Subject: Hillary For President News Briefing for Wednesday, April 30, 2008
From: "Bulletin News Network" <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked]
Date: 30 Apr 2008 06:31:52 -0400

HILLARY FOR PRESIDENT NEWS BRIEFING (Executive Version)
Full version is attached and available online at http://www.bulletinnews.com/clinton

TO: CLINTON CAMPAIGN

DATE: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2008 6:30 AM EDT

TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS

SEN. CLINTON'S CAMPAIGN:

+ Clinton Says Democrats Should Back Whoever Is Nominated.

+ North Carolina Governor Throws His Support To Clinton.

+ Clinton, Obama Spar Over Gas Tax.

+ Missouri Congressman Skelton Backs Clinton.

+ Michigan Democrats Propose Plan To Split Delegates.

+ Obama Says He Is "Outraged" By Wright's "Rants."

+ McCain Details Market-Oriented Healthcare Plan.

Sen. Clinton's Campaign:

CLINTON SAYS DEMOCRATS SHOULD BACK WHOEVER IS NOMINATED. The Indianapolis Star (4/30, Schneider, 270K) reports Hillary Clinton said yesterday "it would be 'the height of political foolishness' for Democrats to back a Republican, or not vote at all, if they're disappointed by the outcome of the long-running nomination battle between her and Barack Obama. 'Anyone, anyone, who voted for either of us should be absolutely committed to voting for the other' in the general election, Clinton said during an hourlong meeting with The Indianapolis Star Editorial Board."

The Washington Times (4/30, Bellantoni, 87K) reports Clinton "said yesterday she had 'no concern at all' that her ongoing battle with Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination would inflict lasting harm on her party." Clinton "predicted Democrats would 'unite behind our nominee' to run a 'vigorous and successful' campaign against presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain. She further promised she would 'shout that from the mountaintops' after June 3 when the nominee is decided, even if it's not her." Clinton told the editors of the Indy Star, "I have pledged that I will do whatever I can to bring our party back together and to make that case no matter who our nominee is."

Clinton Targets Losses In Magnet Industry. The Wall Street Journal (4/30, A7, Aeppel, 2.06M) reports Clinton's "embrace of the tiny industrial-magnet industry in Indiana, site of Tuesday's primary, plays to the insecurities of blue-collar voters -- a successful strategy in other states. By focusing on voter fears about globalization and job losses in troubled industries, Sen. Clinton has cultivated support among factory workers and others worried about U.S. competitiveness that has given her an edge over Barack Obama in several key races, including Pennsylvania and Ohio." The WSJ notes that Indiana now employs only 500 in the magnet industry, down from 2,500 20 years ago, and the industry remains "a hot-button" issue in the state. The WSJ notes that Clinton focused on the magnet industry in an ad and met with workers from a shuttered magnet factory.

Clinton, Obama Running Neck And Neck In Indiana Poll. The Howey-Gauge poll, a new survey released yesterday afternoon by the Howey Political Report, a publication specializing in Indiana politics, shows Sen. Barack Obama leading Sen. Hillary Clinton 47%-45% among likely Democratic primary voters. In a poll of just Democrats likely to vote in the primary, Clinton and Obama are tied at 46% apiece. Gauge Market Research Pollster Holly Davis said, "The Democratic primary is going to be decided by non-Democrats. To be determined is which group - Republicans or independents - are going to decide this race."

NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR THROWS HIS SUPPORT TO CLINTON. The AP (4/30) reports that North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley (D) on Tuesday endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton, "boosting her presidential bid a week before North Carolina's May 6 primary. Appearing onstage with Clinton and his wife, Mary," Easley "declared the New York senator 'gets it.' 'It's time for somebody to be in the White House who understands the challenges we face in this country,' Easley said, adding a gentle dig at rival Barack Obama's signature slogan of hope. 'There's been lots of 'Yes we can, yes we should.' Hillary Clinton is ready to deliver,' Easley said. ... Easley is popular among white, working-class Democrats in the state, whom Obama has been eager to woo. He is also" a superdelegate.

The Washington Post (4/30, A6, Bacon Jr., 723K) reports, "'Hillary Clinton gets it,' Easley told a crowd of several hundred at an event at North Carolina State University. He added: 'This young lady makes Rocky Balboa look like a pansy.'" The Raleigh News & Observer (4/29) reported on its website that Easley said Clinton "could lead the country in a turnaround. 'I never ever thought the United States of America could get in as much trouble as we have over the past seven or eight years,' he said. The endorsement comes as a big boost for Clinton ahead of the May 6 primary, as she acknowledged," saying, "Of course, [Easley's endorsement] is politically very meaningful, but even more than that, it's great to have someone who understands what we have to do to transform our country, to be prepared for the 21st century."

