Chelsea Clinton meets Fil-Ams in New York for mom's presidential campaign

NEW YORK CITY-- Filipino-Americans have met with US democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's daughter Chelsea Clinton, at a special reception in New York in support of the Clinton campaign.

Headed by Loida Nicolas Lewis, the Hillary Victory Fund was able to raise over $100,000 and was attended by about 50 guests.

Chelsea acknowledged Nicolas Lewis’ support of her mother and highlighted the theme of Hillary Clinton’s platform that “stronger together,” the US can build a stronger economy, protect the nation and the world, and celebrate American values.

“Chelsea was wonderfully eloquent. Feet on the ground, charming, personable and utterly convincing about her faith in her Mom’s being president of the USA,” Lewis said.

Chelsea also reiterated the support of the Fil-Am community and highlighted Clinton’s involvement with the Filipino community, citing her attendance at a major National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) event as first lady many years ago.

“For Filipino-Americans, this election offers a historic opportunity to make a difference. Hillary Clinton brings a consistent track record of public service, fighting for issues that touch our lives; healthcare, children, families, women, and immigration policy,” Clinton supporter Angelie Berrie said.

Members of the Sponsor Committee include Loida Nicolas Lewis, Angelica Berrie, Geraldine Acuna Sunshine, Gail Alvarez and Carla Villacorta, as well as Christina Lewis Halpern, Leslie Malaika Lewis, Dr. Angie Cruz, Edwin Josue, Susan Grant, Matthew Tollin and Bruce Reed.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Clinton to launch formal campaign with New York rally

NEW YORK, United States - Hillary Clinton on Saturday formally launches her bid to become America's first woman president, holding in New York her first big campaign rally and outlining a promise to fight for the middle class.

Thousands of supporters are expected to throng Roosevelt Island, a tiny slither of land in the East River between Manhattan and Queens, where Clinton is expected to be joined by husband Bill and daughter Chelsea in the family's first joint appearance of the campaign.

Her team sees the rally, on home turf in a state where Clinton served as senator for eight years, as a chance to wrest back momentum from flagging opinion polls and galvanize a friendly crowd.

In a campaign video, released on the eve of the rally, Clinton said she was running for president to fight for the middle class and told viewers that she cared about their problems.

"Everyone deserves a chance to live up to his or her God-given potential. That's the dream we share. That's the fight we must wage," said the 67-year-old former secretary of state.

"My dad, the son of a factory worker, could start a small business, my mom, who never got to go to college, could see her daughter go to college."

The video looked back on Clinton's four-decade career in public service and sought to counter growing concerns that the grandmother with a millionaire lifestyle is out of touch.
Politic
A CNN poll found last week a growing number of Americans say she is not honest and trustworthy (57 percent, up from 49 percent in March).

"Everyday Americans and their families need a champion, a champion who will fight for them every single day and I want to be that champion," Hillary said in the video. "I don't quit."

Her speech is expected to be a break with the past in being deeply personal, drawing heavily on her mother's disadvantaged background to show that she is motivated by a higher calling than naked ambition.

- More Rodham than Clinton -

Dorothy Rodham was abandoned as a child by her parents, sent to live with abusive grandparents and left home to work as a housekeeper aged 14 during the Great Depression.

The speech is expected to be more Rodham than Clinton, taking in women's rights, and will likely paint the Republican Party as out of touch with an increasingly diverse electorate.

The rally signals a new stage in her campaign, ushering in a period when she will expound specific policies and address larger crowds after spending weeks holding small meetings in key states.

Karen Finney, a spokeswoman for the campaign, told CNN that from now on the focus would be what motivates Clinton and her vision.

"It will be personal, you'll hear her talk a lot about her mother, because her mother's experience really had a strong impact on Hillary at a very young age," she explained.

The island named after America's famed World War II and New Deal president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, is also deeply symbolic and offers fabulous views of the United Nations.

She will deliver her speech at Four Freedoms Park, a memorial to Roosevelt which celebrates the freedoms he outlined in 1941: freedom of speech and of worship; freedom from want and from fear.

In April, Clinton defined "four big fights": building the economy, strengthening families and communities, getting unaccountable money out of politics and protecting the country from threats.

Not only is Roosevelt's wife Eleanor a personal hero of Clinton's but in speaking at the memorial, Clinton is "choosing to situate herself in the middle of this enormous legacy," Felicia Wong, the president of the Roosevelt Institute think tank, told AFP.

