False and misleading attacks from the right will doubtlessly continue to escalate with the release of Hillary Clinton’s book, “Hard Choices,” tomorrow. Certain patterns indicate the attacks will be predictable.
The right’s frenzied rhetoric building up to the release of the book suggests a coordinated effort to create a set of narratives that falsely undermine and disparage Clinton’s book. The attacks generally fall into ten categories, as though they originated in a memo or talking points document distributed even before the content of the book was actually finalized. In the classic fashion of Karl Rove, these false narratives attempt to distort the strengths of Clinton’s record and transform them into political liabilities. The document below includes the 10 false narratives developed by the right, examples of each, and the appropriate response to debunk each attack narrative.
Right-wing groups have been so blatantly inaccurate and misleading in their recent frenzy of attacks that it has doubtlessly hurt their credibility. However, with the flurry of media coverage on the release of “Hard Choices” and the impending book tour, these groups will find countless avenues to repeat their bogus claims.
We must remain vigilant and not let the repetition of right-wing talking heads reinvent brazen lies as accepted “truths.” Our team will be in touch again soon.
1) FALSE NARRATIVE: “Hard Choices” proves she has no accomplishments.
FALSE NARRATIVE: “Hard Choices” proves she has no accomplishments. Despite the substantive information in “Hard Choices,” the book is somehow evidence that Hillary has no singular, defining accomplishment to show for her time as the nation’s top diplomat. It’s all small-ball stuff, nothing worth bragging about.
REALITY:
- Secretary Clinton helped restore America’s leadership and standing in the world during a time of global challenges and changes. Secretary Clinton worked tirelessly to revitalize American diplomacy and strengthen alliances by traveling nearly a million miles for hundreds of meetings with foreign leaders in 112 countries.
- As Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton fought to make America and the world safer by playing an integral role in the New START Treaty with Russia that will result in fewer nuclear missile launchers and by maintaining a coalition to enact the toughest sanctions in Iran’s history.
- Secretary Clinton engaged in economic statecraft, engaging abroad to build prosperity and jobs at home. Secretary Clinton’s focus on economic engagement resulted in increased investment and more jobs in the U.S.
EXAMPLES FROM THE RIGHT:
“Republicans say Clinton’s tenure at the State Department lacked any notable accomplishment and that many of the choices were bad ones.” According to ABC News, “Clinton’s record at the State Department is likely to receive a public dissection when she begins promoting ‘Hard Choices,’ her memoir of her time as the nation’s top diplomat. In speeches, she has described it as a series of tough calls. The book is expected to discuss the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, the Obama administration’s diplomacy with China, Iran and the Middle East, and the September 2012 attack that killed four Americans at a diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. Republicans say Clinton’s tenure at the State Department lacked any notable accomplishment and that many of the choices were bad ones.” [ABC News, 5/24/14]
The America Rising e-book is premised on their belief that Clinton’s “tenure is without signature accomplishments and instead defined by her significant and tangible failures.” According to Politico’s coverage of America Rising’s e-book “Failed Choices,” “The second chapter of the America Rising version of her record is titled ‘Hillary’s War: Libya and the Tragedy in Benghazi.’ The premise of the America Rising e-book is that Clinton ‘did not live up to the challenge’ she faced when she became President Barack Obama’s Secretary of State, and that ‘her tenure is without a signature accomplishment and instead defined by her significant and tangible failures,’ an official with the group said.” [Politico, 6/1/14]
“Critics have charged that her time as America’s top diplomat was marked by a lack of a crowning achievement.” According to CNN, “Clinton’s memoir has been highly anticipated since she left her role as America’s top diplomat in early 2013, primarily because the former first lady has been weighing a run at the presidency in 2016. Because of that, the release of ‘Hard Choices’ is an important moment for Clinton. Critics have charged that her time as America’s top diplomat was marked by a lack of a crowning achievement, while Clinton confidants have looked to frame those years as a success and see the book as the most potent way to do that.” [CNN, 5/27/14]
Mediaite: “GOP mouths are watering” at the prospect of chapters in “Hard Choices” highlighting Clinton’s accomplishments at the State Department. According to Mediaite, “Clinton goes on to discuss the importance of marrying traditional foreign policy apparatuses to private sector innovations, and to praise, in broad strokes, the foreign policy of the Obama administration. It promises later chapters on Clinton’s accomplishments at the State Department, specifically the reorientation to “smart power,” over which GOP mouths are watering.” [Mediaite, 5/27/14]
Priebus, on Sec. Clinton: “She gets an ‘F’ as secretary of State. Go to her Senate days, what’s there? I don’t know.” According to The Hill’s Briefing Room blog’s coverage of Chairman Priebus’s comments about Sec. Clinton, “Priebus laid out a broad critique of Clinton’s entire political tenure, saying she has done nothing to justify her position as a viable presidential candidate. ‘She gets an ‘F’ as secretary of State,’ he said. ‘Go to her Senate days, what’s there? I don’t know.’” [Briefing Room, The Hill, 6/1/14]
2) FALSE NARRATIVE: “Hard Choices” is a glossed over, snooze-fest.
