Bill Clinton To Fundraise For Gillibrand Challenger Carolyn Maloney

WASHINGTON — In a slap at President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton will headline a fundraiser for a New York congresswoman challenging White House-backed Sen. Kristen Gillibrand in the state's Democratic primary.

Clinton has not endorsed in the race, but his efforts to help Rep. Carolyn Maloney could be seen as a snub to Gillibrand and the Obama White House. Matt McKenna, a spokesman for Clinton, said he will be attending a July 20 fundraiser in New York.

The White House has played an active role in clearing the field for Gillibrand, who was appointed earlier this year to fill the seat vacated when Obama tapped Hillary Rodham Clinton to be his secretary of state. Obama asked Rep. Steve Israel not to challenge Gillibrand, a request he honored. Just days ago, Vice President Joe Biden called Maloney to discuss the race, a clear sign that the White House didn't want a primary fight next year.

Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel told reporters last week that the White House would help Gillibrand's re-election bid.

McKenna disputed any suggestions that Clinton is taking sides in the race, and said Clinton's attendance at past or future fundraisers should not be perceived as an endorsement.

"We agreed to this event some time ago as a way of saying 'thank you' to Congresswoman Maloney for her efforts on his wife's behalf last year," McKenna said.

Bill Clinton also did a fundraising event for Gillibrand, but word of the Maloney event comes as the congresswoman moves toward formally announcing her candidacy. An adviser said this week she is running.

Both Maloney and Gillibrand supported Hillary Rodham Clinton's failed presidential bid, and Bill Clinton had made a point of thanking supporters.

During the Democratic primaries last year, Bill Clinton publicly criticized Obama as untested and unready for the job of president. Hillary Rodham Clinton engaged in a grueling and ultimately losing battle with Obama for the party's nomination. Bill Clinton and Obama made amends and the former president campaigned for the Democratic nominee.

Comments

[2Bfair]

Bill Clinton should stay out of that race. The Clintons serve themselves, not the people of NY.

[Roose]

And so should Obama, Rahm Emmanuel and Biden. Let the people of New York decide who they want as their senator. I, for one, would take McCarthy over that trojan horse republican any ole day.

[GeorgeP922]

There is one reason and one reason only.
It's because the Senator is reaching out to the base.
And that is ILLEGAL in the DLC rule book.

Read her most recent blog:
http://senator-kirsten-gillibrand.dailykos.com/

She not only enthusiastically welcomes Senator Franken (where Bayh and Nelson are grinding their teeth) she THANKS the Daily Kos community for the grass roots campaigning and fundraising we did for 2 years.

I will watch her votes and statements very closely as MANY others are doing, and she knows it. Once she locks herself into a position and we get her votes in, it will only look better for her.

And this is why primaries rock, it can take a good candidate and make them great.

[biglover]

Me too so I think Clinton should campaign for her. What's the problem

[2Bfair]

Roose, agree with you.

[XLintLuvR]

Agreed. At the initial onset, her being from upset and being little more than a repub with a D in front of her name gave me cause for alarm, but if you take a look at her actual record since she's gotten in, she knows what side her bread is buttered. She's got a 90+ voting record for the progressive agenda and from what I understand, she's even tempered some of her pro gun rhetoric. I agree that I would have liked McCarthy out of the two Carolyns, but in a choice between this one and Gillebrand, after her comment this morning about comparing the NY Dems to the Iranians, she's losing my affection quickly.

[placpje]

So a former POTUS shouldn't have a fundraiser for a Senate candidate because you have CDS?

Try again.

[2Bfair]

You are right, only a distinquished statesmen would stay out of a primary campaign, and Bill does not rise in any way to that standard.

[hellboundtrain]

We sure would want to see Smilin' Bill Clinton at a fund raiser for anything.

Oh yes, the guy that signed NAFTA into being that sent American jobs packing!

Thanks for nothing!

[ANTIverson]

Maybe those people should get some skilled jobs.

[unhhockey]

I like Gillibrand. She's turned out to be a very reliable liberal vote.

[GeorgeP922]

She has been reaching out the netroots regularly.

I stereotyped her as the token DLC crony, and for that I appologized to her personally.

No DLC crony would EVER EVER post on the Daily Kos, let alone THANK the Daily Kos staff and members for making an epic push to get Franken and plenty of others elected this year:

http://senator-kirsten-gillibrand.dailykos.com/

If she is a conservadem, she is reaching out to the base which is NOT in their MO.
As soon as she does some interviews on Rachel, she is golden.

What we need to do is watch her votes and statements like a hawk, and if she tows the line, lets go with the younger and more stable candidate.
Running for Senate is not a game.

[johnnynyc]

Maddow's ratings are sinking like a stone.

It's better to get her on Larry King.

[LaughingMan]

.......als­o known as pandering.

I highly doubt this so-called 'conversion' sticks once she gets the nomination and your votes for the Senate seat next year. She'll just revert to being the NY version of Bayh, Landrieu et al. Leopard, spots and all that.

[OverIt]

Given HRC's strong support of Gillibrand as her successor, it's strange that WJC would so openly support her challenger. Then again... Maybe it's a reverse-psychology move. If WJC does for Maloney what he did for McAuliffe in VA . . . =)

[GhiaccioPronto]

I am not buying this whole story at all. He must be greasing her up for something else, like to get her to drop out, fer instance,

[GeorgeP922]

Good point, but Bill has not really towed the line for the party.

I just can't wait till his era of Democrats are flushed away forever, they do nothing but obstruct and they water down our message and values.

Bill could do ALOT to push Obama to fix what he couldn't, but I think his hubris is so great, he doesn't want Obama to bring regulation back to wallsteet, end DADT, and get the public option.
If he did, he could use his reputation for good.
So far, since 2007, its almost all been negative.

It must eat him up that he may be America's second greatest president of the post vietnam era.

[waltben]

This should be interesting . . . Bill didn't help Terry McCauliff, whom he backed in Virginia at all. But then NY is quite different.

[Whinger]

Looking like Big Dawg's fixing to howl at the moon again!

[floridafun]

soo this is a big deal because of what?

[kamandi]

Because Obama and Schumer have been leaning on people so that no one will challenge Gillibrand to this seat. According to a local paper, Obama personally called one person and asked them to drop out of the race. This is also significant because Maloney's big crutch is that she won't have the same financial resources that Gillibrand will.

Understandably, this is a big deal to us here in NY and not to someone in Florida as elections pretty much go without a hitch down there.

[nellie]

Any idea which of the two candidates would be more popular in NY?

[KaLaPa111]

"...as elections pretty much go without a hitch down there."

That was sarcasm, right?

[brt929]

Why does Obama care, as long as it is a Democrat?

Did Obama have something to do with Patterson selecting Gillibrand?