LOS ANGELES - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's political courtship of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa landed her an early, influential endorsement this week that highlights the intense competition among presidential candidates for support within the growing Hispanic population. Candidates in both major parties are reaching out to Hispanic voters with an intensity that speaks to the importance of the nation's largest and fastest-growing minority group in the 2008 campaign. Villaraigosa, a potential gubernatorial candidate in 2010, is one of the nation's most recognized Hispanic politicians. He's expected to serve as a strong advocate for Clinton among Hispanics, particularly in vote-rich Southern California. California's Hispanic population is nearing 36 percent - more than double the U.S. average. However, Hispanics historically vote in numbers well below their share of the population, in part because many are either too young to vote, unregistered or foreign citizens. But as the Hispanic population increases in the state, so has voting participation. In 1992, Hispanics accounted for about 8 percent of Californians going to the polls; in 2006, the figure hit 14 percent, according to figures compiled by the Public Policy Institute of California. Their impact is strongest on the Democratic side of the ticket - one of every five party voters in the state is Hispanic. In the national midterm election in 2006, Democrats recaptured a large part of the Hispanic vote - nearly seven in 10 Hispanic voters supported Democratic congressional candidates, exit polls found. But Republicans in several key states also did well, suggesting Latinos could be important swing voters in 2008. Hispanics could play important roles in potential battleground states like Nevada, Colorado and Arizona, which have large Latino populations. In California "the increasing proportion of Latino adults, greater rates of citizenship and increasing social mobility are all leading to higher proportions of Latinos turning out at the polls," said Public Policy Institute pollster Mark Baldassare. Not surprisingly, Villaraigosa's endorsement Wednesday was eagerly sought by all the leading Democratic candidates. Clinton landed the nod after a series of phone calls and meetings, which included a New York City dinner between the mayor and former President Bill Clinton. The senator earlier hired a Villaraigosa political adviser to run her California campaign and named state Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, a close friend of the mayor and another prominent Hispanic politician, a national co-chair of her campaign. She also appointed Villaraigosa a national co-chair.

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD, Associated Press Writer< May 31, 2007

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Hillary Rodham Clinton maintains the upper hand in the race for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in the United States, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 35 per cent of respondents would vote for the New York senator in a 2008 primary. Illinois senator Barack Obama is second with 26 per cent, followed by former North Carolina senator John Edwards with 14 per cent, and New Mexico governor Bill Richardson with five per cent. Yesterday, Rodham Clinton discussed her economic policies, saying, "I prefer a 'we're all in it together' society. I believe our government can once again work for all Americans. It can promote the great American tradition of opportunity for all and special privileges for none."

Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research, May30, 2007

Saying Hillary Rodham Clinton was a leader who offered a new path, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today formally endorsed the New York senator and former first lady in her race to become president of the United States. Villaraigosa will also serve as one of the four national chairs of Clinton's campaign for the Democratic nomination for president, it was announced. At a televised news conference from the UCLA campus in Westwood, Villaraigosa praised Clinton's approach to domestic issues, particularly education, and her pledge to help end the war in Iraq. The 2008 election represents an important opportunity for the country to change direction from the years of President Bush, the mayor said. "We will choose whether to perpetuate the disastrous policies of the last six years that brought us war and division, debt and diminished expectations," he said. Or voters can choose "a new course and a brighter path." The mayor's announcement had been expected, but it could help Clinton in her race for the Democratic nomination. Polls show her running ahead of her chief challenger, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), nationally and in California. Running against the Iraq war, Democrats wrested control of Congress from the Republicans and are expected to continue that strategy in 2008. Villaraigosa praised Clinton's current stand against the war. As a senator, she had voted to authorize the invasion. "Hillary Clinton has a plan to end the war in Iraq," Villaraigosa said. "No candidate in the race for president" is better positioned "to accomplish this mission and restore American prestige around the world." Villaraigosa cited Hillary Clinton's eight years as a key advisor in the administration of her embattled husband, President Bill Clinton. "We should not lose sight of the fact that there's only one candidate for the presidency of the United States that has literally been there," the mayor said. Villaraigosa is the second high-ranking Latino leader to endorse Clinton in California. Six weeks ago, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angles) backed the New Yorker. The mayor's support is also expected to help with the union vote. Experts said one obvious plus for Clinton is Villaraigosa's role as the Mexican American leader of a major American city. Several states with large Latino populations were heavily contested in the 2004 presidential election. "He is someone who could bring in a Latino vote without having to campaign too heavily in Latino communities," said Jaime Regalado, director of the Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs at Cal State Los Angeles. "He has the surname and the face of Latino America."

By Duke Helfand and Steve Hymon, Los Angeles Times, May 30, 2007

Presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton outlined a broad economic vision Tuesday, saying it's time to replace an "on your own" society with one based on shared responsibility and prosperity. The Democratic senator said what the Bush administration touts as an "ownership society" really is an "on your own" society that has widened the gap between rich and poor. "I prefer a 'we're all in it together' society," she said. "I believe our government can once again work for all Americans. It can promote the great American tradition of opportunity for all and special privileges for none." That means pairing growth with fairness, she said, to ensure that the middle-class succeeds in the global economy, not just corporate CEOs. "There is no greater force for economic growth than free markets. But markets work best with rules that promote our values, protect our workers and give all people a chance to succeed," she said. "Fairness doesn't just happen. It requires the right government policies." Clinton spoke at the Manchester School of Technology, which trains high school students for careers in the construction, automotive, graphic arts and other industries. The school highlighted one of the nine goals she outlined: increasing support for alternative schools and community colleges. "We have sent a message to our young people that if you don't go to college ... that you're thought less of in America. We have to stop this," she said. "Our country cannot run without the people who have the skills that are taught in this school." Beyond education, Clinton said she would reduce special breaks for corporations, eliminate tax incentives for companies that ship jobs overseas and open up CEO pay to greater public scrutiny. Clinton also said she would help people save more money by expanding and simplifying the earned income tax credit; create new jobs by pursuing energy independence; and ensure that every American has affordable health insurance.

By HOLLY RAMER Associated Press, May 29, 2007

Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, one of the most influential Democrats in California, will endorse Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York for president on Tuesday, according to two Democrats close to Mrs. Clinton's presidential campaign. For Democratic presidential candidates, Mr. Villaraigosa's endorsement has been treated as a huge political prize: The California presidential primary has taken on new importance with its move from June to Feb. 5; Mr. Villaraigosa has a broad network of supporters as mayor and as a former speaker of the state Assembly; and he is the most powerful Hispanic official in the state and is widely seen as a rising star in the party. Moreover, the Democrats close to Mrs. Clinton say, her campaign plans to use the endorsement to draw attention to (and continue building) Hispanic support for her candidacy. Recent polls have shown Mrs. Clinton ahead of her Democratic competitors among Hispanic voters, with Senator Barack Obama of Illinois running in second place; Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama are also vying aggressively for support of black voters. California Democrats say that all of the major Democratic presidential candidates had either spoken with Mr. Villaraigosa personally or put out feelers about whether his endorsement was truly up for grabs. According to advisers to Mrs. Clinton, the mayor's endorsement was indeed up for grabs - Mr. Villaraigosa does not have a particularly deep or long-standing relationship with either Mrs. Clinton or Mr. Clinton, and he was never a fixture in their political apparatus. The endorsement appears to stand as a blow to another Democratic candidate, Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, who is the first Hispanic to seek the Democratic presidential nomination. Mr. Richardson kicked off his campaign in Los Angeles this month, speaking in both English and Spanish and overtly appealing to the ethnic pride of Hispanic voters. California, as the nation's most populous state, is rich with Democratic primary delegates and superdelegates who will determine the party's nominee at the 2008 party convention. The state's media markets are highly expensive, meanwhile, so endorsements can be a crucial factor in augmenting the money that the candidates can afford to spend on television and radio commercials. Mr. Villaraigosa was elected mayor in 2005, becoming the first Hispanic leader of the city since the 19th century. But his political bases extends throughout the state, built during his years as Assembly speaker, and he is viewed as a possible candidate for governor of California in 2010. To be sure, the endorsements of

California's Democratic senators, Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, would be big political "gets" for the presidential candidates, too. But Mr. Villaraigosa is the star of the moment in state Democratic circles and Mrs. Clinton's campaign is expected to use his endorsement to highlight Hispanic political support of herself and her husband.

