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Re: '16

From:jake.sullivan@gmail.com To: pir@hrcoffice.com CC: Cheryl.mills@gmail.com, john.podesta@gmail.com, robbymook@gmail.com, huma@hrcoffice.com, nmerrill@hrcoffice.com, dschwerin@hrcoffice.com Date: 2014-12-11 20:11 Subject: Re: '16

Funny -- I just met with Anne Gearan. She didn't even mention she was working on a piece. We talked about a bunch of things off the record, mostly me b.s.'ing about great HRC is in a thousand different ways. She was very focused on who is getting hired for what, which I pled (accurate) ignorance on. She was also very focused on timing for the campaign, which I also pled ignorance on. She believes Benghazi is a bigger liability than others think. You all know my views on this -- though I made a strong case to the contrary. She professed to be a big fan -- someone who believes that HRC grew at State and is better, warmer, and more formidable as a candidate now. On Thu, Dec 11, 2014 at 3:51 PM, Philippe Reines <pir@hrcoffice.com> wrote: > We should consider making her/your/our conversations fully open to the > press — or even better, it would make a helluva TV reality show. People > could watch and Tweet their vote in real-time on whether she announces in > March or April, gives paid speeches after that date, forms an exploratory > or just jumps right in. Really bring people into the excitement and > planning. Their advice would probably be better than the 18 unnamed sources > below. > > > *Hillary Clinton Begins Weighing Details Of A 2016 Bid, With A Spring > Announcement Likely* > *By Anne Gearan and Matea Gold * > *The Washington Post* > *December 11, 2014 * > > Hillary Rodham Clinton is considering the nitty-gritty details of how > and when to organize a presidential campaign amid signs that she will > postpone making her shadow campaign official until later in 2015 than > expected, according to advisers and Democratic strategists. > > Clinton and her small circle of close advisers are weighing legal advice > to set up a strict firewall between her and the numerous outside groups > backing her presumed 2016 candidacy, according to a person familiar with > the talks. The quarantine would run for a set period of time before she > would announce her candidacy, as a way to make sure that the campaign and > outside groups do not run afoul of federal election rules. > > Clinton is also debating whether to establish an exploratory committee — > a placeholder organization that would allow her to raise money to pay for > consultants, office space and other operating expenses. But the move would > trigger financial disclosures she can now avoid, and Clinton is getting a > lot of advice against forming such a committee, two Democratic strategists > said. > > An exploratory committee might also appear too coy for a previous > candidate with obvious ambitions for a second try, according to several > Democratic advisers, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity > because Clinton has not yet said she is running. > > “At this point, what would she be exploring?” one strategist with ties > to Clinton said. > > The strategy discussions provide further evidence that the former > secretary of state and first lady is edging closer to another run for the > presidency, after two years writing and promoting a memoir, giving paid > speeches and strengthening ties with key Democratic interest groups. But > rather than announce in January — as she did in 2007 — Clinton allies are > increasingly working under the assumption that an official announcement > will not come until spring. > > Several potential Republican candidates, including Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) > and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, have also signaled that they plan to wait until > spring or later for a final decision. The only official 2016 candidate so > far is former Virginia senator Jim Webb (D), who formed an exploratory > committee last month. > > The enforced separation now under discussion by Clinton and her aides > would erect a clearer legal barrier between her and her unofficial > campaign-in-waiting. It would put an end to the informal discussions now > taking place between Clinton’s inner circle and operatives working for > outside groups backing her. > > Because Clinton is not a declared candidate for federal office, she and > her advisers are allowed to communicate informally with groups such as > Priorities USA Action, Ready for Hillary and American Bridge, whose Correct > the Record project functions as a rapid-response operation on her behalf. > If and when she announces her bid, however, Clinton’s campaign would not be > able to share strategic information with allies outside the campaign and > Democratic Party. > > Another issue her aides are considering is a Federal Election Commission > rule that requires a 120-day waiting period before an outside group can > make an expenditure on a candidate’s behalf if they have hired a vendor or > strategist who worked for the candidate’s campaign. > > The rule led Restore Our Future, the super PAC that backed Mitt Romney > in the 2012 campaign, to delay running its first ad until 120 days after it > brought former Romney fundraising officials on board. > > Priorities and Correct the Record are expected to function as an outside > flanking operation for an official Clinton campaign, organizing and paying > for advertising, research efforts and other activities. Ready for Hillary — > which has collected an extensive database of declared supporters and > potential donors for a Clinton 2016 candidacy — plans to close down if she > announces a bid. > > Clinton’s status as an almost universally known political figure and > presumptive front-runner mean that the usual benefits of an exploratory > committee — including a home address for campaign hiring and fundraising — > are less relevant, some strategists said. She can afford to wait later than > she did during the 2008 cycle and skip the exploratory committee step she > took then, these strategists said. > > After announcing an exploratory committee in January 2007, Clinton > waited until September of that year to form the official Hillary Clinton > for President campaign. But there was no real doubt during that time that > she would run, and some Democrats saw the exploratory committee as > unnecessary and excessively cautious. > > Barack Obama generated buzz in political circles by largely dispensing > with the exploratory phase. He made what was seen as a bold challenge to > Clinton by replacing his three-week-old exploratory committee in February > 2007 with the official Obama for America campaign. > > Clinton has already said she is thinking about another presidential > campaign and that she is likely to make her decision after Jan. 1. She has > given no hints in recent public remarks that she has reached a final > decision or when she might do so. > > Clinton has accepted commercial speaking engagements into March that > would be awkward for an official candidate, increasing speculation that she > is postponing an announcement until after that date. > > Ready for Hillary has scheduled top-dollar fundraisers through March, on > the assumption that she will not announce before then, according to a > person familiar with the group’s plans. > > Clinton is scheduled to give a paid keynote address on March 19 to the > New York and New Jersey chapter of the American Camp Association, MSNBC > reported this week. That’s the furthest ahead on the calendar that > Clinton’s plans are known. > > Although she could continue to give paid speeches after announcing a > presidential bid, strategists who support her candidacy but are not > advising her directly said she is highly unlikely to do so. It would be > unseemly and open her to criticism for perceived conflicts of interest, the > strategists said. > > But other strategists said she could easily cancel speeches booked far > in the future, or forego her usual speaking fee of $250,000 or more. > Although Clinton also makes appearances that do not earn her money, paid > speeches — brokered by an agent — are a significant source of revenue for a > public figure who has no regular salary at the moment. > > “There is quite a consensus that she would not be giving these paid > speeches once she becomes a candidate, and that is appropriate,” said one > close Clinton friend who is not directly advising her. > > ### > >