Mediaboss Marketing

Bill and Hillary Clinton teamed up with Arizona Sen. John McCain at the start of an annual meeting of college students on Friday, putting on stage a former president, a onetime Republican presidential nominee and perhaps a future White House candidate.

The former secretary of state, who is considering a White House campaign, opened the Clinton Global Initiative University at Arizona State University by encouraging students to use their talents and skills to solve problems both big and small.

"We are going to make sure the millennial generation really is the participation generation," Clinton said to cheers.

As the former first lady and New York senator weighs a presidential campaign, the summit of students brought together plenty of political wattage. Mr. Clinton, who served two terms in the White House, moderated a panel on civic participation that featured McCain, who sought the presidency in 2000 and 2008, losing in his second campaign to Barack Obama.

The former president used the occasion to needle the Republican lawmaker, joking that McCain was a "good friend of Hillary's and mine, although we permit him to deny it at election time."

During a discussion of the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, McCain returned the favor, crediting Clinton for his decision to intervene in Bosnia during his presidency. "I think you made the right decisions," McCain said.

More than 1,000 students representing about 300 colleges and universities gathered for the weekend conference. Participating students pledge to carry out service projects and ventures aimed at addressing problems across the globe. Policy sessions on the agenda included ways of improving health care, immigrant and refugee rights and the environment.

But beyond the altruism, presidential politics wasn't far from the surface.

Bill Clinton was the last Democrat to win Arizona since Harry Truman in 1948. Obama's re-election campaign considered an aggressive push here because of the state's influx of Latinos and young voters but decided to focus on more competitive states. Many Democrats say the state could be a battleground in 2016, when the former first lady could be at the top of the ticket.

During their panel discussion, McCain sought to make light of his own presidential campaign, thanking the former president for "mentioning I ran for president."

See the article here:

Hillary Clinton Urges Students to Participate

TEMPE, Ariz.A young woman asked Hillary Clinton the question so many people want answered and found a way to phrase it that made it difficult for the former secretary of state to duck.

Mrs. Clinton, if you dont represent women in politics in America as future president, who will? the woman asked.

Mrs. Clinton, her husband and daughter were on stage at Arizona State University, taking part in panel discussion Saturday tied to the Clinton Global Initiative charitable project.

The young crowd in the campus auditorium shouted their approval and stood and applauded, as Mrs. Clinton smiled broadly.

TV late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel, who was moderating the discussion, jumped in.

To add to that, when you do run for president will you use the old Clinton campaign lawn signs? he asked.

Mrs. Clinton said, Look, I am very much concerned about the direction of our country. And its not just who runs for office, but what they do when they get there.

She then tried to segue into the importance of empowering young people. But Mr. Kimmel wouldnt let her off the hook.

She wants an answer! he said.

Im getting to it, Mrs. Clinton replied.

Read the original post:

Hillary Clinton: Judge Presidents on Their Records

(CNN) - Hillary Clinton on Saturday spoke to an audience of thousands of college students in Arizona about the economic uncertainty facing their generation and the importance of education.

The former senator and secretary of state spoke at the Clinton Global Initiative University conference at Arizona State University, a weekend of speeches, panels, and seminars that address higher education and other issues facing young voters.

Clinton stuck to an agreeable message she has taken to many college campuses across the country: Education is critical as a way to rise up and better oneself.

"Education still remains the key to unlocking opportunity for individuals, for families, communities, and even countries," she said. "It remains the route out of poverty and into a better life with a rising income."

Clinton, the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, has been making more public appearances lately, including a number on college campuses - with more visits scheduled this year. Although she has not said whether she will run in 2016, Clinton seems to be testing the waters, and young voters would be key to winning the nomination or presidency.

While Clinton is a popular figure among millennials, those born in the early 1980s and into the 2000s, many see her as part of the old guard. Only 49% believe she has new ideas, with 40% saying she does not, according to a USA Today/Pew survey. That perception played a part in young voters' overwhelming preference for Barack Obama - 14 years Clinton's junior - in the 2008 Democratic primaries.

