Subject: 9.12.14 Weekend TPs Package
From: Burns Strider <[email-masked]>
To: CTRFriendsFamily <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 14:47:37 -0400
List-Id: <CTRFriendsFamily.americanbridge.org>

*​*Hi all,

Find Correct The Record's weekend talking points package below. Hope
everyone has a great weekend!

*9.12.14 Weekend Package*

*1.       **Clintons Honoring Senator Harkin, Celebrating his Legacy at
Iowa Steak Fry*

*2.       **Clinton’s Poll Numbers Remain Strong and are Higher than All
GOP Contenders*

*3.       **Hillary Clinton and President Obama’s Foreign Policy*

*4.       **Overview: Investigations of Benghazi Tragedy*

*Clintons Honoring Senator Harkin, Celebrating his Legacy at Iowa Steak Fry*

   -      Hillary and Bill Clinton will honor retiring 5-term United States
   Senator Tom Harkin and celebrate his legacy at the annual Steak Fry in Iowa
   on Sunday.

o   This is the 37th and final Steak Fry hosted by Senator Harkin, who
began the Steak Fry tradition in 1972.

o   The Steak Fry energizes Democrats and helps raise money for Democratic
candidates throughout Iowa, including Representative Bruce Braley, who is
running for Harkin’s seat in the Senate.

o   When inviting Hillary and Bill Clinton, Senator Harkin told the
Washington Post that he said
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/08/18/hillary-clinton-to-return-to-iowa-for-harkins-steak-fry/>:
“This is my last one, and you two are two people we love, we admire, we
respect, and it would sure be a real great honor for me to have this for my
last one."

   -      Hillary Clinton’s spokesman said
   <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/08/18/hillary-clinton-to-return-to-iowa-for-harkins-steak-fry/>
she
   is looking forward to:

o   Celebrating her old friend and former colleague Senator Harkin

o   Helping raise money for Democratic candidates running in Iowa

o   Campaigning for fellow Democrats to get elected in 2014

   -      Hillary and Bill Clinton are appearing across the country this
   month at events for Democratic candidates to energize the party and help
   get Democrats elected this November.

*CLINTON’S POLL NUMBERS REMAIN STRONG AND ARE HIGHER THAN ALL GOP
CONTENDERS*

*ATTACK: The right wing has fixated this week on a Wall Street Journal/NBC
News **poll*
<http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/hillary-clintons-poll-numbers-come-back-down-earth>*
showing
that Hillary Clinton’s approval numbers have evened out after record highs
following her time as Secretary of State. *

*THE POLL:*

 -          Even with an onslaught of Republican attacks, including three
tabloid-style attack books, Hillary Clinton has higher favorability ratings
than all the GOP potential contenders polled.

 -          Hillary Clinton and former President Clinton are the only two
public figures polled whose favorability numbers are higher than their
unfavorable numbers.

 -          Potential Republican presidential candidates Rand Paul, Mitt
Romney, and Jeb Bush are all viewed more negatively than positively.

 -          Hillary Clinton’s support among Democrats remains exceptionally
strong, with a whopping 72% favorability rating.

 *THE BIG PICTURE:*

·         Hillary Clinton continues to connect with Democrats, Independents
and Americans of all backgrounds who are hungry for her experience and
vision. Because of Hillary Clinton’s years of public service, her strong
record as a leader, and her commitment to being a voice to the voiceless,
she has the support of so many Americans.

·         The sky-high approval numbers Hillary Clinton has had for most of
the past few years are reserved for leaders who are viewed as *outside* of
the typical partisan political battles. As Secretary of State, Hillary
Clinton certainly was in that unique role.

·         But as Hillary becomes more involved with domestic issues, as the
media begins framing her in terms of a 2016 Presidential Election and as
the Republican attack machine looks for anything and everything to throw at
her it is no surprise that her numbers are coming back to earth.

