Is it November yet? Could this election get smarmier? There are live wires lying all over the place, so be careful where you step. There is the serious.
After a New York Times report that Donald Trump may have avoided paying taxes for nearly two decades, Hillary for America Campaign Manager Robby Mook released the following statement:
“There it is. This bombshell report reveals the colossal nature of Donald Trump’s past business failures and just how long he may have avoided paying any federal income taxes whatsoever. In one year, Donald Trump lost nearly a billion dollars. A billion. He stiffed small businesses, laid off workers, and walked away from hardworking communities. And how did it work out for him? He apparently got to avoid paying taxes for nearly two decades – while tens of millions of working families paid theirs. He calls that ‘smart.’ Now that the gig is up, why doesn’t he go ahead and release his returns to show us all how ‘smart’ he really is?”
Someone sent an envelope to the New York Times with the key pages of one year of Trump’s tax returns, 1995. The pages revealed that, that year, Trump claimed over $900 million in losses.
That means Trump could have made over $50 million a year for nearly two decades and paid nothing in federal taxes. (The I.R.S. lets taxpayers apply loses for up to 18 years to offset future and past income.)
The losses stem from “a dizzying array of deduction, business expenses, real estate depreciation, losses from the sale of business assets and event operating lawsuits” that flow from various entities control by Trump to his “personal tax returns.”
And there is the patently ridiculous. Donald Trump tells an audience that Hillary is not loyal to the husband she almost has to bite her tongue to keep from mentioning in every speech she makes.
Then there is the purloined comment supposedly hacked at a fundraiser that generated yesterday’s #basementdwellers hashtag on Twitter. Only thing about that one is that Hillary said the same thing, out loud, to a whole rally audience in Raleigh in June. It was not a scandal then and reflects what she has been told by those young voters.
I’m sure we all have stories. I’ve met so many who told me they can’t start a business. They can’t even move out of their parent’s basement because of all the student debt holding them back.
In the face of every serious allegation, Trump ups the sleaze factor. It’s enough to make your eyes and ears bleed and precipitate hives, migraines, acid reflux, nausea, and ulcers to mention just a few ways Hillary supporters have told me they are sick this election season. Trump has taken this way personal and beyond the pale. Deplorable!
Donald Trump is running for the office of chief executive of the United States. Executives must make decisions. Some are difficult. Hillary Clinton wrote a whole book on that subject.
The problem for Donald Trump is that he just cannot decide. First there was the VP announcement fiasco. It was going to be Pence, all the pundits predicted, as the Indiana governor landed at Teterboro in N.J. Holed up at a hotel and awaiting further instruction from the Trump team, Pence was thrown a curve when the Donald decided that he was not so sure about his decision. Hillary for America unveiled a new ad targeting Trump’s vacillation on the matter.
Following Donald Trump’s announcement that Governor Mike Pence is his running mate, Hillary for America is releasing a new web video, “Indecisive Donald,” raising the question of how Donald Trump will run the country if this is how he makes a decision selecting a Vice President. Yesterday, Donald Trump received widespreadcriticism for his erratic and indecisivehandling of the VP nominatingprocess.
Donald Trump and Mike Pence’s campaign unveiled their new logo on Saturday, one day after a logo for the campaign was widely mocked on social media for appearing to be sexually suggestive.
In the run-up to the nominating convention, Trump’s equivocation is two for two, and that is not counting past flip-flops and waffles. A woman should be punished for an abortion, or, wait, maybe it should be the doctor. No matter what, I am keeping Corey Lewandowski on … until I don’t. Then there is the matter of people who performed work for him that he decided was good until it came time to pay them, and then he didn’t like it that much and decided not to pay them, and then he hired the same people for more work that maybe he wasn’t going to like.
It is not just that Americans deserve a POTUS who doesn’t shuffle and shift. It’s that the finger hovering over the button cannot afford to be jumpy. Once they are launched, you cannot get the missiles back.
Every time I hear Carly Fiorina or Donald Trump talk about Hillary as secretary of state I think they have never read Hard Choices. Seems Hillary had the same thought and also the wherewithal to do something about it!
Darren McCollester—2015 Getty ImagesDemocratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a town hall event at Manchester Community College October 5, 2015 in Manchester, New Hampshire.
“There are so many of them they could start a book club.”
“You know, I hear the Republicans talking from time to time in their debates and elsewhere and they say things like, ‘Oh, I don’t know what she accomplished as Secretary of State. She didn’t accomplish anything,’” she said at Strawberry Farm Bed and Breakfast in Muscatine, Iowa. “I listened to that for a while. And then I thought maybe they just don’t know, so I have now sent each of them a copy of my book, Hard Choices, about what we did during those four years.”
