Jennifer Palmieri
| Jennifer Palmieri | |||
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| Basic facts | |||
| Location: | Washington, D.C. | ||
| Affiliation: | Democratic | ||
| Education: | American University | ||
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Jennifer Palmieri is a Democratic spokesperson and was the communications director for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.[1] She has a reputation as one who advocates for more press access to candidates and elected officials, according to Politico.[2]
Palmieri's responsibilities with the Clinton campaign involved speaking to the press on Clinton's behalf and managing press access at campaign events. Her prior experience includes time in the communications office during the administrations of Bill Clinton (D) and Barack Obama (D). She directed communications for the Center for American Progress, an organization that provided research for a number of policy ads run during Obama's 2008 campaign.
Career
Panetta and Bill Clinton staff
Jennifer Palmieri began her political career in the early 1990s working for then-Rep. Leon Panetta (D-Calif.), first as an intern. When Panetta left the U.S. House to be chief of staff at the White House for President Bill Clinton (D), Palmieri came along and served as Panetta's special assistant. In 2011, Palmieri described Panetta to CNN, saying, "I think he would always say you can't slam dunk anyone in the town. There's really not a very big ego there. He can have his moments, but it's more that he is so warm and engaging."[3]
Palmieri spent five years in the White House. After serving as Panetta's special assistant, Palmieri became Clinton's deputy director of scheduling and advance.[4] She was promoted to the role of deputy press secretary for the last three years of Clinton's presidency.[5]
Democratic National Committee
- See also: Democratic National Committee
In late 2001—after a brief time at the advocacy group Americans for Gun Safety—Palmieri moved over to the Democratic National Committee as national press secretary and spokesperson.[6] Early in her time at the DNC, the organization worked on behalf of the New Jersey gubernatorial campaign of James McGreevey (D). Palmieri told The New York Times that the DNC became involved earlier than Republicans: "We think eight weeks out is the right time to put out an ad that helps candidates up and down the ballot."[7] In 2002, Palmieri and the DNC began a strategy that focused on economic issues for congressional races. She told the Los Angeles Times that the DNC strategy differed from the Republican focus on defense, saying, "You have two completely different strategies."[8]
As spokesperson, Palmieri represented the DNC on news shows, including a 2002 appearance on CNN, when she spoke on the George W. Bush (R) administration's approach to North Korea and Iraq: "I mean, it's clear that North Korea poses as big of a threat and as dangerous, as immediate, as Iraq does, if not more so. But I think that the administration is right to not employ the type of unilateralist and moral absolutist rhetoric with regard to North Korea, as they did with Iraq. I think they've realized that type of rhetoric ultimately is reckless and short-sighted."[9]
John Edwards advisor
In 2004, she joined John Edwards' presidential campaign, serving as Edwards' spokesperson.[10] As spokesperson, Palmieri was involved in presenting Edwards' message to media outlets throughout the primary campaign. In February 2004, when Edwards was challenging frontrunner John Kerry for the Democratic nomination, Palmieri told CNN, "John Edwards thinks you win races by talking to voters about them and how you understand their lives and what you want to do for them. And it's somewhat unorthodox in politics. I don't know, you know, it shouldn't be, but he thinks that voters don't want to hear about -- voters don't want to hear candidates talk about each other. They want to hear what you're going to do for them. And I don't expect to ever hear that kind of talk coming from Senator Edwards."[11]
In 2008, Palmieri again worked on Edwards' campaign as a part-time advisor.[10] According to The New York Times, Edwards "made a populist, antipoverty message the centerpiece of his campaign" in 2008.[12] After Edwards dropped out of the race in January 2008, he admitted to having an affair in 2006, and he was later indicted on charges that he used campaign funds to hide his affair throughout his presidential campaign.[13] A North Carolina jury could not reach a verdict on five counts of campaign finance fraud and acquitted Edwards on a sixth charge.[14]
Throughout her work with Edwards, Palmieri became close with the candidate's wife, Elizabeth. In January 2010, just before Elizabeth's death, Palmieri wrote an opinion piece for The Washington Post on her relationship with the Edwards family, detailing when she first chose to work with them: "I decided that if Elizabeth Edwards had chosen to be married to this guy for 26 years, he must be okay. Turns out, she and I were both wrong on that one, as his late admission of paternity of a daughter with a former mistress confirms. But I don't regret joining the campaign. My life will always be richer for becoming friends with Elizabeth."[15]
