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For the first time since 1928, both major parties will have open contests for the Presidential nomination without a sitting President or Vice President in the running. Politics1 presents a "first look" at those people being mentioned as possible, likely, speculative, or draft candidates for President in 2008.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
(Campaign site)

See also: Political positions of Hillary Rodham Clinton

Hillary Rodham Clinton, born October 261947, in Illinois, U.S. Senator from New York and former First Lady of the United States. Clinton announced the formation of her exploratory committee on January 202007, with a post on her website.[1] She has delivered several speeches intended to reach out to moderates, according to analysts. She has also been holding fundraising meetings, including meeting with women from Massachusetts, a key constituency of potential rival and 2004 nomineeJohn Kerry; however, these activities are consistent with the lead up to a campaign for re-election to her Senate seat in 2006. If elected, Clinton would be the first female president. Clinton announced on January 202007, that she will run in 2008 (the same day she announced the formation of an exploratory committee). She has filed the official paperwork for an exploratory committee.[2] She placed first in theNew Hampshire primary on January 82008 and placed first in the Nevada caucuseson January 19 but fell one delegate short of Barack Obama. She placed first in theFlorida primary on January 292008, but was awarded no delegates, due to a prior ruling of the party unseating the state representatives because of the early date.



 Hillary Clinton 

A MAJOR DEMOCRATSCANDIDATE:

Hillary Clinton US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (New York)

STATUS: ANNOUNCED CANDIDATE. 

Click here to view our detailed profile of Senator Clinton.

Hillary Clinton and Mike Huckabee (ABC News)

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Hillary on The Issues



Hillary's Story

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/about/

Hillary was raised in a middle-class family in the middle of America. From that classic suburban childhood in Park Ridge, Illinois, Hillary went on to become one of America's foremost advocates for children and families; an attorney twice voted one of the most influential in America; a First Lady of Arkansas who helped transform the schools; a bestselling author; a First Lady for America who helped transform that role, becoming a champion for health care and families at home and a champion of women's rights and human rights around the world.

Since her path-breaking election to the United States Senate, Hillary has been a steadfast advocate for middle-class families, working to help create jobs, expand children's health care and protect Social Security from privatization. As the Senator representing New York after 9/11, Hillary has fought to strengthen our approach to homeland security and to improve our communications and intelligence operations. As the first New Yorker ever named to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Hillary has been a tough critic of the administration's bungling of Iraq and a fierce advocate for proper equipment, health benefits, and treatment for military families.

Growing Up in Illinois


The promise of America was very real as Hillary was growing up. She learned that no matter who you are or where you're from, if you worked hard and played by the rules, you could provide a good life for your family.

Hillary's father, Hugh Rodham, was the son of a factory worker from Scranton, Pennsylvania. He trained sailors in the Navy during World War II and then returned to Illinois to start a small business selling draperies. He taught Hillary both a deep sense of patriotism and a strong belief in fiscal responsibility. He never took a dime of credit and was so frugal that he used to turn the heat off overnight during the winter to save money, waking up early to turn it back on so the house would be warm when everyone woke up.

Hillary's mother, Dorothy, the daughter of a firefighter, had a tough childhood. Her parents were young and felt unable to care for their children. So when Dorothy was just eight, she and her three-year-old sister traveled alone on a four-day train ride to Los Angeles. There they were raised by a strict grandmother. It was not until Dorothy was a teenager and worked as a helper to another family that she finally knew what a loving family could be. The stories of her mother's difficult childhood imbued in Hillary a fierce sense of justice and a belief that no child should be mistreated and that every child deserves to be loved.

The life that Hugh and Dorothy created for Hillary and her two brothers was a classic 1950s middle-class suburban childhood. Park Ridge in those days was the kind of place where everyone left their doors unlocked and the neighborhood kids all played on the block together. Hillary was a Brownie and then a Girl Scout. She started her political life as a Republican, like her father. She even volunteered as a Goldwater girl!

Faith was central to her family. Her mother taught Sunday school, and Hillary was a regular in her church youth group. She was deeply influenced by her youth minister who taught her about "faith in action." There were trips to the inner city, babysitting for the children of migrant farm workers, and an extraordinary night when Hillary was fourteen and her youth group went to hear a speech by Martin Luther King Jr.

Mother and Advocate

Hillary went to Wellesley College, where she was chosen by her classmates to be the first-ever student commencement speaker. She talked about the tumultuous times that her generation was living through and said, "The challenge now is to practice politics as the art of making what appears to be impossible, possible."

Next came Yale Law School, where Hillary focused on questions about how the law affected children and began her decades of work as an advocate for children and families. As a law student, Hillary represented foster children and parents in family court and worked on some of the earliest studies creating legal standards for identifying and protecting abused children. Following graduation, she became a staff attorney for the Children's Defense Fund.

After serving as only one of two women lawyers on the staff of the House Judiciary Committee considering the impeachment of Richard Nixon, Hillary chose not to pursue offers from major law firms. Instead she followed her heart and a man named Bill Clinton to Arkansas. They married in 1975 and their daughter Chelsea was born in 1980.

Hillary ran a legal aid clinic for the poor when she first got to Arkansas and handled cases of foster care and child abuse. Years later, she organized a group called Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. When she was just 30, President Carter appointed her to the board of the United States Legal Services Corporation, a federal nonprofit program that funds legal assistance for the poor.

When Bill was elected Governor of Arkansas, Hillary continued to advocate for children, leading a task force to improve education in Arkansas through higher standards for schools and serving on the board of the Arkansas Children's Hospital, helping them expand and improve their services. She also served on national boards for the Children's Defense Fund, the Child Care Action Campaign, and the Children's Television Workshop.

She also continued her legal career as a partner in a law firm. She led the American Bar Association's Commission on Women in the Profession, which played a pioneering role in raising awareness of issues like sexual harassment and equal pay. Hillary was twice named one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America.


First Lady

When her husband was elected President in 1992, Hillary's work as a champion for women was recognized and admired around the world. She traveled the globe speaking out against the degradation and abuse of women and standing up for the powerful idea that women's rights are human rights.

In the White House, Hillary led efforts to make adoption easier, to expand early learning and child care, to increase funding for breast cancer research, and to help veterans suffering from Gulf War syndrome who had too often been ignored in the past. She helped launch a national campaign to prevent teen pregnancy and helped create the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, which moved children from foster care to adoption more quickly. Thanks in part to her efforts, the number of children who have moved out of foster care into adoption has increased dramatically.

As everyone knows, Hillary's fight for universal health coverage did not succeed. But her commitment to health care for every American has never wavered. She was instrumental in designing and championing the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which has provided millions of children with health insurance. She battled the big drug companies to force them to test their drugs for children and to make sure all kids get the immunizations they need through the Vaccines for Children Program. Immunization rates dramatically improved after the program launched.

Hillary's 1995 book It Takes A Village, about the responsibility we all have to help children succeed, became an international best seller. Hillary has donated the proceeds -- more than a million dollars -- to children's causes across the country.

Hillary's autobiography, Living History, was also a best seller. It has been translated into 12 languages and sold over 1.3 million copies.

United States Senator



In 2000, Hillary was elected to the United States Senate from New York. As Senator, Hillary has continued her advocacy for children and families and has been a national leader on homeland security and national security issues.

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Hillary worked with her colleagues to secure the funds New York needed to recover and rebuild. She fought to provide compensation to the families of the victims, grants for hard-hit small businesses, and health care for front line workers at Ground Zero. And she continues to work for resources that enable New York to grow, to improve homeland security for New York and other communities, and to protect all Americans from future attacks.

She is the first New Yorker ever to serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee, working to see that America's military has the necessary resources to protect our national security. She has visited troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and at Fort Drum in New York, home of the 10th Mountain Division and other New York bases, as well as at Walter Reed Military Hospital. She has learned first-hand the challenges facing American combat forces. Hillary passed legislation to track the health status of our troops so that conditions like Gulf War Syndrome would no longer be misdiagnosed. She is an original sponsor of legislation that expanded health benefits to members of the National Guard and Reserves and has been a strong critic of the Administration's handling of Iraq.

But Hillary has recognized that we can't ignore our problems at home while we face challenges overseas. She has introduced legislation to tie Congressional salary increases to an increase in the minimum wage, because she believes if America's working people don't deserve a raise, neither does Congress. She has supported a variety of middle-class tax cuts, including marriage penalty relief, property tax relief, and reduction in the Alternative Minimum Tax, and supports fiscally responsible pay-as-you-go budget rules. She helped pass legislation that encouraged investment to create jobs in struggling communities through the Renewal Communities program. She has championed legislation to bring broadband Internet access, which is so important in today's information economy, to rural America.

In the Senate, Hillary has not wavered in her work to expand quality affordable health care to more Americans. She worked to strengthen the Children's Health Insurance Program, which increased coverage for children in low income and working families. She authored legislation that has been enacted to improve quality and lower the cost of prescription drugs and to protect our food supply from bioterrorism. She sponsored legislation to increase America's commitment to fighting the global HIV/AIDS crisis, and is now leading the fight for expanded use of information technology in the health care system to decrease administrative costs, lower premiums, and reduce medical errors.

Her strong advocacy for children continues in the Senate. Some of Hillary's proudest achievements have been her work to ensure the safety of prescription drugs for children, with legislation now included in the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act, and her legislation to help schools address environmental hazards. She has also proposed expanding access to child care. She has passed legislation that will bring more qualified teachers into classrooms and more outstanding principals to lead our schools.

Hillary has been a powerful advocate for women in the Senate. Her commitment to supporting the rights guaranteed in Roe v. Wade and to reducing the number of abortions by reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies was hailed by the New York Times as "frank talk...(and) a promising path." Hillary is one of the original cosponsors of the Prevention First Act to increase access to family planning. Her fight with the Bush Administration ensured that Plan B, an emergency contraceptive, will be available to millions of American women and will reduce the need for abortions.

Hillary is strongly committed to making sure that every American has the right to vote in fair, accessible, and credible elections. She introduced the Count Every Vote Act of 2005 to ensure better protection of votes and to ensure that every vote is counted.

In 2006, New Yorkers reelected Hillary to the Senate with 67 percent of the vote.

Hillary Clinton- The Issues

Hillary's Plan to Rebuild the Road to the Middle Class

Hillary has a plan to restore America's middle class. After six and a half years of Bush administration policies, the middle class is struggling to succeed in an economy that is leaving more and more Americans behind.

Income inequality has risen to the highest levels since 1929, and wages have stagnated. In the meantime, health care premiums and college tuition have skyrocketed, squeezing middle class families who have largely relied on their home equity to make ends meet. The burgeoning problems in the housing market further threaten many middle class families.

Understanding that a vibrant middle class is essential to America's prosperity, Hillary will implement a broad set of policies to once again restore opportunity for all Americans.

Hillary's economic blueprint to restore the American middle class includes:


As president, Hillary will:


  1. Lower taxes for middle class families by: extending the middle class tax cuts including child tax credit and marriage penalty relief, offering new tax cuts for healthcare, college and retirement, and expanding the EITC and the child care tax credit.
  2. Harness the power of innovation to create high wage jobs of the 21st Century. Investments in alternative energy can create new jobs for the 21st century; expanded access to broadband will bring opportunities to underserved and disadvantaged communities; the manufacturing base can be re-energized through creative partnerships; and increased government support for research will stimulate the development of new technologies and life-saving medicines. Hillary will restore integrity to science policy, reversing Bush administration policies that are holding our nation back.
  3. Empower our workers and ensure that all Americans contribute their fair share. Hillary will ensure that unions, which have played an important role in forming and sustaining the middle class, are strong. She will also ensure that trade policies work for average Americans. Trade policy must raise our standard of living, and they must have strong protections for workers and the environment.
  4. Restore the basic bargain. Hillary will restore the basic bargain that if Americans work hard and take responsibility, government will do its part to make sure they have the tools to get ahead.
  5. Return to fiscal responsibility. After six and a half year of President Bush's fiscal irresponsibility, Hillary wants America to regain control of its destiny. She will move back toward a balanced budget and surpluses. Hillary believes that we should develop a set of budget rules similar to those we had in the 90s which required us to fund new expenditures with new revenues or cuts in other areas.
American Health Choses Plan

Hillary's American Health Choices Plan covers all Americans and improves health care by lowering costs and improving quality. It speaks to American values, American families, and American jobs.

It puts the consumer in the driver's seat by offering more choices and lowering costs. If you're one of the tens of million Americans without coverage or if you don't like the coverage you have, you will have a choice of plans to pick from and that coverage will be affordable. Of course, if you like the plan you have, you can keep it.


  • Affordable: Unlike the current health system where insurance premiums send people into bankruptcy, the plan provides tax credits for working families to help them cover their costs. The tax credits will ensure that working families never have to pay more than a limited percentage of their income for health care.
  • Available: No discrimination. The insurance companies can't deny you coverage if you have a pre-existing condition.
  • Reliable: It's portable. If you change or lose your job, you keep your health care.

If you have a plan you like, you keep it. If you want to change plans or aren't currently covered, you can choose from dozens of the same plans available to members of Congress, or you can opt into a public plan option like Medicare. And working families will get tax credits to help pay their premiums.


Insurance companies won't be able to deny you coverage or drop you because their computer model says you're not worth it. They will have to offer and renew coverage to anyone who applies and pays their premium. And like other things that you buy, they will have to compete for your business based on quality and price. Families will have the security of knowing that if they become ill or lose their jobs, they won't lose their coverage.

Nobody has worked harder or longer to improve health care than Hillary Clinton. From her time in Arkansas when she improved rural health care to her successful effort to create the SCHIP Children's Health Insurance program which now covers six million children, Hillary has the strength and experience to ensure that every man, woman and child in America has quality, affordable health care. 

Ending the War in Iraq

Hillary Clinton has announced her plan to end the war in Iraq and urged President Bush to act immediately.

"Our message to the president is clear. It is time to begin ending this war -- not next year, not next month -- but today.

"We have heard for years now that as the Iraqis stand up, our troops will stand down. Every year, we hear about how next year they may start coming home. Now we are hearing a new version of that yet again from the president as he has more troops in Iraq than ever and the Iraqi government is more fractured and ineffective than ever.

