HRC Clips | 2.1.15

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D6 P17 V11 V16 P23

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Clips February 1, 2015 HRC For Clinton, deciding how to prepare for a low-key primary (AP)...................... 2 Iowa Dems high and dry as Hillary decides (Politico)........................................ 5 Clinton Maintains Big Lead in New Iowa Poll (Des Moines Register).................. 8 Walker Surging in Iowa Poll as Bush Struggles (Bloomberg)............................ 12 For Clinton, deciding how to prepare for a low-key primary (AP) By Ken Thomas February 1, 2015 Associated Press WASHINGTON — The challenge ahead for Hillary Rodham Clinton is one faced by few White House hopefuls: running a primary campaign in which she faces little competition, if any at all. Still not officially a candidate, the former New York senator, secretary of state and first lady sits far atop early polls against a small field of potential rivals for the Democratic nomination. None of them seems to be in any hurry to move into the race. Few Democrats see an insurgent candidate in the mold of Barack Obama on the horizon. That raises the potential of a pedestrian Democratic primary season with few televised debates and little of the drama expected from a crowded and likely combative race on the Republican side. “No one wants a complete coronation, but it’s hard to see who a credible challenger will be,” said Steve Westly, a California-based fundraiser for Obama’s campaigns who is supporting Clinton. Clinton has been meeting in New York with a group of advisers that includes longtime loyalists and veterans of Obama’s races. But the work of campaign planning involves trying to figure out when to get into the race, how to avoid giving off a sense of inevitability and how to generate enthusiasm among the party’s base for the general election without the benefit of a spirited fight for the nomination. “All indications are that she’s casting a wide net, talking to smart people, and being methodical about thinking through her next steps,” said Donna Brazile, a Democratic strategist and Clinton ally. “And having run a presidential campaign, this is how you go about making this decision and next steps.” The first step? Deciding when to get into the race. Clinton’s timeline for announcing her candidacy remains a subject of debate inside her team, according to Democrats familiar with the discussions. Some advisers are pushing the possibility of a springtime announcement. Others suggest she could wait until the summer, giving her team more time to get ready. Some insiders note that her husband, Bill Clinton, did not launch his first presidential campaign until October 1991, a few months before the first primaries of the 1992 race. In the already competitive Republican field, the aggressive moves of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush appear to have chased Mitt Romney into and out of the race. But the potential Democratic competition is not putting any pressure on Clinton to move quickly. Vice President Joe Biden has said he will not make a decision until the spring or the summer. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a liberal favorite, insists she’s not running. Others, such as ex-Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb and independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are relatively unknown nationally and are not expected to decide until later in the spring. Clinton appears in no rush. She has a limited number of public appearances in the coming months, leaving outside groups to fill the void. Ready for Hillary, a pro-Clinton super political action committee, has a number of low-dollar fundraisers on the calendar, including an event in New York next month with former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean. “The question is what advantage is the Clinton campaign giving up by not being active in Iowa as a candidate today? And I can’t think of any,” said Jerry Crawford, a Des Moines lawyer who served as Clinton’s Midwest co-chairman in 2008. Clinton has suggested one — the potential for voters to see her as entitled to the nomination. She was hurt by sky-high expectations in her last campaign and finished a disappointing third in Iowa’s caucuses, sparking Obama’s ascent. “If I were to decide to pursue it, I would be working as hard as any underdog or any newcomer because I don’t want to take anything for granted if I decide to do it,” Clinton said in a June interview. Clinton’s main obstacles during a quiet primary campaign could come from Republicans and GOP-leaning outside groups, which already are trying to discredit her record at the State Department and tie her to Obama’s policies. Several Republicans took swipes at Clinton at an Iowa forum last weekend, as did Romney in a speech in Mississippi this past week. “Hillary Clinton clearly feels she’s entitled to the presidency and is taking the race for granted like she did in 2008,” said Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus, reflecting the GOP’s intense focus on Clinton. Such GOP criticism could rile her supporters. But a low-key primary could limit her campaign’s ability to test its organizational strength and its opportunities to seize on important moments — a primary night, debate, major address — that often fuel online fundraising and list-building. During the last contested Democratic campaign, the party’s first presidential debate was held in South Carolina in April 2007 and the field went on to take part