Hillary Clinton spent the month of August in the Hamptons, where wealthy Democratic donors and lobbyists held events for her to fundraise and discuss what is on the mind of the liberal elite.
Clinton’s time in the Hamptons, a town described as "Wall Street’s richest retreat for the summer," was used as a "working vacation" that gave Clinton "plenty of time to interact with donors without the glare of the news media," according to the New York Times.
Among those who have held Hamptons events for Clinton is Susie Tompkins Buell, a long-time Clinton donor, who is a member of the secretive Democracy Alliance. Multiple members of the liberal donor club have already announced their support for Clinton.
Hedge fund manager and former Goldman Sachs executive Richard Perry, who has a net worth of about $1.2 billion, also held an event for Clinton. So did his fellow Goldman Sachs alum Daniel Neidich, who left the firm to start his own private equity firm.
Washington lobbyist Liz Robbins used her house in the Hamptons to host an event for Clinton during her time in the Long Island beach town. She is the sole lobbyist for Liz Robbins Assoc and contributes almost entirely to Democrats, including multiple donations to Hillary Clinton over the years.
Clinton is not letting any of this time with the left's wealthiest go to waste.
Individuals that talked with Clinton in Long Island say she offered clear signs that she will be running in 2016 during small talk, and would also "pose political questions and field thoughts on policy."
One of the things Clinton wanted to talk about was "how to tackle income inequality." She also asked Wall Street executives how they felt about Obama’s efforts to stop corporate inversions.
The Clintons even held their own Hamptons fundraiser, for the newly named Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation. It cost $50,000 per couple to attend.
Now that she has left the Hamptons, she is on the campaign and fundraising circuit for Democratic candidates up for election in 2014.
Last Friday, she delivered private remarks at a Democratic Governors Association fundraiser that brought in $10,000 a head.
Over the weekend she was back in Iowa for the first time since finishing third behind both Barack Obama and John Edwards in the 2008 Iowa caucus.
"Hello Iowa," Clinton told the crowd. "I’m back."