The video changed the entire race. It destroyed Romney's candidacy because it exposed the multi-millionaire as out of touch, arrogant and unsympathetic to the middle class and the poor. If the 47% video never emerged, who knows if Barack Obama gets re-elected. That's how much of a game-changer it was.
Four years later, there's an outside chance that we could see history repeat itself. Except this time, the bombshell secret video will torpedo the would-be Democratic nominee, not Republican.
DUCKING THE ISSUE
Over the past two years, Hillary Clinton has received $2.5 million in paid speeches from Goldman Sachs and other Wall Street firms. In total, Bill and Hillary have made an astounding $125 million from paid speeches since 2001.
When a reporter from The Intercept dared to ask Clinton about the paid speeches, she laughed and turned away.
Because the speeches are made in complete private and are not available to the public, the American people are left to wonder: Why is Hillary so reluctant to talk about them? More closely, what exactly does Clinton say to the oligarchs and plutocrats when she thinks no one is listening?
Maybe this is why: according to Goldman Sachs executives who have attended these $200,000 speeches, Clinton often "reassures" them and "boosts their morale" by repudiating the Occupy Wall Street movement and denouncing Elizabeth Warren-Liberals.
"Ordinarily these masters of the universe might have groaned at the idea of a politician taking the microphone... But Clinton offered a message that the collected plutocrats found reassuring, according to accounts offered by several attendees, declaring that the banker-bashing so popular within both political parties was unproductive and indeed foolish... Certainly, Clinton offered the money men -- and yes, they are mostly men -- at Goldman's HQ a bit of a morale boost... [Clintons's remarks] did register as a repudiation of some of the angry anti-Wall Street rhetoric emanating from liberals rallying behind the likes of Senss. Elizabeth Warren..."
Last week, at a Democratic town hall hosted by CNN, Hillary was asked about her decision to accept $675,000 from Goldman Sachs. "That's what they offered," she replied.
Then, at the last debate before the New Hampshire Primary, Hillary was asked whether she would release the transcripts of her Goldman speeches. Her response? "We'll look into it."
Hillary's ultra-casual handling of the Goldman issue is incredibly symbolic, not only of her closeness to Wall Street but also her cluelessness about what the American people actually think and feel in their heads and in their hearts.
Simply put, Hillary does not understand why this issue is so important to the American people. She is genuinely surprised that her speaking fees are garnering so much attention. This speaks volumes to how out of touch she is with regular Americans.
Nearly a decade ago, the greed and recklessness of Wall Street caused the biggest financial collapse since the Great Depression, costing us millions of jobs and destroying the economic security of countless Americans.
Eight years later, millions of Americans are still hurting. Their lifetime savings are gone. They are working longer hours for lower wages. They see all the new wealth going to the top 1%. They see Wall Street CEOs making ungodly sums of money while the rest of us are struggling to get by.
Now they see Hillary personally profiting off the illegal behavior of Wall Street, getting paid more in one-hour than many of us make in five or six years. These dollars are tainted by greed, yet Hillary accepts them anyway. Then she has the audacity to act like it's no big deal, like regular Americans are stupid for even asking about it. That's what makes it so infuriating and upsetting.
IT'S TIME TO COME CLEAN
It's been confirmed that every one of Hillary's speeches have, in fact, been transcribed. (All of her speaking contracts include a $1,250 fee to pay for the stenographer).
As a result, Hillary can only hide behind the "we'll look into it" cop-out for so long. The transcripts exist. It's up to her whether or not they see the light of day.
This puts Hillary in an exceedingly difficult position. If she fails to release the speeches, it will be widely assumed that they are so politically damaging that she would rather deal with the firestorm of speculation than the fallout of what they actually say.
On the other hand, if she does release them and they show her gushing over Wall Street, bashing Elizabeth Warren and defending the plutocrats who tanked our economy, it will all but destroy her campaign, handing Bernie Sanders not only the nomination, but likely the White House as well.
I don't envy Hillary's position. In many ways it's a lose-lose. She made a deal with the devil after leaving the State Department. Yes, the speeches made her rich. But now she is forced to deal with the radioactive fallout that surrounds them.
If I were Hillary, I would release the speeches. If they incriminate her as an out of touch, Wall Street-loving elitist, I would publicly apologize and return the money to Goldman Sachs. This is the only way for her to put the issue to bed and regain the trust of regular Americans.
Or she can continue to obfuscate and risk the emergence of a 47%-type video showing her bowing down to Wall Street executives in the cozy confines of Manhattan boardroom.
The first option could very well save her campaign. The second option would end up destroying her candidacy entirely.
The choice is hers.
