Hillary Clinton’s Homestretch Appeal
EmailABC’s David Chalian reports: Despite calling herself "the most paranoid campaigner," Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) will not only be campaigning for her reelection in the final 40 days of the midterm election season.
Appearing before the Democratic National Committee’s "Women’s Leadership Forum," Sen. Clinton said that she intends to campaign for Democratic candidates around the country in the next six and a half weeks.
Clinton said she plans to travel to Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Rhode Island in the coming weeks. Sen. Clinton also plans a big fundraising event next week at her home in Washington, DC for the DSCC and DCCC, the Democratic campaign committees charged with winning congressional majorities in each chamber. (Start clocking the time it takes her Republican opponent in New York, John Spencer, to criticize her for being more focused on a national campaign than on the Empire State.)
"I earnestly solicit your continued help," she said as she placed the goal of raising $5 million between now and the end of October for the Democratic committees and individual candidates to fight back against Republican attempts to outspend Democrats "four-five-six-seven to one."
The New York Democrat highlighted the competitive Senate race in Missouri as an example of what she aims to combat with the last minute money she seeks to raise. Clinton praised the Democratic challenger, Claire McCaskill, running against Sen. Jim Talent (R-MO) in one of the most closely watched races in the country. McCaskill was edging ahead of Talent, Clinton claimed, when outside conservative "Swift Boat type" groups came in and "dumped so much negative TV in Missouri" that McCaskill "dropped a little" in the polls.
"The damage done over the last six years is incalculable. We are in a deep hole and Republicans want to keep digging," Clinton said in an attempt to scare up some dollars.
Clinton urged the supporters in the room to focus exclusively on these midterm elections. She said if the Democrats have enough money to compete with the Republicans she thinks taking back the House is within reach and that Democrats may even have a shot at the Senate as opportunities, such as Sen. George Allen’s troubles in Virginia, are presenting themselves in unexpected races.
October 3 – Senate candidate Jim Webb (D-VA)
October 4 – "Unity Gala" fundraiser for the DSCC/DCCC at "Whitehaven," the Clinton home in Washington, DC
October 7 – Senate candidate Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in Ohio
October 8 – House candidate Diane Farrell (D-CT) in Connecticut
October 13 – House candidates Patrick Mruphy (D-PA), Joe Sestak (D-PA), and Lois Murphy (D-PA) in Pennsylvania
October 27 – Senate candidate Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) in Rhode Island
Florida is TBD
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Hilary may be able to impress her followers and raise the 5 million that she has targeted, but come November 2006 she will be surprised that the Democrats have spent all that money for nothing. They will certainly be in a deep whole!
Posted by: Peter Kottaras | September 29, 2006, 1:11 am 1:11 am
I respect and admire Hillary more than most politicians and would be proud to vote for her if I lived in NY. When she was 1st Lady, I sent an email asking about mentorship programs for young children (none exist). I actually got a call back from her team with a message from her. I was amazed at this personal interest and responsiveness. That’s the kind of representative I would want as my Senator. Go H!
Posted by: karen | October 1, 2006, 9:54 am 9:54 am
No matter how efficient and dedicated a campaigner she is, I’m afraid that I could never vote for Hillary to become President of the USA; after all, she did fail the D.C. Bar Exam.
I think the intellectual and academic standards for President of the USA ought to be higher than Hillary has been able to demonstrate competitively.
Posted by: R Canon | October 3, 2006, 11:17 am 11:17 am
R Canon, let me be the first (today) to call you a moron. Even Hillary’s harshest critics acknowledge that she is extremely smart, some say bordering on brilliant.
Say all you want about her views, etc but there’s no arguing that the woman is SMART.
Do you consider our current President to be smarter than Hillary? Surely, you can’t….
Posted by: JoshS | October 3, 2006, 3:59 pm 3:59 pm
Speaking of “Bar” Exams, Bush II has set the “bar” at about ankle height. The man is a functional illiterate, because he does not read. Hillary, or anyone else, for that matter, might not be able to salvage America’s future from the disasters Bush and the GOP have perpetuated, but I will vote straight Democratic ticket until the budget is balanced and our troops are home.
Posted by: Chris Brudy | October 22, 2006, 11:50 am 11:50 am