podesta_email_19443.txt

podesta-emails 5,708 words email

P17 P22 D6 V14 V11

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*​**Correct The Record Sunday September 28, 2014 Roundup:* *Headlines:* *Clinton Foundation: “Statement from President and Secretary Clinton” <https://www.clintonfoundation.org/press-releases/statement-president-and-secretary-clinton>* “We are blessed, grateful, and so happy to be the grandparents of a beautiful girl, Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky, born on Friday evening, September 26, 2014.” *Associated Press: “New Mom Chelsea Clinton Celebrates Baby Daughter” <http://bigstory.ap.org/article/f7cbef6fe17b47c5b5a367f9d9e431d0/chelsea-clinton-gives-birth-baby-girl>* “Bill Clinton canceled a fundraising visit Saturday to Denver for Democrats running for the Senate and governor, but he called in to an event for embattled Democratic Sen. Mark Udall to deliver his 11-minute speech by speakerphone.” *New York Daily News: “Bill, Hillary Clinton beam while leaving Lenox Hospital after birth of new granddaughter” <http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bill-hillary-clinton-beam-leaving-lenox-hospital-birth-new-granddaughter-article-1.1955473>* “Bill beamed as he walked down the steps of the hospital with a suitcase in tow Saturday night. He did not say anything but gave a big smile and a friendly wave before entering a GMC van, wearing a gray sport coat, jeans and Nikes. Hillary was wearing a gray sweater, beads and black leggings, while a woman behind her carried another suitcase.” *The Hill: “Hillary Clinton puts women's rights at center of her agenda” <http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/219058-hillary-clinton-puts-womens-rights-at-center-of-her-agenda>* “Eight years after shying away from the historic nature of her campaign, Hillary Clinton is putting women at the center of her agenda as she contemplates a second bid to become the nation's first woman president.” *Associated Press: “Religious Conservatives Opposed To Hillary Clinton” <http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ad0ff73a334740149032053e8131968f/hillary-clinton-uniting-religious-conservatives>* “Hillary Rodham Clinton is the one figure uniting religious conservatives frustrated by a leaderless Republican Party that's divided over foreign policy, immigration and social issues.” *Salon: “The 1 percent’s twisted new scheme: The Kochs and other billionaires are determined to buy the White House in 2016” <http://www.salon.com/2014/09/28/the_1_percents_twisted_new_scheme_the_kochs_and_other_billionaires_are_determined_to_buy_the_white_house_in_2016/>* “Clinton’s accommodationist approach clearly reflects the pragmatic conclusion that Democrats need abundant resources to fight the conservative billionaires aligned with the Republican Party.” *Articles:* *Clinton Foundation: “Statement from President and Secretary Clinton” <https://www.clintonfoundation.org/press-releases/statement-president-and-secretary-clinton>* [Statement] September 27, 2014 We are blessed, grateful, and so happy to be the grandparents of a beautiful girl, Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky, born on Friday evening, September 26, 2014. We are thrilled to be with our daughter and her husband as they welcome their daughter into the world. Chelsea is well and glowing. Marc is bursting with pride. Charlotte's life is off to a good start. *Associated Press: “New Mom Chelsea Clinton Celebrates Baby Daughter” <http://bigstory.ap.org/article/f7cbef6fe17b47c5b5a367f9d9e431d0/chelsea-clinton-gives-birth-baby-girl>* By Ken Thomas September 27, 2014, 7:13 p.m. EDT Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton say they are "blessed, grateful, and so happy" to become grandparents. Their daughter, Chelsea, gave birth Friday night to her first child, Charlotte. Chelsea Clinton announced the news on Twitter and Facebook early Saturday, saying she and husband Marc Mezvinsky are "full of love, awe and gratitude as we celebrate the birth of our daughter, Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky." The former president and first lady said in the statement on Saturday, "Chelsea is well and glowing. Marc is bursting with pride. Charlotte's life is off to a good start." The baby was born at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, where the Mezvinskys live. No other details of her birth were released by the family. The news comes as Hillary Clinton deliberates whether to run for the White House in 2016. She is the leading Democratic contender to succeed President Barack Obama, her 2008 campaign rival, and has said she expects to make a decision around the beginning of next year. The baby has been eagerly