in September 2007, in Des Moines, Iowa. Hillary says she is happy she stuck out it out with her husband, the 42nd president, through "challenges" in their marriage.(AFP/File/Stan Honda)
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
Hillary Clinton seeks votes, not money, in San Joaquin Valley
Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton speaks at a rally Monday, Oct. 22, 2007 in Fresno, Calif. Clinton spoke to students at Fresno High School about her future plans if elected president in 2008. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian)
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., shakes supporter hands at a rally Monday, Oct. 22, 2007 in Fresno, Calif. Clinton spoke to students at Fresno High School about her future plans if elected president in 2008. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian)10-22) 16:20 PDT Fresno, Calif. (AP) --
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton touched down for the first time in California's farm belt Monday, seeking to sway voters and small town officials in the state's conservative interior pocket to her side.
Fresh from a fundraiser Sunday at the Los Angeles home of "When Harry Met Sally" director Rob Reiner, Clinton didn't arrive seeking cash.
Rather, the Democrats' presidential front-runner used the campaign stop to speak to hundreds of students, grandmothers and teachers outside Fresno High School about her proposals to pass immigration reforms and boost the farming economy.
"Everywhere I go, people feel like they are invisible to their government," Clinton said, speaking on a riser to the crowd waving signs before the school's main stone entrance. "None of these people are invisible to me and they will not be invisible to the next president of the United States."
Clinton, D-NY, has racked up endorsements from more than 50 San Joaquin Valley party leaders, including Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers, and Assemblyman Juan Arambula, D-Fresno, her campaign announced Monday.
But Democratic presidential contenders have historically failed to attract much money or build a significant voting bloc in the region.
According to the Federal Election Commission, Clinton has raised $13,270,732 in California for her campaign, more than any other candidate has received in in-state contributions.
Just $11,130 of that came from the Fresno area, as opposed to the nearly $2.8 million Clinton collected in Los Angeles.
Her top rival, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, collected less than $7,000 in political contributions from the Fresno area, according to federal fundraising records. Former North Carolina senator John Edwards raised only about $24,400 there.
Still with February's presidential primary looming, swing voters in the valley and in the Inland Empire have more pull, political analysts said.
"Fresno has never been a place where you raise Democratic money," said Chris Lehane, a Clinton supporter who runs a Democratic consulting business in San Francisco. "But it's smart to have Hillary's feet on the ground there because you do well with women, you do well with Latinos, you focus on traditional swing areas like the valley and you'll do well in the state."
Clinton was playing to that Monday, when she emphasized her support for a bill that would allow the children of undocumented immigrants to attend college.
"The most important thing she could do is to get more help for children and fix immigration," said Esteban Espinoza, 17, a Fresno High School student whose class attended the rally. "They need to let people's parents stay here even if they don't have papers."
Clinton was scheduled to attend private receptions in the San Francisco Bay area and Seattle, Wash., later Monday, and planned to return to the valley in the coming months, said campaign spokesman Luis Vizcaino.
Debate Wrap-Up: Everyone vs. Clinton
THE CAUCUS POLITICAL BLOG NEW YORK TIMES
Here is some interesting commentary on last night's Fox Fest.....Fox is such republican trash....don't ya think???? andy
October 21, 2007, 10:09 pm
Debate Wrap-Up: Everyone vs. Clinton
This debate makes it official: It’s open season on Hillary Clinton.
No votes have been cast yet, and none will be for another two and a half months (unless New Hampshire moves up to December). But who cares? Mrs. Clinton proved abundant fodder for the candidates, and focusing on her kept them from bloodying each other (too much).
They started out by weaving Mrs. Clinton into virtually every answer. Then the Fox moderators started mentioning her in their questions. Then they devoted an entire segment to her, allowing each candidate to bash her fully and directly, with Mr. Romney getting the ball rolling by asking
the audience: “Anyone here want to vote for Hillary?” A resounding “No!” rolled back across the stage.
