podesta_email_01085.txt

podesta-emails 3,373 words email

V9 V11 P17 P19 D6

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*​**Correct The Record Thursday December 4, 2014 Afternoon Roundup:* *Tweets:* *Correct The Record* @CorrectRecord: .@HillaryClinton <https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton>'s approach to 2016 is "thoughtful, critical & with the best interest of our country in her heart." http://www.rollcall.com/news/attacking_hillarys_strengths_lame_duck_gop_oughta_take_a_holiday_break-238400-1.html … <http://t.co/8do8edCIeP> [12/4/14, 12:32 p.m. EST <https://twitter.com/CorrectRecord/status/540559168059367424>] *Correct The Record* @CorrectRecord: .@HillaryClinton <https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton> worked to increase the minimum wage #HRC365 <https://twitter.com/hashtag/HRC365?src=hash> http://correctrecord.org/memo-lame-duck-period-brings-lame-attacks/ … <http://t.co/1a01Fq0jme> [12/3/14, 6:07 p.m. EST <https://twitter.com/CorrectRecord/status/540281084164833280>] *Correct The Record* @CorrectRecord: .@HillaryClinton <https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton> pushed agencies "to think differently about the role of women in conflicts and peacemaking" http://correctrecord.org/hillary-clinton-keeping-the-peace/ … <http://t.co/lei7ynXSrk> [12/3/14, 5:46 p.m. EST <https://twitter.com/CorrectRecord/status/540275848733937664>] *Headlines:* *Boston Globe: “Hillary Clinton to speak at Boston conference” <http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/12/04/hillary-clinton-speak-boston-conference/ikAQ8oJMhN1yppZdpn39zK/story.html>* “Thursday’s conference is being held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in South Boston. It is sold out and more than 10,000 people are registered to attend, according to the confab’s website.” *Time: “Hillary Clinton Backers Release Country Music Video” <https://time.com/3618051/hillary-clinton-country-music-video/>* “A new, three-and-a-half minute country music video featuring cute cowboys in tight shirts, dusty tractors and Ken Burns-style shots of a young Hillary Clinton cooing over baby Chelsea was released on YouTube this morning.” *National Journal: “The Annotated Lyrics of That Incredible Hillary 2016 Song” <http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/the-annotated-lyrics-of-that-incredible-hillary-2016-song-20141204>* “A super PAC supporting Hillary Clinton, called Stand With Hillary, has created a song that is sure to surpass Taylor Swift on the Billboard Top 100.” *Washington Examiner column: Michael Barone: “Clinton's stock declining in futures market” <http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/clintons-stock-declining-in-futures-market/article/2556943>* “Voters expect presidential candidates to look to the future. Hillary Clinton has wide leads in polls for the Democratic nomination. But her record is a bad fit for the Democratic primary electorate in which the energy currently comes from the left.” *Real Clear Politics: “Jeb Bush Putting Out Feelers in New Hampshire” <http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2014/12/04/jeb_bush_putting_out_feelers_in_new_hampshire__124851.html>* “Two top New Hampshire Republican strategists have been contacted this week by a Jeb Bush confidant to discuss their interest in leading the former Florida governor’s prospective presidential campaign there, RealClearPolitics has learned from GOP sources in the Granite State.” *Yahoo: “Obama’s attorney general pick wants to throw the book at convicted Hillary Clinton bundler” <https://news.yahoo.com/obama-s-attorney-general-pick-wants-to-throw-the-book-at-convicted-hillary-clinton-bundler-234614909.html>* “The U.S. attorney nominated by President Barack Obama to be his next attorney general is asking a federal judge to impose a stiff prison term of up to four and a half years on a former Hillary Clinton fundraiser convicted of making more than $180,000 in illegal campaign contributions.” *Articles:* *Boston Globe: “Hillary Clinton to speak at Boston conference” <http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/12/04/hillary-clinton-speak-boston-conference/ikAQ8oJMhN1yppZdpn39zK/story.html>* By Joshua Miller December 4, 2014 Hillary Rodham Clinton is scheduled to give a keynote address at a Boston conference Thursday afternoon. The might-be 2016 White House hopeful is set to speak at the Massachusetts Conference for Women, an annual one-day confab with workshops, seminars and speeches on “the issues that matter most to women.” Clinton, a former secretary of state, US senator and first lady, has said she will probably decide on a second White House bid after 2015 begins. If she jumps in, Clinton will begin her campaign as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for president. She lost her 2008 primary run to Barack Obama, who later picked her as his first secretary of state. Although the 2016 election is just under two years away, positioning for the race is already heating up. Thursday’s conference is being held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in South Boston. It is sold out and more than 10,000 people are registered to attend, according to the confab’s website. Clinton’s remarks are set to be livestreamed online beginning at 2 p.m. The media affairs director for the conference did not respond to emailed questions about whether and how much Clinton is being paid for her appearance. The Boston Globe is among the media sponsors