Center for American Progress
- See also: Center for American Progress
Following her work with Edwards, Palmieri became senior vice president of the Center for American Progress (CAP) and president of the CAP Action Fund. Palmieri continued her role at CAP and the CAP Fund until 2011, when she joined the Obama administration's communication team.[1][5] While at the CAP, Palmieri was responsible for communications, especially during Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. In a Time magazine piece, Palmieri explained that the CAP performed research that Obama could use during the general election, saying, "There was not a policy ad that Obama did that did not quote us." Time went on to note:[16]
| “ | While most political ads cite journalists for their facts, the Obama campaign cited CAP research in nine different ads during the general election. More than five million households received mailers from unions that cited CAP in attacking McCain's policy plans. At the same time, and largely under the radar, CAP worked furiously during the elections to deliver talking points to overworked journalists, including those at Fox, MSNBC and ABC News, who repeatedly used CAP and its Action Fund's research to quiz McCain surrogates.[17] | ” |
 President Obama and Jennifer Palmieri in a meeting, August 2013 |
Obama administration
In 2011, Palmieri left CAP to join President Barack Obama's administration as the deputy director of communications, replacing Jennifer Psaki. According to Politico, Palmieri was hired to help communications strategy ahead of the 2012 elections. At the time of her hiring the site called her "a true Obama outsider with a reputation as a canny political strategist."[5] Eventually, Palmieri became assistant to the president and communications director.[1] In the administration, according to Politico, Palmieri was "central to President Barack Obama’s post-midterms reboot and the rethinking of strategy around the State of the Union."[18] In February 2015, The New York Times noted that during her time in the Obama communications department, Palmieri was "known for her professional relationship with the White House press corps."[19]
In February 2015, Palmieri announced that she would leave the White House and the Obama administration. This came at a time when other Obama senior staffers were announcing their departure, including Dan Pfeiffer and John Podesta.[20]
Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016
In February 2015, it was announced that Palmieri would leave President Barack Obama's administration to join Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign as communications director.[20] In June 2015, Fortune noted the hire and Palmieri's experience, calling her "a loyal political operative who has managed the high-profile exposure of candidates for decades while assiduously keeping the media spotlight off herself."[21] Palmieri has close ties with Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. Palmieri previously worked at the Center for American Progress, which Podesta founded, and both spent time in the administrations of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.[22]
In February 2015, Bloomberg quoted former Mitt Romney (R) spokesman, Republican strategist Kevin Madden, who described Palmieri, saying she was "as formidable an opponent as I've ever come across in political campaigns ... [and] everyone in Palmieri's line of sight will know exactly what the campaign plan is and what they need to do to execute. She knows her stuff. That's critical when you're the staffer that has to stare down the sycophants inside every campaign and offer the candidate unvarnished truths. It's important when you're developing the message and strategy privately and when you're executing it publicly."[10]
| More on Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign staff |
|---|
| Staff overview |
| • Clinton staff overview |
| Management and strategy |
| • Robby Mook, Campaign manager • Joel Benenson, Chief strategist and pollster • Amanda Renteria, Political director • John Podesta, Campaign chairman • Huma Abedin, Vice chair |
| Communications |
| • Jennifer Palmieri, Communications director • Jim Margolis, Media advisor |
| Policy and outreach |
| • Jake Sullivan, Senior policy advisor • Marlon Marshall, Director of state campaigns and political engagement • Maya Harris, Senior policy advisor • LaDavia Drane, Congressional liaison |
Press access
As communications director, Palmieri's responsibilities include press access for the campaign. In July 2015, according to Politico, the campaign was criticized for having "the press on too short a leash." Politico cited one instance, in which "campaign aides roped off reporters following Clinton as she walked and talked with voters during a New Hampshire parade."[23] Palmieri told MSNBC that the campaign prioritized speaking to individual voters before spending significant time speaking directly to the press. She said, "I understand that we pay a price with the press when we don't do interviews and when we do do smaller events that don't have the access that a larger event may allow. But this is part of our calculus about how we're building a campaign that's built to last."[24]
