Hillary Clinton Just Quietly Disbanded Her Presidential Committee

[DonViejo]

ADAM CLARK ESTES, FEB 4, 2013

Don't read too far into this, but Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign organization, Hillary Clinton for President, has finally paid its debts and closed its doors. Documents filed with the Federal Election Committee (FEC) on Monday confirm as much, and the transfer of the old organization's leftover cash to a new organization, Friends of Hillary, make the transaction complete. At $102,797, the surplus funds are nothing to scoff at, but they're certainly a long ways off from the billion or so dollars Hillary would need for a full fledged presidential campaign in 2016. But please, before we go any further, let us remind you once again: Don't read too far into this. The fabled Hillary 2016 campaign is still a fable at this point and a fable without an ending at that.

That doesn't mean that Hillary's not up to some pretty curious fun, since she left her post at the helm of the State Department a few days ago. Presumably in the same motion as disbanding her old presidential committee, Hillary also launched a new website: www.hillaryclintonoffice.com. What a curious URL! Does this mean she's going to run for the nation's highest office in three years? Who knows. Twitter certainly though that was the obvious conclusion. After all, the news came just a couple of days after a new super PAC called "Ready for Hillary" launched its website and filed paperwork with the FEC. "Our purpose is simple: we are ready to work for Hillary to be president when she is ready to run," the super PAC's chairwoman Allida Black told the Center for Public Integrity. Black and Ready for Hillary are joined by the Hillary Clinton Super PAC, which was formed on January 10 in Iowa.

Third time's the charm on this reminder: Don't read too far into any of this. Hillary's said very explicitly that she is not running for president in 2016. "I feel it's time for me to get off the high wire," are her exact words. "Then why is she doing all this election-like stuff?" you might ask. Well, she's not doing it, for one thing. Those super PACs are necessarily distanced from the potential candidate, and last we checked, Hillary was not a web developer, so that new website — which is just a picture of Hillary and a contact form, by the way — must've come from supporters, too. Maybe she did ask somebody to make it for her, but figuring out why is such a futile exercise. After all, lots of people have their own websites these days. There's an entire startup dedicated to building "Contact Me" sites just like the one Hillary just unveiled.

Nevertheless, believers are going to believe, and Allida Black is a believer. "I have no doubt she's gonna run," says Black. "She knows there's this huge groundswell. She sees the challenges. She's not gonna say no. Not because of her, but because of us." Funnily enough, this is how the first male president of the United States was elected, as well.

-30-

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2013/02/hillary-clinton-just-quietly-disbanded-her-presidential-committee/61793/

[wisteria]

1. She just received donations to pay off that debt.

It has been outstanding since 2008. It was about time to pay it in full.

[Beacool]

16. Only a small amount was left of her debt.

Most candidates have campaign debt and some never pay it off. The only person who was still owed money was Mark Penn.

[SwampG8r]

17. they arent going to pay that hack are they?

he did little to earn it

[Beacool]

19. The campaign had finished paying everyone else long ago.

For the last couple of years or so, the remaining balance was money owed Penn and his firm.

[graham4anything]

2. Hillary45.2016. however- Don't you think the title should include the words 2008?

2008 Books clear and ready to go.

Can't wait to sign on to help continue the agenda of President Obama's first two terms in 2016 and 2020.

[Beacool]

3. I love your enthusiasm.

But we'll just have to wait and see how she feels about another run in a year or more. I'm hoping that she does run again, but it's too soon to tell.

[Tarheel_Dem]

29. I hope Hillary publicly cuts ties with her old team, and some of her former supporters.

They did more damage to Hillary than she did to herself. Some of us adore Hillary, but have long memories re: her more exuberant supporters.

[DonCoquixote]

46. I can drink to that

I have made my opinions on Hillary2016 clear,but even I admit that ditching Penn and the other blue dogs would seriously tilt the scales more to her favor.

[Beacool]

47. All candidates have supporters that can be somewhat exuberant and say stupid things.

Obama had them too. It doesn't necessarily mean that the candidate shares their views.

As for the old team, some are great and some not so much. I agree about Penn and Patti Solis was not ready to handle a presidential campaign. One thing about the Clintons, they never make the same mistake twice.

[TheDebbieDee]

52. I especially hope that Hillary cuts ties with that sweaty, cat-fish faced man

named Mark something..........I was a big Hillary supporter in 2008 but this campaign manager gave ME the creeps!

[Tarheel_Dem]

61. Mark Penn!

Howard Wolfson And there are plenty of others, including the racist Hillary folks in W. Va. I still have pics of some of the signs from a few of her rallies. This won't be easy for me.

