Hillary super PAC readies launch
Long-time supporters of Hillary Clinton have opened a super PAC to lay the groundwork for a 2016 presidential campaign, even though Clinton, just finishing a four-year term as secretary of state, has said nothing about her future plans.
ReadyForHillary launches a splash page next Monday at its website, ReadyForHillary.com. Allida Black and Judy Beck, two veteran Clinton fundraisers, are spearheading the new organization. They recruited Adam Parkhomeko, who helped launch a "Draft Hillary" movement in 2003 and was later hired by the campaign, to corral the far-flung vestiges of the Clinton campaign organization. NGP Software, which designed the Clinton campaign website in 2008, has been hired by the PAC.
Several former Clinton campaign staffers are offering input and suggestions. The PAC has no formal affiliation with Clinton or any of her top aides.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The first inklings of the new organization came late last year, when a @ReadyForHillary Twitter handle began to follow Democratic activists and political reporters.
Black is a formidable force. Co-editor of the Eleanor Roosevelt papers and a George Washington University professor, she took to the floor of the Democratic convention in 2008 to protest the treatment accorded to Clinton delegates. Beck, listed as the treasurer on organization papers filed with the Federal Election Commission on Jan. 25, is Black's partner.
In an interview that aired last night on 60 Minutes, Clinton said neither she nor President Barack Obama "can make predictions about what's going to happen tomorrow or the next year," referring to the prospect of a presidential run. Clinton confidantes have said that Clinton has not telegraphed to them in any way what her intentions are after she takes a well-deserved break from the stresses of the public eye and public diplomacy.
ReadyForHillary aims to have its ducks in a row should Clinton decide to press go on a 2016 bid. It will serve as a virtual gathering place for supporters and donors. When prominent Democrats like Donna Brazile offer their endorsements — like Brazile did today in a tweet — the organization, which already claims close to 50,000 Twitter followers, will document them and push them out to the world.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
And why the name? It was chosen, according to someone involved in the group, because everyone seems "Ready for Hillary."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Marc Ambinder is TheWeek.com's editor-at-large. He is the author, with D.B. Grady, of The Command and Deep State: Inside the Government Secrecy Industry. Marc is also a contributing editor for The Atlantic and GQ. Formerly, he served as White House correspondent for National Journal, chief political consultant for CBS News, and politics editor at The Atlantic. Marc is a 2001 graduate of Harvard. He is married to Michael Park, a corporate strategy consultant, and lives in Los Angeles.
-
Magazine interactive crossword - May 3, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - May 3, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine solutions - May 3, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - May 3, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine printables - May 3, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - May 3, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
Why Puerto Rico is starving
The Explainer Thanks to poor policy design, congressional dithering, and a hostile White House, hundreds of thousands of the most vulnerable Puerto Ricans are about to go hungry
By Jeff Spross Published
-
China is now just another autocracy
The Explainer On the long-lasting consequences of Xi Jinping's power grab
By Noah Millman Published
-
Is America the main obstacle to peace in Korea?
The Explainer There's only one way Korea would unify — and the United States won't stand for it
By Noah Millman Published
-
Why on Earth does the Olympics still refer to hundreds of athletes as 'ladies'?
The Explainer Stop it. Just stop.
By Jeva Lange Last updated
-
Berlin's wall and ours
The Explainer What that signifier of the Cold War indicates about our unsettled historical moment
By Noah Millman Published
-
The catastrophe in Yemen
The Explainer A Saudi Arabian blockade has left millions of civilians starving, and without fuel or clean water. What is this conflict about?
By The Week Staff Published
-
China's strongman
The Explainer Xi Jinping is China's most powerful leader in decades. What are his plans for the country — and the world?
By The Week Staff Published
-
How to ride out the apocalypse in a big city
The Explainer So you live in a city and don't want to die a fiery death ...
By Eugene K. Chow Published