STRATEGIC MEMORANDUM:

TO:
FROM:
DATE:

2016 Emerging Message Themes

Interested Parties
Isaac Wright, Executive Director
Correct The Record
November 6, 2014

The post-election analysis of the 2014 midterms had not even subsided when the punditocracy
began extrapolating every angle, real and imagined, to the 2016 Presidential Election. The
more significant theme, if less examined in a post-election environment, is the potential
resonance of Clintons emerging themes with the emotional dismay of the electorate.
It is no doubt that Clinton herself resonates well with the American people based on exit
polling. For example, an exit poll conducted by CNN showed that 83 percent of Democrats
think that she would make a good President.
Over 40 percent of midterm voters said Clinton would make a good president, higher than any
of the four potential 2016 Republican candidates also asked about in the NBC News national
exit poll.
A largely overlooked piece of exit polling suggests, in consideration of Clintons recent themes,
why Americans are gravitating to her vision. When asked about their expectations for the life of
future generations, 48 percent responded they expected life to be worse, 27 percent about the
same and only 22 percent expected life for future generations to be better.
The primary theme that emerged in Clintons national travels leading up to November 4th was
advancing opportunity and prosperity, directly addressing a fundamental concern and cynicism
among the American people as evidenced in exit polling.
There were over 30 articles in the last month discussing Hillary Clintons vision and over 55 that
discussed Hillary Clintons message more broadly, including the aforementioned 30 articles. A
number of articles included comments made by Clinton at midterm campaign events pointing
to her core vision.
The following summary details Clintons vision for advancing opportunity and prosperity with a
focus on women and girls, on the ability for working, middle-class families to be able to provide

their children quality education, and also on topics of workplace disparity facing women. These
workplace inequalities are being discussed in relation to affordable childcare, paid sick leave,
and inclusive workplace policies. The discussion of workplace disparity often closes with the
economic benefits of workplace equality for the economy as a whole (macro) and for middleclass families (micro). One of the biggest differences between 2008 and the buildup to 2016, as
mentioned in many of the articles, is Clintons relationship with her own position as a woman,
using anecdotes to demonstrate the workplace disparity she is speaking against. She typically
has not spoken against any Republicans by name in the events discussed below, but referenced
candidates hurtful policies in states and criticized Congress as a whole for gridlock, hyperpartisanship, not using data, and not caring about their obligation to lead.
Given the revelations of the American electorates outlook on the long-term future of the
country, it is not surprising why Clinton specifically her vision and values resound so well.
Index:
Advancing Middle Class Families
Growing Economy & Jobs
Advancing Advancing Middle Class Families
In a speech to a women-focused event for Democrat Tom Wolf, Clinton focused on hard-working
families and restoring Americas luster and a strong middle class with a fresh start. According to
Politico, Clinton gave one of her strongest political speeches since her 2008 campaign ended in June
2008 as she headlined a women-focused event for Democratic gubernatorial Tom Wolf in Pennsylvania.
Clinton focused on hard-working families and restoring Americas luster and a strong middle class with
a fresh start, as well as womens pay equity and her gauzy first days as a new grandmother. For the
first time in months, Clintons public talk was neither a dry recitation of public policy nor a self-reflection
about her tenure as secretary of state. [Politico, 10/9/14]
Clintons language at a women-focused event for Democrat Tom Wolf was some of her strongest
about rebuilding the middle class. According to Politico, The remarks were some of her strongest
about rebuilding the middle class. They came after she was accused of being out of touch for her
comment in June about being dead broke when she left the White House, and for giving paid speeches
at exorbitant prices. [Politico, 10/9/14]
The theme of Clintons speech at an event for Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf was
working families. According to BuzzFeed, The thread running through Clintons message here in
Pennsylvania, the state she won six years ago in a primary against Barack Obama, was working families

 a theme she teased repeatedly throughout her speech with populist undertones, mentions of her
granddaughter, and stories about her own trips as a child to Scranton, where Clintons father, Hugh, was
born to a working-class immigrant family. [BuzzFeed, 9/9/14]
In Pennsylvania, Clinton criticized the power of corporations, siding with middle-class families.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Though she and her husband have raised more than $1
billion from U.S. companies and corporate officials over the last two decades, Mrs. Clinton signaled that
she sided with everyday families struggling to pay bills and keep afloat. Corporations, she said, seem to
have all the rights, but none of the responsibilities of people She decried practices that pay women
less than men for the same work and took aim at politicians whove belittled womens rights. A
20th century economy will not work for 21st century families, she said. [Wall Street Journal, 9/9/14]
Hillary Clintons speeches are revealing a theme that she would fight to restore and re-open the
middle class. According to TPM, The notion of upward mobility was central to Clinton's message to
the New American audience in May. She described it as time-tested wisdom that was at the heart of
what I believe is the basic bargain of America. Here is how Clinton described that basic bargain of
America, as she sees it, in May: No matter who you are or where you come from, if you work hard and
play by the rules, youll have the opportunity to build a good life for yourself and your family." [TPM,
9/22/14]
Hillary Clintons speeches are revealing a theme that she can address income inequality and gender
inequality. According to TPM, So income inequality has been a big part of the message. But it's also
been married to inequality between the sexes. At both the New American and CAP events, the same
factoid made an appearance: That three-quarters of jobs that rely on tips -- like waiters, bartenders and
hairstylists as she said on both occasions -- are held by women. And she said Thursday that these
issues should be used to mobilize voters -- in the 2014 midterms and moving forward. [TPM, 9/22/14]

Growing Economy & Jobs

In recent speeches, Clinton has taken a tougher stance on big business, likely in an effort to find the
balance between populism and her familiar centrism she may need in 2016, according to Reuters.
According to Reuters, Long viewed as an ally by Wall Street, likely 2016 presidential contender Hillary
Clinton has increasingly been taking banks and big business to task while on the campaign trail for
Democrats across the country. This is a change of tone for the former New York senator, who faced
criticism for her Wall Street ties as recently as September, after appearing with Goldman Sachs (GS.N)
chief executive Lloyd Blankfein. Allies and analysts see it as an effort to find the balance between
populism and her familiar centrism that Clinton may need in order to broaden her appeal in a potential
2016 Democratic primary contest. [Reuters, 11/2/14]

In Kentucky, Clinton discussed economic issues such as raising the minimum wage, equal pay, and
Grimes jobs plan. According to the Richmond Register, in Kentucky, Clinton focused most of her 23minute speech on the economic themes Grimes pushes in her campaign: raising the minimum wage;
voting for equal pay for equal work by women; and a jobs plan Grimes has campaigned on, attempting
to contrast what she said is Grimes' concern for the average Kentuckian with McConnells focus on
wealthy donors and Washington power. She said increasing the minimum wage will not cost jobs,
reminding the crowd her husband raised the minimum wage during a period of significant job creation
and low unemployment. [Richmond Register, 11/1/14]
During a New Hampshire midterm event, Clinton discussed expanding economic opportunity and
raising the minimum wage. According to the Boston Globe, Clinton spoke in New Hampshire about
expanding economic opportunity, raising the minimum wage, and protecting womens rights. She
acknowledged that, across the country, there is a lot of anxiety and insecurity. But the former secretary
of state and US senator from New York struck a hopeful note: She bookended her remarks talking about
her new granddaughter and said seeing another generation in the family focuses the mind on whats
important. Clinton said she and her husband were raised to believe the American Dream was within
your reach if you worked hard. You should not, Clinton told a packed gymnasium, have to be the
grandchild of a governor or a senator or a former secretary of state or a former president to believe that
the American Dream is in your reach. [Boston Globe, 11/2/14]
In midterm campaign appearances, Clinton has been echoing populist notes. According to Bloomberg,
Clinton has been sounding more populist notes of late as a campaign-trail advocate for Democratic
candidates who are on the ballot next week. That's an important turn as she contemplates a run for
president in 2016 because Clinton's biggest weakness among Democrats, and some Republicans, is the
perception that she's too close to Wall Street and corporate America. And the more anti-corporate
tone is pleasing to the ears of liberals who have pined for Senator Elizabeth Warren, a scourge of Wall
Street banks, to challenge Clinton for the Democratic nomination. And, they say, it's a message Clinton
can use against Republicans because many in the GOP have turned wary of Wall Street and big
corporations since the 2008 financial crash. [Bloomberg, 10/27/14]
During a midterm appearance in New York, Clinton clarified earlier comments about companies and
job creation, while maintaining the same theme: Clintons for the little guy. According to Bloomberg,
Days after Republicans feasted on her claim that corporations don't create jobs, Hillary Clinton tried
Monday to be absolutely clear about what I've been saying for a couple of decades. So-called trickledown economics has failed, Clinton said as she stumped for Representative Sean Patrick Maloney in
New York. Our economy grows when businesses and entrepreneurs create good-paying jobs here in an
America where workers and families are empowered to build from the bottom up and the middle out
not when we hand out tax breaks for corporations that outsource jobs or stash their profits overseas.

