Subject: Hillary For President News Briefing for Wednesday, May 14, 2008
From: "Bulletin News Network" <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked]
Date: 14 May 2008 06:22:23 -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, MAY 14, 2008 6:30 AM EDT

TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS

SEN. CLINTON'S CAMPAIGN:

+ Clinton West Virginia Win Portrayed As Irrelevant.

+ Clinton Faces Obstacles To Retiring Her $20 Million Debt.

+ Clinton Looking To Reassure Backers.

+ Obama Narrowly Defeats Clinton In "Nonbinding" Nebraska Primary.

+ Ex-President Wraps Up Campaign Tour Of Rural Oregon.

+ Chelsea Clinton Campaigns For Mother In Puerto Rico.

+ McAuliffe Says Clinton Has Been Hurt By "Biased Media."

+ Obama Shifts Focus To General Election Swing States.

Sen. Clinton's Campaign:

CLINTON WEST VIRGINIA WIN PORTRAYED AS IRRELEVANT. Sen. Hillary Clinton scored one of the biggest victories of the Democratic primary yesterday, defeating Sen. Barack Obama 67%-26% (with John Edwards, long out of the contest, pulling 7%). However, the consensus in the media this morning is that the victory means little, because Obama has already effectively sewn up the nomination. A second theme in the coverage is that while the results may not mean much in the primary, they may presage difficulties for Obama in the general election.

In a story titled, "Clinton's Win Brings Little Reward," the Wall Street Journal (5/14, A3, Calmes, 2.06M) reports Clinton "trounced" Obama yesterday, "as expected. But her negligible payback in convention delegates illustrates why her rival and her party are turning away from her candidacy to begin the fight against Republican John McCain." Obama "spent Tuesday elsewhere, in Missouri, before heading to Michigan to campaign there Wednesday. Both swing states held their primaries long ago, but are crucial in the general election." The New York Times (5/14, Healy, 1.18M) reports in a front page story that Clinton won a "strong" victory over Obama, but with Obama "still solidly ahead of Mrs. Clinton in the delegate fight, the West Virginia results are unlikely to adversely affect Mr. Obama's chances of winning the nomination."

The Washington Post (5/14, A1, Balz, 723K) reports on its front page that Clinton "routed" Obama, which "added fresh ammunition to her claim that she is better positioned than Obama to capture critical swing states in November. But the primary win may have come too late to have a significant impact on the trajectory of a nomination battle in which Obama has an almost insurmountable lead in delegates."

The USA Today (5/14, 1A, Page, 2.28M) reports in a front-page story that Clinton "crushed" Obama yesterday, "a victory that was surely personally satisfying but came as the Democratic presidential nomination is nearly in the grasp of her rival." In a quote picked up by many in the media, USA Today says Clinton said at a rally afterwards, "I am more determined than ever to carry on this campaign until everyone has had a chance to make their voices heard." The AP (5/14, Espo, Apuzzo) reports Clinton "coasted to a large but largely symbolic victory in working-class West Virginia on Tuesday, handing Barack Obama one of the worst defeats of the campaign yet scarcely slowing his march toward the Democratic presidential nomination. 'The White House is won in the swing states. And I am winning the swing states,' Clinton told cheering supporters at a victory rally."

The Los Angeles Times (5/14, Barabak, Fiore, 833K) says Clinton "romped" yesterday, "burying Barack Obama in a landslide that seemed unlikely to stop his steady march to the Democratic nomination." Clinton "is no longer resting her candidacy on the delegate count. She hopes to persuade party leaders, who hold the balance of power, that she would be the more electable candidate against McCain, based on her support among white, blue-collar voters who have not embraced Obama's candidacy in the same way as black, more affluent and better-educated voters." The Washington Times (5/14, Bellantoni, 87K) reports Clinton "scored a resounding victory" that "supporters hailed as a turning point in her sinking hopes to win the Democratic presidential nomination and that detractors dismissed as meaningless." Clinton's advisers "map out a path that includes a victory in Kentucky and a closer-than-expected finish in Oregon on Tuesday, followed by a big win in Puerto Rico that could help drive up her popular vote totals."

A widely-distributed McClatchy (5/14, Thomma, Douglas) piece reports, under the headline, "Clinton "Determined' After Win In W. Va., But Does It Matter?," that Clinton "clobbered" Obama, "clinging to hope that her late win in a small state could slow his march toward the Democratic presidential nomination. Clinton won the overwhelmingly white state in a walk - by a landslide margin of 2-1, according to exit polls - and used the results to argue that Americans shouldn't count her out."

Outcome Unlikely To Change Delegate Count Significantly. Bloomberg News (5/14, Litvan, Leigh) runs a report entitled, "Clinton's Wide Margin in West Virginia Won't Cut Obama's Lead," and says, "Obama has scored a net gain of about three times as many superdelegates in the past two weeks as Clinton's expected gain of a net of about 10 delegates with her big West Virginia victory yesterday."