in more than two dozen such events. With no announced candidates, a springtime debate already appears unlikely. Still, there are benefits to the lack of a challenge. Even with Republicans as the main foil, a relatively uncontested primary would give Clinton a clear path to raise millions of dollars and build a campaign organization, a benefit normally bestowed to an incumbent president, and perhaps keep her above the political fray. “I’m really excited for these next two years,” said Neera Tanden, a former Clinton policy adviser who spoke at a Ready for Hillary event in Washington last week. “You know with any Clinton adventure, it’s a roller coaster. It will be very exciting. And she’s really going to need all of us to step up.” Iowa Dems high and dry as Hillary decides (Politico) By Ben Schreckinger February 1, 2015 Politico Democrats are beginning to worry that Hillary Clinton is creating a drought in Iowa. A year out from the Iowa caucus, some party members fret that Hillary Clinton’s dominance in the Democratic field will leave the party high and dry as the campaign season intensifies. A lack of competition within the party may hurt fundraising and makes it hard to develop the new blood that often grows out of highly competitive races, some party activists say. The prospect of a Clinton victory stokes even deeper fears. “My gut feeling as a Democratic activist is that a president Hillary Clinton will tell the Democratic Party, ‘No caucuses, primaries only,’” said John Deeth, an activist and organizer in Iowa City. “If Hillary Clinton is elected president, this will be the last Iowa Caucus.” The Democratic presidential field is notably smaller and quieter than the Republican side, where a robust field of candidates is jockeying for position after Friday’s surprise withdrawal of poll frontrunner Mitt Romney. In Iowa, the annual parade of appearances by big-name presidential candidates normally has ripple effects for fundraising and party-building activities among local organizations. But this year, said State Sen. Jeff Danielson, “It’s an absolute ghost town, and I’m deeply concerned about it. All of that activity builds the party base. It allows down-ballot candidates like me to host events in the district.” Hillary Clinton has complicated matters by considering delaying a formal announcement until July, and her allies are contemplating the possibility that she may not even debate in the primaries, as POLITICO Playbook first reported Thursday. That news has added to anxiety among the grassroots, where there is an impression that “Clinton has a chip on her shoulder about Iowa,” after finishing a disappointing third in the 2008 caucus, as Deeth put it.”The Clinton campaign blew it. They didn’t have a strategy for caucus states and the Obama campaign did,” he said. After losing that caucus, Clinton didn’t set foot in the state again until this past September. “I’m sensing a lot of concern among the Democratic activists here that there’s not going to be the kind of activity that we saw in 2007 or 2003,” said Deeth. The ancillary benefits of a heated Iowa caucus play out at events like the Johnson County Democrats’ largest fundraiser, the annual fall barbecue. In 2003, the barbecue drew John Kerry, Howard Dean and non-candidate Ted Kennedy. In 2007, it drew five presidential candidates and the actor Forest Whittaker, who came as a surrogate for then-Sen. Barack Obama. Deeth said he doesn’t believe this year’s barbecue will compare. “Nobody expects that Hillary Clinton plans to do those kinds of activities,” he said. A lively contest also draws new blood and fresh energy into the Democratic fold. “When it’s a highly competitive caucus, we often have folks show up who aren’t only Democrats but independents and some Republicans who then register as Democrats,” said Polk County Democratic Chair Tom Henderson. “They’re more likely to stay with our party and vote with our party.” “It does seem to be slower than I’d like to expect,” he said. It’s not only new voters, but new activists who surface in a competitive caucus, and often remain involved even if their candidate loses the nomination. “Keeping the energy going in a place like Iowa City,” the most liberal part of the state, “is really, really important on a statewide basis,” said Deeth. “It is definitely quieter than we’ve seen the last couple [cycles] for sure,” said Norm Sterzenbach, a former executive director of the state Democratic party. “We could really use the attention and the organizing at this stage because of where we have been over the last election cycle,” in which Republican Joni Ernst won the Senate seat left open by Democrat Tom Harkin’s retirement, and Democrats also lost the House seat vacated by Ernst’s opponent, Bruce Braley. The disappointing showing may have been exacerbated by the small Democratic field. Potential presidential candidates often send resources to Iowa in the midterms to win goodwill in the state ahead of the presidential caucus. Last year, former Maryland Gov. O’Malley was the only potential Democratic candidate to lend staffers to Hawkeye State Democrats. Sterzenbach’s not hitting the panic button yet, though. “There’s still plenty of time,” he said. Many other Democrats agreed that it’s too early for grave concern, among them new state chair Andy McGuire. “I think we will have a robust caucus,” she said . “I just think we’ll be a little bit later than the Republicans and a little bit shorter.” In the meantime, Iowa Democrats aren’t sitting back and praying for it to start raining