At Clintons’ 3-day event, Hillary basks in a candidate’s dream setting

Imagine if a presidential campaign was designed by the candidate. The day’s agenda would focus on what the candidate alone wanted to talk about. No pesky reporters would drill the candidate on unwelcome topics. The events would be meticulously stage-managed. The lighting would always be perfect.

It might look very much like the world that Hillary Rodham Clinton — who is weighing a run for president in 2016 — inhabited over the last three days at the Clinton Global Initiative, the glittery annual gathering hosted by the foundation that she runs with husband Bill and their daughter, Chelsea, with support from blue-chip corporate sponsors.

Over three tightly managed days, the Clintons set the agenda. The final image on Wednesday: They strolled on stage hand in hand for the last session, “Aiming for the Moon and Beyond.” (With the help of NASA, Bill Clinton spoke to astronaut Reid Wiseman live from the International Space Station. Hillary then took the stage and, in girlish tones, told the crowd she had once dreamed of being an astronaut.)

The event at a hotel in New York’s Midtown brought a level of security that rivaled, and at times exceeded, that of the White House — and not just on the day that President Obama dashed across town from the United Nations headquarters to recognize the work of his former secretary of State and compliment her on her “post-administration glow.”

During the sessions, Bill, Chelsea and Hillary Clinton were joined on stage by leaders from some of the nation’s most lucrative companies, including Alibaba, Goldman Sachs, Western Union and Merck. Sometimes those executives appeared as panelists, other times they were simply recognized by one of the Clintons for partnering with the foundation on programs to help impoverished Americans and people in underdeveloped nations across the world.

Those who had a speaking role, including Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sachs, often showered the Clintons with accolades for their charity work. (Hillary Clinton noted in the opening session that over 10 years, the Clinton Foundation’s partnerships had led to “action that is valued at nearly $100 billion.”)

And it wasn’t just the business world. Milling about were Hollywood stars including Leonardo DiCaprio, Ashley Judd, Ted Danson and Matt Damon. And the gathering, which is held each year at the same time as the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, brought in high-powered international guests too. One panel featured Bill Clinton coyly asking Chilean President Michelle Bachelet to talk about her experience as a two-term female president. With others such as King Abdullah II of Jordan joining the discussion, it was not uncommon to hear Hillary and Bill Clinton summoning “Your Majesty” or “His Excellency” to join them on stage.

Drawn by the intense interest in Hillary Clinton’s presidential plans, hordes of reporters from all over the world covered “CGI 2014.” But for those reporters, there was virtually no way to talk to the guests who mingled in the “Impact Lounge” upstairs or outside the ballrooms. To move anywhere outside the well-appointed press room in the hotel’s basement — including to the bathroom — reporters were escorted by one of the dozens of Clinton Foundation volunteers who wore crisp white shirts embellished by silk scarves or ties that bore the foundation’s logo.

Presumably to avoid any unplanned encounters with the potential candidate or other press-averse guests, reporters were sternly instructed by one press handler to wear their neon yellow press tags, each with its unique bar code, around their necks and facing forward at all times, so they could be identified and properly scanned before entering any “open press” session.

Hillary Clinton was front and center for most of the three days, talking about the foundation initiatives she is most involved in: fostering greater support for early childhood education, expanding youth employment and improving the lives of women and girls around the world.

Whether talking to friendly interviewers or serving as the moderator herself, Clinton spoke at length about her own experiences as a young career woman — the barriers she faced in getting jobs, for example, and how that has improved over the last few decades.

She also shared her more personal side. In a session on early childhood education with CNN correspondent Sanjay Gupta, she talked about her mother’s “terrible upbringing”; as a young girl she often went to school without lunch and was fed by a kindly teacher. Clinton also talked about her attempt to try to balance work and family as she raised Chelsea, who is now expecting her own child.

The sessions also often highlighted Clinton’s achievements as first lady and secretary of State, as well as her husband’s as president. During a panel with Melinda Gates, a philanthropist along with her husband, Bill, on whether equality for women and girls was achievable by 2034, Clinton noted that it was her husband who signed the Paid Family Leave act into law.

Even in some of the panels led by news personalities, the Clintons appeared to have set — or at least suggested — the parameters of the discussion. In Gupta’s session, the reporter said at one point that he was “told” about the topic for the panel, which was about the development of a baby’s mind. And Clinton appeared slightly startled when Gupta began the session by pressing her to state her position on the U.S. airstrikes in Syria.

After several questions on her past differences with Obama on arming the Syrian rebels, the soon-to-be-grandmother was on more comfortable turf, talking about her initiative to encourage parents to read, sing and talk to their children to foster greater brain development at an early age.

maeve.reston@latimes.com

@maevereston