The AP (5/14, Ohlemacher) reports Clinton "added 20 delegates and Sen. Barack Obama won eight, according to an analysis of election returns by The Associated Press. All of West Virginia's delegates have been allocated. Tuesday's primary left Obama with a 166.5-delegate lead in the race for the Democratic nomination. He has 1,883.5 delegates, including endorsements from party and elected officials known as superdelegates. Clinton has 1,717, according to the latest AP tally."

Loss May Presage Problems For Obama In General. In an analysis piece for the AP (5/14), Nedra Pickler writes that Obama "is in hot pursuit of general election voters, hoping America won't notice he got his head handed to him in West Virginia. ... At Obama's Chicago headquarters, advisers said there was no reason to worry" but "maybe the Obama camp should be more worried. The voters who went against Obama Tuesday night - white, rural, older, low-income and without college degrees - don't just live in West Virginia. They live everywhere in the country, in places Obama needs to win."

The New York Times (5/14, Healy, 1.18M) says Clinton's "strong" victory "in another general election battleground state - like her wins in Ohio and Pennsylvania this spring - could raise fresh questions about Mr. Obama's ability to carry swing states in a contest against Senator John McCain in the fall."

The AP (5/14) reports that "Robust support from working-class whites and controversies over Barack Obama's former pastor and suspending the federal gas tax fed an unusually strong performance by" Clinton yesterday. Clinton "ran away with the contest partly by capitalizing on the state's nearly all-white population and its low number of well-educated residents -- two segments of voters that have backed her solidly all year. Whites without college degrees were seven in 10 voters, according to exit polls Tuesday, more than any other state that has voted. Among them, about seven in 10 were supporting the New York senator, one of her best performances of the year with that group."

CLINTON FACES OBSTACLES TO RETIRING HER $20 MILLION DEBT. USA Today (5/14, 4A, Schouten, 2.28M) reports Sen. Hillary Clinton "faces some tough choices on erasing more than $20 million in campaign debts if she doesn't become the Democratic Party's presidential nominee. ... Campaign-finance experts say her key could be rival Barack Obama, who has shattered fundraising records as he has collected contributions from more than 1.5 million donors." USA Today notes that federal law "bars Obama from transferring millions from his campaign coffers to Clinton's, but he 'could point his donors toward her or headline a fundraiser on her behalf,' said Michael Toner, a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission. ... Another option open to Clinton: She could transfer $23 million she collected for the general election to her Senate campaign account, as long as the donors to her presidential race agree."

The Los Angeles Times (5/14, Morain, 833K) reports on Clinton's campaign debt, saying, "Some Obama donors said they would consider helping. 'As much as I dislike how Hillary Clinton has run this campaign, I think it would be worth it to heal the wound,' said Los Angeles Democratic activist Richard Jacobs, an Obama backer. 'If he says it is a good idea, I think a lot of people would feel the same way.' A major Obama fundraiser, who was not authorized to speak and requested anonymity, said: 'First she has to drop out. . . . There are some people who would rather give to a Republican than to Hillary Clinton. But not me. I'm a team player.'"

CLINTON LOOKING TO REASSURE BACKERS. Long Island Newsday (5/14, Thrush, 383K) reports that "even on a day of triumph," Hillary Clinton "was forced to shore up support with a top labor supporter, meeting quietly in Washington with worried AFSCME head Gerald McEntee, who wanted her to explain her plan going forward, according to people close to both. Clinton and her staff will face more of the same today at her Washington mansion during a series of meetings with donors and congressional superdelegates eager to learn her plans for campaigning's final three weeks. 'There's 40 to 45 of us coming down [from New York] and I think it will be substantive question-and-answer session full of candor,' said Clinton campaign finance chairman Alan Patricof. 'It's getting harder to raise money,' Patricof said about fundraising for Clinton. 'The number of people you can go after is shrinking after 17 months.' A DNC member who raises money for Clinton put it more bluntly: 'Her money people are starting to say 'fold it' and she's needs to get them back in line.'"

The New York Daily News (5/14, Bazinet, Saul, 729K) reports that in Washington, D.C., today, Clinton will be "making her case on a spate of national TV news programs. She is also expected to powwow today with top donors and influential backers in Washington, where an insider said she will appeal for more money and continued support for remaining in the race. At the meeting, Clinton will stress her strength in general election swing states and point to her strong showing in West Virginia yesterday as proof. 'The woman they've called a corpse is kicking butt in a swing state,' the insider said."