FALSE NARRATIVE: “Hard Choices” is a glossed over, snooze-fest. There is nothing new in her book. It’s all sanitized talking points and campaign-speak.
REALITY:
- Hillary Clinton provides a real, first-hand account of diplomatic, domestic and geopolitical affairs. Americans are eager to hear directly from Hillary Clinton, as evidenced by her book sales.
- The right wing is frantically afraid of Hillary Clinton communicating directly with the American people without a political attack machine trying to restrain and challenge her every word.
- The right wing is spinning so fast it will make you dizzy. One day they argue that the details in “Hard Choices” are terrible diplomatic failures, the next minute they argue there are no substantive details in the book in the first place. They can’t even keep their own lies straight.
EXAMPLES FROM THE RIGHT:
Right-wingers attacked, “The excerpt that Simon & Schuster posted from ‘Hard Choices’ doesn’t contain much news.” According to Fox News, “The excerpt that Simon & Schuster posted from ‘Hard Choices’ doesn’t contain much news, and that is probably by design. But what’s striking is that the book passages went online on the same day as a New Yorker piece in which her longtime spokesman complained that ‘there’s no such thing as straight reporting anymore.’” [Fox News, 5/28/14]
Washington Free Beacon highlighted pundit Sally Kohn’s statement that Clinton’s memoir “should be called ‘Boring Choices.’” According to the Washington Free Beacon, “The show ran a clip of Clinton narrating a vacuous excerpt that read ‘along the way, I’ve tried not to make the same mistake twice, to learn, to adapt, and to pray for the wisdom to make better choices in the future.’ Kohn noted while the title Hard Choices and it’s not so vague allusion to Clinton’s potential run for president will be sure to drive book sales, she lamented based on that excerpt the book looks like a complete snoozer. ‘I, however, think this is going to be the most boring book ever in the history of the world. If this excerpt has anything to indicate, it should be called ‘Boring Choices.’ It’s dry, right. It’s safe. It’s dry,’ Kohn said.” [Washington Free Beacon, 5/27/14]
3) FALSE NARRATIVE: “Hard Choices” is full of errors, embellishments, and half-truths.
FALSE NARRATIVE: “Hard Choices” is full of errors, embellishments, and half-truths. Hillary and her book have a credibility problem. This is nothing more than the latest embellishments of a politician with no tangible accomplishments.
REALITY:
- “Hard Choices” is about as close to ringside seats as you can get for some of the biggest American and international decisions of our lifetime, including the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden.
- The right wing has tried to distort, bend, and break facts to assail Clinton’s record, literally spending months on their efforts to discredit a book before it was even written.
- Secretary Clinton built and maintained a coalition to enact the toughest sanctions in Iran’s history. Secretary Clinton helped impose the toughest sanctions in Iran’s history by getting Russia and China on board. A Carnegie Endowment for International Peace study estimated the oil embargo alone cost Iran about $100 billion in foreign investment and oil revenue. These sanctions and their impact played a significant role in bringing the nation to the negotiating table. Those are hard facts to deny; they’ve been widely reported.