While campaigning Friday for Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley, Clinton created a
stirand drew criticism from Republicansby saying, Dont let anybody tell you that its corporations
and businesses that create jobs.The cleaned-up message, though, hits at the same theme: Clinton's
for the little guy. [Bloomberg, 10/27/14]
While campaigning for Democrats in the midterm election, Clinton frequently tells voters that
everyone deserves a second chance, a third chance. According to a CNN, an investigation into
Clintons most common lines on the trail found that Clinton frequently tells voters, "Everyone deserves
a second chance, a third chance... Clinton has focused a great deal on economic populism on the stump,
an issue other Democrats thinking about seeking the presidency in 2016 have started to tweak Clinton
on. Everyone deserves a second chance, a third chance to keep going and to make something of
themselves, Clinton said in Iowa earlier this year. That was one of the most important lessons of my
life. Clinton usually uses the line to encourage compassion from a crowd, and to show that she has
compassion, too. [CNN, 10/28/14]
In a San Francisco speech, Clinton revealed some of what may be her economic message: Whos on
your side? According to the Washington Post, Here in San Francisco on Monday, Clinton gave a
spirited call to arms to Democrats as she road-tested what is likely to be her economic message if she
runs again. The November midterms, she said, come down to a simple question: Whos on your side?
She sounded close to her partys populist marrow when she decried the erosion of economic security for
many working Americans, and a long way from her tone-deaf remark earlier this year about being dead
broke when she and Bill Clinton left the White House in 2000. Its time to elect leaders who will fight
for everyone to get a fair shot at the American dream, Hillary Clinton said. [Washington Post,
10/21/14]
In remarks at a DCCC womens fundraiser in San Francisco, Clinton reminded the audience of the
state the nations economy was in when Obama came into office. According to CBS, Clinton
reminded the audience of the state the nations economy was in when President Barack Obama took
office and Pelosi presided over the House and accused the Republican Party of trying to rewrite history
by blaming Democrats for the slow recovery. Its truly regrettable that despite all the great work Nancy
did and President Obama, given what was inherited when the president came into office that we are
having to work so hard to elect and re-elect Democrats. Its as though the other side wants to pass an air
of amnesia over America, she said. [CBS, 10/21/14]
In recent appearances for Democrats, Hillary Clinton has offered targeted criticism of business.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Lately, Mrs. Clinton has spiced her campaign-trail speeches with
targeted criticism of businessnotable given that some liberals are suspicious of the Clinton family for
accepting hundreds of millions of dollars in corporate donations and speaking fees. Those concerns

could prompt a primary challenge from the political left. Campaigning in Philadelphia last week with
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf, Mrs. Clinton said corporations seem to have all of the
rights but none of the responsibilities of people. Appearing in Michigan with Democratic candidates on
Thursday, Mrs. Clinton said America was built not by rich corporations, but laborers. [Wall Street
Journal, 10/17/14]
In a Pennsylvania speech, Clinton praised American workers and discussed the slow road to economic
recovery. According to Politico, Clinton told the audience at a women-focused event for Tom Wolf,
Whats happened in this state is part of a larger story, Clinton said. We have so much going for us in
America, dont we? We have so many blessings and advantages. The American workers are the hardest
working, most productive workers in the entire world. She added, We have spent years now clawing
our way back, out of the hole that was dug in 2008, but we have a lot more to do if we want to release
our full potential and make sure that American families finally feel the rewards of recovery. And thats
particularly true, in my opinion, for American women. Ask yourself, why do women still get paid less
than men for the same work? Why, after American women have contributed so much to our economy
over the decades, do we act as if it were 1955? [Politico, 10/9/14]
Hillary Clintons speeches are revealing a theme that she could finish the economic recovery begun by
Obama. According to TPM, Clinton seems to have a handle of the line she wants to toe: Obama saved
us from worse economic struggles (as his defenders have been saying for years), but the work isn't over.
Implicit, of course, is that she -- if she runs -- would finish the job. We haven't seen a full recovery from
the economic crash, Clinton said Thursday at CAP. When the president came in, he deserves an
enormous amount of credit for staunching the bleeding and preventing a further deterioration and
getting us out of that ditch we were in. But we know unless we change our policies, a lot of the benefits
are not going to be broadly shared. It's not just about more jobs for more people and better paying
jobs, she said. It's making sure that the people themselves get to keep those benefits and build that
future back that they are so desperate to see for themselves." [TPM, 9/22/14]
Clinton reconnected with labor at an event in New York City, calling it like a homecoming. According
to the Daily Beast, Hillary Clinton returned home to Lower Manhattan on Tuesday night, basking in the
love of organized labor at a union hall that helped launch her political career a decade and a half ago.
This is like a homecoming! Clinton exclaimed at the headquarters of the United Federation of Teachers.
The event that brought the former of secretary of state back to the city was a fundraiser for a group
pushing to expand a law that provided health benefits for aid workers who assisted in the cleanup of the
World Trade Center after 9/11. [Daily Beast, 9/16/14]
Clinton said organized labor was my principal ally while she worked to pass 9/11 legislation in the
Senate and labor recognized her as someone who fights with them. According to the Daily Beast,

Organized labor was my principal ally, Clinton added. And labor, or New York labor at least, signaled
that it would be ready for Clinton, too, should she decide to mount another presidential campaign. In
Mrs. Clinton, we have someone who will stand with us and will fight with us, said Mario Cilento,
president of the New York chapter of the AFL-CIO. [Daily Beast, 9/16/14]

Advancing Women & Children

Supporting Democrats, Progressive Values
Holding Republicans, Washington Accountable
Strengthening Education
Relating Her Personal Narrative & Values
Supporting Our Support Our Military & Veterans
Support Our Military & Veterans
Clinton referenced her granddaughter in a speech to families of fallen military members. According
to ABC News, In her first public appearance since the weekend birth of granddaughter Charlotte, Hillary
Clinton spoke at an event this evening in New York for an organization that cares for the families of
fallen military members, who greeted her with moving stories of their loved ones. This a great privilege,
but it is also for me emotional as we celebrate the birth of our granddaughter and as I look out and see
all of you who are thinking of your loved ones and the life that he or she lived, Clinton said at the event
for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors or TAPS, a group that supports, connects and provides
grief resources to military families who have lost loved ones. [ABC News, 10/1/14]
Clinton told the families of fallen military members that we must be grateful and thankful for those
who serve. According to ABC News, in Clintons speech to TAPS, She told the families its really
important to me that we never forget your loved ones and we never forget you. At a time when
sometimes we seem divided and people seem to be arguing all the time we really have to take stock of
how blessed we are and grateful for the men and women who serve us and be thankful that we have
through all of our ups and downs and our challenges continues to stand for the values that unite us:
freedom and democracy and opportunity and by supporting you all who will serve in the future, Clinton
told the crowd at Stella 43 Trattoria, a restaurant inside the iconic New York City Macys store. [ABC
News, 10/1/14]

Asserting Americas Place In The World Foreign Affairs

Advancing Middle Class Families

In a speech to a women-focused event for Democrat Tom Wolf, Clinton focused on hard-working
families and restoring Americas luster and a strong middle class with a fresh start. According to

Politico, Clinton gave one of her strongest political speeches since her 2008 campaign ended in June
2008 as she headlined a women-focused event for Democratic gubernatorial Tom Wolf in Pennsylvania.
Clinton focused on hard-working families and restoring Americas luster and a strong middle class with
a fresh start, as well as womens pay equity and her gauzy first days as a new grandmother. For the
first time in months, Clintons public talk was neither a dry recitation of public policy nor a self-reflection
about her tenure as secretary of state. [Politico, 10/9/14]
Clintons language at a women-focused event for Democrat Tom Wolf was some of her strongest
about rebuilding the middle class. According to Politico, The remarks were some of her strongest
about rebuilding the middle class. They came after she was accused of being out of touch for her
comment in June about being dead broke when she left the White House, and for giving paid speeches
at exorbitant prices. [Politico, 10/9/14]
The theme of Clintons speech at an event for Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf was
working families. According to BuzzFeed, The thread running through Clintons message here in
Pennsylvania, the state she won six years ago in a primary against Barack Obama, was working families
a theme she teased repeatedly throughout her speech with populist undertones, mentions of her
granddaughter, and stories about her own trips as a child to Scranton, where Clintons father, Hugh, was
born to a working-class immigrant family. [BuzzFeed, 9/9/14]
In Pennsylvania, Clinton criticized the power of corporations, siding with middle-class families.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Though she and her husband have raised more than $1
billion from U.S. companies and corporate officials over the last two decades, Mrs. Clinton signaled that
she sided with everyday families struggling to pay bills and keep afloat. Corporations, she said, seem to
have all the rights, but none of the responsibilities of people She decried practices that pay women
less than men for the same work and took aim at politicians whove belittled womens rights. A
20th century economy will not work for 21st century families, she said. [Wall Street Journal, 9/9/14]
Hillary Clintons speeches are revealing a theme that she would fight to restore and re-open the
middle class. According to TPM, The notion of upward mobility was central to Clinton's message to
the New American audience in May. She described it as time-tested wisdom that was at the heart of
what I believe is the basic bargain of America. Here is how Clinton described that basic bargain of
America, as she sees it, in May: No matter who you are or where you come from, if you work hard and
play by the rules, youll have the opportunity to build a good life for yourself and your family." [TPM,
9/22/14]
Hillary Clintons speeches are revealing a theme that she can address income inequality and gender
inequality. According to TPM, So income inequality has been a big part of the message. But it's also

been married to inequality between the sexes. At both the New American and CAP events, the same
factoid made an appearance: That three-quarters of jobs that rely on tips -- like waiters, bartenders and
hairstylists as she said on both occasions -- are held by women. And she said Thursday that these
issues should be used to mobilize voters -- in the 2014 midterms and moving forward. [TPM, 9/22/14]

