AUGUST MEMO: Themes for 2016 Emerge as Summer 2014 Winds Down

From:burns.strider@americanbridge.org To: CTRFriendsFamily@americanbridge.org Date: 2014-08-01 09:41 Subject: AUGUST MEMO: Themes for 2016 Emerge as Summer 2014 Winds Down

[image: Inline image 1] Themes for 2016 Emerge as Summer 2014 Winds Down *TO: UndisclosedFROM: Isaac Wright, Director, Correct The Record* *DATE: July 31, 2014* *SUBJECT: August Reading - Themes of 2016 Emerging* Seven central themes <http://correctrecord.org/memo-themes-for-2016-emerge-as-summer-2014-winds-down/> are emerging leading up to the 2016 presidential contest and a potential Hillary Clinton candidacy. Republican leaders and operatives don't want to run against Hillary Clinton and have applied a full-court press in an attempt to stop her from entering the race or, at least, diminish her as a candidate. Right-wing strategists realize Hillary Clinton is well suited for a 2016 general election and are spending significant quantities of money, political capital, and time hoping to undercut Clinton’s momentum, forward-thinking vision and record of accomplishment. It hasn’t worked. Public opinion *has* leveled out from record-high approval ratings in her tenure as the country’s top diplomat, and key indicators suggest the right-wing attack machine is not substantially changing the dynamic. The American people haven't allowed it. They know better. They know who is focused on the future. Americans want Hillary to lead. Seven key themes integral to a 2016 Clinton candidacy have emerged, speaking to the substantive strength of a potential Clinton candidacy that begins in the Democratic primary and ends in the White House. Clinton’s perception among the Democratic base has evolved into a unique party unity never before seen by either party. 1.) Public opinion is much better for Clinton now than it was in 2008. 2.) Americans across the ideological spectrum, liberals and moderates in particular, are looking positively to a Hillary Clinton run for President. 3.) Voters, specifically Democrats, are eager for her experience. 4.) Clinton is in step with her party on core issues, particularly income inequality. 5.) No credible challenger can amass the kind of broad party support Clinton has. 6.) Voters are behind her, not just politicos. 7.) Hillary Clinton's work ethic has been on display for months. Clinton and her supporters, if she chooses to run, do not want a coronation but rather will work hard, seek voters’ support and build a winning coalition. Considering these seven themes, one can understand why Republicans are so nervous about a potential Clinton candidacy, and why the right wing feels the need to double-down on their failed attacks even now. 1. Public opinion is much better for Clinton now than in 2008. · *According to a recent polling analysis by Vox, Hillary Clinton’s poll numbers are much better than at this point in the 2008 cycle.* “But back in early 2007, she reached only 30 to 40 percent in polls of Democratic voters — indicating that a majority of Democrats weren't yet on board with a Clinton candidacy. Now, she regularly tops 60 percent in polls, and sometimes even breaks 70 percent <http://www.mysterypollster.com/main/2006/06/the_first_iowa_.html>, as you can see on RealClearPolitics.” · *Clinton’s strength among Democrats extends to **Iowa* <http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/what-we-learned-about-christie-clinton-rand-paul-week-n158281> *,* the first in the nation primary contest in which she came in third in 2008. “Iowa Democrats view Clinton positively by a whopping 89%-6% score.” · *A majority of Democrats – **63%* <http://www.vox.com/2014/6/17/5816676/hillary-clinton-primary-challenge-poll>* – want Hillary Clinton to be the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee*, according to a June CNN/ORC International poll. · *An extraordinary **72%* <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/06/16/hillary-clinton-doesnt-have-a-problem-with-liberals-not-hardly/>* of liberal Democrats said they would vote for Hillary Clinton* in the 2016 presidential primary. 2. Americans across the ideological spectrum, liberals and moderates in particular, are looking positively to a Hillary Clinton run for president. · *Fifty-five percent of Americans say that Hillary Clinton can relate* to and understand the problems of average citizens, according to a NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Annenberg poll from June 26-28. · *Only **6%* <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/06/16/hillary-clinton-doesnt-have-a-problem-with-liberals-not-hardly/>* of liberal Democrats don’t think Hillary Clinton should run* for president in 2016, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll released in June. · *Only **11%* <http://www.vox.com/2014/6/17/5816676/hillary-clinton-primary-challenge-poll>* of Democrats would prefer a candidate more liberal* than Hillary Clinton, according to a June CNN/ORC International poll. · *Liberal Democrats approve of Hillary Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State* by a margin of 96-1 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/06/16/hillary-clinton-doesnt-have-a-problem-with-liberals-not-hardly/> . · *Nearly **9 in 10* <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/06/16/hillary-clinton-doesnt-have-a-problem-with-liberals-not-hardly/>* of liberal Democrats think Hillary Clinton is a strong leader*. · *Nearly **9 in 10* <http://www.washingtonpost.com/page/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2014/06/08/National-Politics/Polling/question_14323.xml?uuid=ASbgKu7CEeOKiuF8CPgIcQ>* of liberal Democrats believe she is honest and trustworthy*. · *Americans of all backgrounds and all walks of life are hungry to hear from Hillary.* o *Sec. Clinton greeted nearly 1,000 people at her “Hard Choices” book tour stop at a Sam’s Club in Seekonk, Massachusetts. * According to the Boston Globe’s coverage of Sec. Clinton’s “Hard Choices” book tour stop at a Sam’s Club in Seekonk, Massachusetts, “Against a backdrop of stacked paper towels and water bottle packs in an aisle at a Sam’s Club, former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton greeted nearly 1,000 people Saturday during a book signing at the retail warehouse for her memoir, ‘Hard Choices.’ Some even spent the night in the parking lot so they could be first to enter the store when it opened at 7 a.m. and line up for a signed copy and a few seconds with Clinton, widely discussed as a front-runner for the next presidential election.” [Boston Globe, 7/27/14 <http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/07/26/hillary-clinton-meets-fans-sam-club-seekonk/EE7FAf7HyPHS22McZ5DVEN/story.html> ] o *More than 1,100 people lined up in St. Paul to meet Sec. Clinton on her “Hard Choices” book tour. *According to the Associated Press, “More than 1,000 people have lined up in St. Paul to meet former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and buy a copy of her book. 1,100 people bought advanced copies of Clinton’s latest book, ‘Hard Choices.’ They waited in a line Sunday that stretched out the door of Common Good Books and down the block, in temperatures that reached 85 degrees.” [Associated Press, 7/21/14 <http://wjon.com/1100-people-brave-heat-to-buy-hillary-clintons-new-book/>] o *Schenectady Daily Gazette: “Within the first hour of business, Northshire had already sold 200 copies of [‘Hard Choices’].” *According to Schenectady Daily Gazette’s coverage of Sec. Clinton’s Saratoga Springs, N.Y., “Hard Choices” book stop, “Only 1,000 tickets were available for the signing and they were going fast Monday morning. A crowd of roughly three dozen people was waiting outside the Broadway entrance to purchase the book to receive the complimentary ticket. Within the first hour of business, Northshire had already sold 200 copies of the political memoir, which has been at the top of the New York Times best-seller list. By later afternoon, 500 more copies had been sold.” [Schenectady Daily Gazette (N.Y.), 7/15/14 <http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2014/jul/15/0715_clinton/>] o *Chappaqua Daily Voice (N.Y.): Sec. Clinton “repeatedly shook hands with the long line of attendees” at the Chappaqua Library “Hard Choices” book signing on June 29, 2014. *According to the Chappaqua Daily Voice (N.Y.), “Hundreds flocked to the Chappaqua Library on Sunday afternoon for the chance to meet potential 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at her book signing event. The former First Lady, secretary of state and U.S. Senator, herself a Chappaqua resident, signed copies of her new memoir, ‘Hard Choices,’ and repeatedly shook hands with the long line of attendees. The event was co-sponsored by The Village Bookstore, a shop in Pleasantville, and Simon & Schuster, which is the publisher of Clinton's book.” [Chappaqua Daily Voice (N.Y.), 6/29/14 <http://chappaqua.dailyvoice.com/events/hillary-clinton-visits-chappaqua-library-book-signing> ] o *Sec. Clinton addressed a sold-out crowd of 2,200 people who came to her “Hard Choices” book tour stop at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco.* According to SFGate’s coverage of Sec. Clinton’s “Hard Choices” book tour stop at the Orpheum Theatre, “‘If I decide to do it, I will talk about it every day,’ she told a sold-out crowd of 2,200 at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco, during a tour promoting her new book, ‘Hard Choices,’ a memoir of her years as secretary of state in the Obama administration. ‘I have a set of experience … and for my entire life, I’ve been an advocate for people who need a voice, need someone in their corner,’ she told KQED host Scott Shafer.” [SFGate, 6/26/14 <http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/In-S-F-Clinton-expands-on-possible-2016-5580339.php> ] o *Sec. Clinton appeared at a sold-out author’s event for “Hard Choices” at Warwick’s Books in La Jolla on June 25, 2014.* According to CBS 8, “Former Secretary of State and first lady Hillary Clinton is scheduled to promote her new book in La Jolla Wednesday morning and later present a keynote address at a major biotech convention in San Diego. She’ll appear at a sold-out author’s event at 8:30 a.m. at Warwick’s Books in La Jolla, where she will sign copies of ‘Hard Choices.’” [CBS 8, 6/25/14 <http://www.cbs8.com/story/25866178/hillary-clinton-at-warwicks-books-in-la-jolla-for-book-signing?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter> ] o *50 people lined up to get tickets ahead of Sec. Clinton’s Dayton, Ohio “Hard Choices” book tour stop. *According to Dayton Daily News (O.H.), “About 50 people were in line this morning to get tickets to meet Hillary Rodham Clinton when she visits the Books & Company at The Greene. The line formed about two hours before the store opened today at 9 a.m. Clinton will sign copies of her book ‘Hard Choices’ on Friday starting at 7 p.m. A limited number of tickets are available by pre-purchasing a book, according to the store.” [Dayton Daily News (O.H.), 6/23/14 <http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/local/line-forms-early-clinton-book-signing/ngQrb/> ] o *More than 2,000 tickets were sold for Sec. Clinton’s Austin “Hard Choices” book tour stop. *According to KTBC Fox 7 Austin’s coverage of Sec. Clinton’s “Hard Choices” book tour stop at the Long Center in Austin, Texas, “More than 2,000 tickets were sold to fill the hall at the Long Center. The night is being described as a conversation with Hillary Rodham Clinton. ‘I learned two things. I learned a lot about losing,’ she told the crowd.” [KTBC Fox 7 Austin, 6/20/14 <http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/25834316/hillary-clinton-speaks-at-long-center> ] o *Dozens of people lined up overnight for Sec. Clinton’s “Hard Choices” book tour stop in Los Angeles.* According to CBS Los Angeles, “Dozens of people lined up overnight for a scheduled Hillary Clinton book signing at The Grove. Clinton will sign copies of her new book, ‘Hard Choices’, at Barnes & Nobles at 11:30 a.m.” [CBS Los Angeles, 6/19/14 <http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2014/06/19/hillary-clinton-to-sign-copies-of-hard-choices-at-the-grove/#.U6Lz3ZKWRPo.twitter> ] o *1,400 people attended Sec. Clinton’s sold-out “Hard Choices” book tour stop in Edmonton at the Shaw Conference Centre.