podesta_email_00361.txt

podesta-emails 7,295 words email

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Clips February 2, 2015 HRC Clinton Consults to Define Economic Pitch (WSJ).......................................................................... 2 Clinton advisers are split on when Hillary Clinton should launch her campaign (CNN)................... 4 A look at potential Democratic contenders in 2016 race (AP)......................................................... 7 For Clinton, deciding how to prepare for a low-key primary (AP)................................................... 9 If Hillary Clinton decides not to run in 2016, how bad would it be for Democrats? (WAPO)....... 12 Bush, Clinton Face Headwinds in 2016 Race (US News).............................................................. 14 GOP presidential contenders travel the globe in preparation to take on Clinton (WAPO)............ 16 Rupert Murdoch Says Joe Biden ‘Actively Preparing’ to Run Against Hillary Clinton (Bloomberg) 19 Obama on Hillary or Joe: ‘I love them both’ (CNN)...................................................................... 20 Clinton Consults to Define Economic Pitch (WSJ) By Peter Nicholas February 1, 2015 Wall Street Journal Hillary Clinton has been consulting with an array of economists and academics—including liberal Joseph Stiglitz, former Fed chairman Paul Volcker and new faces outside the traditional orbit of Democratic policy experts—as she prepares for a likely presidential campaign that would make sluggish wage growth and middle-class prosperity a central focus. One of Mrs. Clinton’s broader goals is to develop ways to address economic anxiety without sounding like a combative populist or demonizing high-income groups, said a person familiar with her thinking. It isn’t clear whether that particular question has come up in the meetings she has been having with various policy experts. She has been using the meetings to prepare herself for a possible campaign, ground herself in the issues and tease out fresh approaches to stubborn domestic and foreign policy problems, people familiar with the matter said. As the former secretary of state keeps a low public profile ahead of announcing her near-certain candidacy, the meetings offer clues to which issues she believes merit attention and whose advice she values. Many, but not all, participants served in Bill Clinton’s administration; others are distinguished primarily by expertise in subjects that are certain to be front-and-center in the 2016 presidential race. Some of the meetings had the feeling of a high-octane faculty symposium and lasted for hours, say people familiar with the sessions. Pen and pad in hand, Mrs. Clinton typically has gone around the room to ask for ideas, offering comments now and then and inviting participants to make suggestions down the road. In December, Mrs. Clinton presided over a meeting at a midtown Manhattan hotel that focused on middle-class Americans feeling pinched by slow wage growth. Among those attending: Mr. Volcker, the architect of the “Volcker Rule,” a regulatory measure barring banks from making risky bets with their own money; Jonathan Cowan, co-founder of the centrist think tank Third Way, which has been critical of some of the populist rhetoric coming from the Democrats’ liberal wing; and Alan Blinder, a Princeton professor and former Fed vice chairman and economics adviser to Mr. Clinton. Also at the meeting, according to people familiar with it, were Robert Hormats, who worked in the State Department during Mrs. Clinton’s tenure and was a former vice chairman of Goldman Sachs; Richard Ravitch, a former Democratic lieutenant governor in New York, who helped New York City avert bankruptcy during a fiscal crisis in the 1970s; and Teresa Ghilarducci, a labor economist and proponent of ideas to shore up Americans’ retirement savings. The Clinton team has asked her to help evaluate various policy ideas. The participants examined a range of ideas to boost economic security, such as tax cuts for the middle class, expanded access to prekindergarten education and new ways to pay for improvements to roads and tunnels, said people familiar with the session. “One major focus of the meeting was the miserable recent performance of wages in general and middle-class wages in particular, and what if anything the government can do about that,” said Mr. Blinder. Bernard Schwartz, a longtime Democratic donor and contributor to the Clinton Foundation, was among those who helped arrange the meeting, said people familiar with the session. Mr. Schwartz is a former chairman of Loral Space & Communications Ltd. Mrs. Clinton also has consulted with Mr. Stiglitz, a former economic adviser to Bill Clinton and author of a book about the perils of economic inequality. The policy interests of some participants point to the issues Mrs. Clinton is likely to prioritize, notably the financial pressures faced by middle-class families. Prospective Republican presidential candidates also are talking about shoring up the middle class and, in some cases, narrowing the wage gap in America—a sign that those topics will be flashpoints in the general election. Mrs. Clinton is the overwhelming front-runner for the Democratic nomination, but some liberals would like to see her challenged by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), a populist firebrand who has described the American economic system as “rigged” in favor of the wealthy. Ms. Warren has said she won’t run. In targeting income inequality, Mrs. Clinton