EXAMPLES FROM THE RIGHT:
Washington Post: “Republican critics are racing to define Clinton’s record first — preparing a massive opposition-research effort designed to challenge her recounting of events and undermine the book’s credibility.” According to The Washington Post, “Hillary Rodham Clinton is rushing to finish a memoir of her time as secretary of state… But her Republican critics are racing to define Clinton’s record first — preparing a massive opposition-research effort designed to challenge her recounting of events and undermine the book’s credibility. The war over Clinton’s tenure as the nation’s top diplomat will play out in coming months as a proxy skirmish for a potential 2016 campaign.” [The Washington Post, 1/19/14]
Weekly Standard: “In reality, the Obama administration, and Clinton’s State Department in particular, opposed, dragged their feet on, and sought to water down every piece of sanctions legislation introduced.” According to the Weekly Standard, “Hillary Clinton will shortly release a memoir, Hard Choices, chronicling her tenure as secretary of state. If what she has to say in its pages resembles what she had to say from the stage at the American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) annual Global Forum on May 14—where she claimed undue credit for implementing sanctions against Iran—it’s worth setting the record straight now. In reality, the Obama administration, and Clinton’s State Department in particular, opposed, dragged their feet on, and sought to water down every piece of sanctions legislation introduced by bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate. With that history now being rewritten, let’s review the actual record.” [Weekly Standard, 6/3/14]
America Rising e-book: “In her book and on a presidential campaign, she will spin, exaggerate, and lie to try to turn these failures into accomplishments.” According to Politico’s coverage of America Rising’s e-book “Failed Choices,” “‘At the end of Secretary Clinton’s tenure, there was no region in the world where our alliances were stronger or our enemies weaker thanks to Secretary Clinton’s diplomacy,’ the book’s introduction states. ‘In her book and on a presidential campaign, she will spin, exaggerate, and lie to try to turn these failures into accomplishments. But no amount of whitewashing or political spin can protect her from her record.’” [Politico, 6/1/14]
4) FALSE NARRATIVE: Taking credit for Obama’s accomplishments.
FALSE NARRATIVE: Taking credit for Obama’s accomplishments. This book is Hillary’s effort to seize on accomplishments that aren’t her own. She is trying to take credit for the record of the Obama administration.
REALITY:
- As Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton fought for what she believed were the best decisions for our country.
- Secretary Clinton helped impose the toughest sanctions in Iran’s history.
o Comprehensive Iran Sanctions And Divestment Act: At one point Clinton “became the de facto chairwoman of the conference committee” and “brokered a last-minute compromise with House leaders” to help ensure the bill’s passage, according to the book HRC: State Secrets. And as the New York Times wrote in 2010, “She brokered a last-minute compromise with House leaders on the Iran sanctions bill, which gives Mr. Obama a waiver to avoid penalizing companies in countries the United States believes are cooperating with United Nations sanctions against Iran.”
o UN Sanctions: By convincing Russia and China to get on board, Secretary Clinton built and maintained a coalition to enact the toughest sanctions in Iran’s history.
- Secretary Clinton supported the raid that brought Osama bin Laden to justice. As NBC’s Brian Williams reported on his website, “Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recommended an air strike with no forces on the ground. CIA Director Panetta supported a raid by Special Forces and so did Secretary of State Clinton.”
