Hillary Rodham Clinton
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/firstladies/hc42.html
President Bush Biography
Vice President Cheney Biography
Laura Bush Biography
Lynne Cheney Biography
As an
undergraduate at Wellesley College, Hillary mixed academic excellence
with school government. Speaking at graduation, she said, "The
challenge now is to practice politics as the art of making what appears
to be impossible, possible."
In 1969, Hillary
entered Yale Law School, where she served on the Board of Editors of
Yale Law Review and Social Action, interned with children's advocate
Marian Wright Edelman, and met Bill Clinton. The President often
recalls how they met in the library when she strode up to him and said,
"If you're going to keep staring at me, I might as well introduce
myself." The two were soon inseparable--partners in moot court,
political campaigns, and matters of the heart.
After graduation,
Hillary advised the Children's Defense Fund in Cambridge and joined the
impeachment inquiry staff advising the Judiciary Committee of the House
of Representatives. After completing those responsibilities, she
"followed her heart to Arkansas," where Bill had begun his political
career.
They married in
1975. She joined the faculty of the University of Arkansas Law School
in 1975 and the Rose Law Firm in 1976. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter
appointed her to the board of the Legal Services Corporation, and Bill
Clinton became governor of Arkansas. Their daughter, Chelsea, was born
in 1980.
Hillary served as
Arkansas's First Lady for 12 years, balancing family, law, and public
service. She chaired the Arkansas Educational Standards Committee,
co-founded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, and served
on the boards of the Arkansas Children's Hospital, Legal Services, and
the Children's Defense Fund.
As the nation's
First Lady, Hillary continued to balance public service with private
life. Her active role began in 1993 when the President asked her to
chair the Task Force on National Health Care Reform. She continued to
be a leading advocate for expanding health insurance coverage, ensuring
children are properly immunized, and raising public awareness of health
issues. She wrote a weekly newspaper column entitled "Talking It Over,"
which focused on her experiences as First Lady and her observations of
women, children, and families she has met around the world. Her 1996
book It Takes a Village and Other Lessons Children Teach Us was a best seller, and she received a Grammy Award for her recording of it.
As First Lady, her
public involvement with many activities sometimes led to controversy.
Undeterred by critics, Hillary won many admirers for her staunch
support for women around the world and her commitment to children's
issues.
She was elected
United States Senator from New York on November 7, 2000. She is the
first First Lady elected to the United States Senate and the first
woman elected statewide in New York.
ours
Presidents & First Ladies
White House
Events & Traditions
Resources
Military
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Party: Democratic
Occupation: Lawyer, U.S. Senator
Current Job / Position: Senator from New York
Web site(s):
Hillary for President
Sen. Hillary Clinton
Sen. Clinton's Voting Record
More Post Coverage of Clinton »
Clinton's Issue Statements
Health Care, Social Security, Iraq, National Security, Energy, Immigration, Affirmative Action, Economy, Budget, Education, Gay Marriage, Abortion, Poverty, Gun Control, Stem Cell Research, Top Priorities
Biography
During the 1992
presidential campaign, Hillary Rodham Clinton observed, "Our lives are
a mixture of different roles. Most of us are doing the best we can to
find whatever the right balance is . . . For me, that balance is
family, work, and service."
Hillary Diane
Rodham, Dorothy and Hugh Rodham's first child, was born on October 26,
1947. Two brothers, Hugh and Tony, soon followed. Hillary's childhood
in Park Ridge, Illinois, was happy and disciplined. She loved sports
and her church, and was a member of the National Honor Society, and a
student leader. Her parents encouraged her to study hard and to pursue
any career that interested her.
Biography
Personal
Birthdate: October 26, 1947 (Chicago, Ill. )
Hometown: Park Ridge, Ill.
Spouse: Bill Clinton
Children: Chelsea Clinton
Religion: United Methodist
Education
- Yale Law School, J.D., 1973
- Wellesley College, B.A., 1969
- Maine South High School
Experience
Businesses Owned, Past Careers, Board Memberships, Etc.:
- Attorney, Rose Law Firm, 1976-1992
- Faculty, University of Arkansas Law School, 1975
- Board Member, TCBY Yogurt Company, 1985-1992
- Board Member, Wal-Mart, 1985-1992
- Board Member, Arkansas Children's Hospital
- Board Member, Children's Defense Fund
- Co-Founder, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families
Public Service / Elected Offices:
- Senator, United States Senate, 2001-present
- First Lady of the United States, 1993-2001
- First Lady of Arkansas, 1979-1981, 1983-1993
- House Judiciary Committee, 1974
Book(s)
- Dear Socks, Dear Buddy: Kids' Letters to the First Pets by Hillary Rodham Clinton
- Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton
- It Takes a Village by Hillary Rodham Clinton
- Witness to Genocide: The Children of Rwanda: Drawings by Child
Survivors of the Rwandan Genocide of 1994 by Hillary Rodham Clinton and
Richard A. Salem
Endorsements
98 campaign endorsements (of 584) by state-level political figures.
Latest Endorsements
Do you have a plan to make health care more accessible to Americans? If so, how would you do it?
Yes.
I recently unveiled a plan that will provide quality, affordable health
care to all Americans, including the 47 million who don't have coverage
today. I believe we have a moral imperative to provide quality health
care for all Americans, and when I am President, enacting legislation
to provide guaranteed quality, affordable health care will be my top
domestic priority. My plan is based on the principles of shared
responsibility and choice. If you have a plan you like, you keep it. If
you want to change plans or aren't currently covered, you can choose
from the same plans available to Members of Congress or opt into a
public plan like Medicare. My plan will lower costs and improve
quality, making health care affordable and accessible to everyone. It
will lower health care costs by modernizing the system, focusing on
preventive care, coordinating and streamlining care for chronically ill
patients, and getting rid of the hidden cost of providing care to the
uninsured. Under my plan, working families will get a tax credit to
help pay for their premiums, insurance companies won't be able to deny
coverage based on pre-existing conditions, and people won't lose
coverage if they switch or lose their jobs.
