Hillary (& Bill) Clinton

excerpts from the Iowa Daily Report

official draft Hillary website:

November 1-15, 2003

Clinton campaigned for Mayor John Street according to NY Daily News: Saying he knows "quite a bit about Republicans investigating Democrats," former President Bill Clinton led a raucous campaign rally for embattled Mayor John Street yesterday, four days ahead of the election. Clinton slyly compared his impeachment to the FBI investigation of the Street administration, saying Republicans in Washington "ought to be investigating [Street's] public record, because it's a lot better than theirs." (11/01/2003)

Hillary Dreaming

CBS’s Up to the Minute program reported on how the recent Washington Post-ABC News Poll shows Hillary still the best Democrat option to beat Bush. The news report also mentioned that Hillary’s fund-raising efforts make it possible for her to still get in the race. Hillary’s friends stated she wants to concentrate on getting her negatives down and winning reelection to the Senate. (11/03/2003)

He costs too much

The Seattle Times reports that Bill Clinton cost more than he raised for a local charity: “A charity fund-raiser for Seattle Hebrew Academy and two local arts groups, which brought former President Clinton to town, was a financial bust — though not for the 42nd president. The September event at Marion McCaw Hall cost organizers $290,000 but brought in just $288,000, according to organizers — a shortfall of $2,000 sponsors blamed on sluggish ticket sales.” (11/04/2003)

Doh!

Another Hillary embarrassing moment. As a lawyer, Hillary knows the first important rule of lawyering: Don’t ask a question you don’t know the answer to. Well, she violated that in a Senate hearing on Head Start. She wanted the testing of four year olds to be delayed because it was biased against urban children. The bias mentioned was asking urban children to pick the picture of a swamp from four possibilities. The director for the program responded to the supposed bias question, according to the Washington Times:

Wade F. Horn, assistant secretary for families and children at the Department of Health and Human Services, which has oversight of Head Start, says there's no reason for the national test to get bogged down over some pictures. First of all, the "swamp" question comes directly from a Head Start test developed during the Clinton administration, he said.... Second, when Head Start 4-year-olds were asked in 2001 to "point to swamp," "urban children were slightly more likely to get that item correct than rural children," said Mr. Horn, noting that 22.4 percent of urban children picked the right picture, compared with 20.2 percent of rural children. "So much for the urban-bias theory," he said. (11/05/2003)

Hate her or love her

Susan Sarandon seems to be in the pity column regarding Hillary: "Hate her! ... The only thing she's going to be remembered for is standing by her man, and that is really sad." -- Susan Sarandon, on Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the latest Index magazine (New York Daily News, via Wake-Up Call!)  (11/8/2003)

Hillary, Oh, Hillary

What is this about Hillary running? I thought that was in the past. I guess not for the New York Daily News:

“With none of the Democratic presidential wanna-bees rising out of the teens in national polls, some political experts are theorizing that it could happen - Sen. Hillary Clinton gets into the race…. "If nobody ... solidifies a position by mid-March, I think you are going to find a real surge and opportunity for someone like Hillary," said Donald Robinson, a professor of government at Smith College. (11/9/2003)

Appeal to Chinese

Former President Bill Clinton was in China calling on the famous planning ability of the Chinese to take on the problem of Aides in their country. He stressed that Aides is a much bigger problem than Sars for their country. (11/10/2003)

Another Iowa visit

Iowa is a frequent place where future Presidential candidates visit. This weekend Iowa Democrats will not only have $100,000 of worth of campaign signs hung at the annual Jefferson/Jackson Day Dinner -- they will also have Hillary Rodham Clinton as their toastmaster.

Back channel clatter from the Presidential campaigns is that the campaigns are worried that she will steal the show. Some campaign aides are not saying nice thing about their big star Hillary.

The Iowa Democratic party has turned down a request from a Florida group -- with the title of ‘Draft Hillary’ -- for booth space. Now, why was it that the Presidential candidates were upset about Hillary’s showing up?

