Hillary Clinton’s Second Email Scandal

[portlander23]

Last edited Tue Sep 15, 2015, 10:21 PM - Edit history (2)

As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, the Huffington Post is reporting that Hillary Clinton has launched her first negative attack against Bernie Sanders via one of her Super PACs:

A super PAC backing Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is going negative, circulating an email that yokes her chief rival Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to some of the more controversial remarks made by Jeremy Corbyn, the United Kingdom's new Labour Party leader, including his praise for the late Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan leader who provided discounted fuel to Vermont in a deal supported by Sanders.

... the email highlights how Sanders helped negotiate a program with Venezuela's national oil company in 2006 that provided discounted heating oil assistance to low-income Vermonters. The senator said it was "not a partisan issue," in the state, which was the sixth to make the deal. His support for the program was apparently enough to merit a mention, since Corbyn has written that the late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez's "electoral democratic credentials are beyond reproach."

It has been reported that the PAC in question is openly coordinating with Mrs. Clinton’s campaign, in contravention of the spirit of the law, and potentially the letter. Correct the Record, the PAC in question, also has a questionable relationship with Media Matters, which is similarly acting on Mrs. Clinton’s behalf.

Mr. Sanders has already responded to the attack:

"Yesterday, one of Hillary Clinton’s most prominent Super PACs attacked our campaign pretty viciously. They suggested I’d be friendly with Middle East terrorist organizations, and even tried to link me to a dead communist dictator," the email from Sanders campaign reads. "It was the kind of onslaught I expected to see from the Koch Brothers or Sheldon Adelson, and it’s the second time a billionaire Super PAC has tried to stop the momentum of the political revolution we’re building together."

As usual, Mr. Sanders is correct.

So far, Mrs. Clinton nor her Correct the Record super PAC surrogates have denied the existence of the email nor apologized for it.

While Mrs. Clinton has claimed that she would not forgo the use of super PACs in light of the expected use of them on the Republican side, this crosses a line. For sure, Mr. Sanders has attacked Mrs. Clinton directly, though he has refused to resort to smears:

This is a political campaign. For all of Mr. Sanders' politeness, he is campaigning to win, as should Mrs. Clinton. What is disturbing here is that Mrs. Clinton is embracing the post Citizens United landscape by not only having a super PAC, but openly coordinating with one and using swift boat style tactics to attack someone who is ostensibly on her side of the political divide. How are we to trust that if she were to win the Presidency, she would dismantle a system that so directly benefits her?

Clinton Super PAC Attacks Bernie as Dems Double Down on Dark Money:

Despite all of the high-minded rhetoric put forth by mainstream Democrats to overturn Citizens United and end the influence of money in politics, those very same politicians are increasingly relying on dark money groups to serve as campaign strongmen when the going gets tough.

Less than one week after presidential contender Hillary Clinton presented her plan to overhaul campaign finance, a super PAC representing the Democratic front-runner has begun circulating negative emails bashing rival Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Mrs Clinton is right to attack Mr. Sanders. She should be worried about his candidacy. That said, she should have considered her audience, because people are reacting to the sleazy billionaire funded tactics:

Let the anti-Bernie Sanders red-baiting begin: Hillary Clinton’s super PAC wants you to know that he’s a socialist

War is coming to the Democrats: Why Clinton vs. Sanders is about to get very ugly

Bernie Sanders rejects 'vicious' attack over his support for UK Labour leader

Mia Farrow: More reason to respect Bernie RT A Pro-Clinton Super PAC Is Going Negative On Bernie Sanders

Hillary Rosen: odd move. Looks to me like a play to Bernie's strength.

Dan Pfeiffer: I am one who thinks Clinton should engage Sanders, but this is clumsy from her allies

Pro-Hillary super PAC goes negative on Sanders

A pro-Clinton Super PAC attacked Bernie Sanders over ties to UK Labour leader. Here's why

Pro-Clinton Super PAC Goes After Bernie: Progressive Battle Lines Now Drawn

Hillary Clinton super PAC claims Bernie Sanders will be friendly with terrorists

It begins: Pro-Hillary PAC smears Bernie Sanders over Single Payer

Clinton Camp Goes Negative on Bernie Sanders for First Time

Hillary and her SuperPAC just welcomed Bernie Sanders to the top tier

CLINTON CAMPAIGN SLAMS BERNIE FOR SAVING POOR PEOPLES' LIVES

Will Hillary disavow this super sleazy email from her Super PAC?