Do
you support allowing a portion of the money currently withheld for
Social Security to be put into private accounts? Why or why not?
I
strongly oppose Social Security privatization. Social Security is a
solemn promise to our seniors, and I am committed to keeping that
promise. I am proud to have fought President Bush's attempt to
privatize Social Security, which would have dismantled Social
Security's guaranteed benefit structure, reduced Social Security
benefits, and put seniors' retirement at risk by subjecting individuals
to the whims of the stock market. Social Security is the single
greatest domestic program in our history, and we have to protect it.
What specific changes would you make to the Social Security program?
I
have a clear, straightforward plan to deal with Social Security. First,
return to fiscal responsibility. That will give us the kinds of options
we had in the late 1990s, when we had a plan to keep Social Security
solvent until 2055. Second, set up a bipartisan process to address
Social Security's long-term challenges. Third, as part of that process,
we should consider a range of modest fixes to strengthen the program.
But I will never agree to privatization, and I do not believe we should
fix Social Security on the backs of the middle class or our nation's
seniors. I also believe that in addition to protecting Social Security
for future generations, we need to do more to promote retirement
savings. That's why I have a plan to give every American the chance to
open a new American Retirement Account, with generous matching tax cuts
of up to $1,000 to help middle-class families save.
Do
you support setting a deadline for either a withdrawal or a partial
pullback of troops from Iraq? If so, what would be the date of that
deadline?
Yes. I have voted for end dates in May
2008, June 2008, and December 2008. But President Bush is not willing
to set an end date. When I am President, I will end the war in Iraq. I
will convene a meeting of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, my Secretary of
Defense, and my National Security Council to draw up a viable plan to
bring our troops home starting within the first 60 days of my
administration. When I am President, I will withdraw our forces from
the sectarian fighting. There will be no American soldiers refereeing a
civil war. No more combat patrols in Baghdad.
What distinguishes your plan for Iraq from those of the other candidates?
I
have laid out a detailed plan for ending the war in Iraq swiftly and
responsibly. As President, I would bring our troops home, work to bring
stability to the region, and replace a military force with a new
diplomatic initiative to engage countries around the world in securing
Iraq's future and America's national interests. I would focus U.S. aid
on helping Iraqis, ensuring that financial resources are used properly
and not wasted, stolen, or hoarded by government ministries or
ministers. I would also convene a regional stabilization group of
allies, other global powers and all of the states bordering Iraq to
develop and implement a strategy to create a stable Iraq. I would
organize an international effort funded by a wide range of donor
states, under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, to
address the needs of Iraqi refugees.
What would be your top three national security priorities if you were elected?
As
President, my top national security priorities will be to end the war
in Iraq, to reinforce the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan, and
to rebuild our shattered alliances. These three priorities are all
essential components of restoring American power and leadership around
the world.
What types of
regulations and guidelines do you plan on implementing or promoting in
order to deal with climate change and to make our country less oil
dependent?
I recently announced my plan to address
the energy and climate crises. I have three big goals: to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, the
level necessary to avoid the worst impacts of global warming; to cut
foreign oil imports by two-thirds from projected levels by 2030; and to
transform our carbon-based economy into an efficient green economy,
creating at least five million jobs from clean energy over the next
decade. Specifically, my plan includes a new cap-and-trade program that
auctions 100 percent of permits, an energy efficiency agenda to reduce
electricity consumption by 20 percent from projected levels by 2020,
and a $50 billion fund for investments in alternative energy. In
addition, I will work toward doubling federal investment in basic
energy research, taking aggressive action to transition our economy
toward renewable energy sources, and increasing fuel efficiency
standards to 40 miles per gallon by 2020 and 55 miles per gallon by
2030. I will also support a green building industry, modernize
low-income homes to make them more energy efficient, and make it easier
for low-income Americans to buy green homes and invest in green home
improvements. Lastly, I will create an energy council within the White
House.
Should the
government have a role in encouraging development of energy efficient
technologies and sustainable energy resources? If yes, how would you do
it?
I believe that the government has a
responsibility to provide a framework, incentives, and investments to
move us toward energy independence; lead again in the international
arena; and reform its organizational structure to address this new
energy challenge. But I also believe that the private sector --
including oil companies, utilities, auto companies, and businesses --
and individuals must do their part in meeting the goals I have set. As
I mentioned above, I have a comprehensive plan to confront global
warming and move our country toward energy independence. But let me
describe in detail two specific proposals I have announced to develop
energy-efficient technologies and sustainable energy resources. The $50
billion fund for investments in alternative energy that I will create
will demand that oil companies invest in clean energy. It's about time
that oil companies do their share in funding clean energy technologies.
I am going to give oil companies a choice: invest more in renewable
energy technology or pay into the fund. The fund will eliminate oil
company tax breaks and make sure that oil companies pay their fair
share in royalties when drilling on public lands. This fund would
jumpstart a clean energy future by injecting $50 billion over 10 years
into research, development, and deployment of renewable energy, energy
efficiency, clean coal technology, ethanol and other homegrown
biofuels. Under my plan, I would seek to produce 25 percent of
electricity from wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and other renewable
resources by 2025. I would encourage investment in renewable energy
production by making permanent the 1.9 cent per-kilowatt-hour tax
credit for producing electricity from renewable sources. Families and
businesses will receive tax incentives to install small-scale renewable
energy technologies such as rooftop solar panels. We would establish
national 'net metering' standards to ensure that families and
businesses that install solar panels or other renewable energy
resources can sell power back to the grid on fair terms.
How do you think the United States should handle illegal immigrants? Do you support President Bush's immigration plan?
The
failure of the Congress and the White House to pass comprehensive
immigration reform has left the country with a broken system that needs
to be fixed. As President, I will work to pass comprehensive
immigration reform that includes five key elements. I believe we have
to toughen security at our borders, by placing more people and
technology there. I will ensure that my policy cracks down on employers
who hire undocumented immigrants and applies strict penalties for those
who exploit these workers. I think that we should work with local
communities to deal with the consequences of a broken immigration
system. I plan to work with our neighbors to the south to find ways to
provide economic opportunities for their own people. And, lastly, I
will make sure that my policy provides a path to earned legalization
that requires people to learn English and pay fines.