would address a substantive issue facing the country while also making inroads with Ms. Warren’s liberal followers. Mrs. Clinton also has held foreign policy meetings in New York and Washington. A New York meeting in the summer was a “tour” of global hot spots, among them the war in Syria and Russia’s incursions into Ukraine, according to people familiar with what took place. Mrs. Clinton asked for a diagnosis of the problem and a “strategic” view of how the U.S. should act, one person familiar with the meeting said. Those who attended included Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, who worked under both Republican presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush; David Rothkopf, author of a new book on foreign policy-making in the George W. Bush and Obama administrations; and Dennis Ross, a diplomat with many years of experience in the Middle East peace negotiations. More informally, Mrs. Clinton has also spoken to trusted Democratic confidants about appointments to high-level positions in her campaign, should she decide to run. A campaign apparatus is already taking shape. John Podesta, a senior adviser to President Barack Obama, is likely to become a senior adviser to the campaign, while two Obama campaign veterans, pollster Joel Benenson and media adviser Jim Margolis, are expected to take top positions on Mrs. Clinton’s campaign team, people familiar with the matter said. “She’s casting a wide net, talking to a wide range of people on a wide range of specific topics” said Nick Merrill, a spokesman for Mrs. Clinton. “Make no mistake, if she runs, she will present solutions to our toughest challenges, she will take nothing for granted, and she will fight for every vote.” Clinton advisers are split on when Hillary Clinton should launch her campaign (CNN) By Brianna Keilar February 2, 2015 CNN Washington (CNN) This time eight years ago, when she first ran for president, Hillary Clinton was already officially a candidate. “I’m in it to win it,” she said in a YouTube video posted on January 21, 2007. But even though a second Hillary Clinton for president campaign is all but certain, she and those close to her are debating when she should jump in the race, potentially delaying her entry by months. There is no waiting for Republicans, who are engaged in a furious behind-the-scenes scramble for advisers and donors. Mitt Romney, Republicans’ nominee in 2012, announced Friday he would bow out after just three weeks on the presidential speculation treadmill. Three Republican senators, two current governors and one former governor have all made active moves toward campaigns. There could be ten or more Republican candidates by this summer. That might be when Hillary Clinton gets around to officially moving toward a campaign, if she heeds some confidantes, who are privately arguing for an announcement in July to coincide with the start of the third fundraising quarter. Delaying until the summer is an idea that is said to be gaining momentum against those who want to stick to the plan for an April start date. The possibility of the delay is very real but still unsettled. “I would say it’s 40 percent,” in the direction of those arguing for a delay, said one Democrat who supports a spring debut for Clinton’s presidential campaign. Another Democrat who saw merits in both time lines put the odds of a delay at 50 percent. Democrats on both sides of the debate spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity so they could make their case without upsetting Clinton or those close to her for talking openly about internal deliberations. Some Clinton loyalists worry that as the increasingly crowded Republican race heats up, the attacks on her could begin to stick without an apparatus in place to answer them. The liberal superPAC American Bridge has been countering Republican attacks on Clinton’s behalf but many Democrats think it’s no substitute for a campaign messaging operation. “They’re doing terrific research,” said one, “but they don’t know what her specific policy agenda is going to be. She should get in and start putting together a substantive policy agenda so the attacks that are going to begin to come from every single republican who is jumping in to the race can be answered.” The Democratic National Committee is beginning to take on a larger role in an effort to protect Clinton and the party brand but many Democrats are concerned even that won’t be enough. Other supporters want Clinton to lay low as the Republican field heats up, convinced Clinton will avoid some fire if she’s undeclared and GOP candidates will take aim at each other instead. “Never interrupt your opponent when it’s destroying itself. That event in Iowa - nobody hated that more than [RNC chairman] Reince Priebus,” said one Democrat, referring to the recent Iowa Freedom Summit, the first GOP cattle call for prospective candidates of many Republican presidential hopefuls (though noticeably neither Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney nor Rand Paul) attended. “Let’s get Sarah Palin out there, let’s get Donald Trump out there - the whole clown car.” Some Democrats believe it’s also in Clinton’s best interest to wait until President Obama, whose approval ratings have begun to rebound, becomes more popular, since a campaign by his former secretary of state will undoubtedly be seen as an extension of his presidency. It’s a view shared by many at the White House who eye the entry of Clinton into the 2016 contest as the beginning of Obama’s lame duck phase. But if Clinton waits, could