Subject: Correct The Record Saturday January 24, 2015 Roundup
From: Burns Strider <[email-masked]>
To: CTRFriendsFamily <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 12:42:23 -0500
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*​**Correct The Record Saturday January 24, 2015 Roundup:*

*Headlines:*

*MSNBC: “Democrats opt for earlier convention”
<http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/democrats-opt-earlier-convention>*

“Presumed Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton has personal ties to both
New York, where she served as senator and currently has a home, and
Pennsylvania, where she vacationed as a child and scored a key win in the
2008 Democratic primary.”

*CNN: “Mitt Romney is beating Hillary Clinton at Facebook”
<http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/23/politics/mitt-romney-is-beating-hillary-clinton-at-facebook/index.html>*

“Hillary Clinton, the presumed Democratic Party front-runner for the 2016
presidential nomination, doesn't have her own Facebook page.”

*ABC News: “Sarah Palin on 2016: 'Of Course' She's Interested”
<http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/sarah-palin-2016-shes-interested/story?id=28433415&singlePage=true>*

“Just before she heads to Iowa for the first major conservative showcase of
the 2016 election cycle, Sarah Palin said ‘of course’ she’s interested in
the 2016 presidential election.”

*The Hill blog: Ballot Box: “Trump: I would have beaten Obama”
<http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/230627-trump-i-would-have-beaten-obama>*

“‘I was leading in every poll. ... I regret that I didn't stay in,’ Trump
told the Des Moines Register in an interview Friday. ‘I would've won the
race against (President Barack) Obama. He would've been easy. Hillary
(Clinton) is tougher to beat than Obama, but Hillary is very beatable.’”

*Articles:*

*MSNBC: “Democrats opt for earlier convention”
<http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/democrats-opt-earlier-convention>*

By Alex Seitz-Wald

January 23, 2015, 1:37 p.m. EST

The Democratic National Committee announced Friday that the party’s 2016
presidential nominating convention will be held the week of July 25, 2016,
though the location has not yet been announced.

“This is the next step to finalize where and when we will nominate the 45th
President of the United States, highlight the Democratic Party’s agenda of
fighting for expanded opportunity and contrast it with the Republican
Party’s commitment to the fortunate few,” said DNC Chair Rep. Debbie
Wasserman Schultz. “We are still in discussions with three excellent cities
and are looking forward to a diverse and inclusive convention that displays
our party’s values.”

The GOP plans to host its convention from July 18 to 21 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Democrats had been debating whether to hold their convention immediately
after Republican event, or wait until August after the 2016 Summer Olympics
in Rio.

But ultimately Democrats felt it would be better to respond immediately to
the Republican convention, rather than let several weeks pass. Presidential
candidates typically get a small bump in their polling numbers from the
multi-party showcase, so Democrats hope to blunt any Republican bonus and
leave their own candidate riding high while heading into the fall. An
earlier convention also allows presidential candidates to tap into campaign
money reserved for the general election earlier.

The party have yet to choose, however, which city will host the convention.
They are still considering three cities — New York, Philadelphia, and
Columbus, Ohio. Democrats say all three cities have a good shot and are
still actively negotiating final contracts with the DNC ahead of a final
decision, which likely to come in February before the DNC’s Winter Meeting.

Wasserman Schultz is making visits to each of the three finalists cities
next week to review logistics. She’ll visit Columbus on Monday,
Philadelphia on Wednesday, and New York on Friday. The visits are quick and
closed to the press.

All three cities have strong arguments in their favor. New York City, which
is proposing the first ever convention in Brooklyn, notes that the location
could help energize crucial millennial voters. And the commerce capital
would have no problem raising as much money as needed. But transportation
and security could be more difficult than in other cities.

Philadelphia offers a swing-state location with historic resonance, thanks
to its prominent role in the founding of the American Republic. Money had
been a concern, but organizers say they’ve secured the necessary funds,
including putting millions in an escrow account for the bid.

Columbus, meanwhile, is the largest city in arguably the most important
swing state in the country, and Republicans’ decision to locate their
convention in Ohio has partisans of the city saying Democrats need to
respond in kind. The city is less well known to coastal Democrats, but has
a compact, walkable downtown that would make getting around the fortified
convention area a little bit easier.

Presumed Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton has personal ties to both
New York, where she served as senator and currently has a home, and
Pennsylvania, where she vacationed as a child and scored a key win in the
2008 Democratic primary.

But Ed Rendell, the former governor of Pennsylvania and DNC chairman, who
is leading Philadelphia’s bid, said he didn’t think Clinton would be
involved. “I think Hillary would frankly be comfortable with any of the
choices,” he told msnbc. “I don’t think she’s going to play a significant
role in the selection process.”