anticipated. Hillary Clinton has called the prospect of becoming a grandmother her "most exciting title yet." She even has picked out the first book she intends to read to her grandchild, the classic "Goodnight Moon." She has said she didn't want to make any decisions about another campaign until the baby's arrival, pointing to her interest in enjoying becoming a grandmother for the first time. Bill Clinton canceled a fundraising visit Saturday to Denver for Democrats running for the Senate and governor, but he called in to an event for embattled Democratic Sen. Mark Udall to deliver his 11-minute speech by speakerphone. "I hope I get an excused absence," he told the crowd. "You all know my family just got a little bigger, and I figured I should stay home where I'm really needed." Clinton has been eager to become a grandfather. During an event with former President George W. Bush in September, Clinton's cellphone rang on stage and he joked that only two people had the number "and they are related to me," musing that he hoped he wasn't becoming "a premature grandfather." "Every day I get up and I say, 'You have to remember whose child this is. Do not interfere. Be there when you are welcome. Be loving but not judgmental," Clinton said to laughs in an interview with CNN at his annual Clinton Global Initiative, only days before the baby's arrival. The 34-year-old Chelsea Clinton said in an interview with Glamour magazine last year that she and her husband had hoped to make 2014 "the year of the baby." She announced her pregnancy in April at the end of a forum in New York on female empowerment. "I just hope I will be as good a mom to my child and, hopefully, children as my mom was to me," she said at the time. Even in her late stage of pregnancy, the younger Clinton helped preside over the family's annual conference last week, conducting interviews on stage and announcing efforts to promote community service and stop the killing of elephants and trafficking of ivory. An advocate for elephants, she warned her child "could grow up in a planet without elephants." Chelsea Clinton grew up in the public eye as a teenager in the White House, later graduating from Stanford and Columbia universities. She worked in finance in New York and in public health, earning a doctorate from Oxford University. She serves as vice chair of her family's foundation, which was renamed the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, and helps direct the organization's humanitarian and philanthropic efforts around the globe. She recently departed NBC News, where she served as a special correspondent. The new parents, who married in 2010, were friends as teenagers in Washington and both attended Stanford. Mezvinsky is a hedge fund manager and the son of former Reps. Majorie Margolies of Pennsylvania and Edward Mezvinsky of Iowa, longtime friends of the Clintons. *New York Daily News: “Bill, Hillary Clinton beam while leaving Lenox Hospital after birth of new granddaughter” <http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bill-hillary-clinton-beam-leaving-lenox-hospital-birth-new-granddaughter-article-1.1955473>* By Celeste Katz, Corinne Lestch, and Ginger Adams Otis September 27, 2014, 11:12 p.m. EDT [Subtitle:] In a statement released Saturday, President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton said they are 'blessed, grateful and so happy to be the grandparents of a beautiful girl,' named Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky. The grandparents of former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton's newborn girl are bursting with pride. In a statement released Saturday, President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton said they are "blessed, grateful and so happy to be the grandparents of a beautiful girl," named Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky. "We are thrilled to be with our daughter and her husband as they welcome their daughter into the world," the statement read. "Chelsea is well and glowing. Marc is bursting with pride. Charlotte's life is off to a good start." Chelsea Clinton, 34, and her husband Marc Mezvinsky, 36, happily announced the birth of their healthy baby girl to the world just aftermidnight Saturday. “Marc and I are full of love, awe and gratitude as we celebrate the birth of our daughter, Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky,” the contented new mom wrote on her Twitter feed. A Clinton spokesman said Charlotte was born earlier Friday. The new bundle of joy was born at Lenox Hill Hospital. Further details weren’t immediately available. The birth was timely for grandparents Bill and Hillary Clinton, who both shared the joyous news on their own Twitter