Friday, February 29, 2008
Dear Friend,
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I think everyone knows how important the races we face on March 4 are. But there's one thing you need to know: I am relying on you to win.
You are my best supporters, and over the past weeks you have made this campaign your own. Now with just a few days to go before the critical March 4 contests, I have to ask you to act one more time -- because you can make a difference on Tuesday.
We are making our final push in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont and we need you to reach deep and make a contribution to my campaign today.
Just imagine if 30,000 online supporters like you each make a contribution to our campaign in the next 48 hours. That will send a message that voters in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont will hear loud and clear.
Contribute now to win big on March 4.
I'm campaigning nonstop between now and Tuesday. You and I know what is at stake -- our ability to stand up and fight for the values we believe in.
We've defied expectations before. We've won when they counted us out. Together we can win big on March 4 and keep on winning until we are in the White House.
But it all comes down to what we do today. If 30,000 of you make your voice heard with a contribution of any size in the next 48 hours, you will be speaking loud and clear with one voice -- a voice that no one will be able to ignore.
Contribute now to win in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
You have sacrificed and spoken out, given your time and money so that we can win. But I have never needed you like I do today, and I hope that you will be there for me.
Thank you so much for everything that you do.
Sincerely,
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Clinton announces plan to reduce child poverty
HANGING ROCK, Ohio -- White House hopeful Hillary Clinton may be down but she’s definitely not out -- particularly when it comes to money for television commercials.
That’s the message her campaign officials sent today as they announced the New York senator raised $35 million in February, more than double her previous highest monthly total.
“We have the resources to play in the big states coming up,” National Campaign Chairman Terry McAuliffe said in a conference call with reporters.
“She’s not going anywhere but Denver,” added top advisor Harold Ickes, referring to this summer’s Democratic National Convention.
The announcement came as Clinton chose a small gymnasium in this tiny town across the Ohio River from Kentucky to spotlight her plan to reduce child poverty.
An estimated 12.9 million American children live in poverty, five million of them in extreme poverty, she said today.
If elected president, she said she would start a $1 billion Child Opportunity Fund to help local children’s programs; expand free school breakfast and summer lunch programs for students; ban junk-food in schools; fund nurse visits for at-risk new mothers; fund universal pre-K and Head Start programs; raise the minimum wage; and improve collection of child support payments.
“I have spent a lifetime working to help children,” Clinton said, saying Ohio women have thanked her for legislation she worked on that “has led to doubling the number of adoptions in Ohio,” she said.
Clinton has been touring rural and small-town southeastern Ohio trying to shore up her most reliable fan base in this election -– blue-collar and low-income white voters.
She is speaking to them about unfair trade practices by China and other countries which she links to the loss of jobs in this region.
Ohio has the ninth highest rate of home foreclosures in the nation, and she promises if elected president to seek a five-month freeze on foreclosures and a five-year freeze on mortgage interest rate hikes.
Clinton racks up cash record as Bloomberg rules out run
WASHINGTON (AFP) — Hillary Clinton's White House campaign raised 35 million dollars in February, aides said Thursday, but rival Barack Obama was expected to shatter that total with his own record-breaking number.
Advisors to the former first lady said the torrent of money flooding into campaign coffers left her well positioned to take on her Democratic adversary in make-or-break nominating contests next Tuesday in Ohio and Texas.
The billionaire mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, could have brought his own deep pockets into the presidential campaign but on Thursday he ruled out an independent challenge to the Republican-Democratic duopoly.
"I am not -- and will not be -- a candidate for president," Bloomberg, 66, wrote in The New York Times.
The former media mogul said he stood ready to back the presidential candidate who can offer independent leadership to heal the nation's political wounds -- but did not specify who that might be.
Rubin: On foreign policy, Clinton has edge on Obama and McCain
The Bush administration's errors and arrogance have severely undercut U.S. influence abroad and provoked a level of anti-Americanism, even in allied countries, that I've never seen before. Such sentiments help mobilize jihadi recruits.
Such a dismal Bush legacy will require the next president to make crucial foreign-policy decisions from the get-go. So experience will matter.