"Well, the right strategy before the surge and post-escalation is the same: start bringing home America's troops now."

If President Bush does not end the war, when Hillary Clinton is president, she will. Her three-step plan would bring our troops home, work to bring stability to the region, and replace military force with a new diplomatic initiative to engage countries around the world in securing Iraq's future. Hillary has been fighting every day in the Senate to force the president to change course. And today she described how she would bring the war to an end.

Starting Phased Redeployment within Hillary's First Days in Office: The most important part of Hillary's plan is the first: to end our military engagement in Iraq's civil war and immediately start bringing our troops home. As president, one of Hillary's first official actions would be to convene the Joint Chiefs of Staff, her Secretary of Defense, and her National Security Council. She would direct them to draw up a clear, viable plan to bring our troops home starting with the first 60 days of her Administration. She would also direct the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to prepare a comprehensive plan to provide the highest quality health care and benefits to every service member -- including every member of the National Guard and Reserves -- and their families.

Securing Stability in Iraq as we Bring our Troops Home. As president, Hillary would focus American aid efforts during our redeployment on stabilizing Iraq, not propping up the Iraqi government. She would direct aid to the entities -- whether governmental or non-governmental -- most likely to get it into the hands of the Iraqi people. She would also support the appointment of a high level U.N. representative -- similar to those appointed in Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Kosovo -- to help broker peace among the parties in Iraq.

A New Intensive Diplomatic Initiative in the Region. In her first days in office, Hillary would convene a regional stabilization group composed of key allies, other global powers, and all of the states bordering Iraq. The- mission of this group would be to develop and implement a strategy to create a stable Iraq. It would have three specific goals:


  • Non-interference. Working with the U.N. representative, the group would work to convince Iraq's neighbors to refrain from getting involved in the civil war.
  • Mediation. The group would attempt to mediate among the different sectarian groups in Iraq with the goal of attaining compromises on fundamental points of disputes.
  • Reconstruction funding. The members of the group would hold themselves and other countries to their past pledges to provide funding to Iraq and will encourage additional contributions to meet Iraq's extensive needs.

As our forces redeploy out of Iraq, Hillary would also organize a multi-billion dollar international effort -- funded by a wide range of donor states -- under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to address the needs of Iraqi refugees. And as we replace military force with diplomacy and global leadership, Hillary will not lose sight of our very real strategic interests in the region. She would devote the resources we need to fight terrorism and will order specialized units to engage in narrow and targeted operations against al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations in the region.

Ending the War in Iraq

Hillary Clinton has announced her plan to end the war in Iraq and urged President Bush to act immediately.

"Our message to the president is clear. It is time to begin ending this war -- not next year, not next month -- but today.

"We have heard for years now that as the Iraqis stand up, our troops will stand down. Every year, we hear about how next year they may start coming home. Now we are hearing a new version of that yet again from the president as he has more troops in Iraq than ever and the Iraqi government is more fractured and ineffective than ever.

"Well, the right strategy before the surge and post-escalation is the same: start bringing home America's troops now."

If President Bush does not end the war, when Hillary Clinton is president, she will. Her three-step plan would bring our troops home, work to bring stability to the region, and replace military force with a new diplomatic initiative to engage countries around the world in securing Iraq's future. Hillary has been fighting every day in the Senate to force the president to change course. And today she described how she would bring the war to an end.

Starting Phased Redeployment within Hillary's First Days in Office: The most important part of Hillary's plan is the first: to end our military engagement in Iraq's civil war and immediately start bringing our troops home. As president, one of Hillary's first official actions would be to convene the Joint Chiefs of Staff, her Secretary of Defense, and her National Security Council. She would direct them to draw up a clear, viable plan to bring our troops home starting with the first 60 days of her Administration. She would also direct the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to prepare a comprehensive plan to provide the highest quality health care and benefits to every service member -- including every member of the National Guard and Reserves -- and their families.

Securing Stability in Iraq as we Bring our Troops Home. As president, Hillary would focus American aid efforts during our redeployment on stabilizing Iraq, not propping up the Iraqi government. She would direct aid to the entities -- whether governmental or non-governmental -- most likely to get it into the hands of the Iraqi people. She would also support the appointment of a high level U.N. representative -- similar to those appointed in Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Kosovo -- to help broker peace among the parties in Iraq.

A New Intensive Diplomatic Initiative in the Region. In her first days in office, Hillary would convene a regional stabilization group composed of key allies, other global powers, and all of the states bordering Iraq. The- mission of this group would be to develop and implement a strategy to create a stable Iraq. It would have three specific goals:


  • Non-interference. Working with the U.N. representative, the group would work to convince Iraq's neighbors to refrain from getting involved in the civil war.
  • Mediation. The group would attempt to mediate among the different sectarian groups in Iraq with the goal of attaining compromises on fundamental points of disputes.
  • Reconstruction funding. The members of the group would hold themselves and other countries to their past pledges to provide funding to Iraq and will encourage additional contributions to meet Iraq's extensive needs.

As our forces redeploy out of Iraq, Hillary would also organize a multi-billion dollar international effort -- funded by a wide range of donor states -- under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to address the needs of Iraqi refugees. And as we replace military force with diplomacy and global leadership, Hillary will not lose sight of our very real strategic interests in the region. She would devote the resources we need to fight terrorism and will order specialized units to engage in narrow and targeted operations against al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations in the region.


Hillary has a bold and comprehensive plan to address America's energy and environmental challenges that will establish a green, efficient economy and create as many as five million new jobs.

Centered on a cap and trade system for carbon emissions, stronger energy and auto efficiency standards and a significant increase in green research funding, Hillary's plan will reduce America's reliance on foreign oil and address the looming climate crisis.

Setting ambitious targets, the plan would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050 to avoid the worst effects of global warming, and cut foreign oil imports by two-thirds from 2030 projected levels, more than 10 million barrels per day.

Hillary would transform our economy from carbon-based to clean and energy efficient, jumpstarting research and development through a $50 billion Strategic Energy Fund and doubling investment in basic energy research. She would also spur the green building industry by funding the retrofitting and modernization of 20 million low-income homes and take concrete steps to reduce electricity consumption, including enacting strict appliance efficiency standards and phasing out incandescent light bulbs.

Recognizing that transportation accounts for 70 percent of U.S. oil consumption, Hillary would increase fuel efficiency standards to 55 miles per gallon by 2030, but would help automakers retool their production facilities through $20 billion in "Green Vehicle Bonds."

To take the steps necessary to transition to a clean and renewable energy future, Hillary will urge all of the nation's stakeholders to contribute to the effort. Automakers will be asked to make more efficient vehicles; oil and energy companies to invest in cleaner, renewable technologies; utilities to ramp up use of renewables and modernize the grid; coal companies to implement clean coal technology; government to establish a cap and trade carbon emissions system and renew its leadership in energy efficient buildings and services; individuals to conserve energy and utilize efficient light bulbs and appliances in their homes; and industry to build energy efficient homes and buildings.

Hillary's plan to promote energy independence, address global warming, and transform our economy includes:


  • A new cap-and-trade program that auctions 100 percent of permits alongside investments to move us on the path towards energy independence; 
  • An aggressive comprehensive energy efficiency agenda to reduce electricity consumption 20 percent from projected levels by 2020 by changing the way utilities do business, catalyzing a green building industry, enacting strict appliance efficiency standards, and phasing out incandescent light bulbs; 
  • A $50 billion Strategic Energy Fund, paid for in part by oil companies, to fund investments in alternative energy. The SEF will finance one-third of the $150 billon ten-year investment in a new energy future contained in this plan; 
  • Doubling of federal investment in basic energy research, including funding for an ARPA-E, a new research agency modeled on the successful Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency 
  • Aggressive action to transition our economy toward renewable energy sources, with renewables generating 25 percent of electricity by 2025 and with 60 billion gallons of home-grown biofuels available for cars and trucks by 2030; 
  • 10 "Smart Grid City" partnerships to prove the advanced capabilities of smart grid and other advanced demand-reduction technologies, as well as new investment in plug-in hybrid vehicle technologies; 
  • An increase in fuel efficiency standards to 55 miles per gallon by 2030, and $20 billion of "Green Vehicle Bonds" to help U.S. automakers retool their plants to meet the standards; 
  • A plan to catalyze a thriving green building industry by investing in green collar jobs and helping to modernize and retrofit 20 million low-income homes to make them more energy efficient; 
  • A new "Connie Mae" program to make it easier for low and middle-income Americans to buy green homes and invest in green home improvements; 
  • A requirement that all publicly traded companies report financial risks due to climate change in annual reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission; and 
  • Creation of a "National Energy Council" within the White House to ensure implementation of the plan across the Executive Branch. 
  • A requirement that all federal buildings designed after January 20, 2009 will be zero emissions buildings.

Improving Our Schools

From her days as a staff attorney for the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) working as an advocate for children with special needs to her leadership of the Arkansas Educational Standards Committee, Hillary has been a passionate advocate for providing greater educational opportunities to all children. Her work for CDF helped pave the way for the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, the first time children with special needs were guaranteed the right to a free, appropriate public education. Her work in Arkansas led to tangible results: teacher salaries doubled, class size fell significantly, learning standards and assessments were implemented, and students were given much greater access to higher-level science and foreign-language courses. Hillary also brought Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters, a model parent education program, to the state in order to better prepare all children to start school.

As the nation's First Lady, Hillary promoted the Prescription for Reading program, encouraging pediatricians to "prescribe" that new parents read to their children. She helped create Early Head Start in order to prepare students from low income backgrounds for school. She also spearheaded the administration's efforts to grow an after-school program from a pilot program of $1 million to a $1 billion program, serving children in all 50 states. As a senator, Hillary worked to reform and fully fund No Child Left Behind. She helped enact legislation to recruit and retain teachers and principals to high-need areas. She has been committed to strengthen and fully fund our special education system. She also helped fight off efforts by the Bush administration to slash afterschool funding by 40 percent. As president, Hillary will fight for each and every child in America to have access to the highest quality schools so that they can fulfill their potential and reach their dreams.

Ready to Lead

Early Childhood Education

Hillary knows that parents are our children's first teachers, and the early years have a tremendous impact on their lives. That is why she will invest heavily in proven strategies to get all children ready for school, including:

  • Nurse home visitation programs to help new parents develop parenting skills.
  • Quality child care and Head Start.
  • Pre-kindergarten for all four-year olds.

K-12

Hillary also knows that we have to improve our K-12 system in order to ensure that every child is prepared to compete in an increasingly global economy. As president, she will:

  • End the unfunded mandate known as No Child Left Behind.
  • Meet the funding promises of IDEA to ensure that children with special needs get the attention and support they deserve.
  • Recruit and retain thousands more outstanding teachers and principals, especially in urban and rural areas.
  • Cut the minority dropout rate in half.
  • Create "Green Schools" in order to reduce energy costs and eliminate environmental hazards that can hinder children's development.
  • Expand early-intervention mentoring programs to help one million at-risk youth aspire for college and job success.
  • Identify at-risk youth early on and provide $1 billion in intensive interventions, such as early college high schools and multiple pathways to graduation, to get them back on track.
  • Double the after school program to ensure that 2 million young people have a safe and stimulating place to go between 3 and 6 p.m.
  • Invest $100 million in a new public/private summer internship program.
  • Provide opportunity for 1.5 million disconnected youth in job programs linked to high-growth economic sectors.

College Access

In the 21st century, a college education is more important than ever. Hillary believes it's time for a new bargain with the American people -- a bargain that gives all Americans willing to work hard the tools they need to get ahead. Her plan will make college more affordable and accessible so that every American who has earned it and wants to go has the chance to get a college degree. As president, she will:

  • Create a new $3,500 college tax credit.
  • Increase the maximum Pell Grant.
  • Strengthen community colleges through a $500 million investment.
  • Create a graduation fund to increase college graduation rates.
  • Increase to $10,000 the college scholarship for those who participate in AmeriCorps full-time for one year.
  • Get rid of the red tape in financial aid.
  • Hold college costs down and hold colleges accountable for results though an online college cost calculator, a college graduation and employment rate index, and truth in tuition disclosure.
  • Challenge selective colleges to expand access for students from low-income communities.

Fulfilling Our Promises to Veterans

Hillary Clinton has a long history of fighting for our veterans and will work to ensure our country fulfills its obligations to those who have served and sacrificed for the nation.

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Hillary has championed legislation to improve the lives of our veterans and their families. She worked to provide access to TRICARE for National Guard and Reserve members. She authored the Heroes at Home Act that will begin to help service members struggling with post traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. She worked with others in the Senate to pass legislation to increase the military survivor benefit from $12,000 to $100,000.

As president, she will honor three fundamental commitments: First, every member of our armed forces will receive a fair shot at the American dream when their service is over. Second, every veteran in America will have health care. Third, every veteran will receive the benefits they have earned and the assistance they need - right from the start.

Enact a GI Bill of Rights for the Twenty-First Century. Hillary will enact a GI Bill of Rights for the 21st century that will resurrect the spirit of the original 1944 GI Bill and offer service members, veterans and their families with expanded education, housing and entrepreneurial benefits. Her plan will guarantee equal access for all components of the Armed Forces - Active, Guard and Reserve - that have deployed overseas in support of a combat operation since September 11 or served two years of active duty since September 11. She will fund undergraduate education for service members, as well as education for specialized trade or technical training, and certification and licensing programs. She will expand the VA Home Loan Guaranty program to allow veterans to use low-interest, no-fee loans to purchase, build or improve a home valued up to $625,000. She will establish a Veterans Microloan Program to provide veterans with no-collateral, low-interest microloans of up to $100,000 for entrepreneurial ventures.

Provide Affordable and Quality Health Care for All Veterans. As President, Hillary will ensure that all of the 1.8 million uninsured veterans in this country have access to quality, affordable health care. She will restore the Clinton-era policy that opened the VA’s excellent and cost-effective health care system to all veterans who seek to enroll. She will make a long-term commitment to the VA system to ensure it is adequately funded and has the capacity to avoid backlogs and to handle greater enrollments. And she will provide coverage through the American Health Choices Plan to all veterans who choose not to use the VA system.