accounts. The former president canceled a fundraising appearance in Denver Saturday with Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), the Associated Press reported. Bill beamed as he walked down the steps of the hospital with a suitcase in tow Saturday night. He did not say anything but gave a big smile and a friendly wave before entering a GMC van, wearing a gray sport coat, jeans and Nikes. Hillary was wearing a gray sweater, beads and black leggings, while a woman behind her carried another suitcase. Along with media maven Katie Couric and designer Vera Wang, those who offered best wishes to the happy couple included the Rev. Al Sharpton, who said he sent an email to Chelsea congratulating her. "I've known Chelsea since they were in the White House," Sharpton said Saturday, adding he's not friends with the former First Daughter but knows her from his gig on MSNBC and her short-lived tenure at the parent company. "I'm happy for her. I wish her and the baby well." The Clinton family had just wrapped up the annual Clinton Global Initiative in Manhattan this week. Bill and Hillary had both joked they were on “babywatch” the whole time — and hoped the gridlock caused by the United Nations summit wouldn’t cause problems for their expectant daughter if she went into labor. Chelsea and husband Marc had kept the baby’s gender a secret from everybody — including themselves. They announced the pregnancy in April. Congratulations poured for the young couple — with one fan already dubbing Charlotte the future first granddaughter. “Charlotte will be 2 years old when Hillary Clinton wins the presidency in 2016!!” tweeted Brian Joel in North Carolina. *The Hill: “Hillary Clinton puts women's rights at center of her agenda” <http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/219058-hillary-clinton-puts-womens-rights-at-center-of-her-agenda>* By Amie Parnes September 27, 2014, 12:28 p.m. EDT Eight years after shying away from the historic nature of her campaign, Hillary Clinton is putting women at the center of her agenda as she contemplates a second bid to become the nation's first woman president. In recent weeks, Clinton has trumpeted equal pay for women in speeches and panel discussions across the country. She has also called for a “movement” to help women at work, arguing that women face not only a “glass ceiling” but a floor that could collapse underneath them, erasing the gains made to win equality between the sexes. And this week, she announced a new $600 million effort through the Clinton Global Initiative to help disadvantaged girls attend secondary school. The effort suggests that if she runs for president, Clinton has decided to take the opposite tack from 2008, when top strategists such as Mark Penn suggested she not emphasize the issue during her first White House bid. In the post-mortem of that campaign, Clinton aides saw the failure to embrace the historic nature of her bid as a fatal mistake that contributed to her loss in the Democratic primary. Even worse, they witnessed Barack Obama’s campaign use the fact that voters would be electing the first black president to its advantage, making the electorate feel a part of bringing about a “change” movement. “The fact that it didn’t happen last time is indicative of everything that went wrong,” said one longtime Hillary ally who worked on the 2008 campaign. “Now, she’s being more true to herself, doing what she’s always done and always believed. It’s not about Mark Penn writing a policy memo.” Internal memos leaked to The Atlantic after the 2008 campaign show Penn wanted to portray Clinton in the mold of Margaret Thatcher, the “Iron Lady” and former prime minister of the United Kingdom. He wanted to cast her as a strong leader regardless of gender, and sought to play down the fact that she was a woman. Of voters, he wrote in one memo: “They do not want someone who would be the first mama, especially in this kind of world. But there is a yearning for a kind of tough single parent — someone who can combine the toughness they are used to with the negotiating adeptness they believe a woman would bring to the office. “They are open to the first father being a woman,” he wrote. Clinton allies argue the strategy came unnaturally to Clinton, who has long championed women and children issues. “Hillary Clinton believes that equal opportunity and success for women and girls builds a better future for all, and that’s why she led efforts to study and improve education opportunities for girls so they have a chance for a brighter future,” said Adrienne Elrod, the communications director for Correct the Record, the pro-Hillary super-PAC. When it comes to 2016, there are a number of reasons to think Clinton should