podesta_email_01969.txt

podesta-emails 2,747 words email

P17 D6 P22 V11 P20

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*​**Correct The Record Tuesday December 23, 2014 Afternoon Roundup:* *Tweets:* *Correct The Record* @CorrectRecord: .@HillaryClinton <https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton> wants everyone to enjoy the same opportunities she had growing up,@jengranholm <https://twitter.com/JenGranholm> writes for @cnbc <https://twitter.com/CNBC> http://www.cnbc.com/id/102291832 <http://t.co/egJLapRVPg>[12/23/14, 11:37 a.m. EST <https://twitter.com/CorrectRecord/status/547430739269021696>] *Correct The Record* @CorrectRecord: .@jengranholm <https://twitter.com/JenGranholm>: @HillaryClinton <https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton> embodies a "fierce duty and loyalty to [the American] family."http://www.cnbc.com/id/102291832 <http://t.co/egJLapRVPg> [12/23/14, 10:56 a.m. EST <https://twitter.com/CorrectRecord/status/547420404680114177>] *Correct The Record* @CorrectRecord: .@HillaryClinton <https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton> successfully fought to expand Family and Medical Leave Act for families of wounded soldiers. http://correctrecord.org/hillary-clinton-a-record-of-service-to-veterans/ … <http://t.co/bSpDUIIA9i> [12/22/14, 2:32 p.m. EST <https://twitter.com/CorrectRecord/status/547112381726208001>] *Headlines:* *CNBC opinion: Gov. Jennifer Granholm: “The message Democrats need to hit for 2016” <http://www.cnbc.com/id/102291832#.>* “Since long before the time Hillary Clinton wrote that ‘it takes a village,’ she has been advocating a belief that we, as a country, are all in this together.” *Bloomberg: “The Man Poised to Guide Hillary Clinton's Presidential Campaign” <http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2014-12-22/the-man-poised-to-guide-hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign>* [Subtitle:] “Robby Mook, Terry McCauliffe's makeover artist, may be the one to bring discipline to the Clintons' 2016 campaign.” *Associated Press: “Late At Night, Christie Doing 2016 Foreign Policy Homework” <http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GOP_2016_CHRISTIE_FOREIGN_POLICY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT>* “Such preparation is expected from prospective White House candidates, especially those such as Christie, a long-time politician in New Jersey and former U.S. attorney who lacks the foreign policy experience of the favorite for the Democratic nomination, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.” *Articles:* *CNBC opinion: Gov. Jennifer Granholm: “The message Democrats need to hit for 2016” <http://www.cnbc.com/id/102291832#.>* By Gov. Jennifer Granholm December 23, 2014 After the 2014 electoral debacle, much has been written about Democrats needing a message. Of course, first and foremost, Democrats must be obsessed about creating good-paying jobs in America. But there's one other message that is authentic to us and to our hopeful Democratic nominee: Family. Since long before the time Hillary Clinton wrote that "it takes a village," she has been advocating a belief that we, as a country, are all in this together. That, just like in your own family, our American family takes care of each other. In your family you take care of your aging parents. Period. In our American family, we take care of all of our parents, through strong policies like Social Security and Medicaid. In your family, you lend your brother a hand if he gets laid off. You don't cut him off; you help him. In our American family, we make sure that all of our brothers and sisters are given a bridge to something better through unemployment insurance, if they find themselves without income. That's what we do. That's who we are. As we say in the faith community, that's whose we are. Yes, we believe that people should pull themselves up by their bootstraps. But we also know this truth: many children were not issued boots upon arrival. These are all our children. We are a family. And in a family, no one gets left behind. And you know what? It turns out that when we believe that way, and act upon that belief, our economy does better too. If our children are better educated, our brothers and sisters make a better living, and our parents are taken care of, we will all be better off. This is exactly what Hillary Clinton has dedicated her life to — what she calls "the basic bargain of America," that "no matter who you are or where you come from, if you work hard and play by the rules, you'll have the opportunity to build a good life for yourself and your family." This is the same opportunity that young middle-class Hillary Rodham had, and the opportunity that she wants for everyone in the American family. That is why Hillary has long advocated for a progressive tax structure to ensure, among other things, that we can fund a basic safety net for Americans. For while you may fall on hard times today, and I may fall on hard times tomorrow, together we hold a net that is strong enough that neither of us will fall through. That is why Hillary has protected working families going through difficult times through no fault of their own, leading the fight in the Senate to extend emergency unemployment benefits. That is why she has been determined to expand access to education and healthcare for children across all walks of American life. As First Lady of Arkansas, she expanded early childhood education for economically disadvantaged children. In the Senate, she worked across the aisle with former Missouri Senator Kit Bond in an effort to expand voluntary full-day pre-K for children from low-income families. Today, as part of the Too Small to Fail Initiative to improve the health and well being of children five and under, she is working to close the "word gap" for kids in low-income families who often have smaller vocabularies