Subject: Correct The Record Friday December 5, 2014 Afternoon Roundup
From: Burns Strider <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2014 13:58:23 -0500
List-Id: <CTRFriendsFamily.americanbridge.org>

Correct The Record Friday December 5, 2014 Afternoon Roundup:

 

Headlines:

 

MSNBC: “Progressives urge New Hampshire Dems to wait on endorsing Clinton”

“The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), which is closely aligned with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, has a hired an organizer to work full time in New Hampshire ahead of the state’s first-in-the-nation Democratic presidential primary in 2016. But, with Warren unlikely to run for the White House, the group isn’t supporting any specific candidate.”

 

Washington Post blog: Post Politics: “George W. Bush: Hillary Clinton is like ‘my sister-in-law’”

“CNN's Candy Crowley asked Bush during an interview published Friday where that leaves Hillary Clinton: ‘My sister-in-law!’ the president responded light-heartedly.”

 

The Hill blog: Ballot Box: “George W. Bush: ‘No question’ Hillary formidable, but Jeb wins”

“Former President George W. Bush agrees that Hillary Clinton is ‘formidable’ but says that his brother Jeb would beat her in a presidential race.”

 

New York Times: First Draft: “A Pro-Clinton ‘Super PAC,’ Ready for Hillary, Is in Debt”

“According to disclosures filed late Thursday with the Federal Election Commission, the group [Ready for Hillary] had $875,626 in the bank on Nov. 24, but also owed a $1 million loan from Amalgamated, the union-tied bank that is the lender of choice for Democratic candidates, parties and super PACs.”

 

America Rising: “Hillary Clinton: U.S. Should Empathize With Our Enemies”

“Earlier this week, Hillary Clinton spoke at Georgetown University about ‘smart power’ in international politics. So what does ‘smart power’ mean to the former Secretary of State? Empathizing with our enemies.”

 

 

Articles:

 

MSNBC: “Progressives urge New Hampshire Dems to wait on endorsing Clinton”

By Alex Seitz-Wald

December 5, 2014, 8:07 a.m. EST

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), which is closely aligned with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, has a hired an organizer to work full time in New Hampshire ahead of the state’s first-in-the-nation Democratic presidential primary in 2016.

But, with Warren unlikely to run for the White House, the group isn’t supporting any specific candidate. In fact, it’s hoping to convince Democrats and union leaders in the state not to support anyone for the moment, in order to build a non-aligned coalition that can pressure all candidates to adopt a populist economic agenda.

Adam Green, the group’s co-founder, said the PCCC is telling New Hampshire Democrats to “keep your powder dry, don’t rush.”

It’s a clear, if unstated, response to the early strength of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who is far ahead in every poll of the Democratic 2016 field and already has an infrastructure of supporters and outside groups in place. Ready for Hillary, a super PAC supporting a potential Clinton candidacy, has had an organizer on the ground in New Hampshire since the spring.

But Green said his group’s effort should not be read as anti-Clinton. In fact, he suspects and hopes to attract some Granite State Democrats who are predisposed to supporting Hillary Clinton, but nonetheless see value in withholding an endorsement so as to pressure Clinton to adopt a bolder economic vision.

“There is power in coalition. If many others are rushing to endorse, it could be lonely to stand there and ask presidential candidates what they actually think about issues and if they’ll campaign on bold economic populist ideas,” Green explained. “But if many elected officials keep their powder dry together, then there’s a cogent strategy to press all presidential candidates.”

That populist agenda includes expanding Social Security benefits, reforming Wall Street and making college more affordable.

The group’s newly hired New Hampshire organizer, Don Weigel, is already in the state and plans to lead meetings with every major Democratic and union leader in the state, as well as with progressive organizations, over the next three weeks before the holidays. Weigel has worked on campaigns and for progressive groups all over the country, including stints as the executive director of Colorado’s House Majority Project and as the executive director of the Georgia House Democratic Caucus.

 

 

Washington Post blog: Post Politics: “George W. Bush: Hillary Clinton is like ‘my sister-in-law’”

By Jose A DelReal

December 5, 2014, 10:16 a.m. EST

Former President Bush has spoken at length about his close ties to former President Bill Clinton, at times calling him his "brother from another mother."