run the risk of looking like she’s taking the Democratic nomination for granted. “The American people don’t like to see a candidate assume that something is theirs for the taking,” warned one Clinton supporter. “If [Hillary Clinton] is trying to avoid a coronation it really is a terrible way to go about it. It sends a message that we don’t have to campaign in the primaries.” said a Democratic operative in Iowa, who warned it leaves an opening. “It really does require another candidate to fill that void” And so far, no one has. Vice President Joe Biden, former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley, former Virginia Senator Jim Webb and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders have all made the trek to Iowa in the last year, but none are being particularly agressive in recruiting staff or taking on Clinton. “O’Malley hired one staff member the other day and that’s all anyone is talking about,” said the Iowa operative of the unusually quiet political scene in the early state. “It’s kinda weird.” In 2008, Clinton’s air of inevitability was off putting to many voters. Clinton and her advisers have been looking to avoid it this time around. But without an insurgent, Obama-like candidate waiting in the wings (Clinton insiders are now pretty much convinced that populist darling and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren won’t run, despite initial concerns she could mount a serious challenge from the left), many loyalists argue Clinton is safe to wait. “If she’s out there working hard, making her case, speaking to voters, that’s what’s going to matter,” said a Washington-based Clinton backer who thinks a delayed campaign launch could benefit her. It won’t benefit her campaign coffers, however. “Money will not flow until she’s actually running,” said one Democrat who cited powerful donor support for a Clinton run but acknowledged, “People don’t give that kind of money on speculation.” The numerous Clinton loyalists interviewed for this piece admit there are arguments for both timelines. But perhaps the most important factor in deciding when to jump in the race is Hillary Clinton’s personal inclination to put off campaigning. The last time she ran for president, she entered the race in January 2006, almost two years before the election. The Democratic primary contest turned into a bruising slog that she is not eager to repeat. “You can’t dance in that spotlight for two years,” a Clinton loyalist said. “She’s not Rand Paul, she’s the most famous woman on earth and every move is scrutinized.” A look at potential Democratic contenders in 2016 race (AP) By Ken Thomas February 2, 2015 Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Unlike the active jockeying among Republicans thinking about running for president, there is little public action among the Democratic considering a White House bid. Here’s a look at where they stand. ___ HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON The leading contender, Clinton is widely expected to announce a campaign in the coming months. She has maintained a low profile since mid-December. She has been meeting with advisers to plan for a potential campaign and has limited the number of coming public appearances; her next scheduled address is this month in California. ___ JOE BIDEN The vice president has said he will make a decision later in the spring or summer, but has taken few steps to build the foundation of a campaign structure. ___ JIM WEBB The former Virginia senator and Navy secretary announced an exploratory committee last year, but has done little publicly in recent weeks as he recovers from knee replacement surgery. He expects to make a decision in the spring. ___ MARTIN O’MALLEY The former Maryland governor has said he will need “a couple of months” to get his family settled after a move to a new home in Baltimore before deciding on a bid. O’Malley signed on with a speaking firm after leaving the governor’s office and will be as a visiting professor at Johns Hopkins University. He plans to return to the early voting states of South Carolina in late February and New Hampshire in mid-March. ___ BERNIE SANDERS The independent senator from Vermont is ramping up his activities as he decides whether to pursue a campaign. Sanders was returning to New Hampshire this weekend and has a four-day trip to Iowa planned for this month. ___ ELIZABETH WARREN The Massachusetts senator remains the subject of a draft movement by liberal activists but has repeatedly declined interest in running for president. She remains an influential voice within the Democratic party and has made clear she hopes to influence the 2016 debate, arguing that the economic benefits from the recovery have helped Wall Street instead of boosting wages for middle-class families. For Clinton, deciding how to prepare for a low-key primary (AP) By Ken Thomas February 2, 2015 Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — 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.” Chris Cillizza National-Politics If Hillary Clinton decides not to run in 2016, how bad would it be for Democrats? (WAPO) By Chris Cillizza February 2, 2015 Washington Post . Emily Bell, who runs the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University, tweeted this simple but provocative question a few days ago: “What are the odds on Hillary not running?” I replied that it was about 10 percent. Others, such as Politico’s Ben White, said it was more like 0.1 percent. The question, and the back-and-forth over it, got me thinking about what