US Virgin Islands on January 4, 1998
Posted on 05/18/2014 4:28:58 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Whether Hillary Clinton likes it or not, her husband is one of the big reasons she is the prohibitive favorite to win the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination if she runs in 2016.
The charismatic, popular former president has talents as a surrogate and fundraiser that are unprecedented for a would-be presidential spouse.
But recent days have also underscored that Bill Clinton can be as much a liability as an asset to his wife.
During a speech last week to the Peterson Foundation Fiscal Summit, the former president flashed some of the irascibility that gave his wife's campaign heartburn during her losing 2008 primary struggle with then-Sen. Barack Obama.
Pushing back against suggestions from Karl Rove that Hillary might have suffered brain damage in a 2012 fall, Clinton came across as fiercely defensive and a little too hot. He also took a detour into the past, invoking the Whitewater controversy as an example of what he saw as a similar politically-motivated and factually-hollow crusade by conservatives.
“I’m still waiting for them to admit that there was nothing to Whitewater,” Clinton said. In fact, 15 people were convicted of crimes relating to Whitewater, including close family friends such as Jim and Susan McDougal.
Clinton also bristled when he was pushed on his economic legacy. Once considered his crowning achievement, his record in that area has become more problematic of late, with some on the left arguing that his ardor for deregulation laid the foundation for the financial crisis.
"He looked at various points to be hesitant, bored, a little petulant," said Southern Methodist University political science professor Cal Jillson. "I don't think his presentation was as smooth and engaging as it usually is, which is troublesome.”
In 2008, Bill Clinton lost his temper with reporters on rope lines, made an ill-advised and racially-loaded comparison of Obama with Jesse Jackson, and condemned the media for swallowing what he termed a “fairy tale” about Obama’s foreign policy.
If Hillary’s presidential ambitions are to be protected, the former president will need to do better this time around. Ensuring that outcome will require careful management from his wife’s aides, though that is something the 42nd president strained against in 2008.
“The question for Hillary 2016 is if they can keep him on the rails, because when he's on track, he's the strongest campaigner in the country,” said Tobe Berkovitz, a political media consultant at Boston University. “At a cerebral level, yes, he understands that restraint is necessary, but I think the protective political, personal instinct jumps in.”
Clinton’s protective impulse risks not only grabbing headlines, but increasing the difficulty for his wife as she looks to reinforce her own bona fides. The former first lady has spent more than a decade crafting her own, discrete identity, but, as with any candidate, she would need to prove her mettle all over again within the pressure cooker of a second national campaign.
“When you have people attacking your wife, your normal instinct is to come to her defense, but if she's running to become commander in chief of the United States and the leader of the free world, she's got to demonstrate an ability to do that herself,” said Jillson.
Of course, the former president’s personal history is also a concern. The breathless coverage of Monica Lewinsky earlier this month after the former White House intern penned an essay for Vanity Fair underscored the potency of, and appetite for, coverage of the Clintons’ relationships.
Democrats remain confident that the Lewinsky affair has been largely played out.
But the danger of Lewinsky stories, and of President Clinton’s presence in general, could be that they make it harder for his wife to paint a forward-looking vision.
By 2016, the nation will have had a Democratic president for eight years, and known the Clintons as national political actors for a quarter century. A youthful Republican candidate may be able to adopt the “change” moniker that President Obama used to deadly effect against Hillary in 2008.
Meanwhile, Bill Clinton exhibits an apparently bottomless appetite to discuss his White House tenure, which ended almost 14 years ago.
“Her challenge and his challenge as a surrogate for him is going to be talk about the future,” said Democratic strategist Steve Elmendorf. “This can't be a campaign about the past.”
Still, Democrats and outside observers say that even if there is some risk inherent in Bill Clinton getting involved in a campaign, the reward is more than worth it.
The former president will prove an incredible fundraising draw. His work with the Clinton Foundation has kept him in close contact with many of the wealthy and politically active donors that will be crucial in a post-Citizens United world.
“He’ll be as good a fundraiser as the candidate, which is uniquely different from most campaigns,” Elmendorf said.
“He’s great at it,” said Princeton University professor Julian Zelizer. “He now has a network that is even bigger because of his post-presidential work. He’s as big a name as you have in the party, and has the kind of popularity and appeal and celebrity status that other Democrats don’t have.”