What are your top three priorities with regard to immigration?
My
top three priorities, which are outlined in more detail in the previous
question, are to ensure that comprehensive immigration reform includes
toughening security at our borders, placing stronger restrictions or
sanctions on employers, and providing a path to earned citizenship for
people who have been living and working in the United States lawfully.
Do
you support affirmative action? If you do, why do you think it is a
benefit to our country? If not, what do you think would be gained by
changing or eliminating it?
I support affirmative
action that opens the doors of opportunity, but I don't believe in
quotas to guarantee results. For millions of Americans, affirmative
action policies helped knock down barriers of the past that prevented
them from attending school, entering the workforce, or starting a small
business. I was in support of the University of Michigan affirmative
action cases because I believe that diversity in higher education is a
vital national interest. The benefits of diversity are real-- and not
only in our school system but also in our economy and society overall.
As President, I will support strong and sensible affirmative action. I
will call upon corporate America to be as diverse as the customers it
serves. I will call on schools to support programs to meet the needs of
all of its students from different backgrounds. And I will build an
administration that reflects America's diverse backgrounds and values.
Do
you agree or disagree with the argument that only the wealthiest
Americans are benefiting from the current economic growth? Why or why
not?
There is no doubt that our economy is not
working for many working Americans. While by some measures the American
economy has improved over the last six-and-a-half years, the fruits of
that progress haven't reached most of our families. In 2005, all income
gains went to the top 10 percent of households in the United States
while the bottom 90 percent saw a drop in their incomes. But that isn't
because they're not working hard -- they're working longer and harder
but they're not getting rewarded for that. Over the past six years,
productivity has risen 18 percent but family incomes have fallen
$1,300. As a result, we are seeing a growing gap between the haves and
the have-nots that is threatening America's middle class, which is the
backbone of our country. According to a 2006 Goldman Sachs study, the
most significant contributor to higher corporate profit margins over
the past five years has been a decline in labor's share of national
income. Over the 12-month period ending July 2006, slow growth in labor
compensation accounted for 64 percent of the increase in corporate
profit margins.
What are the three most important things you would do to promote economic growth and prosperity?
I
believe it's time to reject President Bush's philosophy of a
'you're-on-your-own' society and to replace it with a progressive
commitment to shared prosperity. My first priority will be to lay the
foundations for an economy that will create good, high-paying jobs in
the United States. To this end, I will end tax breaks for American
companies that ship jobs overseas. I will implement an energy plan that
will drive innovation, expand domestic manufacturing, and help create
five million new 'green collar' jobs in the country. I have laid out a
comprehensive innovation agenda to modernize our research and
technology infrastructure to keep the United States on the cutting
edge. And I will raise the minimum wage and expand the Earned Income
Tax Credit, which is one of our nation's most effective tools to
encourage work. My second priority will be to provide quality,
affordable health care to all Americans, which I view as essential to
our economic success. The skyrocketing cost of health care is
undermining the competitiveness of America's businesses and is
particularly burdensome for small businesses, which have been
responsible for 80 percent of net new job growth since 1990. That is
why a key component of my plan is to lower costs throughout the entire
health care system. My plan will also provide a tax credit to small
businesses to help them create good jobs with health care benefits in
the United States. My third priority is to ensure that our education
system is preparing students to compete in the 21st century economy. My
plan begins early by investing in universal Pre-K. I will reform our
K-12 system to ensure that our students have the necessary resources to
stay on track and enroll in two- or four-year colleges. I will work to
bring more women and minorities into the math, science, and engineering
professions, and increase the number of science and engineering
students graduating from our colleges. And I will make college
affordable with a new $3,500 tax credit and expand and strengthen our
community college system.
If elected, would you balance the budget? If you answered yes, how soon would you do it?
I
want to move towards balanced budgets. I believe we can achieve big
goals in this country again while restoring our commitment to fiscal
responsibility. That is why I have been very clear throughout the
entire campaign to explain how I would pay for every new initiative I
announce without increasing the deficit. We need to turn the page on
the Bush administration's fiscal recklessness. Over the past
six-and-a-half years we have witnessed the most dramatic fiscal
deterioration in our nation's history -- turning trillions in projected
surpluses into deficits as far as the eye can see. Now, we're borrowing
more and more from foreign countries like China, our national debt is
three times higher than even the Bush administration itself projected,
and we're leaving our children and grandchildren to pay the bill. I
want America back in control of our fiscal destiny. It will take hard
work and tough choices, but I am confident that we can put America back
on a path to balanced budgets. I remember -- and many Americans might,
too -- that we began the 1990s with record deficits but we ended the
decade with $5.6 trillion in projected ten-year surpluses, 22 million
new jobs, and average family income gains of more than $8,000.
Would you roll back tax cuts that were supported by the Bush administration?
I
have called for reinstating the pre-Bush income tax rates for those
earning over $250,000 as part of my plan to provide quality affordable
health care to all Americans. I also oppose the Bush administration's
commitment to completely eliminate the estate tax. Instead, I would
freeze the estate tax at $7 million per couple and redirect those
revenues to provide tax credits to help tens of million of families
save and invest as part of my American Retirement Accounts proposal.
Finally, I would extend the middle class tax cuts, including the 10
percent income tax rate, the child tax credit and marriage penalty
relief.
Do you support the No Child Left Behind program? Why or why not?
When
the No Child Left Behind Act was enacted, I viewed it as an historic
promise between the federal government and educators. Schools would be
held to higher standards than ever before and the government would make
a record investment in those schools so they could meet the new
expectations. Unfortunately, that promise has largely been broken
because NCLB has been underfunded and schools have struggled to meet
the mandates imposed by the law without the resources that were
promised. So we need to make changes. First, I want to create a system
that rewards schools that make progress towards the proficiency goals.