Ensure All Veterans Receive the Benefits They Have Earned and the Assistance They Need -- Right from the Start. As President, Hillary will commit to getting a fair, accurate, and timely decision for every veteran filing a disability claim. She will increase the number of qualified VA evaluators to reduce the backlog of claims. She will provide fast-track training for new claims specialists and expand the Benefits at Discharge Program to smooth the transition from service to discharge for all those who serve our country.

Extend Hiring Preferences to Veterans-friendly Contractors. Today, there are between 7.2 and 7.6 million federal contractors, 2 million more than there were five years ago. The privatization of government by the Bush administration has meant veterans are losing job opportunities, because contractors do not necessarily have the same hiring policies as the federal government. Hillary will cut the number of contractors working for the federal government by 500,000 over the next 10 years, saving $10 to $18 billion a year. And she will restore and expand job opportunities for veterans by working to establish a system through which federal contractors afford veterans hiring preference comparable to the federal government’s.

Expand the Helmets to Hardhats Program. Hillary will increase funding for the Helmets to Hardhats program. This program links veterans with local job opportunities in the construction and trade industries by offering apprenticeship programs that teach veterans through on-the-job training supplemented by classroom instruction.

Give Veterans Additional Opportunities to Serve. Hillary will make vouchers worth up to $10,000 available to returning veterans who want to serve in AmeriCorps and select not-for-profit organizations. These organizations would provide at least $5,000 to supplement the voucher. This system will help veterans create normal routines and reenter their communities while doing meaningful work serving their country. Hillary will make this subsidy available to as many as 20,000 veterans a year.

Reduce Homelessness among Veterans. In 2006, nearly 200,000 veterans were homeless on any given night. Hillary will establish a pilot program on homelessness prevention for veterans that will provide subsidies, eviction prevention, and one-time assistance for veterans who fall behind on their rent. She will also expand rental assistance for veterans by calling on Congress to fund an additional 20,000 housing choice vouchers exclusively for homeless veterans.

Expand Veterans Homeownership. Hillary will make homeownership more affordable for veterans. Veterans will receive a 50% discount on foreclosed properties in the government’s inventory, which currently stands at 35,000 homes. And she will eliminate the upfront fees on VA mortgages for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who take out VA loans within two years of leaving active duty. 

America is ready for a president who fights for our children. Hillary has spent her lifetime as an effective advocate for parents and children.

From her first job out of law school at the Children's Defense Fund to her time as First Lady of Arkansas and of the United States to her service in the Senate, helping children has been at the center of Hillary's public life.

In the White House, Hillary will continue her lifelong work to create a world where every child is cherished, loved, and able to fulfill his or her potential.

Ready to Lead

Among the issues she has fought for and will make a priority as president are:

  • Attracting and supporting more outstanding teachers and principals, and paying them like the professionals they are.
  • Reforming the No Child Left Behind Act. This law represented a promise -- more resources for schools in exchange for more accountability -- and that promise has not been kept.
  • Giving new parents support and training to promote healthy development for their children.
  • Increasing access to high-quality early education and helping to create Early Head Start.
  • Passing legislation to provide respite care for caregivers of elderly and disabled Americans.
  • Helping to pass the Family and Medical Leave Act to enable new parents to take time off without losing their jobs, and expanding it to make it available to more parents and to provide for longer leave.
  • Advocating for adoption and for abused and neglected children -- as First Lady, Hillary pushed legislation that more than doubled adoptions out of foster care.
  • Promoting programs, like Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters, that provide new parents with support and guidance in caring for their children. As First Lady of Arkansas, she helped bring HIPPY to the U.S.
  • Protecting children against violence and sexual content in the media and studying the impact of electronic media on children's cognitive, social, and physical development.
  • Providing meaningful support to households, called "kinship care" families, where grandparents and other relatives are raising children.


Restoring America's Standing in the World

Americans are ready for a leader who will restore America's reputation in the world, and Hillary is prepared to lead America back in the right direction.

The next president's most urgent task will be to restore America's standing in the world to promote our interests, ensure our security, and advance our values.

America is stronger when we lead the world through alliances and build our foreign policy on a strong foundation of bipartisan consensus. As president, Hillary will lead by the words of the Declaration of Independence, which pledged "a decent respect to the opinions of mankind."

We know we need global coalitions to tackle global problems like climate change, poverty, AIDS, and terrorism. And to keep our country safe, we need to start engaging our enemies again. During the Cold War, with missiles pointed at us, we never stopped talking to the Soviet Union. That didn't mean we agreed with them or approved of them. But it did mean we came to understand them -- and that was crucial to confronting the threats they posed.

Hillary knows that America must remain a preeminent leader for peace and freedom, willing to work in concert with other nations and institutions to reach common goals. Hillary has put forth an aggressive plan to support public schools in developing countries in an effort to achieve universal primary education for the 77 million children around the world who aren't in school because they are too poor.

Ready to Lead

As First Lady and U.S. senator, Hillary visited more than 80 countries and met countless world leaders as America's representative. In the Senate, Hillary has continued to promote America's interests through her work on international affairs.

Senator Clinton takes very seriously the threats we face from terrorism. She believes President Bush's singular focus on Iraq has distracted him from waging the war on terror effectively and emboldened our enemies. As president, she will be tough and smart in combating terrorism.

Hillary has steadfastly fought for Israel's right to exist peacefully and to defend its people against terrorism. She has condemned Hamas's rise to power. She has spoken out against the problem of anti-Semitism in Palestinian textbooks and condemned Iran's conference on the Holocaust. She also successfully helped Magen David Adom join the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement.

She has continued to advance peace in Northern Ireland by maintaining close ties with Irish leaders and promoting business partnerships between Northern Ireland and the United States.

Hillary has been a forceful and consistent advocate for a more robust response to the violence in Darfur since May 2004. She has raised the issue with the Bush administration and pushed for more resources for peacekeeping efforts.


A Champion for Women

Hillary's historic statement at the United Nations Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 that "women's rights are human rights" still echoes worldwide. As a lawyer, advocate, First Lady, and senator, Hillary has fought for issues important to women here at home and around the world for decades.

Today, despite the progress women have made, they earn only 77 cents for every dollar men earn -- and women of color earn even less. Hillary is leading the charge in the Senate to strengthen equal pay laws and end pay disparities between men and women. She introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act to strengthen the penalties associated with wage discrimination, to ensure that the federal government sets a higher standard, and to increase oversight of employers. Hillary has also worked to increase access to capital and other support for women-owned businesses.

When it comes to each woman's ability to make the most personal of life decisions, Hillary has stood firm as an advocate for a woman's right to choose. She has expanded access to family planning services, including for low-income women. She spoke out forcefully against the Supreme Court's April 2007 decision that -- for the first time in decades -- failed to recognize the importance of women's health.

Hillary has worked to empower women throughout the world, especially low-income women. She has advocated for access to microfinance programs that enable women to start their own businesses and spoken out strongly against the tragic practice of sex trafficking.

As president, Hillary will continue her lifelong fight to ensure that all Americans are treated with respect and dignity.

Ready to Lead

Hillary has fought the relentless and insidious efforts by far-right Republicans to limit the protections of Roe v Wade, while also working hard to expand access to family planning services.

Hillary has seen what happens when governments try to control a woman's reproductive health decisions. Whether it was Romania under a dictatorship saying you had to have children for the good of the state or China saying you had to have only one child for the good of the state, governments have dictated the most private and important decisions that we as individuals or families can make.

She has championed the Prevention First Act, which expands access to family planning services for low-income women, requires health insurance companies to cover contraception, and provides a dedicated funding stream for age-appropriate, medically accurate, comprehensive sex education.

As First Lady, she helped pass the Family and Medical Leave Act and helped found the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancies, which established and achieved a goal of reducing teen pregnancies by one-third between 1996 and 2005.

In partnership with Senator Patty Murray, Hillary waged a successful three-year battle to get the Food and Drug Administration to accept the overwhelming recommendation of the medical community and make Plan B (the "morning after" pill) available over the counter.

Hillary's work to empower low-income women has changed lives. She fought for the elimination of school fees, which prevent poor children in some countries from attending school, and for investments in health care and education for women and girls. And she helped found Vital Voices, a not-for-profit organization that continues to work to support women's leadership around the globe.


Comprehensive Government Reform

Americans are ready for a government that puts competence ahead of cronyism.

In the past seven years, we've seen the president hand out jobs to his friends who were not qualified. Give out no-bid contracts to Halliburton. Fire U.S. attorneys who tried to uphold the law. And then there was Hurricane Katrina -- when a natural disaster became a national disgrace. It's a government of the few, by the few, and for the few -- and good luck to everyone else.

Well, how about this for a new approach? No more cronyism, no more corruption, and no more deception. And here's an old-fashioned idea: let's start appointing qualified people to positions of power again.

Government certainly isn't the answer to all our problems. But good government -- smart government -- can be a partner for progress. It can help solve problems and accomplish things together we could never accomplish alone.

We all know that in order to meet the challenges of our day -- to lift up our middle class and hard working families; to establish universal health care, energy independence, and fiscal responsibility; to end the war in Iraq and restore our leadership around the world -- we need a government that will rise to the occasion. We need a return to transparency and a system of checks and balances, to a president who respects Congress's role of oversight and accountability. We need a 21st century government to meet our 21st century challenges.

Hillary has proposed a comprehensive, 10-point plan to restore Americans' confidence in their government by increasing transparency and cutting waste and corruption. Her plan includes:


  • Banning Cabinet officials from lobbying a Hillary Clinton administration. 
  • Strengthening whistleblower protections. 
  • Creating a public service academy. 
  • Ending abuse of no-bid government contracts and posting all contracts online. 
  • Cutting 500,000 government contractors. 
  • Restoring the Office of Technology Assessment. 
  • Publishing budgets for every government agency. 
  • Implementing Results America Initiative to track government effectiveness. 
  • Tracking and eliminating corporate welfare. 
  • Expanding voting access and safeguarding voting machines.

Ready to Lead

In addition to her comprehensive plan for government reform, Hillary has proposed a detailed plan to restore professionalism to the Department of Justice. Under President Bush and his attorneys general, partisanship and cronyism have driven investigations, case selection, and the hiring of new career personnel. We have to believe that justice is blind in America and that our government will effectively and impartially uphold the law. Hillary has a plan to restore that belief. She will:


  • Rebuild the Department of Justice's traditional role in defending civil rights and the rule of law, and review charges of improper, politically motivated hiring. 
  • Help local school districts pursue voluntary integration and reduce racial inequality, in the face of a Supreme Court decision limiting districts' options. 
  • Strengthen our voting laws so that every citizen can fully exercise his or her constitutional right to vote. 
  • Combat ongoing racial and sex discrimination in the labor market by improving laws and expanding enforcement. 
  • Modernize and strengthen the federal hate crimes law.

Hillary has also outlined a set of proposals to end the Bush administration's war on science and to restore scientific integrity to government decision-making. She will:


  • Rescind the ban on ethical embryonic stem cell research. 
  • Ban political appointees from unduly interfering with scientific conclusions and publications. 
  • Direct department and agency heads to safeguard against political pressure that threatens scientific integrity and to promote transparency in decision-making. 
  • Appoint an Assistant to the President for Science and Technology Policy and strengthen the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Strengthening Our Democracy

America is ready for a leader who will make fair and honest elections a priority. As a senator, Hillary has fought to restore integrity to our elections. She will bring the same commitment to the White House.

Fair and honest elections are the bedrock of a successful democracy. Yet we have seen abuses in national elections since 2000 that have undermined our democracy and Americans' faith in our electoral system.

Hillary is a leading champion of election reform. She has introduced the Count Every Vote Act to avoid repeating the problems of the past and ensure the integrity of our elections. Her bill:

  • Provides a paper trail for every vote cast.
  • Designates Election Day as a national holiday.
  • Allows same-day registration.
  • Minimizes long lines at the polls.
  • Makes sure that impartial officials administer our elections.
  • Allows the attorney general to bring suit against anyone using deceptive practices (like distributing flyers with incorrect information about voter eligibility) to keep voters from voting.
  • Helps states invest in better voting technology.

Ready to Lead

Hillary, along with Senator Barbara Boxer and Representatives Stephanie Tubbs Jones and John Lewis, reintroduced the Count Every Vote Act on the 42nd anniversary of the Bloody Sunday march from Selma, Alabama. She has vowed to continue the fight for this bill because all Americans should be sure their votes are counted.

Hillary has also been a champion for civil rights. She has called for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act -- comprehensive civil rights legislation that would finally prohibit discrimination against employees on the basis of their sexual orientation. She has also supported legislation to end hate crimes by empowering federal officers with the greater authority and resources to investigate and prosecute these crimes.

She worked on bills, both of which were passed into law, to honor Shirley Chisholm for her service and to place a statue of Sojourner Truth in the U.S. Capitol. And she strongly opposed the confirmations of Samuel Alito and John Roberts as Supreme Court Justices, and those of Charles Pickering, Miguel Estrada, Janice Rogers Brown, and Priscilla Owen as federal circuit court judges.


Reforming our Immigration System

Our immigration system is in crisis. The laws we currently have on the books are inadequate and no longer serve our best interests. As a nation, we place a premium on compassion, respect, and policies that help families, but our immigration laws don't reflect that.

Hillary has consistently called for comprehensive immigration reform that respects our immigrant heritage and honors the rule of law. She believes comprehensive reform must have as essential ingredients a strengthening of our borders, greater cross-cooperation with our neighbors, strict but fair enforcement of our laws, federal assistance to our state and local governments, strict penalties for those who exploit undocumented workers, and a path to earned legal status for those who are here, working hard, paying taxes, respecting the law, and willing to meet a high bar.

Hillary strongly believes we need to do more to know who is in our country by securing our borders and ensuring that employers comply with the law against hiring and exploiting undocumented workers. She supports deploying new technology that can help stop the flow of undocumented immigrants into the country and an employer verification system that is universal, accurate, timely, and does not lead to discrimination and abuse by employers.

Along with these changes, Hillary believes we need to repair those broken portions of our immigration system that irrevocably damage families and force citizens and lawful immigrants to choose between their newly adopted country and living with their spouse or children. We have a national interest in fostering strong families. This is why she introduced an amendment during consideration of the immigration reform bill that would have taken steps to protect the sanctity of families. Our American values demand no less.