But in these extraordinary times, other qualities also will be key. The next president must possess the long-term vision to grasp how the world has changed and what must be done to restore the country's global standing. This will require a sharp adjustment to U.S. military and diplomatic approaches to the Middle East. It also will require a leader who can project a fresh image of the United States.
Did media move Clinton from front-runner to underdog?
Are media outlets biased against Sen. Hillary Clinton because of her gender? It's an open question and one I'm not prepared to answer. But Tuesday night's debate in Cleveland certainly blew open some angles for examination.
First, there's the time question: Who got more of it? According to The New York Times Web site's Democratic debate analysis page, Clinton spoke for 30:43 while Sen. Barack Obama spoke for 38:17 (the moderators spoke for 16 minutes). So Obama was allowed some 25 percent more critical time on-camera.
Then there's the question of how much file video was used of each candidate -- or, more specifically, against each candidate. For Clinton, the tally was 56 seconds; for Obama, it was 22. Each was asked to explain past statements he or she had made after being confronted with videotaped proof of the claims.
For Clinton, NBC moderators launched the debate by showing two contrasting clips. In the first, she was being exceedingly gracious toward Obama. In the second, she was ripping into him in a speech before an audience of her supporters, for misrepresenting her health care plan in mailings to Ohio voters. The question: Which one represented her true feelings about Obama? She reacted mainly with aplomb to the unanticipated question. There was perhaps a glint of surprise in her eyes while she explained she made the comments during two different periods of the campaign. Her reaction changed, she said in essence, as events changed.
Obama was asked later in the debate to explain criticisms he leveled against Clinton for casting herself as "co-president" with her husband, while dodging blame for President Clinton's unpopular decisions, such as support for the North American Free Trade Agreement. It is a question he's been asked before.
The Clinton video and questions certainly had a much more obvious element of surprise or "gotcha." The moderators could have posed tougher questions to Obama, but for whatever reason chose not to do so. One example: why he took credit while campaigning in Iowa for passing an anti-nuclear bill that never passed the U.S. Senate.
The opening video clip question to Clinton was followed up by asking her why a right-wing Web site that day had posted a picture of Obama dressed in African garb. The Web site claimed it obtained the picture from the Clinton campaign. Again, an element of surprise. She said she had no knowledge it came from her campaign.
The tough questions for Obama centered on praise he has received again and again from controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. Obama repeatedly has denounced Farrakhan's support, so it was not a question by which the moderators reasonably could have assumed he would be surprised. Obama also was allowed in response to go on and on extolling the virtues of the Jewish community and its support for his campaign.
I'm not prepared to take a stand on whether the two senators were treated similarly or dissimilarly. It's clear that Obama could cite examples of where he feels he was treated unfairly. But one has to wonder how big a factor gender bias is in Clinton's move from front-runner to underdog. Of course she entered the race with so much baggage, historians could spend centuries researching the issue without finding an answer.
A high-level Democratic strategist told me months ago that internal polls showed some groups of American voters were more likely to vote for an African-American man than a woman of any color. And one webzine this week ran an article likening the Obama-McCain race that now seems all but inevitable, to cop flicks that team a white man and a black man together to overcome a woman.
I was in the U.S. Capitol last week and noticed two portraits side by side. One was of Joseph Rainey of South Carolina, who in 1870 became the first directly elected black member of the House of Representatives. The other was of Jeannette Rankin of Montana, the first woman elected to the House, in 1917. That's a 47-year gap. How prescient, I thought, that history appears to be repeating itself.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
McCain Attacks Obama's Naivete
WASHINGTON (AFP) — Portents of a White House match-up between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama suggest that McCain sees national security and Iraq as his strongest cards in the general election.
But the indications are that Obama, 46, will portray the Arizona senator as a bellicose figure out of touch with the yearning of many Americans to exit what the Democrats call a disastrous adventure.
McCain, 71, on Wednesday issued a toughly worded statement accusing Obama of replacing his signature appeal for "the audacity of hope" with "the timidity of despair" when it comes to Iraq.
The Vietnam War hero lashed out after Obama, at a debate with his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in Ohio, reserved the right to re-enter Iraq after a withdrawal of US forces to hunt down Al-Qaeda militants.
