Subject: Hillary For President News Briefing for Thursday, May 15, 2008
From: "Bulletin News Network" <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked]
Date: 15 May 2008 06:27:04 -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: THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2008 6:30 AM EDT

TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS

SEN. CLINTON'S CAMPAIGN:

+ Clinton Makes Case For Continuing Campaign.

+ Clinton: VP Speculation Premature.

+ Chelsea Clinton, Michelle Obama Campaign In Puerto Rico.

+ Edwards Endorses Obama.

+ Clinton Campaign Surprised By NARAL's Endorsement Of Obama.

+ Obama Reaches Out To White Blue Collar Voters.

+ Obama Apologies For Calling Reporter "Sweetie."

Sen. Clinton's Campaign:

CLINTON MAKES CASE FOR CONTINUING CAMPAIGN. In the wake of her lopsided West Virginia primary win on Tuesday, Sen. Hillary Clinton vowed to press ahead with her presidential campaign despite the conventional wisdom that her rival, Barack Obama, has all but secured the nomination. Clinton herself did a round of TV interviews to justify her continued campaign, and she dispatch key surrogates to meet with congressional supporters and undecided superdelegates.

The AP (5/15, Fouhy) reports Hillary Clinton "vowed to remain in the presidential race until the final primaries next month while her campaign built a case that she now leads in the popular vote if the disputed contests in Michigan and Florida are counted." Clinton "gave a round of television interviews Wednesday before meeting with her finance team and top fundraisers at her Washington home." Participants "described the session as upbeat and said the unifying message was that Clinton, with her lopsided victory over front-runner Barack Obama in West Virginia on Tuesday, now had the lead in votes cast thus far. The numbers, however, include the results from the Florida and Michigan primaries, which the national Democratic Party has not recognized."

Clinton Tells Capitol Hill Supporters She Is Staying In Race. The Hill (5/15, Bolton) reports Clinton "rallied her Capitol Hill supporters on Wednesday night, telling them to bring an uncommitted friend and seeking to capitalize on her 41-percentage points victory in the West Virginia primary." Although the endorsement of John Edwards "handed Obama the support of a candidate whose appeal was largely to blue-collar workers, Clinton used the meeting at the Sewell-Belmont House to drive home the point that she is more competitive with precisely that category of voter, and in districts where Democrats will face their toughest races this fall." Clinton's senior campaign adviser, Harold Ickes, "met her congressional whip team Wednesday morning to make clear that she intends to stay in the race until June 3, the date of the last primary, despite recent speculation that she might drop her bid after Oregon and Kentucky hold primaries on May 20."

CLINTON: VP SPECULATION PREMATURE. Asked about the vice presidency on CNN's The Situation Room (5/14, Blitzer), Sen. Hillary Clinton said, "It's premature for either of us to talk about that. I think both of us are committed to doing everything we can to win in the fall. I certainly am. And I will do whatever it takes, because I know what four more years of basically the same Bush policies would mean to America."

NBC Nightly News (5/14, story 2, 4:25, Williams, 9.87M) interviewed Sen. Clinton. Asked about the "argument that you and Senator Obama are better together," Clinton said, "Well, I know a lot of people are making that argument. I am not entertaining it yet because I'm still focused on getting the nomination, but I know that once we have a nominee, we're going to have a unified Democratic Party."

Rendell Pushes For Clinton Obama Alliance. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (5/15) reports, "Gov. Ed Rendell -- one of Hillary Clinton's most vocal supporters -- told CNN on Wednesday that Barack Obama should choose Clinton as his running mate if Obama becomes the Democratic nominee for president." Rendell said "I don't know whether she would accept. I don't know whether he would do it," but "you've got the real thing" with Clinton, "someone who has energized voters."

CHELSEA CLINTON, MICHELLE OBAMA CAMPAIGN IN PUERTO RICO. The Miami Herald (5/15, Mcfadden, 253K) reports, "Two prominent surrogates of Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton stumped for the candidates Wednesday, a sign of how important this U.S. island territory's primary next month has become. Michelle Obama toured the capital of San Juan for her husband, who remains in a marathon fight for the Democratic presidential nomination. Her first visit to the island coincided with Chelsea Clinton's second trip here to pitch her mother's candidacy." The Herald adds, "Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy denied Chelsea Clinton permission to campaign on a former bombing range on the outlying island of Vieques. The range was closed in April 2003 after years of protests over two errant bombs that killed a security guard. Hillary Clinton's campaign wanted to use the site as a setting to discuss her plan to clean up the land and give some of it to residents. But Navy spokeswoman Lt. Lara Bollinger said no one is allowed to campaign on federal property."