embrace running as the possible first woman president if she makes another White House bid. Democrats have spent much of the last eight years solidifying their standing with women voters. Obama benefitted from a gender gap in voting in both of his general election victories, and Democrats was able to keep their Senate majority in 2010 and 2012 in large part because of support from female voters. “Democrats are banking, as they did in 2012, on the gender gap,” said Katherine Jellison, a professor of history at Ohio University. She argued that Clinton is seizing on issues that Democrats in general have realized “are winners for them.” “These women’s issues are great fundraising talking points for Democrats in terms of getting women’s groups and individual women to donate to campaigns," Jellison said. It could also be easier for Clinton to embrace running as the first woman president when she will not be running against someone set to become the first black president. The historic nature of Obama’s run for the White House in 2008 shadowed the entire campaign. This time around, Republicans say Clinton is simply looking for a base of support with her embrace of women. And they don’t think it will work. “The problem is that, while women do feel that there is some inequality that needs to be addressed they are not necessarily a group that feels in need of a "champion" in the same way that the black community rallied around President Obama or that the anti-Wall Street crowd has rallied around [Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth] Warren,” said Katie Packer Gage, the former deputy campaign manager on the 2012 Mitt Romney presidential campaign who now works at Burning Glass Consulting, a political consulting firm that focuses on messaging to women. “And women have not shown a history of rallying to a candidate based on gender.” “I understand their strategy,” Packer Gage added. “And there isn’t really an alternative path for them.” Jellison, however, says that Clinton undoubtedly realizes that one of the most powerful moments in her 2008 campaign was her concession speech to Obama. “Although we weren’t able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it’s got about 18 million cracks in it,” Clinton said at the time, bringing tears to the eyes of many supporters who gathered at the storied National Building Museum. Jellison and close Clinton allies predict that the line could resurface in other forms during a 2016 race. Even the super-PAC Ready for Hillary is already running with the cracks in the glass ceiling theme, releasing a logo of sorts ahead of Clinton’s much-anticipated appearance earlier this month in Iowa. Asked how Clinton would address her historic role this time around, one former aide said, “I hope the answer is, ‘directly.’ “She has to,” the former aide said. “Look what she did at the building museum. What was so striking about that was her whole riff. I don’t know how you don’t have a direct, strong message about women going forward after that moment.” And Clinton allies argue that embracing women’s issues comes naturally to Clinton. Tracy Sefl, a senior adviser to Ready for Hillary who worked on the 2008 campaign, said that, “at every turn Hillary Clinton demonstrates that the advancement of the rights and opportunities for women and girls is central to who she is. “This isn't a side issue, this isn't a one-off,” Sefl said. “As she says, this is 'our great unfinished business.'” *Associated Press: “Religious Conservatives Opposed To Hillary Clinton” <http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ad0ff73a334740149032053e8131968f/hillary-clinton-uniting-religious-conservatives>* By Ken Thomas and Steve Peoples September 27, 2014, 10:36 p.m. EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton is the one figure uniting religious conservatives frustrated by a leaderless Republican Party that's divided over foreign policy, immigration and social issues. The prospect of another Clinton White House stirred anguish at the Values Voter Summit this weekend where hundreds of conservative activists debated the GOP's future and warned that the acknowledged but unannounced 2016 Democratic front-runner would cement what they see as President Barack Obama's attack on religious freedom. "Never forget she will be Barack Obama's third and fourth term as president," Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, an unsuccessful GOP presidential candidate in 2012, said Friday night. She was among the high-profile Republicans, including past and prospective White House contenders, at the annual conference attended by some of the most prominent social conservatives and hosted by the Family Research Council, well known for its opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage. This year's gathering expanded its focus to religious freedom — or the persecution of Christians and their values at home and abroad. It was a message that GOP officials hope will help unify a fractured party and appeal to new voters ahead of November's elections and the next presidential contest. But it was Clinton's name that was as much a rallying cry as the theme of religious liberty. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a prospective presidential candidate, challenged Clinton to "come and debate" Denver nuns who run nursing homes for the poor, called the Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged. The nuns have challenged the Obama health law's requirement that some religious-affiliated organizations provide insurance that includes birth control. "She can do that and she can explain why we should be fighting nuns," Cruz told 750 social conservatives at a banquet in Des Moines on Saturday night, after saying much the same at the Washington gathering. Many in the Iowa crowd burst into laughter at Cruz's comment. In Washington, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a once and perhaps future contender, described Clinton as "tenacious." "She's got all the skills and would be an incredibly formidable candidate," Huckabee told reporters, suggesting that Clinton is politically vulnerable. "She's got to go out and defend Barack Obama and her record in the first four years she was secretary of state." Clinton would be the overwhelming favorite to win the Democratic presidential nomination, while the GOP's field is large and lacks a clear front-runner. Two GOP establishment favorites, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, were not invited to the Values Voter meeting. As he did last year, Cruz won the meeting's symbolic presidential preference straw poll with 25 percent of the vote, followed by conservative firebrand Ben Carson and Huckabee. Clinton earned one vote among more than 900 cast, although Family Research Council president Tony Perkins joked that even Mickey Mouse would have gotten a vote if listed on the ballot. He said religious liberty "slipped as a priority" under Clinton's leadership at the State Department as she pursued a liberal agenda "in complete contrast to what values voters care about." "She's going to have a more difficult time this go around than she did last time," Perkins said. A CNN poll this summer found that four different would-be Republican candidates earned between 10 percent and 15 percent of support from self-identified conservatives: Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Cruz and Huckabee. The same poll found that 73 percent of conservatives said Clinton doesn't generally agree with them on issues they care about. "I think the hype will be, 'Let's elect the first woman president,'" said Tina Henold, who was at the conference and has home-schooled her three children in Toledo, Ohio, for 24 years. "We need to get away from hype and get more substance." Like many others at the gathering, Henold said Clinton's history and her handling of the 2012 attack on the U.S. facility in Benghazi, Libya, in which four Americans were killed, would hurt her chances. Republicans contend that Obama and Clinton, as secretary of state, misled the public about the nature of the attack and could have saved lives if they had quickly mobilized the U.S. military. "Mrs. Clinton, you're not going to get a free ride on this," said Gary Bauer, founder of the Campaign for Working Families and a presidential candidate in 2000. "You can't implement the policies and then run as if you were opposed to the policies. We're going to call you out." Democrats have branded a special House panel investigating Benghazi as a right-wing effort to harm a potential Clinton presidential campaign. They reject notions that U.S. forces were ordered to "stand down" during the attack or that Clinton played a direct role in security decisions. Lillian Kjellman, a freshman at Liberty University who attended the conference, said there was too much controversy surrounding Clinton and questioned whether she could to present a fresh message to the public after more than two decades in the public eye. "I don't think she could win," she said. *Salon: “The 1 percent’s twisted new scheme: The Kochs and other billionaires are determined to buy the White House in 2016” <http://www.salon.com/2014/09/28/the_1_percents_twisted_new_scheme_the_kochs_and_other_billionaires_are_determined_to_buy_the_white_house_in_2016/>* By Darrell M. West September 28, 2014, 11:00 a.m. EDT [Excerpted from “Billionaires: Reflections on the Upper Crust” by Darrell M. West (Brookings Institution