podesta_email_00525.txt

podesta-emails 4,983 words email

P17 V11 P22 P20 D6

-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- mQQBBGBjDtIBH6DJa80zDBgR+VqlYGaXu5bEJg9HEgAtJeCLuThdhXfl5Zs32RyB I1QjIlttvngepHQozmglBDmi2FZ4S+wWhZv10bZCoyXPIPwwq6TylwPv8+buxuff B6tYil3VAB9XKGPyPjKrlXn1fz76VMpuTOs7OGYR8xDidw9EHfBvmb+sQyrU1FOW aPHxba5lK6hAo/KYFpTnimsmsz0Cvo1sZAV/EFIkfagiGTL2J/NhINfGPScpj8LB bYelVN/NU4c6Ws1ivWbfcGvqU4lymoJgJo/l9HiV6X2bdVyuB24O3xeyhTnD7laf epykwxODVfAt4qLC3J478MSSmTXS8zMumaQMNR1tUUYtHCJC0xAKbsFukzbfoRDv m2zFCCVxeYHvByxstuzg0SurlPyuiFiy2cENek5+W8Sjt95nEiQ4suBldswpz1Kv n71t7vd7zst49xxExB+tD+vmY7GXIds43Rb05dqksQuo2yCeuCbY5RBiMHX3d4nU 041jHBsv5wY24j0N6bpAsm/s0T0Mt7IO6UaN33I712oPlclTweYTAesW3jDpeQ7A ioi0CMjWZnRpUxorcFmzL/Cc/fPqgAtnAL5GIUuEOqUf8AlKmzsKcnKZ7L2d8mxG QqN16nlAiUuUpchQNMr+tAa1L5S1uK/fu6thVlSSk7KMQyJfVpwLy6068a1WmNj4 yxo9HaSeQNXh3cui+61qb9wlrkwlaiouw9+bpCmR0V8+XpWma/D/TEz9tg5vkfNo eG4t+FUQ7QgrrvIkDNFcRyTUO9cJHB+kcp2NgCcpCwan3wnuzKka9AWFAitpoAwx L6BX0L8kg/LzRPhkQnMOrj/tuu9hZrui4woqURhWLiYi2aZe7WCkuoqR/qMGP6qP EQRcvndTWkQo6K9BdCH4ZjRqcGbY1wFt/qgAxhi+uSo2IWiM1fRI4eRCGifpBtYK Dw44W9uPAu4cgVnAUzESEeW0bft5XXxAqpvyMBIdv3YqfVfOElZdKbteEu4YuOao FLpbk4ajCxO4Fzc9AugJ8iQOAoaekJWA7TjWJ6CbJe8w3thpznP0w6jNG8ZleZ6a jHckyGlx5wzQTRLVT5+wK6edFlxKmSd93jkLWWCbrc0Dsa39OkSTDmZPoZgKGRhp Yc0C4jePYreTGI6p7/H3AFv84o0fjHt5fn4GpT1Xgfg+1X/wmIv7iNQtljCjAqhD 6XN+QiOAYAloAym8lOm9zOoCDv1TSDpmeyeP0rNV95OozsmFAUaKSUcUFBUfq9FL uyr+rJZQw2DPfq2wE75PtOyJiZH7zljCh12fp5yrNx6L7HSqwwuG7vGO4f0ltYOZ dPKzaEhCOO7o108RexdNABEBAAG0Rldpa2lMZWFrcyBFZGl0b3JpYWwgT2ZmaWNl IEhpZ2ggU2VjdXJpdHkgQ29tbXVuaWNhdGlvbiBLZXkgKDIwMjEtMjAyNCmJBDEE EwEKACcFAmBjDtICGwMFCQWjmoAFCwkIBwMFFQoJCAsFFgIDAQACHgECF4AACgkQ nG3NFyg+RUzRbh+eMSKgMYOdoz70u4RKTvev4KyqCAlwji+1RomnW7qsAK+l1s6b ugOhOs8zYv2ZSy6lv5JgWITRZogvB69JP94+Juphol6LIImC9X3P/bcBLw7VCdNA mP0XQ4OlleLZWXUEW9EqR4QyM0RkPMoxXObfRgtGHKIkjZYXyGhUOd7MxRM8DBzN yieFf3CjZNADQnNBk/ZWRdJrpq8J1W0dNKI7IUW2yCyfdgnPAkX/lyIqw4ht5UxF VGrva3PoepPir0TeKP3M0BMxpsxYSVOdwcsnkMzMlQ7TOJlsEdtKQwxjV6a1vH+t k4TpR4aG8fS7ZtGzxcxPylhndiiRVwdYitr5nKeBP69aWH9uLcpIzplXm4DcusUc Bo8KHz+qlIjs03k8hRfqYhUGB96nK6TJ0xS7tN83WUFQXk29fWkXjQSp1Z5dNCcT sWQBTxWxwYyEI8iGErH2xnok3HTyMItdCGEVBBhGOs1uCHX3W3yW2CooWLC/8Pia qgss3V7m4SHSfl4pDeZJcAPiH3Fm00wlGUslVSziatXW3499f2QdSyNDw6Qc+chK hUFflmAaavtpTqXPk+Lzvtw5SSW+iRGmEQICKzD2chpy05mW5v6QUy+G29nchGDD rrfpId2Gy1VoyBx8FAto4+6BOWVijrOj9Boz7098huotDQgNoEnidvVdsqP+P1RR QJekr97idAV28i7iEOLd99d6qI5xRqc3/QsV+y2ZnnyKB10uQNVPLgUkQljqN0wP XmdVer+0X+aeTHUd1d64fcc6M0cpYefNNRCsTsgbnWD+x0rjS9RMo+Uosy41+IxJ 6qIBhNrMK6fEmQoZG3qTRPYYrDoaJdDJERN2E5yLxP2SPI0rWNjMSoPEA/gk5L91 m6bToM/0VkEJNJkpxU5fq5834s3PleW39ZdpI0HpBDGeEypo/t9oGDY3Pd7JrMOF zOTohxTyu4w2Ql7jgs+7KbO9PH0Fx5dTDmDq66jKIkkC7DI0QtMQclnmWWtn14BS KTSZoZekWESVYhORwmPEf32EPiC9t8zDRglXzPGmJAPISSQz+Cc9o1ipoSIkoCCh 2MWoSbn3KFA53vgsYd0vS/+Nw5aUksSleorFns2yFgp/w5Ygv0D007k6u3DqyRLB W5y6tJLvbC1ME7jCBoLW6nFEVxgDo727pqOpMVjGGx5zcEokPIRDMkW/lXjw+fTy c6misESDCAWbgzniG/iyt77Kz711unpOhw5aemI9LpOq17AiIbjzSZYt6b1Aq7Wr aB+C1yws2ivIl9ZYK911A1m69yuUg0DPK+uyL7Z86XC7hI8B0IY1MM/MbmFiDo6H dkfwUckE74sxxeJrFZKkBbkEAQRgYw7SAR+gvktRnaUrj/84Pu0oYVe49nPEcy/7 5Fs6LvAwAj+JcAQPW3uy7D7fuGFEQguasfRrhWY5R87+g5ria6qQT2/Sf19Tpngs d0Dd9DJ1MMTaA1pc5F7PQgoOVKo68fDXfjr76n1NchfCzQbozS1HoM8ys3WnKAw+ Neae9oymp2t9FB3B+To4nsvsOM9KM06ZfBILO9NtzbWhzaAyWwSrMOFFJfpyxZAQ 8VbucNDHkPJjhxuafreC9q2f316RlwdS+XjDggRY6xD77fHtzYea04UWuZidc5zL VpsuZR1nObXOgE+4s8LU5p6fo7jL0CRxvfFnDhSQg2Z617flsdjYAJ2JR4apg3Es G46xWl8xf7t227/0nXaCIMJI7g09FeOOsfCmBaf/ebfiXXnQbK2zCbbDYXbrYgw6 ESkSTt940lHtynnVmQBvZqSXY93MeKjSaQk1VKyobngqaDAIIzHxNCR941McGD7F qHHM2YMTgi6XXaDThNC6u5msI1l/24PPvrxkJxjPSGsNlCbXL2wqaDgrP6LvCP9O uooR9dVRxaZXcKQjeVGxrcRtoTSSyZimfjEercwi9RKHt42O5akPsXaOzeVjmvD9 EB5jrKBe/aAOHgHJEIgJhUNARJ9+dXm7GofpvtN/5RE6qlx11QGvoENHIgawGjGX Jy5oyRBS+e+KHcgVqbmV9bvIXdwiC4BDGxkXtjc75hTaGhnDpu69+Cq016cfsh+0 XaRnHRdh0SZfcYdEqqjn9CTILfNuiEpZm6hYOlrfgYQe1I13rgrnSV+EfVCOLF4L P9ejcf3eCvNhIhEjsBNEUDOFAA6J5+YqZvFYtjk3efpM2jCg6XTLZWaI8kCuADMu yrQxGrM8yIGvBndrlmmljUqlc8/Nq9rcLVFDsVqb9wOZjrCIJ7GEUD6bRuolmRPE SLrpP5mDS+wetdhLn5ME1e9JeVkiSVSFIGsumZTNUaT0a90L4yNj5gBE40dvFplW 7TLeNE/ewDQk5LiIrfWuTUn3CqpjIOXxsZFLjieNgofX1nSeLjy3tnJwuTYQlVJO 3CbqH1k6cOIvE9XShnnuxmiSoav4uZIXnLZFQRT9v8UPIuedp7TO8Vjl0xRTajCL PdTk21e7fYriax62IssYcsbbo5G5auEdPO04H/+v/hxmRsGIr3XYvSi4ZWXKASxy a/jHFu9zEqmy0EBzFzpmSx+FrzpMKPkoU7RbxzMgZwIYEBk66Hh6gxllL0JmWjV0 iqmJMtOERE4NgYgumQT3dTxKuFtywmFxBTe80BhGlfUbjBtiSrULq59np4ztwlRT wDEAVDoZbN57aEXhQ8jjF2RlHtqGXhFMrg9fALHaRQARAQABiQQZBBgBCgAPBQJg Yw7SAhsMBQkFo5qAAAoJEJxtzRcoPkVMdigfoK4oBYoxVoWUBCUekCg/alVGyEHa ekvFmd3LYSKX/WklAY7cAgL/1UlLIFXbq9jpGXJUmLZBkzXkOylF9FIXNNTFAmBM 3TRjfPv91D8EhrHJW0SlECN+riBLtfIQV9Y1BUlQthxFPtB1G1fGrv4XR9Y4TsRj