HILLARY SPEAKS FOR ME!
Click here to visit Hillary's Web Site jam-packed with videos made by you, her supporters!
Clinton Unveils List of Flag Officers Endorsing Her for President
Hillary Clinton will set out her approach to American foreign policy in the 21st Century in a speech at George Washington University today. Joining her will be a group of senior retired military and defense officials who have endorsed her to be this nation’s next Commander-in-Chief. They are: General Wesley Clark, Lt. General Joe Ballard, Major General Antonio M. Taguba, Rear Admiral David Stone, Brigadier General John M. Watkins, Jr. and former Secretary of the Army Togo West. Generals Taguba and Watkins will formally announce their endorsement of Senator Clinton today.
Many of our nation’s most distinguished military officers stand proudly with Hillary Clinton because they believe that she has the strength, experience and leadership necessary to be President and Commander-in-Chief. They include three four-star generals, a former chairman and vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and many other Americans who have served their country with honor and distinction.
In addition to the endorsements of Generals Taguba and Watkins, Senator Clinton is proud to announce the endorsement today of Admiral William Owens (Ret.).
Admiral Owens served with distinction for more than 30 years in the Navy, rising to become Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation’s second highest ranking military officer.
Major General Taguba served his country with distinction for 34 years, retiring from the Army in 2007. The son of a Filipino-American who survived the 1942 Bataan Death March, General Taguba led the Army’s investigation into prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib in 2004.
Brigadier General John M. Watkins, Jr. served nearly 30 years in the Army and completed his military career as the Chief Operations Officer/Deputy Director of the Defense Information Systems Agency.
Admiral Owens, General Taguba, and General Watkins are among 27 flag-rank military officers who have endorsed Senator Clinton to be our nation’s next Commander-in-Chief. They join more than 2,000 veterans and military retirees who are members of Senator Clinton's national and state veterans’ steering committees.
Flag Officers Endorsing Hillary Clinton for President and Commander-in-Chief
- General Wesley Clark
- General John M. Shalikashvili
- General Johnnie E. Wilson
- Admiral William Owens
- Lt. Gen. Joe Ballard
- Lt. Gen. Robert Gard
- Lt. Gen. Claudia J. Kennedy
- Lt. Gen. Donald L. Kerrick
- Lt. Gen. Frederick E. Vollrath
- Vice Admiral Joseph A. Sestak
- Major General Roger R. Blunt
- Major General George A. Buskirk, Jr.
- Major General Edward L. Correa, Jr.
- Major General Paul D. Eaton
- Major General Paul D. Monroe, Jr.
- Major General Antonio M. Taguba
- Rear Admiral Connie Mariano
- Rear Admiral Alan M. Steinman
- Rear Admiral David Stone
- Brigadier General Michael Dunn
- Brigadier General Belisario Flores
- Brigadier General Evelyn "Pat" Foote
- Brigadier General Keith H. Kerr
- Brigadier General Virgil A. Richard
- Brigadier General Preston Taylor
- Brigadier General John M. Watkins, Jr.
- Brigadier General Jack Yeager
At summit, Hillary Rodham Clinton details plans to aid economy
ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday held an economic summit and discussed her plans to fix the home foreclosure crisis, reinvest in a sagging manufacturing sector and help students pay for college. The roundtable, with 15 panelists and an audience of 300, kicked off the Democratic candidate's two-day tour of Appalachian Ohio. Mrs. Clinton promised to close tax loopholes that benefit companies moving jobs overseas, reinvest in the manufacturing sector, put a moratorium on home foreclosures, and create 5 million "green collar" jobs in the clean energy industry. "I think we've got some great opportunities here. We hear a lot about the problems and they are serious, but I believe for every problem there is at least one solution," Mrs. Clinton said. "We just have to start acting like Americans again, and roll up our sleeves and actually solve our problems. No more whining, no more finger pointing. Let's get to work." Mrs. Clinton assembled plenty of horse power for the Zanesville summit: two governors, two lieutenant governors, former U.S. Sen. John Glenn, labor leaders and business executives, as well as Robert Landry and Beth Dlabay of Dayton, who lost their home to foreclosure on Christmas Eve.