EXAMPLES FROM THE RIGHT:
Weekly Standard: “It’s worth setting the record straight,” in preparation for Clinton claiming “undue credit for implementing sanctions against Iran” in her book. According to the Weekly Standard, “Hillary Clinton will shortly release a memoir, Hard Choices, chronicling her tenure as secretary of state. If what she has to say in its pages resembles what she had to say from the stage at the American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) annual Global Forum on May 14—where she claimed undue credit for implementing sanctions against Iran—it’s worth setting the record straight now. In reality, the Obama administration, and Clinton’s State Department in particular, opposed, dragged their feet on, and sought to water down every piece of sanctions legislation introduced by bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate. With that history now being rewritten, let’s review the actual record.” [Weekly Standard, 6/3/14]
Republican strategists questioned whether Clinton was taking more credit than she deserves for the [Bin Laden] raid. “Privately, Republican strategists questioned whether Clinton is taking more credit than she deserves for the successful raid. But even America Rising, the leading Republican super PAC attacking Clinton in the run-up to 2016, stopped short of publicly criticizing her role in the bin Laden operation. ‘When it comes to the bin Laden raid, there are some things that are above politics,’ said Tim Miller, America Rising’s executive director. ‘That was a great moment for the country.’” [Washington Post, 6/2/14]
Weekly Standard: “Instead of taking credit for the work of others, she should explain why her office opposed their endeavors for so long, and with such temerity.” According to the Weekly Standard, “There are other examples, at home and abroad, that one could invoke to make the same point: If Mrs. Clinton believes sanctions to have been a positive force in attempts to stop Iran’s march toward a nuclear bomb, she is well within her right to trumpet America’s imposition of them as a foreign policy success. She should be candid, though: It was a success in spite of her efforts, not because of them. Instead of taking credit for the work of others, she should explain why her office opposed their endeavors for so long, and with such temerity. That might be history worth listening to.” [Weekly Standard, 6/3/14]
Tim Miller: “This book tour is going to be her attempt to try to change that narrative” and “to recast history to take credit for certain things.” According to comments from Tim Miller in The Hill, “‘I think that for her, this book tour is going to be her attempt to try to change that narrative and I think we’ve seen some of the strategies she’s going to employ. … Secretary Clinton now is trying to recast history to take credit for certain things. It’s going to be our role to do our best to counter that.’” [The Hill, 6/4/14]
5) FALSE NARRATIVE: What is Hillary hiding? Whatever Hillary says about Benghazi is not enough.
FALSE NARRATIVE: What is Hillary hiding? There must be something missing from the book. Whatever Hillary says about Benghazi is not enough.
REALITY:
- Secretary Clinton took responsibility: In interviews, testimony and in her book, Secretary Clinton has taken responsibility repeatedly. She was determined to leave the State Department and our country safer, stronger, and more secure.
- Secretary Clinton took action: Secretary Clinton appointed a non-partisan, independent Accountability Review Board to review what happened and began the process of implementing the 29 recommendations put forth by the ARB before leaving the State Department. She took these steps in order to ensure a tragedy like this never happens again.
- Secretary Clinton was fully transparent: Secretary Clinton fully and publicly answered questions before Congress. The report of the Accountability Review Board is just the second to be made public, making it one of the most transparent internal reviews in State Department history. In addition to a House Select Committee, eight congressional committees have participated in the investigations into the Benghazi tragedy, which haveincluded more than 50 senior level staff briefings, 13 public hearings, at least 3 independent/bipartisan reports, dozens of interviews, and the disclosure of more than 25,000 pages of documents.