of the conference. *Time: “Hillary Clinton Backers Release Country Music Video” <https://time.com/3618051/hillary-clinton-country-music-video/>* By Haley Sweetland Edwards December 4, 2014, 12:20 p.m. EST [Subtitle:] "She's a mother, a daughter, and through it all she's a loving wife." A new, three-and-a-half minute country music video featuring cute cowboys in tight shirts, dusty tractors and Ken Burns-style shots of a young Hillary Clinton cooing over baby Chelsea was released on YouTube this morning. While the video received mixed reviews at TIME’s D.C. office — a random sample of reactions included phrases like “croon-tastic,” “cute!” “cute?” and “oh, dear” — its mere existence underscores the reality that Hillary Clinton’s as-yet-unannounced campaign is going to happen whether or not she gets out in front of it. The group behind the new country video is called Stand With Hillary, or SWH. It was formed in Southern California this fall by Miguel Orozco, Daniel Chavez and his daughter, Christina Chavez, “to create positive, social media stories” designed to “reach out to working class and Latino voters.” Here are some of the lyrics the video features to do just that: “Thinking about one great lady, like the women in my life. She’s a mother, a daughter, and through it all she’s a loving wife. Oh, there’s something about her, this great lady, caring, hard-working, once a First Lady, she fights for country and the family and now it’s time for us to stand up with Hillary.” Orozco and the Chavezes self-funded this video and the website, but in the future will be looking for small donations from supporters, Chavez told TIME this morning. Chavez, who worked as a deputy director in the Department of Labor under Bill Clinton, said part of the motivation for starting SWH came from his wife and daughter, who were “deeply inspired by the Clinton family.” In the ’90s, a young Christina Chavez, who is now 32, had the opportunity to meet young Chelsea and Socks, the Clintons’ famous cat, during “take your daughter to work day,” Chavez explained. “She’s had a lifelong love of the Clintons ever since.” *National Journal: “The Annotated Lyrics of That Incredible Hillary 2016 Song” <http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/the-annotated-lyrics-of-that-incredible-hillary-2016-song-20141204>* By Emma Roller December 4, 2014 [Subtitle:] Super-PAC ad or Ford truck commercial? You decide. A super PAC supporting Hillary Clinton, called Stand With Hillary, has created a song that is sure to surpass Taylor Swift on the Billboard Top 100. Just watch: [VIDEO] The song, which went online in November, was written by Miguel Orozco, a media producer who was also behind this much catchier Reggaeton tune about Barack Obama in 2008. (The chorus of that one: "¿Cómo se dice? ¿Cómo se llama? Obama, Obama!") We at National Journal take such super-PAC media campaigns very seriously. And thus, we decided to provide you, dear reader, with a fully annotated version of the "Stand With Hillary" lyrics. VERSE 1: Lookin' back in time, learnin' hindsight's always right We came together in a way [also sounds like he's saying "in no way"] A defining moment we all can celebrate [with hamburgers and French fries!] And now it's 2016 [not really, no] and this time I'm a thinkin' Guys put your boots on, and let's smash this ceiling! [smashes what appears to be a car window with '2016' spray painted on it] CHORUS: I've been thinkin' about one great lady like the women in my life ["Women" ≠ "one great lady"] She's a mother, a daughter, and through it all, she's a lovin' wife [Are these really the first credentials you want to cite for supporting someone running for president?] Oh, there is something about her, this great lady, caring, hard-working, once a First Lady [expertly rhymes "lady" with "lady"] She fights for country and my family, now it's time for us to stand up *BOOM BOOM CLAP* *BOOM BOOM CLAP* [very "We Will Rock You"!] With Hillary Hillary! Stand up With Hillary VERSE 2: Don't matter if you're livin' across this great land in a red or blue state 'Cuz our American Dream is at stake And there's some Hard Choices that need to be made [Your royalty check from Simon & Schuster is in the mail.] We're needing a leader who is tough and ready [Unnecessary use of the present continuous tense] Who's got vision For me it's Hillary And that's my final decision! CHORUS: I've been thinkin' about one great lady like the women in my life She's a mother, a daughter, and through it all, she's a lovin' wife Oh, there is something about her, this great lady, caring, hard-working, once a First Lady She fights for country and my family Now it's time for us to stand up *BOOM BOOM CLAP* *BOOM BOOM CLAP* With Hillary Hillary! Stand up, America With Hillary. Surely, "Stand With Hillary" will go down in the pantheon of such amateur campaign songs as "Cocoa Tea's Barack Obama Reggae Song," "Ron Paul Revolution" and "Hillary 4U&Me". GRAMMY Awards voting members, call your office! *Washington Examiner column: Michael Barone: “Clinton's stock declining in futures market” <http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/clintons-stock-declining-in-futures-market/article/2556943>* By Michael Barone December 4, 2014, 5:00 a.m. EST Is the market in Hillary Clinton futures collapsing? Quite possibly so. A year ago Clinton seemed likely to become the next president. Presumably she and her husband had not yet started to call themselves, Bush style, 42 and 45. But she had an overwhelming