Neil Cavuto: It's Not Over for Hillary
Just today I think I've read no less than half a dozen stories depicting how Hillary Clinton has lost the Democratic nomination. That if she can't win Texas and Ohio, she's finished. Another commentator insists that won't be enough. She's got to win them big. And I'm thinking to myself, "Self, she trails Barack Obama by what? Not even a hundred delegates?" Both are essentially tied, both a little more than half way there. Look, I'm not taking sides in this race. I'm just looking at the numbers in this race. Let's say, indeed, Hillary doesn't win both Texas and Ohio. She loses Texas, but wins Ohio. Let's also say Vermont and Rhode Island are similarly split that day. By my math, they come out still roughly the same 100 delegates apart. Perhaps Obama adds to that by picking up wins in the weeks that follow in Wyoming and Mississippi. But let's say, Hillary Clinton still keeps her big-state advantage, and takes Pennsylvania on April 22 and picks up Oregon, where she's also been polling well, the next month. Then we're back to where we are and neither candidate at the magic 2025 delegates needed for the nomination. I don't think any of these are crazy scenarios, actually quite conservative ones. I guess momentum could change things. But many a pundit's been burned on this momentum thing — it was supposed to help Obama in New Hampshire after Iowa and it didn't — and help Mitt Romney in Florida after Michigan and it didn't do that either. All I'm saying is it isn't over. A pundit didn't tell me that. The numbers did.
The Champion for the Middle Class - Boston Globe
ZANESVILLE, Ohio -- In last night's debate, Hillary Clinton sought to emphasize her fitness to be commander-in-chief, but today in Ohio she is campaigning for a different job: champion-in-chief for the working class.
Knowing that blue-collar workers in this blue-collar state are key to her survival as a presidential candidate, Clinton is trying to demonstrate her mastery of the economy, economic development, and job creation as she stumps across Ohio ahead of Tuesday's primary here.
Hosting an economic summit in Eastern Ohio, she showed off her technocratic side -- talking about Denmark's windmills, Germany's successes with solar power, the $12,000 per year the average family pays for a health care policy, and the particulars of the mortgage crisis.
"It's time that we had a president who's going to be a fighter and a champion for our people again," Clinton said, adding that she will get up every day in the White House and ask, "What are we going to do today to improve the lives of hard-working Americans?"
Not coincidentally, there was also a whiff of protectionism in the air here at Ohio University Zanesville as Clinton, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, and a host of other political and business leaders held a pow-wow to promote Clinton's candidacy.
Clinton vowed to "close every tax loophole that gives one penny of your tax dollars to any company that exports jobs." At least two of the panelists said it was critical that people buy products made in the United States. "If we cannot buy American, fix America first, there's something wrong," said Gary Dwyer, secretary-treasurer for the Ohio State Building and Construction Trades Council. Clinton replied, "You're absolutely right we have to create a new ethic."
With Clinton and Barack Obama expressing deep concern about trade deals and the consequences of globalization, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez told officials and business leaders in Mexico today that enacting protectionist trade policies would be severely damaging at home and abroad. "Protectionist policies would be devastating for our economy and to economies around the world," he said, according to Reuters.Wednesday, February 27, 2008
An Open Letter from William Jefferson Clinton
Dear Friend,
This is a hard-fought campaign. You and I both know it. And now the Obama campaign has upped the stakes again.
In just 24 hours, you closed the $1.3 million advertising gap with Obama this week. In response, their campaign has bought another $1.9 million worth of airtime.
For Hillary to win on March 4, we must close this gap -- and we have to do it quickly. We cannot let this race be decided by Obama's spending advantage on the air.
Help Hillary make up the $1.9 million spending gap in 24 hours with your contribution today.
The ads we put on the air matter. The number of phone calls we make matters. The rides we give to the polls matter. And most important of all, what you do right now matters.
We have the best candidate with the best ideas -- and she's a fighter. She's knows that you are standing with her every step of the way.
So let's show the Obama campaign that they can't win this race just by throwing more money at it.