Press, September 2014). Reprinted with permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.] [Subtitle:] Kochs and co. learned their lessons from Obama v. Romney, and can't wait to apply them in 2016. Here's the strategy The answer to the question of whether rich people can buy elections is “Sometimes, but not always.” President Obama won reelection despite the massive amounts spent to defeat him by conservative business leaders. He beat back their spending by having a weak opponent who was seen by voters as pro-rich and out of touch. Mitt Romney lacked the personal skills to connect with voters and persuade them that he cared about the middle class. Clearly, then, money is not the only thing that decides election campaigns. Public opinion, media coverage, campaign strategies, and policy positions matter as well. During a time of rising campaign costs and limited public engagement in the political process, money sets the agenda, affects how the campaign develops, and shapes how particular people and policy problems get defined. It takes skilled candidates, considerable media coverage, and strong organizational efforts to offset the power of great wealth. There are no guarantees that future Democratic candidates will replicate Obama’s 2012 electoral success. The conservative financiers involved then regard the money that they spent that year as the initial down payment on a long-term investment, even if it did not immediately pay off. After the general election, Sheldon Adelson announced that he planned to “double” his investment in future races. “I happen to be in a unique business where winning and losing is the basis of the entire business. So I don’t cry when I lose. There’s always a new hand coming up. I know in the long run we’re going to win.” Marc Short, one of the strategists behind the political activities of Charles and David Koch, echoed that thought: “Our members are committed to the long term, not to one individual cycle.” In preparation for the long-term battle, these billionaires already have altered their campaign approach to maximize the odds of winning. After studying what went wrong with the 2012 campaign, individuals such as Adelson are aiming for a different kind of GOP nominee. According to Adelson’s friend Victor Chaltiel, “he doesn’t want a crazy extremist to be the nominee. He wants someone who has the chance to win the election, who is reasonable in his positions, who has convictions but is not totally crazy.” Meanwhile, Republican National Committee member Shawl Steel said that Adelson has learned from the 2012 defeat: “The candidate will have to have a strong resume—no sudden lightning-new guy—will have to build a formidable fundraising apparatus and really be emotionally tethered to bringing in middle-class Latinos, Asian Pacifics, Jews and blacks like never before.” Understanding the importance of the top conservative billionaires, GOP strategist and former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said that one of the most important elements in the 2016 presidential campaign would be who would win the “Sheldon Primary.” Referring to the super-wealthy benefactor, Fleischer noted that “anybody running for the Republican nomination would want to have Sheldon at his side.” The same is true for Charles and David Koch. With their abundant resources, grassroots network, and willingness to spend to influence elections, their role in the GOP is of utmost importance. And like Adelson, they have sought to learn from 2012 and develop new electoral strategies. From their perspective, it is crucial to adapt to the political environment and alter public outreach strategies. James Davis of Freedom Partners, a Koch-financed group, said donors must test and refine their message: “Being in the field and testing during the slower periods, and in smaller areas, allows you to refine strategy and tactics so that you can make the larger investments with confidence.” For the 2014 midterm elections, Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is focusing on field operations and broadcasting ads that employ moving personal stories to deliver policy messages. Central to their approach is the idea that Obamacare is a failure and is hurting ordinary patients. “Too often, we did kind of broader statistical ads or messages, and we decided that we needed to start telling the story of how the liberals’ policies, whether it’s the administration or Congress, are practically impacting the lives of Americans every day,” explained Tim Phillips, the president of AFP. Media expert Elizabeth Wilner of Kantar Media/CMAG noted that those kinds of ads have a greater likelihood of electoral success. “Ads that tell stories are more compelling than ads