Some Democrats have raised concerns about New York’s bid following tensions
between police and Mayor Bill de Blasio. “It’s something that’s probably
given the DNC pause, but I don’t think it will be determinative. It’s
something the DNC would weigh,” Rendell said.

*CNN: “Mitt Romney is beating Hillary Clinton at Facebook”
<http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/23/politics/mitt-romney-is-beating-hillary-clinton-at-facebook/index.html>*

By Ashley Codianni

January 23, 2015, 1:28 p.m. EST

So, this is surprising.

Hillary Clinton, the presumed Democratic Party front-runner for the 2016
presidential nomination, doesn't have her own Facebook page.

Currently, when you search Hillary Clinton on Facebook, you get a "topics"
page:

This is a far cry from the official public figure pages that both Mitt
Romney and Jeb Bush are operating:

Yes, Hillary Clinton has a page for book "Hard Choices." But that presumes
all her Facebook activity is limited to the goal of selling books, which we
can all bet isn't quite true.

"I am obviously thinking about it," Clinton said of running for president
in April at a marketing summit in San Francisco.

Compared to the pool of possible 2016 contenders, Hillary Clinton's book
page (at the time of this writing) has 46,469 "likes." Mitt Romney, on the
other hand, amassed a significant fan base on Facebook during the 2012
election cycle, reaching more than 11 million "likes."

Recently, Romney's activity on the page has spiked with speculation that me
might take a third run for president in 2016. Since September, he's posted
everything from the ice bucket challenge with his former vice presidential
nominee Rep. Paul Ryan, to behind-the-scenes Thanksgiving photos and family
grandbaby announcements. He was also quick to provide his own State of the
Union reaction and post about March for Life -- signaling his return to the
political conversation.

Jeb Bush, who doesn't have nearly the following of Romney but still higher
than Clinton's book page, falls at 150,876 "likes." He, like Romney, is
using both Instagram and Facebook to communicate his position on tax
reform, State of the Union and promoting his Rise to Right PAC with a short
native video.

But how do Clinton, Romney and Bush stack up against each other in overall
engagement on Facebook?

According to data provided by Facebook, a snapshot of activity on Dec. 24,
2014, shows 11,377 people were talking about Hillary Clinton, with a total
of 15,339 interactions: likes, comments and shares. Flash-forward to this
week, Jan. 21, 2015, and 874,812 were talking about her, with a new total
of 1, 472,100 interactions -- an increase of more a million engaged users.

Since declaring his interest to run in 2016, the conversation around Mitt
Romney has skyrocketed, exceeding the engagement and interest in Clinton. A
snapshot from Dec. 24, 2014, shows that only 1,658 people were talking
about Romney on the platform. A later snapshot from Jan. 21, 2015, shows
that more than a million people, 1,100,060, were talking about Romney. In
just under a month, that's an increase of 1,098,402 people talking about
him. As for his engagement, the number of people posting, sharing and
liking content related to Romney has also increased significantly, by a
whooping 1,816,611 in that same time period.

Bush has also experience an increase in Facebook chatter and interaction,
but nothing compared to the numbers of Clinton and Romney. On Dec. 24,
2014, Bush experienced 8,493 interactions. By Jan. 21, 2015, his
interactions had increased to 312,267 -- a jump of 312,774.

With a total 1.85 billion total Facebook users in the United States, it's
no question Facebook will play a key role in engaging users in 2016. But it
also begs the question, if Clinton is serious about running, why hasn't she
developed her own Facebook fan page?

*ABC News: “Sarah Palin on 2016: 'Of Course' She's Interested”
<http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/sarah-palin-2016-shes-interested/story?id=28433415&singlePage=true>*

By Shushannah Walshe

January 23, 2015, 1:47 p.m. EST

Just before she heads to Iowa for the first major conservative showcase of
the 2016 election cycle, Sarah Palin said “of course” she’s interested in
the 2016 presidential election.

“Yeah, I mean, of course, when you have a servant’s heart, when you know
that there is opportunity to do all you can to put yourself forward in the
name of offering service, anybody would be interested,” Palin told ABC
News' Neal Karlinsky while serving wild boar chili to the homeless in Las
Vegas Thursday.

When asked again if she could be “possibly” interested in a presidential
campaign, she answered, “We definitely had enough of seeing that -- America
has had enough of seeing that -- sign on the Oval Office door saying, 'No
Girls Allowed.' I know that.”

While serving up bowls to those gathered in line, the former Alaska
governor clarified, “It doesn’t necessarily have to be me, though, but no,
America is definitely ready for real change.

“It doesn't have to be myself, but yes ... happy to drive that competition,
because competition will make everyone better and produce more and be more
candid regarding their solutions they will offer this country. I am very
interested in that competitive process and, again, not necessarily me.”