Growing Economy & Jobs

In recent speeches, Clinton has taken a tougher stance on big business, likely in an effort to find the
balance between populism and her familiar centrism she may need in 2016, according to Reuters.
According to Reuters, Long viewed as an ally by Wall Street, likely 2016 presidential contender Hillary
Clinton has increasingly been taking banks and big business to task while on the campaign trail for
Democrats across the country. This is a change of tone for the former New York senator, who faced
criticism for her Wall Street ties as recently as September, after appearing with Goldman Sachs (GS.N)
chief executive Lloyd Blankfein. Allies and analysts see it as an effort to find the balance between
populism and her familiar centrism that Clinton may need in order to broaden her appeal in a potential
2016 Democratic primary contest. [Reuters, 11/2/14]
In Kentucky, Clinton discussed economic issues such as raising the minimum wage, equal pay, and
Grimes jobs plan. According to the Richmond Register, in Kentucky, Clinton focused most of her 23minute speech on the economic themes Grimes pushes in her campaign: raising the minimum wage;
voting for equal pay for equal work by women; and a jobs plan Grimes has campaigned on, attempting
to contrast what she said is Grimes' concern for the average Kentuckian with McConnells focus on
wealthy donors and Washington power. She said increasing the minimum wage will not cost jobs,
reminding the crowd her husband raised the minimum wage during a period of significant job creation
and low unemployment. [Richmond Register, 11/1/14]
During a New Hampshire midterm event, Clinton discussed expanding economic opportunity and
raising the minimum wage. According to the Boston Globe, Clinton spoke in New Hampshire about
expanding economic opportunity, raising the minimum wage, and protecting womens rights. She
acknowledged that, across the country, there is a lot of anxiety and insecurity. But the former secretary
of state and US senator from New York struck a hopeful note: She bookended her remarks talking about
her new granddaughter and said seeing another generation in the family focuses the mind on whats
important. Clinton said she and her husband were raised to believe the American Dream was within
your reach if you worked hard. You should not, Clinton told a packed gymnasium, have to be the
grandchild of a governor or a senator or a former secretary of state or a former president to believe that
the American Dream is in your reach. [Boston Globe, 11/2/14]
In midterm campaign appearances, Clinton has been echoing populist notes. According to Bloomberg,
Clinton has been sounding more populist notes of late as a campaign-trail advocate for Democratic

candidates who are on the ballot next week. That's an important turn as she contemplates a run for
president in 2016 because Clinton's biggest weakness among Democrats, and some Republicans, is the
perception that she's too close to Wall Street and corporate America. And the more anti-corporate
tone is pleasing to the ears of liberals who have pined for Senator Elizabeth Warren, a scourge of Wall
Street banks, to challenge Clinton for the Democratic nomination. And, they say, it's a message Clinton
can use against Republicans because many in the GOP have turned wary of Wall Street and big
corporations since the 2008 financial crash. [Bloomberg, 10/27/14]
During a midterm appearance in New York, Clinton clarified earlier comments about companies and
job creation, while maintaining the same theme: Clintons for the little guy. According to Bloomberg,
Days after Republicans feasted on her claim that corporations don't create jobs, Hillary Clinton tried
Monday to be absolutely clear about what I've been saying for a couple of decades. So-called trickledown economics has failed, Clinton said as she stumped for Representative Sean Patrick Maloney in
New York. Our economy grows when businesses and entrepreneurs create good-paying jobs here in an
America where workers and families are empowered to build from the bottom up and the middle out
not when we hand out tax breaks for corporations that outsource jobs or stash their profits overseas.
While campaigning Friday for Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley, Clinton created a
stirand drew criticism from Republicansby saying, Dont let anybody tell you that its corporations
and businesses that create jobs.The cleaned-up message, though, hits at the same theme: Clinton's
for the little guy. [Bloomberg, 10/27/14]
While campaigning for Democrats in the midterm election, Clinton frequently tells voters that
everyone deserves a second chance, a third chance. According to a CNN, an investigation into
Clintons most common lines on the trail found that Clinton frequently tells voters, "Everyone deserves
a second chance, a third chance... Clinton has focused a great deal on economic populism on the stump,
an issue other Democrats thinking about seeking the presidency in 2016 have started to tweak Clinton
on. Everyone deserves a second chance, a third chance to keep going and to make something of
themselves, Clinton said in Iowa earlier this year. That was one of the most important lessons of my
life. Clinton usually uses the line to encourage compassion from a crowd, and to show that she has
compassion, too. [CNN, 10/28/14]
In a San Francisco speech, Clinton revealed some of what may be her economic message: Whos on
your side? According to the Washington Post, Here in San Francisco on Monday, Clinton gave a
spirited call to arms to Democrats as she road-tested what is likely to be her economic message if she
runs again. The November midterms, she said, come down to a simple question: Whos on your side?
She sounded close to her partys populist marrow when she decried the erosion of economic security for
many working Americans, and a long way from her tone-deaf remark earlier this year about being dead
broke when she and Bill Clinton left the White House in 2000. Its time to elect leaders who will fight

10

for everyone to get a fair shot at the American dream, Hillary Clinton said. [Washington Post,
10/21/14]
In remarks at a DCCC womens fundraiser in San Francisco, Clinton reminded the audience of the
state the nations economy was in when Obama came into office. According to CBS, Clinton
reminded the audience of the state the nations economy was in when President Barack Obama took
office and Pelosi presided over the House and accused the Republican Party of trying to rewrite history
by blaming Democrats for the slow recovery. Its truly regrettable that despite all the great work Nancy
did and President Obama, given what was inherited when the president came into office that we are
having to work so hard to elect and re-elect Democrats. Its as though the other side wants to pass an air
of amnesia over America, she said. [CBS, 10/21/14]
In recent appearances for Democrats, Hillary Clinton has offered targeted criticism of business.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Lately, Mrs. Clinton has spiced her campaign-trail speeches with
targeted criticism of businessnotable given that some liberals are suspicious of the Clinton family for
accepting hundreds of millions of dollars in corporate donations and speaking fees. Those concerns
could prompt a primary challenge from the political left. Campaigning in Philadelphia last week with
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf, Mrs. Clinton said corporations seem to have all of the
rights but none of the responsibilities of people. Appearing in Michigan with Democratic candidates on
Thursday, Mrs. Clinton said America was built not by rich corporations, but laborers. [Wall Street
Journal, 10/17/14]
In a Pennsylvania speech, Clinton praised American workers and discussed the slow road to economic
recovery. According to Politico, Clinton told the audience at a women-focused event for Tom Wolf,
Whats happened in this state is part of a larger story, Clinton said. We have so much going for us in
America, dont we? We have so many blessings and advantages. The American workers are the hardest
working, most productive workers in the entire world. She added, We have spent years now clawing
our way back, out of the hole that was dug in 2008, but we have a lot more to do if we want to release
our full potential and make sure that American families finally feel the rewards of recovery. And thats
particularly true, in my opinion, for American women. Ask yourself, why do women still get paid less
than men for the same work? Why, after American women have contributed so much to our economy
over the decades, do we act as if it were 1955? [Politico, 10/9/14]
Hillary Clintons speeches are revealing a theme that she could finish the economic recovery begun by
Obama. According to TPM, Clinton seems to have a handle of the line she wants to toe: Obama saved
us from worse economic struggles (as his defenders have been saying for years), but the work isn't over.
Implicit, of course, is that she -- if she runs -- would finish the job. We haven't seen a full recovery from
the economic crash, Clinton said Thursday at CAP. When the president came in, he deserves an

11

enormous amount of credit for staunching the bleeding and preventing a further deterioration and
getting us out of that ditch we were in. But we know unless we change our policies, a lot of the benefits
are not going to be broadly shared. It's not just about more jobs for more people and better paying
jobs, she said. It's making sure that the people themselves get to keep those benefits and build that
future back that they are so desperate to see for themselves." [TPM, 9/22/14]
Clinton reconnected with labor at an event in New York City, calling it like a homecoming. According
to the Daily Beast, Hillary Clinton returned home to Lower Manhattan on Tuesday night, basking in the
love of organized labor at a union hall that helped launch her political career a decade and a half ago.
This is like a homecoming! Clinton exclaimed at the headquarters of the United Federation of Teachers.
The event that brought the former of secretary of state back to the city was a fundraiser for a group
pushing to expand a law that provided health benefits for aid workers who assisted in the cleanup of the
World Trade Center after 9/11. [Daily Beast, 9/16/14]
Clinton said organized labor was my principal ally while she worked to pass 9/11 legislation in the
Senate and labor recognized her as someone who fights with them. According to the Daily Beast,
Organized labor was my principal ally, Clinton added. And labor, or New York labor at least, signaled
that it would be ready for Clinton, too, should she decide to mount another presidential campaign. In
Mrs. Clinton, we have someone who will stand with us and will fight with us, said Mario Cilento,
president of the New York chapter of the AFL-CIO. [Daily Beast, 9/16/14]