A Pro-Clinton Super PAC Is Going Negative On Bernie Sanders

Email from Bernie: Attacked by a Clinton Super PAC

Clinton Super PAC goes after Bernie, Linking Him To Hugo Chavez

Marie Antoinette: Let them eat cake. Clinton Super Pac: Let them freeze

....and the negative Clinton SuperPAC attacks have begun.…

As Bernie surges in the polls and poses a serious threat in the early states, Mrs. Clinton has pivoted away from her former progressive rhetoric, fully embracing her position as a moderate, and the voice of the establishment. With this move, she’s solidified her position as the standard bearer of Wall Street and large money interests.

Mrs. Clinton is no longer one of the voices against Citizens United, but the candidate of Citizens United.

This is the latest misstep in Mrs. Clinton’s campaign, especially considering that the base is who’s most paying attention. This clumsy, failed attempt to define Mr. Sanders will define her instead. If this is truly not the candidate she intends to be, she needs to apologize or deny this attack, divest from Correct the Record and all dark money groups, get the people’s back, and get her sh*t together. This won’t cut it in 2015.

UPDATE

Email confirmed, no apology forthcoming:

This is who Mrs. Clinton is.

[upaloopa]

1. This is complete bull shit. The email was written

by who knows who of Correct the Record to a Huffington post reporter in reply to a story they wrote.
It is not Hillary going negetive on Bernie.
But the truth does not sell papers.

[Eriteo]

6. And besides, the email thing is not a scandal nt

[HooptieWagon]

7. Correct The Record PAC coordinates with her campaign.

There is a loophole in the law that appears to permit this since CTR operates online.

[Historic NY]

34. Just like the Bernie PAC the ones he says he doesn't know about..

it will be a loophole too when his so called unauthorized PACS operate in his name.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2015/07/15/theres-a-new-super-pac-for-bernie-sanders-it-wants-billionaire-donors/

[HooptieWagon]

35. No.

Hillary's 'Correct the Record' Super PAC is permitted to directly coordinate with the campaign due to a loophole in the law...they only operate online.
Sanders has no Super PAC that operates that way, thus there is no coordination between campaign and Super PAC. Plus, he's done no fund-raising for a Super PAC.

[portlander23]

38. Bernie Sanders Sent Super Pac a Cease and Desist Letter in June

http://thebernreport.com/bernie-sanders-sent-super-pac-a-cease-and-decist-letter-in-june/

One of the latest news articles to make the rounds this week has been the story of how a certain Super Pac called called Americans Socially United has been raising money this year in the name of Bernie Sanders. The high-profile donation of 50K to the shady organization by James Bond actor Daniel Craig no doubt brought light to what is going on. The Super Pac is run by Cary Lee Peterson and has nothing to do with Bernie Sanders or his official campaign.

Sanders opponents were quick to assume they finally found some dirt on Bernie. They rubbed their hands together and squealed with delight as the news came out……until they read the rest of the story. When they learned that Bernie has and never had any control of this Super Pac was never connected to it in anyway they sighed with disappointment.

[Warren DeMontague]

8. 'written by who knows who'

so you're saying she can't control the messaging of her surrogates and allies?

Where's that crackerjack, well-disciplined campaign organization we've heard so much about? Maybe they're too busy poll-testing the assorted spontaneity rollout proposals?

[dorkzilla]

10. I’m not sure what you mean. Someone from a SuperPac that SHE is OPENLY coordinating with

sent the email to a HuffPo reporter and the reporter reported on the email. It actually *IS* Hillary going after Bernie. Otherwise, where is her condemnation/correction/retraction/apology? Crickets.

Here is the HuffPo article.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-jeremy-corbyn_55f73339e4b00e2cd5e79e11

I don’t get why you’re saying it is complete bullshit because it ain’t.

[peacebird]

18. ^^^this^^^

[leveymg]

13. It takes a cow's udder to make milk, too. The source was her mini-SuperPAC.

Don't compound the error by denying it. I do wish that her $15 million war chest bought more substance and fewer mishaps.

