Hillary's Campaign Is A Family Affair

Mother And Daughter Join Clinton For Iowa Campaign Events

(AP)  Three generations of Clinton women hit the trail vowing "change across the generations" as Hillary Rodham Clinton stepped up her pitch to the women voters who could hold the key to Iowa's caucuses, which will launch the presidential nominating season in less than four weeks.

"We're getting close to the caucuses," said Clinton. "I always think it's better to go to the caucuses with a buddy. Today, I've got some buddies with me."

Those "buddies" included 88-year-old mother Dorothy Rodham and 27-year-old daughter Chelsea Clinton, making her first appearance with her mother on the trail in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Opening the swing, Clinton noted that her family is able to care for her mother as she ages.

"I'm fortunate, my mother lives with Bill and me," said Clinton. "Lots of times she has more energy than we do."

Clinton noted that her mother fits the description of women who were born before women got the right to vote, and are now pushing to elect the first woman president.

"She has seen a lot happen and change in our country," said Clinton. "Not everyone is as lucky to have their mother or father or grandparent with them as we are."

Clinton's mother joined her on the campaign trail Friday night, and Chelsea, who works in New York City's financial sector, joined her Saturday morning. Neither spoke at the campaign events, but Chelsea worked a crowd hard as they opened the day.

Clinton used the occasion to trot out a plan to bolster long-term care, including a $3,000 tax credit for caregivers, a doubling of the standard deduction for the elderly and a tax credit for purchasing long-term care insurance. She repeatedly pointed to her ability to care for her own mother as she ages.

"I don't think having my mother with me is a burden, I think it's a joy," said Clinton. "It isn't easy to do and a lot of families don't have a lot of options."

The multigenerational appeal was aimed straight at women voters.

"I'm a proud working daughter," said Clinton. "My family is able to make the decisions we think are right for us and that's what I want for every American family."

Issues of long-term care and building families will be a focus of her presidency, Clinton said.

Clinton is locked in a tight battle with rivals Barack Obama and John Edwards in the race for Iowa's Jan. 3 caucuses, a competition where the stakes are very high. Although the Iowa race is close, Clinton has commanding leads in early voting states like New Hampshire and South Carolina, and some strategists argue that a win in competitive Iowa could propel her toward the nomination.

Racing across the state on a frigid day that threatened snow, the Clinton women went to an elementary school in Williamsburg where Clinton displayed a list prepared by schoolchildren about what the next president should do.

"What does the next president do to help children," Clinton read from the list. "She - I like that, she - could put Band-Aids on children that are hurt."

After ticking off items like "teach us left from right," Clinton concluded the youngsters were on the right track.

"I thought that was a pretty good list," said Clinton. She cast herself as a candidate tested by fire, drawing an implicit difference with Obama, who she calls inexperienced.

"I will wage a winning campaign. The Republicans are not going to walk away from the White House without a fight," said Clinton. "One thing you know about me is they've been after me for 15 years and I'm still here."

While Obama was seeking the spotlight Saturday by bringing in talk show maven Oprah Winfrey, Clinton was fast making her campaign a family business. While her mother and daughter joined her in Iowa, her former president husband campaigned for her in another early voting state, South Carolina, and was headed back to the Iowa on Monday for a swing focused on college campuses.

By focusing on women and long-term care, Clinton was targeting two crucial groups in the state's electorate - women and seniors. More than 60 percent of caucus-goers in the last election cycle were over 50, and the state has one of highest populations in the nation over 85.

That group will be the target of her long-term care plan. Nationally, the over-85 population is expected to grow from 5 million to 21 million by 2050, according to documents provided by the Clinton campaign.

Clinton said the image of her campaign Saturday underscored her multigenerational pitch.

"The reason I am happy they are both here is I'm running for president to make the kind of change that America needs, changes people need no matter what age they are," said Clinton. "We need change across the generations."

[mudrose-2009]

Is her mother or daughter MUTE?

[colonieny]

Can anyone at CBS or any media work up enough courage to ask Ms. Hillary about those PARDONS her husband rushed through during his last few hours ? Mark Rich, and assorted drug dealers, big money people and such, some with letters from Hillary own brother ? Or at least ask the other part of this dysfunctional duo ?
I am amazed by the immediate amnesia of the media for selective often major issues, esp involing the Clintons. Doesn''t anyone remember the missing furniture in the White House ?? other scandals of opportunity and greed- how did she make all that money on futures while others lost etc ??? I still do not understand what makes her qualified to be President - Does anyone ?? To me the important thing is to have someone with real experience, and can make a decision, not a waffler. Give me Biden, as a Democrat. He is straight shooter and street smart. Dodd is good too. Hillary ? Come on.

