Hillary Clinton made a campaign stop in Oakland on May 6 and a crowd of hundreds came out to see her. Oaklandsocialist went to talk with those who came out there. Clinton’s staffers tried to prevent us from speaking by following behind me and starting a chant of “I support Hillary!” but it didn’t work.
Here is a video of some of what people had to say. I have to apologize for the extremely poor camera work. I got so engrossed in talking with people that I didn’t pay enough attention to the camera.
One thing to note: Several people raised the specter of Donald Trump. “Would you rather have Trump?” many asked. We can see that this will be a theme of the Clinton campaign, and it shows how extremely unpopular even her campaign knows she is. Unlike Obama, neither Clinton nor Trump will be given that “honeymoon” period after they first take office. Obama is a gifted politician who was able to co-opt any protests. Clinton lacks that gift. (As for Trump, he will face a polarized population the second he takes office, if he should win.) Given this, and given that a new economic crisis is likely in the next four years (if not before) and even new (and unpopular wars), a Clinton presidency is likely to be one of the most repressive in many decades.