Hillary will do three cash grabs for the Iowa Democratic Party -- one for an Iowa congressman, one for her own Senate re-election, and two in Illinois. (11/12/2003)

Hillary’s flirting

Iowa’s Des Moines Register columnist David Yepsen writes about Hillary Clinton’s flirting with the nation’s Democrats by attending Iowa Dems’ big hoopla event this weekend:

If you take her at her word - that she's not a candidate for president in 2004 - then the only plausible explanation for taking such a high-profile role is that she's sending the signal: Keep me in mind for something else, like 2008. She's a smart politician who knows exactly the telegraphy she's performing just by appearing in Iowa at an event like this… About 3,000 Democratic leaders and foot soldiers will be in the hall Saturday night, and every one of them will be taking her measure as a presidential candidate - how does she stack up against the announced presidential candidates? Better? Worse? Could she be the Democratic standard-bearer someday?

Hillary is going to make it clear that she is not running for President in her hosting the event she says. Right, that’s the reason you are in Iowa? (11/13/2003)

Bill the “Stud Muffin”

A Chinese clothing manufacturer of suits wants to give Bill Clinton $2 million to represent them, according to CNN’s Hot Topics:

“Our suits match Clinton's character and personality," Wang Zhen, an official at Fapai Xifu Co., said Thursday in a telephone interview.

There is no telling what part of the suite fits Clinton’s personality, but I would check to make sure the zippers work. (11/13/2003)

Bad manners

Bill Clinton continues to do what no President has done here-to-fore. No it is not about sex, it is about continuing to be President when you are not. Reuters reports that President Clinton announced a new direction for American foreign policy while visiting Seoul, S. Korea.

"I would include an agreement between the United States and North Korea on non-aggression because I don't think our country would ever be aggressive against anyone who did not violate an agreement first," Clinton said. "I don't think that we'd lose that much by giving them an agreement that requires good conduct on their behalf," he said. (11/14/2003)

Competing with Hillary

Democrat candidates will have to compete with Hillary for attention Saturday and here’s how they hope to accomplish that:

Six of the party's presidential candidates will be searching for their share of the spotlight Saturday, and will spend the day leading up to the dinner spread across the state campaigning.

Rocker Melissa Etheridge will perform for Howard Dean supporters at a school in Des

Moines.

Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts will spend Saturday morning playing hockey with Des Moines firefighters.

Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina will tailgate with University of Iowa fans in Iowa City prior to the Minnesota football game.

Hundreds of Dick Gephardt's supporters will knock on doors in Des Moines, with a goal of visiting 10,000 homes.

Meanwhile, Hillary will be selling her book. (11/14/2003)

Hillary’s in town

Hillary is in Des Moines, Iowa and all the real candidates for President are competing for airtime, but most of the media oxygen is being sucked up by Hillary. When she arrives she will go to Veterans Auditorium for the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner. She will then attend two closed, hors d'oeuvre events with donors. First is the 150 people who donated $1,000 apiece, then the 500 who donated $300 each.

Hillary is scheduled to spend the night at Terrace Hill, the Iowa Governor's mansion. It is her first time sleeping over in the Governor’s mansion. After an early morning breakfast with Gov. Vilsack and his wife, she is heading to two more fund-raisers - one for U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell and one for her hosted by Des Moines lawyer Jerry Crawford - and the 12:30 p.m. Borders book signing.

Hillary was asked in an interview by Iowa Public Radio when was the last time she was in Des Moines and she couldn’t remember when it was that she was last in Iowa. She did recount that she was in early grade school when she first visited Iowa with her parents from her Iowa bordering home state of Illinois.

Hillary is no stranger to the Jefferson Jackson Day Dinner. Hillary and Bill Clinton attended the Jefferson-Jackson dinner in the fall of 1991, even though they knew Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin was the favorite son. (11/15/2003)

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