[libdem4life]

4. Her stellar performance on The Hill was was a really long presentation for Hillary, the President.

And she knocked it out of the park, and she knew she did. I believe she has a threshhold at which the support that can be garnered without her committing herself, is assured. Not a shoe-in or just that she's entitled...she is smarter than that.

But she doesn't want to go out losing...simple as that. If it's in the cards for her to be the first female president, the pre-support ... including heavy financial support from big wigs and small donations by individuals...will signal not only to her, but her would-be primary opponents, who will then consider themselves VP potential. If so, she will run. If not, she loses nothing by going out with her final performance.

Very smart...very Hillary.

Disclaimer: Not her biggest fan but prefer her and her SCOTUS appointments over Jeb Bush.

[Whisp]

5. when she gets the site: hillaryisgreaterthancleopatra.com

then I'll believe she's running.

[Agschmid]

7. Haha awesome...

[AtomicKitten]

6. A reminder of a badly run campaign.

She raised and burned through $100 million dollars by the end of 2007.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/31/clinton-raises-100-million-in-2007/

No plan beyond Super Tuesday. Maybe by 2016 people will forget.

[Whisp]

9. I hope it was Mark Penn that had to wait the longest for his money

and not any of the many small businesses she dealt with.

[AtomicKitten]

11. I'd forgotten about that.

http://pamshouseblend.firedoglake.com/2008/03/31/hillary-pay-your-small-vendors/

Penn was paid millions: http://www.salon.com/2008/04/08/penn_fees/

Here even Joe Trippi of the Edwards campaign is disgusted with Penn:

[Whisp]

12. I forgot too what a ------------ Penn is/was. nt/

Last edited Tue Feb 5, 2013, 05:15 PM - Edit history (1)

[Sunlei]

14. elephants never forget an asskicking

[Sunlei]

8. She will work with a lot of the world issues that are close to her heart.

I believe her when she says, she doesn't want to run for president. I think Mrs. Clinton has other things she wants to devote her time to. (besides sleep past a 5am alarm ) Things she couldn't do as SOS or when running for president.

[TlalocW]

10. If I were her

When she dresses "down," I'd take to wearing ball caps with either the number 45 or 2016 on them just to freak out conservatives.

TlalocW

[Sunlei]

13. haha yeah all the 2008 campaign leftovers can be reused as freak-out conservative material..

let's have some fun with them

[Beacool]

15. Only the conservatives?

Observe the usual crowd who came over here to circle like vultures. Of course, they would be the first ones to scream if someone did the same to an Obama post.

Ahhhh the left, they love to eat their own.

[graham4anything]

27. Yup. And every one of those has their "angles" they are playing.

They are totally afraid of Hillary45.

Because they know just a wink or a nod, and it takes all the oxygen out of all the other
"nevergonnabees".
She can do this for 2 years and except for Joe Biden, no one else will get any campaign donors and other fundraising. Nor advance in the polls.

So they desperately want to stop any and all talk of Hillary45.
They are playing their angle. (and yes, I have an angle, that is the continuation of the President Obama agenda for another 1-2-3-4 terms after his two terms, and for Hillary45 to put him on the US Supreme Court in 2018(after he takes a year vacation before jumping back in.)

Also IMHO, the more it is enevitable, the more likely that Scalia is going to call it a day and retire. And maybe take Kennedy with him too.
That is my prediction based on how many big cases the court already took for this year.

btw, Andrew Cuomo was for all intent and purpose taken out of the equation by the words in the video/audio/text that the late Mayor Koch said to the NY Times in his last word obitiuary,
talking about the major smear Andrew and Mario did nothing to stop in the late 1970s in NYC.
That video would play 10 times a day if he ran. And he was considered the third or fourth place wannabe after Hillary and Joe.

imho

[Tarheel_Dem]

30. "Ahhhh the left, they love to eat their own."

Pot meet kettle?

[Whisp]

33. Hillary sure is not left, so I wonder who Bea is talking about. n/t

[Tarheel_Dem]

36. I, personally, think folks like Bea can do a lot more damage to HRC than good.

My thinking at this moment is, if she wins the primary, I'll stand in line however long it takes to cast my ballot, but I want Hillary to distance herself from the team that represented her in '08. I don't think there's a whole lot of difference, policywise, between Obama & HRC, and I've come to have a new respect for her since '08. But, depending on who she chooses to represent her publicly, I'd hate to find myself sitting out a presidential election.

[Beacool]

51. Do as you please.

I for one would never force someone to vote for any politician. It's still a free society, vote, don't vote. It's your choice.