than their classmates. Hillary Clinton has worked to increase health coverage for millions of children in low-income and working families through the State Children's Health Insurance Program, a program she helped created as First Lady. As Hillary says, "You should not have to be the grandchild of a governor or a senator or a former secretary of state or a former president to believe that the American Dream is in your reach." Opportunity and success shouldn't be limited to those lucky enough to be born into wealthy families, or to the grandchildren of governors or senators. Instead, we should remind ourselves that we belong to one another, to one team, to one family. And we are fiercely proud of belonging to a country — a big American family — where no one gets left behind. That is why I am ready for Hillary. *Bloomberg: “The Man Poised to Guide Hillary Clinton's Presidential Campaign” <http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2014-12-22/the-man-poised-to-guide-hillary-clintons-presidential-campaign>* By Jonathan Allen December 22, 2014 6:37 p.m. EDT [Subtitle:] Robby Mook, Terry McCauliffe's makeover artist, may be the one to bring discipline to the Clintons' 2016 campaign. In 2009, Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic power broker and close Clinton friend, lost a three-way Democratic primary for Virginia governor; four years later, with Robby Mook aboard as his campaign manager, McAuliffe won. It was that performance that solidified Mook's status as one of the leading candidates to help Hillary Clinton to change her own fortunes from primary loser to general election winner. Now Mook, a 35-year-old Vermont native, has emerged as a clear front-runner to manage Clinton's expected presidential campaign after Guy Cecil, the political director for her 2008 bid, acknowledged Sunday he won't have an official role this time around. Mook already is working on special projects for Clinton, according to two longtime Democratic strategists. One said Mook was influential in shaping her role helping Democrats during the 2014 midterm elections. Clinton advisers say Mook could serve as a bridge between Clinton's past and present, because he's close enough to Clinton to be trusted, and experienced enough in more recent campaigns to know which parts may need fixing. "You can't have someone in such a pivotal and important position who is unknown," said Ellen Tauscher, a former congresswoman, State Department official, and Clinton ally. "For people that want to be reassured about no repeat of 2008 issues, I think that he definitely answers the mail on that, too." Tauscher said she did not know whether Mook would manage a campaign or whether Clinton would run. McAuliffe's first campaign relied heavily on old friends as operatives and advisers, just as Clinton's had during her 2008 presidential bid. As a result, both suffered from an air of arrogance and a lack of political sophistication. For the 2013 race, McAuliffe wanted something different. "He wanted to have a professional organization, he wanted to make sure it was based on the most recent tactics and wanted to make sure the campaign was strategic and data-focused," said Michael Halle, who managed field operations for McAuliffe. Enter Mook, who was coming off a stint as the executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and had managed Clinton's primary-vote victories over Barack Obama in Nevada, Ohio, and Indiana in 2008. He brought in talent from the data-obsessed Obama re-election campaign, including Elan Kriegel, who was the director of analytics in battleground states, and kept in touch with Obama adviser David Plouffe. "Robby understands modern campaigns, the value of data and technology," Plouffe told Bloomberg in 2013. "He beat us three times; his footprint was on our back." And, Plouffe added, "our sense was he did the best job of anyone over there." Mook was also able to instill discipline in McAuliffe, a famously difficult mission. When he ran McAuliffe's operation, Mook mapped out campaign strategy on big white boards at meetings and was "absolutely anal about every meeting ending with action items," Halle said. He also sought to understand the operation from the ground up. Every other week or so, he ordered headquarters staffers to go into the field to get a sense of what voters were telling volunteers. That's not terribly unusual in a campaign. What's less common: Mook knocked on 50 to 60 doors himself each time, Halle said. Mook's experience with McAuliffe could prove valuable, because Clinton has struggled with discipline on the campaign trail and on her recent book tour, a weakness that Mook supporters say he has a track record of addressing. And, her operation is famous for the kind of infighting that Mook-run shops have been able to avoid. Clinton hasn't officially announced whether she's running–and other names including Emily's List President Stephanie Schriock and California Democratic strategist Ace Smith still surface for the top job. Obama counselor John Podesta, a onetime chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, is expected to take on a high-ranking role, perhaps as campaign chairman. Mook and Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill declined to comment for this story. Last month, ABC News published leaked excerpts from a private email listserv called the "Mook Mafia" in which Mook and other Democratic operatives shared thoughts on politics and politicians. In one, Mook wrote about wanting to "smite Republicans mafia-style." Mook, who is rarely quoted in news stories, has been silent on the prospective Clinton campaign. That's a good sign for Clinton allies who want a lower-drama operation this time around. *Associated Press: “Late At Night, Christie Doing 2016 Foreign Policy Homework” <http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GOP_2016_CHRISTIE_FOREIGN_POLICY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT>* By