EXAMPLES FROM THE RIGHT:
Sen. Ted Cruz: With Sec. Clinton “it seems to be all politics all the time, that from what we know about this book chapter, it’s pure political spin.” According to ABC News This Week, “Sen. Ted Cruz: ‘You know, the sad thing with Secretary Clinton is that it seems to be all politics all the time, that from what we know about this book chapter, it’s pure political spin. And she’s more focused on blaming the so-called vast right-wing conspiracy than on the terrorists. The truth shouldn’t be partisan and there’s a pattern in this administration. The pattern is when a crisis, when a scandal emerges, to express outrage.’” [ABC News This Week, 6/1/14]
“Hard Choices” will “be a useful marketing tool and distraction should Mrs. Clinton actually run for the White House, when the inevitable questions about Benghazi and other issues surface.” According to the Washington Times, “On Tuesday, the publisher unleashed a 20-paragraph sampling from the book on a very slick website. There is an audio offering of Mrs. Clinton reading her work, plus a video. The careful timing and the showbiz that has accompanied the 656-page book are almost unprecedented, defining the dimensions of a presidential hopeful for press and public alike. The book will also be a useful marketing tool and distraction should Mrs. Clinton actually run for the White House, when the inevitable questions about Benghazi and other issues surface.” [Washington Times, 5/28/14]
Clinton is spinning the Benghazi narrative to take focus away from her mistakes. According to the Weekly Standard, “According to a story by Maggie Haberman about the Benghazi chapter in Clinton’s forthcoming book Hard Choices, the former secretary of state contends that some of her critics have badly mischaracterized the now infamous question she asked at a January 23, 2012, congressional hearing: ‘What difference, at this point, does it make?’ She’s right, they have. The question, which came in the middle of a heated back-and-forth with U.S. senator Ron Johnson, was not so much a declaration of indifference as it was an attempt to redirect the questioning from its focus on the hours before the attacks to preventing similar attacks in the future. But beginning with her bizarre analogy to explain that question, Clinton’s attempt to spin Benghazi—at least as insofar as the Politico piece represents it—is highly misleading.” [Weekly Standard, 5/30/14]
Clinton’s account of Benghazi was “cherry-picked,” and “weak and arrogant.” According to Politico, “On Twitter and in blog posts, conservatives blasted her take on the incident as ‘cherry-picked,’ ‘illogical’ and, according to an adviser to Sen. Ted Cruz, ‘weak and arrogant.’” [Politico, 5/30/14]
Reince Preibus told CNN that “the Benghazi chapter shows ‘Hillary Clinton, President Obama and the Democrats would rather blame Republicans for asking questions than get answers for Americans.’” According to CNN, “Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus told CNN on Friday that the Benghazi chapter shows ‘Hillary Clinton, President Obama and the Democrats would rather blame Republicans for asking questions than get answers for Americans.’ ‘It isn’t acceptable for the Democrats to try to sweep this under the rug,’ Priebus said. ‘Americans want answers so it doesn’t happen again.’” [CNN, 5/30/14]
“This is nothing more than a shabby attempt to avoid responsibility for the decisions made under her command.” According to Hot Air columnist Ed Morrissey, “This is nothing more than a shabby attempt to avoid responsibility for the decisions made under her command at State. It’s the latest in a series of absurd dodges, and one that Clinton no doubt hopes the media will project as definitive so that continuing questions will continue to get the what difference at this point does it make treatment.” [Ed Morrissey column, Hot Air, 5/30/14]
Breitbart: “It makes no difference what Hillary writes.” According to Breitbart, “And indeed, it makes no difference what Hillary writes. Her indignation is a substitute for her lack of record. Emotion substitutes for decency. ‘As Secretary I was the one ultimately responsible for my people’s safety, and I never felt that responsibility more deeply than I did that day,’ Hillary writes. But of course, that’s a lie. She never felt responsibility – which is why she sees herself as the real victim of Benghazi.” [Breitbart, 5/30/14]
6) FALSE NARRATIVE: This book is one big apology note.
FALSE NARRATIVE: This book is one big apology note. There is more information in the book, an admission that hard choices had to be made from imperfect options and that is somehow an admission of fault. We should all blame Hillary Clinton for Benghazi, Boko Haram and everything we can think of.
REALITY:
- The right wing is pushing a coordinated effort to attack Hillary Clinton for anything and everything, not letting facts get in the way of spinning their yarns.
- As Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton strongly opposed Boko Haram and took action against it. The State Dept. designated three of its individual members, including its leader, as terrorists. Under Secretary Clinton’s leadership at the State Department, the U.S. was working with the Nigerian government on countering the extremist group, Boko Haram, through diplomatic and military channels.
- Regarding Benghazi, Secretary Clinton took responsibility, she took action to make sure it never happened again, and she has been fully transparent about it.
EXAMPLES FROM THE RIGHT:
Sec. Clinton “says she wish she could go back and reconsider some of her past decisions” but “does not specify if she is referring to Benghazi.” According to Fox News’ Special Report with Bret Baier, “Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says she wish she could go back and reconsider some of her past decisions. Excerpts from Clinton’s new book are being released. Clinton does not specify if she’s referring to Benghazi, which she has previously called in speeches her quote greatest regret. She says she’s ‘proud of what we accomplished’ during her time as America’s top diplomat. She’s considered by many a frontrunner for the 2016 presidential race.” [Special Report with Bret Baier, 5/27/14]
7) FALSE NARRATIVE: Trying to distance herself from failures of the Obama administration.
