Subject: ​Correct The Record Wednesday October 1, 2014 Afternoon Roundup
From: Burns Strider <[email-masked]>
To: CTRFriendsFamily <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2014 13:34:47 -0400
List-Id: <CTRFriendsFamily.americanbridge.org>

*​**Correct The Record Wednesday October 1, 2014 Afternoon Roundup:*

*Tweets:*

*Correct The Record* @CorrectRecord: .@HillaryClinton
<https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton> spearheaded efforts to study and
improve girls' education#HRC365
<https://twitter.com/hashtag/HRC365?src=hash>
http://correctrecord.org/hillary-clinton-education-for-girls-futures/ …
<http://t.co/VDmDm8XAQS> [10/1/14, 12:01 p.m. EDT
<https://twitter.com/CorrectRecord/status/517343469971320832>]

*Correct The Record* @CorrectRecord: .@HillaryClinton
<https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton> co-sponsored & passed a bipartisan
bill making govt. grants more transparent #HRC365
<https://twitter.com/hashtag/HRC365?src=hash> http://1.usa.gov/1qRO4Ki
<http://t.co/q2c3qraBKx>[9/30/14, 6:04 p.m. EDT
<https://twitter.com/CorrectRecord/status/517072448219410433>]

*Headlines:*

*Politico: “Poll: Hillary Clinton tops Chris Christie in N.J.”
<http://www.politico.com/story/2014/10/hillary-clinton-chris-christie-2016-election-new-jersey-111504.html>*

“Hillary Clinton is handily beating Gov. Chris Christie in his home state,
according to a new poll Wednesday. The Quinnipiac University poll finds 50
percent of Jersey voters backing Clinton and 40 percent going with
Christie.”

*NJ Advance Media: “Clinton tops Christie by double digits in 2016
presidential matchup, poll finds”
<http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/10/clinton_tops_christie_by_double_digits_in_2016_prez_matchup_poll_finds.html>*

“Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would beat Gov. Chris Christie
in New Jersey by double digits in a hypothetical 2016 presidential matchup,
according to a new poll.”

*Quinnipiac University: “Clinton Is Blooming In The Garden State,
Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Gov. Christie's Job Approval Is Sinking
In The Swamp”
<http://www.quinnipiac.edu/news-and-events/quinnipiac-university-poll/new-jersey/release-detail?ReleaseID=2087>*

“In an early look at the 2016 presidential race, former Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton has a 20 percentage point lead among women as she tops Gov.
Christopher Christie 50 - 40 percent among all New Jersey voters, according
to a Quinnipiac University Poll released today.”

*Salon: “Chris Christie tanks: Why new numbers could spell doom for his
2016 run”
<http://www.salon.com/2014/10/01/chris_christie_tanks_why_new_numbers_could_spell_doom_for_his_2016_run/>*

“New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s approval rating is at a near-record
low, according to a brand new Quinnipiac University poll released this
morning. The finding comes amid a drip-drip-drip of revelations concerning
gross mismanagement of the state’s $81 billion pension fund.”

*MSNBC: “New Jersey voters prefer Hillary Clinton over Chris Christie”
<http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/new-jersey-voters-prefer-hillary-clinton-over-chris-christie>*

“‘The adopted daughter next door whips the native son when it comes to
presidential politics in New Jersey,’ said Maurice Carroll, the assistant
director of the Quinnipiac University survey, referring to Clinton’s tenure
as senator from New York from 2001 to 2009.”

*MSNBC: “Does the Clinton pre-campaign survive the real campaign?”
<http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/hillary-clinton-pre-campaign-ready-for-hillary-survive-real-campaign>*

“The work already conducted by Correct the Record will continue to inform
American Bridge, no matter what happens to the Clinton-specific group.”

*Fox News Latino: “One Castro brother endorses Hillary Clinton for
president - the other, a possible VP candidate, refrains”
<http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2014/10/01/one-castro-brother-endorses-hillary-clinton-for-president-other-refrains/>*

“The Castro brother who isn’t likely to be named Hillary Clinton’s running
mate did endorse her for president. The Castro brother who is, didn’t. Got
that?”

*CNN opinion: Mike Gonzalez, Heritage Foundation senior fellow: “Another
freedom group abandoned by U.S.”
<http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/01/opinion/gonzalez-white-house-freedom/>*

“It is no coincidence that, very early on in her role as secretary of
state, Hillary Clinton elevated climate change and gender issues over
freedom in her dealings with foreign officials.”