[Beacool]

48. Neither is Obama, sweets.

That's one of the biggest ironies. The man is center to left at best. Why the left assumed in 2008 that he would be a progressive is beyond me.

[Whisp]

53. well he's a lot lefter when it comes to doing something about healthcare reform, snookums. :)

[Beacool]

54. Not really, Obamacare is a mishmash of elements.

We'll only know how well it'll function once it's fully implemented.

But we can talk about other things, such as the use of drones against US citizens. How liberal of him........

[Whisp]

55. I bet Hillary will be more 'liberal' in that department in this case, she likes conflict and war

in much larger doses. She voted for that last big one Obama got you out of, remember?

sweetpea.

[Beacool]

57. Obama wasn't in the Senate in 2002.

He did give a speech against it at the time (he's good at bloviating), but he told Tim Russert in 2004 that he didn't know how he would have voted if he had been in the Senate. As for ending the wars, the withdrawal date in Iraq was set by the Bush administration. As for Afghanistan, it has been a fiasco all around and people continue to die under Obama as much as they did under Bush. I fear for the fate of the women and girls after the US leaves next year.

[Whisp]

59. ha!

you were saying downthread somewhere?
?w=610

[Tarheel_Dem]

62. There ya go Bea, winning hearts & minds again.

[Beacool]

64. Wasn't my intention.

Besides, that is a two way street. The only thing some of you came to do here was crap on a Hillary post.

No surprise, typical behavior of his supporters.

[Tarheel_Dem]

65. !!!!

[JTFrog]

79. "if someone did the same to an Obama post."?

Don't you mean "when"?

I mean, we've never seen you picking the bones on an Obama thread now have we?

[bigwillq]

18. And may it be closed for good.

One can hope anyway.

[Beacool]

20. Speak for yourself.

[bigwillq]

21. What is that face for?

You mad?








Roll them, beacool!

[Beacool]

22. No, just a reminder that the left has as many a-holes as the right.

Nothing new.

[bigwillq]

23. And Beacool is a comedienne, too?!?!?

Who knew!

[Whisp]

35. rollem rollem rollem, keep those eyeballs rollen

RAAAAAWHIIIIIIDE

&ytsession=JlFStFRClIlByqQYiVoz50sj0UYL2OhvzEfUYwsVq-121LI8ZKmJrxZ0Q5H_yecFGF61IoutkAEJTi5JoZhxkymqmdjFYvu7zJN2A4RlM4ijHiC73m-F9Bmc8jtsvvzFD731fZFWE2_WLt8mxrrPAKCbyW5ASic_ePLf5mVGaF7OfoTIfW3dw-3Uav-QVNLsJB2mSYipPblTemxsazexq1LXl6JOkCmVzPLCk7JpUM4

[TroyD]

32. Hillary is the Democrats' best shot for 2016

So be aware that if she doesn't run, the work will be harder in getting someone else elected.

[bigwillq]

34. We should act as if she is not running

and get someone that can win. It's still early. A lot can happen.

[mnhtnbb]

24. Hillary's not going to run for POTUS again. Been there, done that.

She's been on a helluva' grueling schedule as SoS. Time to pull back, reflect, write
a memoir.

[bigwillq]

25. Been there, done that and lost.

I can only hope that she takes her ball and goes home.

[graham4anything]

28. President Obama won the nomination and ran a better campaign, obviously, however...

However, without President Obama, she would have beaten McCain.

Coming in 2nd and being SOS showed that she didn't cutten run, and that she was a team player.
And now she is going to take the ball and knock the republicantealibertarians out of the park.

I predict 425 to 475 electoral votes.

imho

and she has the one thing she didn't in 2008...President Obama's voters and a super high approval rating.

remember, it takes a Clinton to beat a Bush.

[bigwillq]

31. She didn't win anything.

Your post is pure speculation.

[graham4anything]

37. She is the #1 SOS of state of alltime. Hope she wins the 2014 Noble prize.

(believe the entries are already closed for the next one).

And she did win. 1/20/2017 will be the inauguartion of Hillary45.

With Joe Biden or Janet Napolitano as her vice president

(IMHO of course).

but it will happen.

for the continuation of President Obama, (already the #4 greatest president of all time) first two terms.

and to win the house, senate and SCOTUS.

and I wasn't a fan in 2008. I was already wearing my President Obama in 2004 button(yes, 2004 its not a typo).
But Hillary45 earned my respect, and we sure need Bill Clinton out on the campaign trail in 2014 and 2016.

imho

[bigwillq]

38. Can you please provide a link

where she's ranked as the #1 SOS of all-time?
Thanks

And she didn't win 2016 YET, so your 1/20/2017 is still speculation.