In Saturday's address - as she has in other speeches - Clinton tried to break down that notion and speak to young voters' experiences.

"Here in the United States, we are struck by some quite unfortunate realities," she said, discussing the 6 million Americans between 16 and 24 years old who are neither employed nor in school. She also highlighted the higher unemployment rates for young college graduates - over 8%, a point and a half higher than the national average - and those without a high school degree - 26%.

Part of the effort to reach out to younger voters also has involved Clinton opening up, taking "selfies" and joining Twitter. She continued to reveal a more personal side Saturday, even sharing the story of her first job as a park supervisor, at age 13.

"I was thrilled, I felt so excited to have this job," she said. But, too young to drive a car, she had to figure out how to get all the equipment she needed from her house to the park, four miles away.

Link:

Hillary Clinton talks jobs, economy to millennials

TEMPE, AZ - Hillary Rodham Clinton told a group of enthusiastic college students Saturday that she is "very much concerned about the direction of our country" but was still deciding whether to pursue another presidential campaign.

During a forum at the Clinton Global Initiative University, Clinton fielded a question from a young woman who asked, "If you don't represent women in politics in America as a future president, who will?"

More than 1,000 students roared with approval and applauded while former President Bill Clinton smiled, whispered into TV host Jimmy Kimmel's ear and clapped along.

The former first lady said she appreciated the sentiment but was still deciding.

"I am very much concerned about the direction of our country and it's not just who runs for office but what they do when they get there and how we bring people together and particularly empower young people so we can tackle these hard decisions," Clinton said.

Kimmel playfully interjected, "She wants an answer!" Clinton smiled and asked the woman to "give me your name and number." The woman responded, "I will proudly run your campaign!"

Clinton smiled and said she was "obviously thinking about all kinds of decisions."

The exchange came during a wide-ranging interview of the Clintons and their 34-year-old daughter, Chelsea. The host of "Jimmy Kimmel Live" jokingly asked the former first lady, "If you do run for president, will you reuse the old Clinton campaign lawn signs?"

The interview covered light topics like how the Clintons met at Yale Law School, the family's favorite TV shows -- the former president said they enjoyed PBS's "Antiques Roadshow" -- along with their upbringing and policy issues.

Diving into the thorny issue of climate change, Hillary Clinton said young people understand the significant threat of global warming and that she hoped there would be a mass movement that demands political change.

Follow this link:

Hillary Clinton: Still considering future plans

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during the presentation of the Hillary Rodham Clinton Awards for Advancing Women in Peace and Security at Georgetown University, February 25, 2014 in Washington, D.C. Win McNamee, Getty Images

Nearly one in five Americans (18 percent) say that if former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were to win the 2016 presidential election, the most positive part of her presidency would be her status as the first female president, according to a new Gallup survey.

That's twice as many who said Clinton's experience -- which includes her time as secretary of state, a U.S. senator and the first lady -- would be the best part of her presidency.

From March 15-16, Gallup surveyed Americans about the best and worst aspects of a potential Clinton presidency. The poll has a 4 percent margin of error.

Nearly half of respondents didn't give a substantive answer about the best part of her theoretical presidency, while nearly half didn't have a substantive answer about the worst part. That's in large part because the majority of Republicans didn't say what the best part would be, while the majority of Democrats didn't say what the worst part would be, according to Gallup.

No single issue stood out as the worst part of a potential Hillary Clinton administration. Six percent of Americans said she is not qualified or would not succeed as president. Four percent said they don't want a woman president, while another 4 percent said her winning in the first place would be the worst part. Three percent said she is dishonest, while another 3 percent said that the worst thing about her presidency would be having former President Bill Clinton back in the White House.

2014 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Read the original:

Hillary Clinton's top selling point? Not experience