2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumThe Largest Liberal Super PAC Just Formally Aligned Itself With Hillary Clinton
By Josh Voorhees
The will-she-or-won't-she narrative has moved one giant, big-dollar step closer to when-will-she. Here's the New York Times with the scoop from the land of Hillary Clinton's (as of yet) still undeclared presidential ambitions:
Jim Messina, Obama's 2012 campaign manager, and former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm will serve as co-chairs of the super PAC and its affiliated nonprofit arm. Granholm has been beating the Clinton '16 drum early and often. Messina, meanwhile, appears to be the big get here. With the announcement he becomes the most high-profile member of Obama's inner circle to openly back Clinton for president, and his new role will "only fuel perceptions that Mrs. Clintons potential candidacy has the tacit endorsement of Mr. Obama himself," as the Times' Nicholas Confessore puts it. (Despite the seeming inevitability of a Clinton White House bid, Messina and others are being careful to speak only in hypotheticals when it comes to the campaign. "Priorities is going to be there for her if she decides to run," he told the paper in an interview.)
As a super PAC, Priorities legally won't be able to coordinate its message with its candidatealthough 2012 (and Stephen Colbert) showed that's largely an unenforceable technicality. There are other pro-Clinton groups already out there, of course, but none that can match the big-dollar potential of Priorities USA Action. While most of the others devote their energy rounding up small donors and building grass-roots support, Priorities spends its time convincing people to write six- or even seven-figure checks, making its formal alignment with Clinton a significant development in an election that's still more than two years away. Untiland even afterHillary launches her bid, look for Priorities to do the heavy lifting when it comes to major ad buys both attacking potential challengers and defending her from conservative (and likely Benghazi-themed) attacks.
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http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2014/01/23/hillary_2016_priorities_usa_action_the_largest_liberal_super_pac_is_backing.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content&mc_cid=1c7fa17032&mc_eid=7a8b58c8c3
polichick
(37,152 posts)Yeah, because that's what we need to keep the GOP out of the White House. internal battles over purity tests and whether someone passes them.
After all, look at the wonders the Tea Party has done for the GOP! Why not do it on our side too!?!?
You can disagree with Clinton's priorities and some of her positions, but she is still clearly a Liberal.
stillwaiting
(3,795 posts)She is neo-liberal on economic issues. Her clear support for the TPP reveals this to be true.
Most Americans will NOT do better with her in the Executive and with her cabinet appointments. The trend we've been on for about 4 decades will continue.
At the end of a Hilary Clinton presidency the rich will be richer, the corporations will be richer, and wealth inequality will continue to amass at the top.
Now, an argument can be made that the Republican nominee will be worse, but that is really all we seem to be allowed to have in this country these days ------> Having to choose the relatively better choice from two bad choices.
polichick
(37,152 posts)a long line of RepubliCon and Dem presidents - and that's bad news for most Americans.
polichick
(37,152 posts)be voting for corporate Dems who think the TPP is a good thing.
libodem
(19,288 posts)Tails you lose.
polichick
(37,152 posts)Scuba
(53,475 posts)RENAISSANCE TECHNOLOGIES CORP, a hedge fund management company.
http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgave2.php?cmte=C00495861&cycle=2012
Nothing more liberal than a hedge fund, eh?
Wilms
(26,795 posts)Just some more Third-Way Hillarians.
Principals:
Bill Burton (co-founder): Campaign press secretary for Obama in 2008 who was later named White House deputy press secretary.
Sean Sweeney (co-founder): Former chief of staff to Rahm Emanuel, while he served as White House chief of staff.
Harold Ickes (president): Registered lobbyist with strong union ties who was formerly the deputy chief of staff to President Bill Clinton and who served in senior positions in the presidential campaigns of both Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Gothmog
(143,999 posts)I may end up going
libdem4life
(13,877 posts)insure a win.
Ironically, at the same time, the Republicans are in shambles and without a leader or a candidate. They don't have anyone in their pipeline, that I can see, who has been nationally vetted. That's a painful process, see Chris Christie. And in my recollection, it's not usually until after the primaries that the in-earnest expose begins. You can hide a lot of things in your home state, but the other 49 will find them out and may not be so forgiving.
The longer the Republican fissures exist, the longer she can wait and the more time the Republican donors have to search their financial hearts for what benefits their financing can bring. My sense is that it goes heavily to the downticket races to avoid not having a similar candidate shortage in 2016.
Beacool
(30,244 posts)You all didn't have any problem when this PAC was raising money for Obama. So why shouldn't they choose to fundraise for Hillary?
"The group, which raised millions of dollars for President Barack Obama in 2012, named new directors to lead the organization: Jim Messina, who managed Obamas reelection campaign, and former Michigan Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm (D)."
Having Messina aboard signals that some of the Obama campaign people are starting to line up behind Hillary, although she hasn't announced yet her intention to run.