By Patrick Healy, The New York Times, May 29, 2007

NEW YORK - Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton has won the endorsement of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a rising star in national Democratic politics and one of the nation's top Hispanic elected officials. Villaraigosa was set to announce his endorsement Wednesday, joining Clinton at a campaign rally at the University of California, Los Angeles. "She's the right candidate at the right time," Villaraigosa said to reporters outside Los Angeles City Hall on Tuesday. Villaraigosa said he supports Clinton "because I think her experience, strength and leadership is what we need in our nation right now." A popular figure in the nation's second-largest city, analysts expect Villaraigosa to have a promising future in national politics or in statewide office in California. He is widely popular among Hispanic voters, who make up an increasingly large percentage of Democratic voters in California and many other states. In 2004, 21 percent of California voters were Hispanic, according to exit polls there. Villaraigosa's endorsement of Clinton is not unexpected; he lavished praise on the New York senator at a campaign event in Los Angeles in March, calling her campaign "fighting for a brighter and cleaner future for all our children." And last month, his top political consultant, Ace Smith, joined the Clinton campaign as its California director. Clinton's campaign also announced a string of endorsements in Nevada where among her supporters former Gov. Bob Miller, the last Democrat to sit in the Nevada governor's office, as well as a list of black community leaders. Clinton's Nevada African American Leadership Council consists of 34 black activists and business leaders.

By BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Writer, May 29, 2007

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, pledged in a speech in Manchester, N.H., this morning to reduce corporate tax breaks and eliminate incentives for companies that move overseas in order to combat "rising inequality and rising pessimism in our workforce." Mrs. Clinton, in remarks to 300 people at the Manchester School of Technology, did not so much lay out an economic action plan as she did outline, in her words, a "new progressive vision" to combat income inequality. "While productivity and corporate profits are up, the fruits of that success just haven't reached many of our families," she said. "It's like trickle down economics without the trickle," she added. Mrs. Clinton opened her remarks with several minutes of statistics about income inequality and, as she put it, the mismanagement of globalization. Her audience listened silently to the percentages of declining household incomes and rising corporate profits, then broke into light applause when Mrs. Clinton took a jab at the Bush administration. "So many people I talk to just want to his the restart button on the 21st century and redo it the right way, and I agree with that," Mrs. Clinton said. That agenda, Mrs. Clinton said, included "leveling the playing field" by reducing tax breaks for major corporations; allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices with pharmaceutical companies; eliminate incentives that lead American companies to move jobs overseas; change the tax code so companies no longer escape taxes by moving business profits overseas; "recommit ourselves" to the goal of giving all students a chance to go to college; and provide universal health care and "save" Social Security. Mrs. Clinton also said she was "not giving up on manufacturing," but said that the "right" economic policies were needed to reinvigorate the manufacturing base.

By Patrick Healy, The New York Times, May 29, 2007

It was standing room only at the Pizza Ranch in Emmetsburg Saturday morning as Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton made one stop in her "Four Corners Tour" of Iowa. The former first lady was joined on site not only by Senate President John "Jack" Kibbie of Emmetsburg and former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, who signed on to serve as one of Clinton's national co-chairs after dropping out of the race for the Democratic nomination, but also hundreds of democratic activists from Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Kossuth, Pocahontas, Palo Alto and Humboldt counties who attended. The New York Senator told those in attendance how everywhere she goes in the state, she sees the results of Vilsack's leadership. "In fact, I'm borrowing from Iowa for some of what I'm doing in my presidential campaign," Clinton said. "Iowa is leading the charge in this country for ethanol - and it's not only corn ethanol, it's also, as Jack said, it's going to be cellulosic ethanol, biodiesel from soybeans and other sources. We cannot thank Iowa enough for really breaking down some of those barriers." The former first lady of Arkansas, where her husband, former President Bill Clinton served as governor, also indicated she wants to pursue a goal of becoming an "energy-independent" country. "Now, not overnight; it's going to take a while," she assured. "But, there's no reason we can't be. Again, with Iowa leading the way, and with other states looking at what they can do to produce more energy, we need central leadership from the president to say, 'Here's what we're going to do. ... We're going to start moving toward energy security.' I know we can get the money to start doing that. Take away the taxpayer subsidies for the oil companies. They don't need them; they're not using it to create new forms of energy. We can put that toward more renewable energy, which will be good for the environment." The presidential candidate also told those in attendance that the United States needs to "deal with global warming." She cited the ethanol and wind jobs which have popped up in Iowa over the last decade and suggested positions working with solar, geothermal, hydrogen and "clean coal" sources could also be on the horizon. But, Clinton stressed that the United States needs "a plan" in this area from its leader. The former first lady also used the old farming adage of what's planted today will eventually be reaped, saying this philosophy rings true with our relations with other countries. "Unfortunately, in the last six and one-half years, we've planted dissension, divisiveness and alienation. And, we've got to reverse that," Clinton said. "I know we can. And, I'm running for president because I want to restore the greatness of our country around the world and renew the promise of our country to ourselves and our children here at home." "I want to be the president who sets goals again. Let's set a goal of quality, affordable health insurance for every single American. The Democratic candidate also suggested she intends to set some education goals, specifically for a prekindergarten program. Clinton quoted University of Chicago Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman, who has stated this is "one of the best investments America can make." "And I know it is," Clinton said, "because if we invest a dollar in helping prepare a young person for kindergarten, you won't be spending money on other problems." The candidate also touched on her belief of the need for educational reform in areas such as fixing No Child Left Behind and making college "affordable again" for all. As Clinton detailed how her parents had saved to pay for room, board and tuition for her, she stated, "Then I decided I wanted to go to law school after I graduated from college. My father said, 'Well, we didn't plan a budget for that. We don't have the money.' "But I could go borrow money from our government at about 2 percent. And I didn't have to worry about these student loan companies ripping my family off and having people running those programs who had conflicts of interest because they had stock in the company or they worked for colleges and they got all these gifts and benefits. Well we're going to clean all of that up. We're going to reform Washington ... of a culture of cronyism and incompetence and corruption." The Senator then guaranteed she'd "rebuild" alliances and partnerships in the world if elected president. Clinton also pledged herself to creating more cooperation among countries.

Br Kris Todd, The Daily Reporter, May 29, 2007

WASHINGTON -- Sitting in a living room like the one where Hillary Clinton made her video announcement of her presidential campaign, Bill Clinton faces the camera and says, with his trademark squint, "I'm really proud of the way Hillary's campaign is going." That's the start of a five-minute video sent to donors two weeks ago, the first ready-for-YouTube statement from the former president on his wife's campaign. It shows Bill Clinton doing exactly what spouses of presidential candidates have been doing in recent decades: attesting to the personal virtues of a would-be president. It's what Teresa Heinz Kerry seemingly forgot to do at her speech at the Boston convention in 2004, when she talked about her own immigrant journey and her determination to make women's voices heard. Kerry's misstep only hints at the number of potential pitfalls and blunders awaiting Bill Clinton as he, a man and a former president, steps into the first spouse role. But it turns out that, far from seeming awkward, a man praising his wife's career accomplishments is surprisingly powerful. And the conviction that Bill Clinton brings to the role is striking enough that it might prompt yet another reassessment of the Clinton team. "There may be some things you may not know that occurred in her life before she became a US senator," Bill declares, ticking off a list of good works -- the "extra year" she took to study children and the law, her decision to forgo a law firm job for the Children's Defense Fund, her paper analyzing the status of women in the legal profession, her work on the board of the Arkansas Children's Hospital. He covers her work as first lady -- "Hillary is heavily respected in the world" -- and even her stab at health care reform. "Everyone knows we didn't succeed, but Hillary, as always, didn't give up," Bill says. By now, almost everyone probably thinks it's obvious when Bill Clinton is lying. (There's something about the mouth, or is it the eyes?) With that in mind, his video comments surely were vetted for possible double entendres or false notes: Bill is one of the few men who can raise eyebrows by saying he loves his wife. He doesn't go there. But when he says that she has "the best combination of mind and heart" to be president, his admiration shines through. Suddenly, there's a hint of what seems to be the deepest bond between the Clintons: They admire each other's skills and believe in each other. The good news for the Clintons, as evidenced by the video, is that their new roles actually cast them in a more natural light. Hillary is convincingly tough and competent; Bill is convincingly warm and empathetic. Their commitment to each other seems stronger than ever. So does their chance of returning to the White House.

