Clinton Campaign Prescreened Comments Hillary Clinton's campaign reviewed or suggested introductory

[JRLeft]

remarks for college presidents and students ahead of her events.

In this Aug. 26, 2015, file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks about rural issues at the Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny, Iowa. For Clinton, the presidential campaign has been about building an approachable image: She's often eschewed big arenas in favor of town halls, peppered her ads with personal stories and planned less-scripted gatherings with voters. But emails obtained by The Associated Press reveal a careful, behind-the-scenes effort to review introductory remarks for college presidents and students introducing her, as well as suggesting questions that happened to be aligned with her campaign platform.
Emails obtained by The Associated Press reveal a careful, behind-the-scenes effort to review introductory remarks for college presidents and students introducing Hillary Clinton, as well as suggesting questions that happened to be aligned with her campaign platform. CHARLIE NEIBERGALL/AP
By JACK GILLUM, CHAD DAY and STEPHEN BRAUN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — For Hillary Clinton, the presidential campaign has been about building an approachable image: She's often eschewed big arenas in favor of town halls, peppered her ads with personal stories and planned less-scripted gatherings with voters.

But emails obtained by The Associated Press reveal a careful, behind-the-scenes effort to review introductory remarks for college presidents and students presenting the Democratic front-runner as a speaker, as well as suggesting questions that happened to be aligned with her campaign platform.

> Snip

The former secretary of state's preparedness appears in contrast with the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump, who rarely pulls punches in his speeches, speaks more spontaneously and has far more apparently unplanned, unscripted interactions.

Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill said, "We take pride in Secretary Clinton's ability to answer tough questions. We do not screen questioners at events, nor do we script interactions." He said Clinton has answered about 900 questions in formal events on the campaign, and that more-memorable moments came from the fact her events were "completely unscripted."

http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2016-06-02/emails-clinton-staff-reviewed-remarks-questions-for-eventstics/articles/2016-06-02/emails-clinton-staff-reviewed-remarks-questions-for-events

[metroins]

1. Welcome to campaigning

Every campaign does this.

[99Forever]

2. No.

"Every campaign" does NOT do this.

Just the corrupt ones.

[metroins]

4. Lol.

Lol lol lol



Listen to yourself man. You just equated to pre-screening speeches to corruption, every campaign does this. Bernie, Trump, Hillary....they all ask what's going to be said and give ideas on it.

Take a step back.

They pre-screen interview questions too, remember when Bernie ended an interview early? I think Jane did it once too. In campaigning it's nice to know what is expected so there's no gotcha moment.

Or else you end up with Madeline Albright "burn in hell" or the "corporate whores" statement optics.

[99Forever]

14. I don't know what the fuck you think is so damn funny.

You made a false blanket statement and I corrected you.

Funny? Not so much.

Kind of pathetic and weak, actually.

[SCantiGOP]

34. No, metroins was absolutely correct

Sounds like you have never been involved in a campaign. This is standard.

And to call it "corrupt" destroys any credibility you might have on this matter.

[Kentonio]

67. Actually he/she is quite right, it is a corruption of the political process.

It being a very common practice, doesn't make it any less corrupt. Perhaps if we had spoken out about things like this being unacceptable instead of just shrugging it off, they wouldn't have become common practice in the first place.

[PatrickforO]

48. Well I hear that about the 'burn in hell' comment, for sure.

However, let me say that I suspect this tendency to pre screen has gone a bit too far. I've often thought that during a presidential debate, I'd like to ask the candidates something like,

"America spends more than any advanced nation on healthcare, and its people arguably get worse care. What is your plan to rein in costs while at the same time IMPROVING health care for the American people?"

or

"What is your plan to ensure that big corporations pay their fair share of taxes?"

or

"What is your specific plan to ensure our children aren't buried in debt when they graduate from college?"

or

"Tell us your position on the Patriot Act and the NSA's current reach?"

To me, those aren't gotchas, they are legitimate policy questions. OF COURSE political campaigns are going to do everything they can to remove any possibility they are asked, but still...

[Fumesucker]

53. Politicians rarely answer questions any more

Oh, they will say a lot of words that sound vaguely like an answer but if you parse those words carefully you'll find they often mean little to nothing at all and leave enough wiggle room for a brontosaurus orgy.

