WFB #39;s Alana Goodman Discusses Hillary Clinton #39;s "Shadow Money" on The Blaze TV
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WFB's Alana Goodman Discusses Hillary Clinton's "Shadow Money" on The Blaze TV - Video
Hillary Clinton for President? (VOA On Assignment Mar....
Will she, or won #39;t she? VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone joins On Assignment #39;s Alex Villarreal to discuss the possibility of a 2016 presidential run by ...
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Hillary Clinton for President? (VOA On Assignment Mar.... - Video
Hillary Clintons ambitious endeavor to reform the healthcare system in 1993 required some bare-knuckled politics, and aides to the former first lady were blunt about the political stagecraft required to get things done as they guided her through the early months of the effort.
The primary goal of a two-day healthcare hearing in March of 1993 would be to inoculate ourselves from charges that we are refusing to listen to all those groups out there that want input, aides Alexis Herman and Mike Lux told Clinton in a memo. The communique was included among thousands of pages of new documents released by The Clinton Library and the National Archives on Friday.
Optics were critical. The hearing should be two long days starting at 8 a.m. and ending at 8 p.m., aides told Clinton. There was to be no lunch break either day: We want to give the impression of driving determination to hear everyone out. You, Mrs. Gore, or a cabinet secretary should be there at all times with multiple people listening as much as is possible, Herman and Lux wrote in the Feb. 10 memo to Clinton. The document was withheld from earlier disclosure under the Presidential Records Act because it contained confidential advice.
Even though our primary goal is political inoculation, we should not lose the opportunity for some public education, they told Clinton, whose healthcare effort ultimately failed. Some testifiers should be average people with horror stories, middle class families worried about the future, and senior citizens. These average people should testify during those periods when we believe more people will be watching.
For maximum effect, the aides argued, Clintons remarks should be paired at the start and end of the hearing with real peoples stories. At the same time, they stressed the importance of making time for relatively minor players who werent needed in larger panels but deserved a say.
Consistent with the first batch of archived documents released two weeks ago, memos released Friday show Clintons attention to preparing for her meetings on Capitol Hill and how she and her staff studied the records of key lawmakers as she sought to manage competing egos and win legislators over.
In an extensive briefing memo on then-Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), Clinton aide Chris Jennings noted that Stark could be extremely difficult but would play a pivotal role: It is therefore imperative, Jennings wrote, that we maintain as close and constructive a relationship with him as is possible.
Introducing California Rep. Henry Waxman as the other nuts and bolts healthcare subcommittee chairman, Jennings noted that he was a strong advocate for his point of view but had a better concept of where to draw the lines and a greater willingness to negotiate.
If handled right, Jennings told Clinton, Chairman Waxman can be counted on to be a strong ally for us on Capitol Hill.
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Aides to Hillary Clinton in 1993: No lunch, and show 'driving determination'
Aug. 12, 2013: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks to the American Bar Association Annual Meeting.AP
Bill Clinton's advisers, midway through his tenure as president, urged him to aggressively fight back against Republican criticism, and particularly to defend "the honor" of then-first lady Hillary Clinton -- with one strategist saying Democrats were too "chicken----" to do it.
The cascade of political advice was contained in the 4,000 pages of Clinton-era documents released Friday by the National Archives. The documents cover everything from the 2000 presidential election recount to health care to Democrats' pounding in the 1994 midterm elections.
But among the most pointed memos was one from adviser Paul Begala to senior adviser Donald Baer. In it, Begala called for Clinton to "defend the honor of the First Lady" in his 1996 State of the Union address.
"The Republicans are attacking her without compunction, in part because they know the Democrats are too chicken---- to retaliate," he wrote. "So it's left to the President."
At the time, Hillary Clinton was facing several investigations over various controversies, and still dealing with the fallout from the administration's failed attempt at health care reform. Begala recommended that then-President Clinton include a line in his speech saying the criticism would be "more fairly directed at me by more candid and courageous critics."
The president did not include such a line in his address, though he did thank the first lady, whom he called "a wonderful wife, a magnificent mother and a great first lady."
The documents, which the National Archives began to release last month, continue to reveal behind-the-scenes tidbits about how the Clinton White House dealt with myriad challenges and scandals -- the documents are receiving close attention considering Hillary Clinton's potential interest in a 2016 White House bid.
A first wave of documents released in February provided insight into the Clinton administration's concern over the failed health care overhaul plan, which Hillary Clinton helped lead, and showed how advisers to the first lady tried to shape her public image.
The latest set shows advisers also urging the president not to take the blame after his party's midterm losses and instead to hit back hard. Preparing for Clinton's 1995 State of the Union speech, Begala said the president should change his tone regarding Democratic losses in the midterm elections.
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Clinton Files: Strategist urged president to defend Hillary's honor, said Dems 'chicken----'
Conventional wisdom -- and even some unconventional wisdom -- dictates that Hillary Clinton is running for president in 2016.
In this Jan. 27, 2014 file photo, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
A universe of super PACs and other organizations has been built -- and staffed by former Clinton operatives -- to prepare the way for Hillary 2016. (To understand how fully formed these efforts are, make sure to read Mark Halperin's terrific piece in Time this week.)
And yet, running through all of these preparations is a current of uncertainty about whether the former first lady, senator and top diplomat will, you know, actually run. The thinking is that Clinton would never let efforts this extensive go forward if she, in her heart of hearts, wasn't planning to run. But that, like most of what we think we know about Clinton and her plans, is based not on facts but on interpretation. Clinton has been remarkably reticent about the possibility of running, although -- it's worth noting -- she has never ruled out a bid.
One thing that everyone -- those who want Clinton to run and those who don't -- agrees on is that she has simply not made up her mind on the race yet and likely won't for some time. (Our guess for an announcement about her future? Around this time next year.) So, what happens if she decides not to run?In a word: Chaos. For three reasons:
1. There is a panoply of ambitious Democrats who watched Barack Obama leapfrog them in 2008 and won't want to miss their opportunity this time around.
2. If Clinton announced on March 1, 2015, there would only be 10 months before the calendar turned to 2016. Given how much her candidacy -- or at least her decision-making about her candidacy -- has and will continue to freeze the field, there would be a mad scramble for donors, activists and key consultants in early states the likes of which we haven't seen in modern presidential history.
3. There is no obvious front-runner in a Clinton-less field. Vice President Biden would be the nominal favorite for the nomination, but you could also make a credible case for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo or Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren or even New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand to occupy that space.
One other impact of Clinton taking a pass on the race: It would strengthen Republicans' chances of winning the White House while simultaneously changing the nature of the discussion in the GOP primary. If Clinton runs, one of the narratives of the GOP race will be which of the Republican candidates is best positioned to beat her. (Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee is already making that argument -- to decidedly mixed results.) At the same time, the lack of a Clinton-level figure on the Democratic side would mean that the general election would start as essentially a toss-up.
To be clear, we still expect Hillary Clinton to run. But, if she doesn't, the Democratic race for the nomination in 2016 could be one for the ages.
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What happens if Hillary Clinton doesnt run for president? Chaos.