And Hillary understands that our immigration policies have a direct impact on American workers. She opposes a guest worker program that exploits workers and creates a supply of cheap labor that undermines the wages of U.S. workers. Hillary believes all workers deserve safe conditions and decent wages. She supports an Ag Jobs program, which will keep our agricultural industry vibrant while enabling agricultural workers to receive the fair wages and labor protections they ought to receive.

When Hillary is president, comprehensive immigration reform will be a top priority.

Ready to Lead

Hillary has advocated for policies to help smooth the transition of legal immigrants once they arrive in the U.S. so that they can add to our economy and culture.

  • She championed the Legal Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act, which would give states the option to provide federally funded Medicaid and SCHIP benefits to low-income legal immigrant children and pregnant women.
  • She wrote the Access to Employment and English Acquisition Act to meet the growing demand for English language courses and other job skills.
  • She strongly supports the DREAM Act, which provides a path to citizenship through military service or higher education for children who were brought to the U.S. by their parents.
  • She offered an amendment to make family reunification the guiding principle of our immigration system.

Reforming our Immigration System

Our immigration system is in crisis. The laws we currently have on the books are inadequate and no longer serve our best interests. As a nation, we place a premium on compassion, respect, and policies that help families, but our immigration laws don't reflect that.

Hillary has consistently called for comprehensive immigration reform that respects our immigrant heritage and honors the rule of law. She believes comprehensive reform must have as essential ingredients a strengthening of our borders, greater cross-cooperation with our neighbors, strict but fair enforcement of our laws, federal assistance to our state and local governments, strict penalties for those who exploit undocumented workers, and a path to earned legal status for those who are here, working hard, paying taxes, respecting the law, and willing to meet a high bar.

Hillary strongly believes we need to do more to know who is in our country by securing our borders and ensuring that employers comply with the law against hiring and exploiting undocumented workers. She supports deploying new technology that can help stop the flow of undocumented immigrants into the country and an employer verification system that is universal, accurate, timely, and does not lead to discrimination and abuse by employers.

Along with these changes, Hillary believes we need to repair those broken portions of our immigration system that irrevocably damage families and force citizens and lawful immigrants to choose between their newly adopted country and living with their spouse or children. We have a national interest in fostering strong families. This is why she introduced an amendment during consideration of the immigration reform bill that would have taken steps to protect the sanctity of families. Our American values demand no less.

And Hillary understands that our immigration policies have a direct impact on American workers. She opposes a guest worker program that exploits workers and creates a supply of cheap labor that undermines the wages of U.S. workers. Hillary believes all workers deserve safe conditions and decent wages. She supports an Ag Jobs program, which will keep our agricultural industry vibrant while enabling agricultural workers to receive the fair wages and labor protections they ought to receive.

When Hillary is president, comprehensive immigration reform will be a top priority.

Ready to Lead

Hillary has advocated for policies to help smooth the transition of legal immigrants once they arrive in the U.S. so that they can add to our economy and culture.

  • She championed the Legal Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act, which would give states the option to provide federally funded Medicaid and SCHIP benefits to low-income legal immigrant children and pregnant women.
  • She wrote the Access to Employment and English Acquisition Act to meet the growing demand for English language courses and other job skills.
  • She strongly supports the DREAM Act, which provides a path to citizenship through military service or higher education for children who were brought to the U.S. by their parents.
  • She offered an amendment to make family reunification the guiding principle of our immigration system.
HILLAY CLINTON'S INNOVATION AGENDA:
INVESTING IN IDEAS AND CREATING
HIGH_WAGE JOBS OF THE FUTURE

At a time when workers are anxious about the challenges of globalization and there is growing concern that America is losing its competitive edge, Hillary Clinton offered her views on how innovation can be the key for creating new jobs, stimulating economic growth, and ensuring American leadership of 21st century industries. She detailed policy proposals to renew the nation’s commitment to research; help create the premier science, engineering, technology, and mathematics workforce; and upgrade our innovation infrastructure. Hillary Clinton also rejected the Bush administration’s mixture of science with politics, and pledged to restore integrity to federal science policy.

BACKGROUND: America is still an “innovation superpower.” We have the world’s best university system, an entrepreneurial culture, and the availability of risk capital. Also, we spend more than $300 billion a year on research and development (approximately 2.7% of GDP), more than any other nation. Our products and services are in demand the world over. Last year, Americans captured all of the Nobel Prizes in science.

THE CHALLENGES: Other nations are increasingly investing in their innovation infrastructure, positioning themselves to challenge our leadership. In the last 12 years, China has doubled the percentage of GDP dedicated to R&D, and over that same period GDP itself doubled. Also, our share of the world’s scientists and engineers has declined, and too few American college students are preparing themselves for these careers. Fewer than 20% of American undergraduates are earning degrees in science or engineering, compared with more than 50% in China. And, we now rank 25th in broadband deployment.

THE SOLUTIONS: Hillary Clinton proposed a 9-point plan to renew the nation’s commitment to research; help create the premier science, engineering, technology and mathematics workforce; and upgrade our innovation infrastructure:

  1. Establish a $50-billion Strategic Energy Fund. The Fund would finance an energy research agency that gathers the best minds from academia, the private sector, and government to devise ways to make the United States energy independent and reduce the threat of global warming. Oil companies would have the choice of either investing in alternative energy or contributing a portion of their earnings into the Fund. The Fund would also provide tax incentives for homeowners and businesses to make their houses and offices more energy efficient; provide gas station owners a tax credit for installing E85 (ethanol) pumps; provide loan guarantees for the commercialization of cellulosic biofuels; and providing incentives for the development of new technologies that contribute to a cleaner environment.
  2. Increase the basic research budgets 50% over 10 years at the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, and the Defense Department. The increased investment can be accomplished through a combination of new and reallocated funds. At present, federal expenditures on basic research total $28 billion, $13 billion of which is spent outside of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
    • Increase research focus on the physical sciences and engineering. Funding for research in the physical sciences and engineering have remained relatively flat for over a decade, while other nations have stepped up spending. Hillary Clinton proposes to direct the federal agencies to commit a large portion of their budget increases to research in these areas.
    • Require that federal research agencies set aside at least 8% of their research budgets for discretionary funding of high-risk research. It is critical to support unconventional research that has the potential of producing break-through results. Under the Bush administration, agencies like the Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have reduced support for truly revolutionary research. This is a problem because DARPA has played a major role in maintaining America’s economic and military leadership. DARPA backed such projects as the Internet, stealth technology, and the Global Positioning System.
    • Ensure that e-science initiatives are adequately funded. E-science has transformative potential, and we must accelerate the pace of discovery and investment to ensure that America leads the emerging field. E-science is research that links Internet-based tools, global collaboration, supercomputers, high-speed networks, and software for simulation and visualization. The potential of e-science is great. For example, researchers could one day model climate change by constructing scale simulations of the Earth’s systems. The NSF commits approximately 3% of its budget, or $200 million annually, to the support of e-science through its Office of Cyberinfrastructure.
    • Boost support for multidisciplinary research in areas such as the intersection of bio, info, and nanotechnologies. This is an area of potentially unique competitive advantage for the United States. Few countries have the depth and breadth of our excellence across different scientific and technological fields.
  3. Increase the NIH budget by 50% over 5 years and aim to double it over 10 years. Since 2003, the National Institute of Health (NIH) budget has been largely flat, and President Bush proposes reducing it by 1.1% in 2008. Declines in NIH expenditures could significantly affect the quantity and quality of university research, dissuade young people from pursuing careers in science, and impede biomedical advances. NIH-funded research has produced break-through treatments for heart disease, cancer, and AIDS. With funding lagging, there are fewer grants for researchers; there is increased uncertainty about whether funding will be sufficient to complete projects; there is less support for truly creative research; some labs are understaffed; and many construction projects have been scaled back or suspended. The multi-year commitment provides predictability, and the increased funding will help ensure that the next generation of scientists will be well trained.
    • Increase investment in the non-health applications of biotechnology in order to fuel 21st century industry. The NIH dominates federal investments in biology and the life sciences, and there are only a few programs exploring non-health applications of biotech. And although biotechnology is a $50 billion industry, it is still in its infancy-and that is particularly true where the non-health applications are concerned. An example of non-health biotech is the creation of bacteria that can remove toxins from the environment, such as heavy metals or radioactive contaminants. Insights from biotechnology can accelerate growth in a large number of other fields-not unlike the way 20th century developments in the chemicals industry drove growth in oil and gas refining, pulp and paper, building materials, and pharmaceuticals. The NIH will have to work with other agencies to explore these non-health applications.
  4. Direct the federal agencies to award prizes in order to accomplish specific innovation goals. The federal agencies should regularly use prizes to encourage innovation when there is a clearly defined goal and when there are multiple technological paths for achieving that goal. Prizes can attract non-traditional participants and stimulate the development of useful but under-funded technology. Hillary Clinton proposes to make prizes a part of the budgets at the research agencies.
  5. Triple the number of NSF fellowships and increase the size of each award by 33 percent. At present, the NSF offers approximately 1,000 fellowships per year, similar to 1960s levels, although the number of college students graduating with science and engineering degrees has grown three fold. The NSF fellowship is the key financial resource for science and engineering graduate students. Hillary Clinton proposes increasing the number of fellowships to 3,000 per year. She also proposes increasing the size of each award from $30,000 to $40,000 per year (simultaneously, she proposes to increase the NSF award to each recipient’s school from $10,500 per recipient to $14,000 per recipient to help cover educational costs). It is estimated that this would increase the annual cost of the program from $122 million to $500 million. [Richard Freeman, the Hamilton Project, "Investment in the Best and Brightest," December 2006]
  6. Support initiatives to bring more women and minorities into the math, science, and engineering professions. Increasing the educational attainment of women and minorities, particularly in math, science and engineering, is critical to our future as an innovative nation. Women comprise 43% of the workforce but only 23% of scientists and engineers. Blacks and Hispanics represent 30% of the workforce, but only 7% of scientists and engineers. Unless women and underrepresented minorities develop strong math, science, and engineering skills, the average educational attainment of the American worker will decline. Hillary Clinton proposes that the federal agencies adopt criteria that take diversity into account when awarding education and research grants. She also proposes that the federal government provide financial support to college and university programs that encourage women and minorities to study math, science, and engineering.
  7. Support initiatives to establish leadership in broadband. Under the Bush administration, the country that invented the Internet has slipped to 25th in the global rankings for broadband deployment. In order to accelerate the deployment of sophisticated networks, Hillary Clinton proposes that the federal government provide tax incentives to encourage broadband deployment in underserved areas. She also proposes financial support for state and local broadband initiatives. Various municipal broadband initiatives are underway around the country to accelerate the deployment of high speed networks. The initiatives are useful for education, commerce, technology development, and the efficient provision of municipal services.
  8. Overhaul the R&E tax credit to make the U.S. a more attractive location for high-paying jobs. The 20% incremental tax credit should be made permanent. Since its introduction in 1981, the credit has been extended 12 times and allowed to lapse once. A permanent credit would make the U.S. a more attractive location for R&D facilities, increasing the likelihood that high-paying research jobs will be created here rather than abroad. Hillary Clinton proposes to make the tax credit permanent in order to eliminate uncertainty, and to make it easier for companies to plan their R&D budgets.
  9. Restore integrity to science policy. It is important to reinvigorate the Office of Science and Technology Policy to ensure that the President receives objective, fact-based advice. Hillary Clinton will reverse the Bush administration’s irresponsible politicization of science.
SUBMIT YOUR IDEAS TO HILLARY
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/feature/innovation/










Noteworthy Donors
Photo of Berry Gordy Berry Gordy $2,300
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Hillary Rodham Clinton
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/firstladies/hc42.html

President Bush Biography
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As an undergraduate at Wellesley College, Hillary mixed academic excellence with school government. Speaking at graduation, she said, "The challenge now is to practice politics as the art of making what appears to be impossible, possible."

In 1969, Hillary entered Yale Law School, where she served on the Board of Editors of Yale Law Review and Social Action, interned with children's advocate Marian Wright Edelman, and met Bill Clinton. The President often recalls how they met in the library when she strode up to him and said, "If you're going to keep staring at me, I might as well introduce myself." The two were soon inseparable--partners in moot court, political campaigns, and matters of the heart.

After graduation, Hillary advised the Children's Defense Fund in Cambridge and joined the impeachment inquiry staff advising the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives. After completing those responsibilities, she "followed her heart to Arkansas," where Bill had begun his political career.

They married in 1975. She joined the faculty of the University of Arkansas Law School in 1975 and the Rose Law Firm in 1976. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter appointed her to the board of the Legal Services Corporation, and Bill Clinton became governor of Arkansas. Their daughter, Chelsea, was born in 1980.

Hillary served as Arkansas's First Lady for 12 years, balancing family, law, and public service. She chaired the Arkansas Educational Standards Committee, co-founded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, and served on the boards of the Arkansas Children's Hospital, Legal Services, and the Children's Defense Fund.

As the nation's First Lady, Hillary continued to balance public service with private life. Her active role began in 1993 when the President asked her to chair the Task Force on National Health Care Reform. She continued to be a leading advocate for expanding health insurance coverage, ensuring children are properly immunized, and raising public awareness of health issues. She wrote a weekly newspaper column entitled "Talking It Over," which focused on her experiences as First Lady and her observations of women, children, and families she has met around the world. Her 1996 book It Takes a Village and Other Lessons Children Teach Us was a best seller, and she received a Grammy Award for her recording of it.

As First Lady, her public involvement with many activities sometimes led to controversy. Undeterred by critics, Hillary won many admirers for her staunch support for women around the world and her commitment to children's issues.

She was elected United States Senator from New York on November 7, 2000. She is the first First Lady elected to the United States Senate and the first woman elected statewide in New York. 

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Hillary Rodham Clinton

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Party: Democratic

Occupation: Lawyer, U.S. Senator

Current Job / Position: Senator from New York


Web site(s):
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Biography





During the 1992 presidential campaign, Hillary Rodham Clinton observed, "Our lives are a mixture of different roles. Most of us are doing the best we can to find whatever the right balance is . . . For me, that balance is family, work, and service."

