WikiLeaks’ release of an email from the account of Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta shows Clinton adviser Neera Tanden recommending the candidate deliver “a big speech” focusing on how she would address the problem of political corruption in the primary against Bernie Sanders.
On February 17, 2016, Tanden wrote to Jake Sullivan, the Clinton campaign’s top foreign policy adviser, and Podesta on the subject of “political corruption”:
I know we have to get through Nevada and South Carolina, but after that, can we do a big speech, maybe near Congress, on changing the way we do business?
I was looking at some of the open ended responses in the story in USA Today on their national poll, and how Sanders people think she’s kowtowing to big corporations who fund her. Can she break through that by outlining an agenda to make Congress work for the people again: stricter laws on bribery; ban lobbyists literally from the capital building, or just report out all meetings; she would probably have to do something on her own fundraising.
Should I work some ideas up?..seems like we need to do something in this space.
I briefed the caucus and the Sen Dem message group on our trust in government stuff…Schumer, Klobuchar, Warren really got it.
Tanden referenced an article at USA Today on the same day that highlighted Sanders’ jump to within 10 percentage points of Clinton for the Democrat Party nomination.
According to the article, one poll respondent from Austin commented he was inclined to vote for Sanders over Clinton in light of Clinton’s fundraising from big corporations.
“I’m kind of weary of her,” Kevin Baugh said. “It makes me uncomfortable to support a candidate who is potentially in the pocket of big corporations.”
Similarly, Tom Eberhardt of Wisconsin said about Clinton, “I’m not crazy about the fact that she’s such an establishment politician.”
Sullivan responded to Tanden, “I am for you working up some ideas. I am into this.”
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