Clinton is also widely regarded as Democrats’ best surrogate. He famously served to great effect as “explainer-in-chief” for President Obama in 2012.
Ultimately, no matter what the risks, Hillary Clinton is both literally and figuratively wed to Bill.
“If you run away from Bill Clinton you end up losing political strength rather than gaining it,” Zelizer said. “Not only is he an asset, but they don't have that much choice. If they tried to distance her, it’d seem like they’re hiding something.”
The challenge, then, will be calibrating how and when to use the former president and his talents while mitigating the potential risks.
“Their history is a joint history, and it will be very difficult for Hillary to get away from that, so what you need is a strategic use of the ex-president,” Jillson said. “The day to day campaign should be about Hillary Clinton. The principal surrogate doesn't need to be Bill Clinton every day.”
US Virgin Islands on January 4, 1998
Deceivers, socialists, totalitarians, criminals, party hacks/puppets/apparatchiks are a liability to individual rights, freedom, property, life…the republic. We can no longer afford them.
Socialism Is Legal Plunder - Bastiat
Bonnie and Clyde dance.
I don’t have any questions. Pretty much a marriage of convenience for power and money. He’s a letch, she’s a lying power hungry crone. [in as few words as I can cram it all in]
The poor photographer. I bet he was up all night photoshopping those thighs.
Criminals beget criminals at the expence of the American people and the moronic “american idol” voters
Bet he hasn’t had a good nights sleep from that time on.
Bill Clinton’s war on women
His personal record of misogyny and brutality against women.
Juanita Broaddrick (AR)- rape
Eileen Wellstone (Oxford) - rape
Elizabeth Ward Gracen - rape - quid pro quo, post incident intimidation
Regina Hopper Blakely - “forced himself on her, biting, bruising her”
Kathleen Willey (WH) - sexual assault, intimidation, threats
Sandra Allen James (DC) - sexual assault
22 Year Old 1972 (Yale) - sexual assault
Kathy Bradshaw (AK) - sexual assault
Cristy Zercher - unwelcomed sexual advance, intimidation
Paula Jones (AR) - unwelcomed sexual advance, exposure, bordering on sexual assault
Carolyn Moffet -unwelcomed sexual advance, exposure, bordering on sexual assault
1974 student at University of Arkansas - unwelcomed physical contact
1978-1980 - seven complaints per Arkansas state troopers
Monica Lewinsky - quid pro quo, post incident character assault
Gennifer Flowers - quid pro quo, post incident character assault
Dolly Kyle Browning - post incident character assault
Sally Perdue - post incident threats
Betty Dalton - rebuffed his advances while married to one of his supporters
Or, as I like to call them, the Arkansas Grifters.
Wow, I haven’t seen thighs like that since the last time I got to a KFC buffet.
Add "mockers of the marriage sacrament" to your list.
Leni
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ALL YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT "SMART POWER": a post-Bush term coined by Hillary Clinton.
Hillary played a huge part in the "Smart Power" debacle.......her all-girl State Dept airheads couldn't even get the Russian reset button right.
===============================================
Behold what "Smart Power" hath wrought: Debacle after debacle---Obama's careening and incomprehensible handling of the Syrian crisis, Benghazi, Ukraine, Boston bombings, Muslim jihad.
Obama's a US ntl security and foreign policy centerfold---he's stark naked before the world----naive, isolated, and outlandishly stupid..... displaying a buncha State Dept/NSA boobs as advisors.
Obama's gave his van driver top national security clearance. Tommy Vietor is Hillary's top pick for Secretary of State.
Little dude in his big boy clothes.
=========================================
Democrats' 'Smart Power' Lies in Ruins; Suddenly
Realizing What They Miscalculated About the World
National Review | Sept 3, 2013 | Jim Geraghty / FR Posted by kristinn
....... Democrats are suddenly realizing that their foreign policy brain-trust completely misjudged the world.
Being nicer to countries like Russia will not make them nicer to you. The United Nations is not an effective tool for resolving crises. Some foreign leaders are beyond persuasion and diplomacy. There is no “international community” ready to work together to solve problems, and there probably never will be.
