Subject: Hillary For President News Briefing for Wednesday, February 06, 2008
From: "Bulletin News Network" <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked], [email-masked]
Date: 6 Feb 2008 06:29:22 -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: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2008 6:30 AM EST

TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS

SEN. CLINTON'S CAMPAIGN:

+ Clinton, Obama Split Super Tuesday States.

+ Clinton Wins California With Wide Margin.

+ Contest Now Moves To Weekend Contests, Potomac Primary.

Sen. Clinton's Campaign:

CLINTON, OBAMA SPLIT SUPER TUESDAY STATES. The consensus in the media this morning is that yesterday's Democratic contests, which saw both candidates notch important wins, leaves the race still up in the air. USA Today (2/6, 1A, Wolf, 2.28M) reports in a front page story that the Democratic contest "sprinted through 22 states Tuesday and emerged as it was before: deadlocked." Hillary Clinton "was the projected winner in the biggest state, California, and also had victories in her home state of New York and neighboring New Jersey. She showed strength in 'red' states by winning in Oklahoma, Tennessee and Arkansas, and in states with large Hispanic populations such as Arizona." Obama, however, "struck back by winning in 12 of the 22 states up for grabs, including all six holding voter-intensive caucuses rather than primaries. He won in all parts of the country, from Connecticut and Delaware to Utah and Idaho, along with his home state of Illinois. He won the Deep South states of Georgia and Alabama by huge margins."

The Washington Post (2/6, A1, Balz, Kornblut, 723K) reports in a front-page story that the Clinton wins in the northeast and California gave her campaign a "crucial boost," but Obama "countered by winning of a string of states, including the general election battleground of Missouri, in the seesaw race for the Democratic nomination." Clinton claimed "four of the five biggest prizes in Super Tuesday's 22-state Democratic competition" but Obama "won in more places." The Post adds, "In many of the states Clinton won, Obama had surged from far behind to narrow the gap in the days before Super Tuesday."

The Wall Street Journal (2/6, Meckler, 2.06M) reports Clinton "won the biggest Super Tuesday prize, claiming California, as both she and Sen. Barack Obama sought to make history. The pair traded victories in coast-to-coast contests Tuesday, with rules governing allocation of delegates certain to keep the race going in the states to come."

The New York Times (2/6, A1, Healy, 1.18M) says it was "a night of drama as millions of Democrats cleaved sharply between two candidates offering them a historic first: The opportunity to nominate a woman or an African-American to lead their party's effort to reclaim the White House. Yet it was also a night when neither" Obama nor Clinton "could decisively lay claim - or even secure an edge - to the nomination, assuring an electoral fight that will unfold for weeks to come."

The Chicago Tribune (2/6, Silva, 607K) report Clinton "claimed some big-state victories spanning from California to New York," while Obama "claimed several significant victories in smaller states that will keep him competitive with Clinton. In the face of Obama's apparent surge in recent weeks, however, Clinton's claim to the coastal anchors of the Super Tuesday contest - California and New York - will add new impetus to her campaign heading into the primary elections still to come."

The Los Angeles Times (2/6, Barabak, 881K) reports Clinton and Obama "dueled to a Super Tuesday draw, capturing states big and small and padding their delegate counts in a Democratic contest that remains highly competitive after the biggest day of balloting in presidential primary history.

The Hill (2/6, Youngman, Barr) reports that Clinton "scored big wins in the Northeast, picking up her home state of New York and neighboring New Jersey and a surprise win in Massachusetts, where Obama had secured the endorsements of Sens. John Kerry and Edward Kennedy. Obama split the region with Clinton, however, winning Delaware and Connecticut." The candidates "split Super Tuesday's Southern states, with Obama taking Georgia and Alabama and Clinton winning Tennessee and Arkansas, where she served as the state's first lady." Obama "handily won those states, primarily in the Midwest, that held caucuses instead of primaries."