I support growth models, which measure the progress of every child. I
would also like to find ways to invest in better testing methods --
tests that assess higher level skills like critical thinking. Second, I
believe the one-size-fits-all approach to fixing troubled schools is
problematic. I strongly believe educators and school leaders need to
have substantial input into efforts to turn around struggling schools
and that schools should have more flexibility in determining the right
solutions for addressing the problems they face. I am also concerned
about the narrowing of curricula that I am hearing about in local
communities. Some schools have eliminated physical education and others
are cutting back on social studies, science, art, and music. This is a
problem, and I think we have to ensure that children receive a
well-rounded education.
What changes, if any, would you attempt to implement in national education policy?
As
President, I will work to support our children from their earliest
years in school, in Pre-K, until they graduate from college. I have
proposed investing $10 billion to ensure that all four-year-olds in the
country have access to quality Pre-K; studies have shown that early
education leads to higher achievement and graduation rates. My agenda
will place special emphasis on children from limited-English and/or
low-income households, ensuring that they receive priority in
enrollment and receive these services at no cost. In addition, I have
unveiled a plan to make college more affordable for middle-class
families. My plan would more than double the college tax credit,
raising the maximum amount of benefits that students and their families
can receive from $1,650 to $3,500. This new credit could cover more
than 50 percent of the typical cost of public colleges and universities
and more than the full cost of tuition for community colleges. In
addition, I have proposed to increase the maximum Pell Grant and ensure
that it is adjusted annually to take account of rising college costs.
Furthermore, I will offer incentives for community colleges and
four-year institutions to partner and support their students until they
graduate.
What is your position on the proposed constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman?
The
question of marriage is one that historically has been left to the
states. I opposed the so-called 'Family Marriage Amendment' because
this issue has no place in the Constitution.
What is your position on civil unions between same sex partners?
I
believe gay and lesbian couples should have the same rights and
responsibilities as all Americans, and I believe that civil unions are
the best way to achieve this goal. As President, I will work to ensure
that all Americans in committed relationships have equal benefits."
Do you support the Roe v. Wade decision or would you like to see this decision overturned? Why or why not?
I
support Roe v. Wade. Throughout my career, I have fought to ensure that
every woman has the right to make the most personal of life decisions
with her family and her doctor. I believe that abortion should be safe,
legal and rare. I have worked to reduce the number of unintended
pregnancies in America, and I strongly oppose the efforts of those
trying to roll back reproductive rights in the country. I voted against
President Bush's Supreme Court nominees, Samuel Alito, Jr. and John
Roberts, because I believed that they posed a very significant threat
to the future of Roe v. Wade.
Should the federal government have a role in seeking an end to poverty? What would you do, specifically, to deal with poverty?
When
I am President, I will make new investments to reduce poverty and
increase opportunity for low-income Americans. One example is my
comprehensive plan to address the crisis of the millions of young
people in the United States who are out of school and out of work. To
support our children in their earliest years in life, I will invest $10
billion for universal Pre-K and increase support for nurse home visits
for first-time mothers. I will invest in mentoring and internship
programs to help at-risk middle-school students stay on track for
college and job success. I will provide job-training opportunities for
young people who have fallen off-track in high-growth industries like
renewable energy, health care, construction, and financial services. To
support responsible fatherhood, I will triple the Earned Income Tax
Credit benefit for childless adults and invest in employment and
education programs for fathers who pay their child support. I will work
to close the prison revolving door by creating new Reentry Partnership
Grants that reward communities that devise successful home-grown
strategies to reintegrate ex-offenders into the economy and society.
Do you think gun control has an impact on crime rates in the United States?
While
I support the Second Amendment and believe law-abiding citizens should
be able to own guns, I also believe strongly in smart laws that keep
guns out of the hands of criminals and terrorists, which can help us
fight crime. We should take reasonable steps to protect Americans from
gun violence and, at the same time, safeguard the right of law-abiding
citizens to use firearms for hunting and other recreational purposes.
Illegal guns contribute to violence, and we have a problem when people
acquire guns illegally or commit crimes with guns.
Do you think tighter restrictions should be in place for those buying a firearm?
I
respect the right of Americans to own and bear arms, but we need
protections in place to prevent guns from getting into the wrong hands.
I support closing the gun show loophole and making sure our background
check system is truly instant and accurate. Background checks at gun
shows can stop gun sales to criminals, terrorists, and seriously
mentally ill individuals like the Columbine shooters without burdening
law-abiding gun buyers. I also support extending and reinstating the
assault weapons ban while exempting hundreds of hunting and
recreational weapons. And I support giving local law enforcement access
to data that helps them track down guns sold to criminals and
terrorists.
If elected, would you keep the current ban on funding for embryonic stem cell research in place? Why or why not?
I
have pledged to lift the current ban on funding for embryonic stem
research. This is because science, not narrow ideology, should drive
our national research agenda. Stem cell research has the potential to
transform lives, to help us find cures for illnesses including
Parkinson's disease, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes,
Huntington's disease, and spinal cord injury. One hundred million
Americans suffer from these diseases. The ban on stem cell research
prevents scientists from pursuing developments that could lead to cures
for these devastating illnesses. This ban is also a problem because
some of our brightest researchers and scientists are choosing to do
their work elsewhere -- or deciding to go into a different field of
research entirely -- because they will not be supported in the United
States. As a result, we are losing our international competitive edge
to countries like Singapore and the United Kingdom, which support stem
cell research. We are literally losing the race toward scientific
progress. When I am President, we will once again stand up for science
and research, for open and free inquiry, and for the critical
investments that will make us richer, safer, smarter and stronger in
the years to come. I have also proposed to increase the National
Institutes of Health budget by 50 percent over five years and to double
it over 10 years. Since 2003, the NIH budget has been largely flat, and
President Bush proposes reducing it by 1.1 percent in 2008.
What would be your top three overall priorities if elected?