lead in the polls for the Democratic nomination and was getting 50 percent or more in most polls against possible Republican candidates in general election pairings. Ratings of Clinton’s performance as secretary of state were positive. She seemed poised to hold and add onto Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 majorities. Things look different now. Obama now gets negative marks on foreign policy, and some of the luster is off Clinton’s record as well. With the Islamic State ravaging much of Iraq and Syria, the decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq looks dubious. With Vladimir Putin’s Russia rampaging through much of Ukraine, Clinton’s reset button looks ludicrous. Most Americans may have been content with a foreign policy of “leading from behind.” But as the world spins out of control, they don’t like the results. And over the course of 2014 Clinton’s favorability ratings have declined. Her memoir of her Cabinet service had a curiously defensive title — Hard Choices — and her book tour was something like the opposite of a ringing success. Sales were slim and readership probably even slimmer. The prospect of a Clinton presidency may thrill a few aging feminists, but few others seem to find her very interesting. There’s plenty of bad news for Clinton in last month’s Quinnipiac poll, the first national survey conducted since the November election. Clinton runs 1 point behind Mitt Romney, 1 point ahead of Chris Christie, 4 points ahead of Paul Ryan and 5 points ahead of Jeb Bush, Rand Paul and Mike Huckabee. None of this can be blamed on low off-year turnout; the poll is of registered voters. All these Republicans except Romney are significantly less well known than Clinton. When asked whether their feelings are favorable or unfavorable, only 5 percent of poll respondents have no opinion on Clinton and 14 percent on Romney; the numbers for the other Republicans run between 29 and 39 percent. So she’s running even with the best-known candidate while the others all have room to grow. Even more significant are Clinton’s percentages against these candidates: 44, 45, 46, 46, 46 and 46. In seriously contested 2014 Senate races, Democratic incumbents tended to run about even with their poll numbers, while their Republican challengers ran well ahead of theirs. If you apply the same rule to Clinton’s Quinnipiac numbers, she ends up with about the same percentage as John McCain in 2008 or Democratic House candidates in 2010 and 2014. Now, things may be different by 2016. Obama’s job approval could rise, and Democrats generally could regain the advantage over Republicans they enjoyed a year ago. Increased economic growth could strengthen the incumbent party — although, as RealClearPolitics.com analyst Sean Trende points out, even significantly greater growth would not point to a Democratic victory under most political scientists’ election prediction formulas. But it’s hard to avoid the conclusion of FiveThirtyEight.com analyst Harry Enten. Clinton, he wrote last Monday, “no longer looks like such a juggernaut. Not only are her numbers dropping, but she is running on par with a Democratic brand in its weakest shape in a decade.” That’s not what optimistic Democrats were expecting earlier this year. They thought nostalgia for Bill Clinton’s presidency would enable Hillary Clinton to run ahead of party lines. Voters not eager for a third Obama term might welcome a third Clinton term. But those are appeals that look to the past. Voters expect presidential candidates to look to the future. Hillary Clinton has wide leads in polls for the Democratic nomination. But her record is a bad fit for the Democratic primary electorate in which the energy currently comes from the left. Lurching to the left and then tacking toward the center doesn’t project a clear vision of the future. In 1991, candidate Bill Clinton gave three policy speeches to overflow crowds at Georgetown University’s Gaston Hall. When Hillary Clinton spoke there last week, the balcony was almost empty and there were empty seats in the lower level, too. Clinton futures were on the rise 23 years ago. They seem to be in decline 23 years later. *Real Clear Politics: “Jeb Bush Putting Out Feelers in New Hampshire” <http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2014/12/04/jeb_bush_putting_out_feelers_in_new_hampshire__124851.html>* By Scott Conroy December 4, 2014 Two top New Hampshire Republican strategists have been contacted this week by a Jeb Bush confidant to discuss their interest in leading the former Florida governor’s prospective presidential campaign there, RealClearPolitics has learned from GOP sources in the Granite State. The new outreach from Bush’s camp was directed at a pair of experienced and well-respected New Hampshire GOP operatives, each of whom has previously helmed presidential campaigns in the state. Both were given the proverbial instruction to “keep your powder dry,” suggesting that Bush is leaning toward entering the race early next year. “I think the decision’s been made, personally,” said one of the strategists who was contacted by Bush’s camp and who spoke to RCP under the condition of anonymity. Neither of the operatives has been contacted by Bush himself, but they were asked if they'd be interested in speaking with the would-be candidate. The calls represent the typical form of indirect outreach that likely candidates extend to prospective top staffers before finalizing their decisions to make a White House run. “I’ve