Advancing Women & Children

In New Hampshire, the only state with an all-female Congressional delegation, Clinton told voters
about the importance of womens rights. According to the National Journal, Clinton made her pitch
directly to female voters in New Hampshire Sunday, saying that women's issues are about more than
just campaign talking points. Women's rights, here at home and around the world, are like the canary in
the mine, she said. You start taking away, you start limiting women's rights, who's next? [National
Journal, 11/2/14]
During a speech at Georgetown University, Clinton revealed a theme of her stump speech:
empowering women economically helps the world succeed. According to National Journal, during a
speech at Georgetown University, Clinton shared an anecdote that dovetails nicely with Clinton's seminew stump-speech thesis: that by empowering women across the economic spectrum, the world
succeeds. It's an argument echoed in her speeches for female candidates like Martha Coakley, Jeanne
Shaheen, Staci Appel, and Mary Burke. At an event for Coakley on Monday, Clinton made an economic
observation that got her in some trouble. [National Journal, 10/30/2014]

12

In Iowa, Hillary Clinton said, its not enough to be a woman. You have to be committed to expand
rights and opportunities for all women. According to The Hill, at an Iowa event for Bruce Braley,
Clinton said, Its not enough to be a woman. You have to be committed to expand rights and
opportunities for all women, Clinton told about 400 Democratic supporters she stumped for Braley at a
union hall. The former secretary of States roughly 23-minute stem-winder touched on a range of
populist priorities, from protecting Social Security and Medicare to raising the minimum wage and
keeping college affordable. But her remarks about womens health and reproductive rights received the
loudest and longest applause. [The Hill, 10/29/14]
The outside network of support for women in the political dialogue could impact 2016 and help
Clinton. According to NBC, The groundswell of attention on gender and the rise of new female voices
could have a major impact on the 2016 campaign. If she runs, Clinton (or another female Democrat like
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren) will in effect have a defense team outside of her official campaign
apparatus, one that will be more concerned that she is treated, in their minds, fairly by the maledominated political establishment than if she wins in Iowa. (These activists say they would like to stop
sexism no matter who the candidate, bemoaning how Sarah Palin was treated in 2008 as well. [NBC,
10/28/14]
Clintons shift to speaking more about women and womens issues on the 2014 midterm trail is part of
a larger trend in politics that has developed as a result of the importance of the female vote and the
prevalence of womens issues in U.S. political dialogue. According to NBC, Clinton is increasingly
highlighting issues like child care, abortion rights and the role of women in society, potentially
previewing a different kind of presidential run than in 2008.Clintons shift, say both scholars and
political operatives, is part of a larger movement in politics, as the importance of the female vote and
womens issues have vaulted to the top of Americans political conversation over the last few years. And
that heightened attention on gender, these experts say, will likely make it easier than in 2008 for Clinton
or another female candidate to campaign on issues like child care and to combat criticism they face that
might be rooted in sexism. [NBC, 10/28/14]
During midterm campaign appearances, Clinton frequently informs voters, women hold a majority
of minimum wage jobs in our country. According to a CNN examination of Clintons seven most
common stump speech lines, Clinton frequently reminds voters, Women hold a majority of minimum
wage jobs in our country. This is a double whammy for Clinton: In one line, she nods to women and the
economic struggles that many women -- and men -- are experiencing. Clinton's many appearances have
focused a great deal on women and this line has become a staple. Women hold a majority of minimum
wage jobs in our country, Clinton said in San Francisco earlier this month. When women succeed,
America succeeds. [CNN, 10/28/14]

13

In midterm campaign appearances, Clinton has adopted a fiercely partisan message that champions
working mothers and women at the fragile edge of the middle class, according to the Washington
Post. According to the Washington Post, At a series of rallies in recent weeks, Clinton has appeared
alongside Democratic women candidates and at events designed to appeal to women and energize
them to vote. She also has adopted a fiercely partisan message that champions working mothers and
women at the fragile edge of the middle class a theme that could carry over well into a presidential
bid should she choose to run. [Washington Post, 10/27/14]
At a rally for Governor Cuomo, Clinton exclaimed that women are working harder than ever to lift
themselves and their families up into the middle class. According to Politico, at a rally for Governor
Cuomo in New York, Clinton said, Lets not kid ourselves we have not achieved equality, said
Clinton at the event, which was geared toward female voters. Women are working harder than ever to
lift themselves and their families up into the middle class, and a lot are working harder than ever to stay
in the middle class, and too many are [trying to] do that without a living wage, Clinton said. She recalled
what it was like being a young mother. I had so many advantages and [so much] support, but even then
I felt squeezed. [Politico, 10/23/14]
While campaigning for Governor Cuomo in New York, Clinton rallied for reliable childcare and family
leave policies. According to Bloomberg, at a campaign event for Gov. Cuomo, Calling for quality
childcare, Clinton recounted her desperate search for someone to watch a sick, 2-year-old Chelsea when
she was due in court for a trial. With no family in town, she found a friend to fill in, although that didn't
relieve the worry she felt throughout the day. And she spoke about how the birth of her granddaughter,
Charlotte, reaffirmed her commitment to better family leave policies. You don't have to be the
grandchild of a president to have the right for the best possible education, she said. [Bloomberg,
10/23/14]
Clinton stressed the importance of womens rights during a midterm campaign appearance in
Colorado. According to CNN, Clinton told the crowd, "This election is important to everybody, but it is
especially important to the women of Colorado, Clinton said, touching upon a woman's right to choose,
personhood laws and availability of birth control - all topics the race between Udall and Gardner have
focused on. Women's rights here at home and around the world are clearly at risk, Clinton said, arguing
those rights are like the canaries in the mine. [CNN, 10/22/14]
During a speech in Colorado for Senator Udall, Clinton invoked the opportunity for younger
generations to experience the American Dream. According to The Hill, Clinton, who is weighing a bid
for the 2016 Democratic nomination, closed her speech by invoking the American Dream. I want
everyone in this room to be able to look at any baby, any child, and truthfully say, 'You have the same
right to the American Dream that I did and the generations before me,' she said. [The Hill, 10/21/14]

14

According to the Washington Post, Clinton is road-testing an unabashedly women-center economic

message in midterm campaign appearances. According to the Washington Post, Clinton is also roadtesting an unabashedly women-centered economic message heavy on outrage over pay inequality and
the professional costs women pay to both raise families and bring in a paycheck. She was criticized for
often bloodless rhetoric about women-oriented concerns when she ran as the first major-party women
candidate for president. Now Clinton is pointedly talking about family leave, employer discrimination,
employers denial of contraception coverage and the preponderance of women in low-wage jobs. The
most vulnerable families in our country have the least support, Clinton said. Imagine, she added, what
women would do with the extra income they would make if paid the same as men: rent or buy better
houses, buy more groceries, give their families added stability. Women up and down the income ladder
face double standards and barriers to advancement, Clinton said. These arent just womens issues.
They hold back our entire economy. [Washington Post, 10/21/14]
At a San Francisco fundraiser, Clinton said that double standards and barriers to advancement for
women are not just womens issues. They hold back our entire economy. According to the
Washington Post, Clinton told a San Francisco fundraiser, The most vulnerable families in our country
have the least support, Clinton said. Imagine, she added, what women would do with the extra income
they would make if paid the same as men: rent or buy better houses, buy more groceries, give their
families added stability. Women up and down the income ladder face double standards and barriers to
advancement, Clinton said. These arent just womens issues. They hold back our entire economy.
[Washington Post, 10/21/14]
Hillary Clintons appearances at midterm campaign events have given clues that her agenda as a
candidate may involve emphasizing womens issues. According to the Washington Post, The
appearances give revealing clues as to what kind of candidate Clinton might be in two years
emphasizing womens issues and striving to thread the needle between her hawkish, centrist history and
the more liberal base that rejected her in favor of Barack Obama in 2008. [Washington Post, 10/21/14]
Clinton criticized the fact that women still get paid less than men. According to Politico, in a
Pennsylvania speech Clinton said, We have spent years now clawing our way back, out of the hole that
was dug in 2008, but we have a lot more to do if we want to release our full potential and make sure
that American families finally feel the rewards of recovery. And thats particularly true, in my opinion,
for American women. Ask yourself, why do women still get paid less than men for the same work? Why,
after American women have contributed so much to our economy over the decades, do we act as if it
were 1955? [Politico, 10/9/14]