*Articles:*

*Politico: “Poll: Hillary Clinton tops Chris Christie in N.J.”
<http://www.politico.com/story/2014/10/hillary-clinton-chris-christie-2016-election-new-jersey-111504.html>*

By Kendall Breitman

October 1, 2014, 6:33 a.m. EDT

Hillary Clinton is handily beating Gov. Chris Christie in his home state,
according to a new poll Wednesday. The Quinnipiac University poll finds 50
percent of Jersey voters backing Clinton and 40 percent going with Christie.

The former secretary of state holds a 20-percentage-point lead over
Christie among New Jersey women, 56 percent to 36 percent.

“The adopted daughter next door whips the native son when it comes to
presidential politics in New Jersey,” said Maurice Carroll, assistant
director of the Quinnipiac poll.

Clinton also leads former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, 53 percent to 32 percent,
and she tops Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), 55 percent to 31 percent.

Christie also faces his lowest approval rating in three years, with only 46
percent of voters in New Jersey saying they approve of the job that
Christie is doing and 45 percent of voters disapproving, according to
Quinnipiac. In June 2011, 44 percent of New Jersey voters approved of
Christie.

This poll was conducted between Sept. 25 to Sept. 29 among 1,475 registered
voters in New Jersey and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6
percentage points.

*NJ Advance Media: “Clinton tops Christie by double digits in 2016
presidential matchup, poll finds”
<http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/10/clinton_tops_christie_by_double_digits_in_2016_prez_matchup_poll_finds.html>*

By Matt Arco

October 1, 2014, 6:00 a.m. EDT

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would beat Gov. Chris Christie in
New Jersey by double digits in a hypothetical 2016 presidential matchup,
according to a new poll.

Christie would lose to Clinton by 10 percentage points in the state,
according to a Quinnipiac University Poll released this morning. Clinton
led Christie 50 percent to 40 percent.

Clinton has a 20-percentage point lead among women in the state, according
to the poll.

“The adopted daughter next door whips the native son when it comes to
presidential politics in New Jersey,” said Maurice Carroll, assistant
director of the Quinnipiac University poll.

“Gov. Christopher Christie gives former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
more of a battle in New Jersey, but a huge lead among women voters keeps
the lady from Chappaqua, New York, ahead of the home-state governor,”
Carroll said.

Clinton leads other possible GOP contenders by even larger margins.

She would beat former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in New Jersey by 21 percentage
points and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky) by 24 percentage points.

“The other Republicans hardly register,” Carroll said.

The poll was conducted from Sept. 25 to 29 and surveyed 1,475 registered
voters in the state. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6
percentage points.

*Quinnipiac University: “Clinton Is Blooming In The Garden State,
Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Gov. Christie's Job Approval Is Sinking
In The Swamp”
<http://www.quinnipiac.edu/news-and-events/quinnipiac-university-poll/new-jersey/release-detail?ReleaseID=2087>*

[No Writer Mentioned]

October 1, 2014

In an early look at the 2016 presidential race, former Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton has a 20 percentage point lead among women as she tops Gov.
Christopher Christie 50 - 40 percent among all New Jersey voters, according
to a Quinnipiac University Poll released today.

Secretary Clinton leads other possible Republican contenders by even bigger
margins, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University Poll finds:

53 - 32 percent over former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush;

55 - 31 percent over U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.

Women back Clinton over Christie 56 - 36 percent, while men are divided
with 43 percent for Clinton and 46 percent for Christie. Independent voters
back Clinton 46 - 40 percent.

The Democrat does even better among women when facing other Republicans.

She gets 60 percent of women to Bush's 26 percent and leads 46 - 39 percent
among men. Independent voters back the Democrat 53 - 32 percent.

Clinton tops Paul among women 62 - 25 percent and leads among men 47 - 39
percent. Independent voters back the Democrat 52 - 32 percent.

"The adopted daughter next door whips the native son when it comes to
presidential politics in New Jersey," said Maurice Carroll, assistant
director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

"Gov. Christopher Christie gives former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
more of a battle in New Jersey, but a huge lead among women voters keeps
the lady from Chappaqua, New York, ahead of the home- state governor."

"The other Republicans hardly register," Carroll added. "Sure, it's a blue
state but, beyond that, New Jersey women voters don't like former Florida
Gov. Jeb Bush or Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky at all."

Gov. Christie's Job Approval

New Jersey voters give Gov. Christie one of his lowest job approval ratings
ever, as 46 percent approve and 45 percent disapprove, according to a
Quinnipiac University Poll released today.