By Peter Canellos, The Boston Globe, May 29, 2007

NEW YORK - It's more than half a year - and a few snowstorms - until the first votes in Iowa, yet Democratic presidential hopefuls have already captured some of the delegates critical to winning the nomination. Not just any delegates - "superdelegates," the party's top echelon of elected officials who can back a candidate at any time no matter what the calendar, caucus-goer or primary voter says. Candidates have been pursuing endorsements from Democratic governors and members of Congress, knowing these individuals will have a direct say in choosing the party's nominee. The 235 Democratic House members and nonvoting representatives, 49 senators, the District of Columbia's two "shadow senators" and 28 governors total 314 - about 14 percent of the 2,182 delegates a candidate will need to secure the party's presidential nomination at next year's national convention in Denver. Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, the Democratic front-runners, have established sophisticated "whip" operations to woo undecided colleagues. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards has engaged the talents of his campaign manager, a former House Democratic whip, to court the uncommitted. With eight months to go before voters begin choosing delegates through the primary process, many Democrats view the early accumulation of superdelegates as savvy planning for the future. Unfortunately for the presidential hopefuls, superdelegates can be fair-weather allies who aren't formally bound to any particular candidate and can shift their loyalties at will. Phil McNamara, director of delegate selection for the Democratic National Committee, put it this way: "These people are politicians. In the end, they'll support whomever is the nominee and they'll still get to go to the convention." Even so, the candidates are all pursuing the support of superdelegates, making personal appeals and enlisting the help of colleagues. Clinton has mounted the most aggressive program to court superdelegates, winning endorsements from 37 so far, including three Senate colleagues and the governors of Maryland, New Jersey and New York. She's even deputized several House members as "whips" to woo uncommitted colleagues. The group includes Ohio Rep. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones, Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, and New York Reps. Nita Lowey and Joseph Crowley. In an interview, Crowley said the effort has morphed a bit since it began in March, when the Clinton whips initially tried to target lawmakers from specific states. "We have an initial strategy of breaking it down into regions, but more often than not it's based on your own relationships with people, that level of comfort," Crowley said. Part of the sales pitch, Crowley said, is emphasizing that an early endorsement is usually remembered as more meaningful than signing on later in the campaign. You say it's always good to be in early. Clearly, when you have a lot of good candidates out there, regionality comes into play, but she has a broad wingspan beyond New York," he said.

By BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Writer, May 28, 2007

Sen. Hillary Clinton visited northwest Iowa Saturday, completing the fourth corner of her "four-corners of Iowa tour." Clinton's staff office noted that the campaign will be spending the next three weekends in a row in Iowa, had been expanding offices around the state and is very much committed to Iowa. Clinton had meetings with Iowans in different parts of the state. She opened in Mason City saying, "It's so great to be back in Iowa, I am going to spend so much time in Iowa I'll be able to caucus for myself." Other references to the state were mentioned throughout, including ethanol and issues important to Iowans. She also mentioned her husband Bill Clinton, saying, "He is probably the most popular man in the world right now." The next stop was Charles City, Iowa, where Clinton repeated her pledge to Iowans over pie and coffee that she was here to stay. Clinton answered questions about education, health care and immigration. Hours later in Algona, Iowa, it was off to a pizza parlor. She mentioned her recent Iraq war vote for the third time that day saying, "I voted against the bill," but continually said she knew the bill would pass overwhelmingly and therefore she knew the troops would get the funding they needed. In Sioux Center, Iowa, Clinton mentioned that people were surprised that she was in the traditionally Republican area. She mentioned how in traditionally conservative upstate New York she was able to convince voters to support her. At her final stop, in Sioux Center, Iowa, she walked into a school auditorium packed with approximately 600 people and repeated her main themes of the weekend. She mentioned how as president she would reach out to the leaders of the world -- "most of them I know, and the ones I don't know, my husband knows."

By Eloise Harper, ABC News, May 27, 2007

WASHINGTON - U.S. voters are torn between competing cravings as they prepare to choose a new president in 2008: Change or experience? They are demanding something new, but there is comfort in the tried and true. The American public's low opinion of Washington and growing concern about the direction of the country point to 2008 being a "change" election, one like the campaigns of 1976 and 1992 - when Washington outsiders Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton were elected - as people looked for a marked departure from the status quo. But the war in Iraq and the rise of global terrorism make for an anxious electorate and could turn this into a "war" election, one like the campaigns of 1944 and 2004 when voters found comfort in the most experienced candidates - incumbents Franklin D. Roosevelt and George W. Bush. Change versus experience? The White House will likely go to the man or woman who speaks best to both. "You can't separate them. I think (voters) want both," said John Edwards, the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2004 who is running for president in 2008. Edwards was quick to add that last part because he is more of a "change" candidate than one of experience. Despite this being his second national election, the former North Carolina trial lawyer has little in the way of a political resume outside a single six-year term in the Senate. Fellow Democrat Barack Obama also is more change than experience. A first-term U.S. senator who is just three years removed from the Illinois state legislature, Obama rocketed to the top tier of the Democratic presidential race by presenting himself as an outsider who could transform government crippled by corruption, polarization and "a smallness of our politics." Obama's inexperience showed at an issues forum in Nevada when he had no answer for the nation's health care crisis. He looked worse at a debate when the Democratic candidates were asked how they would respond to another terrorist attack in the United States. Obama should have been ready for that question. But all he could muster were a few halting sentences about effective disaster relief effort and "good intelligence." Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York pounced on his failure to consider a military action. "I believe we should quickly respond," Clinton said. The former first lady and second-term senator is long on experience and short on change. Polls show that most voters have made up their minds about her and they associate her with her husband's presidency - for better and worse. A USA Today-Gallup Poll this month showed Clinton leading Obama among Democrats nationwide. The No. 1 reason Clinton's backers gave for their support was her experience. The main reason Obama's supporters backed him was "fresh face/has news ideas." Still, both Democrats fight against type. Clinton, 59, tries to be what her husband, Bill Clinton, has called a "change agent." She denounces politics as usual, sponsors an edgy Internet contest and borrows phrases from Obama. "People are anxious to turn the page" and "change the direction of the country," she said this month. On the Republican side, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is a "change" candidate who casts himself as a Washington outsider. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is an "experience" candidate who built his presidential platform around the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Terrorism, he says, is something "that I understand better than anyone who is running for president of the United States." Republican Sen. John McCain was a self-styled reformer during his failed 2000 presidential campaign. His message this year is less about change than it is about courting conservatives - the Republican status quo. McCain, 70, considers his age and experience an attribute.

By Ron Fournier, Associated Press, May 27, 2007

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - In a three-person race, Democratic Party supporters in the United States prefer Hillary Rodham Clinton as their presidential candidate in 2008, according to a poll by the New York Times and CBS News. 46 per cent of respondents would like to see the New York senator nominated, up seven points in a month. Illinois senator Barack Obama is second with 24 per cent, followed by former North Carolina senator John Edwards with 14 per cent.

Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research, May 27, 2007

CHARLES CITY, Iowa - Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton made one thing very clear to Iowa voters Friday: She's serious about campaigning in their state. "I'm going to be in Iowa so often I'm going to be able to caucus for myself," Clinton told attendees at town meetings here. was Clinton's first visit to Iowa since the leak of a detailed memo from her deputy campaign manager, who advised her to skip the state's caucuses in January and focus time and resources on states where she is faring better. "I believe we need a new approach to winning the Democratic nomination," Mike Henry wrote in the seven-page memo leaked earlier this week. Clinton and her senior advisers quickly disavowed Henry's recommendations, insisting she planned to compete vigorously in Iowa. Clinton's Memorial Day weekend visit was the latest effort to make good on her promise, with the New York senator tackling a full schedule of campaign events. She was accompanied by the state's popular former first lady, Christie Vilsack, whose husband, former Gov. Tom Vilsack, signed on as one of Clinton's national co-chairs after dropping out of the race for the Democratic nomination. Clinton touched on a range of issues at the gatherings, including health care, food safety and the war in Iraq. But she also managed to squeeze in several items of particular interest to Iowa voters, such as her support for the production of ethanol, a corn-based fuel additive largely produced in Iowa. "Oil companies won't even put ethanol pumps at their gas stations. They need to be required to do that," she said, responding to a question about the high price of gasoline. She drew applause from the crowd when she said she would introduced legislation requiring ethanol pumps at filling stations.

By BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Writer, May 26, 2007

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, who endured a major political setback as first lady when she tried to promote universal health care, revived that crusade yesterday but in a more measured way, offering a plan to reduce costs, through programs like disease prevention, to make universal coverage affordable. Mrs. Clinton, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, said she would cut health care spending by $120 billion a year through prevention programs, coordinated treatment of chronic diseases and computerized record keeping. In addition, she said she would reduce costs by allowing imports of cheaper drugs, more use of generic drugs and by having the government negotiate the prices of drugs covered under Medicare. In a speech at George Washington University in Washington, Mrs. Clinton said the health care system was broken and her mission as president would be to fix it. She attributed the rise in costs to increases in obesity and in diseases like diabetes, asthma and heart disease that she said could be combated by focusing on preventive efforts. She also blamed the insurance industry, saying that it spent billions of dollars a year trying to figure out how not to cover people who have expensive, pre-existing conditions. She would allow anyone to join a plan, lowering costs by spreading the risk among larger pools of patients. As president, I will end the practice of insurance company cherry-picking once and for all by allowing anyone who wants to join a plan to do so and prohibiting insurance companies from carving out benefits or charging higher rates to people with health problems, Mrs. Clinton said. Mrs. Clinton's plan has three parts: lowering costs, improving quality and insuring everyone. Her speech yesterday focused on lowering costs as a way to help pay for health insurance for the 45 million Americans who have none. Her plan includes a Best Practices Institute, created with both public and private money, to examine whether new technologies and new drugs are actually better for patients or just bring in more profits. So-called blockbuster drugs, for example, she said, are not necessarily more effective than old standbys, just because they are promoted with advertising that shows people running through fields of wildflowers.