Generally, Palmieri is known as one who encourages more open access to candidates and elected officials for the press. In September 2016, she told Politico, "I think the more the press understand what you're trying to--the more built-in they are to your operation the better they understand what you're trying to do and that's going to result in better coverage for both sides because people are going to be more informed. And that is why I think having the press with you is good."[2]
Open letter to The New York Times
In July 2015, The New York Times published a report that stated Clinton was the subject of a crtiminal investigation by the State Department. Palmieri wrote an open letter to Dean Baquet, executive editor of the paper, criticizing the story. She also noted that "after the Times' reporting was revealed to be false, the Times incomprehensibly delayed the issuance of a full and true correction."[25] Palmieri later explained her position further with CNN, saying, "I think the press has a view where there is an inclination to think, 'I want to be fast and if it's wrong I can fix it online later'. And that's just so dangerous, because what we find – that the disaggregation of media sources means any one story with a sensational headline – penetrates in a way that other coverage won't do."[26]
Comments on Trump claims of a "rigged election"
Prior to the final presidential debate in 2016, Palmieri responded to a number of claims by Donald Trump that the presidential election was "rigged" in favor of Clinton. Palmieri told reporters that Trump's claims of voter fraud and election rigging were an attempt to distract from negative attention on his comments about women. She added that Trump was claiming fraud because "he’s losing and he wants to blame somebody else ... and that’s what losers do."[27]
Recent news
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See also
- Center for American Progress
- Democratic National Committee
- Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016
- Hillary Clinton presidential campaign key staff and advisors, 2016
External Links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 White House, "Jennifer Palmieri," accessed June 26, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Politico, "Full transcript: Jennifer Palmieri," September 26, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "Career of dependability marks Panetta's path to Pentagon," June 8, 2011
- ↑ Government Printing Office, "U.S. Government Manual," accessed March 22, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Politico, "Jennifer Palmieri to join White House staff," December 5, 2011
- ↑ Center for Responsive Politics, "Jennifer Palmieri Spins Through Revolving Door Again, Back to White House," December 7, 2011
- ↑ The New York Times, "National Democrats Begin Ad Campaign for McGreevey," September 10, 2001
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Dueling Strategies Drive Fight to Control Congress," September 26, 2002
- ↑ CNN, "CNN American Morning with Paula Zahn," October 21, 2002
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Bloomberg, "Can Jennifer Palmieri Keep Hillary Clinton On Message?" February 6, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Talk with John Edwards' Press Secretary," February 11, 2004
- ↑ The New York Times, "Edwards Drops Out of Democratic Race," January 30, 2008
- ↑ ABC News, "John Edwards and the Mistress: A Breakdown of One of America's Most Sensational Scandals," November 12, 2013
- ↑ The New York Times, "No New Trial for John Edwards," June 13, 2012
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Elizabeth Edwards: Survivor in chief," January 22, 2010
- ↑ Time, "Inside Obama's Idea Factory in Washington," November 21, 2008
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributed to the original source.
- ↑ Politico, "White House loses 2 big guns," February 5, 2015
- ↑ New York Times, "Palmieri, White House Communications Director, to Join Clinton Team," February 4, 2015
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Washington Post, "Top White House aide Palmieri to leave for Clinton 2016 team," February 4, 2015
- ↑ Fortune, "The loyal — and discreet — political operative behind Hillary Clinton," June 8, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Inside Hillary Clinton’s 2016 plan," January 29, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Clinton campaign defends corralling press," July 6, 2015
- ↑ MSNBC, "Hillary communications director talks press access," July 6, 2015
- ↑ Hillary for America, "Letter to the New York Times’ Dean Baquet," July 28, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Clinton Comm Dir. Jennifer Palmieri: '…to suggest Hillary Clinton is the subject of a criminal inquiry is something that can't be unwound,'" August 2, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Clinton aide: Trump election-rigging accusation is 'what losers do,'" October 19, 2016
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