The Winston-Salem Journal (4/30, Romoser) reports that despite the endorsement, Clinton's "odds remain long. ... In North Carolina, which will vote Tuesday, Clinton has consistently trailed Obama by double digits, although she appears to be closing the gap. A tracking poll by Public Policy Polling showed Obama with a 12-point lead this week, down from 25 points at the beginning of last week. The Clinton campaign is trying hard to lower expectations in North Carolina, even as Clinton and her surrogates campaign vigorously here. 'If she somehow or another won here, it would be the upset of the century. You're talking about 100-to-1 odds on that,' said Averell 'Ace' Smith, Clinton's state director in North Carolina. If Clinton finishes within 15 points of Obama, Smith said he would consider it a victory for the campaign."

Easley's "Pansy" Comment Said To Draw "Muted" Criticism From Gay Rights Group. The Los Angeles Times (4/29, Frederick, 881K) reported on its 'Top of the Ticket' blog that Easley's "high-profile embrace of Hillary Clinton may not play out as an unalloyed asset for her. The main sound bite he delivered in endorsing" Clinton Tuesday "sparked criticism (muted, for the most part) for being an insult to gays." Noting that Easley said that Clinton "makes Rocky Balboa look like a pansy," the Times added, "The first definition in Webster's New World Dictionary for pansy is 'any of various violets.' But then there's this: '[Slang] an effeminate man; esp. an effeminate male homosexual: often a contemptuous term.' ... We checked with the Washington headquarters of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's premier group promoting gay rights, and it already had a statement in the works. Trevor Thomas, the group's deputy communications director, sent out this e-mail a few minutes later: 'We certainly wish the governor would have chosen his words better and have expressed our disappointment to his staff.'"

CLINTON, OBAMA SPAR OVER GAS TAX. The AP (4/30) reports that in Winston-Salem yesterday, Barack Obama "dismissed his rivals' calls for national gas tax holiday as a political ploy that won't help struggling consumers" while Hillary Clinton "said his stance shows he's out of touch with the economic realities faced by ordinary citizens." Clinton and McCain "are calling for a holiday on collecting the federal gas tax 'to get them through an election,' Obama said at a campaign rally before more than 2,000 cheering backers a week before crucial primaries in Indiana and North Carolina. 'The easiest thing in the world for a politician to do is tell you exactly what you want to hear.' Clinton, who toured the Miller Veneers wood manufacturing company in Indianapolis, said there are a lot of people in Indiana who would really benefit from a gas tax holiday. That might not mean much to my opponent, but I think it means a lot to people who are struggling here, people who commute a long way to work, farmers and truckers,' Clinton said. She has called for a windfall tax on oil companies to pay for a gas tax holiday."

McCain, Clinton Criticized For Gas Tax Holiday Proposal. In an editorial, the Los Angeles Times (4/30, 881K) says McCain's tax holiday proposal was a "nonsensical solution to $4-a-gallon gasoline," and "not to be outdone on the pandering front -- and no doubt after seeing poll results showing that high gas prices have topped Iraq among Americans' biggest concerns -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) seconded McCain's motion and spiced it up with a proposal to tax windfall profits of oil companies to make up for the lost gas-tax revenues."

In his New York Times (4/30, 1.18M) column, Thomas Friedman says the gas tax holiday "idea is so ridiculous, so unworthy of the people aspiring to lead our nation, it takes your breath away." This is "not an energy policy. This is money laundering: we borrow money from China and ship it to Saudi Arabia and take a little cut for ourselves as it goes through our gas tanks. What a way to build our country." The McCain-Clinton "gas holiday proposal is a perfect example of what energy expert Peter Schwartz of Global Business Network describes as the true American energy policy today: 'Maximize demand, minimize supply and buy the rest from the people who hate us the most.' Good for Barack Obama for resisting this shameful pandering."

Presidential Candidates' Proposals Would Increase Fuel Costs. The Wall Street Journal (4/30, Timiraos, Holmes, 2.06M) reports although "the major presidential candidates are making record gasoline prices a campaign issue, they are avoiding mention of measures they each support that would indirectly raise prices at the pump." Clinton, Obama and McCain "support some type of corporate cap-and-trade system to curb greenhouse gases, which likely would increase fuel prices. In addition, the Democratic contenders have called for a 'windfall profits' tax on oil companies, which ultimately could be passed on to consumers." McCain "started the debate earlier in the month by proposing a federal 'gas-tax holiday' that would suspend the 18.5-cent federal gas tax, as well as the 24.4-cent diesel tax, from Memorial Day until Labor Day." Clinton "quickly supported Sen. McCain's proposal," but Obama "has been outspoken in his opposition."