Let's match that $1.9 million ad buy of his and make sure this is a race of ideas, because that's a race that we know Hillary will win.
Contribute now to help us raise $1.9 million in 24 hours.
You've shown Hillary that you are there for her when she needs you, and it means so much to the both of us. Thank you for all you do.
Sincerely,
Bill Clinton
Ohio for Hillary Announces Statewide Endorsements
Support Grows Among Community Leaders as Ohio Primary Approaches
Columbus, OH - Ohio for Hillary today welcomed the endorsements of three community leaders and elected officials from across Ohio. As the March 4 primary approaches, Hillary’s support continues to grow among community leaders, adding to her momentum in the Buckeye State.
"I am enormously grateful for the support of these three leaders," said Senator Clinton. "Their dedication to their communities and to Ohio is the kind of leadership we need to move this country in the right direction. I look forward to partnering with them so we can bring about the changes that Ohioans want."
Elected officials joining the growing list of distinguished Ohio leaders who have endorsed Hillary for President include:
- State Representative Peter S. Ujvagi
- State Representative Lorraine Fende
- Shelby City Councilman Adam Hill
Hillary's Reviews Are In: 'A Strong New Note,' 'Effective Tone,' 'A Solid Body Blow'
NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell –Hillary ‘came across very credibly, very strongly as a fighter.’ [MSNBC post-debate analysis, 2/26/08]
NBC News’ Domenico Montaro – ‘That was a solid body blow by Clinton on Obama not holding a single hearing on Afghanistan.’ “That was a solid body blow by Clinton on Obama not holding a single hearing on Afghanistan despite that he talks about it being the front line on terrorism and that he chairs the subcommittee on Europe, which oversees NATO. While Obama's explanation may be realistic -- that he became chair at the beginning of his campaign -- doesn't it reinforce Hillary and Bill Clinton's points that he is inexperienced, that he has only been in the Senate for a limited time and hasn't cut his teeth yet. Doesn't that play right into the inexperience narrative quite well?” [MSNBC First Read, 2/26/08]
ABC News’ Rick Klein – ‘It does seem like Clinton has settled on an effective tone this evening.’ “That silly distraction of an SNL reference aside -- it does seem like Clinton has settled on an effective tone this evening. She's mixing substance with style, attacking without seeming overtly negative, sounding like she's playing defense when she's really playing offense.” [ABC News Political Radar, 2/26/08]
The Swamp's Jason George – 'Clinton strikes a new strong note, saying she plans to get $55 billion back from special interest groups for the American middle class.' [Chicago Tribune’s The Swamp, 2/26/08]
NBC News’ David Gregory said Hillary’s ‘answer on having to be a fighter on health care is her strong suit.’ “Senator Clinton the fighter. This answer on having to be a fighter on health care is her strong suit. Her point in lampooning Obama's high-flying oratory is to say, I, too, had only the highest ideals about public service in Washington. But I know through experience, you need different tactics. This is her experience argument.” [MSNBC First Read, 2/26/08]
MyDD’s Todd Beeton – Hillary’s ‘I’m a fighter’ line was ‘one of her best selling points.’ "Hillary Clinton: "I'm a fighter." One of her best selling points, especially against Obama." [MyDD.com, 2/26/08]
Ohio Daily Blog – ‘Clinton did well with Russert's question about her 2000 pledge about creating jobs in Buffalo.’ [Ohio Daily Blog, 2/26/08]
WCPO Radio’s Dan Walthrip – ‘Hillary Clinton certainly claimed ownership of the word 'universal' in terms of healthcare.’ [WKYC post-debate analysis, 2/26/08]
Hillary Questions Unfair Debate Questioning
On national television Tuesday night, Hillary Clinton seemed to wonder if she's being picked on -- by debate questioners.
And, in an offbeat moment sure to be replayed, she went on to refer to a skit on "Saturday Night Live" that (no doubt to the show's supreme delight) her campaign aides have previously sought to spotlight.
Clinton squared off with Barack Obama in Ohio and the two Democratic presidential contenders quickly engaged in a lengthy debate on their healthcare plans (16 minutes, according to moderator Brian Williams). Neither gave an inch -- each insisting their respective plans were superior and that a panoply of experts agreed. Presumably, it now will be up to voters in Ohio and Texas to vet this dispute in their closely watched primaries next Tuesday.