Hillary Diane Rodham, Dorothy and Hugh Rodham's first child, was born on October 26, 1947. Two brothers, Hugh and Tony, soon followed. Hillary's childhood in Park Ridge, Illinois, was happy and disciplined. She loved sports and her church, and was a member of the National Honor Society, and a student leader. Her parents encouraged her to study hard and to pursue any career that interested her. 


Biography

Personal

Birthdate: October 26, 1947 (Chicago, Ill. )

Hometown: Park Ridge, Ill.

Spouse: Bill Clinton

Children: Chelsea Clinton

Religion: United Methodist

Education

  • Yale Law School, J.D., 1973
  • Wellesley College, B.A., 1969
  • Maine South High School

Experience

Businesses Owned, Past Careers, Board Memberships, Etc.:

  • Attorney, Rose Law Firm, 1976-1992
  • Faculty, University of Arkansas Law School, 1975
  • Board Member, TCBY Yogurt Company, 1985-1992
  • Board Member, Wal-Mart, 1985-1992
  • Board Member, Arkansas Children's Hospital
  • Board Member, Children's Defense Fund
  • Co-Founder, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families

Public Service / Elected Offices:

  • Senator, United States Senate, 2001-present
  • First Lady of the United States, 1993-2001
  • First Lady of Arkansas, 1979-1981, 1983-1993
  • House Judiciary Committee, 1974

Book(s)

  • Dear Socks, Dear Buddy: Kids' Letters to the First Pets by Hillary Rodham Clinton
  • Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton
  • It Takes a Village by Hillary Rodham Clinton
  • Witness to Genocide: The Children of Rwanda: Drawings by Child Survivors of the Rwandan Genocide of 1994 by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Richard A. Salem

Endorsements

98 campaign endorsements (of 584) by state-level political figures.

Latest Endorsements


Hillary Rodham Clinton


Do you have a plan to make health care more accessible to Americans? If so, how would you do it?

Yes. I recently unveiled a plan that will provide quality, affordable health care to all Americans, including the 47 million who don't have coverage today. I believe we have a moral imperative to provide quality health care for all Americans, and when I am President, enacting legislation to provide guaranteed quality, affordable health care will be my top domestic priority. My plan is based on the principles of shared responsibility and choice. If you have a plan you like, you keep it. If you want to change plans or aren't currently covered, you can choose from the same plans available to Members of Congress or opt into a public plan like Medicare. My plan will lower costs and improve quality, making health care affordable and accessible to everyone. It will lower health care costs by modernizing the system, focusing on preventive care, coordinating and streamlining care for chronically ill patients, and getting rid of the hidden cost of providing care to the uninsured. Under my plan, working families will get a tax credit to help pay for their premiums, insurance companies won't be able to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions, and people won't lose coverage if they switch or lose their jobs.

Do you support allowing a portion of the money currently withheld for Social Security to be put into private accounts? Why or why not?

I strongly oppose Social Security privatization. Social Security is a solemn promise to our seniors, and I am committed to keeping that promise. I am proud to have fought President Bush's attempt to privatize Social Security, which would have dismantled Social Security's guaranteed benefit structure, reduced Social Security benefits, and put seniors' retirement at risk by subjecting individuals to the whims of the stock market. Social Security is the single greatest domestic program in our history, and we have to protect it.

What specific changes would you make to the Social Security program?

I have a clear, straightforward plan to deal with Social Security. First, return to fiscal responsibility. That will give us the kinds of options we had in the late 1990s, when we had a plan to keep Social Security solvent until 2055. Second, set up a bipartisan process to address Social Security's long-term challenges. Third, as part of that process, we should consider a range of modest fixes to strengthen the program. But I will never agree to privatization, and I do not believe we should fix Social Security on the backs of the middle class or our nation's seniors. I also believe that in addition to protecting Social Security for future generations, we need to do more to promote retirement savings. That's why I have a plan to give every American the chance to open a new American Retirement Account, with generous matching tax cuts of up to $1,000 to help middle-class families save.

Do you support setting a deadline for either a withdrawal or a partial pullback of troops from Iraq? If so, what would be the date of that deadline?

Yes. I have voted for end dates in May 2008, June 2008, and December 2008. But President Bush is not willing to set an end date. When I am President, I will end the war in Iraq. I will convene a meeting of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, my Secretary of Defense, and my National Security Council to draw up a viable plan to bring our troops home starting within the first 60 days of my administration. When I am President, I will withdraw our forces from the sectarian fighting. There will be no American soldiers refereeing a civil war. No more combat patrols in Baghdad.

What distinguishes your plan for Iraq from those of the other candidates?

I have laid out a detailed plan for ending the war in Iraq swiftly and responsibly. As President, I would bring our troops home, work to bring stability to the region, and replace a military force with a new diplomatic initiative to engage countries around the world in securing Iraq's future and America's national interests. I would focus U.S. aid on helping Iraqis, ensuring that financial resources are used properly and not wasted, stolen, or hoarded by government ministries or ministers. I would also convene a regional stabilization group of allies, other global powers and all of the states bordering Iraq to develop and implement a strategy to create a stable Iraq. I would organize an international effort funded by a wide range of donor states, under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, to address the needs of Iraqi refugees.

What would be your top three national security priorities if you were elected?

As President, my top national security priorities will be to end the war in Iraq, to reinforce the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan, and to rebuild our shattered alliances. These three priorities are all essential components of restoring American power and leadership around the world.

What types of regulations and guidelines do you plan on implementing or promoting in order to deal with climate change and to make our country less oil dependent?

I recently announced my plan to address the energy and climate crises. I have three big goals: to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, the level necessary to avoid the worst impacts of global warming; to cut foreign oil imports by two-thirds from projected levels by 2030; and to transform our carbon-based economy into an efficient green economy, creating at least five million jobs from clean energy over the next decade. Specifically, my plan includes a new cap-and-trade program that auctions 100 percent of permits, an energy efficiency agenda to reduce electricity consumption by 20 percent from projected levels by 2020, and a $50 billion fund for investments in alternative energy. In addition, I will work toward doubling federal investment in basic energy research, taking aggressive action to transition our economy toward renewable energy sources, and increasing fuel efficiency standards to 40 miles per gallon by 2020 and 55 miles per gallon by 2030. I will also support a green building industry, modernize low-income homes to make them more energy efficient, and make it easier for low-income Americans to buy green homes and invest in green home improvements. Lastly, I will create an energy council within the White House.

Should the government have a role in encouraging development of energy efficient technologies and sustainable energy resources? If yes, how would you do it?

I believe that the government has a responsibility to provide a framework, incentives, and investments to move us toward energy independence; lead again in the international arena; and reform its organizational structure to address this new energy challenge. But I also believe that the private sector -- including oil companies, utilities, auto companies, and businesses -- and individuals must do their part in meeting the goals I have set. As I mentioned above, I have a comprehensive plan to confront global warming and move our country toward energy independence. But let me describe in detail two specific proposals I have announced to develop energy-efficient technologies and sustainable energy resources. The $50 billion fund for investments in alternative energy that I will create will demand that oil companies invest in clean energy. It's about time that oil companies do their share in funding clean energy technologies. I am going to give oil companies a choice: invest more in renewable energy technology or pay into the fund. The fund will eliminate oil company tax breaks and make sure that oil companies pay their fair share in royalties when drilling on public lands. This fund would jumpstart a clean energy future by injecting $50 billion over 10 years into research, development, and deployment of renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean coal technology, ethanol and other homegrown biofuels. Under my plan, I would seek to produce 25 percent of electricity from wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and other renewable resources by 2025. I would encourage investment in renewable energy production by making permanent the 1.9 cent per-kilowatt-hour tax credit for producing electricity from renewable sources. Families and businesses will receive tax incentives to install small-scale renewable energy technologies such as rooftop solar panels. We would establish national 'net metering' standards to ensure that families and businesses that install solar panels or other renewable energy resources can sell power back to the grid on fair terms.

How do you think the United States should handle illegal immigrants? Do you support President Bush's immigration plan?

The failure of the Congress and the White House to pass comprehensive immigration reform has left the country with a broken system that needs to be fixed. As President, I will work to pass comprehensive immigration reform that includes five key elements. I believe we have to toughen security at our borders, by placing more people and technology there. I will ensure that my policy cracks down on employers who hire undocumented immigrants and applies strict penalties for those who exploit these workers. I think that we should work with local communities to deal with the consequences of a broken immigration system. I plan to work with our neighbors to the south to find ways to provide economic opportunities for their own people. And, lastly, I will make sure that my policy provides a path to earned legalization that requires people to learn English and pay fines.

What are your top three priorities with regard to immigration?

My top three priorities, which are outlined in more detail in the previous question, are to ensure that comprehensive immigration reform includes toughening security at our borders, placing stronger restrictions or sanctions on employers, and providing a path to earned citizenship for people who have been living and working in the United States lawfully.

Do you support affirmative action? If you do, why do you think it is a benefit to our country? If not, what do you think would be gained by changing or eliminating it?

I support affirmative action that opens the doors of opportunity, but I don't believe in quotas to guarantee results. For millions of Americans, affirmative action policies helped knock down barriers of the past that prevented them from attending school, entering the workforce, or starting a small business. I was in support of the University of Michigan affirmative action cases because I believe that diversity in higher education is a vital national interest. The benefits of diversity are real-- and not only in our school system but also in our economy and society overall. As President, I will support strong and sensible affirmative action. I will call upon corporate America to be as diverse as the customers it serves. I will call on schools to support programs to meet the needs of all of its students from different backgrounds. And I will build an administration that reflects America's diverse backgrounds and values.

Do you agree or disagree with the argument that only the wealthiest Americans are benefiting from the current economic growth? Why or why not?

There is no doubt that our economy is not working for many working Americans. While by some measures the American economy has improved over the last six-and-a-half years, the fruits of that progress haven't reached most of our families. In 2005, all income gains went to the top 10 percent of households in the United States while the bottom 90 percent saw a drop in their incomes. But that isn't because they're not working hard -- they're working longer and harder but they're not getting rewarded for that. Over the past six years, productivity has risen 18 percent but family incomes have fallen $1,300. As a result, we are seeing a growing gap between the haves and the have-nots that is threatening America's middle class, which is the backbone of our country. According to a 2006 Goldman Sachs study, the most significant contributor to higher corporate profit margins over the past five years has been a decline in labor's share of national income. Over the 12-month period ending July 2006, slow growth in labor compensation accounted for 64 percent of the increase in corporate profit margins.

What are the three most important things you would do to promote economic growth and prosperity?

I believe it's time to reject President Bush's philosophy of a 'you're-on-your-own' society and to replace it with a progressive commitment to shared prosperity. My first priority will be to lay the foundations for an economy that will create good, high-paying jobs in the United States. To this end, I will end tax breaks for American companies that ship jobs overseas. I will implement an energy plan that will drive innovation, expand domestic manufacturing, and help create five million new 'green collar' jobs in the country. I have laid out a comprehensive innovation agenda to modernize our research and technology infrastructure to keep the United States on the cutting edge. And I will raise the minimum wage and expand the Earned Income Tax Credit, which is one of our nation's most effective tools to encourage work. My second priority will be to provide quality, affordable health care to all Americans, which I view as essential to our economic success. The skyrocketing cost of health care is undermining the competitiveness of America's businesses and is particularly burdensome for small businesses, which have been responsible for 80 percent of net new job growth since 1990. That is why a key component of my plan is to lower costs throughout the entire health care system. My plan will also provide a tax credit to small businesses to help them create good jobs with health care benefits in the United States. My third priority is to ensure that our education system is preparing students to compete in the 21st century economy. My plan begins early by investing in universal Pre-K. I will reform our K-12 system to ensure that our students have the necessary resources to stay on track and enroll in two- or four-year colleges. I will work to bring more women and minorities into the math, science, and engineering professions, and increase the number of science and engineering students graduating from our colleges. And I will make college affordable with a new $3,500 tax credit and expand and strengthen our community college system.

If elected, would you balance the budget? If you answered yes, how soon would you do it?

I want to move towards balanced budgets. I believe we can achieve big goals in this country again while restoring our commitment to fiscal responsibility. That is why I have been very clear throughout the entire campaign to explain how I would pay for every new initiative I announce without increasing the deficit. We need to turn the page on the Bush administration's fiscal recklessness. Over the past six-and-a-half years we have witnessed the most dramatic fiscal deterioration in our nation's history -- turning trillions in projected surpluses into deficits as far as the eye can see. Now, we're borrowing more and more from foreign countries like China, our national debt is three times higher than even the Bush administration itself projected, and we're leaving our children and grandchildren to pay the bill. I want America back in control of our fiscal destiny. It will take hard work and tough choices, but I am confident that we can put America back on a path to balanced budgets. I remember -- and many Americans might, too -- that we began the 1990s with record deficits but we ended the decade with $5.6 trillion in projected ten-year surpluses, 22 million new jobs, and average family income gains of more than $8,000.

Would you roll back tax cuts that were supported by the Bush administration?

I have called for reinstating the pre-Bush income tax rates for those earning over $250,000 as part of my plan to provide quality affordable health care to all Americans. I also oppose the Bush administration's commitment to completely eliminate the estate tax. Instead, I would freeze the estate tax at $7 million per couple and redirect those revenues to provide tax credits to help tens of million of families save and invest as part of my American Retirement Accounts proposal. Finally, I would extend the middle class tax cuts, including the 10 percent income tax rate, the child tax credit and marriage penalty relief.

Do you support the No Child Left Behind program? Why or why not?

When the No Child Left Behind Act was enacted, I viewed it as an historic promise between the federal government and educators. Schools would be held to higher standards than ever before and the government would make a record investment in those schools so they could meet the new expectations. Unfortunately, that promise has largely been broken because NCLB has been underfunded and schools have struggled to meet the mandates imposed by the law without the resources that were promised. So we need to make changes. First, I want to create a system that rewards schools that make progress towards the proficiency goals. I support growth models, which measure the progress of every child. I would also like to find ways to invest in better testing methods -- tests that assess higher level skills like critical thinking. Second, I believe the one-size-fits-all approach to fixing troubled schools is problematic. I strongly believe educators and school leaders need to have substantial input into efforts to turn around struggling schools and that schools should have more flexibility in determining the right solutions for addressing the problems they face. I am also concerned about the narrowing of curricula that I am hearing about in local communities. Some schools have eliminated physical education and others are cutting back on social studies, science, art, and music. This is a problem, and I think we have to ensure that children receive a well-rounded education.