MISSOURI CONGRESSMAN SKELTON BACKS CLINTON. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (4/29, Shesgreen, 299K) reported on its website that MO4 Rep. Ike Skelton (D) "endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton on Tuesday, wading into the presidential fray after months on the sidelines." Skelton said in a statement that "he decided to back Clinton because of her support for 'rural America, her commitment to National Security, and her dedication to our men and women in uniform.'"

MICHIGAN DEMOCRATS PROPOSE PLAN TO SPLIT DELEGATES. The AP (4/30, Hoffman) reports, "Michigan Democrats working to get the state's delegates seated at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday suggested splitting them 69-59 between" Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Clinton "has argued that she should get 73 delegates based on the results of the Jan. 15 primary, which she won _ 18 more than Obama. Obama, who removed his name from the ballot, wants the 128 pledged delegates split evenly, 64-64. The compromise, suggested Tuesday in a letter to Michigan Democratic Chairman Mark Brewer, fell halfway between the two proposals."

OBAMA SAYS HE IS "OUTRAGED" BY WRIGHT'S "RANTS." Sen. Barack Obama's forceful denunciation of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's appearance before the National Press Club Monday dominated last night's network and cable news broadcasts. Most analysts cast Obama's statements as a thorough, if overdue, break with Wright. ABC World News (4/29, lead story, 3:05, Gibson, 8.78M) reported, "Strong words today from Barack Obama, about his former preacher, Jeremiah Wright. Much stronger than anything Obama has said previously. No issue has threatened his campaign more than the relationship with Wright, whose controversial sermons have been all over television and the internet. Yesterday, as you saw here last night, Wright defended those sermons, reiterated some speaking at the National Press Club. Today, Obama called Wright's behavior outrageous and a spectacle." Sen. Obama: "The person that I saw yesterday was the not the person that I met twenty years ago. ... Such ridiculous propositions as, the US government, somehow being involved in AIDS. When he suggests that Minister Farrakhan somehow represent one of the greatest voices of the 20th and 21st century. When he equates the United States war-time efforts with terrorism, then there are no excuses."

NBC Nightly News (4/29, story 2, 3:00, Williams, 9.87M) noted that "the last time Obama fully commented on Wright, people said he refused to throw his former pastor under the bus, as they put it. Some believe that happened today. Obama went on the attack. He said Wright has him all wrong. ... he unloaded on Reverend Wright as never before, describing his former pastor's remarks as rants not grounded in truth, he called them destructive, outrageous and flat-out appalling." Obama: "At a certain point if what somebody says contradicts what you believe so fundamentally and then he questions whether or not you believe it in front of the National Press Club, then that's enough." The CBS Evening News (4/29, lead story, 3:10, Couric, 7.66M) said Obama "shifted...into major damage control, all but severing his ties to the pastor he once defended." CBS added, "Shocked, angered and clearly anguished, Barack Obama tried to right his campaign today by denouncing his unrepentant preacher." According to CBS, the Clinton campaign "was eager to point out, this afternoon, and even provided a YouTube link for reporters, it was only last June that Obama was extolling Wright." Obama: "He's a friend, and a great leader." CBS added, "Yesterday's wording did not differ markedly from the sermons Wright delivered in the past, so why the change in Obama's tone today? ... After a week's worth of the gospel according to Jeremiah Wright, the Obama campaign is in a defensive crouch, and with voters going to the polls in Indiana and North Carolina in a week's time, it's vital for Obama to put Wright's rants, as he calls them, behind him, something he has so far been unable to do."

USA Today (4/30, 1A, Kiely, Jackson, 2.28M), in a front-page article titled, "Obama Breaks With Former Pastor," says Obama "severed ties" with Jeremiah Wright, "decrying his...latest remarks as 'a bunch of rants that aren't grounded in the truth.'"

The AP (4/30, Glover) reports Sen. Obama "angrily denounced his former pastor for 'divisive and destructive' remarks on race, seeking to divorce himself from the incendiary speaker and a fury that threatens to engulf his front-running Democratic presidential campaign. ... 'I am outraged by the comments that were made and saddened over the spectacle that we saw yesterday,' Obama told reporters at a news conference Tuesday." Obama said, "Obviously, whatever relationship I had with Reverend Wright has changed. I don't think he showed much concern for me, more importantly I don't think he showed much concern for what we're trying to do in this campaign."

The New York Times (4/30, A1, Zeleny, Nagourney, 1.18M), in a front-page article titled, "Obama Breaks Forcefully With Ex-Pastor Over Fiery Remarks," reported that "in tones sharply different from those Mr. Obama used on Monday, when he blamed the news media and his rivals for focusing on Mr. Wright, and far harsher than those he used in his speech on race in Philadelphia last month, Mr. Obama tried to cut all his ties to - and to discredit - Mr. Wright, the man who presided at Mr. Obama's wedding and baptized his two daughters." The Times says that "as he answered question after question," Obama "appeared downcast and subdued as he tried to explain why he had decided to categorically denounce his minister of 20 years. His decision to address reporters not only stretched the Wright story into another day but also marked at least the third time he has sought to deal with the issue. ... 'The fact that Reverend Wright would think that somehow it was appropriate to command the stage for three or four consecutive days in the midst of this major debate is something that not only makes me angry, but also saddens me,' Mr. Obama said."