would happen in the unlikely event that Hillary Rodham Clinton decided not to run. After all, she has only hinted at her interest publicly and has yet to take the steps — leadership PAC, etc. — that would indicate clear interest. Virtually everything we know about Clinton’s plans come from staff movements and quotes to reporters from “those in the know” who demand anonymity to share their knowledge. I wrote about this possibility about a year ago and concluded that if Clinton stayed out, the result would be a crowded field with Vice President Biden as a nominal front-runner. Republicans’ chances of winning the White House also would immediately improve. There’s a different dynamic at work now, particularly if Clinton waits a few more months to make clear exactly what she is going to do in 2016. We are rapidly approaching the point of no return for her and Democrats. That is, if she were suddenly to decide not to run in, say, two months, there would be an overwhelming sense of doom within the party. The shock would reverberate for weeks, or maybe much longer, making it hard for anyone looking to fill the void she left behind. Now, that doom would eventually be followed by a wild scramble among the Bidens, Martin O’Malleys and, yes, even Elizabeth Warrens of the party for the donors, activists and staffers who had been assumed to be part of the Clinton machine. But doing things in a hurry with what would be regarded widely as Democrats’ “B” or even “C” team would be deeply problematic. Simply put, for Clinton to pass on the race — and especially if she waits until the summer to make her decision public — would be absolutely disastrous for her party’s chances of holding on to the White House in 2016. She and her budding team have to know that, and it’s hard for me to imagine that she would have let things go this far — there is an entire campaign and outside Clinton world in place for her — if she had any serious or lingering doubts about whether she was going to make the race. And, as has been true since Day One, she is a heavy favorite to become the Democratic nominee. One data point to back that up: In a new Des Moines Register-Bloomberg poll, Clinton stood at 56 percent in a hypothetical Iowa caucus matchup, with 16 percent for Warren, the Massachusetts senator, and 9 percent for Biden. Here, we’ve ranked Clinton and the six other people who either will or could conceivably run for president against her. 7. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Sanders appears to be serious about running, which is why he’s on this list. Although he will probably get real support from more liberal quarters of the party, his appeal is limited. Still, he’ll mix it up, and in an interview with The Washington Post this week, he questioned whether Clinton would be “bold” enough as president. 6. Former Virginia senator Jim Webb. As CNN’s Dan Merica pointed out recently, Webb is running his campaign — he has formed an exploratory committee — largely via Twitter. Given that Webb has fewer than 5,000 Twitter followers, this may not be the most sound political strategy. 5. California Gov. Jerry Brown. Bear with us for a second here. Brown is governor of a notoriously difficult state to run, he has run for president before, and he’s not exactly friendly with the Clintons. And, he’s super popular. He’s also 76 (even though he doesn’t look or act like it), and there’s little indication he’s seriously looking at running. But if he did . . . 4. Biden. The vice president assured us recently that he is serious about running for president in 2016 — probably because folks like us are increasingly dubious and he hasn’t done much of the legwork to put a team in place. Even if he did run, we still have a hard time seeing him catch fire. He’s entertaining, yes, but “entertaining” ain’t “presidential.” 3. O’Malley. If there’s anybody who can conceivably beat Clinton by running to her left — and might actually run — it’s O’Malley. He’s got lots of liberal bona fides from his time as Maryland governor, and he checks lots of other boxes — even though he didn’t really leave office on a high note. But we would stress that this is all on paper, and O’Malley would still face tough odds. 2. Warren. The drumbeat for Warren to reconsider her past refusals to consider running in 2016 has died down a bit in recent weeks. That said, Warren backers commissioned a poll released Friday that showed significant unhappiness with Clinton among Democratic voters. Warren has the liberal profile and fundraising ability to be a serious problem for Clinton if she decided she wanted to be. 1. Clinton. The former secretary of state is the biggest, non-incumbent favorite for a presidential nomination since at least World War II. Bush, Clinton Face Headwinds in 2016 Race (US News) By Kenneth Walsh February 2, 2015 US News and World Report With the exit of Mitt Romney from the 2016 presidential race, the two best-positioned remaining potential candidates, Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton, face similar problems as establishment leaders during a time of political ferment. If they run, as expected, they will be prime targets for everyone else in the campaign and for the news media. They will need to reassure zealous factions in their parties that prefer more ideologically pure nominees. For Clinton, the biggest threat to her winning the Democratic nomination probably comes from the left. For Bush, the threat for the Republican nomination probably comes from the right. Both of them also will be called upon to explain why their experience, their family ties and their connections to the political establishment should outweigh the desire of many voters for new blood and fresh faces. For the immediate future, both are trying to lock up as many big donors as they can, which both Clinton and Bush are better positioned to do than their intra-party rivals. Romney’s exit means that Bush, son of a former president and brother of another, and former two-term governor of Florida, will have an easier time recruiting Romney’s formidable array of financial contributors from the former Republican nominee’s failed 2012 campaign. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is thought to have a chance to recruit some of Romney’s donors, who helped Romney and allied groups raise $1 billion in the 2012 presidential cycle. But Christie hasn’t caught on with the party’s base and Bush is considered far ahead in amassing donors so far. This is partly because he can tap into the network of Republicans who earlier backed his father and brother. However, Bush still has to prove himself to many conservative activists who play a big role in GOP politics in key states. Bush “becomes the target for everyone who is anti-establishment,” Saul Anuzis, former chairman of the Michigan Republican party, told the Washington Post. “Before, you had Romney and Bush kind of splitting up that ire.” Many GOP voters are worried that Bush will be tarred with the unpopular policies of his father, George H.W. Bush, who broke his pledge not to raise taxes, and his brother George W. Bush, who began the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and who was president during an economic meltdown. In Iowa, the first state to hold presidential nominating caucuses, Bush did poorly in a new poll of GOP voters who say they will vote in those caucuses a year from now. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker came in first with 15 percent, followed by Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky with 14 percent; Romney with 13 percent (the poll was conducted before he announced Friday that he wasn’t running); former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas with 10 percent, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson with 9 percent, and Bush with 8 percent. All the other potential GOP candidates lagged behind, according to the poll, which was conducted by Bloomberg Politics and the Des Moines Register. When Romney’s supporters were re-distributed to their second choices, Walker, Paul, Huckabee and Carson remained the top four and Bush gained only one percentage point, moving from 8 percent to 9 percent. The situation in Iowa remains fluid and Bush still could surge into the lead, but he has a lot of work to do. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton had the support of 56 percent of likely Iowa caucus-goers, followed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts with 16 percent; Vice President Joe Biden with 9 percent, and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent, with 5 percent. This means 21 percent of these Iowa Democrats -- the ones supporting vociferous liberals Warren and Sanders (neither of whom has declared a candidacy) -- prefer someone further to the left than Clinton. They haven’t jumped on her bandwagon despite her lead in national polls and her credentials that include serving as first lady during her husband Bill Clinton’s administration, U.S. senator from New York, and secretary of state under President Barack Obama. This could be a danger sign. It’s a reminder that even though Clinton also was the early front-runner in 2008 when she sought the Democratic nomination, Obama defeated her in Iowa and went on to win the nomination and the White House. Although Bill Clinton is enjoying a surge in popularity, especially among Democrats, Republican strategists say voters are still troubled because he lied about his affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky, and Hillary Clinton may have to address that messy issue again. Overall, a large majority of voters say the country is headed in the wrong direction. And some pollsters predict that Americans will want the next president to represent something new. This is not a strong point for either Bush or Clinton, who bear two of the most familiar names in American politics. GOP presidential contenders travel the globe in preparation to take on Clinton (WAPO) By Philip Rucker and Anne Gearan February 2, 2015 Washington Post . LONDON — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is here in the United Kingdom, where he said he looks forward to getting re­acquainted with Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal recently returned from a European tour during which he assailed Hillary Rodham Clinton for her “mindless naivete.” And next week, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is due in London for an overseas trip of his own. Republican presidential hopefuls are busy auditioning on the world stage ahead of the 2016 campaign, trying to bolster their résumés and develop expertise as their party seizes on foreign affairs as a key theme in its effort to reclaim the White House. GOP leaders and strategists consider foreign policy a weakness of President Obama’s tenure and therefore a potential vulnerability for Clinton, the likely Democratic candidate who helped carry out Obama’s first-term foreign policy as secretary of state. Many contenders have been attacking Clinton. Before bowing out last week, Mitt Romney called the Obama administration “timid” and