Subject: Hillary For President News Briefing for Thursday, February 07, 2008
From: "Bulletin News Network" <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked], [email-masked]
Date: 7 Feb 2008 06:30:21 -0500

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, FEBRUARY 7, 2008 6:30 AM EST

TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS

SEN. CLINTON'S CAMPAIGN:

+ Clinton, Obama Emerge From Super Tuesday In Near-Draw.

+ Clinton Loaned Campaign $5 Million In Run-Up To Super Tuesday.

+ Clinton Friends Say Campaign Shake-Up May Now Go Ahead.

+ Obama Seen As Having Advantage In Near-Term Contests.

+ Obama Says He Is Not Committed To Houston Debate.

+ DNC Pressuring Michigan, Florida To Hold Caucuses.

+ Clinton's "Individual Mandate" Said To Be Government Coercion.

Sen. Clinton's Campaign:

CLINTON, OBAMA EMERGE FROM SUPER TUESDAY IN NEAR-DRAW. The Chicago Tribune (2/6, Ohlemacher, 607K) reports that after Super Tuesday, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton "held onto a relatively small lead over Sen. Barack Obama. However, there were still outstanding delegates to be awarded in Illinois and Georgia, where Obama fared well." Clinton "led with 763 Super Tuesday delegates to Obama's 731. In Missouri, the race was so close the two candidates split the state's 72 delegates evenly." Overall, Clinton "has 1,024 delegates, to 933 for Obama with 2,025 delegates required to claim the nomination in Denver at this summer's convention." McClatchy (2/7, Lightman, Talev) reports they "split popular votes almost evenly: Clinton got 7,347,971 (50.2 percent), while Obama got 7,294,851 (49.8 percent), according to one unofficial calculation by Time magazine."

ABC World News (2/6, story 4, 3:00, Gibson, 8.78M) reported, "Super Tuesday was designed to produce party nominees; it did no such thing. Look at the Democratic total vote from last night. Barack Obama came within 45,000 votes of Hillary Clinton. 45,000 out of fifteen million cast. Obama won more states than Clinton last night. But they just about split the number of delegates at stake."

On NBC Nightly News (2/6, story 6, 2:40, 9.87M), Tim Russert said the Democratic race is "essentially a dead even tie. When you add, Brian, the states they won in New Hampshire, Nevada, and Iowa and South Carolina for Obama, it's 887-902. Add on the super delegates that Andrea was talking about. Clinton says she has 261 publicly identified, Obama says170. That gets you to 1,148 to 1,072, 76 delegate difference. And we're almost to the end of this. Now, Brian, you asked about where we are going after this? Andrea pointed out to these states. There are seven of them, this weekend on Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday. The so-called Chesapeake primary and there they are. If Obama who is expected to win those states gets 58% of the delegates, this is what I scrub out, 1,347 for Clinton, 1,348 for Obama. This is all speculation. But it just tells you how close this race is."

The CBS Evening News (2/6, story 4, 2:15, Reynolds, 7.66M) reported, "After the cheers died down and the flood of Super Tuesday data receded, a couple of potential icebergs have emerged. For Clinton, it involves younger voters. Nationally, she ran double digits behind Obama among those 39 and younger. For Obama, it was Hispanics and white women. He ran almost 30 points behind among Hispanics and lost white women by a wide margin."

The Politico (2/7, Smith, Brown) reports the "clarity Democrats so desperately sought escaped them on Super Tuesday, as both candidates found cause to claim victory even as one of them cemented her front-runner status." By winning "critical contested strongholds in Massachusetts, New Jersey and - most important - California," Clinton "showed big-state muscle and remained the putative leader. Decisive red-state victories in Oklahoma and Tennessee bolstered her assertions of electability." But Obama "proved the breadth of his national appeal and national organization in winning six more primaries and caucuses than his rival."

USA Today (2/7, Kiely, 2.28M) reports in the "all-important race for delegates to win the Democratic nomination, Hillary Rodham Clinton won 641 this week and Barack Obama won 633, CBS reported Wednesday morning. No, wait: NBC declared that Obama won the lion's share of delegates in Super Tuesday balloting, 838 to Clinton's 834." By the "end of the day, CNN put Clinton's overall total at 1,113 delegates to Obama's 963. Meanwhile, the Associated Press count had Clinton at 1,045 and Obama at 960. AP, which USA TODAY uses as the official count, awarded Clinton 784 delegates in Tuesday's voting and Obama 764."

The New York Times (2/7, Healy, 1.18M) reports that with "no breakout winner in Tuesday's Democratic primaries," Clinton and Obama "on Wednesday began fortifying for a drawn-out nomination fight." The "narrow margin in delegates, and the growing likelihood that it will remain close, prompted concern on Wednesday from the chairman of the Democratic Party, Howard Dean, who said Tuesday night that Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton should avoid taking the nominating fight all the way to the party convention in August." On the NY1 cable news channel, Dean said, "I think we will have a nominee sometime in the middle of March or April, but if we don't, then we're going to have to get the candidates together and make some kind of an arrangement. Because I don't think we can afford to have a brokered convention; that would not be good news for either party."

