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2016 Democratic Primary Tag

Posted by Mike LaChance on August 25, 2015 19 Comments
CNN reported last night that President Obama has given his blessing to a 2016 presidential run for Vice President Joe Biden. This news isn't completely unexpected but as Legal Insurrection readers know, it will change the landscape of the Democratic Party's 2016 primary, especially if Elizabeth Warren is involved. From CNN's report by Jeff Zeleny and Peter Morris:
Obama gives Joe Biden 'blessing' for 2016 bid Vice President Joe Biden received President Barack Obama's "blessing" to make a 2016 bid for the White House, according to a senior Democrat. But that's if Biden chooses to run -- the decision is his. While he doesn't need the President's permission, of course, a potential presidential candidacy was among the topics of their lunch Monday at the White House. The President made clear he would not stand in his way or counsel him against a run, the senior Democrat said. The Vice President was expected to huddle at his residence Monday night with Anita Dunn and Bob Bauer, the husband-and-wife team who have been at Obama's side for much of the last decade, two people familiar with the meeting told CNN. Steve Ricchetti, the Vice President's chief of staff, was also expected to attend.

Posted by Amy Miller on August 24, 2015 12 Comments
With Hillary on the ropes over the small matter of an insecure email server, and Elizabeth Warren coyly refusing a public anointing, Democrats appear ready to pull out a wild card just in time for the 2016 primary cycle. Vice President Joe Biden has proven himself to be a savvy politician and excellent campaigner. His occasional exploits quickly transition from offensive to meme-worthy, making him the sort of candidate who has the potential to further endear himself to American voters by way of his willingness to toe the line between charm and spectacle. Of course, the White House is treading carefully on the prospect of a Biden candidacy; with Obama's former Secretary of State all-in for the nomination, a sudden backing of Biden could translate as an abandonment of the Democrats' last great Idea Whose Time Has Come---a woman in the Oval Office. During todays' White House press conference, ABC News correspondent Jon Karl pressed Earnest on the possibility of Biden fielding the presidential endorsement:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 22, 2015 23 Comments
There has been speculation Joe Biden may run. There has been speculation Elizabeth Warren may run. Either of them individually would be a dream come true for the pure theater of it (and with Warren, for some other reasons). But together, it will have the conservative media and blogosphere shouting "Thank You God!" Could it be? Consider this unexpected development, first reported by CNN, Biden meets with Warren in Washington:
Vice President Joe Biden met privately with Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Saturday in his residence at the Naval Observatory, CNN has learned, another sign he is seriously deciding whether to jump into the Democratic presidential race. The meeting between Biden and Warren, confirmed by two people familiar with the session, is the biggest indication yet that Biden is feeling out influential Democrats before announcing his intentions.

Posted by Mike LaChance on August 22, 2015 5 Comments
It looks like Bernie Sanders learned something from his recent run-in with #BlackLivesMatter in Seattle because he's now taking great pains to reach out to black voters. Vanessa Williams of the Washington Post:
Bernie Sanders looks to broaden his appeal in South Carolina Bernie Sanders fired up a lively crowd of supporters Friday as he began a campaign swing through this early primary state that seven years ago helped to boost the candidacy of another senator who many thought couldn’t beat the odds of winning the presidency. Sanders even made reference to President Obama’s historic election in 2008 as evidence that the country “has in fact made real progress of overcoming our legacy of historical racism … But the bad news is racism still remains a much too real part of American life.”

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on August 18, 2015 5 Comments
Polling released by Rasmussen Tuesday show's the "Hillary meter" dropping dramatically. Rasmussen explains:
Last month, we introduced this year’s edition of the Hillary Meter to regularly update public perceptions of the former first lady on her march to the White House. Why a Hillary Meter and not one for, say, Jeb Bush or Donald Trump? Because for one thing, Clinton is far and away the leader in the race for next year’s Democratic nomination, while the winner of the Republican race is anyone’s guess. Secondly, the former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of State is an internationally known and highly polarizing figure – greatly admired by many on the left, extremely disliked on the right – who may end up being the nation’s first woman president.
The Hillary Meter is not indicative of who surveyed likely voters want, but rather who they believe will win. Also of note is that individuals surveyed are likely voters and not registered voters. Likely voters tend to (but not always) have a lower propensity for election day turn out. Though the Huffington Post argues that if 2014 is indicative of future elections -- that distinction might not make much difference any longer.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on August 17, 2015 25 Comments
Living it up in Martha's Vineyard this past weekend, the Clinton's were seen cuttin' a rug. "Hillary and Bill Clinton let their hair — and other body parts — down during a birthday party on Martha’s Vineyard this past weekend, and the candid moment was caught on tape and posted online," reports The Hill.