Clinton was asked to comment first on the issue, given that she harshly accused Obama over the weekend of unfairly representing her healthcare plan.
Turning to their next major dispute of late -- the North American Free Trade Agreement -- Clinton again was asked to comment first, given that during the early 1990s she seemed to stand foursquare behind her husband, President Bill Clinton, as he pushed the controversial pact through Congress.
Before focusing on the topic, she said she found it "curious" ...
that, according to her, at the "last several debates" she seemed to be targeted for the first question.
We can't recall if she's right about that. But we're pretty sure the matter will have been thoroughly vetted by morning. It also will be interesting to see if Clinton will be seen as standing up for herself or acting a bit petulant.
It all might have been mainly a ruse to work in that reference to the SNL spoof that showed Obama being fawned over by media types. Here was the entire Clinton remark, when the NAFTA query was kicked her way:
"Well, could I just point out that, in the last several debates, I seem to get the first question all the time. And I don't mind. You know, I'll be happy to field them, but I do find it curious. And if anybody saw 'Saturday Night Live,' you know, maybe we should ask Barack if he's comfortable and needs another pillow."
LA Times: Obama Fumbles on Farrakhan Question
Obama's Farrakhan answer gives Clinton an opening
When you've debated as often as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have, it's hard to find fresh material to spar over. But -- who knew? -- Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan provided such fodder Tuesday night. And the result may have been some crucial points scored by Clinton in their face-off in Ohio.
At the least, Obama appeared to dance around how far he should distance himself from the unsolicited backing he received over the weekend from Farrakhan until Clinton cornered him. At that point, he both denounced AND rejected that support.
Obama had been asked a straightforward question by moderator Tim Russert: Did he accept Farrakhan's support.
The following exchange occurred:
Obama: "You know, I have been very clear in my denunciation of Minister Farrakhan's anti-Semitic comments. I think they are unacceptable and reprehensible. I did not solicit this support. He expressed pride in an African American who seems to be bringing the country together. I obviously can't censor him, but it is not support that I sought. And we're not doing anything, I assure you, formally or informally with Minister Farrakhan.
Russert: "Do you reject his support?"
Obama: "Well, Tim, I can't say to somebody that he can't say that he thinks I'm a good guy."
True enough, but probably ...
not the answer most Jewish Americans wanted to hear. As a result, Obama risked creating the perception for some that he might be somewhat reluctant to completely throw overboard a controversial leader who is not without some stroke within the black community (witness the 1995 Million Man March).
Clinton clearly saw it that way, and sought to put Obama on the spot. She interjected that, during her initial Senate run in 2000, she was endorsed by a splinter party in New York that "was under the control of people who were anti-Semitic, anti-Israel. And I made it very clear that I did not want their support. I rejected it. ... And there's a difference between denouncing and rejecting."
Obama responded: "I have to say I don't see a difference between denouncing and rejecting."
He needs to check a dictionary on that.
Then he decided to yield the point: "But if the word 'reject' Sen. Clinton feels is stronger than the word 'denounce,' then I'm happy to concede the point, and I would reject and denounce."
He could have saved himself some potential grief if he had been less circular arriving at that point.
Clinton links Obama, Bush foreign experience
WASHINGTON - It may well be the biggest insult one Democratic presidential candidate can hurl at another -- that your opponent is no more competent than George W. Bush.
Senator Hillary Clinton argued yesterday that rival Barack Obama lacks the judgment to handle global threats facing America, likening his national security inexperience to the current President's limited foreign policy knowledge when he took office in early 2001.
Touting her own global relations credentials ahead of key primaries next week in Ohio and Texas, Ms. Clinton cast Mr. Obama as a political neophyte who would need a "foreign policy instruction manual" during world crises.
"We've seen the tragic result of having a president who had neither the experience nor the wisdom to manage our foreign policy and safeguard our national security," Ms. Clinton said during a speech at George Washington University. "We can't let that happen again. America has already taken that chance--one time too many."