Hillary signs up another top Kerry fundraiser...

[SaveElmer]

Election Central has learned that Hillary Clinton has just bagged another of John Kerry's top fundraisers: Robert Zimmerman, a Long Island businessman and Democratic National Committeeman from New York who's one of the top Dem fundraisers in New York City and the country.

"We have an extraordinary field of candidates," Zimmerman told Election Central. "But without question, Hillary Clinton understands the challenges of Presidential campaigns. She has the leadership qualities we need in a President. It's an endorsement made from the heart and soul."

"She's the most electable Democrat of the entire field," Zimmerman said. "She's the most electable Democrat since Bill Clinton."

...As Election Central reported recently, Kerry's New York finance chairman, Hassan Nemazee, recently threw his lot in with Clinton. Meanwhile, Barack Obama picked up the backing of two other Kerry donors, Florida trial lawyer Kirk Wagar and California venture capitalist Mark Gorenberg.

http://electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2007/feb/02/hillary_bags_another_top_kerry_fundraiser

[leftwingnut]

1. Yes! eom

:kick:

[illinoisprogressive]

2. Obama snagged several from Kerry

[lancdem]

4. Edwards is the one being left out of the Kerry fundraising

sweepstakes, it seems.

[SaveElmer]

7. Two...noted in the excerpt I posted...nt

[lancdem]

3. Hillary signed up Bob Dylan?

Cool! :evilgrin:

[ChiciB1]

6. Oh, PuuLEEZZZEE! Say It Ain't So!!

Not Bobby??? Now, that would be some "strange" bedfellows!

[lancdem]

9. Robert Zimmerman is Bob Dylan's real name

lol

[ChiciB1]

36. I Can't BELIEVE I FORGOT THAT!! He's Been Dylan To Me For

so long, but I do recall that his name was ZIMMERMAN!

[Rock_Garden]

10. Now, that was funny! n/t

[Warren DeMontague]

5. Money's not her problem.

All the money in the world isn't gonna make the primary voters like her.

[lancdem]

8. They already do like her

That's why she's leading in the national polls. Money helps candidates get their message out, period.

[Warren DeMontague]

12. She's only the "front runner" in the Corporate Media's fantasies.

They're pushing her hard, but we're not buying. And that's not going to change as long as she stubbornly refuses to adopt anything remotely resembling moral clarity on Iraq. Sorry. Pandering on shit like flag burning isn't gonna put her in the White House. No Sale.

http://washtimes.com/national/20070110-112457-7197r.htm

http://www.kcci.com/politics/10585392/detail.html

And the fact that California's primary has been bumped up is just going to make things that much more difficult for her. Just watch.

[SaveElmer]

13. You mean you aren't buying...

Many others are...

Every national poll released in the last 2 weeks has her head and shoulders above her competition in the primary...and beating both McCain and Guiliani...

She is ahead by 20 in New Hampshire...

Behind by 8 in Iowa, a state she hasn't stepped into since 2003, and virtually tied with the recent Governor of that state...

If you want an excellent deconstruction of the myth that Hillary is not the frontrunner...take a look at what Chris Bowers has to say over at MyDD...

http://www.mydd.com/story/2007/1/30/181044/219

[Warren DeMontague]

15. Even if she were the "front runner", it wouldn't mean squat. It's February of 2007.

Who was the Democratic "Front Runner" in Feb. '91? Tsongas? Mario Cuomo?

While I understand that we're all supposed to roll over for the inevitability train, the stubborn fact remains that she's got REAL problems with large numbers of Democrats right now. Take a look around. It's not just "me".

[SaveElmer]

16. Did you read the link...

Comparisons to previous campaigns are not apt...Hillary's lead in the polls is far more impressive than Lieberman's for example...

In any case I have NEVER claimed polls were predictive of a final outcome...but she IS the frontrunner right now...

And given her political skill I wouldn't personally bet on her losing it any time soon...

[Warren DeMontague]

17. We'll see, won't we.

But if I were you, I wouldn't personally bet that this coming election will be about nothing more than "political skill".

[SaveElmer]

18. No I don't think so either...

In my opinion Hillary is the best candidate and would make the most effective President...I think she will successfully convey that during the campaign...combined with her political skill...particularly at countering the right wing sleaze machine...I think makes her a very formidable and attractive candidate...

[Warren DeMontague]

25. But, essentially, all that still boils down to "political skill"

I respect the fact that you support her; as you can guess, I've got a few other names in mind. But I do think it's notable that not just in this thread, but in the provided quotes, most of her supporters refer to her "ability to win" or her "electability". That's all well and good- I agree we need someone able to run hard, and fight back---

but- aside from what a great candidate she'll be... what, precisely, is she going to run on?