15

In Pennsylvania, Clinton referred to her grandchild, Charlotte, to explain that every child should have
the chance to succeed. According to BuzzFeed, in a speech for Tom Wolf Clinton said, You should not
have to be the grandchild of a president to get a good education, to get good healthcare, she said. Lets
make sure we give every child in Pennsylvania the same chance that Im determined to give my
granddaughter. [BuzzFeed, 9/9/14]
Clintons focus on womens rights during a Pennsylvania speech differed from her 2008 campaign
message. According to The Hill, A contrast from the 2008 campaign was Clinton's larger emphasis on
women's rights, and she touted the need for paid family leave, equal pay and affordable childcare, as
she has throughout the year at other events. She put those issues in personal terms, recounting that
when she was at the hospital in New York waiting for the birth of her grandchild last month, a nurse
came up to her and thanked her for advocating for paid family leave. [The Hill, 9/9/14]
In a Miami speech, Clinton referred to her grandchild, Charlotte, to drive her belief that barriers to
equal opportunity need to be eliminated. According to the AP, Clinton told a Miami gathering of female
real estate professionals, that she felt that glow after the recent birth of her first grandchild, Charlotte,
said she wanted all women to grow up in a world of full participation and shared prosperity. I think my
granddaughter has just as much God-given potential as a boy who was born in that hospital on the same
day, she said. In a speech that drew heavily on her own professional and personal experiences including several references to her bruising presidential campaign in 2008 - Clinton said women face
double standards in business and politics and that governments should work to enact policies that break
down barriers to equal opportunity. Her remarks were met with standing ovations. [AP, 10/2/14]
In a Miami speech, Clinton discussed the need to address barriers to equal opportunity, particularly
for women. According to AP, Clinton said women face double standards in business and politics and
that governments should work to enact policies that break down barriers to equal opportunity. Her
remarks were met with standing ovations. These ceilings I'm describing don't just keep down women,
they hold back entire economies and countries, she said, because no country can truly thrive by
denying the contributions of half of its people. Clinton has repeatedly hit those themes as she travels
the campaign trail to help Democrats in the midterm elections. On Thursday, she said the U.S. should
eliminate what she called the motherhood penalty by requiring paid leave for new mothers. The
measure, she said, would pave the way for more women to participate in the workforce. [AP, 10/2/14]
Womens rights are at the forefront of a possible agenda, based on recent speeches and
engagements. According to The Hill, Eight years after shying away from the historic nature of her
campaign, Hillary Clinton is putting women at the center of her agenda as she contemplates a second
bid to become the nation's first woman president. In recent weeks, Clinton has trumpeted equal pay for
women in speeches and panel discussions across the country. She has also called for a movement to

16

help women at work, arguing that women face not only a glass ceiling but a floor that could collapse
underneath them, erasing the gains made to win equality between the sexes. [The Hill, 9/27/14]
The topics of empowerment for women and girls will be fitting for Clinton on a campaign, according to
The Hill. According to The Hill, the 2008 strategy of steering clear of Clintons gender came unnaturally
to Clinton, who has long championed women and children issues. Hillary Clinton believes that equal
opportunity and success for women and girls builds a better future for all, and thats why she led efforts
to study and improve education opportunities for girls so they have a chance for a brighter future, said
Adrienne Elrod, the communications director for Correct the Record, the pro-Hillary super-PAC. When it
comes to 2016, there are a number of reasons to think Clinton should embrace running as the possible
first woman president if she makes another White House bid. [The Hill, 9/27/14]
Hillary Clinton is making a pronounced case for female empowerment and the role of women in the
nations economy and politics during recent appearances. According to AP, As Clinton considers a
second White House bid in 2016, she is making a pronounced case for female empowerment and the
role of women in the nation's economy and politics. From the stage of the annual Clinton Global
Initiative to the campaign trail, the former secretary of state has emphasized breaking barriers and the
need for female leadership themes that could resonate in a future campaign in which women voters
will be critical. [AP, 9/23/14]
Clinton called gender equality the greatest unfinished business of the 21st century. According to
Bloomberg, in September, Clinton called equality for women the great unfinished business of the 21st
century and observed that many women dont have a secure floor, much less an opportunity to crash
through a glass ceiling. Its an issue on which she can credibly claim to have been consistent over the
years. And its powerful with voters - both men and women -- because its perceived as above politics.
[Bloomberg, 9/23/14]
Clinton argued that womens issues are imperative in the political environment and encouraged
voters to consider them when voting in the midterm election. According to the NY Times, Mrs. Clinton
said womens issues have become imperative in the political environment and urged voters to make
them part of their determination in the midterm elections. When we can turn an issue into a political
movement that demands people be responsive during an election cycle, it carries over, she said.
[Washington Post, 9/18/2014]
The Clinton Global Initiative meeting gave Clinton the chance to focus on issues affecting women and
girls that she has worked on throughout her career. According to the NY Times, CGI and a speech to
the DNC Womens Leadership forum, allow Mrs. Clinton to focus on issues affecting women and girls
that she has worked on throughout her career, and they also allow the potential 2016 candidate to lay

17

the groundwork for what could be a campaign message focused on elevating women in order to
advance the economy. [Washington Post, 9/18/2014]
In recent weeks, Clinton has called for a movement of women empowerment that should be the
lifeblood of this election and any election. According to CNN, Hillary Clinton said [Sept. 18] that
obtaining economic equality for women should become a political movement that is the lifeblood of
this election and any election. Economic equality is a topic that Clinton talks about on a regular basis,
but rarely in such political terms. As Democrats prepare for the midterm elections -- where control of
the U.S. Senate is on the line -- the former secretary of state and presumed frontrunner for the
presidential nomination in 2016 has put women's issues at the forefront to her message. [CNN,
9/18/14]
Womens inequality holding back the entire economy may be the seed of a 2016 message according
to the LA Times. According to the LA Times, The one area where Clinton has been most visibly
passionate throughout her career and now as she ponders another bid to be the first woman
president has been her advocacy for the rights of women and girls around the world. As a potential
reprise nears, Clinton seems to be attempting to expand that mantra from breaking barriers herself to
her desire to create greater security for the middle class through initiatives such as raising the minimum
wage, expanding access to childcare and ensuring that women and men are paid equally. These aren't
just women's issues, they are family issues, she added. They are American issues, and they hold back
our entire economy. It seemed to be the seed of a 2016 message. [LA Times, 9/20/14]
Clinton led a $600 million effort to help disadvantaged girls worldwide attend secondary school.
According to Bloomberg Businessweek, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, along with the Brookings
Institution, are spearheading an almost $600 million effort to help disadvantaged girls, mostly in SubSaharan Africa and Southwest Asia, attend secondary school. Hillary Clinton announced the effort today
at the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, which with the Center for Universal Education at
Brookings helped draw participation. More than 30 groups have committed to the project. [Bloomberg
Businessweek, 9/25/14]
Clinton said, during a panel at CGIs annual conference, that we must ensure that women are not
being penalized for becoming mothers. According to Bloomberg, Hillary Clinton said today that
women shouldnt have to choose between motherhood and advancing their careers, a theme that may
resurface as part of a platform if she runs for president in 2016. The absence of paid leave is a strong
signal to women, and particularly mothers, that society and our economy dont value being a mother,
the former U.S. secretary of state said. The absence of quality, affordable childcare -- and affordable
and quality have to go together -- is a very big factor in limiting and sometimes ending womens

18

participation in the workforce.Clinton added that society must find a way to ensure that women are
not being penalized for becoming mothers. [Bloomberg, 9/24/14]
In a speech to the DNC Womens Leadership Conference, Clinton said closing the workforce gender
gap would grow GDP. According to the National Journal, Hillary Clinton's speech before the Democratic
National Committee's Women's Leadership Conference on Friday afternoon was nearly cookie-cut
from remarks she gave Thursday about economic inequality in the U.S. But this time around, her pitch
about economic equality had more of a political bent. On workforce equity: If we close the gap in
workforce participation between men and women, our GDP would grow by nearly 10 percent by 2030."
[National Journal, 9/19/14]
During a panel at CAP, Clinton stressed that women need a fair shot. According to the Daily Beast,
Clinton urged a fair shot for women, and if youve been watching the PBS series on the Roosevelts,
FDRs New Deal, and TRs Square Deal, you can begin to imagine Clintons campaign taking shape. We
need a broader-based economic platform that is inclusive, she said, a clunky way of fleshing out the fair
shot she envisions for women, and indeed all Americans. She gives President Obama full credit for
stanching the bleeding from the financial meltdown, but said, Unless we change our politics, a lot of
the benefits are not going to be broadly shared. [Daily Beast, 9/19/14]

Supporting Democrats, Progressive Values

In midterm events, Clinton has commonly touted leaders as the right leader at the right time with
the right plan. According to CNN, one of Clintons most stated lines in midterm stump speeches is,
[Insert candidate's name] is the right leader at the right time with the right plan. This is Clinton's go-to
endorsement line and she's used it regularly this fall. There is no doubt the governor is the right leader
at the right time with the right plan, Clinton said during an event with Gov. Andrew Cuomo in New York
last week. Clinton used the same line -- almost exactly -- for Democratic candidate Tom Wolf in
Pennsylvania and Sen. Mark Udall in Colorado this month. [CNN, 10/28/14]
In a midterm event, Clinton said Democrats are watching out for middle-class families. According to US
News, Clinton made an enthusiastic pitch for women's votes in Colorado this week, arguing that
Democrats are pushing for pay equality and making other efforts to help women while Republicans are
blocking such moves. And she said Democrats have Middle America's interests at heart.We need votes
for people who believe in you, who worry about you and do everything in their power to give you and
your families opportunities, she told a Democratic crowd in Aurora, Colorado. [US News, 10/23/14]
Clinton told the crowd at a San Francisco fundraiser, it is truly regrettable [that] we are having to
work so hard to elect and reelect Democratswho are fighting to jump start the middle class.
According to the Washington Post, This is our chance -- our chance to elect Democrats who are