presidential campaigns. Instead, they’re taking organizing into their own hands. McGuire was elected party chair earlier this month on a platform that included more proactive party-building across the state, and she said those efforts are already underway. Jack Hatch, the Democratic candidate for governor in 2014, said Democrats had recognized the void and that other efforts were afoot to fill it independent of the official party apparatus. “It is a skeleton of what it should be,” he said. “We know we’ve got a lot of work to do, but the activities of Democrats throughout the state are organizing very quickly.” He did not reveal the details of those plans, though he said they were likely to take shape in a matter of weeks. But among the grass roots, there are signs that absent the excitement of a spirited presidential contest, party-building efforts could lead to alienation rather than organization. Pat Sass, chair of the Blackhawk County Democrats, pointed to disappointment with a ticketed appearance by Obama earlier this month in Cedar Falls that was limited to 200 attendees. “Those kinds of things don’t sit right,” she said, “and then they get emails saying, ‘Send money.’” Clinton Maintains Big Lead in New Iowa Poll (Des Moines Register) By Jason Noble January 31, 2015 The Des Moines Register DES MOINES, Iowa — Hillary Rodham Clinton continues to lead the potential field of Democratic presidential candidates in Iowa, capturing a wide majority of support and enjoying sky-high approval ratings among likely caucusgoers. The results of the latest Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Iowa Poll underscore Clinton’s dominance a year ahead of Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses and the inability so far of any other potential candidate to crack her aura of inevitability. Clinton, the former U.S. secretary of state and a fixture in national Democratic politics for more than 20 years, is the first choice for 56 percent of poll respondents. That’s 40 points ahead of the next potential contender, liberal populist Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who is the top choice for 16 percent. Whoever ultimately gets into the race will look to make themselves the most credible choice alongside Clinton, said Iowa-based Democratic strategist Jeff Link. “You want to make this a two-person race, and you want to be the alternative to the front-runner,” Link said. “There’s a chance that that could happen, and if it does, that’ll be when things will become more interesting.” Clinton is viewed favorably by 84 percent of likely caucusgoers, and just 1 percent aren’t sure of their feelings about her. Among potential candidates, only Vice President Joe Biden enjoys popularity anywhere near that, at 78 percent. For former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and former Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia, a majority of respondents don’t know enough about them even to form an opinion. Poll respondent Nora Walker, a 20-year-old Iowa State University student, said she’s been a fan of Clinton going back to 2008 and wants to see a woman elected president. “Not only do I think it’s time for a woman to be in office, I think she’s the right woman for the job,” Walker said of Clinton. But Walker also said she’s unfamiliar with the rest of the potential field, and wasn’t entirely ruling out support for another candidate. The results are not substantially different from an Iowa Poll conducted last October, in which 53 percent of respondents called Clinton their first choice, while the rest of the field remained at or below 10 percent. Only Warren has shown any noticeable movement since then, rising from 10 percent to 16 percent. Warren came to Iowa in late October to campaign for unsuccessful Senate candidate Bruce Braley, drawing hundreds of people to events in Iowa City and Des Moines. More Iowans have become aware of Warren, and that higher visibility has translated to higher popularity — a positive development for any candidate, said J. Ann Selzer, who conducts the Iowa Poll for the Register and Bloomberg Politics. “This poll reveals Warren as more competitive against the front-runner than she was a few months ago,” Selzer said. The poll of 401 likely Democratic caucusgoers was conducted Jan. 26-29. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.9 percentage points. Still, support for Clinton is wide and deep. On a question asking what type of Democrat would be best suited to lead the country in 2017, 57 percent think it would be a “mainstream establishment candidate” — an apt description of Clinton — while 34 percent say they prefer an “anti-establishment candidate without ties to Washington or Wall Street.” Even among respondents favoring an anti-establishment candidate, Clinton is still the top choice, leading Warren by almost 20 percentage points. David Vawter, 50, of Johnston is among the respondents favoring an “anti-establishment” candidate and backing Clinton. While Clinton has been around long enough to understand how the political game is played, he said, he sees her as standing apart from the extreme partisanship that defines Washington, D.C. It also helps that she’s a woman, he said. “She’s part of the old boys club, but she’s not a boy, which helps her be anti-establishment,” he said. “We need someone who can think outside the box, but understands the box.” One issue trailing both Clinton and likely Republican candidate Jeb Bush is the dynastic implications for their candidacies: Clinton is married to former