By Katharine Q. Seelye, The New York Times, May 25, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) - Courting the anti-war constituency, Democratic presidential rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama both voted against legislation that pays for the Iraq war but lacks a timeline for troop withdrawal. "I fully support our troops" but the measure "fails to compel the president to give our troops a new strategy in Iraq," said Clinton, a New York senator. Both Clinton and Obama have faced intense pressure from the party's liberal wing and Democratic presidential challengers who urged opposition to the measure because it doesn't include a timeline to pull forces out of Iraq. Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, who also voted against the legislation, was among the Democratic candidates calling for rejection of it, along with former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. Of the four Democratic hopefuls in the Senate, only Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware supported the bill. He said he did so reluctantly because he viewed the measure as flawed. But he added: "As long as we have troops on the front lines, it is our shared responsibility to give them the equipment and protection they need." With their "no" votes, Clinton, Obama and Dodd earned praise from the party's left flank, which has been pushing for a quick end to the war and is an important part of the Democratic base in the primaries. "This bold stand by three of the four presidential candidates in the Senate won't soon be forgotten," promised Eli Pariser, executive director of MoveOn.org's political action committee. Both Clinton and Obama had remained publicly uncommitted in the hours before the vote. Neither were on the Senate floor as voting began. Halfway through, Obama walked into the chamber and cast his "no" vote. Clinton did the same a few minutes later. Clinton put the blame on Bush, saying that he should have "followed the will of the people" and signed an earlier bill that would have both funded the war and started a troop withdrawal. "But the president vetoed Congress's new strategy and so Congress must reject the president's failed policies," she said, adding that Bush should begin a phased withdrawal and "abandon this escalation." Clinton voted to authorize the invasion in 2002. She has since become a constant critic of the Bush administration's handling of it but has refused to call her initial vote a mistake. She had adamantly opposed setting a hard deadline for troop withdrawals, but a week ago she voted to advance a bill that would cut off money to force a troop withdrawal by March 2008. The Associated Press, May 25, 2007

HONOLULU (AP) - Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye endorsed Hillary Clinton today in her run for president, and he has been named to lead an effort to attract veterans to her cause. Clinton's campaign chose Inouye to lead Veterans and Military Retirees for Hillary. It's a national initiative that will emphasize the New York senator's support for service members. Inouye is a World War Two combat veteran who received the Medal of Honor. He will advise the campaign on policy and outreach to 25 million veterans and their families. Inouye chose Clinton rather than Illinois Senator Barack Obama, who was born in Hawaii and has received more contributions from Hawaii donors than any other Democratic candidate.

The Associated Press, May 25, 2007

Mason City, Ia. - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton argued during a northern Iowa campaign stop today for increased spending on the families of brain-injured Iraq soldiers, the victims of concussions caused by roadside bombs. "Many of them were coming back with a new problem, called traumatic brain injury," the New York senator told more than 300 Democratic activists and political observers at North Iowa Area Community College. "It could be up to 10 percent of all those who have been deployed." Clinton's state is home to Fort Drum, the headquarters for the Army's 10th Mountain Division. The division has had more troops deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan than any other division. Clinton, stressing veterans issues at the start of a two-day Memorial Day weekend Iowa trip, said the unique type of explosions in Iraq have affected the 10th Mountain Division disproportionately. "This was a brain injury that was often misdiagnosed," she said. "We know we have to deal with this." "But it's not only the individual," she added. "It is also the family. And for the first time, I want to provide opportunities for family members to be trained in helping and caring for their returning veteran."

By Thomas Beaumot,. Des Moines Register, May 25, 2007

Washington - Forget, for a moment, the battle among all those presidential candidates. The hot contest right now is over the order in which states hold their primaries and caucuses - and, as a result, which states wield the most influence in the selection of nominees. The latest bombshell is Florida's decision to move up its 2008 primaries from March to Jan. 29, signed into law on Monday by Gov. Charlie Crist (R). That maneuver - in defiance of both parties' rules for scheduling nomination contests - has set in motion a wave of speculation over whether other states will leapfrog to an early date and whether the penalties that could ensue would wind up costing a candidate the nomination. For the still-fluid primary calendar, the result could be primaries and caucuses held in 2007. That would be a first, primaries held in the calendar year before the general election. Iowa and New Hampshire have made clear they will do whatever it takes to protect their franchise as the "firsts" - first caucus and first primary. The national parties' calendars show the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 14 and the New Hampshire primaries on Jan. 22, but those decisions are made at the state level. New Hampshire was already unhappy that the Democrat National Committee had scheduled a caucus in Nevada for Jan. 19. State law requires that New Hampshire's primary be held one week before "any similar election," and analysts were already expecting New Hampshire to go earlier than Jan. 22, possibly even before the Iowa caucuses. If New Hampshire leapfrogs ahead of Iowa, then Iowa may well move its date. Iowa promises to hold its caucuses, which are smaller and more time-consuming than primaries, eight days before the New Hampshire primaries. Florida may be just the first of many states that flout the party calendars and reschedule primaries for before Feb. 5. Ultimately, all the front-loading of primaries "is likely to enhance the importance of the early primaries," says Norman Ornstein, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. And if one assumes that Iowa and New Hampshire will do whatever its takes to maintain their status as "firsts," those two states could be more important than ever in shaping the nomination races. Typically, only the top three candidates out of Iowa for each party are able to compete effectively in subsequent contests, and New Hampshire then typically winnows the field even further. Now, with the front-loading trend, the importance of money is bigger than ever. If other states move up their primaries to Jan. 29, only those candidates with the biggest war chests will be able to compete in all those states. The cost of Florida's expensive media market alone could force some candidates to skip that contest. If the parties stick to their guns and punish the candidates who campaign in states that have scheduled primaries outside the prescribed "window," that could have the result of skewing the nominations, especially for the Democrats. Under both parties' rules, any state (except Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, and South Carolina) that holds its primaries or caucuses earlier than Feb. 5, 2008, will lose delegates. Candidates would also be penalized for campaigning in a state too early. On the Democratic side, half of the regular delegates would be lost, as would half of the superdelegates - members of Congress and the governor, if he or she is a Democrat. On the Republican side, the sanction is to lose half of the regular delegates. In a delegate-rich state like Florida, the loss of so many delegates could cost a candidate the nomination. But some observers predict the problem will be solved by having the violating states schedule later caucuses that are the real nominating contests. The early primaries would, in effect, be "beauty contests." But history has shown that such early nonbinding contests are taken seriously by candidates and voters, and can still have a winnowing effect on a field of candidates. Another point is clear, political analysts say: The early states do have an outsize effect on who wins the nomination. Florida opted to move up its primary to give its large, diverse state greater say in the nomination process. In the current lineup, the first four states are small and quirky. Florida is also a swing state in the general election, and advocates for Florida's early primary argue that winning that contest will provide an indication of who can do well in November 2008.

By Linda Feldmann, The Christian Science Monitor, May 25, 2007

Hillary Clinton worked Wednesday to tamp down speculation that she was considering pulling her presidential campaign out of Iowa, a move suggested by a top national campaign official in an internal memo obtained by The Des Moines Register. The internal debate laid out in the proposal by the Democrat's deputy campaign manager is the latest in a series of disagreements within several campaigns about the role Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses ought to play in the fast-paced schedule of 2008 nominating contests. Mike Henry, the Clinton campaign official, in a document titled "An alternative nomination strategy," urged her to "pull completely out of Iowa and spend the time and money in other states." Henry's proposal challenges Iowa's importance in the tightly compressed nominating process. "I believe we need a new approach to winning the Democratic nomination," Henry wrote in the memo, dated Monday and authenticated by Clinton officials. "This approach involves shifting the focus away from Iowa and running a campaign that is more focused on other early primary states and winning this new national primary." In an interview Wednesday, Clinton declined to say whether Henry's opinion was widely held in her campaign staff. "I am someone who encourages people to raise ideas," she said. "At the end of the day, I make the decisions, and I've made the decision that we are competing in Iowa." Clinton noted her campaign's numerous field offices around the state, the recent doubling of her field staff in Iowa and her plans to make a seventh trip to the state since January. "But I would be concerned if I had a staff filled with smart, experienced, savvy, dedicated people and everybody just had the same mind-set," she added. "I don't have any objection to people raising different opinions."

By Thomas Beaumont, Des Moines Register, May 24, 2007

PRINCETON, NJ -- Not only does Hillary Clinton rank first among the leading candidates for the 2008 Democratic nomination in Gallup's national polling, according to data from an aggregated sample of over 3,000 interviews with Democrats conducted by Gallup since March, she monopolizes the position at the subgroup level among men, women, whites, blacks, young adults, and seniors. She also leads regardless of Democrats' religious affiliation and political ideology. Perhaps because of Bill Clinton's positive reputation in the black community and Hillary Clinton's own prominence in the party, Clinton also garners a significant share of the black vote. The net result is that Obama trails Clinton among blacks, but by only 8 points, compared to a 14-point deficit for his candidacy among whites. Clinton's widest leads over Obama are with women, seniors, those living in low- and middle-income households, and the non-college educated. Obama performs best with high socioeconomic groups and among those with more independent leanings, including young Democrats. Only with "Democrats" who aren't really Democrats, but independents who lean toward the Democratic Party, as well as with college educated and upper-income Democrats, is Clinton's current hegemony challenged (though not usurped). Among these groups, Obama roughly ties with Clinton as the preferred candidate.