19

fighting to jump-start the middle class, Clinton said at a $1.4 million Democratic fund-raising luncheon
here Monday. Our chance to elect Democrats who are working for better jobs, better wages, for an
economy that works for everybody. Were in the home stretch, she continued, and it all comes down
to who shows up. After President Obama and other Democrats worked hard to avert financial disaster
and begin rebuilding the U.S. economy after 2008, it is truly regrettable [that] we are having to work so
hard to elect and reelect Democrats, Clinton said. [Washington Post, 10/21/14]
In remarks to a DCCC womens fundraiser in San Francisco, Hillary Clinton told the crowd that
Democrats are the party fighting for policies that help women and have a plan to jump-start the
middle class. According to CBS, Clinton told her overwhelmingly female audience that only Democrats
have fought and would continue fighting to raise the minimum wage and for paid family leave,
affordable child care and other policies that primarily benefit low-income and middle-class women. It is
not easy serving and every year it seems to get more challenging, but these candidates and many more
across the country have a plan to jump-start the middle class and once more make it work for everyone,
she said. These elections in two weeks and one day come down to a simple question: who is on your
side? [CBS, 10/21/14]
In recent appearances campaigning for Democrats in the mid-term, Hillary Clinton has worked to align
herself with centrists of the party, by identifying with her husbands presidency. According to the Wall
Street Journal, In the same campaign trip, Mrs. Clinton also allied herself with more centrist parts of
her partya political space her husband sought to occupy as a presidential candidate. Appearing
Wednesday in Kentucky, Mrs. Clinton stood nearby as Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes
pronounced the state Clinton country. [Wall Street Journal, 10/17/14]
In a speech to a women-focused event for Democrat Tom Wolf, Clinton wove core Democratic policy
messages into her most partisan speech since leaving the State Department. According to Politico,
Clinton wove core Democratic policy messages education spending, a strengthened middle class,
corporate responsibility, workers rights, womens pay equity, abortion rights and gay marriage into a
fabric that related to her life as it is now, and as it was when she was growing up. It was also Clintons
most partisan speech since leaving the State Department. [Politico, 10/9/14]
Clinton praised Tom Wolfs self-made success as the values that have kept generations of
Pennsylvania families working hardthe same values [she] was raised with. According to Politico, in a
speech at an event for Tom Wolf, She described Wolf as a self-made businessman who tried to include
his workers in feeling like they owned a piece of his company, which made cabinets. That is the way it is
supposed to work in America those are the values that have kept generations of Pennsylvania families
working hard, believing in the promise of America and looking out for one another, she said. Theyre
the same values I was raised with. [Politico, 10/9/14]

20

Democrats hope Clinton will be a helpful surrogate to speak directly to women and independent
voters across the county. According to Politico, Secretary Clinton will be a great motivator to get
Democrats out to the polls, which is always critical in a midterm election, Cecil said. She is also the
perfect person to speak directly to women and independent voters across the country about what is at
stake, from womens health to giving everyone a fair shot at success. [Politico, 10/4/14]
Clinton said the rising movement in America would not wait for Washington and discussed sick leave,
equal pay, affordable childcare, and a living wage in a speech to the DNC Womens Leadership
Conference. According to Politico, Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday urged Democratic
women to prioritize the midterms, for the sake of advancing womens rights and also in defense of a
larger progressive agenda. Were here because theres a movement stirring in America, Clinton said,
discussing paid sick leave, equal pay, affordable childcare and a living wage for fast-food workers. This is
a movement that is not waiting for Washington with its gridlock and grandstanding. This movement
wont wait, and neither will we. [Politico, 9/19/14]

Holding Republicans, Washington Accountable

To attack Republicans during midterm appearances, Clinton uses the candidates message to offer
pointed attacks on his or her rival. According to Politico, Clinton, never mentions the opponent by
name, avoiding looking like shes taking gratuitous shots. But Clinton has tailored her stump speeches to
incorporate each Democrats specific message against his or her rival, a use of her megaphone that risks
making her look more partisan but thats earning her goodwill and chits. The most overt example came
last week when Clinton campaigned for Bruce Braley in Iowa. She didnt just pump up the Senate
hopefuls resume in her stump speech she took a harsh jab at his rival, Republican Joni Ernst, for not
sitting down with the Des Moines Registers editorial board. [Politico, 11/2/14]
Clinton decried parts of politics and Washington as a place where people use money to muddy the
waters. According to BuzzFeed, Clinton spent much of her speeches on Saturday decrying parts of the
political system. She described Washington as a place where people use money to muddy the waters
and drown out voters, and where troubling patterns develop among public officials. Some, Clinton
said, dont seem to care as much or work as hard to give everyone the same chance that Alison had and
made the most of. We cannot in our country continue to reward the dividers, said Clinton. We need
to reward the uniters the people who care about everybody. [BuzzFeed, 11/2/14]
During midterm appearances, Clinton has frequently accused Republicans of peddling fear because,
as she says, that is what people do when they have run out of gas. According to a CNN examination
of Clintons seven most stated lines in midterm speeches, Clinton frequently says, "Fear is the last resort
of those who have run out of hope. This is another way Clinton hits Republicans. She accuses the party

21

of peddling fear because, as she says, that is what people do when they have run out of gas. The line is
regularly used when she is endorsing candidates who are facing stiff opposition and a sizable amount of
outside spending and ads. [CNN, 10/28/14]
In her midterm stump speech, one of Clintons most stated lines links the GOP with amnesia.
According to CNN, one of Clintons seven most common lines on the midterm trail is, "It's as though the
other side wants to cast an air of amnesia. Clinton, who spent four years separated from politics as
America's top diplomat, has stepped up her Republican attack lines on the stump, and she seems
extremely fond of linking the other side with amnesia. It appears to me that the campaigns being run
against them are depending on the voters of Colorado having a mass case of amnesia, Clinton said in
her endorsement of Udall and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper. They want voters to somehow just
forget the accomplishments. Clinton made a similar argument for Martha Coakley, Massachusetts'
Democratic governor nominee, earlier this month. [CNN, 10/28/14]
While in North Carolina, Clinton criticized the policies of North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis on
womens issues and education. According to The Hill, Clinton ripped into North Carolina House
Speaker Thom Tillis (R) on women's issues, education and voting rights during the speech, leaning hard
into potential campaign themes for what many expect to be a presidential run. The fact that women in
North Carolina still get paid less than men for the same work costs those women and their families
thousands of dollars every year. Imagine what a working mom could do with the money she is owed, the
better home she could rent or even buy? she said. This is not just a women's issue, this is a family issue,
a fairness issue." [The Hill, 10/25/14]
While in North Carolina, Clinton hit Republican Senate candidate Thom Tillis on the legality of a
womans right to make her own healthcare decisions. According to The Hill, at an event for Senator Kay
Hagan, Clinton said, "Women's rights are the canary in the mine. If you don't protect women's rights
here at home and around the world, everybody's rights are lost, she said. You have to ask yourself, do
you want a senator who will always defend a woman's right to make her own healthcare decisions and
won't ever shame or judge a woman for decisions that are complex and deeply personal, or do you want
a senator who will push so-called 'personhood' laws that would outlaw common forms of birth control
and ban abortions even in cases of rape or incest?" [The Hill, 10/25/14]
Clinton accused Republicans of national amnesia at a fundraiser in San Francisco. According to the
Washington Post, Continuing her 2014 evolution from mostly apolitical figure to fierce partisan, Hillary
Rodham Clinton is accusing Republicans of national amnesia about their own failings in office and
telling Democrats they will have themselves to blame if they dont come out to vote in midterm
elections. This is our chance -- our chance to elect Democrats who are fighting to jump-start the middle
class, Clinton said at a $1.4 million Democratic fund-raising luncheon here Monday. Our chance to elect