[SaveElmer]

26. Well political skill is not only important in a campaign...

But in office as well..for a freshman spending most of her first term in the minority, she has become an extraordinarily effective Senator...I can send links if you would like to read about it. Some of this has gone under the radar nationally, but does explain her easy reelection...as New Yorkers are aware of it.

She has spent most of her public life as an advocate for children, the elderly and working for health care...Alot of what she accomplished as first lady has not been publicized. She initiated the Children's Health Insurance Program for example and the Adoption and Safe Families Act as well. I trust her with core principles such as choice, with social security etc...

And most of all I just think she has an air of someone who knows how to manipulate the levers of power to get things accomplished. Something I think we are gonna need to rollback the mess the Bushies have gotten us in to...

I think all of this will come out in the campaign...

[Warren DeMontague]

30. Believe me, I was paying attention during the Bill Clinton years.

One of the most inspiring moments of my life was seeing Bill, Hillary, Al and Tipper at the Daley Center in Chicago in October of '92. Me and a whole ton of other folks.

And as I've said elsewhere, I like Hillary. But for whatever reasons (and I think it's pretty obvious what some of them are) I used to like her a lot more. And -right now- she's near the bottom of my list for 2008 nominees.

For one, I think this time around "so and so is a consummate, well-connected politician." isn't gonna cut it. Folks want to talk about how this election will be different; yes, it will be. I strongly suspect this election is going to be about actual, specific things- and barring a major change to the situation, I see the first and foremost of those things as being Iraq.

But like I said, we'll see.

[SaveElmer]

34. Well...

I do think I enumerated some other reasons for my support of her...however, you are right ...we'll see!

[blm]

45. The best president for Bush2 - because she will not hold him accountable for his

crimes of office just like Bush1 was not held accountable for his crimes of office by Clinton1.

[PresidentObama]

19. Frontrunner right now isn't always the best thing.

I wouldn't want to be frontrunner right now.

And I wouldn't buy into national polls, they are meaningless at this point. Period.

[SaveElmer]

21. Means she is the frontrunner now...

Never claimed it meant anything else...it's meaningful in those terms..helps her fundraise and attract support...what she does with it is up to her...

In actuality her lead is more formidable than say Lieberman's in 2004 which everyone like to compare her too...Chris Bowers and MyDD has a piece on this...

http://www.mydd.com/story/2007/1/30/181044/219

She is also head of both the Democratic field and both top Republicans in both New Hampshire and Ohio according to latest polls...since you seem to like state polls better

[PresidentObama]

24. Nationally, she's the frontrunner.

In Iowa? In New Hampshire? Thats where she needs to focus, and of course she will!

But I think she has a tough battle to go, and SaveElmer I know you aren't one of the ones claiming the nomination for her already but a lot of people are. And personally, I think thats non sense. Gore could very well enter. Edwards and Obama are going to give her a run for her money, and could overtake her position as fundraiser. And I think Clark will play a pretty important role this time.

Hillary personally doesn't excite me, but I'll vote for her when and if she gets the nomination.

[SaveElmer]

23. They aren't meaningless...

They mean she is the frontrunner now...helps attract supporters and to fundraise...what she does with it depends on how she campaigns.,..

[snowbear]

29. Polls Schmolls...

Taint Gonna Happen.

We haven't even had a freak'n debate yet.

[RegimeChange2008]

43. Proof right there that the mediawhore polls are CRAP

Do you REALLY believe Guiliani has a snowball's chance in Hell of winning the GOP primary?? I doubt McCain does either, or he would have in 2000 when he was clearly the best qualified candidate on the 'Puke side.

[William769]

11. Hillary, Hillary, Hillary!

Your going all the way!

[mtnsnake]

14. Kerry's former fundraiser said "She's the most electable Democrat since Bill Clinton."

"She's the most electable Democrat of the entire field," Zimmerman said. "She's the most electable Democrat since Bill Clinton."

Sounds like Zimmerman is looking forward to working with a winner this time.

[PresidentObama]

20. Thats if the GOP doesn't steal another one.

And I don't think because one Kerry fundraiser said Hillary is electable doesn't make it true. She is very polarizing, and will have a tough battle explaining herself to Democrats first. I doubt she'll get the nomination, but we'll see. And I'll support her if she does.

It'd be interesting to get an official tally how many Kerry fundraisers went to Obama and Clinton.