accused Clinton of acting “cluelessly.” Yet many of the Republican Party’s rising stars — like Romney, its 2012 nominee — are governors with scant international exposure, so they are acting quickly to try to gain credibility. Enter Christie, whose London visit is his fourth foreign trip as governor, following tours of Canada, Israel and Mexico. Ahead of official meetings that begin here Monday, Christie took in a soccer match Sunday afternoon. As he exited the gleaming Emirates Stadium, bundled up on a frigid afternoon with Arsenal’s red-and-white team scarf, Christie said he was excited about nurturing relationships with British officials. Michael E. O’Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said talking about foreign affairs reveals a presidential candidate’s character, communications skills and decision-making style. While domestic issues “concern budgets, detailed lawmaking, cooperation with Congress and technical matters,” he said, “foreign affairs are in some ways simpler. It’s about how to handle bad guys, how to protect the country, and how to convey confidence and purpose.” Like Christie, most of the other Republican White House hopefuls have articulated hawkish views in line with their party’s traditional orthodoxy, though a divergent and more isolationist view has emerged within the party’s libertarian wing represented by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). Any Republican candidate would face an unusual challenge in drafting national security platforms in opposition to Clinton. As a senator and 2008 presidential candidate, Clinton developed a record and reputation as a foreign policy hawk that would complicate or head off the traditional GOP argument about Democratic weakness on security issues. Nearly two years out from the next presidential election, the contenders have yet to present specifics beyond sketching out their worldviews. It also is unclear how much foreign affairs will shape the campaign. If the economy continues to improve, the public’s attention could turn beyond the U.S.’s borders. And as always, world events that may not be foreseen, such as a terrorist attack, could set the agenda. “Foreign policy could end up playing a minimal role on both sides, or it could end up playing a fairly large role, and I think the honest answer is nobody knows at this point,” said Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, whom several presidential candidates have consulted. Regardless, he said, it is important for candidates to “kick some tires around the world.” He added: “You don’t want to make a mistake which would raise questions about your readiness for the job.” So it is that would-be Republican candidates have been traveling the globe — many of them under the guise of trade missions to promote economic development for their states on trips paid with public funds. The visits usually include meetings with foreign government and business officials as well as cultural stops. In England, Christie is sitting down with Cameron but also will see a rehearsal of William Shakespeare’s “Henry V” at Shakespeare’s historic Globe Theatre. Former Texas governor Rick Perry has traveled overseas repeatedly since his failed 2012 presidential campaign, including visits last year to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and to China, Japan and several Eastern European nations. Israel is a popular spot for many prospective candidates. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence spent Christmas in Jerusalem, where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee is leading a tour there later this month. For $5,250 a person, guests can join Huckabee for meetings with senior Israeli officials and tours of Holy Land sites, including swimming in the Dead Sea. Other presidential hopefuls have a more natural footing in such areas. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), through his service on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has made many trips abroad and has been at the center of U.S. foreign policy debates, recently over Obama’s move to normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba. Although many Republicans say their party should turn to a governor as its standard-bearer, Rubio argues that his national-security experience in the Senate is a more valuable commodity than an executive background. “You can’t have middle-class prosperity if your national security is threatened,” Rubio told reporters in January. “So the next president needs to be someone that has a clear view of what’s happening in the world, a clear strategic vision of America’s role in it, and a clear tactical plan for how to engage America in global affairs.” It could be difficult for Republicans to cast Clinton as too weak on foreign policy, considering she earned the vocal admiration of many hawkish senators when she served alongside them. As the county’s top diplomat, Clinton carried out an Obama foreign policy that Republicans attacked as overly deliberative, but as a candidate to succeed him, she can show evidence that she would have taken tougher positions. One example is Syria, where Clinton favored earlier and stronger military help for beleaguered rebels. She also holds a deeply skeptical view of Russian power, and despite the failure of the policy “reset” with Moscow, it will be difficult for Republicans to paint her as naive. Clinton would have a harder time showing how she would have made different choices in other areas, including in the current struggle to counter Islamic State