The Los Angeles Times (2/7, Barabak, Nicholas, 881K) reports, "With seven more contests over the next six days, Clinton promised no respite, despite a voice raw from overuse. 'It's going to be a mad dash until Tuesday,'" Clinton "told reporters at her campaign headquarters outside Washington. 'Not a lot of time to catch your breath. We are full speed ahead.'" Obama, meanwhile, "waved off Clinton's proposal for a series of debates between now and March 4, when Texas and Ohio hold primaries. 'I don't think anybody is clamoring for more debates,' Obama said, noting there have been 18 so far. His priority, he said, was 'to spend time with voters.'"

Close Delegate Count Could Throw Race To Superdelegates. The Wall Street Journal (2/7, Kronholz, 2.06M) reports a "nightmare" scenario for the Democrats is that the "party's bigwigs, rather than its voters, may end up choosing the presidential nominee." If neither Obama nor Clinton "manages to pull decisively ahead in the next few weeks, the nomination could depend on the convention votes of 796 party leaders, or superdelegates, who are free to ignore the preferences of Democratic voters." Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia said, "To the public, that looks like a throwback to the old, corrupt system of smoke-filled rooms." The "chances of that happening grew larger Tuesday when Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama battled to a near photo finish in the race for convention delegates." If "neither candidate scores a knock-out blow and they head into the April and May primaries, political experts predict the race will begin focusing on the superdelegates, who hold 20% of the votes at the convention."

The Los Angeles Times (2/7, Hook, Barabak, 881K) reports Obama said "that if the contest comes down to super-delegates, those state and local officials who have the liberty to switch allegiances, 'I think we're going to be able to say that we have more pledged delegates -- meaning that the Democratic voters have spoken,' Obama said." The Times adds that later in the day, Clinton "told reporters her victories Tuesday showed that she can do well with young voters, rural voters in Missouri and in generally Republican states."

CLINTON LOANED CAMPAIGN $5 MILLION IN RUN-UP TO SUPER TUESDAY. The Washington Post (2/7, A1, Murray, Mosk, 723K) reports in a front-page story that Hillary Clinton "announced yesterday that she had lent her campaign $5 million, a remarkable twist for a candidate who raised more than $100 million last year that came as she and Sen. Barack Obama continued to spar over which of them was the Democratic winner in coast-to-coast Super Tuesday balloting." Clinton campaign chairman Terence R. McAuliffe "said the team had raised at least $13 million in January, and noted that figure did not include the loan."

ABC World News (2/6, story 4, 3:00, Snow, 8.78M) reported, "This month, members of Clinton's senior staff have volunteered to go without pay. One aide calling it a show of solidarity. Late this afternoon, Clinton acknowledged she loaned the money to her campaign out of necessity. In January, the campaign had raised just $13 million, compared to Barack Obama's $32 million."

NBC Nightly News (2/6, story 4, 2:15, Mitchell, 9.87M) reported, "With the two candidates virtually tied for delegates after last night and a race not likely to end any time soon, Hillary Clinton loaned her campaign $5 million in January just to keep up with Barack Obama."

The CBS Evening News (2/6, story 4, 2:15, Reynolds, 7.66M) reported Clinton "has loaned her campaign $5 million of her own money to see her through the near term."

On Hardball with Chris Matthews (2/6, 7:50 p.m.), Rodger Simon of The Politico said, "There was one troubling sign that came from today. That was Hillary Clinton had to lend $5 million from her own campaign, possessing the best fund-raiser in the world, Terry McAuliffe, who can get blood from a stone, but couldn't get $5 million out of Democratic contributors. That really surprises me. ... They're not like the Romneys, the Clintons don't have super wealth. They put together money for books and speeches, but that's a lot of dough for them."

Obama Campaign Said To Be On Way To $30 Million February. The Politico (2/7, Cummings) reports Obama's campaign "is on track to raise another $30 million in February, sources close to the Illinois senator say, while Hillary Rodham Clinton's spokesman revealed Wednesday that she had loaned her campaign $5 million." Insiders in "both campaigns say the growing financial disparity virtually ensures that Obama will be able to significantly outspend Clinton in the critical primaries to come." Even before "all the Super Tuesday votes were counted, Obama began airing advertisements in Nebraska, Virginia, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Maine - the next round of primary and caucus states - before Clinton did. His campaign has raised $2.2 million in less than 24 hours, sources say."

CLINTON FRIENDS SAY CAMPAIGN SHAKE-UP MAY NOW GO AHEAD. The Politico (2/7, Vandehei, Allen) reports there are "five big reasons" that Hillary Clinton "should be spooked by the current trajectory of the campaign. Longtime Clinton friends say she recognizes the peril in careening between near-death primary night experiences and small-bore victories." The friends "believe she may go ahead with the campaign shake-up she had been planning just before her surprise victory in New Hampshire. Her team is girding for trench warfare, telling reporters that the nomination will not be decided until at least the Pennsylvania primary on April 22, if then." The "five big reasons" are that Clinton "lost the delegate derby," she "essentially tied Obama in the popular vote," she "lost more states," she "lost the January cash war," and the "calendar is her enemy."