VSo78cNMQY6/89Kc00ip7tdLeFUHtKcJs+5EfDQgagf8pSfF/TWnYZOMN2mAPRRf fh3SkFXeuM7PU/X0B6FJNXefGJbmfJBOXFbaSRnkacTOE9caftRKN1LHBAr8/RPk pc9p6y9RBc/+6rLuLRZpn2W3m3kwzb4scDtHHFXXQBNC1ytrqdwxU7kcaJEPOFfC XIdKfXw9AQll620qPFmVIPH5qfoZzjk4iTH06Yiq7PI4OgDis6bZKHKyyzFisOkh DXiTuuDnzgcu0U4gzL+bkxJ2QRdiyZdKJJMswbm5JDpX6PLsrzPmN314lKIHQx3t NNXkbfHL/PxuoUtWLKg7/I3PNnOgNnDqCgqpHJuhU1AZeIkvewHsYu+urT67tnpJ AK1Z4CgRxpgbYA4YEV1rWVAPHX1u1okcg85rc5FHK8zh46zQY1wzUTWubAcxqp9K 1IqjXDDkMgIX2Z2fOA1plJSwugUCbFjn4sbT0t0YuiEFMPMB42ZCjcCyA1yysfAd DYAmSer1bq47tyTFQwP+2ZnvW/9p3yJ4oYWzwMzadR3T0K4sgXRC2Us9nPL9k2K5 TRwZ07wE2CyMpUv+hZ4ja13A/1ynJZDZGKys+pmBNrO6abxTGohM8LIWjS+YBPIq trxh8jxzgLazKvMGmaA6KaOGwS8vhfPfxZsu2TJaRPrZMa/HpZ2aEHwxXRy4nm9G Kx1eFNJO6Ues5T7KlRtl8gflI5wZCCD/4T5rto3SfG0s0jr3iAVb3NCn9Q73kiph PSwHuRxcm+hWNszjJg3/W+Fr8fdXAh5i0JzMNscuFAQNHgfhLigenq+BpCnZzXya 01kqX24AdoSIbH++vvgE0Bjj6mzuRrH5VJ1Qg9nQ+yMjBWZADljtp3CARUbNkiIg tUJ8IJHCGVwXZBqY4qeJc3h/RiwWM2UIFfBZ+E06QPznmVLSkwvvop3zkr4eYNez cIKUju8vRdW6sxaaxC/GECDlP0Wo6lH0uChpE3NJ1daoXIeymajmYxNt+drz7+pd jMqjDtNA2rgUrjptUgJK8ZLdOQ4WCrPY5pP9ZXAO7+mK7S3u9CTywSJmQpypd8hv 8Bu8jKZdoxOJXxj8CphK951eNOLYxTOxBUNB8J2lgKbmLIyPvBvbS1l1lCM5oHlw WXGlp70pspj3kaX4mOiFaWMKHhOLb+er8yh8jspM184= =5a6T -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- *[image: Inline image 1]* *Correct The Record Tuesday August 26, 2014 Morning Roundup:* *Headlines:* *Washington Post blog: The Fix: “Rand Paul says he scares Democrats. Should he?” <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/08/25/rand-paul-says-he-scares-democrats-should-he/>* “‘It's pretty funny to see Rand Paul trying to direct Democrats on policy and politics alike,’ said Adrienne Elrod, communications director for Correct The Record, a Clinton-aligned super PAC. ‘He's too cute by half, and as a whole, he is too dangerous for our nation.’” *MSNBC: “Potential 2016 contenders flocking to I.A., N.H.” <http://www.msnbc.com/hardball/potential-2016-contenders-flocking-ia-nh>* “Hillary Clinton has not made stops to either state…yet.” *Huffington Post opinion: Ian Reifowitz: “Dear Hillary: Don't Worry About 'Obama's Third Term' Nonsense -- Run on Progressive Values and Record” <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-reifowitz/dear-hillary-dont-worry-a_b_5710687.html?utm_hp_ref=politics>* “The most important task for any Democrat is to make an election a choice between the values and record of our party versus that of Republicans.” *The Hill: “Sanders weighs Clinton challenge” <http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/215939-sanders-weighs-clinton-challenge>* “Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) is gearing up for a presidential primary challenge against Hillary Clinton and hopes to capitalize on Democratic concerns over Clinton’s coziness with Wall Street banks.” *Politico political column: Roger Simon: “Hillary doomed if she’s Obama’s third term” <http://www.politico.com/story/2014/08/2016-election-hillary-clinton-barack-obama-110319.html>* “You know who should worry? Hillary Clinton should worry. She has some of the same flaws as Obama.” *Washington Post: “O’Malley to send campaign staff to Iowa, N.H. and elsewhere to aid fellow Democrats” <http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/omalley-to-send-campaign-staff-to-iowa-nh-and-elsewhere-to-aid-fellow-democrats/2014/08/25/a797cd3a-2c8d-11e4-bb9b-997ae96fad33_story.html>* “Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is preparing to dispatch more than two dozen campaign staffers to other states with competitive elections this year, including Iowa and New Hampshire, in his latest move consistent with someone gearing up to run for president.” *BuzzFeed: “Martin O’Malley Sends Staffers To Support Campaigns In Iowa, New Hampshire” <http://www.buzzfeed.com/rubycramer/martin-omalley-sends-staffers-to-support-campaigns-in-iowa-n#2wwn3q7>* “Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley will pay for more than two dozen staffers to work on Democratic campaigns in Iowa, New Hampshire, and several other states ahead of the midterm elections this fall, his spokesperson confirmed Monday.” *Articles:* *Washington Post blog: The Fix: “Rand Paul says he scares Democrats. Should he?” <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/08/25/rand-paul-says-he-scares-democrats-should-he/>* By Chris Cillizza August 25, 2014, 2:42 p.m. EDT Here's Rand Paul on what a 2016 matchup between himself and de facto Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton might look like: "If you wanna see a transformational election in our country, let the Democrats put forward a war hawk like Hillary Clinton, and you'll see a transformation like you've never seen." While I'm not