Last night, I attended what was (according to the campaign staff and Sen. Clinton) the first "open" fundraiser for Sen. Clinton's presidential campaign, which featured a Q & A with Sen. Clinton. A few notes before I proceed to the account:
- I do not work for Sen. Clinton's campaign, nor any other, in a volunteer or other capacity. At this time, I have no plans to leave my private sector position for any campaign.
- Yes, I gave money to the Clinton campaign to attend this event. However, Clinton is not "my candidate" in that she is the only candidate I find acceptable or am likely to give money to. She, Edwards, and Obama are my "top three" at this point, and I would be hard-pressed to say "if the primary election were today, who would you vote for?" Among declared Presidential contenders on the Democratic side, the only ones I would absolutely rule out are Gravel and LaRouche.
- I am a long-time admirer of Sen. Clinton both as first lady and as Senator from New York. I did a fair amount of volunteer work for her 2000 campaign. As a constituent, I feel she has generally done an excellent job as Senator.
- I did not take notes during the fundraiser, and unless I specifically indicate otherwise, what I provide below are paraphrases and summaries of the speeches and Q&A. My memory is imperfect.
With that, let's get to the meat...
The event was held at Ciprani 42nd Street, a common venue for fundraiser and benefit events in Midtown Manhattan, directly across the street from Grand Central Terminal. When entering the venue, there were 15-20 protesters chanting "What are you waiting for/Hillary stop funding the war." There was no confrontation whatsoever between the protesters, campaign staff, and/or attendees. A smaller group of protesters remained after the fundraiser concluded.
Doors opened at 6 PM, with open wine and soda bar for "general" attendees. There was a separate space apparently for the "high dollar" donors, who I assume had additional smaller group time with the Senator. Overall attendance was probably around 500-750, with the demographic primarily being 25-55, about evenly split among men and women, and fairly overwhelmingly caucausian. Standard "pump up" music plays throughout. Clearly, however, someone was monitoring for content, as "For The Love Of Money" was cut off before the chorus.
At about 7, Peter Daou, Clinton's Internet Director, took the stage to introduce Sen. Clinton. He began by touting the numbers of enrollments through Clinton's website, including (I believe) over 100,000 signups in the first 48 hours, 50,000 questions submitted for the webcase, 25,000 submissions for first guest blog post, etc. A lot of emphasis on the idea that the campaign will use the Internet to "have a conversation" with the voting public. At one point, Daou specifically says "If you're not blogging, you should be." He introduces Sen. Clinton (though, interestingly, not with the phrase "the next President of the United States...," as is common at these things).
Clinton takes the stage to "Right Here, Right Now." She gives the standard issue "thank you" speech, thanking her staff, the attendees, the venue staff, etc., and again emphasizes the "conversation" theme before opening the floor to questions (which clearly were not pre-screened). I'm sure I'm going to miss some and keep some out of order, but this is a rough standard.
Question 1--Energy Policy.
Answer--Wonky, but crisply delivered 5 point plan, including increased emphasis on conservation (a la California), public-private partnership (modeled after DARPA) to develop new energy sources, increased efficiency standards across the board, continuing development of alternative sources, including biofuels (corn ethanol specifically mentioned).
Question 2--Clearly hostile, "Why won't you defund the Iraq War?"
Answer--Two points emphasized. First, Sen. Clinton made the point that the Senate can't really pass anything without 60 votes. Second, Sen. Clinton asserted that the President was determined to send the troops with or without Congressional approval, and she did not feel comfortable defunding the troops or support troops knowing that's the case. Change has to come from the top, and we're working on that.
This questioner continued to shout through the next question and answer, demanding that the Democrats fillibuster the appropriations bill, and was eventually escorted from the hall. (There was no violence or otherwise.) At one point, Sen. Clinton was unable to hear the next question over this questioner's yelling, and curtly (but politely) stated "You've had your turn."
Question 3--In her opening statement, Sen. Clinton referenced bringing the Iraq War to "the right end." What is that "right end?"
Answer--While we want to extricate our troops, we need to do so in a way that doesn't accelerate the Iraqi Civil War, allow for genocide (particularly against the Kurds), increase El-Amanbar Province as a stronghold for Al Qaeda, and increase instability in the region. We should begin bringing our troops home with those goals in mind, but not lose sight of those goals. We can't just "wave a magic wand" and solve all the problems. She closed by saying "You can shout about it, or try to do something about it.'
Question 4--Will you talk to Syria and Iran?
Answer--Yes. Talking to hostile regimes is not a sign of weakness. Comparison drawn to Cold War era, when there were constantly communications between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. We must rebuild our credibility on the world stage and our alliances, so when there is need for use of force, we can do so effectively. After 9/11 and in Afghanistan, we generally did it right.
Question 5--Gay Marriage.
Answer--Support civil unions and "equality before the law," oppose FMA, support additional sexual orientation non-discrimination provisions in federal law and addition of sexual orientation to hate crimes laws. Marriage is a state issue, not a federal one.
Question 6--Diversity on The Bench
Answer--Will endeavor to appoint diverse judicial nominees in contrast to current administration, hope they are confirmed quickly and fairly, unlike under "Bill's" administration.
Question 7--You're viewed as cold and uncaring sometimes. How will you combat that?
Answer--I don't think that's a fair perception. Do you think that's a fair perception? (Applause/approval from audience that it is not.) I'm going to be myself, and I hope and believe the American people will respond to it.
Question 8--Universal health care, how do we get there?
Answer--Lays out the basic contrasting models of how to get there--employer-based vs. single payer. Does an informal "show of hands" survey of the audience as to preference. Only about half of the audience participates. Of that half, about half favor each of the alternatives. She says the division is typical, and indicates that we need to find a solution using both. She has "lots of ideas," but is still working on a precise model.
Question 9--How will you support small businesses, especially scientific labs?
Answer--Attack on Bush administration science policy for politicizing science. Will endeavor to eliminate obstacles to small business being bidders for government contracts, special emphasis on women/minority-owned small businesses having equal access.
Question 10--Where do you stand on "clash of civilizations" theory?
Answer--We must engage the Islamic world, not respond with constant aggression. Big emphasis on education--many parents send their sons to Madrassahs because they're the only available option, and figure it's better to send them there than nowhere. We have to talk, not just fight.
Question 11--Immigration reform?
Answer--Support comprehensive immigration reform. Supported the Senate bill last term even though it was "imperfect." Want to secure our border to ensure we know who's in the country and protect immigrants from being taken advantage of by smugglers and sying crossing the border. Also supports "earned path" to citizenship to allow people to "come out of the shadows."
This is a lot longer than I'd originally hoped. If there are questions or similar, I'm happy to answer in the comments. Hope this is useful and/or interesting.