This compares to a 49 - 47 percent job approval in an August 7 Quinnipiac
University poll. Today's approval rating is his lowest since a 44 - 47
percent job approval in a June 21, 2011, survey.

Once again, women are Christie's undoing as 48 percent disapprove and 43
percent approve. Men approve 51 - 42 percent.

Republicans approve 82 - 13 percent while Democrats disapprove 70 - 21
percent. Among independent voters, 48 percent approve and 43 percent
disapprove.

"Just 11 months after Christie's 60 - 38 percent reelection victory, his
job approval is evenly divided," Carroll said. "How come? The news media
continues to mention Bridgegate and the reality of the state's huge pension
problem is beginning to sink in. The blue-ribbon citizen commission will
soon make recommendations and that ominous word, 'taxes' is starting to
show up in the discussions."

From September 25 - 29, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,475 registered
voters, with a margin of error of +/- 2.6 percentage points. Live
interviewers call land lines and cell phones.

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D.,
conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey,
Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Iowa, Colorado and the nation as a
public service and for research.

*Salon: “Chris Christie tanks: Why new numbers could spell doom for his
2016 run”
<http://www.salon.com/2014/10/01/chris_christie_tanks_why_new_numbers_could_spell_doom_for_his_2016_run/>*

By Luke Brinker

October 1, 2014, 8:06 a.m. EDT

[Subtitle:] Amid Bridgegate and pension firestorms, the NJ Governor's
approval reaches a near-record low

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s approval rating is at a near-record
low, according to a brand new Quinnipiac University poll released this
morning. The finding comes amid a drip-drip-drip of revelations concerning
gross mismanagement of the state’s $81 billion pension fund.

Less than a year after Christie trounced Democratic opponent Barbara Buono
60 to 38 percent, Christie’s approval rating stands at just 46 percent,
with 45 percent disapproving of the governor’s performance. While he’s
still barely above water, it represents his worst performance in the
Quinnipiac poll since a June 2011 survey pegged his approval at 44 percent.

Moreover, Christie’s slide comes less than two years after he recorded
sky-high approval ratings in the months following Hurricane Sandy. A
February 2013 Quinnipiac poll showed the governor with a 74 percent
approval rating, and a July 2013 poll found Christie’s approval at 68
percent. Even in the immediate aftermath of news that Christie’s aides had
ordered lane closures on the George Washington Bridge, Quinnipiac still had
Christie’s approval at 55 percent in a January survey.

But continued scrutiny of the governor’s role in the scandal – did he issue
the ultimate directive to close the lanes, or is he merely an incompetent
manager who can’t control his closest aides? – appears to have taken its
toll, as have new revelations surrounding the state’s pension fund. David
Sirota has meticulously documented how, at a cost of $3.8 billion to New
Jersey taxpayers, Christie pension chief Robert Grady has shifted pension
investments toward firms whose employees have backed Christie and his
political interests, as well as toward a private equity fund in which
Grady’s own firm is an investor.

The state’s pensions are now $104 billion in the red, and analysts have
cited New Jersey’s pension woes as a key reason the state’s credit rating
has been downgraded eight times during Christie’s less than five-year
tenure.

Quinnipiac didn’t ask respondents about either the Bridgegate or pension
firestorms in its latest poll, but there’s no doubt Christie finds himself
considerably diminished in the state. The poll found the governor, a
potential 2016 presidential candidate, trailing Hillary Clinton by 10
points in a potential match-up, 50 to 40 percent. Clinton leads Christie by
20 points among women, while Christie maintains a mere three point lead
among men. Independents in the state back Clinton over Christie by 46 to 40
percent.

Not only do the latest numbers out of New Jersey demonstrate the damage
done to Christie over the course of his nascent second term. They also
undercut a central argument put forth by backers of a Christie 2016
campaign – that he’s the type of conservative who can win blue and purple
state votes. And as Christie moves to ingratiate himself to the party’s
conservative base ahead of 2016, it’s not inconceivable that his numbers at
home won’t be recovering any time soon.

*MSNBC: “New Jersey voters prefer Hillary Clinton over Chris Christie”
<http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/new-jersey-voters-prefer-hillary-clinton-over-chris-christie>*

By Aliyah Frumin

October 1, 2014, 12:00 p.m. EDT

Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie does not have a home field
advantage when it comes to 2016.

According to a Quinnipiac poll released on Wednesday, Garden State voters
prefer Hillary Clinton – the early front-runner among 2016 presidential
candidates – over Christie by a 50 to 40% margin.