* According to CBC News’ coverage of Sec. Clinton’s speech at the Shaw Conference Centre, “While Hillary Clinton did not say if she would run for president in 2016, she did manage to inspire many of the 1,400 people in the sold-out crowd at the Shaw Conference Centre Tuesday. Clinton was in Edmonton for the first time promoting her recently released memoir ‘Hard Choices.’” [CBC News, 6/18/14 <http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/hillary-clinton-inspires-at-the-shaw-conference-centre-1.2679375> ] o *Approximately 1,200 people came to Sec. Clinton’s “Hard Choices” book tour stop at the University Book Store in Seattle on June 18, 2014. *According to the Puget Sound Business Journal, “Hillary Rodham Clinton was in Seattle Wednesday to sign copies of her new book, ‘Hard Choices’ at the University Book Store. Approximately 1,200 people came out to meet the former First Lady, who many believe will be running for President in 2016. She arrived around 5 p.m. Wednesday and left at about 7:15 p.m. Lines snaked through the entire store as people waited to have their books signed.” [Puget Sound Business Journal, 6/18/14 <http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TV_NBC_CHELSEA_CLINTON?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT> ] o *Hundreds of people gathered to meet Sec. Clinton at the Harvard Book Store on June 16, 2014. *According to Boston.com <http://boston.com/>, “Hillary Clinton was perched on a chair Monday evening at the Harvard Book Store where hundreds of people had gathered to meet her. Others lined the streets hoping to catch a glimpse of the woman many hope will become the next president. Clad in a bright turquoise suit, she showed no sign that she has spent the last week on the first leg of a grueling cross-country tour to publicize her recent book, ‘Hard Choices,’ which chronicles her years as secretary of state.” [Boston.com <http://boston.com/>, 6/17/14 <http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2014/06/17/hundreds-line-cambridge-street-for-hillary-clinton-book-signing/a6hyNgKfe0ZtJbQ1PV3OAI/story.html> ] o *Politico, on Sec. Clinton’s “Hard Choices” book tour stop in Arlington, Virginia: “Store employees are preparing for her arrival Saturday to sign 1,000 books in two hours.” *According to Politico, “It could easily be mistaken for preparations for a presidential campaign event. The signs were hung just so. An advance team has scouted out the location. Local police officers have been requested. Officials were weighing the all-important decisions about where to put the TV cameras and how to manage the lines of eager well-wishers. All the presidential-style activity is for the next stop on the Hillary Clinton book tour for ‘Hard Choices.’ At the sprawling Costco in Arlington, Va., store employees are preparing for her arrival Saturday to sign 1,000 books in two hours.” [Politico, 6/13/14 <http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/hillary-clinton-book-tour-arlington-107817.html> ] o *BuzzFeed: “One thousand fans waited in line for hours on Tuesday morning — some since Monday night — to get a brief moment with Clinton and an autographed copy of her memoir, titled ‘Hard Choices.’”* According to BuzzFeed’s coverage of Sec. Clinton’s “Hard Choices” book tour stop at Union Square in New York City, “One thousand fans waited in line for hours on Tuesday morning — some since Monday night — to get a brief moment with Clinton and an autographed copy of her memoir, titled ‘Hard Choices.’ But the carefully managed event, the first stop on a national publicity tour to promote the new book, allowed little interaction between Clinton and her readers, or reporters there to cover the signing. As attendees waited in a line that stretched around the block, staffers handed out a list of guidelines for the event. A piece of paper with eight bullet points warned fans that Clinton would not be ‘personalizing the book or signing memorabilia.’ ‘NO posed photography with the author,’ the rule sheet advised.” [BuzzFeed, 6/10/14 <http://www.buzzfeed.com/rubycramer/hillary-clintons-book-signing-stagecraft> ] o *People lined up more than 17 hours before Sec. Clinton’s “Hard Choices” book signing in Manhattan.* According to Business Insider, “Hillary Clinton might keep Sean Brennan up all night Monday evening. Brennan told Business Insider he arrived at the Barnes & Noble in Manhattan’s Union Square shortly after 2 p.m. Monday to line up for the first signing of Clinton’s book tour, which begins Tuesday. A little before 9 p.m., Brennan was the first of four people queued up for the event.” [Business Insider, 6/9/14 <http://www.businessinsider.com/first-man-in-line-for-hillary-clinton-book-tour-2014-6> ] 3. Voters, specifically Democrats, are eager for her experience. · *If Sec. Clinton ran for president, “she would probably be the best-prepared candidate in American history.” *According to a Gail Collins column in The New York Times <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/opinion/sunday/collins-hillarys-next-move.html?pagewanted=all>, “If Hillary Clinton ran for president again, she would probably be the best-prepared candidate in American history: one who’s lived in the White House, served in the United States Senate, a woman who knows virtually every head of state in the world and also has a strong opinion about the merits of the Peruvian minister of development and social inclusion.” · *Clinton’s experience at the State Department is mentioned most frequently as her biggest positive. *A recent Pew poll found that “Clinton’s tenure at the State Department is mentioned most frequently as her biggest positive (by 12%)” and that “if she runs for president in 2016, Hillary Clinton would bring a number of potential strengths to the race, from her tenure as secretary of state to her perceived toughness and honesty.” In fact, says Pew, “Overall, 67% approve of Hillary Clinton’s job performance as secretary of state, while just 25% disapprove. Fully 91% of Democrats approve of the way she handled her job as secretary, as do a majority (64%) of independents. “ · *“Her leadership skills as an executive are hardly in dispute now.”* A former Obama 2008 campaign aide told The Hill, “Hillary has more than redeemed herself with many through her services as secretary of State … Her leadership skills as an executive are hardly in dispute now.” · *“People are looking for someone whose central skill is how to work the power structure” to move the agenda.