CNN's Candy Crowley asked Bush during an interview published Friday where that leaves Hillary Clinton: "My sister-in-law!" the president responded light-heartedly.

When asked about a potential Jeb Bush versus Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign, the former president conceded they would both be formidable candidates but insisted his brother — his real brother — would win.

"I think he'd beat her," he told Crowley. "Absolutely."

The Texas Republican has publicly prodded his brother Jeb Bush, who is the former governor of Florida, to enter the 2016 presidential contest. Brother Jeb says he is thinking over the possibility but is hesitant to enter the race because of the personal toll a rigorous campaign could take on his family.

Hillary Clinton has also publicly declared that she is considered throwing her hat in the ring but has not come to a decision yet, despite early signs that a campaign infrastructure in Clintonland is developing.

 

 

The Hill blog: Ballot Box: “George W. Bush: ‘No question’ Hillary formidable, but Jeb wins”

By Peter Sullivan

December 5, 2014, 12:30 p.m. EST

Former President George W. Bush agrees that Hillary Clinton is "formidable" but says that his brother Jeb would beat her in a presidential race.

In a clip of a CNN interview posted Friday, host Candy Crowley says of Clinton, "She's formidable."

“Very much so, no question, so is he though," Bush replies, referring to Jeb Bush.

When asked if his brother could run against Clinton, Bush said, "Yeah and I think he'd beat her."

Jeb Bush has been weighing a presidential run, and said this week that he will make a decision "in short order." His former president brother has been encouraging him to run.

George W. Bush also has a well-known friendship with former President Bill Clinton. Asked in the CNN interview if Bill Clinton is his "brother from another mother," what is Hillary, Bush joked, "My sister-in-law."

Bush said of Bill Clinton last month, "I'll still like him when Jeb beats Hillary."

Jeb Bush has already taken a shot at Hillary Clinton, calling out her comment that businesses don't create jobs, as "breathtaking." Clinton later corrected the comment to say she was reffering to tax cuts for businesses.

 

 

New York Times: First Draft: “A Pro-Clinton ‘Super PAC,’ Ready for Hillary, Is in Debt”

By Nicholas Confessore

December 5, 2014, 10:58 a.m. EST

The pro-Hillary Rodham Clinton “super PAC” Ready for Hillary has won over tens of thousands of small contributors, built a finance committee that includes hundreds of big-name Democratic donors, and raised more than $11 million since it was founded early last year.

But as of Thanksgiving, Ready for Hillary was also in debt. According to disclosures filed late Thursday with the Federal Election Commission, the group had $875,626 in the bank on Nov. 24, but also owed a $1 million loan from Amalgamated, the union-tied bank that is the lender of choice for Democratic candidates, parties and super PACs.

The loan, which was incurred in early October, will be used to help expand the organization’s grass-roots organizing for Mrs. Clinton. The group is likely to show robust small-donor fund-raising in the coming months.

“This investment, used to fund our massive post-midterms direct mail program, will pay dividends from now until Hillary announces her decision” on whether to run for president again, said Seth Bringman, a spokesman for the group.

According to the filings, Ready for Hillary also raised about $900,000 between late September and late November and spent about $1.8 million, including more than 40 contributions of cash or staff time to other Democratic candidates or state or local party committees.

Many of those contributions went to parties or local candidates in states that would be pivotal in any 2016 primary contest: Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.

Mr. Bringman said the group had also encouraged its donors to give directly to 21 Democratic candidates backed by Mrs. Clinton in the midterm elections and to the party’s gubernatorial and congressional campaign committees.

 

 

America Rising: “Hillary Clinton: U.S. Should Empathize With Our Enemies”

[No Writer Mentioned]

December 5, 2014

Earlier this week, Hillary Clinton spoke at Georgetown University about “smart power” in international politics. So what does “smart power” mean to the former Secretary of State? Empathizing with our enemies.

“This is what we call smart power: using every possible tool and partner to advance peace and security, and leaving no one on the sidelines, showing respect, even for one’s enemies, trying to understand and insofar as psychologically possible empathize with their perspective and point of view. …”

Take a minute and try to empathize with the ruthless dictators that have murdered thousands of their own people. We’ll wait.