What changes, if any, would you attempt to implement in national education policy?

As President, I will work to support our children from their earliest years in school, in Pre-K, until they graduate from college. I have proposed investing $10 billion to ensure that all four-year-olds in the country have access to quality Pre-K; studies have shown that early education leads to higher achievement and graduation rates. My agenda will place special emphasis on children from limited-English and/or low-income households, ensuring that they receive priority in enrollment and receive these services at no cost. In addition, I have unveiled a plan to make college more affordable for middle-class families. My plan would more than double the college tax credit, raising the maximum amount of benefits that students and their families can receive from $1,650 to $3,500. This new credit could cover more than 50 percent of the typical cost of public colleges and universities and more than the full cost of tuition for community colleges. In addition, I have proposed to increase the maximum Pell Grant and ensure that it is adjusted annually to take account of rising college costs. Furthermore, I will offer incentives for community colleges and four-year institutions to partner and support their students until they graduate.

What is your position on the proposed constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman?

The question of marriage is one that historically has been left to the states. I opposed the so-called 'Family Marriage Amendment' because this issue has no place in the Constitution.

What is your position on civil unions between same sex partners?

I believe gay and lesbian couples should have the same rights and responsibilities as all Americans, and I believe that civil unions are the best way to achieve this goal. As President, I will work to ensure that all Americans in committed relationships have equal benefits."

Do you support the Roe v. Wade decision or would you like to see this decision overturned? Why or why not?

I support Roe v. Wade. Throughout my career, I have fought to ensure that every woman has the right to make the most personal of life decisions with her family and her doctor. I believe that abortion should be safe, legal and rare. I have worked to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies in America, and I strongly oppose the efforts of those trying to roll back reproductive rights in the country. I voted against President Bush's Supreme Court nominees, Samuel Alito, Jr. and John Roberts, because I believed that they posed a very significant threat to the future of Roe v. Wade.

Should the federal government have a role in seeking an end to poverty? What would you do, specifically, to deal with poverty?

When I am President, I will make new investments to reduce poverty and increase opportunity for low-income Americans. One example is my comprehensive plan to address the crisis of the millions of young people in the United States who are out of school and out of work. To support our children in their earliest years in life, I will invest $10 billion for universal Pre-K and increase support for nurse home visits for first-time mothers. I will invest in mentoring and internship programs to help at-risk middle-school students stay on track for college and job success. I will provide job-training opportunities for young people who have fallen off-track in high-growth industries like renewable energy, health care, construction, and financial services. To support responsible fatherhood, I will triple the Earned Income Tax Credit benefit for childless adults and invest in employment and education programs for fathers who pay their child support. I will work to close the prison revolving door by creating new Reentry Partnership Grants that reward communities that devise successful home-grown strategies to reintegrate ex-offenders into the economy and society.

Do you think gun control has an impact on crime rates in the United States?

While I support the Second Amendment and believe law-abiding citizens should be able to own guns, I also believe strongly in smart laws that keep guns out of the hands of criminals and terrorists, which can help us fight crime. We should take reasonable steps to protect Americans from gun violence and, at the same time, safeguard the right of law-abiding citizens to use firearms for hunting and other recreational purposes. Illegal guns contribute to violence, and we have a problem when people acquire guns illegally or commit crimes with guns.

Do you think tighter restrictions should be in place for those buying a firearm?

I respect the right of Americans to own and bear arms, but we need protections in place to prevent guns from getting into the wrong hands. I support closing the gun show loophole and making sure our background check system is truly instant and accurate. Background checks at gun shows can stop gun sales to criminals, terrorists, and seriously mentally ill individuals like the Columbine shooters without burdening law-abiding gun buyers. I also support extending and reinstating the assault weapons ban while exempting hundreds of hunting and recreational weapons. And I support giving local law enforcement access to data that helps them track down guns sold to criminals and terrorists.

If elected, would you keep the current ban on funding for embryonic stem cell research in place? Why or why not?

I have pledged to lift the current ban on funding for embryonic stem research. This is because science, not narrow ideology, should drive our national research agenda. Stem cell research has the potential to transform lives, to help us find cures for illnesses including Parkinson's disease, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, Huntington's disease, and spinal cord injury. One hundred million Americans suffer from these diseases. The ban on stem cell research prevents scientists from pursuing developments that could lead to cures for these devastating illnesses. This ban is also a problem because some of our brightest researchers and scientists are choosing to do their work elsewhere -- or deciding to go into a different field of research entirely -- because they will not be supported in the United States. As a result, we are losing our international competitive edge to countries like Singapore and the United Kingdom, which support stem cell research. We are literally losing the race toward scientific progress. When I am President, we will once again stand up for science and research, for open and free inquiry, and for the critical investments that will make us richer, safer, smarter and stronger in the years to come. I have also proposed to increase the National Institutes of Health budget by 50 percent over five years and to double it over 10 years. Since 2003, the NIH budget has been largely flat, and President Bush proposes reducing it by 1.1 percent in 2008.

What would be your top three overall priorities if elected?

When I am President, my top three priorities will be providing quality, affordable health care to all Americans, ending the war in Iraq, and strengthening the middle class. It is a tragedy that there are 47 million Americans without health insurance and many more just a pink slip away from losing the coverage they have. Health care just isn't affordable for many people -- premiums have been skyrocketing and half of all personal bankruptcies in the United States are caused by medical bills. My plan will focus on offering high-quality care -- ensuring that Americans have access to preventive, basic, and chronic care that is coordinated and delivered by well-trained health care professionals. And I will implement cost-savings measures throughout the health care system so that cost is no longer a barrier to having health insurance for any American. The war in Iraq is sapping our military strength, absorbing our strategic assets, diverting attention and resources from Afghanistan, alienating our allies, and dividing our people. As I have said previously, if President Bush does not end the war, when I am President, I will. For 35 years, I have worked to improve the lives of America's children and families, and I will continue to do so when I am President. I will create new well-paying jobs through investments in alternative energy and innovation, increase the minimum wage, support our unions, and keep and create middle-class tax cuts. I want to eliminate incentives for American companies to ship jobs and profits overseas, and I plan to invest in new industries at home to make America competitive in the global economy. I will ensure that all American children have access to quality education, starting with Pre-K and continuing until college, and that they are prepared to enter the workforce so that all Americans have a chance to live up to their potential.



AP Photo: Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., addresses a rally in the Hunter College...

Clinton faces 

daunting delegate deficit


By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent
WASHINGTON - Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton must win 57 percent of the remaining primary and caucus delegates to erase Barack Obama's lead, a daunting task requiring landslide-sized victories by a struggling presidential candidate.

Obama's victories in Wisconsin and Hawaii on Tuesday — his ninth and 10th in a row — left him with 1,178 pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses in The Associated Press' count. Clinton has 1,024.

Another 1,025 remain to be awarded, most of them in contests in 14 states, Guamand Puerto Rico. It takes 2,025 to win the nomination.

Further complicating Clinton's challenge, Obama appears particularly well-positioned to win at least one of the remaining states with ease. Mississippi, with a primary on March 11, fits a pattern of Southern states with large black populations that he has won handily, including South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana.

The rival campaigns maintain their own delegate counts. And while both agree Obama is the leader, they differ on the significance.

"The only way in this system to amass delegates is to win by big margins. Close races result in close delegate distribution," David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager, told reporters in a conference call.

"The only way she can do it is winning states like Ohio 65-35, Texas 65-35,Pennsylvania, you know, 70-30. and you go on and on and on. She'd have to win pretty much all the states, even states where we're considered to have some strength," he added.

Clinton's top aides said Plouffe was deliberately trying to set unrealistically high expectations for the former first lady.

"We expect to do well in both those states," said Harold Ickes, speaking of Texas and Ohio, which hold primaries on March 4. "But 65 percent is a far reach and there is no expectation here that we're going to hit that number."

"We're in the neighborhood of about 75 delegates behind, that is less that 3 percent of the total number of delegates who have been elected. We expect to narrow that gap substantially by the end of this process," he added.

Obama's lead in delegates won at the ballot box is partially offset by Clinton's advantage among superdelegates — members of Congress, governors and other party leaders who are unpledged to either candidate. She leads in that category, 238-173, cutting Obama's overall margin to 89 delegates in the AP count.

Superdelegates are free to shift allegiances. And Clinton's recent string of primary and caucuses defeats coincides with a slow erosion of support among the same party leaders who established her as the front-runner months before the first votes were cast.

She has failed to add any since Super Tuesday on Feb. 5, while Obama is slowly gaining ground.

The former first lady lost two more superdelegates during the day, both in New Jersey, when one switched to Obama and the other moved to uncommitted.

Additionally, Reps. Lloyd Doggett of Texas and Ron Kind of Wisconsin, both superdelegates, endorsed Obama.

"My constituents overwhelmingly chose Barack Obama to be their nominee, and I am proud to pledge my superdelegate vote to him as well," Kind said in a statement.

Further underscoring Clinton's political peril, Rep. David Scott of Georgia announced he would vote for Obama rather than the former first lady, and Rep. John Lewis said he might switch, as well.

Superdelegates aside, results in earlier states show how difficult Clinton will find it to overtake Obama's lead when the primaries resume in two weeks.

In general, delegates are allocated on the basis of popular votes within congressional districts, and any candidate who gains 15 percent of the vote is entitled to at least one.

Clinton won New Jersey with 54 percent of the vote and Massachusetts with 56 percent on Feb. 5. But because Obama ran relatively well, particularly in some congressional districts, she won the delegate competition by only 28 delegates combined in the two states.

Contrast that to Obama's home state of Illinois, he won slightly less than 65 percent of the vote — and won 55 more delegates than Clinton.

The contests left on the calendar include primaries in Ohio, Texas, Vermont, Rhode IslandMississippiPennsylvaniaIndiana, North Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky,OregonMontana and South Dakota as well as caucuses in WyomingGuam andPuerto Rico. There are 44 delegates unallocated from primaries and caucuses held earlier.

Associated Press Writer Stephen Ohlemacher contributed to this report.


Wed Feb 20

This is an overall view inside a gymnasium at the University of Texas at Austin Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008, in Austin, Texas, after it was prepared for Thursday's 90-minute televised debate between Democratic presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)


Wed Feb 20 

Sam Feist, a CNN political director, speaks on stage in a gymnasium at the University of Texas at Austin Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008, in Austin, Texas, after it was prepared for Thursday's 90-minute televised debate between Democratic presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton.(AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)

Wed Feb 20  

Tom Schwinn, an art director from New York City, works at a table in a gymnasium at the University of Texas at Austin Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008, in Austin, Texas, after it was prepared for Thursday's 90-minute televised debate between Democratic presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)

Wed Feb 20  

This stage is shown in a gymnasium at the University of Texas at Austin, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008, in Austin, Texas, after it was prepared for Thursday's 90-minute televised debate between Democratic presidential hopefuls Barack Obama, who will be seated on the left, and Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is to be seated on the right.(AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)

Wed Feb 20  

Steven Ross, a debate consultant from Washington, D.C., is shown on stage in a gymnasium at the University of Texas at Austin Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008, in Austin, Texas, after it was prepared for Thursday's 90-minute televised debate between Democratic presidential hopefuls Barack Obama, who is to be seated on the left, and Hillary Rodham Clinton. AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)

Wed Feb 20  

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama addresses a primary campaign rally at the Toyota Center February 19, 2008 in Houston, Texas. Hillary Clinton licked her wounds Wednesday after her 10th successive electoral mauling by White House rival Obama, stressing experience over hype ahead of must-win battles in Texas and Ohio.(AFP/GETTY IMAGES/Dave Einsel)

Wed Feb 20  

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton speaks at a "Low Dollar" fundraiser at Hunter College in New York City. Clinton licked her wounds Wednesday after her 10th successive electoral mauling by White House rival Barack Obama, stressing experience over hype ahead of must-win battles in Texas and Ohio.(AFP/GETTY IMAGES/Mario Tama)

Wed Feb 20  Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton speaks at her Wisconsin primary election night campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio, February 19, 2008. (Aaron Josefczyk/Reuters)

Wed Feb 20  Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton acknowledges supporters at her Wisconsin primary election night campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio February 19, 2008. (Aaron Josefczyk/Reuters)

Wed Feb 20  Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton speaks to people during a round table discussion at a small diner in Parma Ohio February 19, 2008. (Aaron Josefczyk/Reuters)

Wed Feb 20  Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) greets supporters during a campaign stop in New York, February 20, 2008. (Keith Bedford/Reuters)

Wed Feb 20  Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign stop in New York, February 20, 2008. (Keith Bedford/Reuters)

Wed Feb 20   Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton acknowledges her supporters at her Wisconsin primary election night campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio February 19, 2008. (Aaron Josefczyk/Reuters)

Wed Feb 20  Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton laughs with Mayor Dean DePiero, mayor of Parma Ohio, during a round table discussion at a small diner in Parma Ohio February 19, 2008. (Aaron Josefczyk/Reuters)

Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, ...
Wed Feb 20  Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., addresses a rally in the Hunter College auditorium in New York, Wednesday Feb. 20, 2008. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, ...
Wed Feb 20  Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., makes a campaign stop at the Hunter College Auditorium in New York, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)


Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., applauds at left, as Democratic ...
Wed Feb 20  

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., applauds at left, as Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., reacts during her introduction by Schumer, D-N.Y., Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008, during a campaign stop at the Hunter College Auditorium in New York.(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)


Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, ...
Wed Feb 20,  Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., makes a campaign stop at Hunter College Auditorium in New York, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, ...
Wed Feb 20,  Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., center, accompanied by Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and others, arrives for a rally under security's watchful eye, left, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008, in the Hunter College auditorium in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, ...
Wed Feb 20  Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., greets supporters at a rally in the Hunter College auditorium in New York, Wednesday Feb. 20, 2008. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton speaks during ...
Wed Feb 20  Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio on February 19. Clinton was licking her wounds after her 10th successive electoral mauling by White House rival Obama, stressing experience over hype ahead of must-win battles in Texas and Ohio. (AFP/GETTY IMAGES/Jeff Swensen)


















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Hillary's Story

http://www.votehillary.org/

Hillary was raised in a middle-class family in the middle of America. From that classic suburban childhood in Park Ridge, Illinois, Hillary went on to become one of America's foremost advocates for children and families; an attorney twice voted one of the most influential in America; a First Lady of Arkansas who helped transform the schools; a bestselling author; a First Lady for America who helped transform that role, becoming a champion for health care and families at home and a champion of women's rights and human rights around the world.

