Hillary Clinton supporters get a head start organizing for 2016 Iowa caucuses

[brooklynite]

Washington Post:

DES MOINES — In the annals of Iowa politics, there may be no precedent for what happened at a downtown brewery here this weekend: Two years out from the state’s next caucuses, Democrats of all stripes began building a presidential campaign without a candidate.

Hillary Rodham Clinton is not officially running for anything. But here in the first-in-the-nation caucus state that bedeviled her in 2008, Democrats are busy laying the groundwork for what they see as Clinton’s near-certain 2016 presidential campaign.

Over a marathon day of strategy sessions, the Democratic Party’s patchwork coalition was fully represented: labor leaders, elected officials, statewide and local candidates, liberal activists, women, gays, seniors and 20-somethings. State party chairman Scott Brannen was here, too, as were strategists and foot soldiers who helped President Obama’s 2008 Iowa triumph.

Ready for Hillary, an independent super PAC trying to organize grass-roots supporters behind Clinton, hosted five separate roundtable sessions Saturday that were attended by a total of well over 100 Democratic leaders and ­activists. The group recently organized in New Hampshire and is planning visits to South Carolina and Nevada — all early states on the presidential calendar.

Before the "inevitability" argument starts, let me observe that a candidate is only inevitable if the candidate's opponents do nothing...which appears to be what they're doing now.

[Wilms]

1. Lecturing the children, again?

[bullwinkle428]

2. As an Iowa resident, I'm not rushing to become a part of the campaign yet.

[Capt. Obvious]

3. Did they buy the snow shovels already?

[monmouth3]

4. I will never, ever, be as invested in a presidential election the way I was for Barack Obama, howeve

r, it does look like Hillary will be the Democratic nominee. Having said this, I can only hope she is reading and learning from sites like DU those things that are important to us. In many way she would be an excellent candidate, she was a very good SOS. I just wish she would get away from her corporatist leanings. I so wish someone else was running just to keep her on her toes, who knows?

[djean111]

5. Before the "inevitability" argument starts, let me observe that a candidate is only inevitable if

the candidate's opponents do nothing...which appears to be what they're doing now.

One the one hand, no one - except, of course, Hillary fans - is supposed to do anything but pay attention to 2014.
On the other hand, people who prefer to have a candidate who is Not Hillary are told they should be doing something Now now now!

My conclusion is - if we lose in 2014, it is Hillary's fault........

[brooklynite]

6. I can walk and chew gum at the same time.....

I can support an eventual Hillary campaign (or a Schweitzer campaign) in 2016 AND invest a lot of time and money in 2014 candidates. So far, I've met with Landrieu, Hagen, both Udall's, Shaheen, Franken, Begich, Walsh, Grimes, Nunn, Braley, Merkley, and tennant about their Senate races, and will be touching base with most the the Gov and SOS candidates in the tossup states.

[Wilms]

7. Oh, you insider's are so impressive.

Just look at all you've done for the Democratic Party over the last thirty years.

Thank God for how reasonable, moderate and adult-like you all behave at the fund-raisers while the middle class disappears.

Please. Tell us. About the hors d'oeuvres?

[William769]

9. And your contribution has been?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Tit for tat & all that.

[Wilms]

10. Outting people who need outting.

Calling out what needs calling out. Helping people realize they're being BS'd. And a few other things...but hardly the point. I don't publish lists of the "important" people I've "reached out" to.

[William769]

13. Yea thats really going to help the Democratic party.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

16. It'll help the Democratic Party a helluva lot more than a Hillary presidency would.

[William769]

17. I'll have your cheese waiting for you when it's needed.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

18. And, I'll have a wagonload of criticism for Hillary if she achieves her ambitions.

[William769]

19. I'll wait with baited breath.

Hopefully it will be new material.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

20. What are you going to "bait" your breath with?

[William769]

21. The sweetness of success.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

22. Successful 3rd Way policies are "sweet"?

See NAFTA, Iraq, Afghanistan, IWR vote, for some precedents.

[William769]

23. So much for new material.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

24. What new material do you have to offer.

Hint: "Not as bad", "Politics as usual", and "That's how the system works" is not new.

[brooklynite]

11. These aren't fundraisers...

...these are private calls, breakfasts, etc where we sit down and talk about real issues and campaign tactics.

[Wilms]

15. I stand by my observations. n/t

[brooklynite]

12. Out of curiosity, if your dream came true and Warren ran.....

....do you really imagine she wouldn't have fundraisers...with hors d'oeurves (she had some lovely ones for her Senate campaign)?

[hrmjustin]

8. I hope her team does a better job in Iowa than last time.

[Gothmog]

14. There was an organizational meeting in Houston

There was an organization meeting for Ready for Hillary in Houston this weekend. I did not make it but I heard that there was a good crowd