When
I am President, my top three priorities will be providing quality,
affordable health care to all Americans, ending the war in Iraq, and
strengthening the middle class. It is a tragedy that there are 47
million Americans without health insurance and many more just a pink
slip away from losing the coverage they have. Health care just isn't
affordable for many people -- premiums have been skyrocketing and half
of all personal bankruptcies in the United States are caused by medical
bills. My plan will focus on offering high-quality care -- ensuring
that Americans have access to preventive, basic, and chronic care that
is coordinated and delivered by well-trained health care professionals.
And I will implement cost-savings measures throughout the health care
system so that cost is no longer a barrier to having health insurance
for any American. The war in Iraq is sapping our military strength,
absorbing our strategic assets, diverting attention and resources from
Afghanistan, alienating our allies, and dividing our people. As I have
said previously, if President Bush does not end the war, when I am
President, I will. For 35 years, I have worked to improve the lives of
America's children and families, and I will continue to do so when I am
President. I will create new well-paying jobs through investments in
alternative energy and innovation, increase the minimum wage, support
our unions, and keep and create middle-class tax cuts. I want to
eliminate incentives for American companies to ship jobs and profits
overseas, and I plan to invest in new industries at home to make
America competitive in the global economy. I will ensure that all
American children have access to quality education, starting with Pre-K
and continuing until college, and that they are prepared to enter the
workforce so that all Americans have a chance to live up to their
potential.
Clinton faces
daunting delegate deficit
By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent
WASHINGTON - Democratic
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton must win 57 percent of the remaining primary and caucus delegates to erase
Barack Obama's lead, a daunting task requiring landslide-sized victories by a struggling presidential candidate.
Obama's victories in Wisconsin and Hawaii
on Tuesday — his ninth and 10th in a row — left him with 1,178 pledged
delegates won in primaries and caucuses in The Associated Press' count.
Clinton has 1,024.
Another 1,025 remain to be awarded, most of them in contests in 14 states, Guam and Puerto Rico. It takes 2,025 to win the nomination.
Further complicating Clinton's challenge, Obama appears particularly
well-positioned to win at least one of the remaining states with ease. Mississippi,
with a primary on March 11, fits a pattern of Southern states with
large black populations that he has won handily, including South
Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana.
The rival campaigns maintain their own delegate counts. And while
both agree Obama is the leader, they differ on the significance.
"The only way in this system to amass delegates is to win by big
margins. Close races result in close delegate distribution," David
Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager, told reporters in a conference call.
"The only way she can do it is winning states like Ohio 65-35, Texas 65-35, Pennsylvania,
you know, 70-30. and you go on and on and on. She'd have to win pretty
much all the states, even states where we're considered to have some
strength," he added.
Clinton's top aides said Plouffe was deliberately trying to set unrealistically high expectations for the former first lady.
"We expect to do well in both those states," said Harold Ickes,
speaking of Texas and Ohio, which hold primaries on March 4. "But 65
percent is a far reach and there is no expectation here that we're
going to hit that number."
"We're in the neighborhood of about 75 delegates behind, that is
less that 3 percent of the total number of delegates who have been
elected. We expect to narrow that gap substantially by the end of this
process," he added.
Obama's lead in delegates won at the ballot box is partially offset
by Clinton's advantage among superdelegates — members of Congress,
governors and other party leaders who are unpledged to either
candidate. She leads in that category, 238-173, cutting Obama's overall
margin to 89 delegates in the AP count.
Superdelegates are free to shift allegiances. And Clinton's recent
string of primary and caucuses defeats coincides with a slow erosion of
support among the same party leaders who established her as the
front-runner months before the first votes were cast.
She has failed to add any since Super Tuesday on Feb. 5, while Obama is slowly gaining ground.
The former first lady lost two more superdelegates during the day, both in New Jersey, when one switched to Obama and the other moved to uncommitted.
Additionally, Reps. Lloyd Doggett of Texas and Ron Kind of Wisconsin, both superdelegates, endorsed Obama.
"My constituents overwhelmingly chose Barack Obama to be their nominee, and I am proud to pledge my superdelegate vote to him as well," Kind said in a statement.
Further underscoring Clinton's political peril, Rep. David Scott of Georgia announced he would vote for Obama rather than the former first lady, and Rep. John Lewis said he might switch, as well.
Superdelegates aside, results in earlier states show how difficult
Clinton will find it to overtake Obama's lead when the primaries resume
in two weeks.
In general, delegates are allocated on the basis of popular
votes within congressional districts, and any candidate who gains 15
percent of the vote is entitled to at least one.
Clinton won New Jersey with 54 percent of the vote and Massachusetts
with 56 percent on Feb. 5. But because Obama ran relatively well,
particularly in some congressional districts, she won the delegate
competition by only 28 delegates combined in the two states.
Contrast that to Obama's home state of Illinois, he won
slightly less than 65 percent of the vote — and won 55 more delegates
than Clinton.
The contests left on the calendar include primaries in Ohio, Texas, Vermont, Rhode Island, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Indiana, North Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky, Oregon, Montana and South Dakota as well as caucuses in Wyoming, Guam and Puerto Rico. There are 44 delegates unallocated from primaries and caucuses held earlier.
Associated Press Writer Stephen Ohlemacher contributed to this report.