FALSE NARRATIVE: Trying to distance herself from failures of the Obama administration. Hillary Clinton’s leadership, recounted in the book, sets her opposite the President or other cabinet members. It’s proof that Obama’s foreign policy was a failure and that’s why she’s trying to distance herself from it.
REALITY:
- As Clinton joined the administration as Secretary of State, the formerly rival teams became a team without rival.
- Hillary Clinton took tough positions in the administration, including her support of the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden and her support of arming Syrian rebels.
- Hillary Clinton was willing to make hard choices and work with the administration to move global American interests forward.
EXAMPLES FROM THE RIGHT:
Mercedes Schlapp: Clinton’s “unexpected partnership” with President Obama is going to hurt her, “she’s going to have to try to figure out a way to distance herself from President Obama and it will be very difficult as former Secretary of State to do that.” According to Fox Business’ Lou Dobbs Tonight, “MERCEDES SCHLAPP: ‘Well here’s what we know. Yes, obviously with Ready for Hillary they’ve garnered over 2 million supporters. They’ve raised millions of dollars, I mean, it’s really hers to take and that’s the one thing you have got to give the democrats, they seem pretty united with her. There are those that are talking about Elizabeth Warren, etc. But when you look at it, she’s got a real problem. Part of this partnership that she’s having with President Obama, this unexpected partnership might come to hurt her in the long run. With his disapproval ratings at over 54% this is going to be something that she’s going to have to try to figure out a way to distance herself from President Obama and it will be very difficult as former Secretary of State to do that.’” [Lou Dobbs Tonight, 5/27/14]
“In her much-anticipated new book, Hillary Clinton distances herself from President Barack Obama.” According to CNN, “In her much-anticipated new book, Hillary Clinton distances herself from President Barack Obama, and even from herself. In the process, she seems to come across as both a hawk and a dove. In ‘Hard Choices,’ Clinton appears to try and make sure that a 2002 Senate vote that damaged her 2008 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination doesn’t come back to bite her again if she decides to run for the White House in 2016. In her memoir of her tenure as secretary of state, Clinton also appears to try and put a little daylight between herself and the President over the U.S. role in the bloody three-year old civil war in Syria, a global hotspot where Americans appear divided.” [CNN, 6/6/14]
8) FALSE NARRATIVE: “Hard Choices” contradicts false previous right-wing attacks or narratives, so it must be untrue.
FALSE NARRATIVE: “Hard Choices” contradicts false previous right-wing attacks or narratives, so it must be untrue. If the book is not a blanket concession that every right-wing conspiracy is true, then it must be a fabrication itself.
REALITY:
- The right wing has eight national SuperPACS and projects with a primary focus of attacking Hillary Clinton and stopping her from being President, even before she’s decided whether or not to run.
- In her book, Hillary Clinton is able to communicate directly and frankly with the American people about her time as Secretary of State. The right wing has organized a coordinated and calculated effort to distort the facts and mislead about her record.
- Secretary Clinton helped restore America’s leadership and standing in the world during a time of global challenges and changes. She had her work cut out for her following the mess left by the previous administration. Secretary Clinton worked tirelessly to revitalize American diplomacy and strengthen alliances by traveling nearly a million miles for hundreds of meetings with foreign leaders in 112 countries.