President Bill Clinton, while Bush’s brother and father have served as president. The Iowa Poll suggests that likely caucus attendees see family connections as far more significant for Bush than Clinton. While 50 percent of likely Republican caucusgoers say the strength of Bush’s potential candidacy is based more on his “family connections to politics,” just 19 percent of likely Democratic caucus attendees say the same of Clinton. Forty percent say Clinton’s strength lies in her “policies and vision for the country” and another 36 percent say it’s her “unique qualities and achievements.” But poll respondent Sharon Pryor, a retired psychologist from Iowa City, says she’s troubled by the notion of American political dynasties. It’s part of the reason Warren and Sanders are her top choices. “It’s a little disgusting that she’s being anointed, that we have these dynastic families, the Bushes and the Clintons,” Pryor said. “That’s another reason for either a Sanders or a Warren (candidacy).” Much remains unknown about the Democratic field — including whether or when Clinton will formally announce her candidacy. News reports last week suggested the weak Democratic competition might allow her to delay a formal candidacy announcement until July. Warren has downplayed her interest in pursuing a candidacy. Biden, Sanders and O’Malley have made trips to Iowa in recent months but have avoided committing to a run. Sanders has scheduled another visit Feb. 19-21, packed with nine events. Walker Surging in Iowa Poll as Bush Struggles (Bloomberg) By John McCormick and Michael Bender January 31, 2015 Bloomberg Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is surging, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush is an also-ran and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is dominating in a new poll of Iowans likely to vote in the nation’s first presidential nominating contest. The Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register Iowa Poll, taken Monday through Thursday, shows Walker leading a wide-open Republican race with 15 percent, up from just 4 percent in the same poll in October. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was at 14 percent and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who won the Iowa caucuses in 2008, stood at 10 percent. Bush trailed with 8 percent and increasingly is viewed negatively by likely Republican caucus-goers. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is in even worse shape, with support from just 4 percent. More troubling for Christie: He’s viewed unfavorably by 54 percent, among the highest negative ratings in the potential field. At 9 percent, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson pulls more support than either Bush or Christie. On the Democratic side, the race among potential candidates isn’t competitive. Clinton was the first choice of 56 percent. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who has repeatedly said she isn’t running, stands second at 16 percent. Vice President Joe Biden had only about half as much support as Warren, with 9 percent. The poll was taken before Mitt Romney’s Friday announcement that he wouldn’t make a third White House bid. He received the backing of 13 percent of likely Republican caucus participants, ranking third. When his supporters are re-allocated to their second choice, Walker’s backing grows to 16 percent, followed by 15 percent for Paul, 13 percent for Huckabee, and 10 percent for Carson. Removing Romney from his third-place spot had no effect on the ranking order of the other top potential candidates and offered the biggest boost to Huckabee. Bush’s overall number inched up just one point, to 9 percent. Walker’s bounce came on the strength of his speech last weekend at the Iowa Freedom Summit, a gathering of more than 1,200 social conservatives in Des Moines. The two-term governor, often criticized as a dull speaker, captivated the crowd with a vivid account of threats to his family four years ago during his fight with organized labor, and his efforts to push tax cuts and anti-abortion policies. [Description:  ] The survey was taken just as Walker was basking in the positive coverage of that speech, and as he announced the formation of a committee to help him explore a potential presidential bid. Whether he can continue to grow in popularity on the national stage and as he receives more scrutiny remains unknown. The speech sold poll participant Kirk Lundberg, who lives in Hudson, Iowa. The 58-year-old construction project manager said he became a Walker fan after hearing last weekend’s address on the radio. “I was impressed,” Lundberg said. “He’s somebody that is true to his word and will stand by his convictions. It’s going to take someone who is a strong conservative to win.” Walker’s favorability rating has jumped to 60 percent, up 11 percentage points since the October Iowa Poll of likely caucus participants. His proximity to Iowa may also be boosting him; his biggest poll lead came from the state’s 1st Congressional District, which borders Wisconsin. “A majority think he’s got the right balance between conservative and moderate,” said J. Ann Selzer, president of West Des Moines-based Selzer & Co., which conducted the poll. “Caucus-goers deciding on the basis of a candidate’s values put him in second place, and he’s in first place with those who say electability is more important.” Rounding out the rest of the potential Republican field, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas scored 5 percent, 2012 Iowa