Subject: Correct The Record Tuesday September 2, 2014 Afternoon Roundup
From: Burns Strider <[email-masked]>
To: CTRFriendsFamily <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2014 14:38:37 -0400
List-Id: <CTRFriendsFamily.americanbridge.org>

**

*Correct The Record Tuesday September 2, 2014 Afternoon Roundup:*

*Tweets:*

*Correct The Record* @CorrectRecord: .@HillaryClinton said Labor Day is
chance to pay tribute to hardworking Americans #HRC365
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=93131  <http://t.co/JOfp5SJ10t>
[9/1/14, 3:33 p.m. EDT
<https://twitter.com/CorrectRecord/status/506525150376763393>]

*Headlines:*

*National Journal: “Where does Hillary Clinton Stand on Energy?”
<http://www.nationaljournal.com/policy/insiders/energy/where-does-hillary-clinton-stand-on-energy-20140902>*

“After sidestepping talk of the controversial Keystone XL oil-sands
pipeline in her book Hard Choices, Clinton expressed an inclination to
tackle global warming and voiced cautious support for fracking.”

*Yahoo: “Republicans tone down Benghazi talk as elections near”
<http://news.yahoo.com/republicans-tone-down-benghazi-talk-as-elections-near-042821732.html>*

“The politics of Benghazi have shifted.”

*Sunshine State News: “Hillary Clinton Beating Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush in
Florida Poll”
<http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/blog/hillary-clinton-beating-marco-rubio-jeb-bush-florida-poll>*

“A poll released by Gravis Marketing on Friday shows Clinton cruising over
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in a potential 2016 match-up. Clinton takes
44 percent of voters in that scenario while Rubio lags behind with 35
percent. More than a fifth of voters -- 21 percent -- remain undecided.”

*Wall Street Journal: “GOP's Presidential Hopefuls Travel the World”
<http://online.wsj.com/articles/gops-presidential-hopefuls-travel-the-world-1409674483>*

“Possible 2016 contenders on the Democratic side are well-known for their
foreign-policy experience. Hillary Clinton has traveled much of the world
as the former secretary of state, first lady and senator from New York
serving on the Committee on Armed Services.

*Washington Post blog: In The Loop: “Biden? Not running, maybe just
strolling, in 2016”
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/in-the-loop/wp/2014/09/02/biden-not-running-maybe-just-strolling-in-2016/>*

“Well, after watching the disastrous Hillary Clinton memoir launch and
surveying the rest of the Democratic field, it only makes sense for Biden,
who’s run for president twice before, to do so some preliminary work now.”

*Washington Post: Maryland Politics: “O’Malley headed to Florida for a full
day of political events later this month”
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/omalley-headed-to-florida-for-a-full-day-of-political-events-later-this-month/2014/09/02/305d02ba-32ac-11e4-9e92-0899b306bbea_story.html>*

“The trip comes amid a busy period of travel for O’Malley, who has said he
is actively preparing for a potential presidential run regardless of
whether Hillary Rodham Clinton moves forward with a bid.”

*Wall Street Journal blog: Washington Wire: “Bill Clinton, Usher Team Up to
Raise Money for Michelle Nunn”
<http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2014/09/02/bill-clinton-usher-team-up-to-raise-money-for-michelle-nunn/>*

“Former President Bill Clinton, the last Democratic nominee to carry the
state of Georgia, is slated to attend a Sept. 13 fundraiser for Senate
candidate Michelle Nunn at the Atlanta home of the singer Usher.”

*Articles:*

*National Journal: “Where does Hillary Clinton Stand on Energy?”
<http://www.nationaljournal.com/policy/insiders/energy/where-does-hillary-clinton-stand-on-energy-20140902>*

By Clare Foran

September 2, 2014

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will deliver the keynote address
at this year's Clean Energy Summit in Las Vegas. The event, organized by
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, will take place Thursday.

Clinton is not an official contender for the 2016 presidential race. But as
the presumed Democratic front-runner, Clinton will be closely watched this
week, and her remarks should provide additional insight into her stance on
energy policy.

After sidestepping talk of the controversial Keystone XL oil-sands pipeline
in her book Hard Choices, Clinton expressed an inclination to tackle global
warming and voiced cautious support for fracking.