Palin was in Las Vegas for the annual Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade
Show and made a side trip to serve the chili at the Salvation Army in
downtown Las Vegas. She was joined by her daughter, Bristol Palin, and they
both wore hats and aprons advertising The Sportsman Channel, where Palin
hosts “Amazing America with Sarah Palin.”

Palin will be one of many big Republican names and possible presidential
candidates in the Hawkeye State Saturday for the Iowa Freedom Summit, a
conservative confab hosted by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa. Others taking the
stage include New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker,
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former Sen. Rick
Santorum of Pennsylvania, and former neurosurgeon and conservative star Ben
Carson.

When asked about the familiar names already popping up in the potential GOP
primary, including Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush, neither of whom will attend
the Iowa Freedom Summit, the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee quipped, “I
can’t wait for new energy.” She added there had “better be a competition
and not a coronation,” making it clear she thinks that’s the only way
Republicans can beat Hillary Clinton, if the former first lady and
secretary of state emerges as the Democratic nominee.

“Big competition, and that competition in the GOP ... will surface that
candidate who can take on Hillary, be ready for Hillary and show the nation
what it is going to take to get the country back on the right track --
because we can't afford status quo, because status quo lately has been
Latin for, 'We are getting screwed,' and status quo has got to go,” she
said.

As for who she wants to see as that “right candidate,” she described the
person as someone who will “turn things around, someone who will, in some
respects, I don’t know, maybe be considered a bit avant garde, to the
establishment anyway, because this next person has got to realize this is
war, this is war for our hunters’ future.

“I want to help find that candidate that realizes that [their standing in
the next election is] not what matters, that’s not what is at stake,” Palin
said. “What's at stake is our children and our grandchildren’s future.”

Palin even weighed in on the “ready for” campaigns, while not specifically
referring to “Ready for Hillary” or “Ready for Warren.”

"[I] wonder what are our friends in the White House think when their peeps
are out there trucking around chirping we are ready for change, for someone
else," Palin said. "You wonder what they think they are going to accomplish
in the next two years if even their own people are going, ‘Man, this isn't
working. We need change.’”

Palin added she doesn’t believe 2016 is “going to be about the
establishment on either side of the aisle.”

*The Hill blog: Ballot Box: “Trump: I would have beaten Obama”
<http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/230627-trump-i-would-have-beaten-obama>*

By Jessica Taylor

January 24, 2015, 9:30 a.m. EST

Real estate mogul Donald Trump says the 2012 presidential race would have
turned out differently if he had been on the ballot.

The reality television star is dipping his toe back into the presidential
waters on Saturday, speaking at the Iowa Freedom Summit. Now, he’s
bemoaning that he didn’t jump in last time around.

"I was leading in every poll. ... I regret that I didn't stay in," Trump
told the Des Moines Register in an interview Friday. "I would've won the
race against (President Barack) Obama. He would've been easy. Hillary
(Clinton) is tougher to beat than Obama, but Hillary is very beatable."

The host of NBC’s “The Apprentice” says if he runs in 2016, money won’t be
an issue since he’ll be be self funding. The wealthy businessman says he’ll
make a decision before June, and though he’s toyed with a White House bid
several times before, this time he’s “strongly inclined to do so.”

Trump was critical of two frontrunners who won’t be at the Iowa
conservative gathering on Saturday— 2012 nominee Mitt Romney and former
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

"He failed. He choked. He's like a deal-maker that didn't close the deal.
He shouldn't be running again. He had a great opportunity to win against a
president that was absolutely lame, and he didn't do it,” Trump said of
Romney, who has surprised many by floating a third possible bid for the
White House.

Of Bush, Trump said it was time for new blood from GOP presidential
candidates.

"Frankly we've had enough of the Bushes,” he said. “We're bushed out."

*Calendar:*

*Sec. Clinton's upcoming appearances as reported online. Not an official
schedule.*

·  February 24 – Santa Clara, CA: Sec. Clinton to Keynote Address at
Inaugural Watermark Conference for Women (PR Newswire
<http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hillary-rodham-clinton-to-deliver-keynote-address-at-inaugural-watermark-conference-for-women-283200361.html>
)

·  March 4 – New York, NY: Sec. Clinton to fundraise for the Clinton
Foundation (WSJ
<http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/01/15/carole-king-hillary-clinton-live-top-tickets-100000/>
)

·  March 19 – Atlantic City, NJ: Sec. Clinton keynotes  American Camp
Association conference (PR Newswire <http://www.sys-con.com/node/3254649>)

·  March 23 – Washington, DC: Sec. Clinton to keynote award ceremony for
the Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting (Syracuse
<http://newhouse.syr.edu/news-events/news/former-secretary-state-hillary-rodham-clinton-deliver-keynote-newhouse-school-s>
)