The Commission on Presidential Debates: An Overview
What is the CPD? The Commission on Presidential Debates
(the “CPD”) is a private, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization. As a 501(c)(3)
organization, it is eligible under federal law to serve as a debate sponsor.
The CPD's primary mission is to ensure, for the benefit of the American
electorate, that general election debates are held every four years between and
among the leading candidates for the offices of President and Vice President of
the United States. The CPD is an independent organization. It is not controlled
by any political party or outside organization and it does not endorse, support
or oppose political candidates or parties. It receives no funding from the
government or any political party, political action committee or candidate. The
CPD has sponsored general election presidential debates in every election since
1988.
Why was the CPD Formed? The CPD was formed to
ensure that the voting public has the opportunity to see the leading candidates
debate during the general election campaign. General election debates between
and among the leading candidates for the office of President of the United States
are not required or assured. After the Kennedy-Nixon debates in 1960, there were no such
debates in 1964, 1968 and 1972. There were debates in 1976, 1980 and 1984, but
they were hastily arranged after negotiations between the candidates that left
many uncertain whether there would be any debates at all. The 1984 experience,
in particular, reinforced a mounting concern that, in any given election,
voters could be deprived of the opportunity to observe a debate among the
leading candidates for President.
Following the 1984 election, two distinguished national
organizations, the Georgetown University
Center for Strategic and International
Studies and the Harvard University Institute of Politics,
conducted separate, detailed studies of the presidential election process and
the role of debates in that process. Both studies found that debates between or
among the leading candidates should become a regular part of the way Americans
elect their presidents. A primary concern cited in the studies was that the leading
candidates had often declined to debate or resisted debates until the last
minute. With this concern in mind, both the Georgetown and Harvard
reports recommended that the two major political parties endorse a mechanism
designed to ensure, to the greatest extent possible, that presidential debates
between the leading candidates be made a permanent part of the electoral
process.
In response to the Harvard and Georgetown studies, the
then-chairmen of the Democratic and Republican National Committees, Paul G.
Kirk, Jr., and Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., respectively, jointly supported
creation of the independent CPD. The CPD was incorporated in the District of
Columbia on February 19, 1987, as a private, not-for-profit corporation to
“organize, manage, produce, publicize and support debates for the candidates
for President of the United States.”
Who runs the CPD? The CPD is governed by an
independent Board of Directors. The CPD Board presently is jointly chaired by
Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr. and Michael D. McCurry. Mr. McCurry succeeded CPD
co-founder Paul Kirk in 2009. Although at the time the CPD was formed, Messrs.
Kirk and Fahrenkopf served, respectively, as chairmen of the Democratic
National Committee and Republican National Committee, their terms
ended in 1989. In the intervening 25-plus years, no sitting officer of either
major party has had any affiliation with the CPD and the major parties have no
role whatsoever in running CPD or setting its policies. In addition to the
Co-Chairs, the current Board consists of the following distinguished Americans,
all of whom volunteer their time to serve on the CPD Board:
Howard G. Buffett, Chairman and CEO, The
Howard G. Buffett Foundation
John C. Danforth, Former U.S. Senator
Mitchell E.
Daniels, Jr., President, Purdue University
Charles
Gibson, Former Anchor, ABC World News with Charles Gibson
John Griffen, Managing Director, Allen & Company LLC
Jane Harman,
Director, President and CEO, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Antonia
Hernandez, President and CEO, California Community Foundation
Reverend John
I. Jenkins, President, University of Notre Dame
Jim Lehrer, Former Executive Editor and Anchor of the NewsHour on PBS
Newton N.
Minow, Senior Counsel, Sidley Austin LLP
Richard D. Parsons, Senior Advisor, Providence Equity Partners LLC
Dorothy S.
Ridings, Former President, the League of Women Voters and former President and CEO, Council on
Foundations
Olympia Snowe, Former U.S. Senator
Shirley M.
Tilghman, Former President, Princeton University
How is the CPD Funded? The CPD receives no funding
from the government or any political party, political action committee or
candidate. The CPD obtains the funds required to produce its debates every four
years and to support its ongoing voter education activities from the
communities that host the debates and, to a lesser extent, from corporate,
foundation and private donors. Donors have no input into the management of any
of the CPD’s activities and have no input into the process by which the CPD
selects debate participants.
How has the CPD Selected the Candidates Invited to
Participate in Its Debates? The nonpartisan, voter education goal of the
CPD’s debates is to afford the members of the public an opportunity to sharpen
their views, in a focused debate format, of the leading candidates for
President and Vice President of the United States. The CPD's approach to
candidate selection has been driven by this goal.