Read more …
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Giuliani woos religious right but loses poll
Giuliani is in big trouble with the Archie bunker division of the GOP......i guess his ex's vagina chronicles is finally catching up to him...no mayor of the city of new york has ever won another elective office...ever.....more like a circus tent here..with Giuliani trying to clean up after the elephants......it won't work....andy
Giuliani woos religious right but loses poll
By Ed StoddardSat Oct 20, 7:00 PM ET
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney narrowly won a Republican presidential straw poll of Christian conservatives on Saturday, while Rudy Giuliani persuaded few to look past his support of abortion rights.
The poll at a summit of self-styled values voters was largely symbolic but highlighted the continuing failure of ardent anti-abortion social conservatives to rally behind a single Republican candidate in the 2008 White House race.
Romney took 27.6 percent of almost 6,000 votes cast, just ahead of Mike Huckabee, the folksy former governor of Arkansas, who gained 27.1 percent at the conference organized by the Family Research Council.
Maverick Texas Congressman Ron Paul was third with almost 15 percent while former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson got under 10 percent, a major disappointment for his campaign.
Giuliani was eighth with 107 votes -- under 2 percent.
The victory was a lift for Romney, struggling to overcome the distrust and hostility that many evangelical Christians feel toward his Mormon faith.
Romney appears to have been making inroads among religious conservatives as he portrays himself as a committed opponent of abortion, despite his relatively recent conversion to their cause. He told the gathering on Friday night that he would be a "pro-life president."
In his speech on Saturday, Giuliani appealed to his audience to look beyond his support for abortion rights and focus on shared values, such as fighting crime and his vow to relentlessly pursue the war on terror.
"I truly believe that what unites us is greater than any of the things which divide us," Giuliani, a former New York mayor, said to the crowd of mostly white evangelical Protestants who comprise a key segment of the Republican base.
Stridently anti-abortion and anti-gay rights, this movement known as the "religious right" has watched with dismay as Giuliani, who shot to national prominence after the September 11 attacks in 2001, grabbed the lead in the race for the Republican 2008 presidential nomination.
Some have spoken of backing a third party candidate to fly their anti-abortion banner should he become the nominee.
Opposition to abortion has become an almost sacred Republican plank because of the religious right's influence but Giuliani threatens to break that taboo.
The thrice-married Giuliani, a Roman Catholic who also supports gay rights, dismissed charges that he was an "activist for liberal causes" and told the crowd that Christianity was a religion of inclusion in a speech that drew warm applause but no thunderous ovations.
Saying he felt his faith deeply but privately, Giuliani stressed his record of reducing crime in New York, reiterated his staunch support for Israel and said that victory was the only option in the war on terror.
Giuliani also told them he would appoint conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court -- a key policy plank since the Holy Grail of the social conservative cause is getting a bench that will overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision granting women a constitutional right to an abortion.
Giuliani also pledged to work to increase adoptions and decrease abortions -- a stance which hardliners, who say they could never bring themselves to support a pro-choice candidate, regard as far too soft.
"The party has always been a big tent but it's not that big a tent," said Michael Scully, a Romney supporter.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Is Clinton's Campaign Overconfident?
Democratic Presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., speaks at the National Women's Finance Council Summit in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007. (AP)It amazes me how all the presidential candidates complain about Hillary's Campaign and how smug and confident they are.....it almost seems they are confirming what we all know already...that Hillary Clinton will be the next President of the USA.....ironically the more they complain and give her this kind of attention...the more everybody is starting to see the light.............andy
s Clinton's Campaign Overconfident?
Oct. 18, 2007
(Washingtonpost.com) This story was written by Dan Balz in washingtonpost.com's blog The Trail.
Mark Penn, Hillary Clinton's chief strategist, sat down with a large group of reporters Thursday morning for a status report on the presidential campaign. "We are taking absolutely nothing for granted," he said soberly. Everything else Penn said during the hour-long session pointed to a campaign that feels increasingly confident of its position.
Penn's appearance at the Christian Science Monitor breakfast came about 12 hours after Barack Obama joined Jay Leno in Burbank for the Tonight Show. Asked by his host about how the campaign was going, Obama invoked one of the more embarrassing moments of the Bush presidency to tweak the Democratic frontrunner.
"Hillary," he said, "is not the first person in Washington to declare 'Mission Accomplished' a little too soon."