[colonieny]

ANOTHER PUFF PIECE

cBS: What a load. .
what happened to HSU ? The guy who was supposedly up to his neck in dirty money, and funneling funny money from ? China ? to Hillary.
Where is the story on that ? Huh ?

[prinzowhales]

Hillary! Where is the $2.3 Trillion that Rumsfeld said was missing from Pentagon accounts on 9-10-01? You were in Congress...don''t they have any oversight there? Aren''t you even remotely interested where the money got off to? It has been six years and counting and the Senate and House under Republicans and now Democrats have done precisely nothing! Sounds like old times doesn''t it?--Sounds like their response to the S&L scandal!

[prinzowhales]

I only count three...where''s ''Socks''?

[tibu987]

How does having her daughter and mother in her campaign equate into presidential qualifications
How does Hillary''s tenure in the White House as First Lady, and being a senator from a relatively unimportant are equate into the experience she claims to have?

"Who is the more foolish...........the fool or the fool that follows him/her?."

[gunownerdan]

Why have we allowed the Bush/Clinton crime families to hijack our government?
Hitlery seems like she''s more of a warmongering neocon than even Bush is.
Sad and dangerous!

[neobrian-2009]

Xbil
I guess you turned senile,or got ''shrub-whacked''...

[xlib]

neobrain-Ya know, I have a mug with the saying "friends don''t let friends vote democrat". Isn''t that funny!!

[gunownerdan]

Hitlery is just as nasty as her husband, if not worse.

[samthetvcat]

"The reason I am happy they are both here is I''m running for president to make the kind of change that America needs, changes people need no matter what age they are," said Clinton. "We need change across the generations."

Barack came up with the idea of running on a slogan of ''change'' and Hillary''s thing was ''experience''. But now that ''experience'' has become something of a negative because we''re so down on politicians she''s totally stolen Barack''s platform and seems to be trying to present it as her own. As if nobody''s going to notice (?)

But yeah, of Chelsea to be out campaigning team Clinton must be really nervous . . . I think the appearance does ''humanize'' her and make her more relatable (is that a word? :o), but then she goes and does something like steal other peoples'' ideas and people are reminded of the fact that they pretty much have her pegged after all . . .

I don''t think Clinton''s drop in polls is that she''s doing anything ''wrong'' or not doing something ''right'', maybe it''s more a case of voters having a lot of choice this time around and just want something different this time around . . .

[donbl1]

CBS seems a little desparate to stop Hillary''s slide to oblivion.

[likeitis5050]

Interesting how none of thes ''family campaigns'' include any children who have served the military...from either side. Of course no one expects a Democrat, ready to put women in Burkas and convert to Islam, to actually defend this country, but when Republicans trot out their children and justify it with ''they''re helping their father win an election'', then we know the real score. It''s okay for those LITTLE PEOPLE to have children we can depend on to fight, but IMPORTANT PEOPLE can''t afford to have their children sign up to defend our rights. Polititicans have little or no true integrity and will blow sunshine up any a.ss for the chance it might pull in a vote or two. Lizards...that''s all...creeping crawling lizards. Hillary won''t be affected by any of her big wheeling plans to support her million dollar ideas...she''s going to have loop hole after loop hole to keep her afloat....and Bill will be the man behind the president...running things once again. What a joke.

[retmilspouse]

Family Affair, big whoop.

[xlib]

Would that family also include her felon/pardoned brother and brother-in-law? How about her distant chi com cousins??

[radiob-2009]

A family affair that does not include the vast majority of Americans. If they use the Sly song he should sue.

[rafterman1]

===For years the Clintons have made the choice that their daughter was off limits and rightly so.===

Not necessarily. This is the first Clinton presidential election where the kid was old enough to participate. The candidates always drag their kids into it. I imagine most of them could care less, but it''s a family thing.

[prinzowhales]

Chelsea Clinton once told a uniformed officer of the United States military that ''her family didn''t like the military''...not wanting him to ride, if memory serves, in the car with her in a motorcade.

"Cattle Futures" Clinton represents the international banking establishment, the supporters of open borders, the AIPAC spies and the War Pigs. She is Bush in a dress...you might as well vote for the cross-dresser Mafiosi Giuliani if you want that--he looks better in them.

[frb01]

All I can say is that Obama better look for the full assault now. For years the Clintons have made the choice that their daughter was off limits and rightly so. And I think Chelsea Clinton also avoided the spotlight. For her to be involved now shows a little bit of worry in the Clinton camp.

[neobrian-2009]

Re-Elect Hillary !
Hillary did a great job in her first 2 terms, Bill filled in wonderfully as her spokesperson !Let`s put our country back on track ! These past years have been extremely painful,with by far the most corrupt and idiotic people ever in charge.
Let`s put the USA back on top,..."Friends don`t let friends vote republicon "