Scores of candidates run for president every election
cycle, including dozens who do not seek the nomination of either major party.
The CPD applies its nonpartisan candidate selection criteria in the final weeks
of a long general election campaign. The CPD's selection criteria have sought
to identify the individuals whose public support has made them the leading
candidates.
In addition, candidates for federal office are not
required to debate. History teaches that it is speculative at best to assume
that the leading candidates would agree to share the stage with candidates
enjoying only scant public support. Thus, a sponsor of general election debates
that aims to provide the electorate with a focused debate that includes the
leading candidates faces a difficult task. The sponsor needs to be inclusive
enough to invite each of those candidates, regardless of party affiliation,
whose level of public support genuinely qualifies him or her as a leading
candidate. At the same time, the sponsor should not take an approach that is so
inclusive that invitations to candidates with scant public support leads to the
public losing the opportunity to see debates that include the candidates in
whom they have the greatest interest. The CPD strives to strike this balance in
an appropriate fashion.
Federal Election Commission ("FEC") regulations
require a debate sponsor to make its candidate selection decisions on the basis
of "pre-established, objective" criteria. After a thorough and
wide-ranging review of alternative approaches to determining who is invited to
participate in the general election debates it will sponsor, the CPD adopted on
October 28, 2015 its 2016 Non-Partisan Candidate Selection Criteria. Under the
2016 Criteria, in addition to being Constitutionally eligible, candidates must
appear on a sufficient number of state ballots to have a mathematical chance of
winning a majority vote in the Electoral College, and have a level of support
of at least 15 percent of the national electorate as determined by five
selected national public opinion polling organizations, using the average of
those organizations’ most recently publicly-reported results at the time of the
determination. The polls to be relied upon will be selected based on the
quality of the methodology employed, the reputation of the polling
organizations and the frequency of the polling conducted. CPD will identify the
selected polling organizations well in advance of the time the criteria are
applied.
The CPD’s determination with respect to participation in
the CPD’s first-scheduled debate will be made after Labor Day 2016, but
sufficiently in advance of the first-scheduled debate to allow for orderly
planning. Invitations to participate in the vice-presidential debate will be
extended to the running mates of each of the presidential candidates qualifying
for participation in the CPD’s first presidential debate. Invitations to
participate in the second and third of the CPD’s scheduled presidential debates
will be based upon satisfaction of the same multiple criteria prior to each
debate.
The CPD adopted its 2016 criteria based on the
recommendations of a working group of its Board chaired by former League of
Women Voters president Dorothy Ridings, who serves as a CPD Director. At the
time the Criteria were announced, Ridings stated, "We considered a wide
array of approaches to the candidate selection issue. We concluded that CPD
serves its voter education mission best when, in the final weeks of the
campaign, based on pre-established, published, objective and transparent
criteria, it identifies those individuals whose public support places them
among the leading candidates and invites them to debate the issues of the day.
We also concluded that the best available measure of public support is
high-quality public opinion polling conducted near the time of the
debates."
Ridings also noted that, "Under the CPD's
non-partisan criteria, no candidate or nominee of a party receives an automatic
invitation. The CPD's objective criteria are applied on the same basis to all
declared candidates, regardless of party affiliation or lack thereof."
Ridings explained, "During the course of the campaign, the candidates are
afforded many opportunities in a great variety of forums to advance their
candidacies. The purpose of the criteria is to identify those candidates whose
support among the electorate places them among the candidates who have a
realistic chance of being elected President of the United States." Ridings
added, "The realistic chance need not be overwhelming, but it must be more
than theoretical."
Also at the time the 2016 Criteria were adopted, CPD
Co-Chairs Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr. and Michael D. McCurry noted that “We are
mindful of the changes in the electorate and the large number of voters who now
self-identify as independents. We believe our candidate selection criteria
appropriately address this dynamic. The CPD's selection criteria make
participation open to any candidate, regardless of the candidate's party
affiliation or status as an independent, in whom the public has demonstrated
significant interest and support." The Co-Chairs further explained:
"It is appropriate for a debate sponsor to take the campaign as it finds
it in the final weeks leading up to Election Day. The CPD's debates are not
intended to serve as a springboard for a candidate with only very modest
support. Participation in the debates is determined by the level of public
support a candidate enjoys as Election Day approaches."
Why did CPD Select 15 Percent as the Polling Threshold
for Inclusion in the Debates? The CPD first adopted the 15 percent level of
support criterion in 2000. Its initial adoption, and its adoption in subsequent
cycles, was preceded by careful study and reflects a number of considerations.