22

Democrats who are working for better jobs, better wages, for an economy that works for everybody.
.Its as though the other side wants to cast an air of amnesia, over the 2014 midterms, she said,
warming to the theme. [Washington Post, 10/21/14]
On the campaign trail for Democrats in the midterm elections, Clinton is making more partisan
comments than in her paid speeches or on her book tour. According to the Wall Street Journal, Her
comments are more partisan than in the paid speeches and book tour she undertook after leaving the
State Department early last year. In Michigan, she said Democrats could be counted on not to line up
with those saying Let Detroit go bankrupt. [Wall Street Journal, 10/17/14]
Clinton attacked Pennsylvanias Republican Governor, Tom Corbett, for an ultrasound bill and his
comments about gay marriage. According to Politico, the speech Clinton delivered at a women-focused
event for Democrat gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf, was Clintons most partisan speech since
leaving the State Department. She bashed low-polling Republican Gov. Tom Corbett for a controversial
transvaginal ultrasound bill and for comparing gay marriage to incest. And Clinton praised the
Democratic Party, which stands for families, stands for working people, stands for fairness and
justice.She ripped Corbett without naming him, listing the things Wolf would not do: He will never
support a law forcing women to undergo an invasive ultrasound procedure. He will never tell
Pennsylvania women stop complaining you just have to close your eyes. He will never compare the
marriage of two loving and committed partners to incest. [Politico, 10/9/14]
Clinton criticized the Congress for being more interested in governing than in posturing, and asked if
some Congressmen simply do not care about what it means to lead. According to CNN, in a speech at
the Economic Club of Chicago, Clinton explained that "The basic problem is we have lost leaders on
both sides of the aisle, particularly at this point in history, on the other side of the aisle, who are more
interested in governing than in posturing, more interested in problem solving than in
partisanship, You have to ask yourself, do these particular members of Congress really understand
the world? Understand what it means for the United States to lead and to be perceived as a leader? Or
do they just not care, Clinton posited. Do they just have a whole other agenda that enables them to say
whatever they want to say and spout whatever rhetoric they want to spout?" [CNN, 10/9/14]
According to the Washington Post, Clinton framed herself during a DNC speech as someone who
moves beyond partisanship and gridlock. According to the Washington Post, Over the last few days,
with her Iowa-I'm-Back speech, and now the two on women's issues, this much is clear: Clinton has the
makings of pretty good campaign stump speech. She has found a way to adequately praise President
Obama (he signed the Lilly Ledbetter law), but framed herself as someone who can get beyond the
partisan gridlock and harness a new type of politics that doesn't look anything like a bunch of guys
fighting in Congress. [Washington Post, 9/19/14]

23

Strengthening Education
Clinton called education cuts a down payment on decline. According to Politico, in a speech for
Democrat Tom Wolf, Clinton denounced cuts in education as a down payment on decline. [Politico,
10/9/14]
Sec. Clinton: You should not have to be the grandchild of a president to get a good education, to get
good health care. According to Politicos coverage of Sec. Clintons campaign speech for Pennsylvania
gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf, Clinton later threaded her granddaughter into her speech, telling a
story about a nurse at Lenox Hill Hospital where little Charlotte was born, thanking her for fighting for
paid maternity leave. Here she is, taking care of other peoples babies, trying to piece together what
she can, Clinton said, a twang creeping into her voice. You should not have to be the grandchild of a
president to get a good education, to get good health care, Clinton said. Lets make sure we give every
child in Pennsylvania the same chance that Im determined to give my granddaughter.
[Politico, 10/9/14]
Sec. Clinton: When education funding gets cut, and your kids pay the price, that is a down payment
on decline. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Ms. Clinton took the stage prepared with every
major point of the Wolf campaign narrative, from Mr. Wolfs experience with his family cabinet business
to the states recent bond-rating downgrades and even past gaffes by Mr. Corbett. It is just
heartbreaking to see what has been done to education in this city and across Pennsylvania, Ms. Clinton
said. When education funding gets cut, and your kids pay the price, that is a down payment on decline.
It needs to be reversed, and the person to do it is Tom Wolf. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 10/10/14]

Relating Her Personal Narrative & Values

While in New Hampshire, Clinton discussed her long ties to the state. According to Yahoo, Her
daylong visit here served notice that, should she run for president, she intends to make New Hampshire
her political home turf. Taken together, Clinton's appearances showed her ability to energize
Democrats and underscored the network in New Hampshire that she and her husband, former President
Bill Clinton, have nurtured for more than two decades. At a Nashua rally, the mere mention of Clinton by
Shaheen or Hassan prompted booming chants of Hillary! from about 700 activists in a community
college gymnasium. [Yahoo, 11/3/14]
During midterm appearances, Clinton has stressed a theme that is focused on the future. According to
BuzzFeed, On the campaign trail this month, Clinton has developed a speech that is aspirational and
focused on the future, describing Democrats she stumps for as change-making. In Pennsylvania, at a
rally for Tom Wolf, the businessman running for governor, she called on his campaign slogan, A Fresh
Start, in her speech. [BuzzFeed, 11/2/14]

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According to NBC, Clinton may benefit from a growing trend of womens issues within the public and
political narrative. According to NBC, Clinton herself may be the biggest beneficiary of this new politics
around gender. The author of the 1996 book It Takes a Village, which spoke of the importance entire
communities play in childrens well-being, was in many ways well ahead of the political curve. Her
former campaign advisers now view the approach in 2008 as a mistake, both suppressing some of
Clintons true passions around issues of gender and equality and downplaying the significance of her
candidacy as the first potential female president. The emphasis on these issues is a much more
natural fit way for her to campaign than she did in 2008, said Dittmar. [NBC, 10/28/14]
During midterm appearances, Clinton quickly added her granddaughter, Charlotte, into her stump
speech. According to a CNN examination of Clintons seven most used midterm stump speech lines,
Hillary Clinton recently became a grandmother, and those who attend her stump speeches get
reminded of that pretty quickly. Clinton has made her new granddaughter -- Charlotte Clinton
Mezvinsky -- a staple of her stump speech and usually uses the one month old to pivot to her vision for
the future and the world she and other Democrats want to leave for their children and grandchildren.
Clinton unveiled the line during an October paid speech in Miami, Florida. You look beautiful, said the
moderator of a question and answer with Clinton. I think it is a grandmother glow, she responded.
Since then, the line has been regularly repeated. [CNN, 10/28/14]
In midterm appearances, Clinton reminds voters that you cant take anything for granted. According
to a CNN investigation into Clintons seven most common midterm campaign lines, she frequently warns
voters, "You can't take anything for granted. Clinton usually employs this line when she is stumping for
Democrats who are way up in the polls. If you don't show up, you don't know what is going to happen,
Clinton said in Minnesota earlier this month where she endorsed Gov. Mark Dayton and Sen. Al Franken,
two Democrats who look likely to win. You can't take anything for granted. But as much at it is a call
to voters, the line is a nod to what Clinton has learned about campaigning. [CNN, 10/28/14]
One Democratic strategist said Clinton is using midterm events to define herself as a contemporary
figure. According to US News, A senior Democratic strategist who has advised his party's congressional
candidates for decades says Clinton is easing concerns that she is too much a part of the past. She is
defining herself as a contemporary figure, he said. At this point, I'm sure more people feel they would
be going forward with Hillary than backward with Hillary. And she is proving that she is not solely an
adjunct of her husband, former President Bill Clinton, the strategist said, adding: She is showing that
she is her own person." [US News, 10/23/14]
Hillary Clintons speech at a rally for Governor Cuomo in New York was filled with anecdotes about
her own experience as a mother and grandmother. According to Politico, She also laced her speech

25

with personal details about being a mother and a grandmother, something she did little of during her
2008 presidential campaign, and which gives her a frame in which to present a message.
[Politico, 10/23/14]
At midterm appearances, Clinton is weaving personal stories with policy, in her messaging.
According to Bloomberg, Traveling the country on behalf of Democratic candidates, Clinton has made
affordable childcare, paid family leave, and equal pay the core of her message, as she intersperses
personal stories with policy prescriptions in her pitch. Clinton has devoted much of her three decades in
public life to advocating for children. As a young lawyer she worked on the staff of the Children's
Defense Fund, later serving as a board member and chairwoman of the organization. She continued her
work on children's issues as first lady of Arkansas and in the White House. Now out of government, she's
focusing on women's and children's issues through her family's charitable foundation.
[Bloomberg, 10/23/14]
As opposed to 2008, Clinton is embracing her mantle as the first woman with a real shot at the
presidency, as she travels the country for Democrats in the midterms. According to Bloomberg,
Unlike in 2008, when Clinton wasn't eager to play up the historic nature of her campaign, she's now
embracing her mantle as the first woman with a real shot at the presidency. Traveling the country on
behalf of Democratic candidates, Clinton has made affordable childcare, paid family leave, and equal
pay the core of her message, as she intersperses personal stories with policy prescriptions in her pitch.
Clinton has devoted much of her three decades in public life to advocating for children. [Bloomberg,
10/23/14]
In midterm appearances, Clinton is revealing a more female-focused, personal message that would
form a key plank in domestic policy, according to Bloomberg. According to Bloomberg, Hillary Clinton
is using a series of midterm appearances to offer a sneak peek of what could be a 2016 candidacy, a
more female-focused, personal message that would form a key plank in a domestic policy agenda.
[Bloomberg, 10/23/14]
While campaigning for Governor Cuomo, Clinton said we have not achieved equality for women but
she is an example of the progress weve made. According to Bloomberg, Campaigning for New York
Governor Andrew Cuomo on Thursday, Clinton talked about her dual roles: grandmother and the
country's most powerful female politician. Let's not kid ourselves, we have not achieved equality. We
have made a lot of progress, don't get me wrong, I'm standing here as a prime example of it, she told
supporters gathered in a New York City hotel. But we have not yet seen the kind of progress that will
ripple out from this ballroom to every woman in New York and beyond. [Bloomberg, 10/23/14]

