"Webb joins field for Democratic nomination" by Ken Thomas Associated Press July 03, 2015
WASHINGTON — Jim Webb, a decorated Vietnam veteran and accomplished novelist who became a fierce critic of the Iraq war, announced Thursday that he’s challenging Hillary Rodham Clinton and other rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Now I see why he hasn't been getting much pre$$.
Webb, in a statement posted on his campaign website, acknowledged he would face major hurdles but vowed to bring an outsider’s voice to the 2016 race, dominated by Clinton.
‘‘I understand the odds, particularly in today’s political climate, where fair debate is so often drowned out by huge sums of money,’’ Webb wrote. ‘‘I know that more than one candidate in this process intends to raise at least a billion dollars.’’
But the former Virginia senator added, ‘‘We need to shake the hold of these shadow elites on our political process’’ and find fresh answers to the nation’s problems.
Okay. He sounds downright "conspiratorial" even though he i$ right.
Webb, 69, a Navy secretary under Republican Reagan, became a Democrat in response to the Iraq war and served one term in the Senate after his election in 2006.
He surprised many fellow Democrats when he became the first major figure in the party to form a presidential exploratory committee in November.
Maybe I should cross over (registered independent) for the primary instead.
Webb’s campaign message centers on helping working-class Americans compete in the economy, reworking the campaign finance system, and preventing the United States from getting involved in foreign entanglements like Iraq and Afghanistan.
James Washington Webb?
Webb has made frequent trips to the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, but without the impact that Clinton brings to the race or the unexpected success of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders at raising campaign money and drawing crowds in his own longshot challenge. Also in the field: former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley and former Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee.
Yeah, Webb could make things sticky for Hitlary.
Webb’s opposition to the Iraq war, in which his son Jimmy served, was key to his surprise Senate win in 2006 against the GOP incumbent in Virginia, George Allen.
Yeah, I remember. I devoted endless hours to ensuring the Republicans didn't steal another election and was elated when the Democrats won. And what did we get? Not a check on Bush executive power, but a surge of troops in Iraq!
While Webb chose not to seek reelection in 2012, his military and foreign policy credentials could make him a debate-stage foil to Clinton, who served as President Obama’s secretary of state.
He said in his campaign announcement that as president, he would not have urged the invasion of Iraq, and as senator, he would not have voted to authorize it, as Clinton did.
Webb has said US foreign policy has been ‘‘adrift’’ since the end of the Cold War, and he called for a new doctrine that would outline the circumstances in which the United States would use military force.
He's wrong about that. It's been the Clean Break for Israel and the Project for the New AmeriKan Century, be it neo-conservative or neo-liberal methods that are the same thing.
A graduate of the Naval Academy, Webb served in the Marines as a company commander in Vietnam and wrote an acclaimed novel, ‘‘Fields of Fire,’’ about the war.
At the end of the war, Webb became a Republican, worked in the Defense Department, and was Navy secretary at the end of the Reagan administration. But he opposed President George W. Bush’s decision to invade Iraq in 2003 and was recruited by Democrats to challenge Allen.
In the Senate, Webb focused on foreign affairs and veterans issues, and he was the driving force behind a GI Bill for post-9/11 veterans seeking to attend college.
Webb has said he needs to raise enough money to mount a ‘‘viable’’ campaign, which could be critical to competing with Clinton and Sanders.
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The money is the key to coverage:
"Super PACs backing Clinton report raising $24 million" Washington Post July 03, 2015
WASHINGTON — Seven-figure checks from billionaires Haim Saban and George Soros helped four independent groups supporting Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 2016 presidential bid bring in more than $24 million in the first half of the year, officials said Friday.
That raised red flags here. The Rothschilds the other day, and now these Jewish billionaires are backing her.
Also Friday, aides to Clinton challenger Bernie Sanders said the senator from Vermont raised $15 million in largely small-dollar contributions during the past two months.
We are being told it's small donations by the pre$$, but Bernie is being backed by the same Jewish billionaires as a controlled opposition outlet so "liberals and leftists(?)" can feel good about themselves before being drawn back into the fold. His purpose -- much like Ron Paul's -- is to avoid any third-party Perot or Nader.
It’s a strong showing of grass-roots support for an outsider candidate, but Sanders lags far behind Clinton’s reported haul of $45 million for her own campaign committee.
Also this week, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson said he has raised more than $10.5 million since March for his underdog campaign for the GOP nomination.
Kind of been forgotten, and the $$$ amount is surprising. At least the political economy is healthy, huh?
He, Clinton, and Sanders are the only 2016 candidates to date to disclose their early fund-raising totals, which are due to be reported to the Federal Election Commission later this month.