It was the CPD’s judgment that the 15 percent threshold best balanced the goal
of being sufficiently inclusive to invite those candidates considered to be
among the leading candidates, without being so inclusive that invitations would
be extended to candidates with only very modest levels of public support,
thereby jeopardizing the voter education purposes of the debates. Notably, the
League of Women Voters struck the balance in the same way. Fifteen percent was
the figure used in the League of Women Voters’ 1980 selection criteria, which
resulted in the inclusion of independent candidate John Anderson in one of the
League’s debates.
Prior to adopting the 15 percent standard, the CPD
conducted its own analysis of the results of presidential elections over the
modern era and concluded that a level of 15 percent support of the national
electorate is achievable by a significant third party or independent candidate
who captures the public's interest. In making this determination, the CPD
considered, in particular, the popular support achieved by George Wallace in
1968 (Mr. Wallace had achieved a level of support as high as 20 percent in pre-election
polls from September 1968); by John Anderson in 1980 (Mr. Anderson’s support in
various polls reached 15 percent when the League of Women Voters
invited him to participate in one of its debates); and by Ross Perot in
1992 (Mr. Perot’s standing in 1992 polls at one time was close to 40 percent
and exceeded that of the major party candidates, and he ultimately received
18.7 percent of the popular vote).
The CPD's nonpartisan candidate selection criteria and 15
percent threshold have been found by the FEC and the courts to comply with
federal election law. The same is true for the earlier criteria CPD used in
1988, 1992 and 1996.
Are the Major Party Nominees Automatically Invited to
Participate in the CPD's Debates? No. Under the nonpartisan criteria used
by the CPD in 2000-2012, the major party nominees have not received automatic
invitations. Those candidates were invited pursuant to the same standards
applicable to all declared candidates.
Does the CPD Conduct its own Polling when Applying the
Criteria? No. In each election cycle since 2000, CPD has retained Dr. Frank
Newport, Editor-in-Chief of Gallup, to assist it in selecting the five national
public opinion polls to be used in applying the criteria. Dr. Newport's
recommendations have been based on his professional judgment concerning the
most suitable polls. In making his recommendations, he has considered the
quality of the methodology the polling organizations employed, the size of the
sample population polled, the reputation of the polling organizations, and the
frequency of the polling conducted. In 2012, the polls relied upon were: ABC News/The
Washington
Post, NBC News/The Wall Street Journal, CBS News/The New York Times,
Fox News and Gallup.
Has the CPD ever used Different Candidate Selection
Criteria? In the 1988, 1992 and 1996 debates, the CPD used a multi-factor
set of criteria designed to identify the leading candidates. The criteria were
developed based on the work of an advisory panel of distinguished Americans,
including individuals not affiliated with any party. The individuals serving on
that advisory panel (and their then-current principal affiliation) included,
among others: Marian
Wright Edelman, President, Children's Defense Fund; Mary Hatwood Futrell,
President, National Education Association; Carla A. Hills, Partner, Weil, Gotshall &
Manges; Barbara Jordan, Professor, LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of
Texas; Melvin Laird, Senior Counselor, Readers' Digest; William Leonard, former
President, CBS News; Newton Minow, Partner, Sidley & Austin; Richard
Neustadt, Professor, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; Paul H.
O'Neill, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Aluminum Company of America;
Nelson W. Polsby, Professor, University of California at Berkeley; Jody
Powell, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Ogilvy & Mather Public
Affairs; Murray Rossant, Director, Twentieth Century Fund; Jill Ruckelshaus,
director of various non-profit entities; Lawrence Spivak, former Producer and
Moderator, "Meet the Press"; Robert Strauss, Partner, Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld;
Richard
Thornburgh, Director, Institute of Politics, Harvard University; and
Anne Wexler, Chairman, Wexler, Reynolds, Harrison & Schule.
A subcommittee of the advisory panel, headed by the late
Professor Richard Neustadt of the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard
University, drew on the deliberations of the larger panel to develop
nonpartisan criteria for the extension of debate invitations. While the panel's
recommended candidate selection criteria themselves were quite detailed, they
included a review of three types of factors: (1) evidence of national
organization, (2) signs of national newsworthiness and competitiveness, and (3)
indicators of national public enthusiasm or concern, to determine whether a
candidate had a realistic chance of election. The criteria did not consider any
one piece of evidence to be determinative. Rather, a variety of evidence was to
be reviewed in considering whether a particular candidate had a realistic
chance of election. The criteria used in 1988 and 1996 were substantially the
same.
In 1988, 1992 and 1996, the Board called upon an advisory
committee chaired by Professor Neustadt to assist it in applying the criteria.
