Clinton campaign holds conference call on the state of the race, primarily in Pennsylvania

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s communication directors Howard Wolfson and Phil Singer and policy director Neera Tandan held a conference call to discuss the state of the race. In response to Sen. Obama’s remarks on Pennsylvania voters, Singer said what ultimately matters is the substance of the comment, and that Obama has not spent enough time in Pennsylvania to get to know the communities.

Wolfson said that Clinton understands that it is unwise and inappropriate to “talk down to voters about their values and beliefs” which he said is what many believe Obama did. They said during the call that this has become an important issue in the race, and is of “tremendous importance” to voters in Pennsylvania.

Wolfson also said Obama is outspending Clinton two to one in Pennsylvania this week. He said if Obama fails to win the Pennsylvania primary it will be another sign that he is unable to win in the large states that a candidate on the Democratic ticket would need to win in November. He said the Clinton campaign believes “the road to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue runs through Pennsylvania.”

Singer discussed Obama’s refusal to release tax returns from 1997, 1998, and 1999, and said Clinton has over 20 years of tax returns in the public domain. He also said that the campaign remains confidant that there will be a resolution so that votes from the Florida and Michigan primaries will be counted.

Tandan said the economic plan that presidential candidate Sen. McCain is presenting today is a plan that American’s can not afford, and that Clinton’s economic vision is to restore the American middle class, and focuses on the middle class rather than corporate interest. She also said Clinton is laying out an agenda to ensure that a manufacturing base is maintained in the United States.

The conference call participants said they are hopeful that Clinton will get the party nomination for president, but Howard said regardless of the outcome he believes voters will unite to support the party’s candidate against McCain.

Clinton, Petraeus, and the debate over Iraq

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) greets Gen. David Petraeus before he testifies at the Senate Armed Services committee


Gen. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker testify before the Senate Armed Services committee


Gen. Petraeus and Amb. Crocker surrounded by Capitol Hill photographers


Code Pink protesters before the Iraq hearing at the Senate Armed Services

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Obama campaign conference call discusses views from Pennsylvania on NAFTA, job losses, and the Clinton campaign

The Obama campaign held a conference call with International Brotherhood of Teamsters President James Hoffa and Rep. Ryan Dvorak (D-ID) to discuss voter opinions in Pennsylvania and Indiana, and the role of Mark Penn in Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

Hoffa said the current trend in Pennsylvania is that Clinton’s numbers are going down, and Obama is gaining on her. Hoffa said he has been campaigning for Obama at teamster’s conferences, talking about issues on trade, employee free choice, and Obama’s vision to keep jobs in the country and amend the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). He said the aftermath of NAFTA is “still going on, still devastating America.” Hoffa said that Obama told him he was going to amend NAFTA and reverse the provisions that provide subsidies and tax relief for companies that leave the United States. Dvorak said Indiana also started with support for Clinton, but momentum is now moving forward to support Obama.

Hoffa also said that the latest issue with Clinton’s former chief strategist Mark Penn has hurt her credibility, and the “smartest thing she can do is to jettison him.” When asked to comment on comparisons between Penn and Obama’s senior economic policy adviser Austan Goolsbee’s meeting with officials at the Canadian consulate, Hoffa said there was “no comparison” because Penn was getting paid to lobby, and Goolsbee was just attending a meeting.

Hoffa was also asked to compare the labor situation in Pennsylvania to Ohio. He said Ohio was perhaps even more devastated by job movement than Pennsylvania, but that even though Clinton beat Obama in Ohio, he is still closing in on her in Pennsylvania. He said the movement for Obama is surprising and encouraging, and that unions are working hard to support him.

Clinton, Obama echo one another on issues

Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Barack Obama (D-IL) spoke to a crowd of largely CWA members to thunderous applause and multiple standing ovations about their plans as potential presidents of the United States on issues that ranged from labor unions and health care to broadband internet and green energy, from the mortgage crisis and the looming recession to NAFTA and the pending Colombia trade agreement.

Both democratic nominees expressed solidarity with union members and criticized the current Bush administration for their lack of support for the labor movement. Clinton allied herself with union workers as the “underdogs,” who kept persevering despite being told to back down. Clinton said she planned to make the Employee Free Trade Act “the law of the land.” Both candidates called for an end to privatization and outsourcing of American jobs, and Clinton promised to end tax breaks and subsidies to oil companies if elected. Obama pledged to invest $150 billion over ten years in green technology and new jobs that cannot be outsourced.

Both candidates advocated making high-speed internet available to all Americans to enable them to compete within the global economy. They also opposed Pres. Bush’s attempt to secure a trade agreement for Colombia, urging Congress to oppose the deal and call for an end to Colombian violence before negotiations are made. Clinton called herself the only candidate with a specific plan about how to fix NAFTA, and also said that Obama has no plan for universal health care. Obama said he opposes NAFTA, that he is the only candidate who will help middle-class families, and acknowledged that although he and Clinton have run a “fierce campaign,” no one can afford another four years of Bush policy. He called for an end to fighting in Iraq, and a new fight for American infrastructure.

Both candidates also compared Sen. McCain to Bush and said that McCain would worsen the damage caused by the Bush administration. Clinton said that if McCain received a 3 a.m. phone call with an economic crisis at hand, he would let it continue to ring. Obama criticized excessive war spending as wasteful, negated a 100 year occupation in Iraq alluding to a comment made by McCain, and urged America to say no to a metaphorical Bush third term.

Clinton campaign discusses economic red phone ad, Cleaver's remarks, PA primary and more

Mark Penn, chief pollster for the Clinton campaign, and Howard Wolfson, communications director for Clinton’s campaign, held a conference call to discuss developments in the race for the democratic presidential nomination. They were joined by Phil Singer.



A caller mentioned Clinton’s new 3 a.m. economic phone call advertisement and asked for a specific example of who would be on the other line and what crisis would be at hand. Penn answered that the world is a fast moving global economy that requires real-time decisions that can affect the US economy.

When asked to respond to Clinton supporter Congressman Cleaver’s (D-MO) remarks that Obama would win the nomination, Wolfson said that while they are grateful for Cleaver’s support, they obviously disagree with that analysis and believe that Sen. Clinton will be the next president of the United States.

In response to questions about Obama’s high March fundraising figures, Wolfson said that the Clinton campaign knew Obama would raise more money than them and that nevertheless the Clinton campaign has the resources it needs to be successful. Wolfson also referenced past wins in Ohio and Texas despite being outspent, and cited Obama’s outspending in Pennsylvania by 4-1 where Clinton still prevails in the polls.

Wolfson said the Clinton campaign would release March fundraising figures by April 20. He also said that late last week Sen. Clinton herself promised that her tax returns would be available within a week, and will follow through with that commitment.

Wolfson also said that the road to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. goes through Pennsylvania, and claimed it should be a fair fight between Clinton and Obama for the state. He said that if Obama fails to win PA—regardless of the margin of the vote—that would raise serious questions about his ability to win in the general election.

Wolfson reinforced his belief that Clinton is more likely to be elected in the general election by citing an NBC morning email that displayed two hypothetical maps of Clinton versus McCain and Obama versus McCain in the general election, and said that Clinton has won all but one of what were allegedly her “toss up states” in the primaries while Obama has lost six of his.