There has never been a free lunch in this country and presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton aims to keep it that way. The former secretary of state, U.S. senator, and first lady will be in Red Hook, Brooklyn, today to meet with her “Hillstarters” — people who have bundled ten checks of $2,700.
The meeting will take place, advises New York Times’s reporter Maggie Haberman, at Liberty Warehouse, an upscale wedding and bar mitzvah catering venue along the waterfront, with views of the Statue of Liberty.
The fact that the location serves food should in no way be as invitation to lunch. On this point, the campaign was pretty clear, telling donors:
Lunch on your own. For those who are having lunch in Brooklyn, we suggest finding a restaurant in Brooklyn Heights (near the campaign office) or in Red Hook (near the summit venue). The summit venue is a 15-minute cab or Uber ride from the campaign headquarters, so please plan accordingly.
Ouch! Not even a sammich, though a list of nearby restaurants that campaign officials recommend is included.
Haberman reports that the move is of a piece with the “cheapskate” mentality of Robby Mook, Clinton’s campaign manager, who is keeping staff salaries “extremely low” and wants to emphasize to donors that frugality is a virtue. “Last week, during Mrs. Clinton’s fund-raising trip through California, the refreshments at one event were bottled water and cookies.”
This might seem like an odd way to run a campaign, but perhaps such penny-pinching is a natural impulse to the Clinton, a couple who was once dead broke and is still trying to pay the bills.