that don’t,” she said. “And ads that use sympathetic figures are more compelling, generally, than those that don’t.” With ads that have greater impact, a stronger field operation, and better candidates, conservative billionaires are likely to have greater success in the future. Worried about that possibility, Democrats have countered with a “running against the billionaires” strategy. This is a tactic that was used successfully by Barack Obama in his re-election bid. He tied his GOP opponent Mitt Romney to billionaires such as Sheldon Adelson and the Koch brothers, who were spending hundreds of millions against him. Obama appealed to basic fairness and argued that a candidate backed by the mega rich would not fight for the middle class and help ordinary people. Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) has copied this approach for the 2014 elections. In a series of speeches on the Senate floor, he bemoaned the unfairness of tycoons and the millions that they are spending to defeat vulnerable Democrats in key swing states. Reid decried the radical agenda “that benefits billionaires at the expense of the middle class.” Continuing, he said that “the oil baron Koch brothers are very good at protecting and growing their prodigious future and fortune. There’s nothing un-American about that. But what is un-American is when shadowy billionaires pour unlimited money into our democracy to rig the system to benefit themselves and the wealthiest one percent.” Democratic senators under attack by Americans for Prosperity ads costing millions of dollars responded with their own ads directly targeting the Koch brothers. One spot broadcast by Alaska Democratic senator Mark Begich complained about a local oil refinery shut down by Koch Industries: “They come into town, buy our refinery, and just run it into the ground, leaving a mess. A lot of Alaskans are losing jobs, and I’m definitely concerned about the drinking water. I don’t go down and tell them what to do; I expect them not to come up to Alaska and tell us what to do.” Upset with these personal attacks, Charles Koch penned an article in the Wall Street Journal entitled “I’m Fighting to Restore a Free Society,” in which he decried “collectivists [who] engage character assassination.” He said that his companies employ 60,000 Americans and that his workers have won “over 700 awards for environmental, health, and safety excellence.” Continuing his self-defense, he said that “far from trying to rig the system, I have spent decades opposing cronyism and all political favors, including mandates, subsidies, and protective tariffs—even when we benefit from them. I believe that cronyism is nothing more than welfare for the rich and powerful and should be abolished.” Irritated that Reid was focusing on the Kochs, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) said that he “wondered why he left out billionaire Tom Steyer, who plans to spend as much as $100 million pushing the issue of climate change in the 2014 election and appears positioned to rival the deep-pocketed Koch brothers.” Democrats face interesting strategic decisions with respect to billionaires. For more populist-leaning candidates, the preferred approach is to attack billionaires, complain about unfairness, and criticize the lack of transparency in their electioneering activities. Other Democrats, though, have chosen a different tack. They have embraced liberal billionaires rather than running against billionaires as a general class. Their thinking is that “if you can’t beat them, you should join them.” An example of that alternative comes from Democrats loosely aligned with Hillary Clinton. Thinking ahead to a possible presidential campaign in 2016, her super PAC, Ready for Hillary, has signed up George Soros as co-chair of its national finance council. In contrast to his aloofness from Obama in 2012, Soros agreed to assist the group laying the groundwork for her campaign three full years before the election. Michael Vachon, the political director for\ the billionaire, explained Soros’s early action by saying that “his support for Ready for Hillary is an extension of his long-held belief in the power of grass-roots organizing.” The Clinton super PAC also has received contributions from billionaire Alice Walton, one of the heirs to the Wal-Mart fortune, and Marc Benioff, the billionaire CEO of Salesforce, along with a number of other wealthy individuals. Mrs. Clinton’s family foundation is working with billionaire Tom Steyer on an early childhood development project. Clinton’s accommodationist approach clearly reflects the pragmatic conclusion that Democrats need abundant resources to fight the conservative billionaires aligned with the Republican