Penn may have had those words echoing in his ears when he showed up for his breakfast. Time and again, including in his opening statement, he went out of his way to underscore the Clinton's is a campaign at full battle stations, no matter what the national polls may show: "We are running a primary campaign. We are taking every primary seriously. This race is not over. Iowa is very competitive."
In between, Penn had difficulty concealing his sense of confidence, even pointing out that the increased attacks by Edwards and Obama reflect their nervousness rather than her vulnerabilities. "That is a spin that people have," said David Axelrod, Obama's chief strategist.
Penn's most provocative moments came not when he talked not about Clinton's Democratic rivals but when he focused on the rising power of the women in politics and Clinton's potential to attract what would be a historic female turnout -- including Republican women and younger women.
"I think you'll see a tremendous influx into the political process of women who weren't as politically oriented," he said.
Women now make up about 54 percent of the electorate and Penn predicted this number could go higher if Clinton is the Democratic nominee. If that were to happen, another five or six states could open up on the electoral map that have been off limits to the Democrats in recent elections.
Republicans, he said, could be in for a nasty surprise if Clinton is the nominee. "I think the Republicans are not prepared for the loss of a substantial group of their Republican women voters," he said.
Penn argued that Clinton has an opportunity to produce sizeable defections -- as much as 24 percent of Republican women could end up voting for Clinton in a general election race. That, he said, would make "a major difference nationwide because of the emotional element of having the first woman nominee and that actually will be a major unexpected factor here that will throw the Republicans for a loop."
(Washingtonpost.com) This story was written by Dan Balz in washingtonpost.com's blog The Trail.
Mark Penn, Hillary Clinton's chief strategist, sat down with a large group of reporters Thursday morning for a status report on the presidential campaign. "We are taking absolutely nothing for granted," he said soberly. Everything else Penn said during the hour-long session pointed to a campaign that feels increasingly confident of its position.
Penn's appearance at the Christian Science Monitor breakfast came about 12 hours after Barack Obama joined Jay Leno in Burbank for the Tonight Show. Asked by his host about how the campaign was going, Obama invoked one of the more embarrassing moments of the Bush presidency to tweak the Democratic frontrunner.
"Hillary," he said, "is not the first person in Washington to declare 'Mission Accomplished' a little too soon."
Penn may have had those words echoing in his ears when he showed up for his breakfast. Time and again, including in his opening statement, he went out of his way to underscore the Clinton's is a campaign at full battle stations, no matter what the national polls may show: "We are running a primary campaign. We are taking every primary seriously. This race is not over. Iowa is very competitive."
In between, Penn had difficulty concealing his sense of confidence, even pointing out that the increased attacks by Edwards and Obama reflect their nervousness rather than her vulnerabilities. "That is a spin that people have," said David Axelrod, Obama's chief strategist.
Penn's most provocative moments came not when he talked not about Clinton's Democratic rivals but when he focused on the rising power of the women in politics and Clinton's potential to attract what would be a historic female turnout -- including Republican women and younger women.
"I think you'll see a tremendous influx into the political process of women who weren't as politically oriented," he said.
Women now make up about 54 percent of the electorate and Penn predicted this number could go higher if Clinton is the Democratic nominee. If that were to happen, another five or six states could open up on the electoral map that have been off limits to the Democrats in recent elections.
Republicans, he said, could be in for a nasty surprise if Clinton is the nominee. "I think the Republicans are not prepared for the loss of a substantial group of their Republican women voters," he said.
Penn argued that Clinton has an opportunity to produce sizeable defections -- as much as 24 percent of Republican women could end up voting for Clinton in a general election race. That, he said, would make "a major difference nationwide because of the emotional element of having the first woman nominee and that actually will be a major unexpected factor here that will throw the Republicans for a loop."
He cited one poll in which Clinton leads Rudy Giuliani in a hypothetical general election match up. In that survey, Clinton has an 18-point lead over Giuliani among women -- which he interpreted as almost insurmountable, given that women make up more than half the electorate.
John Edwards continues to argue that he is the most electable Democrat in 2008, that he can campaign effectively in places that Clinton cannot. When Penn was asked about resistance to Clinton's candidacy in the South, he said, "She's very strong in Arkansas." He also said she has a very good shot at winning Florida and noted that she is ahead in current general election polls in swing states like Ohio.