[graham4anything]

39. BTW, she did win- MY VOTE. She won that. NO notgonnabe is going to get it.

she is the #1 SOS according to graham4anything's top 10
(c) g4a2013.
here is the link-
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251284028#post39
(that's this post btw).

It will be decades before any SOS will come close. Perhaps if Janet Napolitano is the VP and Joe Biden is SOS, he might.


IMHO you are free to disagree and have your own Top 10.


BTW,do you think Henry Kissinger was better or worse than Hillary45?

[Beacool]

49. By a hair.

Obama accumulated enough pledged delegates through the caucuses, but Hillary won most major state primaries and the votes of more registered Democrats. So let's not act like Obama won the nomination by a country mile. It was pretty close.

[bigwillq]

58. A loss is a loss.

It was close between San Fran and Baltimore in the Super Bowl, but San Fran still isn't getting ring.

[Beacool]

60. Yes, but San Fran won in the past and will probably win in the future because they are a good team.

Hillary is a good politician with enough gravitas and knowhow to win a second time around. The question is whether she would like to throw her hat in the ring once again. Only time will tell.

[bigwillq]

70. May the best man or woman win!

We will likely cancel each other out with our votes! Cheers!

[musicblind]

71. You can only use the cheap 'cancel out your vote' jab once... and I'll be voting for Hillary n/t

[Whisp]

63. did she count Michigan

hmm, and Florida was it?

and one other I believe that was agreed to not to count because they broke some sacred rules, but good ole Hill - she has this special abacas that lets her count things no one else can!

[doc03]

56. I don't think she will run either. She looks like she has health

issues to me, she just looks very tired and old for her age to me.

[bigwillq]

69. I don't think she will run either.

We need younger blood.

[libodem]

26. I hope she gets to rest for a minute

Before everyone volunteers her for another job where you get 4 hours of sleep a night and critics blather about how tired and old you look. Let her exhale.

She is a national treasure not a draft horse.

[Whisp]

40. unfortunately you have to be 15 work and draft horses for the the CiC job

so if you really are on Hillary's side, just quit with the tired bullshit. It does her no good at all.

[libodem]

41. Oh course you know better than I do

What I think and how I feel. Whatever you say. She doesn't need a break. Are you effing happy now.

[Whisp]

42. it sends the wrong message.

if you take offense at me pointing that out, that's just too bad.

1. It makes it sound like Hillary is the only one working and everyone else, including the President, could never match that. Which is such craziness I don't even want to get into it.

2. It does not do well for her '16 thing - tired tired tired old Hillary is not a good message for whatever she decides to do.

3. o well, whatever.

[libodem]

43. I can't stand it that

Because she is a woman, she will be held to standards no man, would have to be held to. I don't like it that she barely turned in her SOS resignation, and a super PAC for a presidential run pops up.
Why can't she just take her coat off and sit down for two seconds.

But, as noted in your first reply to me , you imply that I'm dishonest in my concern for her welfare, because I like to see her on vacation with Bill, rather than put right back to work on a campaign challenge, I sure you will insist I'm not a Democrat and I'm a troll. Whatever.

[Whisp]

44. if you think I called you dishonest

you are wrong but I will apologize anyway.

I've heard the tired meme for quite a while now - one that Hillary herself uses more than once so it's not only her supporters that repeat it, she does. I find it really odd and kind of goes against equal standards between men and women - how many men complain on and on about how tired they are, or have their peeps say that so often?

I find it really wierd. But not all that important, to me.

[libodem]

45. I think she is brilliant

And I respect her very much, I hope she can enjoy a little time with her family and if she does run in 2016 I hope she wins. Politics is just such a dirty game and I don't think the media is very kind.

She has way more energy and drive, than I ever had. My concern may be totally unfounded. But it seems very premature to project all this conjecture on a 2016 run.
If she does run, everyone better be completely nice and complimentary about her or I will lose my mind. I can't take seeing her be abused by Republicans. You know how ruthless and unfair they are. I'm just bracing.

[Beacool]

50. Don't waste your breath.

Haters must hate. They can't help themselves.

[SheilaT]

66. I just wish people would move beyond daydreaming of a Hillary Clinton presidency.

It's not going to happen, and the more energy you put into it, the less energy that will go into the Democrat who really could win in 2016. That's almost four years from now. A lot can happen. A lot will happen.