OBAMA SEEN AS HAVING ADVANTAGE IN NEAR-TERM CONTESTS. McClatchy (2/7, Lightman, Talev) reports Hillary Clinton "looked forward Wednesday to distant battles in big states and Barack Obama eyed contests in the South and mid-Atlantic, as the two Democrats began what's likely to be a prolonged struggle to round up delegates and votes." A "patchwork of skirmishes across a diverse group of states lies ahead, starting Saturday in Louisiana, Nebraska and the Virgin Islands." Louisiana and Nebraska demographics "probably favor Obama - a large black electorate in Louisiana and rural blocs in Nebraska - judging by Tuesday's results. He also seems well positioned for next Tuesday's primaries in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia, all of which have large black populations."

ABC World News (2/6, story 6, 2:45, Stephanopoulos, 8.78M) reported, "the calendar works much better, especially in February, for Barack Obama. Look at these states coming up this weekend and next. This weekend, Nebraska is a caucus. He does very well in caucuses. Washington is a caucus. He does very well in caucuses. Louisiana, a primary, but a very African-American vote, next Tuesday, the Chesapeake primaries, Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC. Again, very high African-American vote. Hillary Clinton's best chance in the next week are the Maine caucuses, next Sunday. Wisconsin will be a battleground at the end of the month."

Mid-Atlantic States Poised To Be Next Democratic "Battleground." The Washington Post (2/7, Turque, Kornblut, A1, 723K) reports, in an above-the-fold front-page story, that Virginia will be "a major battleground" for Clinton and Obama in the next week, noting that Obama has been favored to win the "Potomac primary," but that Clinton advisers are "now mapping out a strategy that does not exclude Maryland and the District but focuses heavily on fast-growing outer suburbs such as Prince William and Loudoun counties in Northern Virginia and the state's economically struggling rural southwest, where unemployment is high among white working-class voters." Both will attend a Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Richmond, and both have links to top Virginia Democrats. The Post continues to break down the candidates' strengths in the states different regions and demographics.

OBAMA SAYS HE IS NOT COMMITTED TO HOUSTON DEBATE. The Houston Chronicle (2/7, Ivanovich, Hem, 524K) reports that Barack Obama said Wednesday he has agreed to meet rival Clinton "in at least one more Democratic debate, but wouldn't say whether he'll come for one planned Feb. 28 in Houston." The Clinton campaign has "said Clinton has accepted invitations to appear on ABC's This Week on Sunday; Fox News in Washington on Monday; CNN from Ohio on Feb. 27; and MSNBC from the George R. Brown Convention Center on Feb. 28." However, Obama "swatted away suggestions that Democrats are that hungry to see the two candidates go at it one-on-one." Obama said, "I don't think anybody's clamoring for more debates. ... We've had - what - 18 debates so far. We are still trying to sort through our schedule. ... Because, it's very important for me to spend time with voters."

DNC PRESSURING MICHIGAN, FLORIDA TO HOLD CAUCUSES. The AP (2/7) reports that DNC member Debbie Dingell of Michigan "said Wednesday the Democratic National Committee is pressuring Michigan and Florida to hold presidential caucuses so the delegates they lost for holding January primaries could be seated at the national convention." Dingell also "said it's unclear whether either state would hold caucuses since they've already held primaries, Michigan on Jan. 15 and Florida on Jan. 29. She said the committee is asking the states to consider such a plan." Mark Burbriski, Florida Democratic Party spokesman, "said the party has no intention of holding another election." Burbriski added, "We've said all along that we're going forward with our delegate selection program using the vote on Jan. 29. ... We've got more delegate applications than ever." Michigan Democratic Chairman Mark Brewer said, "Everybody involved, the candidates, the DNC and we, need to remain open-minded. So if someone comes up with a creative way that meets everyone's interests, we can do that and get the delegates seated."

The New York Post (2/7, Earle, 648K) reports that DNC chairman Howard Dean "is pushing Florida and Michigan to hold new elections so their delegates can get seated at the national party convention an act that would snatch two disputed victories from Hillary Rodham Clinton."

CLINTON'S "INDIVIDUAL MANDATE" SAID TO BE GOVERNMENT COERCION. The Wall Street Journal (2/7, 2.06M) says in an editorial that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama "agree on most policy issues, but that makes their rare differences all the more revealing. To wit, their running scrap over Mrs. Clinton's 'individual mandate' for health care, which Mr. Obama has now had the nerve to expose for its inevitable government coercion." Clinton's proposal "requires everyone to buy health insurance, along with more insurance regulation, a government insurance option for everyone and tax hikes. Mr. Obama likes all that but his mandate would only apply to children." HillaryCare II "isn't all about 'choice,' but would require financial penalties for people to pay attention, including garnishing wages. To put it more accurately, the individual mandate is really a government mandate that requires brute force plus huge subsidies to get anywhere near its goal of universal coverage."

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, [email-masked], or called at (703) 749-0040.