In each cycle, the CPD Board accepted the recommendations of the advisory
committee in determining who qualified for inclusion in the debates under the
criteria.
Why did the CPD Switch Criteria in 2000? The more
streamlined criteria were adopted to provide greater transparency.
Has the Format of the CPD's Debates Changed over the
Years? Since 1987, the CPD has worked to develop debate formats that focus
maximum time and attention on the candidates and their views. The CPD’s first
set of debates used the model that had been employed for several previous
cycles, one moderator with a panel of three journalists. By 1992, the CPD had
introduced the town meeting, in which citizens ask questions of the candidates;
used every cycle since, the town meeting is made up of approximately 100
citizens chosen by the Gallup organization as undecided voters from the
metropolitan area of the debate site.
In 1992, a single moderator was used for the town
meeting, the vice presidential debate, and the first half of the final
presidential debate. Starting in 1996, the CPD exclusively used a single
moderator for all its debates, a practice which has continued through 2012.
In 2000, the CPD held its first debate in which the
candidates were seated at a table with the moderator, a format that further
encourages candid conversation without the physical separation of podiums. In
2012, the CPD adopted a significantly different format for the first and last
presidential debates: those two debates were divided into six 15-minute
segments, during each of which the candidates discussed one major issue facing
the country. One debate was devoted to domestic issues and one to foreign
affairs. The topics for both debates were chosen by the moderators and
announced several weeks beforehand. This change was the result of the CPD’s sustained
effort over many years to foster meaningful discussion of the issues and to
eliminate restrictive time constraints.
How are the Debate Moderators Chosen? The
moderators are selected by the CPD. The CPD uses three criteria to select its
moderators: a) familiarity with the candidates and the major issues of the
presidential campaign; b) extensive experience in live television broadcast
news; and c) an understanding that the debate should focus maximum time and
attention on the candidates and their views. The moderators alone select the
questions to be asked, which are not known to the CPD or to the candidates.
They do not meet with the campaigns, nor do the campaigns have a role in
moderator selection. Starting in 1996, the CPD has used a single moderator for
all of its debates in order to keep the focus on the candidates and their
positions.
How are the Sites and Dates for the Debates Selected?
The CPD chooses sites for the debates by soliciting bids from interested sites.
Over the years, the CPD has held all but three of its debates on college and
university campuses; this has allowed students to participate in the production
process, and has prompted many of them to become involved in election-related
projects. Sites that are interested in hosting debates submit proposals to the
CPD in response to formal site selection guidelines that are posted 22 months
before the debates. CPD production staff review the proposals, conduct site
surveys, and consult with members of the White House television pool and federal
law enforcement in evaluating potential facilities. The final sites and dates
for the debates are chosen by the CPD board of directors and announced
approximately one year in advance; this allows for complete logistical
preparation by the CPD and the media, and for the sites to take full advantage
of debate-related curricular additions. For 2016, CPD has announced the
following sites and dates:
September 26, 2016: Presidential Debate at Hofstra
University (Hempstead, New York)
October 4, 2016: Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University (Farmville,
Virginia)
October 9, 2016: Presidential Debate at Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, Missouri)
October 19, 2016: Presidential Debate at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Do the Debates Attract Large Audiences? The
viewership of the presidential debates is significantly greater than any other
political programming. From 1988-2012, the CPD’s debates have attracted
audiences between approximately 30 million and approximately 70 million
viewers. Post-debate research indicates that the debates are consistently rated
as very or somewhat helpful by roughly 70 percent of the public. In 2008, 80
percent of the public watched at least some of the debates; 77 percent said that
those debates were interesting and 70 percent said they were informative. Exit
poll data for many years have shown that voters cite the debates more than any
other single factor in considering how to cast their ballots.
Does the CPD do any International Work? For 25
years, the CPD has shared its experiences with groups in other countries that
seek to make candidate debates part of their electoral process. CPD has now
played a part in exchanges with more than 35 countries. In most instances,
these are fragile democracies, sometimes emerging from civil strife. The CPD
offers assistance in matters ranging from production and broadcast of the
debates to candidate negotiation and voter education. CPD has worked with
others to create an informal network of approximately 19 countries who work
together to help each other start or improve debates. The network has recently
launched a website that can be found at
www.debatesinternational.org.
Commission on Presidential Debates
William J. Clinton was an honorary co-chair for the Commission on Presidential Debates, Gregory B. Craig was his assistant to
president & special counsel, is the founder & director for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton
Foundation, an adviser for the 2016
Hillary Rodham Clinton presidential campaign, married to Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Chelsea V. Clinton’s father.