A campaign aide said the idea for the book distribution came after the Republican debate last month, when Clinton was discussing with aides between events in Maine and New Hampshire the Republican focus on her accomplishments as Secretary of State. She proposed sending her book to the candidates, along with a letter introducing them to her record. Her campaign followed through with her suggestion, sending the following letter to 14 candidates.
I understand that you and your fellow Republican candidates for president were questioning my record of accomplishments at your last debate, so I thought you might enjoy reading my book, Hard Choices.
From working to restore America’s standing in the world to bringing crippling sanctions to Iran to negotiating a ceasefire in Gaza, please enjoy all 596 pages of my time as secretary of state. With 15 candidates in the race, you’ve got enough people for a book club!
Hillary has penned a revised epilogue for the paperback edition of Hard Choices. Here is an excerpt.
Becoming a grandmother has made me think deeply about the responsibility we all share as stewards of the world we inherit and will one day pass on. Rather than make me want to slow down, it has spurred me to speed up. As Margaret Mead said, children keep our imaginations fresh and our hearts young, and they drive us to work for a better future. I’ve also returned again and again to this question of universality – how much we all have in common even if the circumstances of our lives may be different. As you’ve seen throughout this book, one of the defining themes of my time as Secretary of State was our increasing global interdependence. Despite all the division and discord in the world, which sometimes can seem overwhelming, the basic fact of the 21st century is that we’re more connected than ever. If the United States continues to lead the world in the years ahead, as I believe it can and must, it will be because we have learned how to define the terms of our interdependence to promote more cooperation and shared prosperity and less conflict and inequality. As we’ve seen since the first edition of this book was published in June 2014, the negative side of interdependence remains potent — whether it was the spread of virulent new strands of extremism in the Middle East or old-style nationalism in Europe or a deadly epidemic in Africa. Our job is to build up the positive side. The United States and the other great democracies have to redouble our efforts to empower moderates and marginalize extremists everywhere, and to stand firmly and united in pursuit of a more just, free, and peaceful world. That’s the world I want for Charlotte and for all our kids.
Among all the gifts and cards that arrived not long after Charlotte did was a package from a woman who had watched her 83-year old mother stitch together beautiful quilts for many years and wanted to give it a shot. “This is my first and only attempt to sew a memory quilt for anyone,” she explained. Inside I found a red, white, and black patchwork that included panels with inspiring inscriptions and famous photos of Chelsea through the years. I held it up to the light and had to smile at the familiar images. A “memory quilt” was a good name for it. It was hard to believe that the baby girl I was holding in one photo could be the same poised and lovely woman being married in another. Yet there she was. I wondered for a moment what a quilt of my own life would look like. There were so many people who had taught me so much. And now I had one more. In just a few months, Charlotte had already helped me see the world in new ways. There was so much more to do. So many more panels waiting to be filled in. I folded up the quilt and got back to work.
Within days of the birth of her first grandchild Hillary was back campaigning for Democrats, making speeches, and collecting honors and awards as well.
10/01/14
New York NY
Stella 34 (Macy’s)
TAPS.org Lifetime Service Award
10/02/14
Coral Gables FL
Books & Books
Book signing
10/02/14
Miami Beach FL
Loew’s Miami Beach Hotel
Keynote at CREW Convention
10/02/14
Miami FL
Miami Biltmore
Fundraiser for Charlie Crist
10/06/14
Ottawa ON
Ottawa Convention Centre
Canada 2020 Special Event Keynote
10/08/14
Chicago IL
Economic Club of Chicago
Campaign for Pat Quinn
10/08/14
Chicago IL
Barnes & Noble
Book signing
10/08/14
Chicago IL
McCormick Place
AdvaMed 2014 Keynote Speech at Plenary Session
10/09/14
Philadelphia PA
National Constitution Center
Campaign rally for Tom Wolfe
10/12/14
San Diego CA
San Diego Convention Center
Speech American Academy of Pediatrics
10/13/14
Denver CO
The Brown Palace
CO Senate Fundraiser
These were not at the Brown Palace. They were at Union Station – an unannounced stop.