Wed Feb 20This is an overall view inside a
gymnasium at the University of Texas at Austin Wednesday, Feb. 20,
2008, in Austin, Texas, after it was prepared for Thursday's 90-minute
televised debate between Democratic presidential hopefuls Barack Obama
and Hillary Rodham Clinton. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)
Wed Feb 20
Sam Feist, a CNN political
director, speaks on stage in a gymnasium at the University of Texas at
Austin Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008, in Austin, Texas, after it was
prepared for Thursday's 90-minute televised debate between Democratic
presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton.(AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)
Wed Feb 20
Tom Schwinn, an art director from
New York City, works at a table in a gymnasium at the University of
Texas at Austin Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008, in Austin, Texas, after it
was prepared for Thursday's 90-minute televised debate between
Democratic presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham
Clinton. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)
Wed Feb 20
This stage is shown in a gymnasium
at the University of Texas at Austin, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008, in
Austin, Texas, after it was prepared for Thursday's 90-minute televised
debate between Democratic presidential hopefuls Barack Obama, who will
be seated on the left, and Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is to be seated
on the right. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)
Wed Feb 20
Steven Ross, a debate consultant
from Washington, D.C., is shown on stage in a gymnasium at the
University of Texas at Austin Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008, in Austin,
Texas, after it was prepared for Thursday's 90-minute televised debate
between Democratic presidential hopefuls Barack Obama, who is to be
seated on the left, and Hillary Rodham Clinton. AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)
Wed Feb 20
Democratic presidential hopeful
Sen. Barack Obama addresses a primary campaign rally at the Toyota
Center February 19, 2008 in Houston, Texas. Hillary Clinton licked her
wounds Wednesday after her 10th successive electoral mauling by White
House rival Obama, stressing experience over hype ahead of must-win
battles in Texas and Ohio.(AFP/GETTY IMAGES/Dave Einsel)
Wed Feb 20
Democratic presidential candidate
Sen. Hillary Clinton speaks at a "Low Dollar" fundraiser at Hunter
College in New York City. Clinton licked her wounds Wednesday after her
10th successive electoral mauling by White House rival Barack Obama,
stressing experience over hype ahead of must-win battles in Texas and
Ohio. (AFP/GETTY IMAGES/Mario Tama)
Wed Feb 20 Democratic presidential candidate
Senator Hillary Clinton speaks at her Wisconsin primary election night
campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio, February 19, 2008.
(Aaron Josefczyk/Reuters)
Wed Feb 20 Democratic presidential candidate
Senator Hillary Clinton acknowledges supporters at her Wisconsin
primary election night campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio February 19,
2008.
(Aaron Josefczyk/Reuters)
Wed Feb 20 Democratic presidential candidate
Senator Hillary Clinton speaks to people during a round table
discussion at a small diner in Parma Ohio February 19, 2008.
(Aaron Josefczyk/Reuters)
Wed Feb 20 Democratic presidential candidate
Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) greets supporters during a campaign stop
in New York, February 20, 2008.
(Keith Bedford/Reuters)
Wed Feb 20 Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign stop in New York, February 20, 2008.
(Keith Bedford/Reuters)
Wed Feb 20 Democratic presidential candidate
Senator Hillary Clinton acknowledges her supporters at her Wisconsin
primary election night campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio February 19,
2008.
(Aaron Josefczyk/Reuters)
Wed Feb 20 Democratic presidential candidate
Senator Hillary Clinton laughs with Mayor Dean DePiero, mayor of Parma
Ohio, during a round table discussion at a small diner in Parma Ohio
February 19, 2008.
(Aaron Josefczyk/Reuters)
Wed Feb 20 Democratic presidential hopeful,
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., addresses a rally in the Hunter
College auditorium in New York, Wednesday Feb. 20, 2008.
(AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Wed Feb 20 Democratic presidential hopeful,
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., makes a campaign stop at the
Hunter College Auditorium in New York, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008.
(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Wed Feb 20 Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.,
applauds at left, as Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary
Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., reacts during her introduction by Schumer,
D-N.Y., Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008, during a campaign stop at the Hunter
College Auditorium in New York.(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Wed Feb 20, Democratic presidential hopeful,
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., makes a campaign stop at Hunter
College Auditorium in New York, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008.
(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Wed Feb 20, Democratic presidential hopeful,
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., center, accompanied by Sen.
Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and others, arrives for a rally under
security's watchful eye, left, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008, in the Hunter
College auditorium in New York.
(AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Wed Feb 20 Democratic presidential hopeful,
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., greets supporters at a rally in
the Hunter College auditorium in New York, Wednesday Feb. 20, 2008.
(AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Wed Feb 20 Democratic presidential hopeful
Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio on
February 19. Clinton was licking her wounds after her 10th successive
electoral mauling by White House rival Obama, stressing experience over
hype ahead of must-win battles in Texas and Ohio.
(AFP/GETTY IMAGES/Jeff Swensen)
|
|
 |
Female
60 years old
Chappaqua, New York
United States
Last Login:
2/9/2008
|
|
|
View My:
Pics
| Videos |
Hillary's Story
http://www.votehillary.org/
Hillary was raised in a middle-class family in the
middle of America. From that classic suburban childhood in Park Ridge,
Illinois, Hillary went on to become one of America's foremost advocates
for children and families; an attorney twice voted one of the most
influential in America; a First Lady of Arkansas who helped transform
the schools; a bestselling author; a First Lady for America who helped
transform that role, becoming a champion for health care and families
at home and a champion of women's rights and human rights around the
world.
The race for the Democratic presidential nomination is turning out
to be a long-haul contest in which Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s
campaign will pose the choice as policy versus personality.
With the race likely to continue at least another month or longer
before a winner emerges, Clinton hopes to engage Sen. Barack Obama in a
series of debates that would give her an opportunity to win policy
points on the economy and health care while taking her rival away from
his best game — inspirational rallies before large audiences.
Read More From Gannett »
Whoopi Goldberg
declared that she wants a "substantive" candidate for President and
switched her vote from Obama to Hillary Clinton!
Senator
McCain failed to vote and I think that's wrong. Senator McCain seems to
take the Bush approach to economic stimulus: help those who don't need
it and ignore those who do. That's what he did yesterday by not
supporting the stimulus plan. I think we need to do something to
deliver solutions to the people who need it most. That's why I was the
first candidate to come out with a detailed and comprehensive economic
stimulus package. And it's why I left the campaign trail to go back to
the Senate to vote on a proposal aimed at jump starting the economy.
Asian
Americans, whose voting power has been much less scrutinized than of
African-American and Hispanic voters, were a significant factor in Sen.
Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) victory in Tuesday’s California
Democratic primary.
Asian American voters made up 8 percent of the Democratic vote in the
Golden State and supported Clinton by a 3-1 margin. They are now poised
to be a factor in upcoming contests as the battle between Clinton and
Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) continues.