Note: Ready PAC (Ready For Hillary) supported the 2016 Hillary Rodham Clinton presidential
campaign.
Hillary Rodham Clinton is the candidate for the 2016 Hillary Rodham Clinton presidential
campaign, married to William J.
Clinton, Chelsea V. Clinton’s
mother, was a director at the Bill,
Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, and the founding chair for the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and
Security.
Chelsea V. Clinton is William
J. Clinton & Hillary Rodham
Clinton’s daughter, the vice chair for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, and Vernon E. Jordan Jr. was a guest at her
2010 wedding.
Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, the Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace (think tank), and the American Constitution Society.
George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, a co-chair,
national finance council for the Ready
PAC (Ready For Hillary), was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote
Open Society), and a benefactor
at the Harlem Children's Zone.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings
Institution (think tank), the Aspen Institute (think tank), the Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace (think tank), the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, the Children's
Defense Fund, the Harlem Children's Zone, and the Millennium
Promise.
Vernon E. Jordan
Jr. was a guest at
Chelsea
V. Clinton’s 2010 wedding, a member of the
Iraq Study Group, is a senior counsel for
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP,
an honorary trustee at the
Brookings Institution (think tank), Valerie
B. Jarrett’s great uncle, a director at the American Friends of
Bilderberg
(think tank), and a 2008
Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Leon E. Panetta
was a member of the
Iraq Study Group,
a director at the
Commission on Presidential Debates, the
defense secretary for the
Barack Obama
administration, and is a co-chairman for the
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Alan K. Simpson was a member of the Iraq Study Group, a director at the Commission on Presidential Debates, and is a director at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Robert S. Strauss was a partner at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, and a senior adviser
for the Committee for a Responsible
Federal Budget.
Mitchell E. Daniels Jr. is a co-chairman for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget,
and a director at the Commission on
Presidential Debates.
Trevor Potter was a fellow at the Brookings
Institution (think tank),
and the chairman for the Federal
Election Commission (FEC).
Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and
a member of the Commercial Club of
Chicago.
Commercial Club of Chicago, Members Directory A-Z (Past
Research)
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Valerie B. Jarrett is Vernon E. Jordan
Jr’s great niece, the senior adviser for the Barack Obama administration, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
R. Eden Martin is the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.
Newton N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, was a director at the Commission on Presidential Debates.
James S. Crown is a member of the Commercial Club of
Chicago, and the vice chairman for the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Lester Crown is a member of the Commercial Club of
Chicago, and was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Henry A. Kissinger was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen
Institute (think tank), is a trustee at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (think tank), a
director at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), a member of
the Bohemian Club, and a 2008 Bilderberg
conference participant (think tank).
Henrietta Holsman Fore is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), a trustee at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (think tank), and a
member of the Belizean Grove.
Carla A. Hills is a trustee at the Center for
Strategic and International Studies (think tank).
Belizean_Grove is the equivalent to the male-only social
group, the Bohemian Club.
Richard M. Nixon was an honorary member of the Bohemian Club, the president for the Richard M. Nixon administration, and a
member of the Burning Tree Club.
George H.W. Bush is a member of the Bohemian Club, a member of the Burning
Tree Club, and was the president of the George H.W. Bush administration.
Richard L.
Thornburgh was an attorney general for the George H.W. Bush administration, and a director at the Harvard University Institute of Politics.
Bob Schieffer is a member of the Burning Tree Club, was the chief Washington correspondent for the CBS News, and a director at the Commission on Presidential Debates.
Tom C. Korologos is a member of the Burning Tree Club, and married to Ann McLaughlin Korologos.
Ann McLaughlin Korologos is married to Tom C. Korologos, a director at the Harman International
Industries, Inc, and was the chair
emeritus for the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Jack Valenti was a member of the Burning Tree Club, and a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think
tank).
Madeleine K. Albright is a trustee at the Aspen Institute
(think tank), a professor at Georgetown
University, an advisory board member for the Truman National Security Project, was the president for the Center for National Policy, and was the
secretary of state for the William J.
Clinton administration.
Jane Lakes Harman is a trustee at the Aspen Institute
(think tank), a director at the Commission
on Presidential Debates, a stockholder at the Harman International Industries, Inc., the president & CEO for
the Woodrow Wilson International Center
for Scholars, and was a member of the Hillary
Clinton California Women's Leadership Council.
Michael D. McCurry is an advisory council member for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for
Scholars, an advisory board member for the Truman National Security Project, an advisory board member for the Center for National Policy, a co-chairman
for the Commission on Presidential
Debates, and was the press secretary for the William J. Clinton administration.