* In The New Republic, “[Larry] Grisolano, Obama’s polling honcho from 2008, concedes, ‘It may be that coming out of this period, where Congress has been so obstinate, so difficult to move ... that people are looking for someone whose central skill is how to work the power structure.’” 4. Clinton is in step with her party on core issues, particularly income inequality. · *It’s about income inequality, not Iraq.* As Bloomberg Business Week noted <http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-07-18/why-hillary-clinton-is-inevitable-for-democrats-in-2016>, “Clinton doesn’t have the kind of glaring vulnerability with Democrats she did last time around because of her vote in favor of the Iraq War. There’s just no equivalent.” · *“90% of liberal and centrist Democrats say the government should” address income inequality,* an issue on which Clinton has a long and substantive record*.* According to Pew Research, “To be sure, majorities of 60% or more among Republicans and Democrats across the ideological spectrum agree that inequality is on the rise, and about 90% of liberal and centrist Democrats say the government should do something about it.” [Pew Research, 1/29/14 <http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/01/29/inequality-poverty-divide-republicans-more-than-democrats/> ] · *HILLARY CLINTON: Working to raise the minimum wage. *Throughout her Senate career, Hillary Clinton was a staunch supporter of increasing the minimum wage and voted repeatedly to protect and increase it. She was an original cosponsor of the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 <http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:S.2:@@@P>, and authored the 2006 <http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.uscongress/legislation.109s2725> and 2007 <http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.uscongress/legislation.110s2514> Standing with Minimum Wage Earners Act to tie Congressional salary increases to an increase in the minimum wage. As she said <http://beta.congress.gov/congressional-record/2006/05/04/senate-section/article/S4053-1> at the time, her bill would have ensured “that every time Congress gives itself a raise in the future that Americans get a raise too. This is the right and fair thing to do for hardworking Americans.” · *HILLARY CLINTON: Advocating for out-of-work Americans. *Hillary Clinton has a record of working across the aisle to help <http://www.cantwell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=b11a8c2f-2a55-439e-b4ec-7aae575e573b> out-of-work Americans. In what the New York Times called <http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/13/us/mrs-clinton-put-past-behind-in-trip-across-aisle.html> “a case study of how legislative objectives can trump ideology,” Clinton teamed up with Republican Senator Don Nickles of Oklahoma at the beginning of 2003 “to help deliver added unemployment benefits to millions of Americans.” Senator Clinton continued fighting to extend unemployment benefits for Americans who were out of work, cosponsoring amendments and bills to extend <http://beta.congress.gov/bill/108th-congress/senate-bill/923/cosponsors?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22Clinton%22%5D%7D> benefits through the end of 2003 <http://beta.congress.gov/bill/108th-congress/senate-bill/1708/cosponsors?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22The+Emergency+Unemployment+Compensation+Act%22%5D%7D> and into2004 <http://beta.congress.gov/amendment/108th-congress/senate-amendment/3114/cosponsors?q=%7b>, and voting <http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=2&vote=00214> to provide emergency unemployment benefits during the 2008 financial crisis. · *HILLARY CLINTON: Getting equal pay for equal work. *The Paycheck Fairness Act, which Hillary Clinton introduced in2005 <http://beta.congress.gov/bill/109th-congress/senate-bill/841?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22Paycheck+Fairness+Act%22%5D%7D> and 2007 <http://beta.congress.gov/bill/110th-congress/senate-bill/766?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22Paycheck+Fairness+Act%22%5D%7D>, would have amended the Fair Labor Standards Act to prevent employer retaliation against workers who claim wage discrimination, or workers who inquire about or discuss their wages. This concept was adopted, in part, by President Obama’s April 2014 Executive Order <http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/04/08/executive-order-non-retaliation-disclosure-compensation-information> prohibiting federal contractors <http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/04/08/fact-sheet-expanding-opportunity-all-ensuring-equal-pay-women-and-promot> from retaliating against employees who discuss their wages. Clinton also cosponsored the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 <http://beta.congress.gov/bill/111th-congress/senate-bill/181/cosponsors?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22Lilly+Ledbetter+Fair+Pay+Act%22%5D%7D>, which became the first law signed by President Obama. The Act, which expanded workers’ rights to take pay discrimination issues to court, was also introduced in 2007 <http://beta.congress.gov/bill/110th-congress/senate-bill/1843> and was cosponsored by Clinton. · *HILLARY CLINTON: Fighting for middle-class tax cuts. *As a Senator, Hillary Clinton supported progressive tax policies that required millionaires to pay their fair share. She opposed the Bush tax cuts in 2001 <http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=107&session=1&vote=00170> and 2003 <http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=1&vote=00196>, and she supported a variety of middle-class tax cuts, including tax credits for student loan recipients <http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=107&session=1&vote=00114> and keeping in place the tax cuts for those who make under $250,000 a year. Clinton has said <http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=77063> “that inherited wealth and concentrated wealth is not good for America,” and she has consistently voted against repealing the estate tax on millionaires, doing so in 2001 <http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=107&session=1&vote=00158> , 2002 <http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=107&session=2&vote=00151>, and 2006 <http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=2&vote=00164> . · *HILLARY CLINTON: Strengthening health care for millions of children. *In the Senate, Hillary Clinton looked for ways to strengthen the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, introducing <http://beta.congress.gov/bill/107th-congress/senate-bill/1266?