Mediaboss Marketing

Story highlights

Clinton is backed by 42% of Democratic primary voters nationally, compared to 24% for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, 22% for Biden and 1% for former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley.

That's a marked improvement over an early September CNN/ORC poll that found Clinton leading Sanders, 37% to 27%, with Biden at 20%.

READ: The complete CNN/ORC poll results

And Biden's support comes almost entirely from Clinton's camp. Without the vice president in the race, Clinton's numbers climb by 15 percentage points, while Sanders' increase by only 4 points -- giving Clinton a nearly 2-to-1 lead at 57% to 28%, with O'Malley moving up to 2%.

While Clinton has led national polls, she has been found trailing in New Hampshire and at times in Iowa -- two key early voting states. And her downward trend nationally -- amid questions about her use of a private email server during her tenure as President Barack Obama's secretary of state -- has fueled speculation of a late Biden entry, and provided the vice president with an opening even as he grieves the death of his son Beau Biden.

Biden is still mulling a potential bid.

The poll surveyed 392 Democrats and independents who lean toward the Democratic Party from September 17-19 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 points.

It comes amid a late summer of bad polling news for Clinton's campaign -- which has struggled to put the email controversy behind it.

Clinton's strategy for addressing the emails has evolved in recent weeks. She's gone from joking about it and dismissing its relevance to apologizing for failing to use a government address for the first time.

Her struggles have been most evident in two early-voting states where the Democratic electorate is dominated by white, liberal voters: Iowa and New Hampshire.

A Monmouth University poll released last week showed Sanders ahead, 43% to Clinton's 36%, in New Hampshire. Polls show he took the lead in the Granite State in early August and hasn't relinquished it since.

In Iowa, the first poll that gave Sanders a lead came this month -- when Quinnipiac University showed him up 41% to 40%.

In an attempt to change her campaign's momentum, Clinton is in the middle of a series of sit-down interviews and media appearances. She appeared on Jimmy Fallon's late-night comedy show last week and was on CBS' "Face the Nation" with host John Dickerson on Sunday.

She has also attacked Republican presidential candidates over a series of controversial comments. Most recently, she hit retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson for saying he wouldn't support a Muslim for president, and that Islam is out of step with the U.S. Constitution.

See the original post here:
Poll: Hillary Clinton's lead over Bernie Sanders grows ...

Attaching herself to one of President Barack Obama's most consequential legislative achievements, Clinton will use events in Louisiana, Arkansas and Iowa to tout the controversial law's successes, offering a contrast to Republican presidential hopefuls who oppose the plan.

"As the latest census numbers show, the number of uninsured continues to fall and Americans are now seeing, hearing and feeling the full benefits of the Affordable Care Act," a Clinton campaign aide said Sunday, confirming what was first reported by The Washington Post.

Clinton feels that "protecting, defending and improving" Obamacare should be a "top issue" for her campaign, the aide added, and that is why they are pushing the issue now.

The former first lady has pledged to defend the law throughout the presidential race and routinely mentions that she failed to pass health care reform in the early 1990s.

"I still have the scars to show it," she said of the effort at a August event in Las Vegas.

At a forum in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Monday, Clinton will knock Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a GOP presidential candidate, for opposing Obamacare and declining to expand Medicaid, the aide said. Later that day, at an event in Little Rock, Arkansas, Clinton will hit Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson also for declining to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

Clinton will officially roll out her proposed changes to Obamacare on Tuesday during a community forum in Des Moines, Iowa.

Although Clinton regularly touts Obamacare -- she told a cheering audience in New Hampshire earlier this month that "the Affordable Care Act is here to stay" -- she has previously outlined aspects of the law that she doesn't support and would like to see changed.

The candidate has lately embraced addressing rising prescription drug costs by bargaining with drug companies for lower prices and examining the tax on the premium health care plans, something unpopular with political important unions.

"I would be the first to say if things aren't working, then we need people of good faith to come together and make evidence-based changes," Clinton said in February 2014.

The most concrete change Clinton has embraced is the law's small business mandate, which requires businesses with 50 or more full-time employees to offer health insurance of pay a penalty. At the same February speech Clinton endorsed addressing businesses "moving people from full-time work to part-time work to try to avoid contributing to their health care."