You can pin this on Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Susan Rice, but most of all, the buck stops with the president. Those of us who scoffed a bit at a state senator ascending to the presidency within four years on a wave of media hype and adoration are not quite so shocked by this current mess.
We never bought into this notion that getting greater cooperation from our allies, and less hostility from our enemies, was just a matter of giving this crew the wheel and letting them practice, as Hillary Clinton arrogantly declared it, “smart power” (and fronted Time magazine cover).
(These people can’t even label a foreign policy approach without reminding us of how highly they think of themselves.)
They looked out at the world at the end of the Bush years, and didn’t see tough decisions, unsolvable problems, unstable institutions, restless populations, technology enabling the impulse to destabilize existing institutions, evil men hungry for more power, and difficult trade-offs.
No, our problems and challengers were just a matter of the previous hands running U.S. foreign policy not being smart enough. (Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
The Clinton nonprofit foundation lists Brunei alongside Kuwait, Oman and Qatar as donors that gave between $1 million and $5 million through last year. The foundation confirmed the donation from Brunei was made in 2002, in connection with the construction of the Clinton Presidential Library in Arkansas.
"The Clinton Foundation's impact would not be possible without the generous support of our donors," the foundation's website reads. "Their contributions have made a difference in the lives of tens of millions across the world."
The contribution could prove an uncomfortable detail in the foundation's financial records, particularly as Hillary Clinton weighs a possible presidential run. Though The Clinton Foundation has thus far avoided any major controversy over the matter, a Brunei connection has caused headaches for the Beverly Hills Hotel on the other side of the country. (Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
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POINTS TO PONDER The Clinton foundation employed their very own Muslim terrorist. Also available to carry out presidential orders?
BACKSTORY Billy Boy Clinton was grinning like a simpering fool at the annual meeting of the tax-exempt "Clinton Global Initiative Foundation"....even Boobomba was there hugging Billy like they were old pals.....all in the wake of the bombshell news that:
<><> the tax-exempt Clinton Global Initiative Foundation uses shady financing;
<><> the tax-exempt Clinton Global Initiative had employed an active Muzzie terrorist named Gehad el-Haddad (The stupid Clintons did not know Gehad was Farsi for "jihad")
Gehad also knows how the Muslim Brotherhood launders money to finance terrorism, using "tax-exempt foundations."
==============================================
THE CLINTON FOUNDATIONS / MUSLIM TERRORISM CONNECTION --- The recent story that a Muslim terrorist was working at the Clinton Foundation AND conducting terrorist activities at the same time, explains why the Clintons just remade themselves into the hallowed "Clinton Family Foundation."
The Clintons doing their "Holy Family" act.
NOTE The Clintons' shady foundation financing is unveiled in a recent NYT expose of Clinton corruption, greed, entitlement, nepotism, cronyism.
======================================================
DHS and the State Dept recently published new exemptions in the Federal Register to welcome more terrorists seeking "asylum" in the US.......by screwing around a ban in the Immigration and Nationality Act that currently excludes refugees and asylum seekers who had provided limited material support, no matter how minor, to terrorists.
“These exemptions cover five kinds of limited material support that have adversely and unfairly affected refugees and asylum seekers with no tangible connection to terrorism: material support that was insignificant in amount or provided incidentally in the course of everyday social, commercial, family or humanitarian interactions, or under significant pressure,” a DHS official explained.
Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and Hillary's successor, John Kerry, signed the Obama exemptions.
NOTE: Claiming "asylum" triggers endless monthly SS checks.
=================================================
There's also a Harry Reid connection to one of the Clintons three tax-exempt foundations----the "Clinton Global Initiative." (more below)
PUTTING ON MY TINFOIL HAT TO CONNECT THE DOTS:
(1) Harry Reid's son Rory is in business w/ the Chi/Coms on a multi-billion dollar solar energy project; Cliven Bundy and his land are standing in the way.
(2) Reports say Bill Clinton recently went to China to panhandle for his tax-exempt foundation, "The Clinton Global Initiative."
(3) The Clinton Global Initiative (NOT KNOWN for giving out grants)---gave Harry Reid's granddaughter a grant for a Brooklyn, NY theatre she runs (what is the theatre's connection to "global initiatives?"
(4) A Nevada energy company also gave Reid's granddaughter's theatre group a grant.