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22SCHIP%22%5D%7D> bills <http://beta.congress.gov/bill/110th-congress/senate-bill/895?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22SCHIP%22%5D%7D> to allow states to expand the program that shehelped create <http://www.factcheck.org/2008/03/giving-hillary-credit-for-schip/> as First Lady. The program, created in 1997, has increased health coverage for millions of children in low-income and working families. Ted Kennedy, one of the lead sponsors of the bill, said <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/05/AR2007100501343_pf.html> the program “wouldn't be in existence today if we didn't have Hillary pushing for it from the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue.” · *HILLARY CLINTON: Fighting poverty as a private citizen. *Hillary’s first job out of law school was for the newly formed Children’s Defense Fund, an organization she would later chair. The CDF has <http://www.childrensdefense.org/about-us/our-history/> “partnered with numerous organizations and worked with policy makers to build bipartisan support to enact laws that have helped millions of children fulfill their potential and escape poverty because they received the health care, child care, nurturing, proper nutrition and education they deserve.” Today, as part of the Too Small to Fail Initiative <http://toosmall.org/mission> to improve the health and well-being of children five and under, Hillary Clinton is working to close the “word gap” for kids in low-income families who often have smaller vocabularies than their classmates. Clinton points out <http://www.clintonfoundation.org/blog/2013/10/03/closing-word-gap> that “this disadvantage leads to further disparities in achievement and success over time, from academic performance and persistence to earnings and family stability even 20 and 30 years later.” · *HILLARY CLINTON: Expanding access to early childhood education for children in lower-income families. *Senator Clinton introduced the Ready to Learn Act <http://beta.congress.gov/bill/110th-congress/senate-bill/1823?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22S.1823%22%5D%7D> with Republican Senator Kit Bond of Missouri to award competitive matching grants to schools, child care providers, and Head Start providers for voluntary full day pre-K for lower-income four-year olds. Clinton also joined with Bond on his Education Begins at Home Act <http://beta.congress.gov/bill/110th-congress/senate-bill/667?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22S.667%22%5D%7D> to provide competitive grants for early childhood home visitation, including for families with English language learners. The Act also called for revisions to Early Head Start programs, including training in parenting skills and child development. And, as U.S. News & World Report noted <http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2014/04/29/hillary-clinton-is-a-proud-hippy-mom>, Hillary Clinton “helped establish the first HIPPY program in Arkansas three years before HIPPY USA was formally organized,” which expanded early childhood education to economically disadvantaged families. As ABC News reported <http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2014/04/hillary-clinton-says-she-will-be-a-hippy-grandma/>, “What started as an awkward phone conversation [with HIPPY founder and Israeli doctor Avima Lombard] where [Hillary] Clinton had to explain that Arkansas was one of the states ‘on top of Texas’ resulted in a partnership that cultivated the HIPPY program’s largest statewide network.” · *HILLARY CLINTON: Strengthening healthcare for rural Arkansans. *As the New York Times <http://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/20/us/the-inauguration-the-first-couple-a-union-of-mind-and-ambition.html?pagewanted=all> wrote in 1993, “Her public involvement in policy issues began only a few months after her husband was inaugurated to his first term as Governor on Jan. 10, 1979, when he appointed her to be the chairwoman of the 44-member Rural Health Advisory Committee. Her work with that board in developing programs to expand health care in the state's isolated farm and mountain country began a career of committee work on health and education issues.” And as a board member of Arkansas Children's Hospital she was credited with starting a process “that has trained a generation of pediatricians to work in poor rural areas, and has made emergency care available for children across the state through a network of ambulances and helicopters.” 5. No credible challenger can amass the kind of broad party support Clinton has. · *The “massive support” at this point in an election cycle is “unprecedented in modern politics.”* According to National Journal, “Hillary Clinton has dominated the Democratic presidential discussion like few other candidates before her. Two years out from the Iowa caucuses, she already has a top-tier super PAC, a grassroots organizing machine, dozens of big donors ready to open their wallets, and massive support from Democratic voters. It’s unprecedented in modern politics, veteran Washington operatives agree.” [National Journal, 2/12/14 <http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/is-hillary-clinton-blocking-a-new-generation-of-democratic-leaders-20140212> ] · * “In Hillary Clinton, the United States of America is now experiencing a rare, if not unprecedented, political phenomenon.” *According to Time, “Hillary Clinton has not decided whether to run for President again. I have this on good authority, despite a recent barrage of reports detailing the many moves that signal a campaign in the making. People close to Clinton and familiar with her thinking insist that she hasn't made a decision. Perhaps it all comes down, in Clintonian fashion, to definitions. It depends on the meaning of the word decide. And on the meaning of the word run. In Hillary Clinton, the United States of America is now experiencing a rare, if not unprecedented, political phenomenon; she