"I think it shows a lot of vision," she added.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Chelsea Clinton weds at exclusive New York estate

RHINEBECK, N.Y. – Chelsea Clinton wed her longtime boyfriend under extraordinary security at an elegant Hudson River estate late Saturday.

Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton announced in a statement that their daughter wed investment banker Marc Mezvinsky after weeks of secrecy and buildup that had celebrity watchers flocking to the small village of Rhinebeck for the evening nuptials. The site of the wedding, a Beaux Arts riverside estate called Astor Courts, was sealed off from the general public.

"Today, we watched with great pride and overwhelming emotion as Chelsea and Marc wed in a beautiful ceremony at Astor Courts, surrounded by family and their close friends," the Clintons said. "We could not have asked for a more perfect day to celebrate the beginning of their life together, and we are so happy to welcome Marc into our family. On behalf of the newlyweds, we want to give special thanks to the people of Rhinebeck for welcoming us and to everyone for their well-wishes on this special day."

It is estimated that hundreds of guests gathered at the historic estate near the end of a near-perfect summer day of warm temperatures, blue skies and cottony clouds. The ceremony was conducted by a rabbi and a reverend as Chelsea Clinton is Methodist and Mezvinsky is Jewish. The couple read a poem by Leo Marks titled, "The Life I Have," according to the family.

The wedding was a mix of high society and high security. The road to Astor Courts was blocked off Saturday — neighbors received bottle of wine for their troubles — and the sky above was declared a no-fly zone by federal aviation officials. Police and security guards fanned out around this usually sleepy town.

Consistent with Chelsea Clinton's desire for privacy, the family had released no details of the wedding beyond the date. But the scope of the event became apparent when more than a half-dozen busloads of wedding guests — men in black tie, women in dresses — were transported from a hotel in the village to the riverside ceremony as gawkers looked on.

Celebrities spotted in Rhinebeck for the event included actors Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, fashion designer Vera Wang, Madeleine Albright, who was secretary of state during Bill Clinton's second term as president and Terry McAuliffe, former Democratic National Committee chairman. The former president's half brother, Roger Clinton, was spotted early Saturday afternoon with his son Tyler, picking up food at a restaurant.

Danson and Steenburgen said they were excited about the upcoming ceremony as they strolled through Rhinebeck toward one of the hotels being used for the wedding.

"I knew her since she was a baby so this is a big moment," said Steenburgen, who wed Danson in 1995. "She's a lovely, lovely girl."

Reporters, who had been searching for celebrities in vain for most of the day, quickly zeroed in on the couple, prompting Danson to ask, "Are we the only celebrities in town?"

Celebrity seekers jockeyed with reporters for sidewalk space over most of the day too. Donna Vena drove 50 miles to Rhinebeck from her home of Mount Kisco, N.Y., in the hopes of spotting a celebrity.

"Why not?" she asked Saturday morning, a camera slung over her shoulder. "Big story. Maybe see Oprah."

Nearby, two young women passed out slices of pizza with "I do" written in pepperoni.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the hotel where many of the guests are staying were rewarded Friday night when the Clintons exited a van arm-in-arm outside the Beekman Arms Hotel.

Shortly before 11 p.m., the former first lady, wearing a long green dress, waved to the cheering crowd waiting behind metal barricades and quickly went into the hotel. She left with the former president about a half-hour later.

Earlier Friday, Bill Clinton made an appearance around lunchtime, popping out of a car and walking a few blocks, greeting people on his way to a restaurant. Looking fit and relaxed in blue jeans and a black knit shirt, he gave easy answers to questions shouted by well-wishers and reporters.

Chelsea Clinton and Mezvinsky were friends as teenagers in Washington, and both attended Stanford University. They now live in New York, where Mezvinsky works at G3 Capital, a Manhattan hedge fund. Mezvinsky worked previously at Goldman Sachs as an investment banker.

Clinton completed her master's degree in public health earlier this year at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.

Mezvinsky is a son of former US Reps. Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky of Pennsylvania and Ed Mezvinsky of Iowa, longtime friends of the Clintons. His parents are divorced. — AP

source: gmanews.tv

Chelsea Clinton is Engaged

According to reports, a spokesman for former President Clinton confirmed to ABC News that Bill and Hillary Clinton's daughter Chelsea Clinton is officially engaged to her longtime boyfriend and to be married next summer to Marc Mezvinsky, a banker and fellow Stanford alumni. The son of former Iowa congressman Ed Mezvinsky and former Pennsylvania congresswoman Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinksy, so it looks like they have a lot in common.
Clinton, 29, revealed the plan in an email to friends sent Friday, the day after the Thanksgiving holiday.