sure Clinton would describe herself as a "war hawk" she has tended -- as Secretary of State and in the Senate -- to favor more aggressive approaches to international conflicts then those advocated by President Obama or, for that matter, Paul. Consider: * Clinton, while in the Senate, voted for the use of force resolution against Iraq in 2002. Obama, spoke out in opposition to it. Paul, who, like Obama, wasn't in the Senate at the time of the vote, has worked to repeal the use of force resolution. * Clinton supported a larger troop surge in Afghanistan in 2009. Obama chose a smaller one. Paul penned an op-ed -- along with two Democratic Senators -- advocating for a faster withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan than Obama proposed. * Clinton was a strong voice advocating military intervention in Libya. President Obama eventually sided with her. Paul opposed military intervention. * Clinton favored more directly and broadly arming Syrian rebels early in the civil war, a move Obama resisted. Paul opposed arming the rebels. Given that record, if Clinton and Paul were their party's respective nominees, it seems certain that she would be more hawkish in her approach to nearly every major international conflict than he would be. And that fact alone would be a remarkable turnabout -- given that Republicans have built much of their electoral success over the past three-plus decades around a muscular foreign policy. (It remains to be seen whether Paul's non-interventionist views will be disqualifying for him in the Republican primary fight.) "It's pretty funny to see Rand Paul trying to direct Democrats on policy and politics alike," said Adrienne Elrod, communications director for Correct The Record, a Clinton-aligned super PAC. "He's too cute by half, and as a whole, he is too dangerous for our nation." The more intriguing question is whether Paul or Clinton would be closer to where the American public stands on what role the U.S. should play in foreign conflicts. While there is a natural tendency to assume Clinton's hawkish views would be preferred, there's reason to believe that the cumulative effect of a decade's worth of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq -- wars strong majorities don't believe were worth fighting -- has fundamentally altered how people view the U.S.'s place in the world community. Take this amazing chart via Wall Street Journal politics editor Aaron Zitner from an April NBC-WSJ poll: [GRAPH OF HOW INVOLVED THE U.S. SHOULD BE IN WORLD AFFAIRS] And, the NBC-WSJ poll is far from an outlier. In a January Pew poll, six in ten people said "we should pay less attention to problems overseas and concentrate on problems here at home" while just 35 percent said "it's best for the future of our country to be active in world affairs." A June CBS-New York Times survey showed 58 percent saying that the U.S. should not take a leading role "among all other countries in the world in trying to solve international conflicts" while just 37 percent said America should play a leading role. An August NBC-WSJ poll found that just 35 percent of people were either "very" or "somewhat" satisfied with the U.S.'s role in the world while 62 percent were very or somewhat dissatisfied. Back in late 1995, 52 percent said they were satisfied with the U.S. role while 43 percent said they were not. Support for the U.S. playing a more narrow role in world affairs tends to run higher among Democrats and independents than it does among Republicans. (See my point above about Paul's challenge in selling his views to Republican primary voters.) Whether the difference between Clinton and Paul on that set of issues would be enough to convince some Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents to vote for him, however, remains to be seen. It's simply too far away to begin predicting what the key issues of the 2016 presidential election will be. "How things have always been" only holds true until those things change. Remember how America would never elect a black president named Barack Obama? Or how the Senate would never invoke the nuclear option? One day the current prevailing conventional wisdom about what the public wants the U.S. to do -- and be -- internationally may find its way onto that list. *MSNBC: “Potential 2016 contenders flocking to I.A., N.H.” <http://www.msnbc.com/hardball/potential-2016-contenders-flocking-ia-nh>* By Lisa Crivelli August 25, 2014, 7:25 p.m. EDT If you’re not visiting New Hampshire you’re not running for president… and Texas Governor Rick Perry made the pilgrimage there this weekend. It was Perry’s first visit. According to a report from NBC News and U.S. News and World