rebels. Harder still for Clinton may be the lingering taint of the deadly assaults on two U.S. compounds in Benghazi, Libya, in her final months at the State Department. Clinton has said she bears ultimate responsibility for Benghazi and has called it the greatest regret of her tenure. But she has denied any knowledge of the circumstances leading up to the armed attacks by extremists or any direct role in responding to them. Multiple investigations have revealed bureaucratic and safety problems but no high-level malfeasance. Still, the deaths of four Americans on her watch is a political vulnerability that undermines Clinton’s image as an industrious and efficient executive. With unrest across the world, Republicans believe foreign policy could be a winning campaign theme. “Republicans want this to be an issue,” said Kori Schake, a fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and an official in George W. Bush’s administration. “If Hillary Clinton is a candidate, she will argue she’s a steady set of hands — you know, the 3 a.m. phone call — so Republicans will need to be strong on foreign policy.” Rupert Murdoch Says Joe Biden ‘Actively Preparing’ to Run Against Hillary Clinton (Bloomberg) By David Knowles February 1, 2015 Bloomberg Newscorp executive chairman Rupert Murdoch knows a thing or two about breaking news, and causing a stir on Twitter, but does he also have an inside line on who is planning on challenging Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination? On Sunday, Murdoch took to the social network to share his own insights on how the Democratic field may be shaping up. @rupertmurdoch Guess what! Joe Biden actively preparing to run against Hillary. Maybe others like Kerry. 11:00 AM - 1 Feb 2015 Murdoch gave no further details on how he had come upon the knowledge that Vice President Biden, and possibly Clinton’s successor at the State Department, would challenge Clinton for the party’s presidential nomination. A Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register poll of Iowa Democrats released over the weekend found Biden coming in a distant third place to Clinton and Senator Elizabeth Warren. Biden received just nine percent support in the poll, while Clinton was the first choice of 56 percent of those surveyed. When asked last week by Good Morning America host George Stephanopolous whether he would seek the Democratic nomination, Biden left the possibility open. “Yes, there is a chance,” Biden said. “But I haven’t made my mind up about that. We’ve got a lot of work to do between now and then. There’s plenty of time.” Secretary of State John Kerry, who lost to George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election, was much more resolute in a 2014 interview with CNN. “I’m out of politics. I have no plans whatsoever, this is my last stop,” Kerry told host Jake Tapper. “I’m going to serve the country in the extraordinarily privileged position the President has given me, the great challenges that I have, and move on. Three days before Mitt Romney announced he would not seek the presidency, Murdoch weighed in on whether the former Massachusetts governor should attempt a third presidential campaign. @rupertmurdoch Let’s be clear. Know and like Mitt Romney as a very nice person. But he had his chance and seemed to lack big vision for this country. 1:34 PM - 27 Jan 2015 Obama on Hillary or Joe: ‘I love them both’ (CNN) By Matthew Hoye February 1, 2015 CNN Washington (CNN)Ahead of the Super Bowl, President Barack Obama tackled weighty issues such as whether he would choose chips and guacamole over chicken wings -- and who he would choose to be his successor, Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden. On the latter he said, “I love them both.” The President joined NBC’s Savannah Guthrie in the White House kitchen ahead of the game, for a traditional five-minute pre-game interview. They touched on more serious topics, like the State of the Union, and whether or not he walked in to the Capitol with too much swagger. Obama defended the tone of his speech, saying he was telling the American people about, “the success that America has had in digging itself out of a really tough recession, and that is a celebration of the American people -- that’s not about politics.” “My job is to present the right ideas, and if Republicans think they have a better idea than they should present them,” he said. But my job is not to trim my sails and not tell the American people what we should be doing -- pretending somehow that we don’t need better roads, or we don’t need more affordable college.” The President said he has found over six years in office that, “When I tell the American people very clearly what direction I think the country should go in, sometimes people change their minds and even Republicans occasionally start agreeing with me.” Just not as quickly as he would like, Obama said. At the end of the interview, the host gave the President a lightening roud of either/or questions. When asked if he would pick football or basketball, the President was ever the politician saying, “I’m still a basketball guy, but I love football.” On offense or defense, “Always offense.” And, on buffalo wings or chips and guacamole, he said, “You know, that’s tough -- but I’m gonna go with chips and guac.” And, again, on Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden, Obama didn’t skip a beat saying, “Love them both. Good try.” But the most memorable moment of the interview may just be a photograph of Obama swilling some beer -- with his pinkie up.