requires a new lexicon. Clinton is so globally famous, so politically wired and so primed for the presidency after two campaigns at her husband’s side and one epic race of her own that her life as a private citizen has become virtually indistinguishable from her life as a candidate.” [Time, 1/27/14 <http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2162918,00.html>] · *Sec. Clinton was “the single biggest frontrunner for a Democratic presidential nomination” in the history of the Washington Post-ABC News poll. *According to the Washington Post, “Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 61-point edge over Joe Biden in new Washington Post-ABC News polling makes her the single biggest frontrunner for a Democratic presidential nomination in the history of the poll, an affirmation of the conventional wisdom that the nomination is hers for the taking. Clinton stands at an eye-popping 73 percent in a hypothetical 2016 primary race with Biden, the sitting vice president, who is the only other candidate in double digits at 12 percent. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has signed a letter along with a handful of other Democratic senators urging Clinton to run, is at 8 percent. And that’s it. That lead is almost three times as large as the one Clinton enjoyed in Post-ABC polling in December 2006, the first time we asked the 2008 Democratic presidential primary ballot question.” [Washington Post, The Fix, 1/30/14 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/01/30/hillary-clinton-is-the-biggest-frontrunner-for-the-democratic-presidential-nomination-ever-yes-ever/> ] · *Sec. Clinton’s support placed her in “the strongest position for any non-incumbent in the modern era.” *According to FiveThirtyEight, “We’re more than 20 months from the first Republican presidential primary, and the pool of candidates is inchoate. Pollsters are asking voters about 10 candidates, none of whom registers higher than 20 percent support in early state or national surveys. It’s the most divided GOP field at this point in the cycle since the parties reformed the nomination process in the 1970s. But on the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton has the field pretty much to herself, and there’s little sign that party leaders are encouraging others to run (as they did in 2008). Despite the fact that she hasn’t declared her intention to run yet, she’s polling at 60 to 70 percent — the strongest position for any non-incumbent in the modern era and 30 points higher than at this point in the 2008 cycle.” [FiveThirtyEight, 3/26/14 <http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/clinton-is-polling-like-an-incumbent-and-that-could-help-her-in-2016/> ] · *Former Obama campaign advisor: Sec. Clinton is “in a more dominant position than anyone I’ve seen in an open-seat race probably in my lifetime.” *According to the National Journal, “To call her a prohibitive front-runner is a comical understatement—she has a lock on the Democratic money machine, unprecedented support from the party’s base, and a pseudo-campaign ready and waiting for her to take charge. Is there a potential Barack Obama lurking out there? ‘I don’t see anybody on the horizon right now,’ says a former senior adviser to the 2008 campaign that beat Clinton. ‘She’s in a more dominant position than anyone I’ve seen in an open-seat race probably in my lifetime.’” [National Journal, 3/17/14 <http://www.nationaljournal.com/magazine/for-some-democrats-taking-on-hillary-clinton-isn-t-such-a-crazy-idea-20140317> ] 6. Voters are behind her, not just politicos. · *Clinton’s strength amongst the Democratic base remains energized, despite an onslaught of attacks. *Republicans have spent much of 2014 attacking Hillary Clinton with everything but the proverbial kitchen sink, at times through their nine national Super PACs and projects devoted to stopping her from being President in addition to their party apparatus and other traditional infrastructure. The right wing even generated three books this summer devoted to smearing the Clintons, peddling gossip and speculation. · *A recent poll in the key swing state of Florida shows that while right wingers are throwing punches, they aren’t connecting.* Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, analyzed July survey results for Florida,concluding <http://www.quinnipiac.edu/news-and-events/quinnipiac-university-poll/florida/release-detail?ReleaseID=2063> : o “Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton may be taking some criticism recently in the news media and among some liberal Democratic precincts, but nothing has changed among average voters in Florida where she remains queen of the political prom.” o “Two-thirds of Democrats say she is their candidate for 2016 and none of the others even makes it into double digits.” o “Secretary Clinton leads the Republicans against whom she is matched by double digits with the exception of former Gov. Bush who trails her by 7 points.” o “Inside the Beltway they may be talking about Mrs. Clinton's potential weaknesses should she run in 2016. But at this point in Florida, the nation's largest presidential swing state, her assets overwhelm any vulnerabilities.” · *Since launching in January 2013, Ready for Hillary has identified 2.5 million Hillary supporters, held more than 500 grassroots organizing and fundraising events across the country, and raised over $8.25 million from more than 90,000 donors.* Ninety-eight percent of contributions were less than $100. Ready for Hillary has shipped more than 500,000 bumper stickers and gotten 800,000 people to sign a pledge to help Hillary Clinton win if she runs for President. Online, Ready for Hillary engages with its over 1.9 million Facebook supporters, cultivating a digital grassroots infrastructure. In the last quarter alone, Ready for Hillary received $2.5 million of donations from 43,000 individuals in all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, and U.S. territories, as well as from Americans living abroad, including members of the military. [Ready for Hillary Press Release, 7//15/2014 <https://www.readyforhillary.com/updates/ready-hillary-adds-more-33000-new-donors-second-quarter-raises-over-25-million> ] 7. Hillary Clinton's work ethic has been on display for months. Clinton and her supporters, if she chooses to run, do not want a coronation but rather will work hard, seek voters’ support and build a winning coalition. · *Nobody is looking for a coronation. *Hillary Clinton told Fusion’s Jorge Ramos in a July interview <http://fusion.net/Leadership/video/hillary-clinton-2016-candidates-902453>, “I think there will probably be many candidates,” referring to the 2016 Democratic primary. “I’m not sure I’m going to run, but if I do, I think competition is healthy and if people want to get in and want to be in a primary, more power to them.” · *Contested primaries are “healthy.”