Clinton also suggested at a paid health care speech in October 2014 that people who disagree about Obamacare's medical device tax should be able to "begin to sort it out."

The medical device tax is a 2.3% excise tax created in part to fund Obamacare; it went into effect at the beginning of 2013. The tax, which helps fund the law, is unpopular with Democrats and Republicans alike, especially those with ties to the medical devices industry.

The Clinton campaign, as part of the health care push, will also urge their supporters to get involved by starting an online petition against the law's repeal.

Follow this link:
Hillary Clinton to tackle Obamacare - CNNPolitics.com

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, pictured here on Tuesday, March 3, has become one of the most powerful people in Washington. Here's a look at her life and career through the years.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Before she married Bill Clinton, she was Hillary Rodham. Here, Rodham talks about student protests in 1969, which she supported in her commencement speech at Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Rodham, center, a lawyer for the Rodino Committee, and John Doar, left, chief counsel for the committee, bring impeachment charges against President Richard Nixon in the Judiciary Committee hearing room at the U.S. Capitol in 1974.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton helps first lady Rosalynn Carter on a campaign swing through Arkansas in June 1979. Also seen in the photo is Hillary Clinton, center background.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Bill Clinton embraces his wife shortly after a stage light fell near her on January 26, 1992. They talk to Don Hewitt, producer of the CBS show "60 Minutes."

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

With Hillary, Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton waves to the crowd at his victory party after winning the Illinois primary on March 17, 1992.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Al Gore, Tipper Gore, Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton wave to supporters at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York, after they gave speeches on family values on August 23, 1992.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton gestures at a campaign rally November 3, 1992, in Denver. After taking office, President Clinton chose his wife to head a special commission on health care reform, the most significant public policy initiative of his first year in office.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Bill and Hillary Clinton have a laugh together on Capitol Hill in 1993.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton pours herself a cup of tea in 1993 while testifying to the Senate Education and Labor Committee about health care reform.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton speaks at George Washington University on September 10, 1993, in Washington during her husband's first term.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton waves to the media on January 26, 1996, as she arrives at federal court in Washington for an appearance before a grand jury. The first lady was subpoenaed to testify as a witness in the investigation of the Whitewater land deal in Arkansas.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Hillary Clinton looks on as President Clinton discusses the Monica Lewinsky scandal in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on January 26, 1998.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Hillary and Bill Clinton arrive at Foundry United Methodist Church on August 16, 1998, in Washington. He became the first sitting president to testify before a grand jury when he testified via satellite about the Lewinsky matter.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton shakes hands during a St. Patrick's Day parade in the Sunnyside neighborhood of Queens, New York, on March 5, 2000.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton waves to the crowd as she arrives on the stage at the Democratic National Convention on August 14, 2000, in Los Angeles.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton campaigns for a Senate seat October 25, 2000, at Grand Central Station in New York.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Hillary Clinton is sworn in as a senator of New York in a re-enactment ceremony with, from left, President Clinton, nephew Tyler, daughter Chelsea, brother Hugh Rodham, mother Dorothy Rodham and Vice President Al Gore on January 3, 2001, in Washington.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Andrew Cuomo, Eliot Spitzer and Clinton celebrate with a crowd of Democratic supporters after their wins in various races November 7, 2006, in New York.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton speaks during a post-primary rally on January 8, 2007, at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