Clinton will try to focus on policy to win voters


Whoopi For Hillary!
Whoopi Goldberg declared that she wants a "substantive" candidate for President and switched her vote from Obama to Hillary Clinton!

Hillary On McCainomics

Asian voters boost Clinton

Clinton Looks To Texas Hispanic Voters

Hillary Targets Virginia As Next Battleground

Dingell, Kildee endorse Clinton for president

GALLUP: Clinton Takes 13 Point National Lead!

Clinton Takes California!

Clintons vote in Westchester, sign autographs for poll workers

Jack Nicholson: Clinton Is 'Masterful'

Paul Krugman Takes On The Candidate's Healthcare Plans


Clinton blasts Obama over health care plan

By NEIL MODIE
P-I REPORTER

TACOMA -- Sen. Hillary Clinton pounded at Sen. Barack Obama on Friday for what she sees as his greatest vulnerability in their battle for the Democratic presidential nomination: his "astonishing" criticism of her for advocating universal health care.

At a campaign rally here and in an interview with the Seattle P-I, the New York senator acknowledged that their disagreement on the topic has become the "most prominent" division in a campaign in which they have expressed relatively few sharp differences on major policy issues.

She said in the interview that while she and former Sen. John Edwards, before he dropped his presidential campaign, both "took the political risk and staked out the ground" to advocate universal health care, "Senator Obama chose not to, and he has spent the past couple of weeks attacking me for being in favor of universal health care, which I find astonishing."

"And for the life of me, I don't think it's the smart position for a Democrat or a progressive to take. I think it's imperative that we stand for universal health care. I've been down this road," she said, revisiting criticism she also leveled at Obama at a rally on Seattle's downtown waterfront Thursday night.

"But if you don't even try," she added, "you're ceding the ground to the health insurance companies, the drug companies, the Republicans, without a fight, and I think that's a mistake."

At the same time Obama was drawing a vastly larger crowd at Seattle's KeyArena the day before Washington's presidential caucuses, Clinton filled the University of Puget Sound's 5,500-seat field house for a health care-themed speech, with a backdrop of nurses and the announcement of an endorsement of her by the American Nurses Association.

Clinton has called for mandatory universal coverage, tax credits for working families to make insurance more affordable and requiring businesses to offer insurance to employees or pay into a pool for people without it.

Obama has proposed mandatory coverage for children. He would aim for universal coverage by requiring employers to share costs of insuring workers and by offering coverage similar to that in a plan for federal employees.

Without mentioning Obama by name in her speech, Clinton told her Tacoma audience, "My opponent's plan would leave out at least 50 million people, 750,000 right here in the state of Washington." Her plan, she said, "bans insurance companies from discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions."

Clinton tailored her stump speech to local concerns, laying out her health care plan and appealing to veterans; two large military bases are near Tacoma. She also wooed "green" voters, an influential part of the state's Democratic base.

She pledged to work with Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Bremerton, who endorsed her Friday, "to restore Puget Sound, to give it the national priority it deserves."

As she has done frequently, she took oblique shots at her rival's relative inexperience and often inspirational, unity-promoting oratory, saying the campaign "is not just about a momentary good feeling, because we've got work to be done."

Clinton never mentioned her husband, the former president.

When asked in the interview whether his recent, high-profile, roundly criticized digs at Obama had raised the public perception that theirs would be a de facto co-presidency, she said, "there's only one president and one decision-maker in the White House."

This report includes information from The Associated Press. P-I reporter Neil Modie can be reached at 206-448-8321 or neilmodie@seattlepi.com.

Obama, McCain win state caucuses


ELECTION '08 HEADLINES
· Campaign Countdown: 338 Days To Go
· Electoral College is past its prime
· Complaint against Rossi rejected
Obama, McCain win Wash. caucuses

A look at the delegate process in Washington state

Clinton says Obama saying 'No, we can't' on healthcare

Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor 
February 8, 2008 02:49 PM


WASHINGTON -- Senator Barack Obama scored a clean sweep in Saturday's Democratic nominating contests from the West Coast to the Caribbean, giving him a burst of momentum in a Democratic campaign where every delegate has become crucial to capturing the nomination.

On the Republican side, a defiant Mike Huckabee easily won the GOP caucuses in Kansas and was projected as the narrow winner in the Louisiana primary, picking up support from social conservatives to best his party's front-runner, Senator John McCain, and giving a breath of life to the former Arkansas governor's uphill campaign. Huckabee and McCain were locked in a race that was too close to call early today in the Washington state caucuses.

Obama won the Nebraska and Washington caucuses by greater than two-to-one margins against Senator Hillary Clinton and easily captured the Louisiana primary by a double-digit margin with heavy support among African-American voters. Obama also swamped Clinton in the US Virgin Islands caucuses. But because of the proportional awarding of delegates in the Democratic contests, the two contenders remain locked in a close battle for the 2,025 delegates needed to secure the party's nomination.

"We won north, we won south, we won in between,'' a jubilant Obama told a Democratic Party dinner last night in Virginia. "And I believe we can win Virginia,'' he added to cheers and shouts of "Yes, we can!'' his campaign mantra.

The attention now moves to Maine, where Democrats will hold caucuses today, and to Tuesday's "Potomac Primary,'' in which Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia will hold primaries. Obama is leading in polls in Virginia and Maryland, and is expected to win in the District, so the Clinton campaign is banking heavily on wins in bigger states next month to keep her in the running.

While the Obama campaign celebrated, the Clinton camp sought to downplay Obama's successes last night, even before the votes were counted. "The Obama campaign has dramatically outspent our campaign in these three states, saturating the airwaves with 30 and 60 second ads,"' the campaign said in a memo to reporters. "Although the next several states that hold nominating contests this month are more favorable to the Obama campaign, we will continue to compete in them and hope to secure as many delegates as we can before the race turns to Ohio, Texas, and Pennsylvania.''

The Illinois senator has done overwhelmingly well among black voters, helping him score victories in the South and giving him an edge in the primaries coming up Tuesday. But Clinton has done very well among Latinos voters -- capturing California largely because of the two-thirds of the Hispanic vote there she received -- and her campaign expects the New York lawmaker to have an advantage in Texas because of the Latino vote there.

Heading into yesterday's contests, Clinton held a small lead over Obama in the delegate count, 1,055 to 998, according to an Associated Press tally, which includes the results of primaries and caucuses, plus a survey of unpledged "superdelegates." But Obama's campaign said last night that after his wins, he leads Clinton by about 70 delegates among those awarded in actual contests.

Obama can also claim wins in the popular vote in 18 states to 10 states for Clinton -- with votes still being counted in New Mexico from Tuesday. Clinton also won in Florida and Michigan, but those delegates are not being counted because the states broke party rules to move up their primaries. National polls show the two deadlocked.

Huckabee pulls out win in Louisiana

 Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor February 10, 2008 12:28 AM

Mike Huckabee added Louisiana to his wins tonight, as a large chunk of Republican voters rebelled against the party establishment coalescing behind John McCain.

Fox News projected that Huckabee would win the Southern state, after sweeping the region's states on Super Tuesday. With about 97 percent of precincts counted, Huckabee led McCain 44 percent to 42 percent.

But it did not appear either candidate would get more than 50 percent of the vote, meaning that the 20 delegates up for grabs yesterday will be uncommitted when they go to the GOP convention in September.

McCain has a huge lead in delegates and has been treated as the presumptive nominee since Thursday, when Mitt Romney dropped out. But Huckabee won in Kansas as well as Louisiana.

McCain and Huckabee were locked in a too-close-to-call race in the Washington caucuses.

              Freefall
The stakes have never been higher in choosing our next president. You can depend on Hillary to protect our future.
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http://www.hillaryhub.com/

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Come join Hillary on the "Voices Across America" national town hall on Monday 2/4 at 9pm ET, 6pm PT. You can watch online at (more)
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Hillary on Arkansas: "You taught me so much, and we worked together to expand health care, and improve education."..."Hillary Clinton
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This is Bearly Political

Hilliary Clinton will be dancing her way to the White House in 2012


BarelyPolitical Girls Are YouTube Video Women

By: Devon Branch

McCain Girl, McCain Hulk and Obama Girl are featured in this Women of YouTube podcast from movio.com. Yes, we really are that sexy funny


The Real Real Clinton Obama Phone Call

By: Devon Branch
BarelyPolitical Uncovers the leaked phone call between Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Bill's apology is sometimes awkward, but always funny. The two are mostly complimentary and even a little "gay." 

Since then, it's been great to see how the presidential campaigns have tried to keep up with the pace of new media, announcing their candidacies online . . . and sometimes making horrible (and funny) gaffes. The campaigns generated internet...

2008 Web Video Odyssey Part Deux

By: Devon Branch

For July 4, the folks at PoliticsTV have come up with this amazing, thoroughly empowering tribute to Obama Girl and all things politically comedic:


2008's Best Campaign Web Videos So Far -Pt 2."Obama Girl, the Empire Strikes Barack, Barocky, Young Hillary Clinton, and It's Raining McCain to name a few have all been funny, user-generated editions to the presidential campaign.

Bill Clintons Secret Call to Barack Obama

By: Devon Branch
In this exclusive, "leaked" footage from jimghenderson, we see what Barack Obama and Bill Clinton really talked about in their formerly secret phone call.

Filled with references to Clinton's 1990s dalliances, slang, and tang, Clinton talks about such serious topics as vice-presidential candidates, Monica Lewinsky, and Obama Girl. Throughout the exchange, Obama cooly refuses to...




Sex, lobbying and media debates

February 21, 2008 

US elections 2008: The reporting of a titillating scandal may have the perverse effect of helping John McCain and hurting Hillary Clinton


For the last 24 hours Washington has been aflutter with the most titillating scandal this swampy city has seen in some time. For those inured to the Beltway bubble's siren songs, the issue at hand is a front page New York Times story (published this morning but posted online last night) that alleges Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, had an improper relationship with a lobbyist named Vicki Iseman in 1999.

By February of that year, says the story: "The Senator's advisers had grown so concerned the relationship had become romantic that they took steps to intervene." McCain has roundly denounced the paper, his wife Cindy pronounced herself "disappointed" with the New York Times, the left has questioned why the paper has so little beyond hearsay in the actual story, and right wing commentators have rushed in to chastise the "liberal media" for trying to sully an American hero. 

Why this story is important - and why it's not - explains a lot about the unique hot house environment of American politics: our prurient and puritan ways. In the end, when this settles down, there will be likely be one winner - Barack Obama - for reasons I'll detail momentarily. And the person it hurts most? Hillary Clinton. 

Politicians and sex go together like beans and cornbread - US history is filled with salacious rumors about this pol or that president. The twentieth century alone is juicy enough - from FDR's relationship with his wife's secretary (Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd) to JFK and LBJ's boundless dalliances, to those shot down before their time - Gary Hart comes quickly to mind, the poor Senator whose presidential hopes were dashed during the 1988 presidential race when Donna Rice was photographed sitting in his lap on a yacht. And then, of course, there was Bill. But we'll get back to Bill. 

The conservative right has made sexual impropriety a part of their general package of approved immorality. Extramarital sex goes along with Darwinism (evolution), gay rights and abortion in their lists of the things that are unchristian and therefore un-American. But a subset of that list of no-nos for conservatives, which might have given this story a possibly a secondary impact on Senator McCain, is campaign finance reform. 

McCain is now best known in DC as an independent and unsulliable maverick, the kind of guy who (and you hear this phrase a lot) stuck his thumb in the eye of the Republican mainstream for years. But he's also most often associated with campaign finance legislation and his tireless campaign for campaign finance reform. But McCain's fervor is that of a convert. In 1991 he was investigated for his role in theKeating Five, the savings and loan scandal that cost American taxpayers billions of dollars. It's old news here, but today's New York Times story gave it a new airing - both because it calls into question McCain's relationship to his lobbyists (whether in bed or out) and because it reminds everyone of a less black and white time in his personal political history.

It would be more difficult for him had this story broken elsewhere. But the right has chosen to make this a battle between conservatives and liberals. This is the "liberal media" demonising McCain - and every conservative, even those who felt McCain wasn't nearly worthy of the Republican platform, has rushed to tell MSNBC and CNN that is a liberal smear.

Even Rush Limbaugh, who has mocked the senator (even going so far as to make hostage jokes about him back in 2004), came to his defense. "This is what you get when you walk across the aisle and try to make these people your friends. I'm not surprised in the least that the Times would try to take out John McCain," the uber-conservative radio host said today.

It's a pivot - it repositions this story not as a question about campaign finance or sex, both of which could get the only viable Republican candidate in trouble with the base of the party, but one where it is only the so-called "reality-based community" (liberals) versus everyone else (conservatives). It casts immediate doubt on the Times story, and anything else the paper of record says going forward. If conservatives continue to rally to him in this way, the New York Times may have, inadvertently, done more to bind the fractured Republican Party together than tear it apart. Even so there will be those who wonder. 

Which brings us back to the Democrats. Why? Because tonight the Dems square off face to face in a debate before the big contests of Texas and Ohio - two electoral battles Hillary Clinton can't afford to lose. Breaking today, this scandal does two things: first it drew - and continues to draw - focus away from tonight's debate, thus drastically reducing the likelihood Clinton can halt Obama's momentum. Second, and more importantly, there is nothing that sexual peccadilloes remind voters of than Hillary's erstwhile life partner, President Bill Clinton. Sex and the White House? Everything pales in comparison to Monica. And that doesn't help Hillary one bit.

So: John McCain = victim to rally around, Hillary Clinton = forever tied to that philandering husband. And Barack Obama? Stands alone.