[PatrickforO]

56. That's one of my biggest problems with Clinton.

But even Bernie won't go out in the weeds much.

[riversedge]

9. Are you sure? NOPE you are not sure.

[Matt_R]

65. Elvis never did no drugs.

[Happyhippychick]

3. Is this supposed to be a criticism?

Because it sounds like someone who is thorough and takes her job seriously.

[JRLeft]

5. It sounds like someone who doesn't want to answer tough questions.

[Happyhippychick]

7. Yeah. 11 hours of straight hostile grilling for Benghazi sounds like someone whose terrified

[JRLeft]

12. She did a lot of lying during that grilling, but I don't care about the email crap.

[Happyhippychick]

13. I'm sure you know the real truth

[seabeyond]

22. I hear Sanders just turns his back and walks away. Guess that is one way of doing it. Lol. Nt

[Happyhippychick]

25. Or he can talk about his one issue for the eleventy billionth time.

[seabeyond]

28. True that. Absolutely fuckin' true that. One never has to do homework. Lol. Absolutely.

Ah ha.

[seabeyond]

29. Oh Oh, that would be his turning the back move. When they will not let him redirect, he then

turns his back. Damn, we have the man all pegged. Lets watch the next couple weeks.

Sigh... nah. I have better things to do, but betcha.

[libdem4life]

31. Be careful what you cheer/criticize. I just found out that it was

during the above, that revealed the secret home server. Maybe or maybe not, but I've never heard any other story of how it became known.

[riversedge]

10. You mean when Bernie gets up from an interview and leaves!

[notadmblnd]

20. Sounds like someone who doesn't want to answer questions they haven't prepared an answer for.

I think we can all agree, that if one is speaking the truth- prepping answers to questions isn't really necessary?

[Happyhippychick]

21. Um, no, we actually don't agree

You can prep for an audience AND tell the truth. Those concepts are mutually exclusive.

[notadmblnd]

33. Only if you are trying to keep your narrative in line

If one is being honest, the story will be the same time after time after time. No prep needed. So if you still disagree- in my opinion it is only to be disagreeable.

[seabeyond]

35. The question, FP. Sanders answer, IE. Not quite the same.

[Happyhippychick]

40. Bernie Sanders says the exact same one thing over and over and over and over

I'm sure he has no problem keeping his narrative in line. Clinton has a much more expansive grasp of the issues and certainly cannot keep all of her thoughts on all that she does completely fresh in her mind at every moment.

That Sanders can do it doesn't surprise me. He's a one issue candidate and he's positively boring to listen to. I've tried, I donated money and he was my guy. But my god, how many times can you listen to someone say the exact same thing before you realize they have no grasp on any issues?

For me it took 3 months, then I was done. For those of you who find it meaningful, good for you.

[notadmblnd]

51. I'm sure he has no problem either because he is honest.

Clinton is not any smarter nor has any better of a grasp of the issues than Sanders. In fact, she's been more of a screw up especially in regards to foreign policy in Libya, Syria and Honduras. She is responsible for chaos, death of thousands of civilian in all of those countries as a result of her bad decisions.

But- as long as she's not boring, I guess that's a good thing. I suppose one can fill their empty days comparing what she has said in the past with what the evidence in the IG report says and you have to admit, it's hard getting bored with that.

Me, I've listened to her speak enough to figure out her "tell" when she's about to compose a lie or evade an answer. Wanna know what it is?

[Happyhippychick]

55. People have died while Clinton has been Secretary of State. True.

This is true for every single Secretary of State that has ever been in office. It's true for every Commander In Chief. Unfortunately that's part of being in a very high position in government. Bernie Sanders certainly doesn't have to contend with that because he has never been in a position of prominence that comes close to hers. She's done his job (Senator), she's been in the White House for 8 years, and she was Secretary of State. To compare her accomplishments and grasp of international issues to Bernies is, well, no need to even say. There just is no comparison.

If all you got out of what I said is that I am voting for Hillary because she isn't boring then go ahead and believe that I am that shallow and naive. But remember who believes that Sanders is honest as he continues to pilfer money from people while his Titanic is sinking, all while hiding behind his non-existent tax returns which must have something in there he just doesn't want us to see.

[notadmblnd]

61. However, every other SOS was not manipulating events and pressuring the President

to take action in Libya. That is Clinton's baby to rock.