26

In a Colorado midterm appearance, Clinton used a personal message about her life to attract women
voters. According to CNN, Hillary Clinton used her Tuesday appearance in Colorado, where experts see
the female vote deciding a number of statewide races, to court women with a personal message about
her life and her hopes for the future. Clinton usually targets women voters in her appearances. But in
Colorado, the former secretary of state and likely presidential candidate in 2016, spoke about how
fortunate she felt to be born in America and the message she hopes to be able to leave with children.
The personal remarks, while focused on turning out voters for Democrats Mark Udall, John Hickenlooper
and Andrew Romanoff, sounds a great deal like a presidential candidate and resembled a message
Clinton could use should she run for president. [CNN, 10/22/14]
Clinton told a Colorado crowd that she wants everyone in [the] room to be able to look at any baby,
any child and truthfully say, You have the same right to the American dream that I did. According to
CNN, in remarks at a Get out the Vote event in Colorado, Clinton said, "I have had a great set of
experiences. I have been very fortunate in my life, but the most fortunate thing besides the parents to
whom I was born, is that I was born in America, Clinton said. I, from the moment of my birth, was
blessed because of that. And I grew up believing with all my heart that if I worked hard, if I did was I was
supposed to do, go to school, get an education, that I would have opportunities that were never
available to my mother. Clinton added, Indeed that came true for me. I don't want that ever to be lost.
I want everyone in this room to be able to look at any baby, any child and truthfully say, 'You have the
same right to the American dream that I did.'" [CNN, 10/22/14]
In midterm appearances for Democrats, Hillary Clinton is including anecdotes about her past travels
around the country, particularly in the region of a speech. According to the Wall Street Journal, During
an appearance in Kentucky, Mrs. Clinton also recalled a campaign stop in the 2008 presidential
campaign, when she dipped a bottle of Makers Mark Kentucky bourbon in wax to give the bottle its
signature red tophonoring one of the states proud symbols. [Wall Street Journal, 10/17/14]
In a Pennsylvania speech, Clinton reminded voters of her Pennsylvania roots. According to Politico,
She repeatedly reminded people of her Pennsylvania roots a grandfather who grew up there, a
father who went to college there, summers spent there at an event where Wolf, the candidate, often
felt superfluous. Clinton acknowledged her son-in-laws mother, Marjorie, a former Pennsylvania
congresswoman who lost a primary to re-enter the House earlier this year, and said the two were
sharing the grandmother glow these days. I have to confess, theres a lot of Philadelphia and a lot of
Pennsylvania in Charlotte, which we are so proud to claim, Clinton said of her granddaughter. Her
fathers already held her while watching the [Philadelphia] Eagles play. [Politico, 10/9/14]
In Pennsylvania, Clinton focused on homespun stories about her family and populist attacks on
powerful corporations. According to the Wall Street Journal, Hillary Clinton previewed what could be

27

the gist of her presidential campaign stump speech on Thursday night, blending homespun stories about
her family and populist attacks on powerful corporations. Appearing at a campaign rally for Pennsylvania
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf, Mrs. Clinton sought to reintroduce herself to an
important swing state that voted for her over Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic presidential
primary, keeping alive her struggling candidacy for another couple of months. [Wall Street Journal,
9/9/14]
Clintons frank comments in an Illinois speech demonstrated the sort of frankness her top advisers in
2008 had begged her to embrace. According to Bloomberg, Clinton explained that, And so, I have a
history with charismatic, attractive men who just wear me out, she said. In both instances, I would
hasten to add, they were good decisions.It's a revelatory nugget of thought that was delivered with
the sort of frankness her top advisers in 2008 had begged her to embrace. She did so then, albeit
somewhat late in the game. This time, she's starting early. If she opts for a second run at the White
House, it will mean the candidate who arrives on the 2016 Democratic primary stage will be someone
the voters haven't seen before. It could also mark the end of a two-decades-long unpeeling of the smart,
brash, guarded young woman who arrived in Washington in 1992. [Bloomberg, 10/10/14]
Clintons recent speaking engagements increasingly include anecdotes to demonstrate the challenges
facing women in the work force. According to AP, In a nod to her past, Clinton's speeches now often
include anecdotes emblematic of the barriers many women have faced in the work force. When she was
deciding between Yale and Harvard law schools, Clinton recalled attending a reception at Harvard,
where she met a chauvinistic law professor who told her the school didn't need more women. Clinton
enrolled at Yale. At a speech last week to the Legal Services Corp., Clinton recalled meeting an Arkansas
judge shortly after moving to the state to teach law and run a legal aid clinic in the 1970s. I don't have
much use for lady law professors and I have no use for legal aid, the judge told Clinton, who responded:
Well, it's great to meet you, judge!" [AP, 9/23/14]

Support Our Military & Veterans

Clinton referenced her granddaughter in a speech to families of fallen military members. According to
ABC News, In her first public appearance since the weekend birth of granddaughter Charlotte, Hillary
Clinton spoke at an event this evening in New York for an organization that cares for the families of
fallen military members, who greeted her with moving stories of their loved ones. This a great privilege,
but it is also for me emotional as we celebrate the birth of our granddaughter and as I look out and see
all of you who are thinking of your loved ones and the life that he or she lived, Clinton said at the event
for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors or TAPS, a group that supports, connects and provides
grief resources to military families who have lost loved ones. [ABC News, 10/1/14]

28

Clinton told the families of fallen military members that we must be grateful and thankful for those
who serve. According to ABC News, in Clintons speech to TAPS, She told the families its really
important to me that we never forget your loved ones and we never forget you. At a time when
sometimes we seem divided and people seem to be arguing all the time we really have to take stock of
how blessed we are and grateful for the men and women who serve us and be thankful that we have
through all of our ups and downs and our challenges continues to stand for the values that unite us:
freedom and democracy and opportunity and by supporting you all who will serve in the future, Clinton
told the crowd at Stella 43 Trattoria, a restaurant inside the iconic New York City Macys store. [ABC
News, 10/1/14]

Asserting Americas Place In The World Foreign Affairs

Clinton spoke about the danger and risk of ISIS to the Economic Club of Chicago. According to the
Washington Post, Clinton said Islamic State militants are stronger and better-funded than al-Qaeda and
could pose a direct threat to the United States and other Western nations if their advance is not
stopped, former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday. Its a serious threat because
this is the best-funded, most professional, expansionist jihadist military force that we have ever seen,
Clinton told the Economic Club of Chicago. This is far more advanced and far richer than al-Qaeda ever
was. [Washington Post, 10/8/14]
Clinton told the Economic Club of Chicago that Obama was right to launch a political and military
offensive against ISIS. According to the Washington Post, The president was right to launch a political
and military offensive against the militants who have seized vast areas of Iraq and Syria and beheaded
American and British hostages, Clinton said. The group will attempt to launch attacks against Western
targets if it has the ability to do so, she added. She predicted some kind of legislative action when
Congress returns after the November election. Clinton, whose Senate vote in favor of military action in
Iraq haunted her 2008 presidential campaign, did not call for an up-or-down congressional vote on what
Obama has said is likely to be a long military campaign against the militants. [Washington Post,
10/8/14]
Hillary Clinton touted her decisive action against the threat of violent extremism during her tenure
as Secretary of State, at a speech in Ottawa. According to CNN, Clinton told Ottawa speech attendees,
"We took decisive action against the threat of violent extremism, Clinton said of her four years as
America's top diplomat, certainly most practically from Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda's syndicate of
terror. The line is new for Clinton and comes at a time that some have raised questions whether the
Obama administration underestimated ISIS, a terrorist group that has swept into power in areas of Syria
and Iraq. President Barack Obama decided during his first term not to help train and arm rebels in Syria,
despite urging from Clinton and other top advisers. In hindsight, some of those advisers say not arming
Syrian rebels helped lead to the rise of ISIS. [CNN, 10/7/14]

29

Clinton does not call ISIS by name because they are neither Islamic or a state. According to CNN, in
an Ottawa speech, Clinton explained, "Whether you call them ISIS or ISIL, I refuse to call them the
Islamic State, because they are neither Islamic or a state, Clinton said. Whatever you call them, I think
we can agree that the threat is real. [CNN, 10/7/14]
Clinton said ISIS/ISIL needs to be combatted using social media to spread information, enlist support.
According to CNN, Clinton explained in an Ottawa speech that, You have to combat [ISIS/ISIL] on social
media, you have to do more to enlist Arab support ... to demonstrate this is not some sort of an
American/Western effort and it involves significant Arab participation." [CNN, 10/7/14]
Hillary Clinton publicly supported the Presidents decision to allow airstrikes in Syria to fight against
ISIS and would not speculate whether the action was too late. According to MSNBC, In an interview
with CNNs Sanjay Gupta at the Clinton Global Initiative Wednesday, Clinton said she supports the new
campaign. Whatever the debates might have been before, Clinton said, the situation now is
demanding a response, and were seeing a very robust response. She added, I think the president gave
a very clear explanation and robust defense of the actions that he has ordered with respect to the
terrorists in Iraq and Syria. But Clinton sidestepped the question of whether the action came too late.
[MSNBC, 9/24/14]

30