10/13/14
Las Vegas NV
Bellagio Resort
UNLV Foundation Annual Dinner Keynote Speech
10/14/14
San Francisco CA
Keynote: Dreamforce
10/15/14
Louisville KY
A convention center & Dem HQ
Campaign event for Alison Lundergan Grimes
10/16/14
Auburn Hills MI
Oakland University
Campaign event for Gary Peters and Mark Schnauer
10/20/14
San Francisco CA
Fairmont Hotel
DCCC Fundraiser luncheon w/ Nancy Pelosi
10/20/14
Brentwood CA
Tavern
DCCC Fundraiser w/ Jeffrey Katzenberg
10/21/14
Aurora CO
Radisson Denver Southeast
Campaign Event for Mark Udall
10/23/14
New York NY
Women’s Equality Party Rally for Andrew Cuomo
10/23/14
St. Paul MN
Macalester College Leonard Center Fieldhouse
Free rally for Mark Dayton
10/23/14
St. Paul MN
St. Paul River Centre
Fund raiser for Gov. Mark Dayton
10/24/14
Providence RI
Rhode Island College Recreation Center
Campaign for Gina Raimundo
10/24/14
Boston MA
Boston Park Plaza Hotel
Campaign event for Martha Coakley
10/24/14
Scarborough ME
Scarborough HS
Campaign event for Mike Michaud
10/25/14
Charlotte NC
Charlotte Convention Center
Campaign event for Kay Hagan
10/27/14
Somers NY
Pinnacle at Heritage Hills country club
Campaign event for Sean Patrick Maloney (running against Nan Hayworth)
10/29/14
Cedar Rapids IA
Union Hall
Grassroots Campaign event for Bruce Braley
10/29/14
Daverport IA
RiverCenter
Rally for Bruce Braley
10/30/14
Washington DC
Georgetown University
Speech: Women’s Economic Participation
August is the month when Hillary tries to take what passes for a vacation in her world. As Secretary of State, she took a break in August despite Henry Kissinger’s warning not to make such an attempt. Several times in those years, we saw her meager respite disturbed by world events or the call of duty. This year, even as a private citizen, Hillary Clinton proved that she just cannot quite disconnect herself. She did spend time relaxing in Amagansett, but not without interruptions to sign some books.
Hillary’s long-anticipated memoir, Hard Choices, was released on June 10 and with it came long summer weeks of appearances and book-signings. In some cases, speaking events were paired with book sales: attendees received a signed copy at the event. The enviable “selfie” of the summer, if not with Hillary herself, was the photo of the wristband.
The status symbol was the autographed copy of the book.
Hillary graced the cover of People Magazine and toured the talk show circuit to promote the book.
06/02/14
Denver CO
Intertech Plastics Tour
06/02/14
Broomfield CO
1st Bank Center
Keynote: Unique Lives and Experiences
06/09/14
NBC Studios
Taping of interview with Cynthia McFadden NBC News
06/09/14
New York NY
ABC Studios
Appearance: Primetime Special with Diane Sawyer
06/10/14
New York NY
ABC Studios
Appearance: GMA with Robin Roberts
06/10/14
New York NY
Union Square Barnes & Noble
Book signing
The first of many….
06/10/14
Chicago IL
Arie Crown Theater
United Fresh Produce Association and the Food Marketing Institute
Keynote session
06/11/14
Chicago IL
Harris Theater
Chicago Ideas with Mayor Rahm Emmanuel
06/12/14
New York NY
Council on Foreign Relations
Address: Reflects on her career in government
06/12/14
New York NY
World Resources Institute
Courage to Lead Luncheon
06/12/14
New York NY
Bronx Zoo
Wildlife Conservation Society Honor
with Chelsea Clinton
06/13/14
Philadelphia PA
Free Library of Philadelphia
Book signing
06/13/14
Washington DC
George Washington University
Politics and Prose: Talk and book signing
06/14/14
Arlington VA
CostCo
Book signing
06/16/14
Toronto ON
Sheraton Toronto Centre
Hard Choices : A Conversation/Book Promotion
06/16/14
Toronto ON
Indigo Bay & Bloor (Manulife Centre)
Book signing
06/16/14
Cambridge MA
Harvard Book Store
Book signing
06/17/14
Washington DC
Smithsonian Institution
Hillary awards James Smithson Bicentennial Medal to Ralph Lauren
06/17/14
New York NY
FOX Studios
Prime time interview with Greta Van Susteran and Brett Baier
06/17/14
Washington DC
Newseum
CNN Live Town Hall
06/18/14
Edmonton AB
Shaw Conference Centre
Keynote: Hard Choices : A Conversation/Book Promotion
06/18/14
Seattle WA
University bookstore
Book signing
06/19/14
Los Angeles CA
The Grove Barnes & Noble
Book signing
06/19/14
Los Angeles CA
(Century City)
Hyatt Regency Century Plaza
Public Counsel Dinner William O. Douglas Award
06/20/14
Austin TX
Book People
Book signing
06/20/14
Austin TX
Long Center
Hard Choices : A Conversation/Book Promotion Hard Choices
06/22/14
Kansas City MO
Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland
Hard Choices : A Conversation/Book Promotion Hard Choices
06/23-25/14
Denver CO
Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel
CGI America 2014
06/23/14
Denver CO
Tattered Cover Bookstore
Book signing
06/25/14
La Jolla CA
Warwick’s Books
Book signing
Vcal was there and shared these pics.
