PRESS RELEASE
September 7, 2016
Competent Leadership on a World Stage
FRESNO—Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Kaine’s recent speech in Wilmington, N.C., made the case that Hillary Clinton is the only presidential candidate with the experience and temperament to be Commander-in-Chief of the United States. During her tenure as Secretary of State, Clinton built an unprecedented international coalition for sanctions against Iran and then negotiated the landmark deal to keep nuclear weapons out of Iran’s hands once those sanctions succeeded in getting the regime to the table.
Clinton also battled with Russian politicians to hammer out the 2010 nuclear arms reduction treaty, New START, that cut the number of nuclear missile launchers in half. Since then, Clinton has been a vocal critic of Russia’s military action against Ukraine and its intervention in Syria, which has focused more on destroying the political enemies of the dictator, Bashar al-Assad, than on destroying ISIS.
Donald Trump’s relationship with Russia seems considerably chummier in comparison. For three decades, Trump’s businesses have pursued deals with Russian officials, oligarchs and developers with deep ties to the Russian state. A Putin associate once paid Trump millions to consider moving his Miss Universe beauty pageant to Russia.
Because Trump refuses to release his tax records, it is difficult to say what economic ties he currently has, so we must look at his campaign’s message to predict what he would do. The man who until a few weeks ago was Trump’s chief campaign manager, Paul Manafort, resigned after allegations of corruption, illegal payments and financial ties to Kremlin-supported officials. Trump himself, in addition to jokingly encouraging Russia to hack more U.S. government targets, has denied the existence of the Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine that followed Russian’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
“The world stage is a treacherous place these days, with many intricacies and subtleties that Donald Trump simply cannot comprehend much less digest,” says Michael D. Evans, chair of the Fresno County Democratic Party. “For the United States to have a responsible role globally, we need leadership that is respected both at home and abroad.”
The Fresno County Democratic Party is united behind Hillary Clinton for President. The official Coordinated Campaign headquarters is at 1035 U Street in downtown Fresno. To volunteer or for more information, contact 559-495-0606 or fresnocountydemocrats@yahoo.com.