[SaveElmer]

22. Two each right now...nt

[blm]

31. Both entered the race after Kerry spent years beating up Bush1 and then Bush2.

The Clintons hold their fire until the few with real courage in facing down the Bushes have them down on the ground.

[mtnsnake]

32. Uhh, you got it in reverse just who beat up on who.

Kerry got beat up in 2004 by Bushco2.

Bush1 got beat up by Bill Clinton, the greatest president since JFK, in 1992.

[TayTay]

33. Ah, that is wrong, flat wrong

Bill Clinton was elected in 1992 with 43% of the vote. He, like Bush in 2005, misinterpreted his win as a mandate. It was not. This is why he got rolled so quickly after he took office with all those petty scandals, including 'Gays in the Military,' Travelgate, Filegate and all that.

Clinton campaigned as a populist and as someone who was going to focus on the problems of real people. This was the subject of all his campaign town meetings and so forth. Yet, his signature piece of legislation, one of the only major pieces of legislation that he managed to get through, was that budget balancing bill. The inept management of that bill is what led to the election of the GOP Congress in 1994. The pledges by Clinton to be a populist and to, in Molly Ivins words, "dance with the ones what brung him," died from incompetence.

One of the other signature issues of the Clinton Admin was NAFTA. He promised to take care of the labor issues that NAFTA brought up in side agreements that never materialized. This nasty piece of legislation did a lot to sever the Democrats from their working class base.

What is the legacy of the Clinton Administration? What national programs can you point to that have really made a difference in the life of Americans? If Clinton is the great President you claim, then you should be able to point to something that everyone will acknowledge was a great development without having to go into 20 paragraphs of explanation. The truth is that Clinton was a mediocre President who did a lot of damage to the Democratic Party, developed almost no national programs that helped average working Americans and contributed, with his incomptence to the GOP taking over Congress and then played defense for the last six years of his term and made compromises that allowed legislation like DOMA, that was just a little less bad than what GOP would have done on their own.

[SaveElmer]

35. You're characterization of the Clinton Presidency is unaccurate...

To put it mildly...


The record...

The Strongest Economy in a Generation. Longest Economic Expansion in U.S. History. In February 2000, the United States entered the 107th consecutive month of economic expansion -- the longest economic expansion in history.

21.2 million new jobs were created since 1993, the most jobs ever created under a single Administration -- and more new jobs than Presidents Reagan and Bush created during their three terms. 92 percent (19.4 million) of the new jobs were created in the private sector, the highest percentage in 50 years.

Fastest and Longest Real Wage Growth in Over Three Decades. In the last 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased 3.7 percent -- faster than the rate of inflation. The United States has had five consecutive years of real wage growth -- the longest consecutive increase since the 1960s. Since 1993, real wages are up 6.8 percent, after declining 4.3 percent during the Reagan and Bush years.

Unemployment was the lowest Nearly the Lowest in Three Decades.

Highest Homeownership Rate in History.

Lowest Poverty Rate in Two Decades. The poverty rate has fallen from 15.1 percent in 1993 to 12.7 percent in 1998. That's the lowest poverty rate since 1979 and the largest five-year drop in poverty in nearly 30 years (1965-1970). The African-American poverty rate has dropped from 33.1 percent in 1993 to 26.1 percent in 1998 -- the lowest level ever recorded and the largest five-year drop in African-American poverty in more than a quarter century (1967-1972). The poverty rate for Hispanics is at the lowest level since 1979, and dropped to 25.6 percent in 1998.

Largest Five-Year Drop in Child Poverty Rate Since the ‘60s. Under President Clinton and Vice President Gore, child poverty has declined from 22.7 percent in 1993 to 18.9 percent in 1998 -- the biggest five-year drop in nearly 30 years. The poverty rate for African-American children has fallen from 46.1 percent in 1993 to 36.7 percent in 1998 -- a level that is still too high, but is the lowest level in 20 years and the biggest five-year drop on record. The rate also fell for Hispanic children, from 36.8 percent to 34.4 percent - and is now 6.5 percentage points lower than it was in 1993.

Improved Access to Affordable, Quality Child Care and Early Childhood Programs.

Increased the Minimum Wage.

Enacted Single Largest Investment in Health Care for Children since 1965.

Extended Strong, Enforceable Patient Protections for Millions of Americans.

An environmental budget that included a record $1.4 billion for Lands Legacy -- a 93 percent increase and the largest one-year investment ever requested for conserving America’s lands.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...