Posted by Mike LaChance on August 15, 2015 10 Comments
Plenty of people in political media are taking note of the large crowds Bernie Sanders is drawing at his events, but at the end of the day, it still might not be enough for Sanders to trounce Clinton. Philip Bump of the Washington Post recently took a hard look at the numbers:
100,000 people have attended Bernie Sanders events this month. That doesn’t mean much. Some 28,000 people attended Bernie Sanders's rally in Portland, Ore., on Sunday -- both in the venue and watching outside. The Fix's Chris Cillizza marveled at the turnout. "28,000 people! In August! Of an off year!" Cillizza wrote. "I mean, that is a lot. A LOT." It's an amount that exceeds one out of every 10 people who voted for Barack Obama in 2012 in Multnomah County, in fact. And then, the next day, Sanders pulled the same number in Los Angeles -- meaning that in seven events since July 1, Sanders spoke before 100,000 people. So what does this mean? I hate to say it -- and I hate to rain on Sanders' well-attended parade -- but: It doesn't mean a whole lot.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 15, 2015 17 Comments
Hillary still is the odds-on favorite to get the Democratic nomination because of her enormous war chest and gigantic operative staff and SuperPACs. But the Clinton Machine is not doing nearly as well as expected, and is in trouble in early states against Bernie Sanders. The crowds are turning out for Bernie, and Hillary's favorability and trustworthiness ratings are plummeting. Part of this is driven by Hillary's inherent phoniness and crony capitalism, but much of it is being driven by the email destruction and private server scandal. First, there was denial.  At her March 10, 2015 press conference Hillary denied there was a problem, and insisted that there was no classified information used on her personal email account. Second, there was anger that anyone would want to inspect the server, since it contained personal messages between her and Bill. Third, there was bargaining. We'll give you documents, but only what we want to give you, and when we feel like giving it to you. But no inspection of the server. Never. Fourth, there was depression, with the disclosure that there were Top Secret satellite and signals intelligence contained in emails, and that the Intelligence Community Inspector General had recommended an investigation into the potentially criminal mishandling of intelligence information.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 13, 2015 31 Comments
Hillary is politically wounded by her never-ending email scandal, which keeps sucking the life out of her favorability ratings, and has Democrats panicked with fear:
“I’m not sure they completely understand the credibility they are losing, by the second,” said one Democratic strategist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “At some point this goes from being something you can rationalize away to something that becomes political cancer. And we are getting pretty close to the cancer stage, because this is starting to get ridiculous." “Look, this is a classic example of the cover-up being 10 times worse than the so-called crime — though in this case there wasn't a crime,” said another progressive strategist. “The culture of secrecy that has surrounded the Clintons — understandably, in some cases — has now yielded a situation where she did something that wasn't necessary and looks nefarious.”
Joe Biden insiders are making it known he's seriously considering a run in the wake of Hillary's stumbles and Bernie Sanders' surprising surge. Elizabeth Warren is a likely entrant if Hillary falls further and Democrats seek a savior. Even John Kerry -- just before Hillary's current troubles started -- said "Nobody says never"' -- so he must be relishing a run now, particularly if he cements the Iran deal. But the best sign that Hillary is in trouble is that even Al Gore insiders are talking up a potential run. Yes, Al Gore. From Buzzfeed, Al Gore Insiders “Figuring Out If There’s A Path” For Him To Run:

Posted by Mike LaChance on August 10, 2015 26 Comments
The Democratic Party recently released its primary debate schedule and compared to the prolonged schedule of 2008, it's tiny. Party leaders are obviously trying to protect Hillary Clinton by limiting the amount of damage that could be done to her campaign in debate soundbites and video clips, but her Democratic rivals are calling foul. Ed Henry of FOX News recently shared what he's hearing from other Democrats and makes an excellent point. Back in 2008, the brutal primary battle between Obama and Hillary made Obama a better candidate. Via the Washington Free Beacon:
Henry: Democrats Tell Me They’re ‘Worried’ About Clinton Avoiding Media and Debates Fox News correspondent Ed Henry said Friday Democrats have told him they are “worried” about Hillary Clinton’s ability to get into general campaign shape due to the party’s limited debate schedule and her avoidance of the media. “I hear from Democrats, actually, they’re worried about Hillary Clinton,” he said. “Not taking a lot of questions from the media, although she’s started doing more, we should note. But also not doing debates until later because she’s not going to get into fighting shape. One reason Barack Obama was so tough in 2008: he had a brutal primary against Hillary Clinton. A lot of debates. They were tough. They mixed it up, but that made Barack Obama a better candidate.”
Watch the video:

Posted by Mike LaChance on August 08, 2015 10 Comments
While everyone has been talking about the Republican debate on Thursday night, the Democratic Party finally announced its (small) debate schedule. It's almost like the party wants to minimize the number of times Ms. Clinton appears in a debate with her challengers, some of whom are already complaining. CNN reported:
CNN to host first Democratic presidential debate CNN and the Democratic National Committee announced Thursday the network will host the first Democratic primary debate in Nevada on October 13. The exact location will be announced in the coming weeks. CNN's is the first of six planned that the Democratic Party announced Thursday. DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said the schedule will give Democratic voters plenty of time to vet the candidates, though some Democratic candidates are already complaining there should be more debates. "With six debates scheduled  --  at a pace of roughly one per month  --  voters will have ample opportunities to hear our candidates discuss their visions for our country's future," Wasserman Schultz wrote Thursday in a post on Medium.

Posted by Amy Miller on August 05, 2015 21 Comments
Are you ridin' with Biden? If you're reading articles on Legal Insurrection, probably not; but I'd be willing to wager anyone spending as much time as we have analyzing the Republican field isn't planning on voting for Biden, Hillary Clinton, or any other candidate with a "D" after her name. When news started sprinkling down about the very real possibility of a Joe Biden presidential run, I saw a lot of conservatives expressing serious tongue-in-cheek (or not? Time will tell) excitement about what that campaign would look like. That excitement wasn't political---not by any means; it was purely the type of anticipation you feel before the lights go down in the movie theatre. But if even conservatives are ready for a Democratic palette cleanser to wash away the bitterness that has been Hillary Clinton's campaign thus far, how must Democrats be feeling? RNC Chairman Reince Priebus talked to the Today Show's Savannah Guthrie about the one quality that could put Joe Biden over the top in the Dem primary---likability. Watch, via Mediaite:

Posted by Leslie Eastman on August 04, 2015 20 Comments
The Democratic Party side of the 2016 Presidential race got a bit more intriguing this week, after Vice President Joe Biden released a zeppelin-sized trial balloon:
Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his associates have begun to actively explore a possible presidential campaign, which would upend the Democratic field and deliver a direct threat to Hillary Rodham Clinton, several people who have spoken to Mr. Biden or his closest advisers say. Mr. Biden’s advisers have started to reach out to Democratic leaders and donors who have not yet committed to Mrs. Clinton or who have grown concerned about what they see as her increasingly visible vulnerabilities as a candidate. ...On Saturday, the New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd reported that Mr. Biden had been holding meetings at his residence, “talking to friends, family and donors about jumping in” to challenge Mrs. Clinton in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two nominating states.
There can be no doubt that the Democratic Party is rethinking its coronation strategy. Legal Insurrection has chronicled Hillary Clinton's problem-riddled campaign. The "highlights" from last month alone include these chestnuts.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on July 30, 2015 8 Comments
Though it's no longer leading the headlines, EmailGate is still alive and well. Hillary Clinton's use of a personal email account and private servers during her tenure as Secretary of State was bound to be problematic. When use of a private email account initially surfaced, Clinton repeatedly insisted no classified information was sent from her personal email account. Late last week, the Inspector General debunked Clinton's claims saying classified information had in fact been transmitted through the former Secretary's private email.
The inspector general for the intelligence community has informed members of Congress that some material Hillary Clinton emailed from her private server contained classified information, but it was not identified that way. Because it was not identified, it is unclear whether Clinton realized she was potentially compromising classified information. The IG reviewed a "limited sampling" of her emails and among those 40 reviewed found that "four contained classified [intelligence community] information," wrote the IG Charles McCullough in a letter to Congress. McCullough noted that "none of the emails we reviewed had classification or dissemination markings" but that some "should have been handled as classified, appropriately marked, and transmitted via a secure network." The four emails in question "were classified when they were sent and are classified now," spokeswoman Andrea Williams told CNN. McCullough said that State Department Freedom of Information Act officials told the intelligence community IG that "there are potentially hundreds of classified emails within the approximately 30,000 provided by former Secretary Clinton."

Posted by Mike LaChance on July 29, 2015 12 Comments
As Ed Morrissey comments at Hot Air, "Profiles in Courage this ain’t." At a campaign event in New Hampshire yesterday, an attendee asked Hillary if she would approve the Keystone XL Pipeline. Her answer, if you can call it one, was that she would answer the question if and when she becomes president. Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post wasn't impressed:
Hillary Clinton’s ridiculous hedge on Keystone XL "If it’s undecided when I become president, I will answer your question," Clinton said. "This is President Obama's decision. I'm not going to second-guess him." Er, what? Clinton went on to note that she was in a position unique among the 2016 field due to her time as secretary of state. "I'm in a different position than any other candidate," Clinton said. "I was there. I put this process together. I oversaw it for four years." (Because the pipeline would begin in Canada, its approval -- or not -- is in the hands of the State Department.) Uh huh.

Posted by Mike LaChance on July 26, 2015 19 Comments
Vermont's "independent" "Socialist" Senator Bernie Sanders may have a lock on the left-wing vote but Hillary Clinton is doing everything she can to stop his rise. In so doing, the ultimate crony capitalist is demonstrating, once again, that she has no core set of beliefs other than in obtaining power. Hillary is adopting Sanders' platform attacking capitalism not because she believes it, but because she hears Bernie's footsteps gaining on her in the polls. In a recent speech at NYU, Hillary Clinton claimed that capitalism needs a reset and proposed changes to capital gains taxes. Tory Newmyer of Fortune reports:
Hillary Clinton: Capitalism is out of balance, needs a reset Hillary Clinton wants to hike capital gains taxes as part of her plan to discourage short-term thinking among corporate executives and investors. The Democratic presidential front-runner laid out her plan to retool the tax treatment of investment earnings on Friday as part of an ongoing series of speeches fleshing out her economic program. She proposed extending from one to two years the period that top earners would need to hang on to an investment before seeing the 39.6% tax rate applied to it start to fall. And she would lower the rate slowly, over a six year period, down to the 24% rate for longer-term investments — a tweak that she said would help refigure a system that’s bent itself out of shape over the last few decades. Capitalism itself, she said, “needs to be reinvented, it needs to be put back into balance.”

Posted by Amy Miller on July 24, 2015 24 Comments
Are you ridin' with Biden in 2016? If you're reading this article, chances are you're not; but if you're a Democrat, and you're on the fence about who to support in the upcoming primary battle, there's a super-PAC that would like a few minutes of your time. The prospect of a Biden presidential run feels like a fever dream (or nightmare, depending on how easily amused by political theatre you are.) Since he first took his place as Vice President in 2009, Biden has defined himself not by savvy policy moves, but by behavior that likens him more to America's Crazy Uncle Joe than America's #2 Leader. Still, his believers are out there in the form of the Draft Biden PAC, and they're starting a major grassroots push aimed at convincing the Vice President to make a run for the Oval Office. Watch:
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