Clinton Said To Retain Delegate Lead. The AP (2/6, Ohlemacher) reports that in the Super Tuesday race for delegates, Obama, "trailing much of the night, nearly pulled even with" Clinton. Clinton "led with 499 delegates to Obama's 491. A total of 1,681 delegates were at stake in 22 states and American Samoa. Overall, that gave Clinton 760 delegates, to 693 for Obama, with 2,025 delegates required to claim the nomination in Denver at this summer's convention."

Wins Seen As "Vindication" For Clinton. USA Today (2/6, 4A, Kiely, 2.28M) reports, "It wasn't the nomination victory celebration she and her supporters once hoped it would be, but Hillary Rodham Clinton enjoyed a vindication party of sorts...Tuesday. After several weeks in which" Obama "racked up big-name endorsements and some party leaders accused former president Bill Clinton of sabotaging her campaign, the New York senator racked up some unexpected victories in Tuesday's primary and caucus sweepstakes. The first person she thanked was her husband."

WPost Says Clinton Gaining Slight Advantage. In an editorial, the Washington Post (2/6, A18, 723K) writes that yesterday's Democratic contests "were a Rubik's Cube of results whose final meaning will become clear only when the delegates are tallied. With California cementing a series of wins across the country, Ms. Clinton can claim a slight advantage. One striking feature of the voting was Ms. Clinton's support among Hispanics, a key voting bloc; in California, where Latinos accounted for nearly one-third of voters, exit polls indicated that Ms. Clinton received two-thirds of the Hispanic vote."

Obama Fares Well With Blacks, Clinton With Hispanics. The New York Times (2/6, A1, Healy, Broder, 1.18M) says the two candidates are "locked in an intense struggle for convention delegates." The Times adds that exit polls "showed formidable strengths for each candidate, with Mr. Obama gaining appeal with white voters - particularly white men - and Mrs. Clinton solidifying her support among Hispanics. Mrs. Clinton won Democratic primaries in states that her party rarely carries in a general election, like Arkansas - where she served as first lady - as well as Oklahoma and Tennessee."

USA Today (2/6, 4A, Lawrence, 2.28M) reports Clinton "did well with seniors, low-income voters and registered Democrats. Obama was strong with independents, younger people, the affluent and the highly educated. Obama continued to dominate among black voters, Clinton among white women. Obama improved considerably on his 24% showing with white voters last month in a three-way South Carolina race. Voter surveys showed him at twice that level with white voters in California, leading Clinton 49%-43%. He drew about 40% of the white vote in Georgia and Missouri." Hispanics "continued to be strongly supportive of Clinton."

The Washington Post (2/6, A21, Goldstein, 723K) reports that yesterday's elections "laid bare a profound racial and ethnic divide among Democratic voters, with African Americans overwhelmingly preferring Sen. Barack Obama, while Latinos largely favored Sen. Hillary Clinton." The Post adds, "The divergent choices by minority voters reflect broad issues of loyalty and identity, observers said, rather than specific differences in the candidates' stances on issues. 'There is so little distance between the policies, it comes down to personality, style and name recognition,' said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, based in Los Angeles."

The Washington Post (2/6, A28, Cohen, Agiesta, 723K) reports, that according to exit polls, Democrats "seeking a new direction went overwhelmingly for" Obama "in the nine states -- Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Tennessee – but" Clinton "carried the day in some places by winning voters who focused instead on experience. Only in Arizona did the senator from Illinois attract double-digit support from those seeking a solid résumé."

CLINTON WINS CALIFORNIA WITH WIDE MARGIN. The AP (2/5, Kurtzman) reports that in California, Clinton's strong showing is attributed to the state being "associated" with her husband's presidency. "Voter exit polls by The Associated Press showed Clinton receiving strong support from women and Hispanics and voters in the San Francisco Bay area. California voters displayed a marked gender gap, with women favoring Clinton and men leaning toward Obama, according to the surveys."