EDWARDS ENDORSES OBAMA. John Edwards' endorsement of Barack Obama is being treated as a major development by the media, leading all three network newscasts and figuring prominently on the front pages of major newspapers. The coverage portrays Edwards' endorsement as an indication the Democratic establishment is lining up behind Obama, but its timing also is seen as a strategic move by Obama to address his poor performance among working-class white voters in West Virginia. ABC World News (5/14, lead story, 0:35, Gibson, 8.78M) led its report with "a live picture...from Grand Rapids, Michigan, a Barack Obama campaign rally, where John Edwards is about to take stage and endorse Barack Obama. ... His is a major endorsement sought by both Obama and Hillary Clinton." In a follow-up report, ABC World News (5/14, story 4, 3:10, Wright, 8.78M) added that in West Virginia, Obama "struggled, in particular, among white, working-class voters. And those are exactly the voters who are the most ardent supporters of John Edwards. John Edwards cast himself as the angry, white man of the Democratic primaries. Now, he'll put that anger to use for his former rival."

Later on ABC World News (5/14, story 5, 3:20, Gibson, 8.78M), George Stephanopoulos said of the Obama team, "They've been very good at pulling out endorsements like this after losses. But they've been working on John Edwards for weeks." The Obama campaign "said this was Edwards' decision to come out now. He wanted to come out when he thought the race was over, when he could also have the maximum impact."

NBC Nightly News (5/14, lead story, 2:05, Williams, 9.87M) refers to a "major boost" for Obama, and notes Edwards "got seven percent of the vote last night in West Virginia. Interesting because he's not in the running anymore. But it does show support for him still out there." And the CBS Evening News (5/14, lead story, 3:00, Couric, 7.66M) reported, "Clinton didn't get to enjoy her landslide win in West Virginia very long at all. Barack Obama took back the spotlight this evening dramatically when he won an endorsement both candidates wanted badly John Edwards." CBS (Reynolds) added, "The picture of these candidates out here, the former candidate and the current candidate on stage together tonight will be almost irresistible for those in search of party unity. So this is a very well-timed announcement on a number of levels." Edwards' "11th hour timing may well be designed as a signal to remaining superdelegates that the time to make up their minds has come and that the party should coalesce around Obama."

The AP (5/15, Babington) reports Edwards "made the carefully timed announcement at an Obama rally," and "received a thunderous ovation when Obama introduced him to the crowd of several thousand." Said Edwards, "Brothers and sisters, we must come together as Democrats" to defeat McCain. He added, "We are here tonight because the Democratic voters have made their choice, and so have I."

The New York Times (5/15, A1, Sullivan, Bosman, 1.18M) notes Edwards "went on to say, 'There is one man who knows in his heart that it is time to tear down that wall and make one America, Barack Obama.'" Obama "noted how Mr. Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, had emphasized health care as an issue that is of primary concern, then said it would be a major issue in his administration." The endorsement "comes at a time when the appeal of Mr. Obama appears to be lagging among white, blue-collar voters, a group to which Mr. Edwards openly appealed."

CLINTON CAMPAIGN SURPRISED BY NARAL'S ENDORSEMENT OF OBAMA. McClatchy (5/15, Talev) reports John Edwards' endorsement "came hours after abortion-rights group NARAL deserted Clinton after years of support to endorse Obama." These "joint endorsements suggest that despite Clinton's big victory Tuesday and her determination to keep fighting for the nomination, important parts of the Democratic Party are jumping aboard the Obama bandwagon before they're left behind." The Clinton campaign "was caught unawares by the NARAL endorsement, which became public as Clinton advisers were holding a conference call with reporters. Asked by a reporter on the call for his response, Clinton's communications director Howard Wolfson said, '"Surprised" would be my response' and that Clinton's leadership and advocacy on abortion rights had been 'second to none.'" The endorsement "drew angry reaction from Clinton supporters, including Ellen R. Malcolm, the president of Emily's List," who "decried NARAL's move as 'tremendously disrespectful to Sen. Clinton...to not give her the courtesy to finish the final three weeks of the primary process.'"

The AP (5/15, Fouhy) reports NARAL president Nancy Keenan said in a statement, "Pro-choice Americans have been fortunate to have two strong pro-choice candidates in Senator Obama and Senator Clinton, both of whom have inspired millions of new voters to participate in this historic presidential race. ... Today, we are proud to put our organization's grass-roots and political support behind the pro-choice candidate whom we believe will secure the Democratic nomination and advance to the general election. That candidate is Senator Obama."