Report, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Chris Christie, Paul Ryan, and Marco Rubio have made a combined forty trips to New Hampshire and Iowa. That’s four times more than their Democratic counterparts, which include Vice President Joe Biden and Brian Schweitzer. Hillary Clinton has not made stops to either state…yet. *Huffington Post opinion: Ian Reifowitz: “Dear Hillary: Don't Worry About 'Obama's Third Term' Nonsense -- Run on Progressive Values and Record” <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-reifowitz/dear-hillary-dont-worry-a_b_5710687.html?utm_hp_ref=politics>* By Ian Reifowitz, author of “Obama’s America: A Transformative Vision of Our National Identity” August 25, 2014, 5:59 p.m. EDT Some people just wanna party like it's 2008. There's apparently some "concern" out there among advisers to Hillary Clinton -- all of whom, of course, told CNN they had to remain anonymous -- about Republicans attacking her candidacy (and presumably that of any Democratic nominee) as "Obama's third term." One of these unnamed advisers predicted that the Republican attack would unfold thusly: "If you like Obama, you will love Hillary. ... She was in his government, she was at his side. ... That is, the way to go after her is four more years of the same old thing. The question they should ask her is "Tell me 10 things that you disagree with him on." Now, we don't know whether the Democratic nominee in 2016 -- whomever she or he may be -- will listen to this nonsense. Either way, running away from the Obama administration would be a serious mistake, not to mention being all but impossible for just about any Democrat currently on the horizon. Doing so would divide the party and depress enthusiasm, and thus voter turnout, among President Obama's core supporters in key swing states like Ohio and Florida. Besides, as we saw even as they competed for the Democratic nomination in 2008, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama do agree on the vast majority of issues. Trying to pretend otherwise would be seen as disingenuous at best. The most important task for any Democrat is to make an election a choice between the values and record of our party versus that of Republicans. When we do that, we win. Period. When it comes to values, Democrats are the party of the 99 percent, Republicans are the party of the 1 percent. We are the party of freedom, justice, and equality for all Americans, no matter who they are. The Republicans? Not so much. We are the party that believes "we're all part of one American family," while the GOP operates from a different principle: "I've got mine, and the rest of you are on your own." If former Secretary Clinton is our party's 2016 nominee for president, she must put these contrasts front and center. The last three presidents have included two Democrats and a Republican. How'd they do? President Bill Clinton presided over the longest peacetime economic expansion in history, saw 20 million net jobs created during his eight years, and, thanks in large part to a 1993 budget deal passed with only Democratic votes in Congress, turned huge deficits into the first run of federal budget surpluses in decades. George W. Bush turned these surpluses -- which the Congressional Budget Office predicted would come to over $800 billion per year from 2009 to 2012 -- into massive deficits. Additionally, he created all of about 1 million net jobs in eight years, and that thanks only to an increase in government jobs. The private sector actually lost jobs during the eight years of his presidency. In his last year, George W. Bush's economy tanked. It crashed. Our economy was as bad as it's been at any point since the Great Depression. Barack Obama came in and stabilized the situation. Fighting against almost universal Republican opposition, his policies reversed the collapse, and we've been growing slowly but steadily since. Even after losing millions of jobs in its first months, his administration has seen overall job growth exceed 5 million in just five-and-a-half years. Unemployment is down. Median income, after falling hard thanks to the crash, has rebounded in the last three years. The economy has grown for the most part over the past five years, while the deficit has fallen dramatically. The stock market has more than doubled off the low point reached just after President Obama took office. Assuming these trends continue over the next two years, the Obama record will be one to run on in 2016, and that includes Obamacare. The American people have watched for the better part of three decades as Democratic presidents have performed better for our country than have Republicans. President