06/25/14
San Diego CA
San Diego Convention Center
BIO Convention: Keynote speech
06/25/14
San Francisco CA
SHN Orpheum Theater
Hard Choices : A Conversation/Book Promotion
Hillary with Mark G. Murphy!
06/26/14
San Franciso CA
Book Passage
Book signing
06/27/14
Little Rock AR
Walmart
Book signing
FLOAR Ginger Beebe welcomed Hillary.
06/27/14
Dayton OH
Books & Co (Books-a-million) The Greene Shopping Center
Book signing
Amy Dugan caught on camera outside the bookstore.
06/29/14
Chappaqua NY
Chappaqua Library
Book signing
Rumana Alvi was there for this one!
06/30/14
Aspen CO
Aspen Ideas Festival
A Conversation live via Facebook
It was quite a month due to this book with a busy July right on its heels!
Throughout her tenure as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton advocated for an end to the embargo on Cuba which she regarded as providing the Castro regime with a foil for its domestic failures.
When Alan Gross, a U.S.A.I.D. contractor, was detained in Cuba in December 2009, Hillary commenced a long-term effort to procure his release via direct engagement with Cuban officials as well as third party efforts. In her memoir, Hard Choices, Hillary states, “One of my regrets as Secretary was our failure to bring Alan home.” Alan Gross left Cuba today, released on humanitarian grounds due to health issues, accompanied by his wife, Judy, with whom Secretary Clinton remained in close touch during her tenure.
In Hard Choices, Hillary noted that a condition Cuban officials levied on Gross’s release was our release of five convicted Cuban spies. Three of those individuals have been freed in exchange for Gross’s freedom. Two others were released earlier upon completing their sentences.
The exchange signals a thaw in U.S. – Cuba relations that will include re-establishment of diplomatic ties. As Secretary of State, Hillary visited 112 countries. Cuba was not among them. Perhaps she will soon have the opportunity to visit as a private citizen. One of Hillary’s last acts as Secretary was to pen a letter to President Obama containing the recommendation that the Cuban embargo be re-examined. Today it appears likely that the embargo will be terminated sooner rather than later.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Cuba will start talks on normalizing full diplomatic relations, marking the most significant shift in U.S. policy toward the communist island in decades, American officials said Wednesday. The announcement comes amid a series of new confidence-building measures between the longtime foes, including the release of American Alan Gross and the freeing of three Cubans jailed in the U.S.
Given the chapter on Latin America in her memoir (pages 266 – 289), a statement supporting the action she suggested, encouraged, and actively pursued really was not necessary. Hillary released one nevertheless. Anyone who has read her book knows that she campaigned for lifting the embargo right from the start and was a major force in the effort to revise the Cuba policy.
(Reuters) – Former U.S. Secretary of State and potential presidential contender Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday she supported President Barack Obama’s move to establish diplomatic ties with Cuba after more than 50 years of hostile relations.
“Despite good intentions, our decades-long policy of isolation has only strengthened the Castro regime’s grip on power,” Clinton said in a statement. “As I have said, the best way to bring change to Cuba is to expose its people to the values, information and material comforts of the outside world.”
She added: “I support President Obama’s decision to change course on Cuba policy, while keeping the focus on our principal objective – supporting the aspirations of the Cuban people for freedom.”
Secretary Kerry’s statement on Cuba policy changes.
Announcement of Cuba Policy Changes
Press Statement
John Kerry Secretary of State
Washington, DC
December 17, 2014
I was a seventeen year old kid watching on a black and white television set when I first heard an American President talk of Cuba as an “imprisoned island.”
For five and a half decades since, our policy toward Cuba has remained virtually frozen, and done little to promote a prosperous, democratic and stable Cuba. Not only has this policy failed to advance America’s goals, it has actually isolated the United States instead of isolating Cuba.
Since 2009, President Obama has taken steps forward to change our relationship and improve the lives of the Cuban people by easing restrictions on remittances and family travel. With this new opening, the President has committed the United States to begin to chart an even more ambitious course forward.