[jeff47]

20. If it was unauthorized, where's the condemnation of the staffer

or any other effort to distance herself or the PAC from the email?

[upaloopa]

23. It had absutely nothing to do with Hillary

The Huffingon Post reporter put out the contents of an email to him. Read the Huffington Post article.
It was a private email to the reporter by someone with Correct the Record.
It is another 2 & 2 makes 6 bull shit lie about Hillary.

[jeff47]

25. So Correct the Record and Clinton's campaign were lying when they said they'd coordinate?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/05/12/how-a-super-pac-plans-to-coordinate-directly-with-hillary-clintons-campaign/

[Duckhunter935]

27. That's gotta sting

[upaloopa]

29. Yep 2 plus 2 equals 6

[jeff47]

31. Really? You actually want to go with "Clinton's campaign is lying"?

Or are you going to pretend it is just so, so hard these days to put out a statement disapproving of that email?

Or are you going to pretend you don't know what "coordinate" means?

[Scootaloo]

32. Be kind

His private reality is crumbling around him. It's like the ending of The Never-ending Story.

[jeff47]

33. I am...I haven't given him the link to Brock admitting the email was genuine.

(need a snark smilie)

[upaloopa]

39. The email was genuine. That isn't the issue. It had nothing to do with Hillary.

The email, sent to a Huffington Post reporter in response to an article about Corbyn and Sanders without any agreement that it would be off the record,



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-jeremy-corbyn_55f73339e4b00e2cd5e79e11


But this is a waste of time trying to tell the truth to people who don't want the truth.

[upaloopa]

37. The story is bull shit.

[jeff47]

40. If that's true, then the Clinton Campaign or Correct the Record are lying.

Which one do you think is lying?

[Fawke Em]

28. Reporter email is not personal unless you explicitly tell the

reporter it's off the record or on background.

Someone with David Brock's background in working the media should know this.

[upaloopa]

30. It wasn't Hillary going negetive on Bernie

which is what all the OP's were about.

[HooptieWagon]

36. So Hillary will be firing David Brock?

If she's lost control over her staff, then they'll be fired right?

[Mika]

2. "tried to link me to a dead communist dictator". HUH? WTF?

Hugo Chavez a dictator???

Looks like I'm taking a fresh look at Jill Stein.

[whatchamacallit]

5. Yeah, what's that about?

I love Bernie, but someone needs to remind him of the facts here.

[dorkzilla]

11. Who is Bennie? nt

[whatchamacallit]

14. Lol!

One finger, iOS autocorrect strikes again...

[dorkzilla]

15. LOL! You have my sympathy!

In the evening after I’ve gone a’bed I type on my kindle fire and HOLY CRAP does that thing autocorrect like nobody’s business! You can tell what I’ve typed on because of the number of edits on my posts!

[whatchamacallit]

16. Yup :P

[jeff47]

26. IMO, he's talking about the media characterization of Chavez.

After all, the goal of Correct the Record's email was to smear Sanders to the media.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. This is reprehensible behavior on her part, and she should disavow it at once, among other steps.

[thereismore]

4. A candidate of Citizens United. Ouch. nt

[AtomicKitten]

9. Keith Olbermann pegged it in '08.

She ran against Obama as if she was the Republican and he the Democrat.

[dorkzilla]

12. She is a SHITTY campaigner

I’m not even arguing (not right now anyway) that she’d be a lousy president, its just that she’s such an awful campaigner that she’ll never get beyond the bridesmaid stage. She has totally lost touch with who she is.

And that is why DWS is trying to control how many times the public gets to see her in action.

What a fucking turn-off.

[Warren DeMontague]

17. seriously.

It's almost breathtaking to behold, it's so bad.

My red flags went up when I saw the country music video and then the syrupy kickoff announcement, replete with "I'm getting ready, too" and "I want to empower communities and families".

Barf.

Cringe-worthy stuff.

[portlander23]

22. Olbermann did have her number

[0rganism]

19. kick for the Rick & Morty clip

for Rick & Morty - always!

[nichomachus]

21. Never ever

Turn your back on Hillary. That clan has no morals.

[99Forever]

24. Yep. Another huge gaping self-inflicted wound.

Camp Clinton, royalty of screw-ups.