"The boom in domestic-energy production, especially in natural gas, created
major economic and strategic opportunities for our country," Clinton writes
in her book.

But, she adds, "There are legitimate climate-change concerns about the new
extraction practices and their impact on local water, soil, and air
supplies. Methane leaks in the production and transportation of natural gas
are particularly worrisome. So it's crucial that we put in place smart
regulations and enforce them, including not drilling when the risks are too
high."

What should we expect from Clinton during her energy address this week?
Will she echo her energy stance laid out in her book, or should we expect
her to tread any new ground? Are there energy topics she has not yet
addressed, but should? Where does Clinton stand on energy, and how
different or similar are her positions when compared with the current
administration?

*Yahoo: “Republicans tone down Benghazi talk as elections near”
<http://news.yahoo.com/republicans-tone-down-benghazi-talk-as-elections-near-042821732.html>*

By Meredith Shiner and Olivier Knox

September 2, 2014

[Subtitle:] With growing unrest in the Middle East and President Obama's
sinking popularity, Republicans fear Benghazi media "circus" could hurt
their 2014 electoral chances

Just four months ago, the future chairman of the House Select Committee on
Benghazi delighted core elements of the Republican base when he declared
that the panel would be probing “what appears to be a White House cover-up.”

 Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina said he had secret evidence proving that
President Obama’s administration had deliberately withheld key documents
from lawmakers looking into the Sept. 11, 2012 attack in the eastern Libyan
city.

"I have evidence that not only are they hiding it, there’s an intent to
hide it,” he told Fox News in May. “I can’t disclose that evidence yet, but
I have evidence that there was a systematic intentional decision to
withhold certain documents from Congress and we’re just sick of it.”

Now, with the 2014 mid-term elections fast approaching and the panel’s
first hearing slated for September, the former prosecutor from Spartanburg,
S.C., is taking a more tempered, bipartisan tone. He has declared that he
wants to avoid a media “circus.” Other House Republicans are sending out
similar signals, denying that their creation of the special panel ever was
political in nature.

“You want to get on the news, go rob a bank,” Gowdy told ABC News earlier
this month, after saying that he meant “no disrespect to the media.”

“If you take the approach, ‘Are we doing this to learn more and better
ourselves as a people? And be respectful of their sacrifice, then you won’t
let it become a circus,” he continued.

When the House voted in May to authorize the select committee, which could
cost taxpayers up to $3.3 million to operate, the media attention such a
panel was sure to draw was a huge part of the attraction for the
Republicans who pushed for it. They wanted a channel to attack President
Obama and the Democrats in the lead-up to the midterm election — so much so
that House Democrats weren’t even sure they wanted to appoint
representatives to the panel out of fear it would legitimize the GOP’s
charged rhetoric on the issue.

But the politics of Benghazi have shifted. Domestically, the GOP appears
poised to win back the Senate for the first time in nearly a decade, and
internationally, the foreign policy picture has become much more
complicated, with unrest in the Middle East growing dramatically since the
last election.

The September 11, 2012 attacks on two American facilities in the eastern
Libyan city of Benghazi left four Americans dead, including Ambassador
Chris Stevens. In the nearly two years since, Republicans have held up the
tragedy to argue that the Obama administration has failure to prosecute the
war on terrorism, and accused the president of fighting tooth and nail to
keep evidence of incompetence (or worse) from the public.

But a pair of reports from the House Armed Services Committee and the House
Intelligence Committee – both of which are run by Republicans – have
deflated many of the wildest allegations, with the intelligence panel
publishing its findings in early August. In turn, these fact-finding
operations have raised fresh questions about the purpose the special panel
can serve.

Gowdy, in a written statement to Yahoo News, declined to say whether he
would hold more public hearings than the first one, which is on a topic
suggested by one of the committee’s reluctant Democratic participants.

“Public hearings are only one part of the work of this committee. The main
work of an investigation involves much more outside the spotlight,” Gowdy
said. “Depositions and witness interviews, both of which are not public,
are more effective for gathering facts. The work of the committee will
continue throughout the fall, whether it includes more public hearings or
not.”

As American foreign policymakers grapple with a new set of challenges
across the Middle East, such as the rise of the brutal Islamic State in
Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), there seems to be more risk for the GOP in
looking political in their investigation.