Hillary
Clinton hammered Barack Obama in voting among Hispanic voters on "Super
Tuesday" and he needs to spend more time and money courting them if he
hopes to close the gap, political analyst say.
As expected, Clinton won big majorities of Latino voters in nearly all
the 22 states participating in the Democratic presidential nominating
contests, with exit polls showing her winning two-thirds of the Latino
vote in several states.
That could pose a problem for Obama in the next big contest with Latino voters, on March 4 in Texas.
But advisers to Clinton (N.Y.) are now mapping out a strategy that does
not exclude Maryland and the District but focuses heavily on
fast-growing outer suburbs such as Prince William and Loudoun counties in Northern Virginia and the state's economically struggling rural southwest, where unemployment is high among white working-class voters.
Michigan Democrats John Dingell and Dale Kildee are pledging their support for Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign.
The veteran Democratic congressmen said today that Clinton has the
experience and skills to become president. The lawmakers were
uncommitted in Michigan's primary last month.
The increase in support for Hillary Clinton at the national level that
Gallup saw in interviewing conducted Sunday and Monday continued in
interviewing Tuesday night. Gallup Poll Daily tracking conducted Feb.
3-5 now includes three consecutive days in which Clinton has done well,
giving her a 13-percentage point lead over Barack Obama, 52% to 39%.
With 26 percent of the precincts reporting, Clinton was leading Sen. Barack
Obama, 55 percent to 34 percent...
Clinton also moved toward victories in Tennessee, New Jersey, Oklahoma and
Arkansas, where she served as First Lady for 12 years. She also triumphed in
Massachusetts, despite Obama picking up the endorsements of Massachusetts' Sens.
Ted Kennedy and John Kerry, the Democratic nominee in the 2004 presidential
race.
"I feel really good," said the candidate." I feel like we've got a great
campaign across the country. Obviously, this is unprecedented. It's never been
done before, trying to have a national primary cover all of this ground.
"But I've got a lot of people working very hard for me and if voters ask
themselves who they think would be the best president, and if Democrats ask who
they think would be the best candidate to win, I feel really good about the
answers to those questions," said Clinton.
"In
a surprise announcement on this morning’s Rick Dees show, Oscar-winning
actor Jack Nicholson endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.
“Mrs. Clinton has been involved in issues, everything from health care,
which we know and prison reform and helping the military, speaking for
women and speaking for Americans,” Nicholson said.
“I’m thrilled to have Jack’s support,” Hillary said. “I’m a big fan and
a friend of Jack’s. Having us on the show this morning gives me a
chance to thank him.”
The principal policy division between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama
involves health care. It’s a division that can seem technical and
obscure — and I’ve read many assertions that only the most wonkish care
about the fine print of their proposals.
But as I’ve tried to explain in previous columns, there really is a big
difference between the candidates’ approaches. And new research, just
released, confirms what I’ve been saying: the difference between the
plans could well be the difference between achieving universal health
coverage — a key progressive goal — and falling far short.
Read More:
New York Times »
Hillary
Clinton has, as she has said, taken this incoming fire for 15 years or
more. She’s had her patriotism questioned, her sexuality questioned,
been accused of being a murderer, been accused of much more and yet
she’s still the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination.
She’s tougher than boot leather while having a human side. Those are
assets that our candidate needs. Hillary Clinton has developed thick
skin and the ability to remain calm in campaign combat. Yet, she also
knows how to listen to the American people.
Nope, nothing "BREAKING". And it can't be said to be a "surge" or
"collapse" on either side. However, looking at today's national
tracking polls from Rasmussen and Gallup, we might be seeing the
beginning of a new trend to keep an eye on.
One of the themes of the presidential race is the choice between flashy
rhetoric we often hear from politicians and real work to make the lives
of real Americans better. Today, Hillary Clinton received the
endorsement of 2.9 million nurses who work everyday to improve the
lives of real Americans, the American Nurses Association.
During the years that Hillary Clinton served as first lady, she
became a symbol of America's human face and the values we cherish as
a people. In an unprecedented role, she traveled to more than eighty
countries to highlight the importance of investing in people. She
gave voice to those living on the margins of society, particularly
women and children, but also the poor. She put a spotlight on US
development programs that offered solutions to pressing problems like
infectious diseases, illiteracy, and economic marginalization. She
advanced important causes -- from microcredit to global health
initiatives -- with an array of foreign leaders, international
organizations, and grass roots activists. And she also talked to
In an indication of where Democratic Party leaders are leaning, the telephone
survey of the party’s superdelegates found about one-third of them undecided, 25
percent favoring Mrs. Clinton and about 10 percent supporting Mr. Obama. In an
earlier
survey completed by The Times and CBS News in November, more of the party
leaders were undecided, though they supported Mrs. Clinton over Mr. Obama then
as well.
A couple of days ahead of the SC vote, Hillary Clinton did a whirlwind
of visits to Feb. 5 states, drawing packed houses, tons of support.
She seems clearly energized. Here a bit of a potpourri what has been
going on with Hillary over the last few days:
Clinton blasts Obama over health care plan
By NEIL MODIE
P-I REPORTER
TACOMA -- Sen. Hillary Clinton pounded at Sen.
Barack Obama on Friday for what she sees as his greatest vulnerability
in their battle for the Democratic presidential nomination: his
"astonishing" criticism of her for advocating universal health care.
At a campaign rally here and in an interview with the Seattle P-I,
the New York senator acknowledged that their disagreement on the topic
has become the "most prominent" division in a campaign in which they
have expressed relatively few sharp differences on major policy issues.
She said in the interview that while she and former Sen. John
Edwards, before he dropped his presidential campaign, both "took the
political risk and staked out the ground" to advocate universal health
care, "Senator Obama chose not to, and he has spent the past couple of
weeks attacking me for being in favor of universal health care, which I
find astonishing."
"And for the life of me, I don't think it's the smart position for a
Democrat or a progressive to take. I think it's imperative that we
stand for universal health care. I've been down this road," she said,
revisiting criticism she also leveled at Obama at a rally on Seattle's
downtown waterfront Thursday night.