Gregory B. Craig is an advisory board member for the Center for National Policy, a trustee
at the German Marshall Fund of the
United States (think tank), was William
J. Clinton’s assistant to president & special counsel, the White House
counsel for the Barack Obama
administration, and Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace (think tank).
Leon E. Panetta was the chairman for the Center for National Policy, a director
at the Commission on Presidential
Debates, and was the chief of staff, OMB director for the William J. Clinton administration.
William J. Clinton was the president of the William J. Clinton administration, an
honorary co-chair for the Commission on
Presidential Debates, Gregory B.
Craig was his assistant to president & special counsel, is the founder
& director for the Bill, Hillary
& Chelsea Clinton Foundation, an adviser for the 2016 Hillary Rodham Clinton presidential campaign, married to Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Chelsea V. Clinton’s father.
Gregory B. Craig was William
J. Clinton’s assistant to president & special counsel, the White House
counsel for the Barack Obama
administration, Carnegie Endowment
for International Peace (think tank), is a trustee at the German Marshall Fund of the United States
(think tank), and an advisory board member for the Center for National Policy.
David Ignatius
was a trustee at the German Marshall
Fund of the United States (think tank), a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, and is a columnist
for the Washington Post.
Jessica Tuchman Mathews is a director at the
Nuclear Threat Initiative (think tank),
was the president of the
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think
tank), a director at the American Friends of
Bilderberg (think
tank), an honorary trustee at the
Brookings Institution (think tank),
and a 2008
Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Ed
Griffin’s interview with Norman Dodd in 1982
(The
investigation into the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace uncovered the
plans for population control by involving the United States in war)
Shirley M. Tilghman is a trustee at the Carnegie Endowment
for International Peace (think tank), and a director at the Commission on Presidential Debates.
Warren E. Buffett is an adviser at the Nuclear Threat Initiative (think tank),
Howard G. Buffett’s father, and was
a director at the Washington Post Co.
Howard G. Buffett is Warren
E. Buffett’s son, and a director at the Commission on Presidential Debates.
William J. Clinton was an honorary co-chair for the Commission on Presidential Debates, the
president of the William J. Clinton
administration, Gregory B. Craig
was his assistant to president & special counsel, is the founder &
director for the Bill, Hillary &
Chelsea Clinton Foundation, an adviser for the 2016 Hillary Rodham Clinton presidential campaign, married to Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Chelsea V. Clinton’s father.
Jane Lakes Harman is a director at the Commission on Presidential Debates, a trustee at the Aspen
Institute (think tank), a stockholder at the Harman International Industries, Inc., the president & CEO for
the Woodrow Wilson International Center
for Scholars, a member of the Homeland
Security Advisory Council, and was a member of the Hillary Clinton California Women's Leadership Council.
Elliott B. Broidy
was a member of the Homeland Security
Advisory Council, and a finance committee chairman for the Republican National Committee (RNC).
Manny Diaz was a member of the Homeland
Security Advisory Council, and is senior advisory committee member of the Harvard University Institute of Politics.
David Axelrod is a
senior advisory committee member of the Harvard
University Institute of Politics, and was a senior political analyst for
the NBC News.
Richard L. Berke
is senior advisory committee member of the Harvard
University Institute of Politics, and was an associate ME for news for the New York Times.
Caroline B. Kennedy is an honorary chair for the Harvard University Institute of Politics,
was a director at the Commission on
Presidential Debates, and a director at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund.
Vernon E. Jordan
Jr. is a senior director at the
NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, a senior counsel for
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP,
an honorary trustee at the
Brookings
Institution (think tank), Valerie B. Jarrett’s great uncle, a
director at the American Friends of
Bilderberg (think tank), was a guest
at
Chelsea V. Clinton’s 2010
wedding, a member of the
Iraq Study
Group, and a 2008
Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Chelsea V. Clinton’s
wedding guest was
Vernon E. Jordan Jr.,
is
William J. Clinton &
Hillary Rodham Clinton’s daughter, the
vice chair for the
Bill, Hillary &
Chelsea Clinton Foundation.
William J. Clinton
is
Chelsea V. Clinton’s father, married
to
Hillary Rodham Clinton, the
founder & director for the
Bill,
Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, an adviser for the
2016 Hillary Rodham Clinton presidential
campaign, was
Gregory B. Craig
was his assistant to president & special counsel, and an honorary co-chair
for the
Commission on Presidential
Debates.
Peter S. Kalikow was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, and is a trustee at
Hofstra University.