The Hill (5/15, Youngman) notes "NARAL officials said Wednesday that Clinton's 'viability' was an issue, but the group will not help Obama compete against her in the remaining primaries." Elisabeth Shipp, NARAL's political director, said, "We are going to be focusing all of our efforts on the Obama-McCain race."

The Miami Herald (5/15, Talev, 253K) reports Ellen R. Malcolm, "president of Emily's List -- a group that raises money to support feminist candidates -- decried NARAL's move as 'tremendously disrespectful to Sen. Clinton,' who has fought for abortion rights throughout her career. Two dozen women members of Congress hastily called an evening news conference 'to discuss Hillary Clinton's strong pro-choice record.'"

OBAMA REACHES OUT TO WHITE BLUE COLLAR VOTERS. The AP (5/15, Babington, Karoub) reports a day "after an embarrassing rejection by West Virginia's blue-collar voters, Barack Obama on Wednesday plunged into the task of convincing working-class whites that he understands them and will do more to help them hold their jobs and pay their bills than Republican John McCain. Perhaps no other task is more vital to his hopes of becoming the first black president, and only the second Democrat elected to the White House in four decades." Obama has "galvanized black voters, broken fundraising records and drawn hundreds of thousands of excited young adults to his campaign. But McCain still hopes to trump him by wooing so-called Reagan Democrats, those working-class voters who are wary of social liberals but anxious about their jobs, which are concentrated in a manufacturing sector long battered by imports and changing technologies." In a visit to Michigan, where he was endorsed by John Edwards, Obama "made two stops in Macomb County, a northern suburb of Detroit to which thousands of white autoworkers fled during the urban riots in the late 1960s and court-ordered busing that integrated schools in the 1970s."

The Politico (5/15, Brown) reports Obama made a "tour of not-so-friendly turf, a two-day trip through two general election swing states that allowed Obama to showcase his cross-party appeal but also advertise his challenges. Each stop underscored the work he would have to do as the Democratic Party nominee." In Michigan on Wednesday, "he visited a Chrysler plant, one of the automakers he excoriated at the Detroit Economic Club last year in a speech that he repeatedly boasted about as he traveled the country." He later "held a town hall meeting here at Macomb Community College, which sits in a county synonymous with the working class voters, Reagan Democrats, who overwhelmingly rejected him in West Virginia."

The New York Times (5/15, Nagourney, 1.18M) reports the West Virginia Democratic primary was "an electoral shellacking where more than half of the overwhelmingly white Democratic electorate said they would be unhappy if Mr. Obama were their presidential candidate this fall." In addition to his Michigan appearances, Obama has "taken to wearing an American flag pin on his lapel and sprinkling his speeches with references to God and country, gestures to reassure Democratic voters about his values." Democratic consultant Jim Jordan said, "You just can't abstract from primary voters to general election voters - and all of her voters are going to vote for him." The Times adds, "Still, there is a pattern of weakness that has shadowed Mr. Obama as he has marched his way toward winning his party's nomination."

Obama Looks To Woo Auto Industry. The Detroit Free Press (5/15, Gray, 348K) reports Obama "tried to make amends with the workers and leaders of Michigan's signature automotive industry on Wednesday after bashing it for most of the past year. The auto industry is 'taking steps in the right direction, but we have to do more. And they need a partner in the White House, and they will have one when I become president,'said the Illinois senator, who is closing in on the Democratic presidential nomination. He singled out General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC for making strides in the fuel efficiency of their vehicles."

OBAMA APOLOGIES FOR CALLING REPORTER "SWEETIE." The Detroit News (5/15, 186K) reports Barack Obama "came to Michigan to make nice with the auto industry. He left apologizing for what some online call his 'sweetie problem.' For the second time in a month, the Illinois senator referred to a woman as a 'sweetie.' In April, it was a factory worker in Pennsylvania. Wednesday, it was Peggy Agar, a persistent WXYZ-TV reporter who asked what he'd do to 'help the American auto workers' as Obama toured the Chrysler Stamping Plant in Sterling Heights. Obama's response – 'hold on one second, sweetie' -- instantly became a cyber-sensation, with video of the exchange attracting more than 9,000 hits in a few hours on YouTube and prompting debate on the New York Times Web site and political blogs such as Wonkette."

The AP (5/15, Hong) adds that WXYZ later on Wednesday "played a voice mail message Obama left for Agar. In it, Obama apologized for not getting back to her. He also told her he has a bad habit of calling people 'sweetie.' Obama then said: 'I mean no disrespect, so I am duly chastened on that front.'"

The Detroit Free Press (5/15, Gray, 348K) adds, "Agar said in a televised report that she was more upset that Obama didn't answer her question."

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.