Obama, in particular, has had to clean up the messes left at home and abroad by George W. Bush, a president who inherited a very strong country from Bill Clinton. There's no question that Hillary Clinton will also have to run on her own individual vision, her own talents, experience, and personal qualities. Absolutely. But rather than listen to the advice of some "unnamed" supporters and run away from the Obama record, former Secretary Clinton should absolutely highlight it, along with that of her husband, as a record of Democratic success. In 1988, Michael Dukakis unfortunately tried to run a campaign that was "not about ideology, it's about competence." In 2016, however, the Democratic candidate for president would only benefit by emphasizing ideology, by contrasting what Democrats believe to the beliefs of a Republican party that, whoever is its nominee, is dominated by extreme right, by the tea party. Our policy positions -- even now, when President Obama's ratings are not what they were two years ago -- are more popular than those of the Republicans. Those positions reflect our values, as does the record of the last two Democratic presidents. Any Democrat running in 2016 should enthusiastically embrace them. *The Hill: “Sanders weighs Clinton challenge” <http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/215939-sanders-weighs-clinton-challenge>* By Alexander Bolton August 26, 2014, 6:00 a.m. EDT Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) is gearing up for a presidential primary challenge against Hillary Clinton and hopes to capitalize on Democratic concerns over Clinton’s coziness with Wall Street banks. Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Senate Democrats, plans to travel to two crucial presidential battleground states next month. He will speak at an AFL-CIO breakfast hosted in Manchester, New Hampshire, over Labor Day weekend and then travel to Iowa in mid September, when Clinton will be there building support for her own 2016 campaign. Sanders plans to return to New Hampshire, which neighbors his home state, on Sept. 27 to speak at the Stafford County Democrats annual dinner near Durham, according to his staff. “I’ll be going to New Hampshire and I’ll be going to Iowa. That’s part of my trying to ascertain the kind of support that exists for a presidential run,” he said Monday in an interview. Sanders has not said whether he will run as an independent or a Democrat. He has served as an independent during his entire career in Congress. This lack of affiliation allows him to distance himself from both parties and the low approval ratings they have as a result of years of squabbling. But a non-partisan bid would force Sanders to raise millions of dollars to overcome the hurdles various states have erected to make it harder for independent candidates to get their names on the ballot. Running as a Democrat would give Sanders higher visibility by allowing him to participate in the early primary debates. Sanders will hold a series of town-hall meetings in Dubuque, Waterloo and Des Moines on Sept. 13 and 14, according to his staff. Clinton will be in Iowa the same weekend to attend a steak fry hosted by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). This week, Sanders will visit South Carolina, the host of another important contest early on the 2016 presidential primary calendar, to speak at an event sponsored by Progressive Voters of America, South Forward and the South Carolina Progressive Network. Many liberals have raised questions about Clinton’s stance on regulating Wall Street banks and expanding Social Security, but Sanders has so far declined to take shots at the presumed Democratic presidential frontrunner. “I don’t want to speak about other people,” he said. Instead, Sanders will push his agenda, which calls for a “massive jobs program,” raising the minimum wage, changing the nation’s trade policies, programs to make childcare and college education more affordable, and subsidized healthcare. Democratic strategists say there is room for a candidate to challenge Clinton from the left in 2016. “Hillary Clinton has a lot of progressive positions on issues and she herself may move in a more populist direction but she also has lots of ties to big money, she has lots of ties to Wall Street,” said Mike Lux, a Democratic strategist. “She has been very reluctant to criticize Wall Street on a lot of things. “Absolutely there’s room on the populist left for someone to run against her,” he added. Democratic strategists say it is far too early to say whether Sanders will emerge as the primary liberal challenger to Clinton. They say it’s possible that other