Jill Colvin December 23, 2014, 2:19 a.m. EST NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- It's after 9 p.m. on a Sunday night in late November and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is deep into a conference call talking about nuclear weapons and Iran. One voice is advocating a hard line, arguing against allowing Iran any capability to enrich uranium. Another summarizes the status of current negotiations and argues that forcing Iran to give up enrichment entirely isn't realistic. This is how Christie has spent many of his nights during a year in which he raised record-setting amounts of campaign cash for his fellow Republican governors and methodically tried to recover from a political scandal involving traffic jams near a New York City bridge. Late at night, away from the spotlight of the midterm elections and 2016 speculation, he's been on the phone with some of the brightest foreign policy minds in the Republican Party, getting ready to run for president. "They've been much more quiet in general in their outreach and their approach than, say, (Texas Gov.) Rick Perry, who's been very public and active," said Lanhee Chen, who served as 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney's chief policy adviser and is among those whom Christie's aides have sought out for guidance. "I think that reflects a difference in terms of what they perceive that they need to accomplish here very early on to be viable as presidential candidates," Chen said. Such preparation is expected from prospective White House candidates, especially those such as Christie, a long-time politician in New Jersey and former U.S. attorney who lacks the foreign policy experience of the favorite for the Democratic nomination, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. But the previously undisclosed prep sessions are another indication that Christie's political ambitions are undeterred by the George Washington Bridge scandal and the all-but-formal entry into the 2016 campaign of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a competitor for support among donors eager to back an establishment nominee. The briefing efforts are led by Bob Grady, a longtime adviser to Christie and a former White House official who has become the point man on policy in the tight-knit Christie circle. Assisting is Bob Zoellick, the former president of the World Bank and U.S. Trade Representative, and Brian Hook, a former assistant secretary of state who was the Romney campaign's senior adviser on foreign policy. Zoellick and Grady said some of the sessions have covered Christie's recent trips to Mexico and Canada. Other topics have included Ukraine and Russia, the Islamic State, Syria and Iraq, Iran, and the U.S. defense budget. The calls, which generally last about 90 minutes, typically begin with several experts discussing a region's history, recent developments and the views of foreign leaders of the countries involved, followed by a detailed question-and-answer session. The format is designed, they said, to expose Christie to multiple points of view and help him build a deeper understanding of history and world affairs. "The idea is, the governor will form his own views, and this is the stage where he can get some sort of range of perspectives, some sense of questions that he should be thinking about," Zoellick said. "I personally think, having been through these since the `88 campaign in one form or another, is that it's the best way for him to actually think through and develop a foundation." Christie has also met one-on-one or on the phone with officials, business leaders and academics, including former secretaries of state Condoleezza Rice and Henry Kissinger, and Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haass. While selling himself as a brash straight-talker, Christie has been notably reluctant to share his views about policy issues that fall outside his wheelhouse as governor. That includes immigration, which Christie has repeatedly said he won't discuss unless he chooses to run. That has triggered criticism, with a Washington Post columnist suggesting Christie was at risk of becoming the "Rick Perry of 2016" - a reference to the Texas governor's dismal performance in 2012 and his inability to recall in one debate the details of his own plan to eliminate three federal departments. While Christie and his aides have also been reluctant to share other details about their preparations, members of his team, led by his chief political adviser Mike DuHaime and money man Bill Palatucci, have begun a quiet outreach effort to potential donors as well as conservative activists, people familiar with the efforts said. One of Christie's most loyal cheerleaders, Ken Langone, the billionaire founder of Home Depot, told The Associated Press that he's been chatting up friends and associates who may also be interested in backing a Christie campaign. "As I talk, I'm keeping a list of people that, if the governor decides to run, these are the people I'm going to go to and say, `Would you like to help?'" he said. There is more to be done, and soon, should Christie want to stay competitive in a race defined by Bush's announcement last week that he plans to "actively explore" a campaign. Christie's people have been less aggressive in feeling out potential staffers in early voting states, and he does not have any kind of political action committee to allow him to raise money to pay for his travel and other campaign preparation. With nearly a dozen potential candidates raring to go, there is little time left for the behind-the-scenes approach. Florida's Mel Sembler, a former finance chair of the Republican National Committee, said he received a flurry of calls from donors last week telling him, "We're ready," following Bush's announcement. "Sides," Sembler said, "are beginning to be drawn."