================================================
"Money laundering" comes to mind. Could the Chinese be financing the Reid's solar project through donations to the Clinton Foundations....which is then laundered to Reid's granddaughter?
================================================
REFERENCE----HARRY REID IS LIVID THAT HIS GRAND-DAUGHTER HAS BEEN OUTED AS A RECIPIENT OF LAUNDERED CAMPAIGN CASH---Reid lashed out at reporters, saying, “My granddaughter has been the target of harassing phone calls, strangers tracking her down, knocking on her door and negative, unwanted attention on the Internet.” “This has gone too far and it needs to stop now,” Reid said. “I deeply regret any role I had in creating this situation but now, as a grandparent, I say enough is enough.”
============================================
Besides the "jewelry company" financed by her grandfather, Ryan Elisabeth Reid runs the Sprat Theater Company, a small theater in Brooklyn, which is also coming under scrutiny. According to Sprat’s Theatre Company Web site, it has received grants/contributions from:
<><> the Clinton Global Initiative (connected to global terrorism via Muslim Brotherhood employee),
<><> two major Las Vegas foundations:
Caesar’s Foundation, and the NV Energy Foundation.
NOTE NV Energy Foundation---is a non-profit division of NV Energy (a public utility). The NV Energy utility is a subsidiary of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company which took over in 2013.
NEED TO KNOW Did Harry Reid use US government power, US govt agencies, his Senate office, and/or tax resources to enrich any of the above-named energy-related entities?
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email: enforcement @SEC.gov
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The SEC and IRS should examine every document filed by (a) The tax-exempt Clinton Global Initiative, (b) the tax- exempt Caesar's Foundation and (c) The tax-exempt Nevada Energy Foundation, (d) Reid granddaughter's theatre group.
Every official tax-exempt document needs to be scrutinized in conjunction w/ possible connections to govt fraud, corruption, money laundering and tax evasion. Perjury and forgery, need to be considered.
Falsifying Official Public Documents involves altering, changing, or modifying a document for the purpose of deception.......can also involve forgery and/or passing copies of false documents. Falsifying documents is usually done in connection with broader criminal aims, such as extortion, government fraud, tax evasion, money laundering, financing terrorism........
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L/E should to get ahold of Rory and Harry Reid's: (1) check copies, (2) wire transfers, (3) account statements, (4) invoices, (5) bills, (6) delivery tickets, (7) correspondence including e-mail, contracts, loan agreements, and, (8) any other books or records.
L/E should also explore (a) monies Reid paid to brokers, sub-brokers, (b) family members, (c) mortgage brokers, (d) financial managers, and, (e) real estate agents, brokers, and developers.
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BTW, here's Harry w/ his grand-daughter....the one who got $31,000 in laundered campaign funds for her "jewelry company" and grants from Clinton and Nevada energy foundations.
Reid and granddaughter Ryan Elisabeth Reid.
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NOTE The Clintons' shady tax-exempt foundation financing is unveiled in a recent NYT expose of corruption, greed, entitlement, nepotism, and cronyism. The tax-exempt Clintons' Foundation even had their very own Muslim terrorist to carry out presidential orders.