That’s especially true among New Jersey women; Clinton holds a 56% to 36%
lead over Christie among that demographic. Men are more divided with 43%
for Clinton and 46% for Christie.

“The adopted daughter next door whips the native son when it comes to
presidential politics in New Jersey,” said Maurice Carroll, the assistant
director of the Quinnipiac University survey, referring to Clinton’s tenure
as senator from New York from 2001 to 2009.

Clinton, a former secretary of state, has said she expects to make a
decision on if she’ll run for the nation’s highest office early next year.
Christie  – who is criss-crossing the country to stump for 2014 candidates
before next month’s midterm election – has also said he is weighing a 2016
bid.

But Christie’s approval rating overall has hit a three-year low among New
Jerseyans; 46% said they approve of Christie’s job performance, compared to
45% of disapprove.

The governor’s schedule is jam-packed this week. On Wednesday, he attends
an event as chairman of the Republican Governor’s Association in Los
Angeles. On Thursday, Christie is in Arizona stumping for gubernatorial
nominee Doug Ducey. And on Friday, he’s off to Colorado to campaign with
gubernatorial nominee Bob Beauprez before taking off to the early voting
state of Iowa to attend an event for Gov. Terry Branstad. Christie recently
was in Wisconsin helping Republican Gov. Scott Walker in his close fight
for reelection.

Christie will go back to Iowa again later this month – fueling speculation
that he is seriously considering 2016 – for a birthday fundraiser for
Branstad. The Oct. 25 event will be his third trip to the presidential
testing grounds state in four months.

*MSNBC: “Does the Clinton pre-campaign survive the real campaign?”
<http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/hillary-clinton-pre-campaign-ready-for-hillary-survive-real-campaign>*

By Alex Seitz-Wald

October 1, 2014, 7:46 a.m. EDT

What happens to the Clinton pre-campaign once there’s a real campaign?

For almost two years, allies of Hillary Clinton have been meticulously
constructing a sophisticated machine designed to self-destruct as soon as
it accomplishes its goal of getting the former secretary of state to run
for president.

But with Clinton expected to announced her plans to seek the 2016
Democratic nomination in January, the Ready for Hillary super PAC has made
moves recently that could suggest a future – if a very modest one – well
beyond that.

Last week, Ready for Hillary moved its accounts to a new bank. And on November
21, it plans to convene 400 of its largest donors in New York City for a
meeting of its finance council. Raising big money and starting new
relationships with a financial institution doesn’t seems like the behavior
of an organization that plans to shut down just a couple of months later.

While the plan currently remains for Ready for Hillary to “go out of
business” if and when Clinton announces her campaign, sources involved with
Ready for Hillary told msnbc that a number of other options for the group
have been considered and that nothing has been decided yet.

Seth Bringman, the group’s spokesman, declined to comment for the record on
the hypothetical scenarios and stressed that the group is focused on
helping Democrats in the midterm elections.

The upcoming RFH donor meetup is meant to express gratitude to those who
have already cut significant checks to Ready for Hillary, not to raise
serious new money, organizers said. But the group does expect checks from
new donors after the midterm elections.

From the beginning, Ready for Hillary’s mission has been to build a
database of Clinton supporters across the country that can one day be
delivered to an official Clinton campaign, if and when it exists.

How RFH passes the torch to a campaign remains a bit unclear, however, as
there’s no playbook to follow for an unprecedented effort like Ready for
Hillary’s. The group has been organizing Clinton supporters and donors
across the county, as well as reaching out to key Democratic political
operators and politicans in key states, in order to help build an
infrastructure for a future campaign.

It’s also earned the backing of longtime Clinton advisors, like Harold
Ickies and Craig Smith, senior Democratic strategists important in other
realms of party politics, not to mention the endorsements of numerous
national Democratic politicians.

Federal campaign finance laws prohibit a super PAC from donating its list
to a Clinton campaign, but it can get around that. First, Ready for Hillary
plans to encourage it supporters to join Clinton’s official database,
getting as many people as possible to move on their own.

Any names left over will be traded one-for-one with the dormant 2008
Clinton campaign’s list of supporters. Ready for Hillary will give the
Clinton campaign the contact information for one person on their list, and
in return receive the information from one person on the campaign’s list.

While she ceded the Democratic nomination to rival Barack Obama more than 6
years ago, in June of 2008, Clinton has kept her Friends of Hillary
campaign committee alive in order to preserve its valuable list, which is
managed by a Democratic consulting firm. Democratic candidates including
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker paid $13,474 to rent Clinton’s list, according
to campaign finance records, as has Ready for Hillary itself.

