Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton For ‘How Politician’ Maloney

Former President Bill Clinton is going to bat in cyberspace for Rep. Carolyn Maloney, sending an e-mail to the Upper East Side congresswoman’s supporters that lauds her for “figuring out how to build upon the progress we’ve made as a nation.”

Clinton starts out by invoking the first bill he signed into law as president – the Family and Medical Leave Act – which Maloney not only voted for in 1993, but also has sought to expand by introducing a bill to have it cover LGBT employees and their partners.

“Carolyn is what I call a ”how’ politician – and a very good one,” Clinton wrote.

“She passed the most important piece of anti-rape legislation in modern history. Her law has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in funding since 2005 to help end the backlogs of DNA processing nationwide– which means more rapists are being caught, and the crime is harder to get away with. Women are safer. That answers the ‘how’ question.”

“She and Hillary fought hard to get 9/11 first responders the health care they deserve, including provisions for monitoring, so we can continue to watch out for chronic issues caused by dust and ash from the attacks. That’s another ‘how.’”

…”New York is better off because of Carolyn’s leadership. So is America. So are our families.”

“Carolyn’s outstanding record of service and her mile-long list of accomplishments are rare. We need her creative, persistent effectiveness in Congress. Especially now, with all the work she’s done on financial issues. There’s no one better suited to continue fighting for the American consumer.”

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Clinton For McMahon

A reader kindly forwarded an invite to a Sept. 3 rally for Rep. Mike McMahon that will be headlined by former President Bill Clinton and hosted by the Democratic chairs of the two boroughs included in NY-13 – Brooklyn (Assemblyman Vito Lopez) and Staten Island (John Gulino).

Here’s the information:

“Please join President Bill Clinton for a rally supporting the re-election campaign of

Congressman Michael McMahon
13th Congressional District, New York

Building Bridges to a Better Tomorrow
for Staten Island and Brooklyn

Hosted By:
Hon. John Gulino, Chair, Democratic Committee of Richmond County
Hon. Vito Lopez, Chair, Democratic Committee of Kings County

Friday, September 3, 2010
Doors Open at 10:30 AM
Program Begins at 12:30 PM

Spiro Hall
Wagner College
631 Howard Avenue, Staten Island NY 10301
Parking will be available at Wagner’s Stadium Lot

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The Eagle Has Landed

OK, people. Once and for all: The “rumor” that Chelsea Clinton might not be getting married in Rhinebeck as some sort of elaborate ruse to send us all on a wild goose chase as she weds on, say, Martha’s Vineyard, is simply not true.

Need proof?

How about this photo snapped earlier today of a certain former president strolling the streets of a certain picturesque Hudson Valley town…Unless, of course, Bill Clinton is 1) lost; or 2) about to miss his only daughter’s wedding.

He looks awfully thin…apparently he managed to lose the 15 pounds Chelsea Clinton told him to shed in preparation for walking her down the aisle.

UPDATE: Clinton was spotted walking on Montgomery Street just after 12:30 p.m. and is now in Gigi Trattoria, an Italian restaurant that is rumored to be catering the rehearsal dinner tonight. Photo and intel credit to YNN’s Beth Croughan and Tom Krawczyk.

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The Rev. Clinton? (Updated)

Upon reading the AP report that Bill Clinton will officiate at the wedding of Rep. Anthony Weiner to Huma Abedin, a longtime aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, NY1′s Grace Rauh started making some calls to see if the former president needed to do anything to prepare.

She writes:

NY City Clerk Michael McSweeney tells me that being a former President does not make one eligible to perform a wedding ceremony in New York State.

So, it’s possible that Clinton became an ordained minister to officiate at the ceremony (perhaps through the Universal Life Church?)… Still trying to figure out if that’s the case (there’s no exhaustive list of ordained ministers that I’m aware of).

If the happy couple was getting married in the city, then whoever is officiating at his wedding would have had to register with the city. But since the wedding is on Long Island, those same requirements don’t apply.