Sec. Clinton pressured a wary President Obama to join France and the U.K. in the war, the Times reported. Vice President Biden, National Security Adviser Tom Donilon and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, among others, opposed the war effort. Numerous government officials recalled that her hawkish enthusiasm was decisive in the “51-49 decision.”

The Times spoke of “Clinton’s deep belief in America’s power to do good in the world,” but did not stress that this belief is rooted in an aggressive militarism. It did quote French President Sarkozy, who fondly remembered how the secretary of state “was tough, she was bullish,” but the Times’ reporting understated Clinton’s belligerence.

At 13,000 words in length combined, the articles are important contributions to the historical record. Yet although they are critical of Clinton and her leadership in the conflict, they fail to acknowledge the crimes of U.S.-backed rebel groups, and ultimately underestimate just how disastrous the war was, just how hawkish Hillary is and just how significant this will be for the future of the United States — not to mention the future of Libya and its suffering people.

The U.S. president does not have as much control over economic and social issues as many pundits, analysts and even voters often insist. One must not forget that the head of state does not control the Congress or the judiciary. But the president does have enormous power when it comes to international affairs, diplomacy and war. This makes foreign policy one of the most crucial issues in any presidential campaign.

Clinton’s leadership in the catastrophic war in Libya should ergo constantly be at the forefront of any discussion of the presidential primary.

http://www.salon.com/2016/03/02/even_critics_understate_how_catastrophically_bad_the_hillary_clinton_led_nato_bombing_of_libya_was/

[SwampG8r]

62. Is it when her lips.move?

[notadmblnd]

64. No, She fakes a cough

it gives her time to think.

[Babel_17]

6. Interesting, but I'm not shocked

For a campaign that has an ally like Brock, operating as he has, this is to be expected.

It dovetails with this. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/06/02/hillary-clinton-shouldnt-do-press-conferences-because-shes-not-good-at-them-um-what/

It has been 181 days since Hillary Clinton last held a formal news conference. No big deal, writes Claire Landsbaum in a piece for "The Cut" headlined, "Stop Bugging Hillary Clinton About Giving a Press Conference."

Landsbaum's argument boils down to this: Clinton has acknowledged in the past that she isn't terribly comfortable speaking in public and, therefore, should avoid doing it.

"Part of playing the political game is knowing the best way to get your message across," Landsbaum writes. "As such, Clinton should be recognized for her pragmatism rather than being pressured to perform based on standards that don't necessarily apply across the board."

(Btw, this article is by Chris Cillizza, he's given Secretary Clinton a lot of favorable coverage)

Here's the fundamental problem with Landsbaum's argument: Clinton giving a news conference and allowing the media to ask her about anything isn't a luxury item in a democracy. It's a core principle.

[Madam Mossfern]

8. No big deal.

I'm a Bernie supporter and I see nothing wrong with this - it's just campaigning on a professional level. The electorate needs to be better informed about this common practice so they can judge better whom to support by looking at actual issues and platforms, not speeches about the candidate.

[seabeyond]

11. That title has to pretzel so much to attack Clinton, I cannot even put in the effort to twist out

insult or accusation, lol.

OMG... what a fuckin hoot. Whatever it is, it is so twisted, I am not even gonna waste my time figuring out what the insult or accusation is.

[Happyhippychick]

15. Yes, how dare she prepare herself!

What is she trying to prove? That she's a professional who cares about doing a good job?

[seabeyond]

16. Is that the insult? Laughing my fuckin' ass off. Too funny. And what a great send off, time well

spent on Du this morning, with my coffee. Too funny. Thanks. And you, have a wonderful Saturday.

[Happyhippychick]

18. Yes, the complaint is that she prepares for an audience

Sort of like the complaints that Obama was too educated.

Have a wonderful Saturday to you too!

[seabeyond]

19. Lol lol.

I see Upoola's thread of standing in line waiting to see Clinton. I just might continue to check back. How fun is that.

[Happyhippychick]

23. I met her once in NYC, she was at laguardia and was getting off a flight. She was a senator then.

I walked right up to her and asked if I could say hello, she was completely gracious. And approachable.

[seabeyond]

27. Now see. Cool. You are officially, cool, lol. I met Paul Newman and Clint Eastwood and Doris day,

lol.

That is fun.

