the drug industry. My God, Thom. It's so painful and embarrassing hearing you constantly shill for the Clintons. When I read the title of your piece, I thought you were gonna get into Mrs. Clinton's mental health problems. Get a grip, man. Pull yourself together, please.
#14
Savvmut, I don't know about Melania's past visa status. My strong suspicion is that if she was an 'illegal' at some point it would be national headlines coast to coast. As to Melania posing nude I seriously doubt anyone cares. Bill Clinton was elected in the midst of serious allegations from more than one woman that he was a rapist. Be it right or wrong, Americans vote based on issues other than the sex lives of the candidates or their wives.
#15
That's all they ever do is cover her. And Thom is busy shilling for her. The blood is on your hands, Thom. Don't kid yourself for a second thinking you're a progressive, please.
#16
Ps ... And this is important ... Trump is not against immigration. He is against ILLEGAL immigration, and he is against welcoming immigrants who cannot be properly vetted.. Thom should mention that even his precious Denmark does not allow people to sneak into the country and then grant them free health care, education and the ability to work. I suspect Thom would quickly be deported if he took to the airwaves in Denmark and argued for an open border.
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/01/denmark-refugee...
#17
Hilary is a liar and a crook! She has zero credibility. I don't care for Trump either. I say remove Trump and Hilary. Bring in Rubio for the R's and Bernie for D's.
#18
Hope you are keeping fine now.Excellently written article, if only all bloggers offered the same level of content as you, the internet would be a much better place. Really great post, Found this while searching through Google
lose 15 pounds in 2 weeks
Thom's Blog Is On the Move
By webmaster
Hello All
Thom's blog in this space and moving to a new home.
Please follow us across to hartmannreport.com - this will be the only place going forward to read Thom's blog posts and articles.
Images of Thom
From The Thom Hartmann Reader:
"Thom Hartmann is a creative thinker and committed small-d democrat. He has dealt with a wide range of topics throughout his life, and this book provides an excellent cross section. The Thom Hartmann Reader will make people both angry and motivated to act."
From Cracking the Code:
"In Cracking the Code, Thom Hartmann, America’s most popular, informed, and articulate progressive talk show host and political analyst, tells us what makes humans vulnerable to unscrupulous propagandists and what we can do about it. It is essential reading for all Americans who are fed up with right-wing extremists manipulating our minds and politics to promote agendas contrary to our core values and interests."
From The Thom Hartmann Reader:
"Through compelling personal stories, Hartmann presents a dramatic and deeply disturbing picture of humans as a profoundly troubled species. Hope lies in his inspiring vision of our enormous unrealized potential and his description of the path to its realization."
Thom said, "Unlike Clinton, he [Trump] has zero substance whatsoever. I mean, it's not even clear what his stance is on immigration - one of the top two or three issues that helped make his campaign."
This is not completely accurate. Trump's position on immigration is quite clear. He is against illegal immigration. There is some shifting on his position regarding who would be deported and how quickly, but this is just part of his style. He begins all negotiations with a position well beyond where he plans to settle and then lets the other side push him back one point at a time. Remember the New York Times leaked conversation with Trump. He opened the kimono just a bit to them and they burnt him for it.
It is also important to note that he is new to politics. Like it or not, much of America sees this as a good thing. He hasn't yet internalized that saying something preposterous and then starting the negotiation is not historically how things have been done when running for office. I don't think anyone ever actually thought he was really planning on sending trucks door to door to round up illegals and drive them to the border. Similarly, I'd swear that deep down he knows that Mexico won't pay for the wall. But .. if you want to win a negotiation, that's where you start, and then you take what you can get.
Bottom line: Trump's positions are clear. But, deliberately exaggerated. I suspect that as people figure out that he is making broad directional statements, which will later be tempered by reality, they'll come to like him much better.
I see it as a positive. Trump goes into the discussion with a mindset of "here's my goal, and here's my position, now, let's find something in the middle we can live with." Whereas currently what we have are republicans and democrats who draw lines in the sand and won't talk to each other long enough to seek a win-win for all. On those few occasions where someone has tried to reach across the aisle (think Ryan on immigration) they have been vilified by their own party. Washington needs a culture change. I'm betting Trump can change the culture.