The 45-year-old congressman and his 34-year-old fiancee are to be married Saturday at the Oheka Castle in Huntington.

They’ve been dating for about two years and announced their engagement last summer. Weiner is Jewish. Abedin grew up in Saudi Arabia and is Muslim. (As the former president said at a recent pre-wedding party for the couple, this is the embodiment of what “the future of the world should be”).

The Clintons are a bit wedding crazy this summer. They’re in the midst of preparing the nuptials of their daughter, Chelsea, and investment banker Marc Mezvinsky in Rhinebeck later this month.

UPDATE: A married reader writes: “Definitely not as good of a story as Clinton becoming Universal Life Minister, but I’m guessing that they will have a judge sign the papers before or after the ceremony. That’s what (we did) when we got married…We were technically already married before (my wife) walked down the aisle. I bet they will do something similar.”

Bill Clinton Helps The Senate Dems

Here’s the invite to state Senate Democrats’ first annual “Spring Issues Gala” that is being headlined by former President Bill Clinton.

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The event is scheduled to take place in Manhattan Thursday, which, as City Hall noted this morning, conflicts with a high-dollar DCCC event headlined by President Obama at the St. Regis for which tickets are running from $15,000 a person to $50,000 a couple.

(Obama will be coming to NYC from Buffalo, where he is making just one stop – not open to the public – at a metal fabrication plant where he will discuss the economy and jobs as part of his ongoing Main Street tour).

Tickets for the Senate Dems’ event are decidedly more affordable (relatively speaking, anyway), starting at a mere $1,000. DSCC spokesman Eric Blakenbaker told City Hall’s David Freedlander the timing conflict between the two events is a mere coincidence and that Clinton only recently confirmed his attendance.
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Bill Auctions Himself Off (Again) To Help Hill

Former President Bill Clinton is again offering up the chance to spend a day with him in New York as a fundraising gimmick to help his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, retire the still-lingering debt from her 2008 presidential campaign.

“Hillary’s campaign still has a few vestiges of debt that I know she would like to see paid in full. Will you reach out today to help Hillary this one last time? If you enter between now and May 18th, you might join me for a day in New York,” the ex-president “wrote” in an e-mail sent to Clinton supporters today.

“…I’m so proud of the work Hillary has done as Secretary of State, traveling the world, restoring the country’s alliances, and making America stronger. And as I watch health care reform sweep the country, I can’t help but think about how much she has contributed over the years to make the progress we are making possible.”

“I know you share my pride in all her accomplishments, and I know how much your continued support means to her. And yes, she still needs your help.”

As of the end of March, Hillary Clinton’s campaign committee still had $771,000 worth of debt and $623,740 on hand. (Interestingly, her still-active New York committee has $1.86 million on hand).

Clinton’s committee has been consistently chipping away at its debt – an effort hampered by the fact that she is unable to raise money herself, given her current post in the Obama administration. That’s why it has fallen to the former president to help shoulder the fundraising burden.

Bill Clinton For Bishop

The Democrats are really pulling out all the stops to help Rep. Tim Bishop. A reader forwarded the following invite for an upcoming fundraiser former President Clinton will headline for the embattled Long Island congressman:

PLEASE JOIN

President Bill Clinton

AT A FUNDRAISING RECEPTION IN HONOR OF

Congressman Tim Bishop

the home of
Bob and Laura Sillerman
East 70th Street
New York, New York

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010
7:30 pm

Requested contribution: $1,000 per person

VIP Ticket: $2,400 per person
* Includes a photograph with the President and honor roll listing

This comes on the heels of a $1,000-a-head fundraiser White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel headlined for Bishop last month.

At the end of this quarter, Bishop reported having $1.24 million on hand.

A number of Republicans are vying to take out Bishop, including businessman Randy Altschuler, who had $1.5 million on hand (much of which was his own money), Chris Cox had $614,505, and George Demos had $303,880.