Janis L. Jones is the EVP for the Caesars Entertainment Corp, and was the Las Vegas (NV) mayor.
Timothy C. Collins was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, a VP for the Lazard Freres & Co. LLC, a director
at the Reader's Digest Association Inc.,
and is a dean's council member for the John
F. Kennedy School of Government.
John M. Keane is a
dean's council member for the John F.
Kennedy School of Government, a contributor for Fox News.
Sheila P. Burke was
an executive dean at the John F. Kennedy
School of Government, and is a member of the Cosmos Club.
Andrew Kohut was
a member of the Cosmos Club, and the
president of the Gallup.
George W. Bilicic Jr. is a trustee at Hofstra University, a board of visitor’s member for the Georgetown University Law Center, and
was a managing director for the Lazard
Freres & Co. LLC.
Joseph M. Gregory is a trustee at Hofstra University, was a trustee at the Harlem Children's Zone, and a president & COO for the Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.
Wallis Annenberg is a trustee at the Harlem Children's Zone, and a trustee at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.
Lillian Pierson Lovelace is a trustee at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, was a donor for the League of Women Voters.
Ruth Hinerfeld was the president for the League of Women Voters, and is a
trustee at the Institute of
International Education.
Vernon E. Jordan
Jr. is a trustee at the
Institute
of International Education, a senior managing director for the
Lazard Freres & Co. LLC., a senior
director at the
NAACP Legal Defense
& Educational Fund, a senior counsel for
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP,
an honorary trustee at the
Brookings Institution (think tank), Valerie
B. Jarrett’s great uncle, a director at the American Friends of
Bilderberg
(think tank), was a guest at
Chelsea V.
Clinton’s 2010 wedding, a member of the
Iraq Study Group, the president of the
Economic Club of Washington, and a 2008
Bilderberg conference
participant (think tank).
Chelsea V. Clinton’s
wedding guest was
Vernon E. Jordan Jr.,
is
William J. Clinton &
Hillary Rodham Clinton’s daughter, the
vice chair for the
Bill, Hillary &
Chelsea Clinton Foundation.
William J. Clinton
is
Chelsea V. Clinton’s father, married
to
Hillary Rodham Clinton, the
founder & director for the
Bill,
Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, an adviser for the
2016 Hillary Rodham Clinton presidential
campaign, was
Gregory B. Craig
was his assistant to president & special counsel, and an honorary co-chair
for the
Commission on Presidential
Debates.
Jay
Jacobs was a funder for the
Bill,
Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, is a fundraiser for the
2016 Hillary Rodham Clinton presidential campaign,
and a trustee at the
Washington
University in St. Louis.
Carol Oughton
Biondi is a fundraiser for the
2016
Hillary Rodham Clinton presidential campaign, and a director at the
Children's Defense Fund.
David M.
Rubenstein is the president of the
Economic
Club of Washington, a co-chairman for the
Brookings Institution (think
tank), a dean's council member for the John F. Kennedy School of Government,
was a benefactor for the Aspen Institute (think tank), and a trustee at
the Center for Strategic and International Studies (think tank).
Henry A. Kissinger was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen
Institute (think tank), is a trustee at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (think tank), a
director at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), a member of
the Bohemian Club, and a 2008 Bilderberg
conference participant (think tank).
Henrietta Holsman Fore is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), a trustee at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (think tank), and a
member of the Belizean Grove.
Belizean_Grove is the equivalent to the male-only social
group, the Bohemian Club.
Richard M. Nixon was an honorary member of the Bohemian Club, the president for the Richard M. Nixon administration, and a
member of the Burning Tree Club.
George H.W. Bush is a member of the Bohemian Club, a member of the Burning
Tree Club, and was the president of the George H.W. Bush administration.
Bob Schieffer is a member of the Burning Tree Club, was the chief Washington correspondent for the CBS News, and a director at the Commission on Presidential Debates.
Charles D. Gibson
is a director at the Commission on
Presidential Debates, and was an anchor for the ABC News.
Mellody L. Hobson
is a contributor for the ABC News,
and a member of the Commercial Club of
Chicago.
Newton N. Minow
is a member of the Commercial Club of
Chicago, a senior counsel at Sidley
Austin LLP, was a director for CBS,
a director at the Commission on
Presidential Debates.
Kathleen L. Brown
is married to Van Gordon Sauter, and
a member of the Commercial Club of
Chicago.
R. Eden Martin is
the president of the Commercial Club of
Chicago, and counsel at Sidley
Austin LLP.
Faith Elizabeth
Gay was an attorney at Sidley Austin
LLP, and is a board of adviser’s member for the American Constitution Society.