Hispanics, Economy Voters Boost Clinton In California. The Washington Post (2/6, A21, Barnes, 723K) reports, "A deluge of voters inspired by California's pivotal new role in the presidential primaries went to the polls yesterday, with Latino and Asian voters lifting Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. John McCain scoring in the urban centers of Los Angeles and San Francisco. Exit polls showed that Latino voters made up nearly 30 percent of the Democrats and independents who took part in the Democratic primary, and they voted resoundingly for Clinton (D-N.Y.). As in past contests, African Americans overwhelmingly supported Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), as did independents, and women came up big for Clinton. Just more than half of the voters in the contest were white, and the Democrats split that vote." The economy "was the most important issue for the largest number of voters, and Clinton won over a majority of them."

Under the headline "Decisive California Wins for Clinton and McCain," the New York Times (2/6, Steinhauer, 1.18M) adds that Clinton won the "heated skirmish for [California's] opulent troves of delegates" decisively, noting, "her support was widespread across the state and strong among constituencies who have supported her in other states. For example, according to exit polls, Mrs. Clinton won Hispanic votes by a 2-to-1 margin, and Asians by a 3-to-1 margin. Mr. Obama beat Mrs. Clinton among white voters and took 8 out of 10 African-Americans, while besting her among voters under the age of 30."

The AP (2/6, Williams) reports that Clinton "rode a wave of Hispanic voter turnout to victory," noting that "Democrats who rated the economy or health care as most important strongly backed Clinton, while those who cited the war in Iraq as the most pressing issue favored Obama."

Clinton Takes New York, But Obama Wins "Big Chunk" Of Delegates. The AP (2/6, Gormley) reports Clinton "beat back a strong challenge from" Obama, but he "seemed poised to get a big chunk of New York's 232 Democratic delegates. Sen. Clinton was tested by Obama in heavily black neighborhoods in New York City, liberal upstate areas and on college campuses."

"Racial Pride" Tips Some New York Voters To Obama. The Washington Post (2/6, A21, Richburg, Shulman, 723K) reports that "in several districts targeted by Barack Obama" in New York, "voters -- particularly African Americans -- seemed torn Tuesday between hometown loyalty and racial pride. Pride appeared to be trumping loyalty, according to a small sampling of voters in two of the targeted areas." The Post cites interviews with voters in Harlem who "said they were voting for Obama in the privacy of the voting booth, despite intense pressure from local officials, clergy members and neighbors, to support Clinton. 'I think Clinton's going to win the nomination, but he'll win this area,' said Donald Goodman, who is 68 and retired. 'If it wasn't for Obama, she might get 90 percent.'"

Clinton Strong In Long Island. Newsday (2/6, Maloney) reports, "Clinton swept to victory over...Obama on Long Island and across New York State... beating Obama by 62 percent to 34 percent in Suffolk County. In Nassau, with 960 of 1,137 districts counted, Clinton was beating Obama by 52,556 to 30,053 votes, according to the board of elections." Meanwhile, "According to unofficial results from the New York State Democratic Party, Clinton appeared to win at least 139 delegates in New York Tuesday. Obama took about 93. Clinton won 17 of the 25 delegates from Long Island congressional districts, according to unofficial results."

Clinton Wins Narrow Margin From New Jersey Women, Hispanics. The AP (2/5, Hester) reports that "Democratic women, older voters and, by a narrow margin, Hispanics," voted for Clinton, in a large-turnout election that was praised by Gov. Jon Corzine. Meanwhile, "Exit polling showed Obama received heavy support from blacks and younger voters, but Clinton with big backing from white men and women and older voters. She enjoyed a 3-2 edge among Hispanic voters."

Obama Upsets Clinton In Connecticut. The AP (2/6) reports that Obama "stunned" Clinton in Connecticut, noting, "With 78% of the votes cast, Obama led New York Sen. Hillary Clinton 50% to 47%. ... Obama's victory comes in a state long thought to be a Clinton stronghold. Clinton held a double-digit lead in polls of likely voters in November, but Obama closed the gap as the once-crowded Democratic field narrowed to two." The AP notes that both had campaigned there in the past few days, and attributes Obama's win there to "growing enthusiasm."