candidates, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) or Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, may emerge as the leading alternative. Liberal advocates say there are many questions about Clinton’s policy stances. She has stayed relatively quiet about domestic issues since retiring from the Senate in 2008. “I would like to know more about where she stands. The world has changed a lot since her husband was president and she hasn’t had to deal with domestic issues since she was in the U.S. Senate,” said Roger Hickey, co-director of Campaign for America’s Future. “The questions I would like her debate and discuss is what do we do with this banking system that is a problem for the real economy. “Do we continue to deregulate the way her husband did or do we break up the banks and make them less powerful?” he said. Democratic activists acknowledge that Sanders is unlikely to present a serious threat to Clinton but they are happy to see him jump in the race because they want a vigorous debate over Wall Street. Warren has emerged as the leading Democratic voice on Wall Street reform but she insists that she does not plan to run for president. “The big question that most progressives have for Hillary is, ‘Where is she now compared to the past?’” said Charles Chamberlain, executive director of Democracy for America, a liberal advocacy group. “In the past she sided with the Wall Street wing of the party. The reality is that the corporate, Wall Street wing of the Democratic Party is going away. “The future of our party is the Warren wing, which is fighting to break up the big banks, expand Social Security and fighting economic inequality,” he said. Liberal Democrats hope a challenge from Sanders or another populist candidate will force Clinton to move to the left on financial regulations, corporate tax reform and expanding Social Security. *Politico political column: Roger Simon: “Hillary doomed if she’s Obama’s third term” <http://www.politico.com/story/2014/08/2016-election-hillary-clinton-barack-obama-110319.html>* By Roger Simon August 26, 2014, 5:05 a.m. EDT When Barack Obama was first elected to the presidency, he asked David Axelrod to leave Chicago and come to the White House with him. Axelrod would be a senior adviser, a powerful position where he could craft both policy and the president’s message. But Axelrod hesitated. Though he was often credited with being a calming influence in the fractious world of high-stakes politics, there was one thing Axelrod held dear: the ability to tell his boss off when his boss needed telling off. And when you’re president, Axelrod told Obama, I won’t be able to tell you off. Obama thought about it. Yes, you still can tell me off, Obama told Axelrod. As long as you do it in private. Axelrod went to the White House in January 2009 and left in January 2011. And today I wonder if there is anyone in the West Wing who has the valor and the vigor to occasionally tell the president off. Was there anyone who said last week, “Uh, the golf thing, Mr. President? Maybe delay it a couple of days? So it doesn’t come minutes after you tell the nation how ‘heartbroken’ you are over a beheaded journalist. Maybe go hiking? Sit on a rock, commune with nature, that kind of thing?” Instead, the president swiftly changed into his golf togs, grabbed his bag and, as one wit put it, introduced the nation to his new doctrine: “Speak softly and carry a Big Bertha.” Even the civil unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, following the slaying of an unarmed black teenager by a white police officer, did not keep Obama off the links. As much as the White House says the president is always connected to his job no matter where he is — which is technically true — golf is clearly a world where the president goes to clear his mind and think other thoughts. Don Van Natta, who has written a history of presidents and golfing, wrote for ESPN The Magazine in 2012 that Obama’s wife, Michelle, “nudged him onto the links, hoping he would trade his smashmouth brand of pickup basketball for the more gentlemanly game of golf. Now Obama sees the game as his only chance to just wander around.” But there are better times to wander than others. Especially while playing a game associated with the 1 percent, not the people working two jobs to make a living wage. Still, Obama played on. And even though he talked about Ferguson during a brief news conference, he wanted to keep it at arm’s length. “I’ve got to make sure that I don’t look like I’m putting my thumb on the scales one way or the other,” Obama said. So Eric Holder, his attorney general, was left to express the kind of sentiments that Barack Obama used to express. It was