The Clintons pay a visit to the 92nd annual Hopkinton State Fair in Contoocook, New Hampshire, on September 2, 2007.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton speaks at a campaign rally September 2, 2007, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She was running for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton addresses a question during a debate with other Democratic presidential candidate at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, on September 26, 2007. Also pictured are U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, left, and former U.S. Sen. Mike Gravel of Alaska.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Felipe Bravo, left, and Christian Caraballo are covered with Hillary Clinton stickers in downtown Manchester, New Hampshire, on January 8, 2008.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton campaigns in Council Bluffs, Iowa, with her daughter, Chelsea, on January 1, 2008, two days ahead of the January 3 state caucus.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton waves as she speaks to supporters at the National Building Museum on June 7, 2008, in Washington. After pulling out of the presidential race, Clinton thanked her supporters and urged them to back Barack Obama to be the next president of the United States.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Obama and Clinton talk on the plane on their way to a Unity Rally in Unity, New Hampshire, on June 27, 2008.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Obama watches Clinton address the Democratic National Convention on August 26, 2008. The two endured a long, heated contest for the 2008 nomination.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Sen. Charles Schumer, left, looks toward Secretary of State designate Clinton as Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Sen. John Kerry, center, looks on during nomination hearings January 13, 2009, on Capitol Hill.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton testifies during her confirmation hearing for secretary of state on January 13, 2009, in Washington.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton, as secretary of state, dances with a local choir while visiting the Victoria Mxenge Housing Project in Philippi, a township on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa, on August 8, 2009.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton looks through binoculars toward North Korea during a visit to an observation post July 21, 2010, at the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton walks up the steps to her aircraft as she leaves a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on July 23, 2010, in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Hillary and Bill Clinton pose on the day of their daughter's wedding to Marc Mezvinsky on July 31, 2010, in Rhinebeck, New York.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

U.S. President Barack Obama and Clinton observe a moment of silence before a NATO meeting November 19, 2010, in Lisbon, Portugal.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton listens as Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu makes a brief statement November 29, 2010, before a bilateral meeting at the State Department in Washington.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton shakes hands with a child during an unannounced walk through Tahrir Square in Cairo on March 16, 2011.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Clinton and members of Obama's national security team receive an update on the Osama bin Laden mission May 1, 2011, in the Situation Room of the White House.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton checks her personal digital assistant prior to departing Malta on October 18, 2011.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton dances while in Cartagena, Colombia, on April 15, 2012.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton enjoys a beer at Cafe Havana in Cartagena, Colombia, on April 15, 2012.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton appears with little makeup during an event in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on May 6, 2012. She tells CNN, "I feel so relieved to be at the stage I'm at in my life right now ... Because you know if I want to wear my glasses, I'm wearing my glasses. If I want to wear my hair back I'm pulling my hair back. You know at some point it's just not something that deserves a lot of time and attention."

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton speaks as Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai listens during a news conference at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, on July 7, 2012.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton arrives at Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel on July 15, 2012.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton looks on as Obama makes a statement in response to the attack at the U.S. Consulate in Libya on September 12, 2012.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton applauds Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a ceremony where Suu Kyi was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal on September 19, 2012.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Bill Clinton kisses his wife after introducing her at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting on September 24, 2012, in New York City.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Clinton shakes hands with Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, while attending a reception with Prince William, second from right, in New York in December.

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Hillary Clinton's career in the spotlight

Democratic presidential candidate, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton gestures before speaking to supporters Saturday, June 13 on Roosevelt Island in New York, in a speech promoted as her formal presidential campaign debut.

More:
Jimmy Fallon, Hillary Clinton perform Trump skit ...

During a campaign stop in Iowa on Monday, Hillary Clinton was asked twice about Bernie Sanders: Once by a 20-year-old college student who wanted to know Clinton's views on him, and another time by a local reporter who asked if she was worried about him as he gains in the polls.

In response, Clinton told the student that there will be "plenty of time to draw contrasts in the future. She told the reporter that no, shes not worried. And she told both of them that shed like, instead, to focus on the Republicans.

She did all of this, by the way, without ever mentioning her democratic challenger's name -- not even once.

For months, Clinton, 67, has refrained from criticizing any of her democratic challengers, choosing instead to attack the Republican presidential candidates for, what she says are, their out of touch and out of date policies. But as Sanders, the fiercely liberal, 74-year-old Vermont senator, once thought to be a long-shot, has started surging in the polls, questions are growing about when, and if, Clinton will have to start actually challenging him directly.

Asked by a reporter about him earlier this month in New Hampshire, Clinton said: "Its certainly clear my campaign is focused on the Republicans. Thats who I talk about, that is who I criticize. And when asked about their differences on Monday, Clinton suggested she would bring them up during the Democratic debate next month.

Sanders, who is admired for being a political outsider, likewise refuses to attack Clinton on the campaign trail, and does not speak negatively about her on the email issue. However, when asked, he is very quick to outline differences between the two of them on policy issues.