Accordingly, House Republicans have publicly and privately worked to shore
up the bipartisan credibility of Gowdy’s investigation and banish all of
what one Republican aide called the “circus” surrounding past GOP probes.

“The timing is not completely right on this. There’s other stuff happening.
There is ISIS happening. The most important thing for Republicans is to be
careful with this. This could blow up in their face,” said John Feehery, a
former senior House Republican aide who is now president of QGA
Communications.

Republicans hope to draw in independents and turn out their base in large
numbers in November in their bid to defeat Democrats, who traditionally
vote in smaller numbers in mid-term elections. With the president’s
popularity already at a low ebb and the public unfazed by relatively good
economic news, the last thing Republicans should do, some strategists say,
is alienate potentially sympathetic voters or energize disaffected
Democrats with a fresh over-the-top hearing on the inflammatory topic of
Benghazi.

“Things are going pretty well for Republicans,” Feehery explained. “Why
screw it up? This is the time when you take the three (club) out but don’t
take the driver out.”

Gowdy has said he does not believe the committee will finish its work
before the midterm election. In order for the panel to continue its work
during the next Congress, the House would have to vote again to reauthorize
it. Given its cost and current existential predicament, though, that vote
might not be as easy in 2015 as it was in 2014.

That’s a long way from where Republicans were even in May, when Speaker
John Boehner of Ohio finally relented to rank-and-file pressure to create
the panel. Leadership had been reluctant to vote to form the committee.
Now, there may be no greater example of the shift in tone for Republicans
on Benghazi than Gowdy himself, who was once one of the most outspoken
advocates for going after the administration.

Where he once invoked secret evidence of a cover-up, the chairman has put
the rhetorical fireworks away and decreed that the committee’s first formal
hearing will focus on how well the State Department has implemented the 24
recommendations of the independent Accountability Review Board formed to
investigate Benghazi.

Whether the GOP can stop the “circus” it now seems so intent on preventing
remains an open question. One of the longstanding challenges this House
conference has faced is keeping its conservative, flame-throwing
rank-and-file membership in check. Just because Gowdy or Republicans
involved have changed their tune, does not mean others have—or have to.

Moreover, with millions of dollars allocated to the operation of the panel,
there’s still the need for Gowdy to produce some final product, beyond what
regular committees have done.

Democrat Adam Schiff of California, the member who came up with the idea
for the first hearing, told Yahoo News that while there seems to be an air
of bipartisanship to the select committee now, that could change if and
when Gowdy takes heat over the effectiveness — or lack thereof —of the
committee.

"The challenge will come down the road. I think there's going to be
enormous pressure on the chairman to deliver something to justify the time,
the expense of the select committee. Whether he can withstand that
pressure, or wants to withstand that pressure, will determine how the
committee is ultimately viewed," he said.

When asked whether it was a good idea for Democrats to participate in this
effort at all, Schiff’s answer was telling: "I guess time will tell whether
the committee is constructive and whether our participation on it helps it
be productive, or whether it degenerates into a circus."

*Sunshine State News: “Hillary Clinton Beating Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush in
Florida Poll”
<http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/blog/hillary-clinton-beating-marco-rubio-jeb-bush-florida-poll>*

By Kevin Derby

September 2, 2014, 7:09 a.m. EDT

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the heavy favorite for the
Democratic presidential nomination, starts off the 2016 election cycle with
the lead in the key swing state of Florida over two Republicans from the
Sunshine State.

A poll released by Gravis Marketing on Friday shows Clinton cruising over
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in a potential 2016 match-up. Clinton takes
44 percent of voters in that scenario while Rubio lags behind with 35
percent. More than a fifth of voters -- 21 percent -- remain undecided.

But Clinton’s lead is cut dramatically when former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla.,
is inserted as the Republican nominee. Clinton takes 39 percent in that
scenario with Bush right on her heels with 37 percent. The percentage of
undecided voters in that case rises to 24 percent.

The poll of 859 registered voters was taken from Aug. 14-24 and had a
margin of error of +/- 4 percent. Of those voters, 73 percent of them
identified themselves as “very likely” to vote while 17 percent said they
were “likely to vote” and 10 percent were “somewhat likely to vote.” Most
of the sample -- 80 percent -- was collected via phone but the remainder
came from Internet panels.