Holder who went to Missouri and talked about being hassled by police as a young man and the kind of smoldering anger and mistrust that builds in black America. “I understand that mistrust. I am the attorney general of the United States. But I am also a black man,” Holder said. And it was Holder in 2009, in his first major speech after being confirmed, who said: “Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards.” Holder called for a “national conversation” on race not because such a conversation would be easy, but because it was necessary to America’s future. President Obama wanted no part of it. In 2012, after Trayvon Martin, another unarmed black teenager was shot and killed, Obama said it was not “particularly productive when politicians try to organize conversations” on race. But how does he know? When did he try it? There appears to be nobody working for him who both disagrees with him and is willing to tell him so. Instead, we are left with a president who seems wrapped in his aloofness as a protective blanket to keep the outside from getting in. He may not care about the “optics” of all this. He’s got his two terms and his big legacy item: national health care. So why should he worry? You know who should worry? Hillary Clinton should worry. She has some of the same flaws as Obama. She can project a chilly public personality, a remoteness, a reserve and a detachment from ordinary people. And the Republicans see their opportunity. They already have their 2016 theme: “She may be riding high right now, but people may decide against having another four years of this kind of governing,” Rep. Paul Ryan, the Republican vice presidential nominee in 2012, said recently. The candidate at the top of the GOP ticket backed him up. “Our party has to come together or we will continue with a third term of Barack Obama,” Mitt Romney warned. It is easier to imagine Clinton losing the presidency in 2016 than to imagine exactly whom she would lose to. The Republican field has a very few candidates capable of winning a general election and a gaggle of far right-wingers who cannot. Still, Clinton must connect with voters and sell her vision of America — which thus far she has kept largely to herself — in order to win. And even if she does that, she is not a sure thing: If she can be labeled as Obama’s third term, she can be beaten. That’s because I don’t think there are too many people who want an Obama third term. Not even Obama. *Washington Post: “O’Malley to send campaign staff to Iowa, N.H. and elsewhere to aid fellow Democrats” <http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/omalley-to-send-campaign-staff-to-iowa-nh-and-elsewhere-to-aid-fellow-democrats/2014/08/25/a797cd3a-2c8d-11e4-bb9b-997ae96fad33_story.html>* By John Wagner August 25, 2014, 4:27 p.m. EDT Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is preparing to dispatch more than two dozen campaign staffers to other states with competitive elections this year, including Iowa and New Hampshire, in his latest move consistent with someone gearing up to run for president. O’Malley (D), who has said he is seriously considering a 2016 White House bid, plans to meet Friday with members of the group, who will be sent by his political action committee to states with gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races in the fall, aides said. O’Malley spokeswoman Lis Smith confirmed the governor’s plans but offered few specifics and declined to share the states to which the staffers will be sent, beyond Iowa and New Hampshire. Both states have gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races on the fall ballot. Smith characterized the plans as part of O’Malley’s ongoing effort to assist Democrats across the country win 2014 elections. “The governor is doing everything he can to elect more Democrats, and this is part of that,” she said. Over the past two years, O’Malley’s PAC has made more than $230,000 in contributions to Democratic candidates and committees, according to campaign finance records. O’Malley has also hosted more than dozen fundraisers for fellow Democrats, aides said. And he has appeared in more than two dozen states at party dinners and other events. Those include multiple events in both Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two states with presidential nominating contests. O’Malley’s political activities have far exceeded those of other Democrats considering a 2016 run but have been overshadowed by speculation about whether Hillary Rodham Clinton will enter the race. The tactic of paying for campaign staff in other states prior to a presidential year is one that has been employed by other White House hopefuls in