"I want to see the minimum wage raise over a period of years to $15 an hour - she has not been clear on that, Sanders said during a recent interview at the University of Virginia. "I am opposed to the construction of the keystone pipeline - Hillary Clinton has not voiced an opinion on that. I believe we should expand social security not cut them - Hillary Clinton doesnt have a position on that. So, I think its fair to say that we like each other, we respect each other. We have different opinions on some of the major issues facing our country.

Clintons campaign declined to respond to this remark from Sanders, and did not offer any further comment regarding their strategy for dealing with him.

For now, they say, the message within the campaign remains the same: Continue with the plan as planned and dont engage.

(This strategy, however, which is meant to make her seem as the formidable frontrunner, can only last so long. Next month the Democrats have their first presidential primary debate, and Clinton will have no choice but to draw contrasts.)

This has been a tough summer for Clinton. The democratic presidential candidate has seen a significant drop in her poll numbers. According to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll, she is now supported by 42 percent of Democrats, down from 63 percent in July. And shes down 29 points in her support among women.

Sanders, on the other hand, has seen a massive surge. Hes generating huge crowds and filling up stadiums as he campaigns across the country. And although hes still trailing Clinton in national polls, he is steadily closing in on her. A recent NBC News/Marist poll showed him with a 9-point lead over Clinton in New Hampshire.

Clinton, whose campaign has always tried to tamper any notions of inevitability that have often surrounded her, says shes not surprised by Sanders surge that she always expected a competitive primary. Even so, Clinton continues to ignore the Vermont senator, something that is becoming glaringly obvious as he develops into more of a threat.

Clintons rhetoric in public also does not seem to match the conversations happening behind the scenes.

A recent Politico article reports on the growing number of donors urging Clinton to take on Sanders more publicly. The Wall Street Journal reports on the message Clintons campaign chairman John Podesta has relayed to supporters about the months ahead (Its going to be bumpy, friends.) And the New York Times has reported on big-name, white knight democrats waiting in the wings to save the party in case Clinton really stumbles.

In addition, Clintons super-PAC, Correct the Record, has started to circulate negative attacks on Sanders, according to an email sent to the Huffington Post a sign there is growing concern in Clinton-world.

Meanwhile, Clinton is increasing her media appearances and trying to find new ways to highlight her personality out on the trail.

While Clintons decision to ignore Sanders is on one hand a strategy to keep her appearing as the frontrunner. It is, as Clinton would argue, also a testament to a point the democratic candidate repeats often on the campaign trail: That first and foremost, she wants to see a Democrat in the White House come 2017.

Alexander Fox, the 20-year-old college student who asked Clinton about her views on Sanders when she visited his university on Monday in Iowa, seemed to understand and accept this point, despite wishing she had drawn some contrasts.

I feel like I didnt get an answer on specifics, but then again Ill probably have my answer within the month when the debate rolls around, Fox, who said he is still undecided between Clinton and Sanders, told ABC News. I feel like shes also not trying to be slanderous towards him in any way.

ABC News Mary Alice Parks contributed to this report.

Here is the original post:
Hillary Clinton: Why She Continues to Ignore Bernie ...

Hillary Clinton has reached new levels with her attacks on Donald Trump.

During a campaign stop at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa on Monday, the Democratic presidential candidate mocked Trumps Make America Great Again stump speech by doing her best impression of the billionaire Republican presidential front-runner.

In front of a crowd of college students, Clinton first went after the seriousness of Trumps candidacy.

I have to admit, Donald Trump is entertaining," she conceded.

Trump is often criticized by his opponents for promising big results without explaining the policies he would use to achieve them. Clinton, who refers to Trump as the "flamboyant front-runner," expressed mock regret that she couldn't follow his lead.

"I have to say, I kind of wish I had this same sort of mentality," she said.

Clinton then launched into a brutal imitation of Trumps campaign rhetoric.

Oh, listen, I dont need to tell you anything. When I get there, peace will be breaking out everywhere, prosperity will be raining down upon you, we will have the new age," she said, pretending to be the Donald.

Clinton concluded her assault on real estate mogul by saying "Well, I would like to do that. But I dont think that is how a great democracy makes its decisions about who will lead us.

ABC News' Cristina Ochoa contributed to this report.

Continued here:
Hillary Clinton Does Her Best Donald Trump Impression ...