Lamont's 2006 Senate Primary Win Said To Have Primed Voters For Obama. The New York Times (2/6, Chen, 1.18M) reports that the failed US Senate bid in 2006 of Ned Lamont, who won the Connecticut Democratic primary but lost to incumbent Sen. Joe Lieberman (D), left a legacy in the state that may have aided Obama there. "It was the young, the rich and voters who called Iraq the top issue who helped provide the margin of victory for...Obama," and the Times suggests that it was this same demographic that supported Lamont.

Split Decision In New York Metro Region. The New York Times (2/6, Powell, 1.18M) reports that though Clinton won "twin victories" in New York and New Jersey, Obama "won by a narrow margin in Connecticut, a state she once expected to win easily." The Times suggests that Clinton is hoping to recreate her strong showing among female and Hispanic voters-and respectable showing among males-in the rest of the country, noting, "Among those New York and New Jersey voters who said having the right experience mattered the most, nearly all gave their votes to Mrs. Clinton." However, Clinton "revealed weaknesses in the region, not least where pieces of her base fractured. In Brooklyn, the largest Democratic county in New York, she led by less than 2 percentage points. In New Jersey, she gained just 14 percent of black voters, exit polls showed. By contrast, Mr. Obama did the best in Connecticut, where the percentage of black voters is the smallest in the region and where he appeared to run even with Mrs. Clinton among white voters."

Women Give Massachusetts To Clinton. The AP (2/6, LeBlanc) reports, "In a hotly contested Democratic race, Hillary Clinton prevailed over Barack Obama with strong support among women, lower income and older Massachusetts voters. Obama's support among men, those with higher incomes and younger voters wasn't enough to close the gap, according to preliminary exit poll results conducted for The Associated Press. Obama captured two thirds of the black vote, but Clinton picked up a majority of Hispanic and Latino voters. She also won nearly six in 10 white voters, who made up 85 percent of those voting in the Democratic primary."

Under the headline "Voters Don't Share Kennedys' Ardor for Obama," the Washington Post (2/6, Kornblut, Layton, A21, 723K) reports, "Obama won the Kennedys, key members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation and support from the charismatic African American governor of the state. But in the end,...Clinton won Massachusetts. It was arguably the most surprising twist in the Super Tuesday returns on the Democratic side -- one that seemed to reflect her earlier upset in New Hampshire, and underscored the core of support from women that is becoming her firewall in the nominating contest." The Post notes that Clinton's win gives her "bragging rights," especially given Obama's strong endorsements, though Massachusetts "was, in some ways, always hers to lose. It was, after all, Martha's Vineyard where the Clintons vacationed during the 1990s. Although the Clinton campaign declared Massachusetts the 'upset of the night,' Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, one of the most prominent elected officials who stayed with Clinton as others broke for Obama, said: 'I'm not surprised at all.' 'This is Clinton country up here,' Menino said."

Clinton Wins Arkansas On Fond Memories Of Husband's Governorship. The AP (2/6, DeMillo) reports that Clinton won in Arkansas by getting "help from continued affection for her husband." The AP notes that severe weather in the state forced the early closure of several polling places and concludes, "Eight out of ten Democratic voters polled in exit surveys had favorable opinions of the former first lady and former President Clinton. 'Voters have known Hillary here, and that was big part of it. This is a person who had been to a lot of these small towns,' said Robert McLarty, a spokesman for Clinton's Arkansas campaign."

Clinton Wins Tennessee Primary. The Tennessean (2/6, Johnson) reports that Clinton "showed Tuesday she could win in the South with a Tennessee victory boosted by a personal appearance, winning across Tennessee." Clinton won "carried at least 88 counties statewide, while her rival Barack Obama won in the state's urban centers, including the counties where Nashville, Chattanooga and Jackson are located." Obama's "followers were looking for high turnout in the state's largest cities, hoping African-Americans, young people and voters with high education levels would put him over the top. ... Clinton, on the other hand, employed a 95-county strategy, establishing steering committees in every corner of the state and setting down roots in parts of the state largely ignored by Obama, like rural counties in the upper Cumberland and west Tennessee, said Randy Button, a former state Democratic Party chairman and Clinton organizer."