EXAMPLES FROM THE RIGHT:
USA Today: Anything Clinton “writes about the deadly Benghazi attack at the U.S. mission in Libya in 2012, will be scrutinized—especially when a Republican-led special committee begins its review of the event next month.” According to USA Today, “The excerpts Clinton has released so far say little about her experiences as secretary of State, the subject of the book, other than praising Obama’s ‘crisp and clear leadership’ in ordering the raid in Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden. Whatever she writes about the deadly Benghazi attack at the U.S. mission in Libya in 2012, will be scrutinized — especially when a Republican-led special committee begins its review of the event next month.” [USA Today, 5/28/14]
America Rising’s Tim Miller: We are gathering the “necessary information to make a case against whatever she decides to put out in that book.” According to MSNBC, “The group, which has approximately 50 full time staffers, conducts opposition research on other Democratic candidates but has a team dedicated to solely work on Clinton’s potential run. It includes a full-time staffer in Arkansas who’s combing through documents at the Clinton Presidential Library looking for any relevant 2016 information. The team is also doing research on the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative, and looking through State Department records to gather ‘necessary information to make a case against whatever she decides to put out in that book,’ Miller said.” [MSNBC, 5/6/14]
Steve Doocy: Clinton “doubles down on saying it was a video” that sparked the attack on the compound in Benghazi. According to Fox News’ Fox & Friends cohost Steve Doocy, “Let’s talk a little bit about politico has got on their web site right now an exclusive chapter from Hillary Rodham Clinton’s new book about Benghazi. And we’ve got some points that are contained in it. The book is called ‘Hard Choices.’ Apparently she doubles down on saying it was a video, it was a factor. Also she defends Susan Rice. She also says essentially that, quote, ‘those who ex’ — she’s taking a shot at republicans – ‘those who exploit this tragedy over and over as a political tool minimize the sacrifice of those who served our country.’ So essentially what she’s saying is she’s risen above politics, the Republicans do, too, but the republicans say, look, we don’t have answers. And specifically she says that the C.I.A. signed off on Susan Rice’s talking points.” [Fox & Friends, 5/30/14]
9) FALSE NARRATIVE: Hard Choices = Bad Choices
FALSE NARRATIVE: Hard Choices = Bad Choices.The right wing falsely equates every hard choice to a bad choice.
REALITY:
- Right wing extremists are making utterly misleading attacks on Hillary Clinton, trying to diminish her record as Secretary of State. They know her book, told in her own words, will tell a story the American people are anxious to hear, but these right-wing fringe groups don’t want to hear it and don’t want anyone else to hear it, either. Just look at the depths taken today by the Republican National Committee seeking to smear Secretary Clinton in a web video.
- Secretary Clinton helped successfully restore America’s leadership and standing in the world during a time of global challenges and changes. After the mess of international relationships the Bush administration left, she had her work cut out for her.
- The right-wing continues to ignore facts, pushing their own narratives. Republicans ask questions that have been answered, verified and answered again. Republicans are trying to stop Hillary Clinton from being President. And, through it all, Republicans are demeaning the service of dedicated, patriotic Americans, wasting taxpayer money and turning a blind eye to the truth. Yes, we hope Republicans suffer memory loss. Otherwise, shame on the Republicans.
EXAMPLES FROM THE RIGHT:
RNC: Sec. Clinton’s “‘Hard Choices’ resulted in wrong decisions.” According to a RNC memo, “As the publication of Hillary Clinton’s memoir Hard Choices nears, let’s reflect on some of the major choices Clinton has faced in recent years. Of course, most Americans probably wouldn’t think these were really that ‘hard.’ When choosing between jobs and billionaires or school kids and special interests, the decision seems pretty obvious. When deciding whether to grant an ambassador’s request for more security and whether to support a law that increases healthcare costs, most Americans would make the obvious decision. But not Hillary Clinton. These “hard choices” resulted in wrong decisions…Most Americans would probably agree she made the wrong decisions. The more Americans learn about ‘hard choices’ like these, the less likely they will be to choose Clinton in any future election. A book isn’t going to change that.” [RNC Memo, 5/15/14]
RNC Chairman Reince Priebus on Meet the Press: “She’s coming out with a book called, I think its Hard Choices, or something like that. She’s made a series of bad choices.” According to RNC Chairman Reince Priebus on NBC’s Meet the Press, “She’s coming out with a book called, I think its Hard Choices, or something like that. She’s made a series of bad choices. And this writer that you just quoted, talk about sweeping things under the rug. Benghazi shouldn’t be swept under the rug, four diplomats had died. Boko Haram, these people have over 200 girls in Nigeria.” [Meet the Press, 5/18/14]
America Rising e-book: “Failed Choices.” According to Politico, “The second chapter of the America Rising version of her record is titled ‘Hillary’s War: Libya and the Tragedy in Benghazi.’ The premise of the America Rising e-book is that Clinton ‘did not live up to the challenge’ she faced when she became President Barack Obama’s secretary of state, and that ‘her tenure is without a signature accomplishment and instead defined by her significant and tangible failures,’ an official with the group said. ‘At the end of Secretary Clinton’s tenure, there was no region in the world where our alliances were stronger or our enemies weaker thanks to Secretary Clinton’s diplomacy,’ the book’s introduction states. ‘In her book and on a presidential campaign, she will spin, exaggerate, and lie to try to turn these failures into accomplishments. But no amount of whitewashing or political spin can protect her from her record. ‘While the choices she faced may have been ‘hard,’ the results of these choices are what really matters. That is what America Rising will expose in Failed Choices and beyond.” [Politico, 6/2/14]
10) FALSE NARRATIVE: “Hard Choices” is just another way for Hillary to make money hand over fist.