Christopher
Edley Jr. is a board of adviser’s member for the American Constitution Society, and the law school dean for the University of California, Berkeley.
Peter B. Edelman
is a director at the American
Constitution Society, a professor at the Georgetown University Law Center, and married to Marian Wright Edelman.
Marian Wright
Edelman is married to Peter B.
Edelman, the president of the Children's
Defense Fund, and a director emeritus for the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund.
Caroline B.
Kennedy was a director at the NAACP
Legal Defense & Educational Fund, a director at the Commission on Presidential Debates, and
is an honorary chair for the Harvard
University Institute of Politics.
Antonia Hernandez
was a director at the American
Constitution Society, is a senior advisory committee member for the Harvard
University Institute of Politics, and a director at the Commission
on Presidential Debates.
James D. Zirin is
a senior counsel for Sidley Austin LLP,
and an advisory council member for the Woodrow
Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.
Michael D. McCurry
is an advisory council member for the Woodrow
Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, an advisory board member
for the Truman National Security Project,
an advisory board member for the Center
for National Policy, a co-chairman for the Commission on Presidential Debates, and was the press secretary for
the William J. Clinton administration.
Jane Lakes Harman
is the president & CEO for the Woodrow
Wilson International Center for Scholars, a director at the Commission on Presidential Debates, a
trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), a stockholder at the Harman International Industries, Inc.,
and was a member of the Hillary Clinton
California Women's Leadership Council.
Madeleine K.
Albright is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), a
professor at Georgetown University,
an advisory board member for the Truman
National Security Project, was the president for the Center for National Policy, and was the secretary of state for the William J. Clinton administration.
Michael D. McCurry
is an advisory board member for the Truman
National Security Project, an advisory board member for the Center for National Policy, an advisory
council member for the Woodrow Wilson
School of Public and International Affairs, a co-chairman for the Commission on Presidential Debates, and
was the press secretary for the William
J. Clinton administration.
Leon E. Panetta
was the chairman for the Center for
National Policy, a director at the Commission
on Presidential Debates, and was the chief of staff, OMB director for the William J. Clinton administration.
John I. Jenkins
is a director at the Commission on
Presidential Debates, and was a director at the Millennium Promise.
Jimmy Carter was an honorary
co-chairman for the Millennium Promise,
is an honorary co-chair for the Commission
on Presidential Debates, and a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
William J. Clinton
was an honorary co-chair for the Commission
on Presidential Debates, is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, an adviser for the 2016 Hillary Rodham Clinton presidential campaign, the founder
& director for the Bill, Hillary
& Chelsea Clinton Foundation, married to Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Chelsea
V. Clinton’s father.
Jennifer M.
Granholm is a transition
team co-chair for the 2016 Hillary
Rodham Clinton presidential campaign, and a practitioner of law &
public policy at the University of
California, Berkeley.
Peter D. Hart is
a teacher at the University of
California, Berkeley, a pollster for the NBC News, and a pollster for the Wall Street Journal.
Stephen M.
Silberstein is a benefactor at the University
of California, Berkeley, a director at the National Popular Vote, and was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton
Foundation.
B. Thomas
Golisano is a director at the National
Popular Vote, a friend of William J.
Clinton, the national spokesman for the Support Popular Vote, a friend of Steven Pigeon, and was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.
Steven Pigeon is
a friend of B. Thomas Golisano, and Donna E. Shalala was his executive
assistant.
Donna E. Shalala
was Steven Pigeon’s executive
assistant, the HHS secretary for the William
J. Clinton administration, a fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and is the president of the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton
Foundation.
Chelsea V. Clinton
is the vice chair for the Bill, Hillary
& Chelsea Clinton Foundation, William
J. Clinton & Hillary Rodham
Clinton’s daughter, and Vernon E.
Jordan Jr. was a guest at her 2010 wedding.
Vernon E. Jordan
Jr. was a guest at
Chelsea
V. Clinton’s 2010 wedding, a member of the
Iraq Study Group, is a senior counsel for
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP,
an honorary trustee at the
Brookings Institution (think tank), Valerie
B. Jarrett’s great uncle, a director at the American Friends of
Bilderberg
(think tank), a trustee at the
Institute
of International Education, and a 2008
Bilderberg conference
participant (think tank).
Leon E. Panetta
was a member of the
Iraq Study Group,
a director at the
Commission on
Presidential Debates, the defense secretary for the
Barack Obama administration, and is a co-chairman for the
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Ruth Hinerfeld is
a trustee at the Institute of
International Education, and was the president for the League of Women Voters.