Beginning more than twenty years ago, I have seen firsthand as three presidents — one Republican and two Democrats — have undertaken a similar effort to change the United States’ relationship with Vietnam. It wasn’t easy. It isn’t complete still today. But it had to start somewhere, and it has worked.
As we did with Vietnam, changing our relationship with Cuba will require an investment of time, energy and resources. Today’s step also reflects our firm belief that the risk and the cost of trying to turn the tide is far lower than the risk and cost of remaining stuck in an ideological cement of our own making.
This new course will not be without challenges, but it is based not on a leap of faith but on a conviction that it’s the best way to help bring freedom and opportunity to the Cuban people, and to promote America’s national security interests in the Americas, including greater regional stability and economic opportunities for American businesses.
In January, as part of the President’s directive to discuss moving toward re-establishment of diplomatic relations, my Assistant Secretary for the Western Hemisphere Roberta Jacobson will travel to Cuba to lead the U.S. Delegation to the next round of U.S.-Cuba Migration Talks. I look forward to being the first Secretary of State in 60 years to visit Cuba. At President Obama’s request, I have also asked my team to initiate a review of Cuba’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.
Going forward, a critical focus of our increased engagement will continue to be on improving the Cuban Government’s respect for human rights and advocating for democratic reforms within Cuba. Promoting freedom of speech and entrepreneurship and an active civil society will only strengthen Cuban society and help to reintegrate Cuba into the international community.
Other news emanating from the State Department today includes the forthcoming departure of U.S.A.I.D. Administrator, Dr. Rajiv Shah. Some will remember the “infinite frustration” Hillary expressed early in her term in filling that post. Dr. Shah has done a magnificent job. We should all be grateful for his dedicated service.
If you are venturing out this Black Friday and would like to give someone a special gift this holiday season, here are a few ideas. This weekend, Barnes & Noble will have some signed copies of Hard Choicesavailable.
Go to their link below or click on the image to find a B & N near you. N.B. Signed copies available only in stores.
It is possible that your Hillary friends already have Hard Choices – perhaps even signed. In that case I strongly recommend another memoir from Hillary’s State Department. The Dispensable Nation by Vali Nasr is excellent. An advisor to Richard Holbrooke at the State Department and strong Hillary Clinton ally and supporter, Nasr provides his account of efforts by the Secretary of State and the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP) to bring peace to the region. It is the book Hillary did not write and serves as an informative backstory to Hard Choices.
In the event you are thinking of something a little pricier, another cool idea would be to get a Nook, Kindle, or other tablet and pre-load it with e-copies of both of these.
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"If you can, please chip in to support the Flint Child Health & Development Fund, which is working to provide health care and educational support to families in Flint affected by this crisis." - Hillary Clinton
Thank you for everything, Mme. Secretary!!!!
Thank you for all of your dedicated service and brilliant leadership!
Hillary Clinton’s Cover Letter to Congress on the ARB Report
Hillary because…
She would NEVER have allowed social safety nets to be "on the table."
Read the unclassified ARB Report on Benghazi here.
@U.S. Senate: Time to ratify LOST!
"... ratify the Law of the Sea Convention, which has provided the international framework for exploring these new opportunities in the Arctic. We abide by the international law that undergirds the convention, but we think the United States should be a member, because the convention sets down the rules of the road that protect freedom of navigation, provide maritime security, serve the interests of every nation that relies on sea lanes for commerce and trade, and also sets the framework for exploration for the natural resources that may be present in the Arctic." -HRC, 06-03-12, Tromso Norway
"I deeply resent those who attack our country, the generosity of our people and the leadership of our president in trying to respond to historically disastrous conditions after the earthquake." - HRC 01-26-10
Good Advice!
“You can’t keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbors. Eventually those snakes are going to turn on whoever has them in the backyard.” HRC
Hillary! Leadership we need!
Politics & Foreign Policy
"What I have always found is that when it comes to foreign policy, it is important to remember that politics stops at the water's edge." -HRC 11-04-10
What a difference one woman can make!
"...whether it’s here, in the absolute best embassy in the world, or whether it’s in Washington, or whether it’s elsewhere, what a difference one woman can make. And that woman is right here, the woman who needs no introduction, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton." 07.05.10 - Unidentified speaker, Embassy Yerevan
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"So, ladies and gentlemen, I give you your Secretary of State, and perhaps the most respected person on the world stage today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton." - Jon Huntsman 05-23-2010
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“When people attack you, you always have to remember that a lot of what others say about you has a lot more to do about them than you.” – Hillary Rodham Clinton
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