FALSE NARRATIVE: “Hard Choices” is just another way for Hillary to make money hand over fist. Whether or not she is planning on running for president, Hillary Clinton wrote about her time as Secretary of State primarily to cash in.
REALITY:
- There is an outpouring of desire to hear directly from Hillary Clinton about her experience and her vision. Secretary Hillary Clinton’s upcoming book “Hard Choices” was already a best-seller, two weeks before it hits the shelves. And, expectations are that it will remain on a best-seller list for weeks to come. One million copies of “Hard Choices” have been ordered. Simon & Schuster is already printing the second million.
- Secretary Clinton wrote this book to share her experiences as a Secretary of State. Secretary Clinton has explicitly stated that she wrote this book for Americans and people everywhere who are trying to make sense of our rapidly changing world — not for inner beltway circles. “Hard Choices” is a serious memoir about her time as Secretary of State. It’s not about her candidacy.
- Hillary Clinton’s leadership in the face of hard choices is exemplary and has been praised by world leaders.Clinton’s diplomacy served American interests with Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, and China among others. That is why, in part, when Sec. Clinton left office, the world viewed the United States more favorably than it did just before she took office, according to Pew Research Polls. That is why her leadership and diplomacy have been extensively praised by world leaders, in editorials and books around the world.
EXAMPLES FROM THE RIGHT:
Priebus, on Sec. Clinton’s book: “All of this talk helps her make money…don’t be confused by her pursuit of money with her pursuit of running for president.” According to The Hill’s Briefing Room blog’s coverage of Chairman Priebus’s comments about Sec. Clinton, “Priebus also said he refused to believe that Clinton was serious about running for president. She is publishing a new book detailing her time as President Obama’s secretary State, ‘Hard Choices,’ which many are interpreting as a precursor to her presidential run. But Priebus suggested there could be other motives at play. ‘All of this talk helps her make money…don’t be confused by her pursuit of money with her pursuit of running for president,’ he said.” [Briefing Room, The Hill, 6/1/14]
Washington Times: “The buzz is that Hillary Rodham Clinton’s new book will net her and advance in the range of $14 million” and will be published “just as the next presidential campaigns will start organizing.” According to the Washington Times, “The buzz is that Hillary Rodham Clinton’s new book will net her an advance in the range of $14 million. The New York Post said industry speculation is that her upcoming book that publisher Simon & Schuster describes as her ‘key decisions and experiences as Secretary of State’ will far surpass the $8 million for her most recent book — and rival her husband’s advance for his ‘My Life.’ For that memoir, Bill Clinton received $15 million, The Post reported. Mrs. Clinton has published four other books. But it’s this one — due for release just as the next presidential campaigns will start organizing — that has many politicos speculating that this is step one toward the White House for her. She will be embarking on a national book tour in sync with the political season, just as presidential hopefuls are strategizing and clamoring for media attention, The Post said.” [Washington Times, 4/5/13]