Hillary’s Voice

Corky Trinidad Cartoons

Democratic Donors Pull Funds Over Florida, Michigan (Political Wire)
A Democratic source tells The Hotline that the DNC “is returning as much as $175K to donors dismayed with the party’s handling of the Florida and Michigan primaries. My source says the exact amount will be reported in the April 20 FEC filing.”

Clinton ramps up call to count Fla, Mich
HILLSBORO, Oregon - Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton Saturday strengthened her pitch to allow disputed primaries in Michigan and Florida to be counted in the nominating contest, noting the vote totals had been officially recognized in each state.

Obama Proposes 50/50 Michigan Split: Just Say No (by Jeralyn at TalkLeft)

Clintons report $109.2M for 7 years
WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former President Clinton reported $20.4 million in income for 2007 and more than $109 million since 2000 as they gave the public the most detailed look at their finances in eight years… The Democratic presidential candidate and her husband paid $33.8 million in taxes from 2000 through 2007. They listed $10.25 million in charitable contributions during that period.
That’s almost 10% of their income that they have given to charity.  And it doesn’t even begin to address the money the Clintons have raised directly for charities (see below).  The Obamas, by contrast, have given less than 1% of their income to charity.

From the Washington Post in February of 2007: “Beyond the millions he has earned personally, the former president has given dozens more speeches that result in payments to the William J. Clinton Foundation, his nonprofit charity in New York. His associates say those have yielded millions to help cover the $60 million annual budget the foundation spends to fund his charitable work on AIDS and world hunger.”

From The New York Times in April of 2007: “It was January 1999, President Clinton’s impeachment trial was just beginning in the Senate and Hillary Clinton was scheduled to speak at [a] fund-raiser [for Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE), run by Susan Axelrod, wife of Obama chief political consultant David Axelrod] in Chicago. Despite all the fuss back in Washington, Clinton kept the appointment. She spent hours that day in the epilepsy ward at Rush Presbyterian hospital, visiting children hooked up to machines by electrodes so that doctors might diagram their seizure activity and decide which portion of the brain to remove. At the hospital, a local reporter pressed her about the trial in Washington, asked her about that woman. At the organization’s reception at the Drake Hotel that evening, Clinton stood backstage looking over her remarks, figuring out where to insert anecdotes about the kids. ‘She couldn’t stop talking about what she had seen,’ Susan Axelrod recalled. Later, at Hillary Clinton’s behest, the National Institutes of Health convened a conference on finding a cure for epilepsy. Susan Axelrod told me it was ‘one of the most important things anyone has done for epilepsy.’ And this is how politics works: David Axelrod is now dedicated to derailing [Hillary Clinton’s] career.”
And since that time, some progress has been made in understanding epilepsy, which could help ameliorate, or even cure, the disease.  Some recent headlines: “Drug Prevents Abnormalities That Lead To Seizures, Mouse Study Shows”, “New Method To Identify Mutated Genes In Human Diseases”, “Epilepsy Marked By Neural ‘Hub’ Network”.

If anyone knows of other good works by the Clintons, please let me know.  They don’t advertise their work for charity, except for the Clinton Foundation, so the instances have to be rooted out.

In Memphis, Clinton Calls for Cabinet Post on Poverty (New York Times)
MEMPHIS — Hillary Rodham Clinton called for a cabinet-level poverty czar … on Friday for the 40th anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination. From the Memphis church where King delivered his last sermon on the evening before he was gunned down by James Earl Ray, Mrs. Clinton gave her support to an idea long advocated by the King family, a cabinet position that she said would be “solely and fully devoted to ending poverty as we know it, that will focus the attention of our nation on this issue and never let it go.” Mrs. Clinton added: “No more excuses, no more whining, but instead a concerted effort.”
Hillary Clinton has long been involved in fighting poverty.  She was one of the first people in the U.S. to try to bring microcredit to poverty-ridden Arkansas.

The Content of HER Character (by Fleaflicker at No Quarter)
As Hillary spoke [Friday] at the 40th anniversary of Dr. King’s death she paid tribute not only to the man she once met but to the dream he literally gave his life for…: “Dr. King taught us everything we needed to know about his legacy and how to carry it forward, but in the end it is up to each of us to walk that path. It is not an easy path. It was hard for him. It is hard for us. Sometimes we take steps backwards so maybe then we can figure out a new way forward. But I have abiding confidence, and yes, faith that we can make our way to higher ground. Whether or not we make it to the mountain top, whether we make it to the Promised Land is not for us to know, but I believe with all my heart it is for us to try. And when we get tired and when our faith starts to waiver, we can of course remember Dr. King’s faith in us.”
Click through to watch the video.

MLK’s speech on Vietnam sounds a lot like Iraq (by John Amato at Crooks and Liars)
Digby excerpts part of MLK’s not very well known speech on Vietnam, you know the war that Bush says Iraq isn’t: “Somehow this madness must cease. We must stop now. I speak as a child of God and brother to the suffering poor of Vietnam. I speak for those whose land is being laid waste, whose homes are being destroyed, whose culture is being subverted. I speak for the poor of America who are paying the double price of smashed hopes at home and death and corruption in Vietnam. I speak as a citizen of the world, for the world as it stands aghast at the path we have taken. I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop it must be ours.”