Top 5 Choices Based on Democrats and independents who lean to the Democratic Party

by Lydia Saad, GALLUP NEWS SERVICE, May 24, 2007

May 24 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton , laying out her first presidential health-policy agenda since a failed attempt during her husband's administration, said she would bar insurers from ``cherry picking'' profitable enrollees. The Democratic presidential candidate said she would focus on trimming spending while also limiting the ability of insurance companies to charge higher rates to people with health problems. The restrictions are necessary because rising health costs are hurting U.S. businesses and American families, Clinton said in a speech in Washington today. Clinton said she drew on lessons after the ``scars'' of the 1993 health-policy debate for her latest plan. Public- opinion polls cite health-care among the chief worries of Americans as spending rises faster than inflation even while 45 million people are uninsured. ``It would not be possible for a Democrat to win the primary without having a major commitment to fixing health care,'' Robert Blendon, a professor of health policy and political analysis at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said in a telephone interview. ``People want to know that the candidates will do something.'' Clinton, 59, made her initial attempt to devise a way to provide medical coverage for everyone during the first term of then-President Bill Clinton , who named her to lead a health- policy task force. The effort failed a year later amid accusations that ``Hillary Care'' would create a new government bureaucracy and decimate middle-class health care. `Scars' - ``I've tangled with this issue before, and I've got the scars to show for it,'' Clinton, who represents New York in the Senate, said in her speech today. ``But I learned some valuable lessons from that experience. One of the lessons is the need for a national consensus on a solution, Clinton said. ``We can't achieve reform without the participation and commitment of health-care providers, employers, employees and other citizens who pay for, depend upon, and actually deliver health care services,'' she said. She said she would reduce the nation's health-care bill by encouraging preventive care to catch and treat diseases early on. The effort would require broad involvement, from insurance companies that could cover routine physicals to businesses that can offer incentives to workers for taking preventive steps, Clinton said. Insurance providers doing business with the federal government would be required to cover preventive care. They also would be barred from limiting their coverage to healthy people, which she referred to as ``cherry picking,'' and charging sicker people higher premiums. Clinton cited a program by Safeway Inc. The grocery chain, the third-largest in the U.S., has said it lowered its health- care costs by 15 percent for non-union workers with insurance plans that fully cover preventive checkups, such as annual physicals, well-baby care and colonoscopies for older people. ``There is an economic imperative to rein in costs and a moral imperative to extend coverage to all Americans,'' said Clinton, who announced her program before an audience of medical students at George Washington University in Washington. Clinton's focus is on the costs of care, and she said she would use savings to provide insurance for all. Cost Savings - Saying her speech might be ``overly wonky,'' she cited studies and statistics to show that better care for chronic diseases, wider use of electronic health records and more use of generic drugs could save tens of billions of dollars annually. She proposed a $3 billion annual fund to help medical providers set up electronic health records. That might save about $77 billion annually, she said, citing a study by the Rand Corp., a research center in Santa Monica, California. An institute to measure the effectiveness of medical treatments, including use of devices and surgeries, would yield further savings by allowing patients and doctors to choose the best and least expensive approaches, Clinton said. Other cost-saving ideas include allowing Medicare, the federal insurance program for 43 million elderly and disabled, to negotiate drug prices. Democrats in the Senate recently lost their bid for a vote on such legislation. Oversight - Clinton's plan refers to drug companies as one group that requires more ``oversight.'' She said she would limit ads directed to consumers, while medical providers and pharmaceutical manufacturers would have to disclose financial links to reduce conflicts of interest. The medical system today is ``outdated, ineffective and unsustainable,'' Clinton said in her speech. ``The key is to develop the political will to make it happen.''

By Aliza Marcus. Bloomber.com, May 24, 2007

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Hillary Rodham Clinton has a larger lead in the race for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in the United States, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 35 per cent of respondents would support the New York senator in a 2008 primary. Illinois senator Barack Obama is second with 25 per cent, followed by former North Carolina senator John Edwards with 18 per cent, and New Mexico governor Bill Richardson with five per cent.

Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research, May 24, 2007

WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton prodded the Pentagon Wednesday to plan quickly for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq - a politically loaded contingency that military leaders have avoided discussing. The Democratic presidential candidate, whose recent statements have made her own position murky on when the bulk of U.S. troops should leave Iraq, urged top military brass in a private meeting and a public letter to detail how they would bring forces home. The New York senator met privately with Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Peter Pace late Tuesday, and sent a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates urging military leaders to begin such planning if they haven't already. Clinton now wants the Pentagon to brief lawmakers on their withdrawal contingency plans. "Congress must be sure that we are prepared to withdraw our forces without any unnecessary danger," Clinton wrote to Gates. "If no such plans exist, please provide an explanation for the decision not to engage in such planning."

By DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press Writer, May 23, 2007

WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton is proposing a $10 billion federal program aimed at providing voluntary pre-kindergarten for all 4-year-old children in America. "I want every 4-year-old regardless of parental income to have access to high quality pre-K because it not only enhances their academic preparation, they stay in school longer, they have fewer behavioral problems," the New York senator and former first lady said. Clinton said she would pay for the program by closing tax loopholes and eliminating Bush administration programs she disagrees with. "There is a lot of evidence that this saves money over the long run and economists and others have validated what experts in early childhood education have told us for a long time," Clinton told NBC's "Today Show." Her campaign staff issued an outline of the plan in Washington. It would provide federal funds to states that agree to establish a plan for making voluntary pre-kingergarten services universally available for all 4-year-olds. They would be required to provide services at no cost to children from low-income families and those from "limited English homes." The campaign said state spending on pre-kingergarten has increased by $1 billion in the last two years, yet the programs still serve less than 20 percent of 4-year-olds in the U.S. Under the Clinton plan, states would match federal funds made available to them dollar-for-dollar and could use the assistance to expand their existing Head Start programs. "The federal government will allocate $5 billion in the first year to states to establish and administer universal Pre-K," the campaign fact sheet said. "Over the next five years, the federal commitment will increase to $10 billion as states increase their commitment to Pre-K." To qualify for federal funds, states would have to hire teachers with bachelor's degrees and specialized training in early childhood development and also meet other standards, such as low teacher-child ratios. "If states have achieved these quality benchmarks, they will be able to use the funds flexibly to meet the needs of their local communities," the campaign said. "They could serve younger children; raise teachers' salaries; provide additional support and training for teachers or engage in other activities that expand and improve their pre-K programs." The federal funds would be allocated through state governors.

Associated Press, May 21, 2007

Labels: poll

WASHINGTON - For front-runners Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, Florida looked to be a major battleground in the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. With its big, sprawling population, the state was a natural for high-profile candidates who could afford costly campaigns, and the prize was a whopping 210 delegates. But now, because of an unexpected glitch, those delegates could go to a candidate most Americans don't even know is running. The trouble sprang from a decision by Florida lawmakers to jump to an earlier spot on the primary election calendar, following the lead of other big states tired of voting too late to have a meaningful say in choosing each party's nominee. But whereas California, Illinois and many other states are moving to set their primaries for Feb. 5, Florida opted to leap ahead to Jan. 29 - a week earlier than allowed under Democratic Party rules. And that has triggered mayhem. National Democratic officials have vowed to enforce party rules that strip delegates from any state that moves too early in the calendar, and also from candidates who campaign in those states. The penalties were meant to stop states from continually leapfrogging each other in a race to be among the first to vote. As things stand now, Clinton, Obama and other prominent contenders may not be eligible to win any Florida delegates, though the state offers a compartively large share of the total needed to win the Democratic nomination. Under one scenario, it could turn out that no Democratic candidate gets any Florida delegates. Democratic officials are alarmed by these possibilities, though they are reluctant to talk about the problem for fear of jeopardizing the negotiations. For starters, they don't want to undercut their own candidates in what many consider the biggest swing state for the general election. And if the Florida crisis is not resolved quickly, it could prompt other states to change their voting dates again - with some ballots possibly cast as early as 2007. New Hampshire, which plans to vote Jan. 22, has said it will do whatever is necessary to protect its status as the first presidential primary state. It was not supposed to be this way. To prevent this very problem - and to protect the practice of retail politicking in the traditional early-voting states - Howard Dean and other party leaders established a nationwide schedule for primaries and caucuses, starting in January 2008. They designated Iowa as the first caucus state, along with newcomer Nevada. New Hampshire and South Carolina were approved for primaries soon afterward. The DNC, trying to keep the selection process from being too front-loaded and thus stacked against candidates with smaller war chests, also adopted a rule saying no other state could hold a primary before Feb. 5. But Republicans in the Florida Legislature - supported by many Democrats - pushed through a measure setting Jan. 29 as the date for their state's presidential primary. Gov. Charlie Crist, a Republican, is expected to sign the bill. If that date holds for picking Florida's Democratic delegates, penalties for violating the party's rules would cut Florida's delegation by more than half, to 92 votes. But most important, the rules would also take away any delegates won by candidates who campaigned or raised funds in the state. Strategists for Clinton vow that the senator from New York will campaign in Florida no matter what, underscoring her intent to build a campaign for the general election. Other well-known contenders such as Sen. Obama of Illinois, Edwards, Sens. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) and Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson are not likely to forgo the fundraising riches of Florida, one of the country's biggest sources of campaign cash. That means that Florida's delegates could fall to the also-rans who appear on the state ballot but face no pressure to campaign there. Or, it could mean no candidate gets any Florida delegates. The Democratic rules also contain a provision that no candidate who receives less than 15% of the total primary vote may be awarded delegates, though party officials admit the rule is vague and it's not clear what would happen if the top vote-getters were disqualified.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many Democratic Party supporters in the United States would like Hillary Rodham Clinton to be their presidential nominee in 2008, according to a poll by RT Strategies for the Cook Political Report. 40 per cent of respondents would vote for the New York senator in a 2008 primary. Illinois senator Barack Obama is second with 25 per cent, followed by former North Carolina senator John Edwards with 13 per cent. Support is lower for Delaware senator Joe Biden, Connecticut senator Chris Dodd, Alaska senator Mike Gravel, New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, and Ohio congressman Dennis Kucinich.

Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research, May 20, 2007

Labels: poll

Consider the pros and cons for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.: Former President Bill Clinton is speaking Saturday in the presidential swing state of New Hampshire, but he's not speaking on her behalf; he's speaking with a Republican. And not just any Republican: Former President George Bush, the father of the man who Hillary Clinton routinely criticizes on the campaign trail as an incompetent and disastrous leader. When it comes to the first President Bush, both Clintons appear to have a soft spot, and the feeling seems mutual. Bush and Bill Clinton have come to consider each other to be practically family, people close to them say, spending time together golfing, boating and kibitzing about foreign policy. And Bush is fond of Hillary Clinton, his friends say: Not only does he like strong women, but he enjoys her sarcastic sense of humor, her quick way with a zinger and her shared interest in the nitty-gritty of international affairs. Now that Hillary Clinton is running for the White House, those ties are being tested as she stands to benefit politically from her husband's friendship with Bush. Hillary Clinton wouldn't mind sprinkling some of that uniter-not-divider fairy dust on her candidacy, especially as she runs for the Democratic presidential nomination against Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., who is presenting himself as unity personified. And the association with Bush only feeds Bill Clinton's aura as a fellow elder statesman, a role that fits into the Clinton campaign's construct of him as a potential first spouse who would have a narrow portfolio of foreign policy troubleshooting. One thing is reasonably clear, people close to the two former presidents say: Both men want the relationship to continue as is, despite the complications of an intensifying campaign. And at this point, political analysts say, it seems likely that the friendship will help Hillary Clinton more than hurt her because it mostly burnishes the family name. (Indeed, one Clinton adviser said the two former presidents appearing together in independent-minded New Hampshire was "political gold" for Hillary Clinton.) "Many people feel the current President Bush and the Democrats haven't done a good job reaching out and working together," said James Thurber, director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University. "The Bush-Clinton friendship is like a fresh wind blowing in on her campaign." Democrats close to the Clintons say the relationship would become a headache for Hillary Clinton only if it started looking political - such as if the two men cooled it off because the Clintons, or Bush, decided it was somehow problematic for the two men to be so friendly in an election year. Republicans close to Bush say it would not be his style to tamp down a friendship because of political calculation, noting that he is far too loyal a man than that. Yet any downside to the friendship is somewhat more conceivable on the Republican end: Beyond possibly helping Hillary Clinton, Bush could be seen as cleansing Bill Clinton's reputation as a partisan and enhancing his legacy - and, perhaps unhelpfully, prompting some Americans to contrast that legacy with Bush's own son's. By all accounts the friendship between 41 and 42, as the men are called based on the order of their presidencies, is nothing other than warm and casual. Yet some political observers say that the warm ties could help Hillary Clinton blunt Obama's message denouncing partisanship. And it might soften her image a bit, too. "The knock on Hillary is that she is combative and divisive, that she is not as unifying a force as Obama," said Robert Dallek, a presidential historian. "Unity is Obama's theme. Hillary needs all the help she can get in that regard."

PATRICK HEALY , New York Times, May 19, 2007

New Orleans: Hillary Rodham Clinton said Saturday that rebuilding New Orleans is an "American obligation" the Bush administration has not met since Hurricane Katrina struck. "If talk, bureaucracy and promises were enough, we would've rebuilt New Orleans three times over by now," the Democratic president candidate told graduates at Dillard University, the historically black school devastated by the storm in August 2005. "What you do need is action, action supported by our federal government but driven right here in New Orleans and in the surrounding parishes by people who understand the reality on the ground, action that leads to real, measurable improvements, not six months from now, not a year from now, but right now," the New York senator said. "When Americans suffer, America does as well. Today, I want to be very clear: Rebuilding this city is not just an obligation of New Orleans or Louisiana. It is an American obligation," Clinton said. Mayor Ray Nagin, who attended the graduation, said Clinton raised points he has been making for months, including a need to streamline government. It is time for action, rather than words, he said. Asked whether he thought Clinton's speech was simply more talk, he said: "If it's heeded, it's going to be tremendous." Clinton's proposals to civil leaders included the appointment of a recovery manager who would report directly to the White House and would better organize federal aid to the region.

The Associated Press, May 19, 2007

WASHINGTON (AFP) - New York Senator Hillary Clinton and former New York city mayor Rudolph Giuliani lead the pack in voter intentions for the 2008 presidential race, according to two polls out Wednesday. Among Democrats Clinton has strengthened her status as front-runner, putting the brakes on a surge from rival Barack Obama, according to a Harris poll. The poll found Clinton ahead by 13 points, 40 percent to 27 percent among Democratic voters nationwide. Her showing was better than a similar poll in April which showed her leading Obama 37 to 32. Only former vice president Al Gore who says he has no plans to run, and former vice presidential candidate John Edwards registered other significant support, with 13 and 12 percent respectively. A Gallup poll had slightly different figures, with Clinton holding a nine-point lead over Obama, 35 percent against 26 percent. Gore's theoretical run comes in third with 16 percent, followed by Edwards with 12 percent. None of the other candidates had more than two percent support in the Gallup poll. Overall, the Harris poll of 2,523 voters between May 3 and May 10 showed voters continue to prefer Democrats by 71-58 percent over Republicans in the election, which takes place in November 2008. The Gallup poll of 1,003 adults was conducted May 10-13 and has a plus or minus three percentage points margin of error. National polls do not reflect the state-by-state nature of the nomination process, in which candidates obtain delegates from their party's base in a series of primary votes that begins early next year.

AFP, MAY 16, 2007

Labels: poll

On a state-by-state basis, both Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani look to be in good shape to win their respective party primaries. In Florida they're in great shape, especially Clinton. A St. Petersburg Times/Bay News 9 poll released yesterday found Clinton soaring over her closest rival in Florida, leading Barack Obama 42-19. John Edwards grabs 12% with 17% undecided.

New York Press, May 14, 2007

Labels: poll

The Democrats lost control of the Whitehouse to George W. Bush by the slimmest of margins by losing Florida in 2000. They lost the 2004 election yet again but this time by a slim margin in Ohio. The three states that have been key battleground states in the past two presidential elections have been: Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. In order to win the general election in 2008, Democrats need to find someone that can win at least two of those states. So we bundled up all of the polls taken in battleground states and averaged them for each of the candidates. We also averaged the other 47 states to compare.

As you can see from the results, Clinton's lead in the battleground states is close to 20% whereas her lead in the other 47 states is 13%. You could make the argument that big states vote based on the national popularity of the candidates which benefits Clinton but Edwards who was on the Vice-Presidential ticket in 2004 does worse in the battleground states. At this point, Clinton clearly shows that she can win the states that matter for the Democrats. And that is one of the most important things in the primary; to vote for someone that can win the general election. Many of these candidates are placing a lot of importance on the Iowa Caucus and the Nevada and New Hampshire primaries. For the lesser known candidates, that is all they need to create enthusiasm for their candidacy but for candidates like Obama and Edwards they need to do much more than perform well in Iowa and New Hampshire to prove they can win a general election.