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"From Clinton, a multi-generational message in N.H." by Monica Disare Globe Correspondent July 04, 2015
HANOVER, N.H. — Hillary Rodham Clinton kicked off her Fourth of July weekend by telling about 850 people at Dartmouth College that two people motivated her run for president: her mother and her granddaughter.
Her mother, Clinton said, instilled in her a steadfast belief in kindness, while her granddaughter makes her think about “what kind of world will be waiting for her.”
“That’s what keeps me up at night,” Clinton said.
That is so disingenuous unless you take it only as speaking over the people and to the global elite. Her husband has done almost as much as any other to turn this world into a shit hole.
Clinton’s mixed-generational message was apt for the crowd she addressed Friday afternoon — Dartmouth students mingled with longtime Clinton supporters.
So how much did the campaign pay for the rent-a-mob?
Lois Little, 67, of New London, N.H., became a Clinton fan 24 years ago but decided not to wear the “Madame President” shirt she bought during Clinton’s unsuccessful 2008 presidential run to avoid jinxing Clinton’s chances.
“She’s a very dynamic person, very intelligent,” Little said. Her husband nodded in agreement.
Among those who have watched Clinton for years were some who were lukewarm toward her — but nonetheless likely to vote for her. Julie McCashin, 52, of Hanover, said she was not a diehard Clinton fan, but she was “diehard anti-Republican.” McCashin said Clinton has the best chance to beat the eventual GOP nominee.
I've become tired of the identity politics. I don't like to be associated with any doctrine other than freedom and liberty. The false dichotomies of corporate Democrat and Republican no longer fooleys.
Little and McCashin stood in the same crowd, eating hamburgers and potato salad, with Thuy Le, 20, a Dartmouth sophomore who said her philosophy aligns more with Senator Bernie Sanders, another Democratic presidential contender. Le watched Clinton’s speech with a group of five other Dartmouth sophomores who said they were trying to decide between Clinton and Sanders.
What about Webb?
Parker Gardner, 20, on campus for the summer, said that Clinton was likely the “best option” but he needed more information to be certain.
At the Friday event, he said he hoped to hear about her personal journey into politics, not just her policy positions.
Clinton will have to appeal to both demographics to be successful both in the Democratic primary and perhaps in the general election. Her speech tried to do just that.
She argued that she is the best candidate to improve the economy, disparaging the economic policy efforts of former Republican presidents.
“These are folks who just don’t know the theory of original sin,” she said, “because we wouldn’t have had to have a recovery if we hadn’t had the kind of poor management and bad economic policies that put us into the ditch in the first place.”
In no way is this a defense of Republicans, but your former boss was selected, 'er, elected to get us out of that ditch. Instead, the wealth inequality has soared further and is now on a fast track. Was an allegedly filibuster-proof Congress he had, too, and all we got was crappy corporate health care.
Is she live or a recording?
In about 10 days, she said, she would release more details on her economic platform.
In the meantime, she ticked through a laundry list of issues important to her campaign, including voting rights, immigration, clean energy, cybersecurity, and removing big money from politics. She praised the Supreme Court’s recent decisions on health care and same-sex marriage.
Clinton ended her speech with a set of personal stories. She told the crowd about her mother’s troubled childhood and said her mother kept going because people showed her kindness along the way. She pledged to bring this type of kindness to the White House.
And a thousand points of light in a kinder, gentler nation?!!?
“I think we are a nation that really believes in a helping hand,” she said.
To certain $elect intere$ts; other than that, it's f*** the rest of you. I mean, c'mon, all the corruption and money-hoarding at the Foundation, etc, etc. Who does she think she is fooling as she talks over the top of the public?
And she cited her young granddaughter as her inspiration to work toward creating a world the next generation will be proud to inherit.
Scary stuff.
“That flag which we’ll see in parades and at picnics and flying proudly in front of houses this weekend, that flag represents, I believe, humanity’s best progress,” Clinton said. “I want to be proud, and I want my daughter and granddaughter to be proud.”
I got some tea leaves for you to see regarding flags.
Margaret Mulley, 65, said Clinton’s speech “was very competent and powerful.”
But not all the college students were convinced.
As Mariana Almeida, 19, and Andrew Jeon, 20, walked away from the event, they said they enjoyed the speech. But as for which candidate they will ultimately support — both walked away undecided.
Danielle Foullon, 54, left the event with one piece of advice for Clinton: “Hillary, don’t play it safe.”
Looking for a job?
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Related:
Also see: Democratic Candidates Take on Student Debt For 2016
This scroll of posts now makes me current on the campaign. Time to get off the trail.
NDU:
Selfie requests shift the focus for campaigns
With all due respect, I'm sick of the self-centered shit being constantly pushed by the ma$$ media.
NDU:
Selfie requests shift the focus for campaigns
With all due respect, I'm sick of the self-centered shit being constantly pushed by the ma$$ media.