*Wall Street Journal: “GOP's Presidential Hopefuls Travel the World”
<http://online.wsj.com/articles/gops-presidential-hopefuls-travel-the-world-1409674483>*

By Heather Haddon

September 2, 2014, 12:14 p.m. EDT

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is set to make his second foreign trip as
governor beginning Wednesday, a three-day visit to Mexico that comes as he
and others considering running for president in 2016 are stepping up their
overseas travels.

While Mr. Christie's aides describe the trip as a trade and cultural
mission, it also reflects an increasingly wide selection of international
destinations for Republicans seeking to burnish their foreign-policy
credentials.

The current crop of 2016 Republican hopefuls have touched down in South
Korea, China, the Philippines and Guatemala, among other places. The new
itineraries reflect changing U.S. economic and diplomatic relationships,
analysts said.

"It provides very valuable perspective as you debate national issues," said
Kevin Madden, a GOP strategist who was a senior adviser for Mitt Romney's
2012 presidential campaign. "These candidates get exposed to how important
the American economy is and the issue of global competitiveness."

Among the open Republican field, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan is likely the
potential 2016 candidate with the most foreign travel. He has visited 31
countries since taking office in 1999. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is catching
up, though, having traveled to 16 countries since 2011. His list includes
Cuba, Colombia and Haiti.

In January, Mr. Rubio traveled to the Philippines, Japan and South Korea,
and delivered a hawkish speech that criticized China and North Korea and
advocated for the U.S. to increase its military presence in Asia.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is heading off Sept. 6 to China to meet business
leaders. In April, he met with government officials in the island nation of
Palau, a republic within Micronesia.

And while Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is known for an isolationist foreign
policy stance, he joined a delegation last month to Guatemala to provide
free eye care for the impoverished. Mr. Paul, an ophthalmologist, performed
surgery on the trip, though he also met with Guatemala's president and
brought three Senate aides with him.

"It was a medical mission," said Sergio Gor, a spokesman for Mr. Paul's
political organization. "While other folks may be traveling for other
reasons, the senator is very much in his element in the operating room."

Mr. Christie made his first international trip as governor to Israel and
Jordan in 2012. The Mexico trip developed after Mr. Christie was introduced
last year at Allen & Co.'s conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, to Mexican
President Enrique Peña Nieto.

Choosing to visit nations such as Mexico and Guatemala could raise qualms
among conservatives given the heated climate surrounding immigration
policy, said Keith Appell, a GOP strategist who works with conservative
candidates.

"Going to Mexico carries some risk. You are going to be asked about
immigration. You have to have an answer," Mr. Appell said.

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, a Republican, said that the changing
world gave national candidates a reason to diversify their travel list.

"I'm still a trans-Atlantic guy, but you can't avoid the reality of new
opportunities," Mr. Ridge said. "There are more relationships to be
nurtured and developed."

A spokesman for the Democratic National Committee declined to comment on
the recent travels of Republican candidates.

Possible 2016 contenders on the Democratic side are well-known for their
foreign-policy experience. Hillary Clinton has traveled much of the world
as the former secretary of state, first lady and senator from New York
serving on the Committee on Armed Services. Vice President Joe Biden has
traveled extensively as chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations and as the Obama administration's frequent point-person on
foreign affairs.

*Washington Post blog: In The Loop: “Biden? Not running, maybe just
strolling, in 2016”
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/in-the-loop/wp/2014/09/02/biden-not-running-maybe-just-strolling-in-2016/>*

By Al Kamen

September 2, 2014, 12:11 p.m. EDT

Vice President Biden is rousing the troops again.

He may have raised an eyebrow or two a couple months ago when he hopped
onto a conference call to touch base with many of the hundreds of his
former Senate, vice presidential and campaign staffs.

As we reported, he just wanted to say, “Hi, howahya,” to everybody. Biden
spoke for a few minutes, saying that he’d wanted to do something like that
for a couple of years and that he was sorry he hadn’t been able to keep up
with everyone. (It was a one-way chat; the callers were on mute.)

The call was organized via a Democratic National Committee e-mail invite
from Biden counselor Greg Schultz. He had been Ohio state director for the
Obama-Biden reelection camplaign and was Ohio deputy political director in
2008.