USA Election Polls, May 13, 2007

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) : Hillary Rodham Clinton criticized President Bush on Saturday as running a "government of the few, for the few and by the few." "For six long years our hardworking middle class families have been invisible to this president," she said, promising to be a president who again sets goals for the country. Democrats attending the Ohio state party's annual dinner gave a rousing cheer when the senator from New York asked, "Are you ready to end the war in Iraq and restore America's reputation around the world?" Only two Democrats since 1900 have won the presidency without carrying Ohio and no Republican has done so. The state clinched re-election for Bush in 2004, but Democrats have new optimism that they can win the state that Clinton's husband carried twice. Democrats captured the Ohio governor's seat for the first time in 16 years last November and, in a backlash attributed in part to a state government investment scandal, seized three other statewide offices long held by Republicans. Clinton, leading the Democratic field for president in national and Ohio polls, promised universal health care and said she would make college more affordable. She also said she would be more aggressive in developing alternative sources of energy and that her administration would hire more qualified people for government jobs.

Associated Press Writer Jim Davenport, May 12, 2007

ORANGEBURG, S.C : Hillary Rodham Clinton used a commencement address Saturday at a historically black university to single out racial progress, from her rival Barack Obama candidacy to the achievements of South Carolina's first black chief justice. She spoke of making college more affordable and gave a nod to Obama, her Senate colleague and Democratic primary opponent, while drawing on the university's 1960s-era demonstrations. "Think about the students from this university who braved tear gas and water hoses and beatings and bullets to protest the injustice of segregation and usher in a new era of equality and never lived to see the day of an African-American man running for president," Clinton told the crowd of around 4,000 gathered for Claflin University's commencement. During her speech, Clinton called the class of 320 graduating students a minority who are able to afford and complete the college degrees they began pursuing. "But what I'm finding is that so many students and their hardworking parents and families are balking at the cost of higher education," Clinton said. "When they see the price tag their hearts sink." With fewer than half of the nation's students completing the degrees their start, government must have a larger role to play, Clinton said. "We need to begin by making college more affordable and accessible," she said. "I think we need to take on the student loan industry and send a clear message they will be held accountable for the way they treat and mistreat students and families." She is pushing a "student borrower bill of rights" that locks payments at a percentage of income and keeps fees and interest rates reasonable. "I don't believe that you should be subjected to bait-and-switch programs where they tell you what it's going to be and then they change it on you," she said.

Associated Press Writer Jim Davenport, May 12, 2007

Labels: affordable tuition

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - More Democratic Party supporters in the United States believe Hillary Rodham Clinton should be their presidential candidate in 2008, according to a poll by Gallup released by USA Today. 38 per cent of respondents would vote for the New York senator in a 2008 primary, up seven points since mid-April. Illinois senator Barack Obama is second with 23 per cent, followed by former U.S. vice-president Al Gore with 14 per cent, and former North Carolina senator John Edwards with 12 per cent. Support is lower for Delaware senator Joe Biden, New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, Ohio congressman Dennis Kucinich, and retired general Wesley Clark.

Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research, May 12, 2007

EXETER, N.H. --Two days before Mother's Day, Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared with a group of New Hampshire moms to highlight what she called the "inequities and absurdities" that prevent children from receiving quality health care. "I think one of the greatest gifts you can give any mother is the health of a child," Clinton said Friday at Exeter Hospital, where the three mothers who joined her on stage did most of the talking. AnnMarie Morse of Candia described her crusade to change state law after her daughter died of colon cancer in 2005. Michelle Morse, 22, had continued to attend college full-time during her chemotherapy in order to keep her health insurance. Under what became known as "Michelle's Law," insurance companies that cover college students under their parents' plans must continue the coverage if a student takes a medical leave of absence. "As a Mom, I wanted to protect my child. I'm not sure I did the best job I could because she went off to school full-time. Did she really get to focus on the care she should've gotten?" Morse said. "We don't know." Clinton, a sponsor of federal legislation that would expand Michelle's Law nationwide, called Morse's story one of many examples of a parent who does all the right things, but still struggles with health insurance. "You think you've taken care of your family. You've been paying your insurance premiums, and when you need it the most it's not there for you," she said. "It's one of the reasons we need to change the whole system, but until we can change the whole system, we have to try to get rid of the inequities and absurdities that stand in the way of people getting the care they deserve and need." Clinton said there is enough money in the federal budget to pay for expanding the programs to all uninsured children. "Obviously we all know the president has not paid for the war in Iraq; it is basically on our national credit card ... so we have a lot of tough decisions to make about how to get back to fiscal responsibility," she said. "But there are still, within the budget, expenditures that I don't think are justifiable." Among them, she said, are tax breaks for people who don't need them and corporate giveaways.

By Holly Ramer, Associated Press Writer, May 11, 2007

Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Hillary Rodham Clinton is once again the frontrunner in the race for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in the United States, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 34 per cent of respondents would vote for the New York senator in a 2008 primary. Illinois senator Barack Obama is second with 26 per cent, followed by former North Carolina senator John Edwards with 16 per cent, and New Mexico governor Bill Richardson with three per cent.

Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research, May 10,2007

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley on Wednesday endorsed New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for president and was named state chairman for Clinton's campaign. "No one is better equipped to repair America's alliances abroad and address the urgent needs of our communities at home," O'Malley said. Clinton praised the governor for signing the nation's first statewide living wage law on Tuesday, a measure that requires state contractors to pay at least $8.50 to workers and $11.30 in parts of Maryland such as Baltimore and the Washington suburbs where it is more expensive to live. Speaking waterside at the Annapolis City Dock, Clinton focused on the call for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq and criticized President Bush for failing to outline a clear plan. "It is imperative that he begin to extricate us from Iraq before he leaves office, but if he does not, when I am president, I will," Clinton said.

Associated Press, May 9, 2007

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer will put an end to questions about his support for New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential bid with an endorsement next week. "New Yorkers know first hand how effective Hillary is as a leader, which is why her support runs deep in this state," Spitzer said Tuesday. "As senator she has capably represented New Yorkers and together with countless other supporters I look forward to sharing with the rest of the country the values and strengths that will make her an excellent president." Spitzer had thus far put off an endorsement, saying it was premature. For months, Spitzer has hedged about an endorsement of Clinton, who leads national polls for the Democratic nomination. But the governor had dropped enough hints that the endorsement really came down to a guessing game about when - not if - it would happen. "What an amazing president she will be for every person in this country," Spitzer gushed last month when the two spoke before a teachers' convention in Washington. New York Democrats have generally lined up behind Clinton with a few exceptions.

Marc Humber, Associated Press Writer, May 8, 2007

WASHINGTON - New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has rebounded to a 15 percentage-point lead over Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken after the candidates' first debate. Clinton is the only contender in either party to show movement outside the poll's margin of error. She is the choice of 38% of the Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters surveyed, up 7 points from a survey taken three weeks earlier. Obama is at 23%, 3 points lower than before. Asked an open-ended question about why they support one or the other, 35% of Clinton's backers cite her experience; 23% favor her positions on issues; 17% like the fact that she is a woman. Ten percent mention her husband, former president Bill Clinton. In the poll, President Bush's job-approval rating continues to be in the doldrums, at 34%. He has entered his eighth month below 40% approval - the longest stretch of such dismal ratings for any modern president except Harry Truman during the Korean War and Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal.

USA Today, May 7, 2007

Labels: poll

Presidential candidates won't be damaged by initially backing the war in Iraq because President Bush is being held responsible for what went wrong, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Sunday. She declined to say what restrictions should be included in new stopgap legislation to pay for the troops, but made clear she supports providing the money needed. "There will be consequences with respect to funding the troops if we cannot work this out," Clinton said in an Associated Press interview. "I don't want to prejudge or set standards. I want to support my leadership." "There truly is for the first time an effort to try to negotiate with the president," said Clinton. "I don't know whether there's going to be an agreement that the Democrats will sign off on or not." Clinton said she "of course" eventually will support a measure paying for the troops, even though she has joined efforts in the Senate to reverse the initial congressional authorization. She voted to allow Bush to use force, but says she wouldn't cast the same vote given what she knows now. Some have suggested that anti-war sentiment runs high among Democratic activists, and warn that any presidential candidate voting to continue funding for the war will pay a political price. Clinton rejected that argument, saying voters are blaming Bush - as reflected in his sagging poll standings. "I think the president has enormous powers under our Constitution," said Clinton. "He pushed those to the limit and beyond. It is his war, they are his mistakes, his misjudgments that have led us to this every difficult situation in which we find ourselves. "I think you've got to balance everything in a very difficult situation. I have been long saying you shouldn't send anybody into any combat theater unless they are fully equipped and fully trained." Clinton warned that if Democrats begin setting standards in advance about what they must have in any funding bill it will undermine negotiations that are already difficult. "We're just going to take it day by day and try to get the very best possible bill we can come up with," she said. "We may have to face the fact that this president may not do whatever we try to get him to do, if he will not extricate us from Iraq." said Clinton. "I'm looking for a way to end this war as soon as we can. We're just going to have to wait and see what happens." While polls nationally show her as the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, she's getting a tough challenge in Iowa from former Sen. John Edwards. She rejected suggestions that rival Democratic candidates, particularly Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, are generating more enthusiasm and larger crowds. "I think we're doing fine," said Clinton. "I think every day we're building more and more momentum. I'm going into this with my eyes wide open. It's not something I'm taking lightly at all."