caucuses winner Rick Santorum was at 4 percent, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and former Texas Governor Rick Perry were at 3 percent, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal was at 2 percent, and businesswoman Carly Fiorina, Ohio Governor John Kasich, and businessman Donald Trump were all at 1 percent. Indiana Governor Mike Pence was not the first or second choice of any respondent. Iowans are still getting to know Walker, who pledged last weekend to return to their state “many more times in the future.” More than a quarter of likely Republican caucus participants say they don’t know enough about him to form an opinion. “I like what he did to Wisconsin, and I think he’d be great at getting rid of a bunch of stuff that the government is doing to us,” said Kerri Vaughn, a carpenter from western Iowa who has followed Walker’s career mostly on Fox News. “He seems like he means what he says, and does what he says and is an honorable man.” The poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points for both Democratic and Republican caucus-goers, shows there’s plenty of potential uncertainty in Iowa. Six in 10 likely Republican voters say a candidate’s values are more important than electability. The results suggest Bush, the son and brother of former presidents, faces a challenge in the heartland, even if he’s an East Coast Republican establishment’s darling. His favorability rating in the poll was 46 percent, not much higher than the 43 percent who view him unfavorably. “I’m not excited about him,” said poll participant William Kayser, 86, a property appraiser in Decorah, Iowa. “The Bushes have been so decimated in the media that he doesn’t have a chance.” So far, Bush has avoided Iowa, a state that has a history of rewarding candidates who are more socially conservative. He hasn’t been to the state since October 2012 and that could be hurting his numbers there. In recent weeks, Bush has called Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and other state party leaders, an indication he isn’t likely to bypass the state should he run. On Thursday, he also signed on Iowa native David Kochel, Romney’s top 2012 strategist in the state, to run his national campaign-in-waiting. Bush’s brother, George W. Bush, won Iowa’s caucuses in 2000, propelling him toward the nomination and White House. His father, George H.W. Bush, took first place in the caucuses in 1980 before losing the nomination race to Ronald Reagan. As vice president, George H.W. Bush took third place in the 1988 caucuses and won the presidency. Half of Republican poll participants say Bush’s family connections are his greatest potential strength, while 19 percent cite unique qualities and achievements and another 19 percent list his policies and vision for the country. “I like how he handled things in Florida. I know a lot of conservatives don’t look at him as a conservative, but I believe he is,” said Mark Shepherd, 44, a sheriff’s deputy in Dallas County, west of Des Moines. “The Bush name seems to haunt him, but I think the best one is yet to come.” At 62 percent, Perry scores the highest for “about right” on ideology, although that’s hasn’t helped his overall standing. Christie is viewed as “too moderate” by 46 percent, while 37 percent say that of Bush. Paul, who like Walker also improved his standing since October, is the top candidate among those Republicans seeking an “anti-establishment” candidate, followed closely by Walker. Among those who say values are more important than electability, Paul also comes out on top. “I don’t think [Paul] is a typical Washington, look-at-me politician,” said Kristen Schlapkohl, 32, an office manager at a mechanic’s shop in eastern Iowa. “He’s a little different from the rest of the establishment and seems to look at things in a different way.” Schlapkohl said she also likes that Paul doesn’t place as much emphasis on social issues. “As a conservative, I worry about the safety of our country from terrorism and fiscal irresponsibility and the expansion of different welfare programs and not so much about gay marriage or arresting every single person who has an ounce of marijuana,” she said. [Description:  ] The survey questioned 401 likely Democratic caucus-goers and 402 likely Republican participants. A narrow majority of the Republicans—51 percent—say the next president should be an anti-establishment candidate without many ties to Washington or Wall Street who could challenge conventional thinking. Among Democrats, 57 percent prefer someone who would offer a “mainstream establishment candidate with executive experience who understands business.” Likely Democratic caucus-goers say Clinton would be a formidable candidate: More than half of Democrats say they want a presidential candidate with experience on issues (compared to just 27 percent of Republicans). She’s viewed favorably by 84 percent of likely caucus participants, up 8 percentage points since October. Few see any problem with the fact that Clinton came in third in the state’s 2008 nominating contest or that, as the wife of a former president, people may have grown tired of her. More than half say her ties to big banks on Wall Street aren’t an issue. After Clinton, Warren, and Biden, the level of support for other potential Democratic candidates falls off. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont receives 5 percent, former Senator Jim Webb of Virginia gets 3 percent, and former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley receives just 1 percent.