definitely perceived an uptick in the perception of him doing this,” one of the consultants said of the conversation this week with the Bush confidant. On Monday, the former two-term governor made headlines when he said that the next Republican presidential nominee should be willing to "lose the primary to win the general.” The comment was widely taken to mean that Bush would not back away from his staunch advocacy of comprehensive immigration reform and the Common Core educational standards -- two positions at odds with a majority of the Republican base -- in order to secure the GOP nomination. If Bush does enter the race, New Hampshire -- with its wide swatch of moderate Republicans and independents who vote in the presidential primary -- figures to be the early voting state most critical to his chances. This new outreach to top strategists there signals that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie -- for whom New Hampshire will be an equally important piece on his electoral chess board -- may not be able to wait much longer before soliciting top Granite State talent for his own expected campaign. Both New Hampshire operatives expressed interest in speaking with Bush. “Of the Bushes, he’s the guy I like the best,” said one of the strategists. “If I were betting money on it, I’d bet he’d be the nominee because you’ll have eight to 10 conservatives beating each other up, and someone will take the middle, and it’ll be either him or Christie.” *Yahoo: “Obama’s attorney general pick wants to throw the book at convicted Hillary Clinton bundler” <https://news.yahoo.com/obama-s-attorney-general-pick-wants-to-throw-the-book-at-convicted-hillary-clinton-bundler-234614909.html>* By Michael Isikoff December 3, 2014 [Subtitle:] As she faces confirmation battle, U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch’s hard line could help with Republicans The U.S. attorney nominated by President Barack Obama to be his next attorney general is asking a federal judge to impose a stiff prison term of up to four and a half years on a former Hillary Clinton fundraiser convicted of making more than $180,000 in illegal campaign contributions. The request by Loretta Lynch, the U.S. attorney in Brooklyn, to reject leniency for wealthy hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal and have him sent to federal prison is the latest example of the tough stance Justice Department prosecutors are taking with those convicted of making so-called conduit contributions — campaign cash that is falsely reported as being made in the name of others. But the court filing by Lynch’s office this week also comes at a time when she is facing a potentially tough grilling from Republican lawmakers on her nomination to succeed Attorney General Eric Holder. “It won’t hurt for Loretta Lynch to be sending a major Democratic fundraiser to prison right before her confirmation hearing for attorney general,” said Brett Kappel, a Washington campaign-finance lawyer who closely tracks federal election law enforcement. Chatwal, 70, is an immigrant from India who is chairman of the $1.5 billion Hampshire Hotels & Resorts empire, which owns luxury hotels around the world. He has long been close to both Bill and Hillary Clinton; he raised more than $100,000 for Hillary Clinton’s 2008 campaign and, according to his lawyer’s own filings in his case, was a founder of the Clinton Global Initiative, a charitable arm of the former first couple’s foundation. He once accompanied Bill Clinton on a trip to India. In April, Chatwal pleaded guilty to violating federal election law by illegally raising funds for Hillary Clinton and two other federal candidates through the use of straw donors. He also pleaded guilty to witness tampering after he was caught on tape coaching one of those donors, who turned out to be a government informant, to lie to investigators. Chatwal’s case has gotten some attention because of his blunt words — caught on tape by the wired informant — about the role of big money in politics, and why fundraisers such as himself give so much cash in the first place. “Without [money] nobody will ever talk to you,” Chatwal told the informant, according to court filings. “That’s the only way to buy them, get into the system.” In a recent court filing, Chatwal’s lawyer, Jonathan Sack, said his client “comes before this court humbled — filled with remorse and shame for what he has done.” But Sack asked that the court show leniency for Chatwal and not send him to prison, citing a long history of humanitarian causes, including his work with Bill Clinton and relief efforts in India. But Lynch’s prosecutors took a hard line, saying he should receive an enhanced prison sentence of between 46 and 57 months because of his efforts to obstruct justice. “The evidence in this case reveals a man who believes that either the rules do not apply to him or that they can be subverted in pursuit of his own ends," Lynch wrote in a court filing cosigned by Jack Smith, chief of the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section. There is no evidence in the case that Hillary Clinton or any of her campaign team were aware of Chatwal’s illegal contributions. But he is the latest in a series of fundraisers from her 2008 campaign — seven all told — who have been prosecuted for illegal campaign contributions, a record that has been attributed by campaign finance experts to the then senator’s heavy reliance on wealthy “bundlers” to raise cash for her run against Barack Obama.