The Los Angeles Times (4/29, Neuman, 881K) added that "a visibly angered Obama accused his former pastor of enjoying his recent three-day media blitz...at the expense of the campaign and the issues that confront voters. ... Asked why he had waited a day before distancing himself from Wright's latest attacks on U.S. policy, Obama said he did not view the pastor's entire appearance until last night. He said that both he and his wife, Michelle...were angered by what they saw, their relationship with the Trinity United Church of Christ now strained. 'The outrageousness of his performance during the question-and-answer period yesterday shocked me,' Obama said."

Black Leaders Now See Wright As Impediment To Obama Nomination. On its front page the Washington Post (4/30, A6, Slevin, Fears, 723K) says Obama's "latest denunciation of Wright came as many of his black supporters, sensing potential damage to his candidacy, expressed dismay about the pastor's widely quoted statements made Monday at the National Press Club in Washington. On black-oriented political blogs, on radio shows that appeal mainly to an African American audience and in general conversation, black supporters of Obama expressed a gnawing worry that Wright's bombastic comments could seriously threaten the White House bid of the first black candidate with a real chance of winning." The Post adds that "at a meeting of black religious leaders at the Howard University School of Divinity on Tuesday, Wright declined to address the firestorm that his remarks had ignited. 'You heard what I said [Monday] morning,' he told a reporter. 'I just wish that the media would focus on more of what they are saying in there, because they are trying to make this about me and Barack.'"

Clyburn: Obama Had His "Sister Souljah Moment." On its front page, the Wall Street Journal (4/30, A1, Timiraos, Calmes, 2.06M) reports Obama "angrily broke with his former pastor Tuesday and, more broadly, with the minister's discordant views of race in America, as the persistent controversy threatened to derail his bid to become the nation's first black president. ... 'This, I think, offers Barack Obama his "Sister Souljah moment,"' said Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, the highest-ranking African-American in Congress, in an interview." The Journal notes that Clyburn "is neutral in the presidential race." Clyburn said Wright "demonstrated a kind of vindictiveness that just cannot be silently accepted."

MCCAIN DETAILS MARKET-ORIENTED HEALTHCARE PLAN. The New York Times (4/30, A1, Cooper, Sack, 1.18M) reports in a front page story that John McCain "detailed his plan to solve the nation's health care crisis in a speech" in Tampa on Tuesday, "calling for the federal government to give some money to states to help them cover people with illnesses who have been denied health insurance." McCain's health care plan "would shift the emphasis from insurance provided by employers to insurance bought by individuals, to foster competition and drive down prices." McCain is "calling for eliminating the tax breaks that currently encourage employers to provide health insurance for their workers, and replacing them with $5,000 tax credits for families to buy their own insurance." His proposal "to move away from employer-based coverage was similar to one that President Bush pushed for last year, to little effect."

The AP (4/30, Quaid) reports McCain's proposal would shift "away from job-based coverage to an open market where people can choose from competing policies." Advisers "called the speech a major policy address though McCain has talked about the same ideas for several months. Still missing: The total cost of the plan and an estimate of how many people it would help." Also Tuesday, "his campaign began airing a health care commercial in Iowa, where McCain plans to hold a town hall-style meeting Thursday in Des Moines. In it, McCain makes the case for his market-oriented plan." Critics of McCain's approach "say it could leave sicker or older people without coverage as younger, healthier workers leave employer-based plans for cheaper ones; McCain's campaign says there would be a safety net to protect high-risk people."

Clinton Condemns McCain Plan. Bloomberg News (4/30, Marcus, Nichols) reports that Sen. Hillary Clinton, "campaigning today in Indianapolis, called McCain's health care plan 'radical,' saying it would lead to millions of Americans losing their employment-based coverage. Under his plan, she said in a statement, 'while people might have a `choice' of getting such coverage, employers would have no incentive to provide it. This means 158 million Americans with job-based coverage today could be at risk of losing the insurance they have come to depend upon.'"

Copyright 2008 by the Bulletin News Network, Inc. Reproduction without permission prohibited. Editorial content is drawn from thousands of newspapers, national magazines, national and local television programs, and radio broadcasts. The Hillary For President News Briefing is published five days a week by BulletinNews, which creates custom news briefings for government and corporate leaders. We can be found on the Web at BulletinNews.com, or called at (703) 483-6100.