By Mike Glover, Associated Press, May 6, 2007

BATON ROUGE, La. - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton criticized the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina and pledged Saturday to funnel more federal aid to the still-recovering Gulf Coast if elected. Speaking to the National Conference of Black Mayors, Clinton took President Bush to task, focused mostly on domestic issues. Clinton said she was angered when she saw images of New Orleans residents on their rooftops, begging to be rescued from the floodwaters that followed the August 2005 hurricane. She said Bush's response was a display of "incompetence." "It is a great injustice that you would deny the resources to your own people, but that shouldn't surprise us, because many people are invisible to this president," she said in a morning speech punctuated with applause.

By JOHN MORENO GONZALES, Associated Press Writer, May 6, 2007

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Saturday President Bush has cut education funding so much that some schools are cutting programs such as art, music and dance. If elected president, the New York Democrat said she would work to revise the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act. "Yes, I believe in accountability," Clinton told a crowd of about 300 at John Hay High School, part of a struggling school district in what U.S. Census Bureau considers to be the nation's poorest big city. "But one of the saddest parts about what's happening with No Child Left Behind is that schools are cutting so much in their curricula because they are trying to keep up with demands in unfunded mandates." "Don't let anyone wear you down to the point where you believe it is not worth trying to change your society any longer," she told about 4,000 people and a graduating class of 225 at the private college near Dayton that traces its roots back to 1856. "Journeys that led to the abolition of slavery still call us to finish the march to justice," she said. The crowd gave a warm reception to Clinton, and broke into applause several times during a 25-minute speech in which largely avoided the hot-button campaign issues like the war in Iraq.

By M.R. KROPKO, Associated Press Writer, May 6, 2007

Hillary Rodham Clinton has a large lead over other candidates to be Nevada Democrats' choice for presidential nominee, while the Republican field is practically a four-way tie, according to a poll published Sunday. Clinton would get 37 percent of the vote if a Democratic caucus were held in Nevada today, holding a healthy lead over John Edwards (13 percent) and Barack Obama (12 percent), according to the poll by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. Clinton also boasts the support of influential Nevada figures including Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid and former Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa. "Hillary Clinton was the favorite going in, and she's done nothing to hurt herself, particularly in Nevada," Herzik said. "She's been here a few times, and she has a strong organization." Edwards, however, can't be happy about his low level of support in Nevada, a state where his aggressive pitch to organized labor ought to be an advantage, said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

Associated Press, May 6, 2007

It's hard to say which is worse news for Republicans: that George W. Bush now has the worst approval rating of an American president in a generation, or that he seems to be dragging every '08 Republican presidential candidate down with him. But According to the new Newsweek Poll, the public's approval of Bush has sunk to 28 percent, an all- time low for this president in our poll, and a point lower than Gallup recorded for his father at Bush Sr.'s nadir. This remarkably low rating seems to be casting a dark shadow over the GOP's chances for victory in '08. The Newsweek Poll finds each of the leading Democratic contenders beating the Republican frontrunners in head-to-head matchups. Perhaps that explains why Republican candidates, participating in their first major debate this week, mentioned Bush's name only once, but Ronald Reagan's 19 times. (The debate was held at Reagan's presidential library.) When the Newsweek Poll asked more than 1,000 adults on Wednesday and Thursday night (before and during the GOP debate) which president showed the greatest political courage - meaning being brave enough to make the right decisions for the country, even if it jeopardized his popularity - more respondents volunteered Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton (18 percent each) than any other president. Former New York City major Rudolph Giuliani receives the highest marks for having shown political courage in the past among the current major candidates from either party (48 percent of registered voters say he has), followed by Hillary Clinton at 43 percent, John McCain at 42, John Edwards at 33 and Barack Obama at 30. Mitt Romney comes in last among the six leading candidates at 11 percent. Clinton receives the highest marks for showing political courage in the current campaign, though, with 34 percent of voters saying she has, followed by 33 percent for Obama, 30 percent for Edwards, 28 for McCain, 25 for Giuliani and 11 for Romney. Sen. Clinton wins 49 percent to 46 percent against Giuliani, well within the poll's margin of error; 50 to 44 against McCain; and 57 to 35 against Romney. Where Clinton remains the undisputed champ is among Democrats. When matched against her main rivals for the Democratic nomination, Clinton is the choice of 51 percent of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters over Obama's 39 percent; and she defeats Edwards 57 percent to 38 percent. Obama has not substantially narrowed Clinton's lead since the early March Newsweek poll, where he trailed Clinton by 14 points. Edwards has narrowed Clinton's lead over him though. Back in March Edwards trailed Clinton by 31 points; now her lead is down to 19 points. The Newsweek Poll was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International May 2-3. Telephone interviews were conducted with 1,001 adults, age 18 and older; the overall margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

By Spero News, May 5, 2007

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has proposed that Congress repeal the authority it gave President George W. Bush in 2002 to invade Iraq. Clinton's proposal on Thursday in effect brings her full circle on Iraq and sharpens her own political positioning at a time when the Democratic Party is increasingly willing to confront the White House on the war. "It is time to reverse the failed policies of President Bush and to end this war as soon as possible," Clinton said as she joined another Democratic senator, Robert Byrd of West Virginia, in calling for a vote on a plan to terminate the authority as of Oct. 11, the fifth anniversary of the original vote. Much of the focus Thursday in forging a new war spending measure was on the idea of imposing requirements - or so-called benchmarks - on the Iraqi government to show progress in securing political and military security. Leading Republicans said they were open to that approach. The move by Clinton appeared to be an effort to claim a new leadership position among the Democratic presidential candidates against the war in Iraq. It came just a few hours after Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader in the Senate, praised the senators running for president for not using the Senate as a platform for airing their differences on the war. It also shows that Democrats, with their core supporters strongly opposing the war, are leery of being seen as giving too much ground to Bush in the legislative fight. Clinton pointedly noted Thursday that she had voted in 2002 to put a one-year limit on Bush's war authority, an effort led by Byrd that failed. Obama issued a statement on Thursday evening indicating that he would support the effort by Clinton and Byrd to rescind authorization for the war. Clinton said her push for a new vote on the war authority did not mean she would oppose whatever new war spending measure might emerge from negotiations. But she said she was joining Byrd in trying to force a new examination of the war in its entirety, rather than simply joust over the spending measure with its elements of "funding, not funding, benchmarks, no benchmarks."

Carl Hulse and Patrick Healy, International Herald Tribune, May 4, 2007

The latest U.S. public opinion polls suggest there is good news and bad news for the two top contenders for president next year, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Rudy Giuliani. A new survey conducted by Quinnipiac University in Connecticut has New York Senator Hillary Clinton leading the Democratic field with 32 percent support. Illinois Senator Barack Obama is in second place with 18 percent, followed by former Vice President Al Gore at 14 percent and former North Carolina Senator John Edwards at 12 percent. Gore draws well even though he has repeatedly said he will not be a candidate next year. Senator Clinton has been a consistent leader in the Democratic field. But pollster Peter Brown says despite Clinton's standing in the polls, she still draws the highest negative ratings of any presidential candidate from either party. "She has persistently high unfavorable ratings. They average about 43 percent in all three of these states. That is pretty high for a candidate. You can get elected President of the United States with a 43 percent unfavorable [rating], but when it gets much higher, into the high 40's, it becomes a problem," added Brown.

Jim Malone, Voice of America, May 3, 2007

Presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton wants the U.S. government to commit $10 billion over five years to get young children in developing countries into school, saying yesterday that she and other proponents "hope that the president will take advantage" of this chance to improve global economies, health and security. The New York Democrat joined U2 singer and activist Bono, via conference call in Ireland; Rep. Nita M. Lowey, New York Democrat; Rep. Spencer Bachus, Alabama Republican; and other lawmakers in Washington in introducing the Education for All Act. They said the bill would help stabilize and improve impoverished countries and function as an essential tool to combat terrorism in the long run. Mrs. Lowey and Mrs. Clinton tried unsuccessfully to get the bill passed in 2004 but are hoping the climate is right with a Democrat-controlled Congress. Mrs. Clinton commended President Bush for working with his party to advance global health efforts, including more funding to combat AIDS in Africa. "I give President Bush credit for working with his party to do some of the outreach that has gotten bipartisan support," she said. With Democrats in control of Congress, Mrs. Clinton said, the time is right to go even further to improve worldwide education. Mrs. Clinton and other Democrats have called for more money for domestic education efforts, including Mr. Bush's No Child Left Behind education reform law.

By Amy Fagan, THE WASHINGTON TIMES, May 2, 2007