[Happyhippychick]

30. Did you meet Clint before he became whacky? I used to love him until that empty chair thing.

Nt

[seabeyond]

32. Yes, like three or so decades ago. A fun time, then. Monterrey in my 20's. Nt

[Happyhippychick]

41. I went to the Hogs Breath Inn looking for him, he was mayor of Carmel then.

[seabeyond]

43. Yes. Lol. Then. How fun. I am so needing to get back to the West Coast. Nt

[Happyhippychick]

47. Me too, I love that area. I'm in NY so it's like a different world.

Nt

[seabeyond]

50. Texas here, and ya. Lol. ah ha. Nt.

[Scuba]

17. Her campaign is thoroughly scripted and still a mess. Leadership, Hillary-style.

[seabeyond]

26. Are you kidding me? With hits coming from every direction, this woman has been in the lead, stayed

in the lead, literally won and you are telling me she runs a loose campaign?

She has done awesome in her campaign run, kicked ass all the way, preserved. And you insult that? When is a woman good enough. Too too funny. This thread has been an hoot.

[Scuba]

36. She started with an 80% lead, or more. Now she's running even with Bernie.

I guess I should be happy.

[seabeyond]

39. Ah dude. You do not want to acknowledge Clinton's success? I get that.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

24. Good because if I wanted an unprepared candidate

I'd vote for someone else

[notadmblnd]

44. I'm sure if I were Hillary, I would only want to be asked questions

I approved of before hand too cause it might be too hard to answer unrehearsed questions. And we've all been told that with Clinton hard things can't be done.

Only small, easy tasks can be accomplished. You know, like answering questions you only have a prepared answer for?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

49. lol ok. She's been grilled for hours by hostile congressional republicans

But you keep peddling that right wing shit

[notadmblnd]

52. I'm about as right wing as you are

So keep up peddling your shit too.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

57. Not saying you are right wing, this bs talking point is

[notadmblnd]

60. You think she was totally unprepared and unrehearsed for her performance in congress?

totally off the cuff?

Maybe After all, I understand that- is where she let it slip that she was using her own unsecured home brew server instead of the government's for email.

And that, is not a right wing talking point. That is a fact.

[SwampG8r]

63. Grilled.for hours and we have since learned told many lies.

Her testimony doesnt fit with facts as we now understand them.

[bettyellen]

46. Maybe if he reviewed what Sarandon and Dawson we're going to say.....

They'd stop making him look so bad. People expect them to be speaking for Bernie. It's not good for him when they go rouge.

[libdem4life]

37. I think a speech should be well-prepared and see that as a plus.

But, not being able to answer questions without help? Not so much. But it's not a really big deal.

It's well known she is not good "on her feet" like when she punched the lady in the chest for asking a question.

[seabeyond]

42. Clinton kicks ass answering questions, you know. Never been accused of not being able to give

a well informed, well articulated answer.

For you to suggest this is one of her weakness, you are just wrong.

Now, Sanders on the other hand? How many times has he not answered the question?

[libdem4life]

45. Oh I'm sorry...I must have misread the article. Carry on.

[Octafish]

38. Hillary really is a great public speaker, apart from her voice and delivery.

How is she at press conferences?

[Fumesucker]

54. I only have one thing to say

[Waiting For Everyman]

58. The questions have to match her memorized responses.

She doesn't do her own thinking very well.

I wonder sometimes if she actually numbers them in her head -- queue up "pre-canned clip #43" or somesuch.

[geek tragedy]

59. OMG, she vets the remarks of people introducing her?

Maybe Bernie should have done that to avoid stuff like "corporate Democratic whores" and references to Monica Lewinsky and sneers at black southern voters being made from his events.

[Buns_of_Fire]

66. Often, the measure of a candidate isn't the scripted crap...

...and by that I mean the speeches, planned pre-vetted meetings with "frendlies," debates and the like. Every politician does that.

The acid test is in those unscripted moments when something comes clear out of left field that the candidate hasn't prepared and rehearsed for. The moments that keep campaign managers awake nights.

In Hillary's case, it might be that unfortunate meeting with the Greenpeace activist. Not her finest moment. Bill was always pretty good at keeping his poise when these things happened (as they will).

Either way, unplanned unpleasant moments seldom give one enough notice to assemble a focus group and have one's staff prepare an appropriate response. That's why Presidents get the big bucks.