"But if you don't even try," she added, "you're ceding the ground to
the health insurance companies, the drug companies, the Republicans,
without a fight, and I think that's a mistake."
At the same time Obama was drawing a vastly larger crowd at
Seattle's KeyArena the day before Washington's presidential caucuses,
Clinton filled the University of Puget Sound's 5,500-seat field house
for a health care-themed speech, with a backdrop of nurses and the
announcement of an endorsement of her by the American Nurses
Association.
Clinton has called for mandatory universal coverage, tax credits for
working families to make insurance more affordable and requiring
businesses to offer insurance to employees or pay into a pool for
people without it.
Obama has proposed mandatory coverage for children. He would aim for
universal coverage by requiring employers to share costs of insuring
workers and by offering coverage similar to that in a plan for federal
employees.
Without mentioning Obama by name in her speech, Clinton told her
Tacoma audience, "My opponent's plan would leave out at least 50
million people, 750,000 right here in the state of Washington." Her
plan, she said, "bans insurance companies from discriminating against
people with pre-existing conditions."
Clinton tailored her stump speech to local concerns, laying out her
health care plan and appealing to veterans; two large military bases
are near Tacoma. She also wooed "green" voters, an influential part of
the state's Democratic base.
She pledged to work with Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Bremerton, who endorsed
her Friday, "to restore Puget Sound, to give it the national priority
it deserves."
As she has done frequently, she took oblique shots at her rival's
relative inexperience and often inspirational, unity-promoting oratory,
saying the campaign "is not just about a momentary good feeling,
because we've got work to be done."
Clinton never mentioned her husband, the former president.
When asked in the interview whether his recent, high-profile,
roundly criticized digs at Obama had raised the public perception that
theirs would be a de facto co-presidency, she said, "there's only one
president and one decision-maker in the White House."
ELECTION '08 HEADLINES·
Campaign Countdown: 338 Days To Go·
Electoral College is past its prime·
Complaint against Rossi rejected
more
Obama, McCain win Wash. caucusesA look at the delegate process in Washington statemore
Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor
February 8, 2008 02:49 PM
WASHINGTON -- Senator Barack Obama scored a clean sweep in Saturday's
Democratic nominating contests from the West Coast to the Caribbean,
giving him a burst of momentum in a Democratic campaign where every
delegate has become crucial to capturing the nomination.
On the Republican side, a defiant Mike Huckabee easily won the GOP
caucuses in Kansas and was projected as the narrow winner in the
Louisiana primary, picking up support from social conservatives to best
his party's front-runner, Senator John McCain, and giving a breath of
life to the former Arkansas governor's uphill campaign. Huckabee and
McCain were locked in a race that was too close to call early today in
the Washington state caucuses.
Obama won the Nebraska and Washington caucuses by greater than
two-to-one margins against Senator Hillary Clinton and easily captured
the Louisiana primary by a double-digit margin with heavy support among
African-American voters. Obama also swamped Clinton in the US Virgin
Islands caucuses. But because of the proportional awarding of delegates
in the Democratic contests, the two contenders remain locked in a close
battle for the 2,025 delegates needed to secure the party's nomination.
"We won north, we won south, we won in between,'' a jubilant Obama
told a Democratic Party dinner last night in Virginia. "And I believe
we can win Virginia,'' he added to cheers and shouts of "Yes, we can!''
his campaign mantra.
The attention now moves to Maine, where Democrats will hold caucuses
today, and to Tuesday's "Potomac Primary,'' in which Maryland,
Virginia, and the District of Columbia will hold primaries. Obama is
leading in polls in Virginia and Maryland, and is expected to win in
the District, so the Clinton campaign is banking heavily on wins in
bigger states next month to keep her in the running.
While the Obama campaign celebrated, the Clinton camp sought to
downplay Obama's successes last night, even before the votes were
counted. "The Obama campaign has dramatically outspent our campaign in
these three states, saturating the airwaves with 30 and 60 second
ads,"' the campaign said in a memo to reporters. "Although the next
several states that hold nominating contests this month are more
favorable to the Obama campaign, we will continue to compete in them
and hope to secure as many delegates as we can before the race turns to
Ohio, Texas, and Pennsylvania.''
The Illinois senator has done overwhelmingly well among black
voters, helping him score victories in the South and giving him an edge
in the primaries coming up Tuesday. But Clinton has done very well
among Latinos voters -- capturing California largely because of the
two-thirds of the Hispanic vote there she received -- and her campaign
expects the New York lawmaker to have an advantage in Texas because of
the Latino vote there.
Heading into yesterday's contests, Clinton held a small lead over
Obama in the delegate count, 1,055 to 998, according to an Associated
Press tally, which includes the results of primaries and caucuses, plus
a survey of unpledged "superdelegates." But Obama's campaign said last
night that after his wins, he leads Clinton by about 70 delegates among
those awarded in actual contests.
Obama can also claim wins in the popular vote in 18 states to 10
states for Clinton -- with votes still being counted in New Mexico from
Tuesday. Clinton also won in Florida and Michigan, but those delegates
are not being counted because the states broke party rules to move up
their primaries. National polls show the two deadlocked.
Link|Comments (0)
Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor
February 10, 2008 12:28 AM
Mike Huckabee added Louisiana to his wins tonight, as a large chunk
of Republican voters rebelled against the party establishment
coalescing behind John McCain.
Fox News projected that Huckabee would win the Southern state, after
sweeping the region's states on Super Tuesday. With about 97 percent of
precincts counted, Huckabee led McCain 44 percent to 42 percent.
But it did not appear either candidate would get more than 50
percent of the vote, meaning that the 20 delegates up for grabs
yesterday will be uncommitted when they go to the GOP convention in
September.
McCain has a huge lead in delegates and has been treated as the
presumptive nominee since Thursday, when Mitt Romney dropped out. But
Huckabee won in Kansas as well as Louisiana.
McCain and Huckabee were locked in a too-close-to-call race in the Washington caucuses.
US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (New York)
