Only one of the presumptive presidential candidates for 2016 has visited troubled Ferguson, Missouri, and is addressing issues of race and police militarization — Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul, says liberal columnist H.A. Goodman.
Goodman said he is now questioning Hillary Clinton's sincerity.
"Simply expecting Hillary Clinton to defend the interests of African-Americans, when Rand Paul is addressing issues like reforming criminal justice with Sen. Cory Booker and visiting a polarizing spot like Ferguson, is something that should be noticed, not simply dismissed as publicity stunts," Goodman writes in a column in
The Huffington Post on Monday.
And even before Clinton pushes toward the Democratic nomination, said Goodman, it "isn't sacrilege" to question her motives, as she and nearly $329 million that has been raised since 1999 moves toward the 2016 elections.
Issues such as marriage equality and the legalization of marijuana would have moved more quickly had Clinton used her political pull to work on them earlier, said Goodman.
He says her tendency to "evolve" on controversial issues that are popular among liberals smacks of "political expediency," and Paul's actions "speak louder than any assumption that Clinton is automatically a better choice on civil rights."
Clinton has not visited Ferguson, and it took her 19 days to issue her first statement, said Goodman, and she continues to decline requests for comments on the shooting of Michael Brown and the violence that has erupted as a result.
"I think it's fair to ask if Hillary is taking the same approach she initially took on gay marriage with the issues surrounding Ferguson," he said.
Meanwhile Paul's words and actions on race, Brown's shooting, and the militarization of the police "speak volumes," Goodman said, citing a
Time op-ed piece that the Kentucky senator wrote about the issues.
In the piece, Paul wrote that as a teenager, he "might have smarted off, but I wouldn't have expected to be shot." Goodman called those "poignant words" that "Clinton would never have touched in a million years, even with a 100-foot pole."
And Goodman dismissed claims that Paul is trying to attract the African-American vote, saying that even if he is, Clinton should do the same "instead of expecting 93 percent of the black vote," as "politicians taking a voting block for granted is dangerous and doesn't help anyone."
Goodman said he also respects Paul's decision to meet with the Rev. Al Sharpton on criminal justice and the mandatory sentencing law Paul and New Jersey Democratic Sen. Booker are planning.
Paul is also speaking about ending prolonged wars in the Middle East and curtailing domestic spying, notes Goodman.
"If Hillary Clinton had championed issues that directly correlate to presidential authority, like ending perpetual wars or curtailing domestic spying, I probably wouldn't be considering Rand Paul in 2016," he writes.
"Then again, had she visited Ferguson, she would have potentially alienated possible swing voters in 2016, so, like gay marriage, Clinton has placed calculated strategy above bold stances."