What truly kills a good number of folks around here is that Bill Clinton achieved this success not as some podium stumping liberal populist, but as a centrist Democrat...

And given his approval rating as he left office (65%) and currently (app. the same)...the American people have taken stock of his work as President and like what they had!!!

on edit: qualified the number of people I am talking to not make it look like all of DU feels this way.

[PresidentObama]

38. Excuse me....

Folks around here? Most folks around here like Bill Clinton, and most of us are liberals and realize he wasn't liberal.

I wouldn't let a few DUers opinions cloud your opinion about how the whole board feels. My parents can tell you they earned the most money ever under Clinton, and got the most opportunity to be successful under Clinton. Personally I feel Bill Clinton was a great President.

Not sure why I wanted to put my two cents in about Bill's run as President, but I did since you seemed to miss the ball on how most of DU feels about him and his Presidency.

[SaveElmer]

39. Well with all due respect...

It's more than a few...and I am glad you are not one of them...

Early last year I put up a DU poll on whether Bill Clinton was a war-criminal...25% said yes for god's sakes..of course there are a few trolls in there I am sure...but still an astounding number.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2503151

I get in these arguments about Clinton's success all the time here...probably not a majority, but a very significant number do not think highly of his Presidency...

I put a qualifier on the phrase to remove the suggestion t hat I think all DU'ers feel this way

[PresidentObama]

40. In terms of the number of DUers....

That is a few. And as far as your poll, that was just 25% of the people who voted. That wasn't the WHOLE DU. If they clicked on that thread, they probably had an opinion or else they wouldn't have clicked on it.

Most Democrats and DUers aren't the ones represented in that poll.

Clinton had different success in different areas, and you'll always get into debates about his legacy and his Presidency.

If Kerry were elected in 2004, we'd be hearing criticism on the board about his Presidency. And whomever in 2008, if it's a Democrat, same thing.

Case in point, DUers are highly opinionated. Which is how I like it :evilgrin:

[SaveElmer]

41. Well given my experience here...

I unfortunately have to stick to my opinion that it is significantly more than a few...

But I understand what you are saying!

[TayTay]

42. What lasting effect has he had on America?

The economy failed even as he was leaving office. He setup the bankers and the money people for a nice easy landing.

What did he do for the American people that still has a lasting effect? What labor provisions did he put into effect that are still protecting the rights of American workers?

The centrists are the ones who sold America down the river in terms of trade agreements labor provisions that have no protections in them at all.

Yeah, right, centrism was a big win for America. IF that is so, they why was it all so easy to reverse all this in a matter or a couple of years. This was a house built on sand, not a solid foundation. It did not ever survive past a few years of Clinton's tenure. It was easily swept away. Clinton and the other centrists believe in nothing, stand for nothing and risk nothing. That is their legacy to the Democratic Party.

[blm]

37. Kerry beat up Bush1 for years and weakened his presidency before people heard

of Bill Clinton.

Kerry and the 2004 primary candidates were the ones who helped bring down Bush2's poll numbers post 9-11 - while the Clintons spent more time publically siding with Bush than they did the Dem nominee.

And it was Kerry spearheading talk of Iraq withdrawal the entire past year and the American people agree with that - even if they DON'T know it was Kerry leading that battle.

Clinton didn't lead on ANYTHING the last 6 years, except leading moderate voters to think Bush2 had a better military strategy than Kerry did in 2004.

[RegimeChange2008]

44. Yeah well, look at what that statement is worth.....

DLC fundraisers thought Kerry was the most "electable" candidate in 2004. Look where that got us.

[Rock_Garden]

27. I just watched Hillary speak at the DNC winter meeting on C-Span2.

She sounded dynamic and spoke with passion. The woman excels at public speaking. Frankly, I'm looking forward to watching her debate this spring.

[snowbear]

28. I like the last sentence of the material you highlighted the best!

.."Meanwhile, Barack Obama picked up the backing of two other Kerry donors, Florida trial lawyer Kirk Wagar and California venture capitalist Mark Gorenberg."

~~~~~~~~~~~

And Zimmerman, pah-freak'n-leaze:

"She's the most electable Democrat of the entire field"

HAH!! ....

First of all Zimzie.. you don't know who all of the Demcratic candidates in the field will be.. And secondly, she is NOT her husband!

(although.. I do think you rock SaveElmer and admire how much you put up with from some of us.. )

Some time when you have some spare time.. I sure wouldn't mind seeing maybe the top 10 things that you like about Senator Clinton.. Maybe it would better help me understand your undying dedication.