OBAMA NARROWLY DEFEATS CLINTON IN "NONBINDING" NEBRASKA PRIMARY. The Omaha World-Herald (5/14, Cordes) reports, "Officially it didn't mean much, but the Nebraska faceoff between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton was a lot closer the second time around. Obama eked out a victory Tuesday in Nebraska's nonbinding, Democratic presidential primary. With all precincts reporting, Obama won 49 percent of the vote to 47 percent for Clinton. ... The close Democratic vote Tuesday came three months after Obama overwhelmed Clinton in Nebraska's first-ever Democratic caucuses, garnering 68 percent support. It's that caucus vote, not the Tuesday primary, that counted in the national presidential battle."

EX-PRESIDENT WRAPS UP CAMPAIGN TOUR OF RURAL OREGON. The AP (5/14, Barnard) reports that ex-President Bill Clinton stumped in three rural Oregon towns on Tuesday in support of his wife's presidential bid, telling a crowd in Grants Pass, "I hope you are glad that even though you vote late in the process your vote counts and your vote is going to be counted. Don't let anybody tell you that you do not have a role in the outcome." The AP notes, "The day marked the last of three straight for the former president in rural areas, a strategy that helped Hillary Clinton win the Pennsylvania primary, but did not appear to be doing as well in Oregon. A new poll for Portland television station KPTV and the Portland Tribune newspaper showed" Sen. Barack Obama "leading Hillary Clinton among likely Democratic voters 55 percent to 35 percent."

CHELSEA CLINTON CAMPAIGNS FOR MOTHER IN PUERTO RICO. The AP (5/14) reports that Chelsea Clinton "is back in Puerto Rico stumping for her mother. ... Campaign staffers say about 250 people in the coastal town of Luquillo thronged around the former first daughter on Tuesday as the 28-year-old pushed her mother's campaign. Clinton then traveled to her mother's San Juan campaign headquarters, urging supporters to keep up the pace in advance of the island's June 1 primary. She also was expected to stump at the island's biggest shopping mall. It is the beginning of a three-day swing through the U.S. territory."

MCAULIFFE SAYS CLINTON HAS BEEN HURT BY "BIASED MEDIA." The Hill (5/13, Marre) reported on its website that Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe "said Tuesday that the former first lady is hamstrung by a biased media. 'Clearly it has been a biased media, no question about it,' McAuliffe said on Fox News. When asked how much of the mainstream media is 'in the tank' for" Obama, McAuliffe "estimated that about 90 percent of the media favor Obama. 'It is what it is. We're not complaining,' he stated. 'We have to deal with the hand we're dealt with.' McAuliffe added that 'every independent study has said that this is the most biased coverage they've ever seen in a presidential campaign.' He also praised Fox News, which is often viewed as a conservative media outlet, as 'one of the most responsible in this presidential campaign.'"

OBAMA SHIFTS FOCUS TO GENERAL ELECTION SWING STATES. Yesterday Sen. Barack Obama made an appearance in a conservative rural region of Missouri in an attempt to refocus his campaign on likely general election swing states. The shift allows Obama to be seen as no longer concerned by the remaining Democratic primaries and gives him an opening to preview his criticisms of Sen. John McCain.. Today he will continue his swing state tour with a visit to Michigan. The New York Times (5/14, Rutenberg, 1.18M) reports, "Even as...Obama prepared to suffer one of his worst defeats of the primary season on Tuesday, aides said his lead in delegates and in the popular vote had him feeling like a winner. And his visit here [Cape Girardeau, MO] with garment workers in a district that President Bush swept in 2004 was an intended show of strength, with Mr. Obama affecting the manner of a general election nominee raiding opposition territory." However, aides "acknowledged that, in political terms, he is neither fish nor fowl, unable to go after Mr. McCain quite the way he would if he had the nomination clinched - lest he alienate Mrs. Clinton's supporters by seeming presumptuous - and unable to fully dismiss her continued challenge." The Times notes that "in the next week, Mr. Obama is to campaign in states with coming Democratic contests, including South Dakota and Oregon - his wife, Michelle, goes to Puerto Rico on Wednesday - as well as the expected general-election battlegrounds of Michigan and Florida.

The AP (5/14, Babington) also reports that yesterday in Missouri, Obama "gave the clearest sign yet that he considers the Democratic presidential nomination in the bag, and he's not waiting for a Clinton concession speech to start campaigning all-out against...Sen. John McCain." Sen. Obama "wants to start wooing the white, blue-collar workers who favored Clinton in many states and who may be receptive to McCain's appeal to independent, moderately conservative voters this fall. And he sees the economy as a crucial issue, and one in which he hopes to tie McCain to the Bush administration's unpopularity. ... Obama could draw bigger, noisier crowds this week by holding rallies in St. Louis and Detroit, his aides noted, but he wants to target swing voters in less heavily Democratic communities."

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