For more blogs on the US elections, click here.

McCain Hits Back With Donor Plea

Fund-Raising Appeals 
Cast Candidate as Victim; 
Defense Goes on Offensive
By LAURA MECKLER and SUSAN DAVIS
February 22, 2008; Page A4

WASHINGTON -- John McCain's attempt to portray himself as a reformer taking on entrenched interests faced a high-profile challenge amid widespread coverage of allegations that he had an inappropriate relationship with a telecommunications lobbyist.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee and his allies went on the offense as they dismissed the charges -- published in the New York Times and picked up widely yesterday by news organizations. His campaign and the Republican National Committee each sent fund-raising appeals portraying Mr. McCain as the victim of an unfair story.

Mr. McCain answered the charges directly in a morning news conference in Ohio, and his supporters fanned out over TV and radio talk shows to defend the Arizona senator and accuse the newspaper of pressing an agenda. "I'm very disappointed in the article. It's not true," he said.

More than most politicians, Mr. McCain has built his image as a straight-talking crusader unafraid to take on moneyed interests. But a months-long presidential campaign was sure to rough up his image. His Democratic counterparts have also faced increased scrutiny. Illinois Sen. Barack Obama faces questions as his onetime fund-raiser, Antoin Rezko, faces a criminal trial in Chicago.

The New York Times story, first published Wednesday on its Web site, said McCain aides had urged the senator and lobbyist Vicki Iseman to steer clear of one another prior to his unsuccessful 2000 presidential run. It said that aides suspected a romantic relationship, something that both Mr. McCain and Ms. Iseman denied. The report also said Mr. McCain wrote government regulators on behalf of one of Ms. Iseman's clients.

At a news conference in Toledo with his wife, Cindy, by his side, Mr. McCain emphatically denied a romantic relationship, describing Ms. Iseman as a friend.

"I've served this nation honorably for more than half a century," he said. "At no time have I ever done anything that would betray the public trust."

The story comes as Mr. McCain is trying to win over skeptical social conservatives. But it may not be particularly damaging, said Charmaine Yoest, a vice president at the Washington-based Family Research Council Action. "Questions of character are ones that values voters pay attention to. They'll be looking at the story but so far there doesn't seem to be a lot of there there."

Some prominent conservatives who have been highly critical of Mr. McCain as he emerged at the top of the Republican pack were prompted yesterday to rally to his defense for the first time this year.

"What is the lesson? The lesson is liberals are to be defeated," conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh said on air yesterday. "You cannot welcome their media members on your bus and get all cozy with them and expect eternal love from them."

One of Mr. McCain's top advisers, Charlie Black, said the campaign planned to move beyond the story after its aggressive response yesterday morning. By yesterday afternoon, Mr. McCain was refusing to answer further questions, canceling a news conference scheduled after he toured a Ford Motor Co. factory in Wayne, Mich.

Meantime, the campaign tried to turn the story into an advantage with a fund-raising appeal to supporters. "Well, here we go. We could expect attacks were coming; as soon as John McCain appeared to be locking up the Republican nomination, the liberal establishment and their allies at the New York Times have gone on the attack," wrote campaign manager Rick Davis. The Republican National Committee issued a similar appeal.

Neither mentioned that the Times editorial page endorsed Mr. McCain for the Republican nomination.

New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller said in a statement that "the story speaks for itself" and denied that the story was timed for any political purpose.


Write to Laura Meckler at laura.meckler@wsj.com and Susan Davis atsusan.davis@wsj.com

John McCain disputed a New York Times article suggesting he had a romantic relationship with a lobbyist and that he showed favoritism to one of her clients.

 

AFP/GETTY IMAGES/File Photo: Democratic presidential candidate Sen.
 Hillary Clinton speaks at a "Low Dollar" fundraiser at Hunter College.

AFP/GETTY IMAGES/File Photo: Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton speaks at a "Low Dollar" fundraiser at Hunter College...

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Clinton attacks Obama ahead of debate


By Steve Holland Thu Feb 21, 5:13 PM ET

LAREDO, Texas (Reuters) - Democrat Hillary Clinton on Thursday questioned rivalBarack Obama's readiness to serve as commander in chief and his ability to win the White House as the two presidential contenders prepared for a crucial debate

The Thursday night showdown in Austin, Texas, gives Clinton a chance to halt Obama's momentum and turn around a Democratic presidential fight that has shifted decisively in the Illinois senator's favor after his streak of 10 straight victories.

"I want you to think, 'Who do you want to have in the White House answering the phone at 3 o'clock in the morning when some crisis breaks out around the world?"' Clinton asked a heavily Hispanic crowd at a rally in downtown Laredo.

"'Who is best prepared to be commander in chief on day one?"' she added, pushing her latest line of attack on Obama in their hard-fought duel to be the Democratic candidate in November's presidential election.

In the Republican race, front-runner John McCain dismissed a New York Times report suggesting he had a close and possibly romantic relationship with a female lobbyist nine years ago who represented companies that did business with the Senate committee he led.

The newspaper reported his aides became concerned the potentially embarrassing conflict of interest could harm his ultimately failed presidential bid in 2000. The Arizona senator told reporters in Toledo, Ohio, the article was "not true."

"At no time have I ever done anything that would betray the public trust or make a decision which in any way would not be in the public interest and would favor any one or any organization," McCain said.

McCain aides and allies launched a counter-attack on the Times, with his campaign manager Rick Davis telling supporters the story was part of an "unsourced hit-and-run smear campaign."

McCain has an almost insurmountable lead in the Republican race over his last major rival, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who has refused to give up until McCain has enough convention delegates to clinch the nomination.

Obama has taken control of the Democratic race after winning 10 consecutive contests by wide margins. Clinton needs to win March 4 contests in Ohio and Texas if she hopes to block Obama's march to the nomination.

Obama has a growing lead in pledged convention delegates who will choose the Democratic candidate at the August convention. The latest count by MSNBC gives Obama 1,168 to Clinton's 1,018.

OBAMA WINS DEMOCRATS ABROAD

Obama picked up more good news on Thursday with word he had won primary voting among Democrats who live abroad. Obama won about 66 percent of the vote and Clinton 33 percent.

Democrats in 164 countries participated in the primary, voting by Internet, mail and in person between February 5 and February 12, organizers said. Obama won 2.5 delegates and Clinton 2 delegates in the voting.

Obama also won the endorsement of the Change to Win labor federation, an umbrella group representing seven unions -- including four that already backed him. The other three abstained, including the United Farm Workers, who support Clinton.

The debate on Thursday night will give Clinton a broad public stage to try to begin her comeback, and she has cranked up her recent attacks on Obama as she searches for a message that works.

"I want you to think, 'Who is best able to stand on a stage with Senator John McCainto make a case to elect a Democrat?"' Clinton told the crowd in Laredo in south Texas on the Mexican border, where she is counting on strong support from Hispanics.

The New York senator and former first lady said she had learned from her husband,former President Bill Clinton, how difficult the job could be. She also kept up her criticism of Obama's high-flying rhetoric as lacking in real-world substance.

"We need to have someone who is prepared with solutions to our problems, not just speeches," she said.

Obama has managed to gain an increasing share of Clinton's core voting blocs of blue-collar and low-income workers while cutting into her margins with Hispanics.

The two big states of Ohio and Texas, with a combined total of 334 delegates at stake on March 4, have plenty of both. Clinton strategists have targeted the two states as good environments for her economic message. Rhode Island and Vermontalso vote on March 4.

Obama, in Austin to prepare for the debate, visited the stadium and football facilities for the University of Texas Longhorns. The Texas football coach, Mack Brown, scolded a reporter who tried to ask Obama about McCain and lobbyists.

"Coach solved that one, didn't he?" Obama said.

(Additional reporting by Jeff Mason and Jason Szep; Writing by John Whitesides; Editing by David Wiessler)

(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at http://blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)

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Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton speaks 
at a "Low Dollar" fundraiser at Hunter College...

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Clinton: 

Obama 'change you can Xerox'

By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent

AUSTIN, Texas - Hillary Rodham Clinton accused presidential rival Barack Obama of political plagiarism Thursday night, but drew boos from a Democratic debate audience when she ridiculed him as the candidate of "change you can Xerox."

Obama dismissed the charge out of hand, then turned the jeers to applause when he countered, "What we shouldn't be spending time doing is tearing each other down. We should be spending time lifting the country up."

The exchange marked an unusually pointed moment in an otherwise civil encounter in the days before March 4 primaries in Texas and Ohio — contests that even some of Clinton's supporters say she must win to sustain her campaign for the White House.

The former first lady has lost 11 straight primaries and caucuses, and trails her rival in convention delegates. Obama has won a pair of big union endorsements in the past two days.

In a university auditorium in the heart of Texas, the two rivals agreed that high-tech surveillance measures are preferable to construction of a fence to curtail illegal immigration.

They disagreed on the proper response to a change in government in Cuba in the wake of Fidel Castro's resignation. Clinton said she would refuse to sit down with incoming President Raul Castro until he implements political and economic reforms. Obama said he would meet "without preconditions," but added the U.S. agenda for such a session would include human rights in the Communist island nation.

They also sparred frequently about health care, a core issue of the campaign.

Clinton said repeatedly that Obama's plan would leave 15 million Americans uncovered.

But he, in turn, accused the former first lady of mishandling the issue by working in secrecy when her husband was in the White House.

"I'm going to do things differently," he said. "We can have great plans, but if we don't change how the politics is working in Washington, then neither of our plans are going to happen."

Clinton was combative and complimentary by turns, and reflected on her well-known personal struggles in the debate's final moments.

"Everyone here knows I've lived through some crises and some challenging moments in my life," she said — a thinly veiled but clear reference to her husband's affair with Monica Lewinsky and subsequent impeachment. But she added that nothing she had been through matched the everyday struggles of voters.

Then, offering unprompted praise to her rival, the one-time front-runner said, "No matter what happens in this contest, I am honored to be here with Barack Obama."

Both candidates were plainly popular with the debate audience. During one break someone in the crowd shouted "Si se puede," Spanish for Obama's trademark phrase, "Yes we can."

Clinton largely sidestepped a question about so-called superdelegates, members of Congress, governors and party leaders who were not picked in primaries and caucuses. She said the issue would sort itself out, and "we'll have a unified Democratic party" for the fall campaign.

But Obama, who has won more primaries and caucuses said the contests must "count for something ... that the will of the voters ... is what ultimately will determine who our next nominee is going to be."

Clinton went into the debate needing a change in the course of the campaign, and waited patiently for an opening to try to diminish her rival, seated inches away on the stage. "I think you can tell from the first 45 minutes Senator Obama and I have a lot in common," she said.

Barely pausing for breath, she went on to say there were differences.

First, she said she had seen a supporter of Obama interviewed on television recently, and unable to name a single accomplishment the Illinois senator had on his record.

"Words are important and words matter but actions speak louder than words," she said.

Obama agreed with that, then noted that Clinton lately had been urging voters to turn against him by saying, "let's get real."

"And the implication is that the people who've been voting for me or are involved in my campaign are somehow delusional," Obama said.

Clinton also raised Obama's use in his campaign speeches of words first uttered by his friend, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.

"If your candidacy is going to be about words then they should be your own words," she said. "...Lifting whole passages from someone else's speeches is not change you can believe in, it's change you can Xerox."

The debate audience booed.

Obama said the entire controversy was evidence of a "silly season" that the public finds dispiriting. Besides, he said of his speeches at one point, "I've got to admit, some of them are pretty good."

The two rivals sat next to one another in swivel chairs in a University of Texasauditorium for the 90-minute debate, one in a dwindling number of opportunities for the former first lady to chart a new course in the presidential race.

She has lost 11 straight primaries and caucuses to Obama — including an overseas competition for support among Americans living aboard — and has fallen behind in the chase for the number of delegates needed to become the presidential nominee.

Obama's strong showing has made him the man to beat in a historic struggle between a black man and a white woman, and even former President Bill Clinton has said his wife must win both Ohio and Texas early next month to preserve her candidacy. New polls show Texas a dead heat, and give Clinton a lead in Ohio, but far smaller than the one she held in recent weeks.

Rhode Island and Vermont also vote on March 4, but offer far fewer delegates and have drawn less attention.

The encounter was the 19th in an episodic series of debates and forums, a run that has ranged from highly civilized to hotly confrontational.

The last time the two met, in Los Angeles, they sat side by side and disagreed politely. But in an earlier encounter last month, in Myrtle Beach, S.C., each accused the other of repeatedly and deliberately distorting the truth for political gain in a highly personal, finger-wagging showdown.

In The Associated Press' delegate count Thursday, Obama had 1,358.5 to 1,264 for Clinton. It takes 2,025 delegates to claim the nomination at this summer's convention.

In a further sign of his growing strength, Obama won the endorsement during the day of the Change to Win labor federation, which claims 6 million members. The Teamsters union announced its support for Obama on Wednesday.

The debate was sponsored by CNN, Univision and the Texas Democratic Party.



Full Coverage: 2008 Presidential Election






Reuters Photo: US Democratic presidential candidates Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) (L) and Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) shake...
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McCain tangles with Obama over campaign money

Wed Feb 20, 5:02 PM ET

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) - Republican presidential front-runner John McCainaccused Democrat Barack Obama on Wednesday of rolling back on a pledge to limit himself to public money in November's presidential election. 

Obama is raising as much as $1 million day, generating a big money advantage over both McCain and Democratic rival Sen. Hillary Clinton in what is expected to be the costliest U.S. presidential election ever.

Obama, an Illinois senator, pledged in February last year to accept public financing and its accompanying spending limit of an estimated $85 million in the general election race if he wins the nomination and his Republican opponent agreed to limits too.

"I committed to public financing," McCain told a news conference. "He committed to public financing. It is not more complicated than that ... I'll keep my word. I want him to keep his."

As he has scored back-to-back wins in nominating contests, Obama has refused to recommit while moving steadily ahead of Clinton in the race to become theDemocratic presidential nominee in the election.

Obama spokesman Bill Burton countered that McCain was in no position to raise the issue.

"John McCain is in no place to question anyone on pledges when he abandoned the latest campaign finance reform efforts