past cycles. Smith declined to discuss the staffers that O’Malley’s PAC has hired for the upcoming field work, which will focus on getting sympathetic voters to the polls. O’Malley has long believed in the importance of that kind of campaign work. In 1984, he worked in Iowa as field organizer for presidential candidate Gary Hart. *BuzzFeed: “Martin O’Malley Sends Staffers To Support Campaigns In Iowa, New Hampshire” <http://www.buzzfeed.com/rubycramer/martin-omalley-sends-staffers-to-support-campaigns-in-iowa-n#2wwn3q7>* By Ruby Cramer August 25, 2014, 8:27 p.m. EDT [Subtitle:] The Maryland governor is the only Democrat sending people out this year. A way to build favor in early-voting states ahead of 2016. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley will pay for more than two dozen staffers to work on Democratic campaigns in Iowa, New Hampshire, and several other states ahead of the midterm elections this fall, his spokesperson confirmed Monday. The move to dispatch campaign workers, first reported by the Washington Post, signals the extent to which O’Malley is pursuing a possible White House bid. The governor’s spokesperson, Lis Smith, would not discuss details about how many staffers would travel to which states. But she said the staffers would be helping Senate and gubernatorial campaigns across the country, including those races in Iowa and New Hampshire, the states that host the first caucuses and primary. The staffers, Smith said, will be paid for by O’Malley’s political action committee, O’Say Can You See, also called O’PAC. Politicians considering a national run will often send money or manpower to early-voting states during the election cycle before a presidential race. In 2006, before Democrats’ last open primary, workers paid by former Democratic Sens. John Edwards and Evan Bayh, for example, hit New Hampshire and Iowa. But this year, O’Malley is the only known Democrat providing such support. Raymond Buckley, chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, said he had no knowledge of plans for other Democrats to engage in races in his state. He hadn’t heard of O’Malley’s intentions to send staffers until Monday, he said. Ready for Hillary, a super PAC preparing for a possible Hillary Clinton campaign, has been set up in primary states for the last year. The group made its first organizing trip to Iowa last January. But Clinton herself has yet to engage in midterm races. She is scheduled to appear in Iowa at Sen. Tom Harkin’s annual steak fry next month. O’Malley will finish his second and last term as governor in January. He has spent much of the last year traveling on behalf of Democrats, while putting together what he has called “the framework” for a possible presidential campaign. The campaign workers will meet with O’Malley on Friday and will dispatch to states “imminently,” Smith said. *Calendar:* *Sec. Clinton's upcoming appearances as reported online. Not an official schedule.* · August 28 – San Francisco, CA: Sec. Clinton keynotes Nexenta’s OpenSDx Summit (BusinessWire <http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140702005709/en/Secretary-State-Hillary-Rodham-Clinton-Deliver-Keynote#.U7QoafldV8E> ) · September 4 – Las Vegas, NV: Sec. Clinton speaks at the National Clean Energy Summit (Solar Novis Today <http://www.solarnovus.com/hillary-rodham-clinto-to-deliver-keynote-at-national-clean-energy-summit-7-0_N7646.html> ) · September 9 – Washington, DC: Sec. Clinton fundraises for the DSCC at her Washington home (DSCC <https://d1ly3598e1hx6r.cloudfront.net/sites/dscc/files/uploads/9.9.14%20HRC%20Dinner.pdf> ) · September 14 – Indianola, IA: Sec. Clinton headlines Sen. Harkin’s Steak Fry (LA Times <http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-tom-harkin-clinton-steak-fry-20140818-story.html> ) · October ? – San Francisco, CA: Sec. Clinton fundraises for House Democratic women candidates with Nancy Pelosi (The Hill <http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/house-races/215410-clinton-to-fundraise-with-pelosi-in-october> ) · October 2 – Miami Beach, FL: Sec. Clinton keynotes the CREW Network Convention & Marketplace (CREW Network <http://events.crewnetwork.org/2014convention/>) · October 13 – Las Vegas, NV: Sec. Clinton keynotes the UNLV Foundation Annual Dinner (UNLV <http://www.unlv.edu/event/unlv-foundation-annual-dinner?delta=0>) · October 14 – San Francisco, CA: Sec. Clinton keynotes salesforce.com Dreamforce conference (salesforce.com <http://www.salesforce.com/dreamforce/DF14/highlights.jsp#tuesday>) · December 4 – Boston, MA: Sec. Clinton speaks at the Massachusetts Conference for Women (MCFW <http://www.maconferenceforwomen.org/speakers/>)