Now What About McCain’s Tax Returns?
The Democratic National Committee releases this statement: “While both Democratic candidates for president have released several years worth of full federal tax returns, John McCain has not. As a self-professed champion of disclosure and ethics, John McCain should explain why for the past 26 years he has not seen fit to provide this important financial information to voters…” A McCain spokesman tells MSNBC that the Arizona senator will release his tax returns after they’re filed, the week of April 15.

Hagel: McCain too busy campaigning to deal with GI Bill. (Think Progress)
Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) is leading the charge on a new “21st Century GI Bill” that will dramatically expand the scope of education assistance provided to returning veterans who served after Sept. 11. While Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has said he is “obviously committed” to “quality education” for GIs, his support for Webb’s bill has thus far been AWOL… Sens. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY) have both co-sponsored Webb’s bill even though they also have been “involved in other pursuits.”

Candidates to press Petraeus on Iraq war
WASHINGTON - When Army Gen. David Petraeus delivers his assessment of the Iraq war next week, the next commander in chief will weigh in as well.

Clinton-Backer Nutter: Media Covers Race With “Double Standard” (by Sam Stein at the Huffington Post)
A key Pennsylvania surrogate to Sen. Hillary Clinton accused the media on Thursday of having a “double standard” in the way it has reported the issue of race in the 2008 Democratic primary. Speaking at an event in Washington D.C., Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter said that the press had willfully ignored the historical significance of Clinton’s attempt to be the first women president, while still playing up Sen. Barack Obama’s own ground-breaking run. “Both of these candidate represent historic opportunities,” Nutter told The Huffington Post… The mayor expected a Clinton victory in Pennsylvania and rejected the idea that, in order to show her long-term viability, her win had to be of the double-digit variety: “When you win a Super Bowl it doesn’t matter how many points you win by.”

Gov. Rendell: There’s 50% About Barack Obama We Don’t Know Yet (by Jake Tapper at Political Punch, ABC News)
[Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell] said that Clinton will be able to beat Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in states such as Florida, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, and “she’s been really well vetted, all the bad stuff is by and large out there, and there are no surprises. With Sen. Obama I think the right now he may run, a little stronger in some areas — not the key states — but in some areas against Sen McCain, but understand that he hasn’t been vetted.”

Dear Mr. Dean: We’ve Been Hoodwinked!! by Xyndau
Mr. Dean, it is abundantly clear that the MSM has “hoodwinked” us. The MSM has created a Barack Obama that in all probability does not exist. Rather, what exists is the MSM’s artificial, glossy, notion of what a “post-racial” presidential candidate should be… I bring this grievance to you, because you are the Chairman of our party and it is your obligation to assure that our party is not torn asunder by a candidate that is not properly vetted. I encourage you to discuss with all automatic delegates the very real likelihood that John McCain, and the RNC, will do this fall what the MSM has so far failed to do. If our party fails to properly vet Obama until the RNC does it this fall, it likely will be too late for our party this election cycle.
Click through for a discussion of how the media have promoted hatred for Hillary Clinton and provided excuse after excuse for Barack Obama.

Barack Obama’s Finance Chairwoman And The Seized Superior Bank (by Uppity Woman at No Quarter)
Barack Obama’s Finance Chairperson [is] Penny Pritzker… The Pritzkers are one of the nation’s wealthiest families and heirs to the fortune created by the Hyatt hotels… Among their other endeavors, the Pritzkers were the owners of Superior Bank in Hinsdale, Illinois when it was seized. Yes, I did say seized. Here’s a Press Release from the Office of Thrift Supervision, Bureau of the US Treasury: “…Superior Bank suffered as a result of its former high-risk business strategy, which was focused on the generation of significant volumes of subprime mortgage and automobile loans for securitization and sale in the secondary market. OTS found that the bank also suffered from poor lending practices, improper record keeping and accounting, and ineffective board and management supervision. Superior became critically undercapitalized largely due to incorrect accounting treatment and aggressive assumptions for valuing residual assets.”
Pritzker was no innocent investor.  She was the chairman of the bank.  Click through to listen to the audio of an interview with one of the victims of this fraud.

Barack Obama - Operation Board Games For Slumlords (by Evelyn Pringle at OpEd News)
Barack Obama has a long history of working with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and governors of Illinois, including the current Governor Rod Blagojevich, in doling government funding for housing development in Chicago. His history is hardly a model of success, except for the hundred of millions in profits made by the chosen few slumlords… “The spigot of loans, grants and tax credits should have been cut off when the first of 30 taxpayer-supported Rezko buildings in Chicago fell into disrepair, [some Chicago] aldermen said”… Instead, … a “Sun-Times investigation showed that the city, state and federal governments kept the gravy train rolling — to the tune of $100 million between 1989 and 1998.” The lending continued, the Times noted, even as the city repeatedly sued Rezko’s development company, Rezmar, “for such basics as no heat.”
A number of these buildings were in Obama’s Illinois senatorial district, but he claims no on told him that the people had no heat.