·         According to MSNBC, “Clinton’s numbers were likely destined to
fall back to earth as she reentered domestic partisan politics. In recent
months, she’s increasingly weighed in on hot-button issues like gun
control, which is likely to blunt her support among non-Democrats who may
have liked her as secretary of state or as a private citizen, but would
never support her as a presidential candidate.” [MSNBC, 9/9/14
<http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/hillary-clintons-poll-numbers-come-back-down-earth>
]

 Despite the fact that Republicans are resorting to personal, misinformed
and even blatantly false attacks on Hillary Clinton – she is still one of
the most popular leaders in our country.

 -         As Dave Weigel recently wrote
<http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2014/07/21/the_poll_that_will_make_democrats_panic_about_hillary_clinton.html>
in
Slate, “few doubt that Hillary is the most electable, most
Republican-infuriating candidate on the horizon.”

 -          Most Americans believe that Hillary Clinton can relate to and
is in touch with average Americans. Fifty-five percent of Americans say
that Hillary Clinton can relate to and understand the problems of average
citizens, according to arecent NBC poll
<http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/hillary-clinton/most-believe-hillary-clinton-can-relate-average-americans-poll-finds-n142911>
.

 -          Clinton is extremely popular among Democrats: a new NBC/Marist
poll
<http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/hillary-clinton/most-believe-hillary-clinton-can-relate-average-americans-poll-finds-n142911>puts
her favorability/unfavorability rating in Iowa at 89 percent/6 percent; in
New Hampshire it’s even higher, at 94 percent/4 percent.

 -          In recent polls conducted in Ohio
<http://www.quinnipiac.edu/news-and-events/quinnipiac-university-poll/ohio/release-detail?ReleaseID=2066>
, New Jersey
<http://www.quinnipiac.edu/news-and-events/quinnipiac-university-poll/new-jersey/release-detail?ReleaseID=2068>,
and Florida
<http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/07/24/clinton-polling-well-in-key-presidential-battleground/>,
Hillary Clinton has commanding leads over all the potential 2016 GOP
contenders.

 -          According to a Quinnipiac press release
<http://www.quinnipiac.edu/news-and-events/quinnipiac-university-poll/ohio/release-detail?ReleaseID=2066>
on
the Ohio poll, "Secretary Clinton, on the other hand, is almost everyone's
favorite candidate.”

 -          Regarding the New Jersey poll, a Quinnipiac official stated,
“As Gov. Christopher Christie traipses around the nation, his presidential
potential seems alive, but former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the
adopted girl next door, easily beats him in his home state.” [Star-Ledger,
8/6/14
<http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/08/hillary_clinton_leads_christie_for_president_in_nj_poll_finds.html>
]

 -          Based on the Florida poll, CNN reported
<http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/07/24/clinton-polling-well-in-key-presidential-battleground/>
that
“Hillary Clinton is the clear 2016 frontrunner in the nation's largest
presidential battleground state.”

 -          “Inside the Beltway they may be talking about Mrs. Clinton’s
potential weaknesses should she run in 2016. But at this point in
Florida…she remains queen of the political prom.” [MSNBC, 7/24/14
<http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/hillary-clinton-tops-all-potential-2016-gopers-florida>
; CNN, 7/24/14
<http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/07/24/clinton-polling-well-in-key-presidential-battleground/>
]

*Hillary Clinton and President Obama’s Foreign Policy*

*KEY POINTS: *

  ·         As Hillary Clinton joined the administration as Secretary of
State, the former rival teams became a team without rival.

 ·         Hillary Clinton was willing to make hard choices and work with
the administration to move global American interests forward.

 ·         Secretary Clinton has made clear that, even though she advocated
a plan to arm the Syrian rebels, it was the “President’s call” and she
“respected his deliberations and decision.” [*Hard Choices*, pg. 464, 2014]

o   Hillary Clinton referred to Syria as a “’wicked problem’ ... a term
used by planning experts to describe particularly complex challenges that
confound standard solutions and approaches. Wicked problems rarely have a
right answer; in fact, part of what makes them wicked is that every option
appears worse than the next. Increasingly that's how Syria appeared.” [*Hard
Choices*, pg. 461, 2014]

