Book: Clintons put Altmire on political 'hit list' after 2008 primary

A new book about presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton calls former U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire the “poster boy” for a “betrayal-and-revenge narrative” pursued by her and former President Bill Clinton.

“HRC: State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary Clinton” by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes highlights the Clintons’ courting of Altmire during the presidential primary season in 2008 when he was a superdelegate free to back whichever candidate he liked.

At the time, Hillary Clinton was a U.S. senator from New York state engaged in a heated battle with then-U.S. Sen. Barack Obama for the party’s nomination. She would later serve as Secretary of State in President Obama’s administration.

Altmire, who lived in McCandless Township when he was in office, lost to former U.S. Rep. Mark Critz in the 2012 primary. He now lives in Florida where he is a senior vice president at Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

Altmire and Critz were tossed into a rare member-versus-member election after redistricting in early 2012. Before the primary in April of that year, Bill Clinton endorsed Critz, who later lost to current U.S. Rep. Keith Rothfus, R-12, Sewickley, in November 2012.

The book’s authors write that Bill Clinton’s endorsement was political retribution for Altmire’s refusal to back Hillary Clinton in 2008. Allen and Parnes delve deep into the political drama that swirled around Altmire and other superdelegates who were being heavily recruited by both the Clinton and Obama camps.

“My reference in the new @HRCStateSecrets book is balanced and accurate. More

important, the book is meticulously researched and a great read,” Altmire tweeted Tuesday. Altmire did not respond to a tweet asking if he wanted to comment further or to a request placed through a former aide.

Altmire also tweeted a link to a YouTube video of 2008 interviews he gave explaining his decision to not endorse Hillary Clinton.

“While it took (Clinton) until the spring of 2008 to get her delegate outreach into gear, Obama had first approached Altmire in the summer of 2007,” the authors write. The book then describes an early meeting with Altmire and former U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy sitting down with Michelle Obama backstage for an hour after she gave a speech in Philadelphia.

Barack Obama kept in touch with Altmire, but Hillary Clinton did not call him until February 2008. The book goes on to lay out the full-court press the Clintons and Obama put on Altmire to win his endorsement.

The Clintons invited Altmire to a cocktail party at their Washington, D.C., home while Obama asked Altmire to join him at a “community college” speech in his district, a reference to Obama’s visit to the Community College of Beaver County on March 17, 2008.

Allen and Parnes recount in detail the one-on-one talk Obama and Altmire had as the two were driven to Pittsburgh International Airport. One dramatic scene has Obama leaning into Altmire with a furrowed brow and a “look of determination” after Altmire wishes him well on a speech on race the next day.

“’We’re going to be fine,’ he said. ‘They told me I wasn’t going to be able to beat Hillary Clinton, and I’m going to beat both Clintons. ... This is just one more hurdle. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.’

“The difference between the two campaigns struck Altmire as remarkable: While Hillary was begging for help, Obama didn’t need it,” the authors write.

Later, the authors describe a tense and final meeting between Hillary Clinton and Altmire that abruptly ends when she realizes he will not pledge to support her.

“When Altmire was gone, she lashed out at her aides,” the authors recounted. “’Such a f---ing waste of time,’ she fumed, her voice full of disgust and frustration. ‘I thought you said he was going to endorse me.’”

Allen and Parnes write that the Clintons resented Altmire after 2008, believing he “milked his superdelegate status for all it was worth.” Afterward, the powerful couple gave Altmire the cold shoulder and waited.

“No sooner had he buried the hatchet with Obama then Bill Clinton dug it up for use on politicians who had backed Obama over Hillary in 2008, the names counted on the post-primary hit list,” the authors write.

Altmire was concerned that Bill Clinton would come after him in 2012, Allen and Parnes write, and that fear was realized when the former president endorsed Critz in April 2012.

Critz defeated Altmire 54 percent to 46 percent a few weeks later.

“It’s impossible to say how many votes Bill Clinton turned or turned out,” the authors write, “but everyone involved in the race agreed that his endorsement of Critz had been pivotal.”