Do I really keep on reminding everyone here of what the common wisdom was in 1990 shortly after the first Gulf War, or in 2005, right after W's re-election?

Okay, I'll remind the kiddies who are too young to remember. George HW Bush invaded Iraq in January, 1991. The war was so stunningly successful that every sensible Democrat out there knew that there was no way on God's green earth that he could be defeated for re-election, so every possible nominee quietly withdrew from consideration. But there was this young governor of a small, rather obscure Southern state who said to himself, I can do this. For those of you who would otherwise need to go to Google to find out for sure who won the 1992 election, I'll give you a hint. George HW Bush was not re-elected.

So now let's look at the political world right after W's re-election. Democrats hoped very hard that they could win in 2008, but nothing was certain. Some guy with a strange name, Barack O' something had made a pretty amazing speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, but he was just a state senator in Illinois, so it was obvious to the most casual observer that he needed a whole lot more time on the national stage before he could possibly run for President. This guy with the strange name became a senator in 2006, and all of the common wisdom was that he was pretty amazing, but he was clearly too young and untested to consider running for president in '08. Surely he would stand a good chance in 2016.

My point is that we can never really know what will happen, but I can tell you that the common wisdom is generally wrong. In '08 Hillary was a shoo-in for the nomination, at least that's what "everyone" thought. So everyone right now who is pontificating about how Hillary will obviously be the nominee in about four years is wrong. Yes, I said it, wrong. The one thing I feel quite confident about is that she will not be the Democratic nominee in 2016. I don't know who will be. I'm not even very willing to guess, because my guesses will be clouded by what I think, who I like. What I can say for sure is that we have no way of knowing at this point just what will happen in the next few years, and what happens will absolutely impact who we ultimately choose as our nominee.

But it won't be Hillary Clinton.

[mnhtnbb]

67. I agree with you. Will it be someone young and relatively unknown?

Or will it be Joe Biden? I don't know. But I agree that Hillary is
probably ready for a different chapter in her life that won't include
an elected office.

[Beacool]

73. Joe Biden?????

The 74 year old white guy with foot-in-mouth disease? Yeah, that's new blood alright..........



P.S. I do like Biden, but he's like everyone's favorite uncle. You enjoy his antics, but you wouldn't want your crazy, lovable uncle for president either.

[Beacool]

72. Nice to have a crystal ball that sees into the future.

Since I don't have one, I will not make that assertion. Right now, I don't think that even Hillary knows what she wants to do in four years. But if she does run, it won't be like 2008. This time we'll be ready.

[Whisp]

74. so good thing Hillary didn't get in in 2008

whew.

who would want an unready and unprepared President.

thank you thank you for finally seeing what many of us do.

[Beacool]

76. Oh, look who butt in.

Was I addressing you? How are politics in your neck of the woods, or do you even care?

[bigwillq]

78. While you're at it, maybe you can go address musicblind for butting in

See above thread.

[Whisp]

80. I'm not so sure gulf war I was so stunningly successful...

George Sr. lied his way into that war just like his Jr. Incubator baby killings, etc.

It was the beginning of a plan to weaken Iraq and then the Chimp could come in and finish off the country. Lots of years of suffering for Iraqi citizens and sandwiched in the middle of the Two Evil Georges was Bill Clinton who had a heavy hand in softening up the target for Dim Son to have a go at.

[SheilaT]

81. It was considered a stunning success at the time.

and that President Bush had an approval rating of 91% in the immediate aftermath. Personally, I couldn't understand what people were thinking, but that was just me. In any case, his re-election was so clearly going to happen, that not a single Democrat already on the national scene was willing to waste time, money, and energy on running. Good thing there was one out there who thought it really was worth going for.

[Whisp]

82. it was called a stunning success

by the lazy assed media with the 'I'm bought' brand on their butts and the usual suspects that adore war so. same as for Jr. Murderer.

you are correct on that, of course.

[davidpdx]

68. Well eventually she had to close that committee

and with all the debts paid off and her being out of office that is a good time to do it. Likely the $100k plus could be donated to candidates for other offices which would put them even.

If she were to run she'd need a new committee.

[JNelson6563]

75. Whether she runs or not

she has formidable political clout. She could merge everything into a superpac and throw a huge amount of money & influence around.

If she runs I'm 100% supportive. I also feel like she is due the respect for her wishes should she choose not to run. For now, I wait on that developing story.

I'm hoping those of us in states where the GOP has us in a strangle-hold (in spite of going blue in the Presidential race) we can make some changes at mid-term elections.

Julie

[MFM008]

77. if she runs

i will support her, if she doesnt I thank her for a life of service.