o   Sec. Clinton reiterated her support for President Obama’s decision to
consult Congress before making a decision on using military action in
Syria. “I supported President Obama's decision to consult Congress.” [Le
Monde, 7/11/14
<https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http://www.lemonde.fr/ameriques/article/2014/07/11/hillary-clinton-les-americains-sont-de-plus-en-plus-ouverts-a-l-idee-d-une-femme-presidente_4455460_3222.html&edit-text=&act=url>
via
Google Translate]

o   Recognizing it as a wicked problem, Secretary Clinton later pointed
out, “I can’t sit here today and say that if we had done what I
recommended…that we’d be in a demonstrably different place.” [The Atlantic,
8/10/14
<http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/08/hillary-clinton-failure-to-help-syrian-rebels-led-to-the-rise-of-isis/375832/?single_page=true>
]

*HILLARY CLINTON WORKED TO FIGHT TERRORISM AND BRING PEACE TO THE MIDDLE
EAST: *

   - Secretary Clinton built and maintained a coalition to enact the
   toughest sanctions in Iran’s history.

   - Secretary Clinton worked around the world to fight terrorism and bring
   Osama bin Laden to justice.
      - As New York’s Senator on 9/11, she “felt an intense responsibility
      to stand with the people of our wounded city … I did all I could to urge
      the pursuit of bin Laden and al Qaeda and improve our nation’s efforts
      against terrorism.” [*Hard Choices*, pg. 172, 2014]

   - Secretary Clinton helped avert all-out war in Gaza in November 2012 by
   negotiating a cease-fire between Israelis and Palestinians.

*OVERVIEW: INVESTIGATIONS OF BENGHAZI TRAGEDY*

*3 KEY POINTS*

   - *Secretary Clinton took responsibility:* In interviews
   <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm7hLUc2-qM>, testimony
   <http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1301/23/se.02.html> and in her
   book
   <http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/hillary-clintons-benghazi-chapter-107240.html>,
   Secretary Clinton has taken responsibility repeatedly. She was determined
   to leave the State Department and our country safer, stronger, and more
   secure.

   - *Secretary Clinton took action:* Secretary Clinton appointed
   <http://www.state.gov/secretary/20092013clinton/rm/2013/01/203158.htm> a
   nonpartisan, independent Accountability Review Board to review what
   happened and began <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2013/05/209672.htm> the
   process of implementing the 29 recommendations put forth by the ARB before
   leaving the State Department to strengthen embassy security.
   - *Secretary Clinton was fully transparent:* Secretary Clinton fully
   <http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1301/23/se.01.html> and publicly
   <http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1301/23/se.02.html> answered
   questions before Congress. The report of the Accountability Review Board is
   just the second to be made public, making it one of the most transparent
   internal reviews in State Department history.

*THE BENGHAZI TRAGEDY HAS BEEN INVESTIGATED EXHAUSTIVELY, COSTING TAXPAYERS
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.*

   - Nine congressional committees have participated in the investigations
   into the Benghazi tragedy, which have
   <http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/mission-improbable-trey-gowdy-gets-into-benghazi-106326.html>
    included
   <http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/06/us-usa-politics-benghazi-house-idUSBREA440O820140506>
more
   than 50 senior level staff briefings, 13 public hearings, at least 3
   independent/bipartisan reports, dozens of interviews, and the disclosure of
   more than 25,000 pages of documents.
   - The Department of Defense reported that these efforts have cost the
   taxpayers millions of dollars and thousands of man-hours. [AP, 3/25/14
   <http://bigstory.ap.org/article/pentagon-says-benghazi-probes-cost-millions>
   ] The House Select Committee on Benghazi, which is planning to conduct
   its first hearing this month, is expected to cost taxpayers more than $3
   million. [USA Today, 7/7/14]