* MSNBC noted <http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/hillary-clinton-welcomes-healthy-democratic-primary-challenger>, “Hillary Clinton may be the prohibitive, if undeclared, frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, but she still thinks it’d be ‘healthy’ for the party to have a contested primary.” · *Sec. Clinton’s "Hard Choices" book tour “also put to rest questions about her health and stamina.” *According to NPR’s coverage of Sec. Clinton’s “Hard Choices” book tour, “The tour also put to rest questions about her health and stamina — she showed no signs of the ‘traumatic brain injury’ Karl Rove suggested she's suffered.” [NPR, 7/30/14 <http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2014/07/30/336468262/hard-choices-tour-put-spotlight-on-clintons-strengths-weaknesses> ] · *Sec. Clinton: “Each of us has talents. I have stamina. I have endurance. I have health and a sense of mission.”*According to Stylist (U.K.) magazine’s interview with Sec. Clinton, “I find it interesting that a woman with so much get-up-and-go, so much drive and ambition, is quick to advise others to reduce the pressure where possible. ‘I think I’m very lucky,’ she says again. ‘Each of us has talents. I have stamina. I have endurance. I have health and a sense of mission. And I’ve had that ever since I was a little girl. But it is something you have to maintain because you can get drained. You have to be prepared and aware enough to say I need a good night’s sleep, I need a session of yoga, I need a good long walk. Whatever it is that fills you up again. I can’t stress that enough.’” [Stylist (U.K.), 7/16/14 <http://www.stylist.co.uk/people/hillary-clinton-on-criticism-taking-breaks-and-why-the-white-house-needs-a-woman#image-rotator-1> ] · *Sec. Clinton, on her health: “I'm feeling great.” *According to a USA Today interview with Sec. Clinton published the same day as “Hard Choices,” “Clinton looks rested and relaxed, laughing at several points in the interview and pounding the table when the topic turned to growing income inequality, around the world and in the United States. (She cites husband Bill Clinton's policies in the White House as a template for how to address that.) She says she suffers no symptoms from the concussion that briefly gave her double vision and dizziness. ‘I'm feeling great,’ she says.” [USA Today, 6/10/14 <http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2014/06/10/hillary-clinton-interview-hard-choices-book/10260885/> ] · *Sec. Clinton said “luckily” she has “a lot of resilience and a lot of stamina.”* According to CNN’s coverage of Sec. Clinton’s comments during a moderated Q&A at the Unique Lives & Experiences series, “And Clinton also seemed to take on some recent Republican critiques of her health when she told the audience that while running for president is exhausting, she ‘luckily’ has ‘a lot of resilience and a lot of stamina.’” [CNN, 6/3/14 <http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/06/03/hillary-clinton-downplays-controversy-around-bergdahls-release/> ] · *Sec. Clinton, on a competitive Democratic primary in 2016: “I'm somebody who believes anybody can run.” *According to Fusion’s coverage of Sec. Clinton’s interview with Jorge Ramos, “Many observers think it's a foregone conclusion that Hillary Clinton will get the nod in the 2016 Democratic primary. Leaving aside her coyness on whether she will actually run, Fusion's Jorge Ramos asked Clinton whether she thinks her party would benefit from a competitive primary. ‘Well, I think there will probably be many candidates,’ Clinton said. ‘I mean, I'm somebody who believes anybody can run.’” [Fusion, 7/29/14 <http://fusion.net/Leadership/video/hillary-clinton-2016-candidates-902453>] · *Sec. Clinton: “I'm not sure I'm going to run but if I do, I think competition is healthy and if people want to get in and want to be in a primary, more power to them.” *According to Fusion’s coverage of Sec. Clinton’s interview with Jorge Ramos, “Clinton certainly remembers President Obama's sudden rise from one-term senator to Democratic front-runner during in 2008, but she still sees the value of the primary gauntlet. Competitive primaries can often help energize a party's base around a candidate and steel their campaign for the general election, provided the primary winner avoids gaffes and extreme positions won't sit well with crucial swing voters. Such a political trial would be a welcome part of her potential campaign, Clinton told Ramos. ‘I'm not sure I'm going to run but if I do, I think competition is healthy and if people want to get in and want to be in a primary, more power to them,’ Clinton said.” [Fusion, 7/29/14 <http://fusion.net/Leadership/video/hillary-clinton-2016-candidates-902453>] · *Sec. Clinton said potential primary rivals were free to “do whatever they choose to do on whatever timetable they decide.” *According to the Associated Press’ coverage of an interview Sec. Clinton did with ABC News’ Diane Sawyer, “Hillary Rodham Clinton's decision on seeking the White House again could stretch into 2015, and she's making no commitments about testifying before a select congressional committee investigating the 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya. In an excerpt of an interview with ABC News that aired Sunday, the former secretary of state said potential primary rivals are free to ‘do whatever they choose to do on whatever timetable they decide.’” [Associated Press, 6/8/14 <http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_HILLARY_CLINTON?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT> ] · *Priorities USA co-founder: “When you run an outside group, it is very helpful to have some kind of organizing principle. In the absence of Clinton-as-candidate, Clinton-as-author is going to provide some basis for that.