But not everything can be transferred from Ready for Hillary to an official
Clinton campaign, including one of its most important assets – a powerful
presence on social media.

Hillary Clinton has no official Facebook page, but Ready for Hillary has
invested in creating a robust account with more than 2 million “likes” and
a massive reach beyond that. The group has linked its Facebook page with
Democrats’ file of registered voters, turning the social media platform
into a powerful organizing tool. And Facebook now allows groups to target
specific message to specific types of users (say, people in Iowa), further
increasing its value to a campaign.

Meanwhile, Ready for Hillary’s Twitter account has more than 143,000
thousand followers.

Neither can be transferred to a Clinton campaign under federal campaign
finance rules, leaving future of the accounts and that of Ready for Hillary
up in the air.

The pages could be transferred to another outside group. Or a rump Ready
for Hillary organization could continue to keep the social media pages
active and updated, even if they’re just reposting content from Clinton’s
official accounts.

Even a dramatically downsized operation like that would require some money,
an open bank account, a lawyer, a treasurer, etc., meaning Ready for
Hillary could not close its books the day Clinton announces.

A more ambitious, but far less likely scenario, would be for a retooled
Ready for Hillary to supplement the official campaign’s field organizing
operations and small-dollar donation.

As Democrats discovered in 2012, outside groups that can raise unlimited
money and perform redundant functions can be a boon to a campaign.

The other main outside groups groups that make up the Clinton shadow
campaign will continue to operate and help an official Clinton campaign,
organizers said.

Priorities USA, a super PAC formed to help Obama’s re-election bid in 2012
and which now has switched its allegiance to Clinton, raises big money to
fund TV ads. The group has been laying low in deference to Democrats
competing in this year’s midterms and likely won’t be fully active until
after Clinton declares.

The other main group, Correct the Record, which does rapid response and
opposition research, is part of the Democratic super PAC American Bridge,
which is involved in dozens of other races. The work already conducted by
Correct the Record will continue to inform American Bridge, no matter what
happens to the Clinton-specific group.

Steve Rosenthal, a Democratic strategist who ran Americans Coming Together
(ACT), a deep-pocketed group that supplement John Kerry’s field organizing
in 2004, said keeping a super PAC like Ready for Hillary active could be a
smart move to back up an official campaign.

“If Ready for Hillary decides that it’s going to continue to operate, I
think it could provide an incredibly valuable asset to a Clinton
candidacy,” Rosenthal explained. “You have to try to, as much as you can,
follow the lead of the campaign and try to mirror that as best you can.”

No matter what, Ready for Hillary as a concept and brand is likely to
survive. The group has already distributed tens of thousands of t-shirts,
bumper stickers, yard signs, etc. It’s been so successful that it inspired
similarly named groups support Elizabeth Warren and Chris Christie, other
potential presidential candidates.

There’s no reason Clinton herself couldn’t adopt the slogan, which Ready
for Hillary has invested millions of dollars into promoting.

Officially or not, Ready for Hillary is likely to stick around in some way.

*Fox News Latino: “One Castro brother endorses Hillary Clinton for
president - the other, a possible VP candidate, refrains”
<http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2014/10/01/one-castro-brother-endorses-hillary-clinton-for-president-other-refrains/>*

[No Writer Mentioned]

October 1, 2014

The Castro brother who isn’t likely to be named Hillary Clinton’s running
mate did endorse her for president. The Castro brother who is, didn’t. Got
that?

There has been much speculation about the vice-presidential prospects of
Julián Castro, 40, the former mayor of San Antonio who in July was named
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. The theory went that President
Barack Obama was helping get the Democratic rising star a more national
profile in preparation for the 2016 presidential election.

On Monday Castro’s identical twin brother, U.S. Rep. Joaquín, was quoted in
an email blast sent out by the pro-Clinton Super PAC, Ready for Hillary, as
saying, “Hillary’s the leader I want to see moving into the White House in
two years.”

The email obtained by the website Politico quoted Castro lauding Clinton
profusely. “Hillary has always been a tireless advocate for working
families — she’s never ceased to make sure everybody has a fair shot at
achieving the American Dream,” he wrote.

Of course, there is the small stumbling block of Clinton not having
declared herself a candidate yet, but the Congressman didn’t seem to mind
too much. “Hillary needs to know that if she does, millions of grassroots
supporters like you will be standing proudly by her side.”

Possibly nobody would be closer to her side than Joaquín’s brother.

