Inside the Beltway: It takes a village to run Clinton’s campaign

NEWS AND OPINION:

Exactly 20 years ago, then-first lady Hillary Clinton advised the world that “it takes a village” to raise a child. Nowadays, it also appears to take a village to run her campaign. Mrs. Clinton and what seems like a cast of thousands are out and about, business as usual, happy talk and all — the presidential debate fast disappearing in the rearview mirror. Private moneymaking events for Mrs. Clinton’s campaign abound this week.

There are a dozen of them in six states, the District of Columbia and Toronto, Canada, some with tickets priced as high as $250,000. Mrs. Clinton will appear at only one of them — a dinner at the Miami Beach home of Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure at week’s end. In the meantime, the Hollywood sisterhood is filling in for the nominee. Among those hosting fundraisers this week: actress Scarlett Johansson, plus comediennes Amy Poehler, Ana Gasteyer, Jane Curtin and Rachel Dratch.

The Democratic village is bustling. On Tuesday Mrs. Clinton herself journeys to Raleigh, North Carolina, where she appears at a community college. Simultaneously, running mate Sen. Tim Kaine is in Orlando, while his spouse Anne Holton visits Detroit and Ann Arbor, Michigan. Former President Bill Clinton hosts rallies in Toledo and Cleveland as Vice President Joseph R. Biden take time from the White House for a rally in Philadelphia. Come Wednesday Mrs. Clinton surfaces with former rival Sen. Bernard Sanders for yet another college event in Durham, New Hampshire; daughter Chelsea Clinton appears in Greenville and Asheville, North Carolina, and first lady Michelle Obama appears in Philly, along with Pittsburgh.

FOR THE LEXICON

#Slipping

— New Twitter hashtag covering Hillary Clinton’s slow decline in multiple opinion polls

QUESTION OF THE DAY

“I learned very early in my life that only two things protected America, the grace of almighty God and the United States military,” notes country music great Charlie Daniels in an opinion column for Cybercast News Service. “Folks, let me ask you a question: What in the hell has happened to our country?”

FRANKLIN GRAHAM’S REMINDER

“The public needs to recognize that this presidential election is not about personalities the way the media is trying to make it sound. What’s at stake is the future of the Supreme Court. This court and their rulings on issues of religious freedom, marriage, abortion, and much more will impact this country for our lifetime and the lifetime of our children and grandchildren. There’s so much on the line here,” says Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, in a new Facebook post.

“Our next president will immediately appoint one justice, and could appoint three or even possibly up to five during their term. As you pray about who to vote for, you need to read up on their potential nominees so you will know where they stand. Donald J. Trump has released a list of names that he would choose from. Hillary Clinton has not. America needs to know. The most important issue of this election is the Supreme Court.”

BEN & JERRY’S COLD SEARCH FOR VOTERS

Tuesday happens to be National Voter Registration Day. Vermont-based Ben & Jerry’s ice cream has seized upon the occasion to introduce the new flavor “Empowermint” — peppermint ice cream swirled with fudge and studded with brownie bits. The label, in fact, bears the motto “Democracy is in your hands.” The company’s last politically inspired favor was “Bernie’s Yearning,” this following an endorsement of Sen. Bernard Sanders and his vigorous quest for the White House.

Ben & Jerry’s are most serious about the voters though. Armed with the new flavor, company representatives are on their way to North Carolina and Virginia, intent on registering at least 5,000 new voters. Empowermint, incidentally, contains 15 grams of fat and weighs in at 270 calories for a half-cup serving.

THE BEST ONE

There are quite a few Republican lawyers out there. But one has to be the best. At this juncture, that would be John Ryder, named the “2016 Republican Lawyer of the Year” by the Republican National Lawyers Association, and they most certainly ought to know about such matters.

Mr. Ryder is an attorney hailing from Memphis who has served as volunteer general counsel for the Republican National Committee and helped the party in myriad ways over the years. He will be honored Tuesday evening at a historic club on Capitol Hill. Well-wishers in attendance include Sens. Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander, Rep. Marsha Blackburn and committee chair Reince Priebus.

BOLTON CHAMPIONS BURR

A former U.N. ambassador continues to offer a helping hand to “national security” candidates. The John Bolton Super PAC has announced a $1 million independent expenditure campaign in support of Sen. Richard Burr’s reelection campaign in North Carolina.

“Richard has been an exceptional leader who has proven his commitment to keeping America safe through strong national defense policies,” says Mr. Bolton. “As chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and as a member of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, Richard has fought against the Obama administration’s misguided Iran deal, and he wants to work with our allies to stop the spread of terrorism, curb Russian aggression and strengthen America’s cybersecurity.”

The Bolton committee is also running two independent expenditure campaigns for Rep. Joseph J. Heck of Nevada and Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, each totaling approximately $1 million.

POLL DU JOUR

• 87 percent of Americans say the outcome of the presidential election matters a great deal; 92 percent of Republicans, 82 percent of independents and 90 percent of Democrats agree.

• 85 percent of Americans who support Donald Trump say they are “enthusiastic”; 77 percent of those who support Hillary Clinton are also enthusiastic.

• 78 percent of Americans overall are closely following the election; 88 percent of Republicans, 73 percent of independents and 80 percent of Democrats agree.

• 67 percent overall are “absolutely certain” they will vote; 82 percent of Republicans, 54 percent of independents and 73 percent of Democrats agree.

Source: A Washington Post/ABC News poll of 1,001 U.S. adults conducted Sept. 19 to 22.

Happy talk, freewheeling opinion to jharper@washingtontimes.com