What about the West, where there also appears to be nervousness among Democratic officeholders about Clinton as the Democratic nominee? The race is in the early stages of development in those states and will look better later, he predicted. He added that western-state polls that may show her in trouble are probably lagging indicators.
Nor did Penn seem daunted at the prospect of a Clinton-Giuliani race. After all, he said, Giuliani is the one Republican she's run against (briefly) already. Giuliani's success to date in the Republican nomination battle is as much a reflection of the dissatisfaction among GOP voters with their entire field as with the former mayor's strength as a candidate. "I don't think Republicans have any real stars as candidates," he said.
He argued that Clinton is the one Democrat who could neutralize Giuliani's potential strength in the northeast and industrial battlegrounds. "She wipes him out in New York," he said, and would beat him in Pennsylvania. As for battleground states in the heartland, Penn predicted that Giuliani would not travel well from his New York roots.
Could Bill Clinton become a liability to Hillary Clinton's presidential ambitions. "He is a tremendously popular former president," Penn said, particularly among Democratic primary voters. "I could speculate on things all day," he added. "The reality is, he is a tremendous asset for this campaign and that's the way it has been for this last year and I believe will certainly continue to be that way."
His optimism was tempered seemingly only by the state of play in Iowa, but even there he sounded upbeat. Obama is a formidable opponent, he noted, and Edwards has had strong support there. But he added, "Iowans are less and less enthusiastic about Edwards and little by little they're gaining increased confidence in Senator Clinton and what kind of president she would be."
For a moment, he caught himself and started to back pedal. "There's no sense in this campaign in any way of taking anything for granted. We understand full well how quickly these things change." Then it was another surge of optimism. "The good news is that people are receiving her very well."
© 2007 The Washington Post Company
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Hillary Clinton shrugs off her male rivals' attacks
Hillary Clinton shrugs off her male rivals' attacks
Thursday, October 18th 2007, 4:00 AM
Hillary Clinton says certain men have been noticing her - and hinted she kind of likes it.
WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton says certain men have been noticing her - and hinted she kind of likes it.
"The last couple of weeks I've been getting a lot of attention from the men in this race," she said, referring to the steady stream of jabs she's taken from rivals Rudy Giuliani, John Edwards and Barack Obama.
Edwards and Obama, her Democratic rivals, have ripped into her policy proposals and painted her as part of the problem in Washington.
Giuliani, the GOP front-runner, has increasingly used the former First Lady as a liberal prop to burnish his conservative bona fides.
"At first I didn't know what to make of it," Clinton, who turns 60 next week, quipped.
"And then a good friend of mine said, 'You know, when you get to be our age, having that much attention from all these men ...,'" she said, leaving the last line up to the imaginations of about 1,000 women filling a ballroom at the Capital Hilton.
The crowd, full of people who paid a minimum of $1,000 each to be there, roared with laughter.
Clinton has deployed coy quips before. In January, she let Iowa supporters draw their own conclusions about "what in my background equips me to deal with evil and bad men."
She offered arched eyebrows, a smile and a knowing nod, leaving many in the crowd to believe she was talking about the marital transgressions of her husband, Bill Clinton. She later said she was just trying to be "funny."
Wednesday, Clinton insisted she wouldn't be firing back at the sniping rivals, who trail her in recent national polls.
"I'm not interested in attacking anyone," Clinton said. "I'm interested in attacking the problems of our country and solving those problems and working together."
Her new high-road pledge contrasts sharply with an earlier promise: If anyone attacked her, she'd "deck 'em."
But she had no qualms about hitting Republicans who have criticized the 12-year-old Maryland boy who delivered a recent Democratic radio address calling for a beefed-up children's health insurance program - a contentious issue on Capitol Hill.
"I've obviously gotten used to being attacked myself, and I don't mind being attacked, but they should not be attacking children," she said, casting herself as a defender and uniter.
Clinton's rebuke mirrored the shots Giuliani took at her last month when he tried to link Clinton's critical congressional quizzing of Gen. David Petraeus to a MoveOn.org newspaper ad challenging the integrity of the U.S. commander in Iraq.
Giuliani accused her of injecting "political venom" into the war debate.
Clinton's female-focused fund-raiser pumped a whopping $1.5million into her already bulging campaign war chest.
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