CNN: Hillary Clinton Trying To Have It Both Ways On Iran
CNN: Hillary Clinton Trying To Have It Both Ways On Iran (March 20, 2014)
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CNN: Hillary Clinton Trying To Have It Both Ways On Iran - Video
Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks at a student conference for the Clinton Global Initiative University at Arizona State University, Friday, March 21, 2014, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) - Looking out to a theater full of motivated college students, Hillary Rodham Clinton said their generation showed great promise as "open-minded and tolerant" Americans ready to step forward for an important cause.
"We are going to make sure the millennial generation really is the participation generation," Clinton said in a speech at Arizona State University, hosting more than a 1,000 students for the annual Clinton Global Initiative University conference.
As she considers a 2016 presidential campaign, Clinton has appeared at colleges packed with students who could help power a second White House bid. In 2008, Clinton wasn't their first choice during the Democratic primaries; young voters supported Barack Obama by wide margins. So if there is another campaign, their backing could prove instrumental.
At universities, Clinton often appeals to young voters' idealism and encourages civic participation. She also raises the kind of powerful symbolism - her potential breakthrough as the first female president of the United States - that helped propel Obama's history-making campaign to become the nation's first black president.
Clinton's allies are setting up a voter outreach operation that could enable her to connect with young voters and build upon the Obama campaign's success in courting women, African-Americans, Latinos and gays and lesbians.
This time, they say, will be different.
"I don't think you're going to have this contrast in a Democratic primary that you had in 2008. I think there will be a ton of enthusiasm" for a potential Clinton candidacy, said Mitch Stewart, a former Obama campaign aide who now advises Ready for Hillary, a super political action committee that's building support for a potential 2016 race.
"If she were decide to run, there would be an historic element to her candidacy as well that I think young people would want to be a part of," he said.
The annual Clinton university event featuring former President Bill Clinton and the Clintons' 34-year-old daughter, Chelsea, offered a window into the enthusiasm that the ex-secretary of state might tap into if she runs for president again.
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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."
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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.
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(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.
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