The weekend has ended and it's back to Hillary News & Views roundups!
As always, Clinton's direct quotes are in bold. Also note that at the end of the post, I am now including direct transcripts of speeches that were prepared by me. (So if there are any mistakes, you know who to blame!) Only two so far: Friday night's speech in Iowa and her keynote earlier this year at the Women in the World summit.
Let's kick things off with a profile of Clinton's political director, Amanda Renteria, from the Los Angeles Times. After sharing Reneteria's backstory, the article provides insight into Clinton's massive outreach campaign to Latino voters:
Clinton's campaign is burning through an eye-popping $230,000 per day in this stage of the campaign, and much of it is going toward making contact with voters more aggressively than is the norm so early on, whether it be through hiring field organizers with community ties, investing in the newest microtargeting technology or holding events like the one in Philadelphia.
The Clinton team is scouting for consultants in every state with a large Latino presence to develop localized strategies for boosting turnout. Buzz-stirring events like the Dreamers gathering Clinton held in Nevada in early May are conceived with input from local activists.
Renteria's presence on the campaign is sending a powerful signal to Hispanic voters:
"It means a lot to us in the Latino community to have someone like Amanda at the table making decisions … and making sure the community is at the table," Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.) said.
Rep. Xavier Becerra of Los Angeles, also a Democrat, said Clinton's appointments of Renteria to one the campaign's most senior jobs and of Lorella Praeli, a Dreamer, to be the director of Latino outreach, resonated deeply among Latino leaders. "Those are the decisions that make you feel like [Clinton] is one of us," he said.
Reneteria herself has a fascinating theory about why Clinton resonates so well with Hispanic voters:
When Clinton last ran for president, in 2008, two Latinos voted for her for every one who voted for Barack Obama in the Democratic primaries.
"Everyone has the abuela who ran the show when it came to dinner, giving you a hard time about school, or how you treated your parents," Renteria said, using the Spanish word for grandmother. "That strong woman you look up to in the Latino community.... There is a lot in the community we see in her."
More news and views after the jump!
Noted liberal columnist Paul Krugman of the New York Times has shared his praise for Clinton's economic plan and willingness to build her policies based on evidence:
Hillary Clinton gave her first big economic speech on Monday, and progressives were by and large gratified. For Mrs. Clinton’s core message was that the federal government can and should use its influence to push for higher wages...
Mrs. Clinton’s speech reflected major changes, deeply grounded in evidence, in our understanding of what determines wages. And a key implication of that new understanding is that public policy can do a lot to help workers without bringing down the wrath of the invisible hand...
So there was a lot more behind Hillary’s speech than I suspect most commentators realized. And for those trying to play gotcha by pointing out that some of what she said differed from ideas that prevailed when her husband was president, well, many liberals have changed their views in response to new evidence. It’s an interesting experience; conservatives should try it some time.
For those wondering where Hillary Clinton was while Netroots Nation was happening, the answer is Arkansas. The Washington Post explains how the visit to a solidly red state plays into her national efforts to rebuild the Democratic Party on the state and local level:
The visit highlighted Clinton’s effort to fortify and revitalize state and local Democratic parties as she runs for president, including in areas where victories have been hard to come by in recent elections.
“I am well aware that here in Arkansas, last year was a hard one for Democrats,” said Clinton. “But don’t forget voters did come out and pass an increase in the minimum wage,” said Clinton, seeking a silver lining.
Part of Clinton’s plan to help state Democrats around the country is simply showing up and boosting ticket sales to dinners. Her speech at the Jefferson-Jackson dinner in North Little Rock comes after appearances at similar dinners in New Hampshire and Virginia in recent weeks.
This nationwide strategy isn't just about helping Clinton in the primary and the general:
Clinton aides say they are trying to build a broad national coalition that extends well beyond the states that vote early in the primary. Last month, the campaign said it had dispatched 51 organizers to build volunteer networks in the 46 non-early states and had held or scheduled 320 organizing meetings there.
Arkansas Democratic Party chairman Vincent Insalaco said the prospect of Clinton being at the top of the ticket in 2016 has made it easier to recruit Democrats to run for state and local offices.
“It’s not going to happen overnight, but we need to start recruiting good Democratic candidates and then running them at every level,” Clinton said.
And to close on a poignant note, the same sex couple that were featured in Clinton's campaign video launch have tied the knot. The video was released only weeks before the Supreme Court affirmed marriage equality as a Constitutional right.
The happy couple tweeted Hillary's letter congratulating them on their marriage:
For more on Clinton, check out…
The Hillary 2016 Platform Series
Part 1: Criminal Justice Reform
Part 2: Immigration Reform
Part 3: Voting Rights
Unfiltered Hillary: The Transcripts
July 17, 2015: Iowa State Democratic Party Hall of Fame Dinner
April 23, 2015: Women in the World Summit
Crossposted at Hillary HQ.com, an independent, progressive blog committed to electing Hillary Clinton as the next President of the United States.