*THE FACTS, AS SUPPORTED BY THE INVESTIGATIONS, ARE AS FOLLOWS:*

·         *There was no actionable intelligence warning of the attack.*  “The
U.S. government did not have specific intelligence of an imminent attack on
the U.S. mission in Benghazi.” [HSGAC Report
<http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2012_rpt/benghazi.pdf>*, 7*]  “There was
no singular ‘tactical warning’ in the intelligence reporting leading up to
the events on September, 11, 2012, predicting an attack on  U.S. facilities
in Benghazi.” [SSCI Report
<http://www.intelligence.senate.gov/benghazi2014/benghazi.pdf>, 22]  “There
was no intelligence of a specific ‘imminent’ threat in Libya.” [HASC Report
<http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/files/serve?File_id=C4E16543-8F99-430C-BEBA-0045A6433426>,
2] Regarding the House Intelligence Committee Report, Rep. Ruppersberger
said, “The Intelligence Community warned about an increased threat
environment, but did not have specific tactical warning of an attack before
it happened.” [Fiscal Times, 8/4/14
<http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2014/08/04/House-Intel-Committee-Reveals-Benghazi-Findings>
*]*

·         *No stand down order was issued.*  “Although DOD attempted to
quickly mobilize its resources, it did not have assets or personnel close
enough to reach Benghazi in a timely fashion.” [HSGAC Report
<http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2012_rpt/benghazi.pdf>*, 20*]  “The
Committee explored claims that there was a ‘stand down’ order given to the
security team…the Committee found no evidence of intentional delay or
obstruction by the Chief of Base or any other party.” [SSCI Report
<http://www.intelligence.senate.gov/benghazi2014/benghazi.pdf>*, 5*]
“There was no ‘stand down’ order issued to U.S. military personnel in
Tripoli who sought to join the fight in Benghazi.” [HASC Report
<http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/files/serve?File_id=C4E16543-8F99-430C-BEBA-0045A6433426>,
2] ] “The [House Intelligence Committee] report shows there was no ‘stand
down order’ given to American personnel attempting to offer assistance that
evening, and no American was left behind.” [Fiscal Times, 8/4/14
<http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2014/08/04/House-Intel-Committee-Reveals-Benghazi-Findings>
*]*

·         *There was no “cover up” by the administration. *“The
[Intelligence Community’s] preliminary conclusion was that there had been a
protest outside of the mission prior to the attack, making this assessment
based on open source news reports and on other information available to
intelligence agencies.” [HSGAC Report
<http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2012_rpt/benghazi.pdf>*, 28*] “Some
intelligence suggests the attacks were likely put together in short order,
following that day’s violent protests in Cairo against an inflammatory
video, suggesting that these and other terrorist groups could conduct
similar attacks with little advance warning.” [SSCI Report
<http://www.intelligence.senate.gov/benghazi2014/benghazi.pdf>*, 41*] “The
House Intelligence Committee, led by Republicans, has concluded that there
was no deliberate wrongdoing by the Obama administration in the 2012 attack
on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.” [SF Gate, 8/1/14
<http://m.sfgate.com/politics/article/House-panel-No-administration-wrongdoing-in-5663509.php>
*]*  “There were scores of attackers that night, almost certainly with
differing motives. It is inaccurate to state that every single one of them
was influenced by this hateful video. It is equally inaccurate to state
that none of them were. Both assertions defy not only the evidence but
logic as well.” [*Hard Choices*, pg. 403, 2014]

·         *Secretary Clinton did not deny requests for additional
security. *As she testified “I didn’t see those requests. They didn’t come
to me. I didn’t approve them. I didn’t deny them.” [Clinton testimony,
Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 1/23/13
<http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1301/23/se.01.html>] The Washington
Post Fact-Checker called a GOP claim that she denied funding “absurd” and a
“whopper.” [Washington Post, 4/25/13
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/issas-absurd-claim-that-clintons-signature-means-she-personally-approved-it/2013/04/25/58c2f5b4-adf8-11e2-a986-eec837b1888b_blog.html>]
According to Politico’s coverage of the chapter in “Hard Choices” about the
2012 Benghazi attacks, “The cables were addressed to [Clinton] as a
‘procedural quirk’ given her position, but didn’t actually land on her
desk, she writes: ‘That’s not how it works. It shouldn’t. And it didn’t.’”
[Politico, 5/30/14
<http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/hillary-clintons-benghazi-chapter-107240.html>
]