*” According to BuzzFeed’s coverage of emerging confusion surrounding what Sec. Clinton’s message would be if she ran for president in 2016, “Bill Burton, a former aide to President Obama who co-founded Priorities USA and now works as a consultant, said the book tour could provide the Clinton groups more material to work with. ‘When you run an outside group, it is very helpful to have some kind of organizing principle,’ said Burton. ‘In the absence of Clinton-as-candidate, Clinton-as-author is going to provide some basis for that.’” [BuzzFeed, 5/27/14 <http://www.buzzfeed.com/rubycramer/the-wait-for-hillary-clintons-new-book-and-policy-specifics> ] · *Correct The Record hosted two four-hour “media training” sessions for Democrats in anticipation of the “Hard Choices” release. *According to BuzzFeed’s coverage of emerging confusion surrounding what Sec. Clinton’s message would be if she ran for president in 2016, “Correct the Record, a research effort aimed at defending Clinton from Republican attacks, hosted two four-hour ‘media training’ sessions last week for Democratic surrogates ahead of the midterm elections and ‘in anticipation of the book,’ with a focus on ‘making sure people are aware of her accomplishments [as secretary of state],’ according to one person familiar with the Correct the Record trainings.” [BuzzFeed, 5/27/14 <http://www.buzzfeed.com/rubycramer/the-wait-for-hillary-clintons-new-book-and-policy-specifics> ] · *CTR released a memo a day ahead of the “Hard Choices” release to rebut criticism of the book. *According to Politico, “The pro-Hillary Clinton group Correct the Record is ramping up a defense of her book ‘Hard Choices,’ which has been written about at length in the lead-up to its release Tuesday. A memo released Monday from the group’s director, Isaac Wright, rebuts critics who have called the book too thin, too cautious or too boring, hitting back on 10 different points at issue. ‘False and misleading attacks from the right will doubtlessly continue to escalate with the release of Hillary Clinton’s book, *Hard Choices*, tomorrow,’ Wright writes. ‘Certain patterns indicate the attacks will be predictable.’” [Politico, 6/9/14 <http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/hillary-clinton-correct-the-record-hard-choices-107597.html> ] · *CTR planned to send surrogates and Clinton advocates daily talking points. *According to BuzzFeed, “One of the organizations backing Hillary Clinton’s possible presidential campaign announced on Wednesday that it would release daily talking points to provide Democrats with a ‘unified message’ ahead of 2016. Correct the Record, a project housed under the Democratic super PAC, American Bridge, will send surrogates and Clinton advocates a ‘daily email program, The Daily Point,’ the group’s head, Burns Strider, wrote to supporters on Wednesday.” [BuzzFeed, 7/2/14 <http://www.buzzfeed.com/rubycramer/for-unified-message-pro-clinton-group-will-distribute-daily> ] · *Ready for Hillary launched “The Hillary Bus” for a “coast-to-coast” bus tour that would shadow Sec. Clinton at a number of stops along her book tour. *According to BuzzFeed, “Hillary Clinton will tour the country this month to promote her new memoir. And she’ll be followed by a rolling advertisement for her possible campaign. Meet ‘The Hillary Bus.’ Ready for Hillary, an organization that’s been harnessing support for Clinton since early last year, announced plans for a ‘coast-to-coast’ bus tour this summer. The bus — fondly named the Hillary Bus — will shadow Clinton at a number of stops on her national book tour, the group announced on Wednesday. The Hillary Bus will also travel to colleges, Democratic events, and state fairs.” [BuzzFeed, 6/4/14 <http://www.buzzfeed.com/rubycramer/all-aboard-the-hillary-bus-fans-launch-national-tour> ] · *Ready for Hillary said they are going to use their growing network to drive volunteers and donations to congressional Democrats in 2014. *According to the Washington Post, “Officials with Ready for Hillary, which is working to harness grass-roots support for Clinton, said they are going to use their growing network to drive volunteers and donations to congressional Democrats this year. Postcards being sent to supporters in Iowa and other states will seek volunteers to help in 2014 races.” [The Washington Post, 2/28/14 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/democrats-embrace-big-money-groups-but-some-fear-lack-of-focus-on-midterm-elections/2014/02/28/dbde5f48-9e6f-11e3-9ba6-800d1192d08b_story.html> ] · *Ready for Hillary distributed more than $175,000 to 33 state Democratic parties and national Democratic organizations. *According to the Huffington Post, “Ready for Hillary, the organization setting the stage for Hillary Clinton to run for president in 2016, has strategically distributed more than $175,000 to 33 state Democratic parties and national Democratic organizations. On May 28, Ready for Hillary shifted from being a super PAC to what's known as a ‘hybrid PAC.’ With the new designation, the group can contribute directly to federal candidates while still making unlimited expenditures like a super PAC (provided it's not coordinating with campaigns).” [Huffington Post, 7/8/14 <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/08/ready-for-hillary-money_n_5567110.html?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed> ] · *Messina told Senate Majority PAC and House Majority PAC that Priorities USA planned to make $250,000 donations to both groups. *According to Politico, “Priorities USA, the pro-Hillary Clinton super PAC that plans to eventually raise high-dollar donations, is making a fresh round of contributions to outside groups focused on the midterms, POLITICO has learned. The group’s co-chairman, Obama 2012 campaign manager Jim Messina, told officials with Senate Majority PAC and House Majority PAC that Priorities will make donations of $250,000 apiece to each, according to a source familiar with the discussions. That’s on top of earlier $250,000 donations that Priorities already has given to both.” [Politico, 6/24/14 <http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/priorities-usa-democratic-groups-108250.html?hp=l4> ] ###