Sure, we were suspicious, but figured Biden was just being friendly.

But more eyebrows will likely be raised by the latest “Save the Date”
invite to Biden alumni from Schultz. This one is for a Sept. 16 gathering
of former Biden aides in both Delaware and here in Washington at 6 p.m.
Venue and other details coming soon, Schultz advised.

“This will be a great opportunity to reconnect with old friends and meet
other Biden Alumni from over the years,” Schultz said, reminding everyone
to fill out updated contact info.

Well, after watching the disastrous Hillary Clinton memoir launch and
surveying the rest of the Democratic field, it only makes sense for Biden,
who’s run for president twice before, to do so some preliminary work now.

Not that that’s what he’s doing, of course.

*Washington Post: Maryland Politics: “O’Malley headed to Florida for a full
day of political events later this month”
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/omalley-headed-to-florida-for-a-full-day-of-political-events-later-this-month/2014/09/02/305d02ba-32ac-11e4-9e92-0899b306bbea_story.html>*

By John Wagner

September 2, 2014, 10:45 a.m. EDT

Add Florida to Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s political itinerary.

O’Malley (D), who is weighing a 2016 White House bid, has a full day
scheduled Sept. 20 that includes fundraising meetings, campaigning for
Charlie Crist, the state’s Democratic nominee for governor, and an
appearance at a Democratic party reception, aides said.

The reception was noted in a save-the-date notice recently distributed by
the Palm Beach County Democratic Party, which is holding its annual
Truman-Kennedy-Johnson Dinner in West Palm Beach that night. O’Malley is
expected to address a pre-dinner reception at the event, an aide said.

The trip comes amid a busy period of travel for O’Malley, who has said he
is actively preparing for a potential presidential run regardless of
whether Hillary Rodham Clinton moves forward with a bid.

O’Malley’s travel schedule next month also includes a trip to New
Hampshire, the nation’s first presidential primary state. His Sept.
26appearance
at the Portsmouth City Democrats fall dinner will be O’Malley’s fourth
visit to the Granite State in 10 months.

O’Malley is also dispatching campaign staff to 2014 battleground states —
including New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina — to help fellow Democrats
in competitive gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races.

*Wall Street Journal blog: Washington Wire: “Bill Clinton, Usher Team Up to
Raise Money for Michelle Nunn”
<http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2014/09/02/bill-clinton-usher-team-up-to-raise-money-for-michelle-nunn/>*

By Beth Reinhard

September 2, 2014

Former President Bill Clinton, the last Democratic nominee to carry the
state of Georgia, is slated to attend a Sept. 13 fundraiser for Senate
candidate Michelle Nunn at the Atlanta home of the singer Usher.

The popular ex-president from Arkansas is filling an important role as a
Democratic headliner in Republican-leaning, southern states where President
Barack Obama receives low approval ratings. Mr. Clinton has also lent a
hand to Democratic Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes in Kentucky and
Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor.

In a midterm election in which the GOP is expected to make the biggest
gains, Ms. Nunn, who faces Republican nominee David Perdue, and Ms. Grimes,
who is running against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, are the
Democratic Party’s best hopes for winning seats previously held by
Republicans.

This is not the first time Ms. Nunn will join Mr. Clinton and Usher. In
2010, Ms. Nunn received an award for her charitable work as CEO of the
Points of Lights Institute and co-founder of the HandsOn Network from the
New Look Foundation, founded by Usher.  He and Mr. Clinton co-chaired the
event in Atlanta.

“Both in office and out, President Clinton has been a tireless advocate for
Georgia families and a force for consensus building and creative problem
solving in Washington,” Ms. Nunn said in a statement to The Wall Street
Journal. “I have been honored to work with him as CEO of President George
H.W. Bush‘s Points of Light Foundation, and I am very grateful to have his
support in this race.”

Ms. Nunn and Usher also worked together on recovery efforts after Hurricane
Katrina.

Polls on the race have been mixed. In the latest poll, conducted by
Landmark Communications for WSB-TV, Ms. Nunn led Republican nominee David
Perdue, 47% to 40%. A day before that poll’s release, Survey USA, in a poll
for WXIA-TV, found Mr. Perdue leading 50% to 41%.