I think we can tell pretty easily from the two articles excerpted above what an Obama presidential program against poverty would consist of—helping both corrupt Illinois Democratic machines become even more corrupt.

A Chance for Good Judgement: Randi on BO.com (by Pacific John at MyDD)
New information uncovered by Tennessee Guerrilla Woman indicates that Randi Rhodes’ Green960 Imus/Limbaugh imitation was not just a radio station event, but was promoted on Barack Obama’s website… While the event is not tied directly to Obama’s staff, Obama supporters publicized the event on the campaign website. A number of Obama supporters from his website were there to inappropriately cheer Rhodes. Simply, Sen. Obama should renounce Randi Rhodes and chastise Obama supporters in the SF audience who acted inappropriately. He should also take the opportunity to correct the tone set by many of his supporters online who continue to approve of Rhodes’ message.
Click through for a link to a screen capture of the Obama campaign’s promotion of the event.  Randi’s supporters are waging a campaign to get her back.  If you think her rant is as bad as Don Imus’ misstep, which wasn’t even planned, write to AAR management and tell them what you think.

Re-runs (by Avedon Carol at The Sideshow)
Maybe I’m more sensitive to this because I never loved the Clintons all that much, but I could see what the conservatives/Republicans were doing to the Clintons in the ’90s, and I knew which side of that I was on. The fact that the same falsehoods about the Clintons are now showing up in the supposedly-progressive threads of supposedly-progressive blogs/sites isn’t making me feel good. Of course Clinton’s supporters are horrified by it - as a non-Clinton supporter, I’m horrified by it, too. Destroying the Clintons does not help the party, and will do it serious harm in November. If Obama can’t get his campaign to discourage this crap, we will lose in November, and won’t be the Clintons’ fault.

Obama’s Support Softens in Poll, Suggesting a Peak Has Passed (New York Times)
WASHINGTON — Senator Barack Obama’s support among Democrats nationally has softened over the last month, particularly among men and upper-income voters, as voters have taken a slightly less positive view of him than they did after his burst of victories in February, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. The survey suggests that Mr. Obama, Democrat of Illinois, may have been at something of a peak in February, propelled by a string of primary and caucus victories over Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, and that perceptions of him are settling down.
The more Americans get to know about Senator Obama, the less they like him.

Clinton Leads in 4 of 5 Upcoming Primaries (by steve468 at MyDD)
Clinton is leading in 4 of the 5 upcoming primaries scheduled for between April 22 and May 20th. Depending on which poll you wish to wager on and the polling numbers you confide in, her lead appears to be consistent so far in the 4 states in which she is ahead. Note that polling has changed often in these contests and should be considered with a grain of salt. However, it does look good at this time for Hillary in those states. IN PA: Clinton is ahead by an average of 9.5%… IN INDIANA: Clinton is ahead by an average of 6%… IN WEST VIRGINIA: Clinton is ahead by 28%… IN KENTUCKY: Clinton is ahead by 29%.

Superdelegates fret over blowback
As senior Democratic Party officials call on superdelegates to announce their presidential candidate preferences, one group remains stubbornly resistant to their pleas: junior members of Congress.

Some superdelegates more super than rest
WASHINGTON - Some of those presidential superdelegates Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton are pursuing are more super than others. One delegate, one vote doesn’t apply to them. These prominent Democrats can name additional superdelegates, giving them control over multiple convention votes, and that could be the difference in a race that may not be decided until the August convention.

Reid Says Nomination Fight Isn’t Harming Democrats
April 4 (Bloomberg) — The protracted battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination is doing “zero damage” to the party and instead is helping it prepare for the November election, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said.

Colombia fires top Clinton aide’s firm
WASHINGTON - The Colombian government said Saturday it has fired Mark Penn’s public relations firm after the chief campaign strategist for Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton apologized for meeting with Colombian officials pushing a trade deal with the U.S.

Hillary Clinton’s Campaign Starts with the Geo-Targeting (by Mark ‘Rizzn’ Hopkins at Mashable)
Patrick Ruffini yesterday noticed something strange when he happened to log into Hillary Clinton’s campaign site from an in-store WiFi location (yes, stranger than a Republican pundit and strategist frequenting Hillary’s campaign website while at a commercial WiFi hotspot). When he logged in he noticed, curiously, that the prominent images and headlines on the site implored him to “Help Hillary Win Indiana,” which was curious since he was in a suburban Virginia location at the time. He verified later, though, that most residents of Indiana locales were seeing the appropriate regional version of the website, while folks elsewhere were seeing a version of the site promoting the idea that Michigan and Florida ought to have their votes count in the Democratic Primary… For those of us following closely the campaign coverage, though, this marks the first time that a campaign website has engaged in such advanced marketing tactics with their targeting.

Clinton campaign lets supporters ‘buy’ a yard sign (On Politics, USA Today)
The presidential campaigns are always looking for ways to make supporters feel involved. Today, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s team opened a “My Pennsylvania” webpage where contributors can direct their cash toward any of six different things the campaign needs to buy — from TV ad time to yard signs.

Lots more really good stuff at MakeThemAccountable.com.

Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com