Party. In light of recent Supreme Court decisions opening up the big money spigot, Democrats appear to believe that they must join the arms race that now characterizes U.S. campaign finance. However, that approach comes with some pitfalls. In cozying up to billionaires, Clinton and her supporters risk alienating the populist wing of her own party and turning off voters still stewing over the Wall Street interests that they think brought down the American economy during the financial collapse. If she goes too far with this strategy, she risks facing a progressive backlash during the nominating process. The unresolved political question is how this party division over billionaires plays out. Dividing billionaires into warring factions may be the best hope for Democrats. But that choice means that Democrats should downplay the populist rhetoric and embrace pro-growth policies. They would have to quit talking about raising taxes on the rich and endorse actions that broaden social and economic opportunity. Even if Democrats run against conservative billionaires, they are likely to embrace moderate and liberal ones in both 2014 and 2016. The 2016 election will be a multibillion dollar battle for the future of America, and Democrats cannot compete without having ultrarich supporters willing to spend tens of millions on their behalf. It matters considerably to democracy as a whole how Democrats resolve this strategic and policy issue. The outcome of future elections depends in good part on whether 2016 becomes the year of conservative billionaires, liberal ones, libertarian tycoons, or a diverse set of billionaires across the political spectrum. *Calendar:* *Sec. Clinton's upcoming appearances as reported online. Not an official schedule.* · September 29 – New York, NY: Sec. Clinton headlines fundraiser for DCCC for NY and NJ candidates (Politico <http://www.politico.com/story/2014/09/hillary-clinton-new-york-fundraiser-110902.html?hp=r4> ) · September 29 – New York, NY: Sec. Clinton headlines another fundraiser for DCCC (Politico <http://www.politico.com/story/2014/09/hillary-clinton-headline-dccc-fundraiser-110764.html?hp=l8_b1> ) · September 29 – New York, NY: Sec. Clinton meets Indian Prime Minister Modi (Zee News <http://zeenews.india.com/news/india/no-modi-sharif-meeting-in-new-york-mea_1474656.html> ) · September 30 – Washington, DC: Sec. Clinton keynotes Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Inc., conference (CHCI <http://www.chci.org/news/pub/former-secretary-of-state-hillary-clinton-to-address-leadership-luncheon-at-public-policy-conference> ) · September 30 – Potomac, MD: Sec. Clinton fundraises for Maryland gubernatorial candidate Anthony Brown (WaPo <http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/hillary-clinton-to-headline-fundraiser-for-maryland-gubernatorial-hopeful-brown/2014/09/19/3e9b4aea-4057-11e4-b03f-de718edeb92f_story.html> ) · September 30 – Washington, DC: Sec. Clinton fundraises for New Hampshire state Sen. Lou D’Allesandro of Manchester (New Hampshire Journal <http://nhjournal.com/hillary-clinton-to-host-dc-reception-for-long-time-friend-dallesandro/> ) · October 2 – Miami Beach, FL: Sec. Clinton keynotes the real estate CREW Network Convention & Marketplace (CREW Network <http://events.crewnetwork.org/2014convention/>) · October 2 – Miami, FL: Sec. Clinton signs “Hard Choices” at Books and Books (HillaryClintonMemoir.com <http://www.hillaryclintonmemoir.com/miami_book_signing>) · October 2 – Miami, FL: Sec. Clinton fundraises for Charlie Crist ( Politico <http://www.politico.com/story/2014/09/hillary-clinton-charlie-crist-campaign-florida-111229.html> ) · October 6 – Ottawa, Canada: Sec. Clinton speaks at Canada 2020 event (Ottawa Citizen <http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/hillary-clinton-speaking-in-ottawa-oct-6> ) · October 13 – Las Vegas, NV: Sec. Clinton and Sen. Reid fundraise for the Reid Nevada Fund (Ralston Reports <http://www.ralstonreports.com/blog/hillary-raise-money-state-democrats-reid-next-month> ) · October 13 – Las Vegas, NV: Sec. Clinton keynotes the UNLV Foundation Annual Dinner (UNLV <http://www.unlv.edu/event/unlv-foundation-annual-dinner?delta=0>) · October 14 – San Francisco, CA: Sec. Clinton keynotes salesforce.com Dreamforce conference (salesforce.com <http://www.salesforce.com/dreamforce/DF14/highlights.jsp#tuesday>) · October 28 – San Francisco, CA: Sec. Clinton fundraises for House Democratic women candidates with Nancy Pelosi (Politico <http://www.politico.com/story/2014/08/hillary-clinton-nancy-pelosi-110387.html?hp=r7> ) · December 4 – Boston, MA: Sec. Clinton speaks at the Massachusetts Conference for Women (MCFW <http://www.maconferenceforwomen.org/speakers/>)