2014 Net Worth for Secretary of the State Hillary Clinton
Income
Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI) (Spouse) Abu Dhabi, UAE $500,000
Bank Administration Institute (Spouse) Chicago, IL $200,000
HSM Americas, Inc. (Spouse) New York, NY $175,000
Deloitte Services LP (Spouse) New York, NY $200,000
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (Spouse) New York, NY $200,000
Highland Capital (Spouse) New York, NY $175,000
TD Ameritrade (Spouse) Las Vegas, NV $200,000
American Express (Spouse) New York, NY $200,000
World Market Center SPE, LLC (Spouse) Las Vegas, NV $175,000
UBS Wealth Management (Spouse) Dallas, TX $165,000
Jeffries & Company, Inc. (Spouse) New York, NY $200,000
Magic Dreams Productions, Inc. (Spouse) Panama City, Panama $325,000
Fundo Comunitario of Keren Hayesod Sao Paulo (Spouse) Sao Paulo, Brazil $200,000
World 50, Inc. (Spouse) New York, NY $175,000
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (Spouse) New York, NY $200,000
UBS Wealth Management (Spouse) Los Angeles, CA $150,000
Bank of America Merrill Lynch (Spouse) $200,000
Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCOC) (Spouse) Toronto, Canada $175,000
Beaumont Health Systems (Spouse) Troy, MI $260,000
HCL America, Inc. (Spouse) Orlando, FL $200,000
Hualuo CEO Forum (Spouse) Shanghai, China $550,000
Telefonaktiebolagel LM Ericsson AB (Spouse) Hong Kong, China $750,000
Masie Center (Spouse) Orlando, FL $200,000
Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) (Spouse) Boston, MA $175,000
Defense Research Institute (DRI) (Spouse) Washington, DC $204,000
Silicon Valley Information Business Alliance (SVIBA) (Spouse), Santa Clara, CA $200,000
City of Surrey (Spouse) Surrey, BC, Canada $175,000
American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) (Spouse) Las Vegas, NV $200,000
Achmea (Spouse) Achlum, Holland $600,000
Yum! Restaurants International (Spouse) Vancouver, Canada $160,000
Highstar Capital (Spouse) Washington, DC $175,000
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) (Spouse) $255,000
Cambridge Energy Research Associates $175,000
Business and Finance Media Group (Spouse) $125,000
The Philharmonic Center for the Arts (Spouse) $200,000
Kuwait America Foundation (Spouse) $175,000
RSA, Security Division of EMC (Spouse) San Francisco, CA $175,000
Hualuo CEO Forum (Spouse) New York, NY $200,000
Barclays Capital (Spouse), Davos, Switzerland $325,000
Tanmiah Commercial Group (Spouse) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia $300,000
Bridgestone America Tire Operations (Spouse) Huntington Beach, CA $175,000
Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) (Spouse) Chicago, IL $170,000
Cisco Systems, Inc. (Spouse) Kiawah Island, SC $210,000
Leaders and Company Ltd. (THISDAY Newspaper Group) (Spouse) Lagos, Nigeria $700,000
Center for Global Dialogue and Cooperation (CGDC) (Spouse) Vienna, Austria $500,000
Ilau BBA USA Securities, Inc. (Spouse) New York, NY $175,000
TD Bank (Spouse) Fredericton and Antigonish, Canada $260,000
Fidelity Investments (Spouse) Orlando, FL $175,000
The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare (NCCBH) (Spouse) San Diego, CA $260,000
HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. (Spouse) Key Largo, FL $200,000
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association (PhRMA) (Spouse) Jersey City, NJ $200,000
Goldman Sachs (Spouse) New York, NY $200,000
Whisky Productions (Spouse) Grand Cayman $225,000
Nideias Comunicacao Ilimitada Ltda (Spouse) Manaus, Brazil $390,000
JP Morgan Custody Account (Cash) $50,001 - $100,000
Random House (Spouse) - My Life $50,001 - $100,000
Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance (Cash Value - Whole Life Policy) (Spouse) $5,001 - $15,000
Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance (Cash Value - Whole Life Policy) $5,001 - $15,000
Simon & Schuster, Inc. - Living History $2,501 - $5,000
US Treas NTS 4.875% 8/15/16 BOND $2,501 - $5,000
US Treas NTS 4.625% MAT 2/29/12 Bond $1,001 - $2,500
Fed Home Ln MTG 4.875% 11/15/13 Bond $201 - $1,000
US Treas NTS 5.00% 2/15/11 BOND $201 - $1,000
http://www.davemanuel.com/pols/hillary-clinton/
The Clinton political machine will play on the idea that the presidency will get a two for one—Hill and Bill—deal in the White House. The zero infobots will eat it up. You don’t want to try visualizing what will happen if they do get back in the White House. For instance, lamps will fly and Bill, of course, will get good use of the Lincoln Bed Room. And it won’t be with Mrs. Cankles, der Hildebeast.
Rush has pointed out that there was no music. That was just a photo op. Just as when BJ the impeached, found rocks on Normandy Beach to form into the shape of a cross. Someone in his administration or the drive by media (of course, I repeat myself) put them there for a photo op.
She’s a doormat unfit for dog catcher.
For the newbies, piaps = pig in a pants suit
Little chelsea hubbell bringing up the rear.
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