After being tapped to head HUD, Castro went to Bill and Hillary’s
Washington home for a dinner that included members of their inner circle—an
invitation that further fueled running-mate speculation.

But on Tuesday Secretary Castro told Todd Gillman of the Dallas News, “In
this position, I’m focused on my work here at HUD. I’m staying out of
politics.”

At least for the moment.

As for that dinner with the Clintons, Castro claimed it had nothing to do
with 2016.

“Not at all,” he said. “We had a good conversation about how HUD can work
on energy efficiency—perhaps with the Clinton Foundation.”

*CNN opinion: Mike Gonzalez, Heritage Foundation senior fellow: “Another
freedom group abandoned by U.S.”
<http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/01/opinion/gonzalez-white-house-freedom/>*

By Mike Gonzalez

October 1, 2014, 11:08 a.m. EDT

Hong Kong's pro-democracy demonstrators are but the latest freedom group to
be abandoned by the Obama administration.

The pattern was set in President Barack Obama's first year in office, when
he committed his initial major foreign policy error by refusing to support
pro-democracy demonstrators in Iran. And, although we didn't know it at the
time, it was to be the administration's original sin, an early predictor of
things to come. Indeed, time and again, this White House has shown itself
to be allergic to those peacefully seeking backing for their freedom causes.

Whether Cuban, Chinese, Iranian or Venezuelan, dissidents who regularly
make the rounds of the halls of power in Washington privately complain that
even when the White House and the State Department receive them, the
official is of low stature and the support is tepid.

And so when tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Hong
Kong last weekend, the administration ran true to form. Our consulate there
expressed support for general rights such as freedom of expression,
religion and association, but was signally quiet on democracy.

In fact, the consulate seemed to go out of its way to wash its hands of the
demonstrations, saying: "We do not take sides in the discussion of Hong
Kong's political development, nor do we support any particular individuals
or groups involved in it. ... We encourage all sides to refrain from
actions that would further escalate tensions, to exercise restraint and to
express views on (Hong Kong's) political development in a peaceful manner."

The protesters' official Twitter feed was quick to express bitter
disappointment: "Once again, democratic govs are not speaking up for
democracy. Here is US consulate's mealy-mouthed statement."

Why has the Obama administration been so slow to embrace freedom-seeking
protesters? Three main reasons spring to mind:

We're not Bush: President Obama's aversion to his predecessor's policies is
clear not just in his snide condescension, but also in his actions.
President George W. Bush's embrace of what he called "the freedom agenda"
appears to be enough to damn the whole project and for Obama to want to do
the opposite.

Pretensions to realism: Despite the fact that failures are piling up, the
Obama administration apparently sees itself as really good at international
relations. As such, it appears to be under the impression that it is
pursuing cold-eyed national security interests and, as the "only adults in
the room," has no time for idealism.

Liberty is not the progressives' thing: Though it receives little
attention, progressivism's well-known preference for centralized control
over what it sees as "unplanned chaos" must play a role. Progressives mock
"liberty" here at home, so why would they take to it overseas? It is no
coincidence that, very early on in her role as secretary of state, Hillary
Clinton elevated climate change and gender issues over freedom in her
dealings with foreign officials.

Some of the White House's most thoughtful defenders point out that it is
counterproductive to support pro-democracy groups, whether in Tehran or
Hong Kong. But this ignores the fact that tyrants will do what they want to
do, whether we support protesters or not -- the bloodily suppressed Iranian
protests back in 2009 underscore this point.

What foreign liberty-seekers want from us is often not "boots on the
ground," much less "nation-building." They desire moral validation of their
cause, the knowledge that an outside power -- the world's only superpower,
no less -- stands by them and believes in their cause.

The Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky, for example, has written vividly of
what it meant to those in the Gulag to hear that President Ronald Reagan
had called the Soviet Union evil:

"This was the moment. It was the brightest, most glorious day. Finally a
spade had been called a spade. Finally, Orwell's Newspeak was dead. ... It
was one of the most important, freedom-affirming declarations, and we all
instantly knew it."

Support for freedom overseas has been America's official policy at least
since Truman announced his doctrine to Congress, saying that, with Britain
exhausted and its empire fading, we had to step up. "One of the primary
objectives of the foreign policy of the United States," Truman said, "is
the creation of conditions in which we and other nations will be able to
work out a way of life free from coercion."

But it goes back much earlier, and the founders understood we were to hold
the torch of freedom for the rest of the world to see. When we don't, it
creates not just disappointment in places like Hong Kong, but dissonance
here at home.