CONTEST NOW MOVES TO WEEKEND CONTESTS, POTOMAC PRIMARY. The New York Times (2/6, Broder, 1.18M) reports that because the Democratic Party has "a dizzying array of delegate rules," Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama "face a complex game board that could result in a protracted fight, beginning this weekend with a primary in Louisiana and caucuses in Nebraska and Washington. Next Tuesday, Feb. 12, residents of Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia vote." Neither candidate "is expected to land a knockout punch in a single state or on a single day in the coming weeks because the loser stands to walk away with a significant share of the delegates at stake. So it becomes to some extent a game of money, momentum and perception, party analysts said."

The AP (2/6, Kuhnhenn) reported before the final returns were known, "The campaigns, like sports teams that have clinched a playoff spot, already have been preparing for the landscape ahead. Obama has been advertising in states with primaries and caucuses over the next seven days. Clinton strategists are looking over the horizon into March and April when Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania hold primaries."

The New York Daily News (2/6, Saul, Kennedy, 729K) relates, "Both campaigns say Obama could have an edge in the next contests, which include Louisiana and Washington on Saturday, next Tuesday's 'Potomac Primary,' when Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia vote, and the Feb. 19 contests in Hawaii and Wisconsin. ... That Super Tuesday decided nothing is a huge irony, given last year's mad scramble by so many states to move up their primary date so they would matter. Now it seems the later states will decide the contest."

The Chicago Tribune (2/6, Parsons, McCormack, Dorning, 607K) reports, "With no decisive victory Tuesday, the contest shifts from a national, momentum-based campaign to a potentially lengthy series of battles that will move to new ground on a weekly, even daily, basis. ... The campaign will initially move to territory that provides an advantage to Obama, with contests during the coming week that include heavily African-American Louisiana, reform-minded Washington state and conservative Nebraska. The next major voting comes next Tuesday in the Potomac Primary covering Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia-a region with a large representation of African-Americans and highly educated voters. But Clinton could be on friendlier ground on March 4, when Ohio and Texas dominate a four-state primary. Hispanics, who have favored Clinton, account for a third of the population in Texas. Clinton has the support of Gov. Ted Strickland in Ohio, the battleground that decided the last presidential election."

Clinton-Obama Race Heading Into "Potomac Primary." The Washington Post (2/6, A22, Kornblut, 723K) reports, "They have battled in all of their home states, adopted and actual. And now" Clinton and Obama "are bringing the nominating contest to their place of business, Washington, and its neighboring states for next Tuesday's 'Potomac primary.' ... They both have campaign stops scheduled in Virginia and Maryland in the days ahead. And although both sides at one time considered the region -- Maryland and the District, especially -- to be friendly territory for Obama, Clinton advisers believe that she has enough momentum coming out of Super Tuesday to make a play in the three-state race. There are sizable blocs of African American votes in all three contests, however, and Obama has been winning large majorities of black voters in the primaries so far.

The AP (2/6, Babington) reports, "Political activists say Obama should do well in the District of Columbia, a predominantly black city with 15 pledged delegates." And "Maryland also is well-suited to" Obama, "party insiders say, while Virginia is more of a toss-up. ... Maryland has two large blocs of voters -- African-Americans and affluent white liberals -- who have flocked to Obama in other states. Black voters are concentrated in Baltimore and the large Washington suburb of Prince George's County. Highly educated, upper-income whites are especially prevalent in another major Washington suburb, Montgomery County, which includes Bethesda, Silver Spring and Rockville. 'It's hard to see how Hillary Clinton finds the foundation' for a big vote in the remaining counties, said Keith Haller, a Maryland-based pollster who is not involved in the presidential race. 'You've got the portents for Maryland being one of Obama's best states,' he said."

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.