Donors urge Clinton to sharpen message ahead of debate with Sanders

[SheenaR]

For at least the fifth time, campaigns do not act like this if they are confident in the road ahead. They see the same primary schedule we do. And since many have been told that Sanders cannot win much more going forward, why then the worry? Why the possibility of staff shakeup? It's because they aren't confident. But DU has a problem with reality based critiques of the former Secretary.

snip

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will try to mend her badly wounded campaign in a debate on Thursday with rival Bernie Sanders, an encounter many of her donors said would allow her to play a role that suits her - embattled underdog

Don't do this. People will see right through it. Nobody, literally nobody would believe her playing the underdog. She is still the odds on favorite to win by a decent amount. You can't pretend you aren't the favorite

Some donors said a growing sense of nervousness was setting in, however, especially after Sanders’ campaign reported raising more than $6 million in the 24 hours after his win.

The word "disappointed" came up several times during a conference call the campaign held on Wednesday with donors and fundraisers, said one Clinton supporter who was on the call.

Many donors said they thought one immediate task for the former secretary of state’s campaign would be to improve upon her messaging.

They should be nervous in the same vein that Jeb's donors were nervous. They put a ton of money in and they are getting an awful campaign to this point. A truly terrible performance, not by the countless volunteers, but by the candidate herself.

But there was a familiar feel to Clinton's flameout in New Hampshire, said critics of her campaign, as well as some major Obama donors who have yet to commit to her.

"It’s the same movie, all over again," said lead Obama fundraiser Kirk Dornbush, a San Francisco biotechnology executive who has not yet committed to a candidate.

"It’s 2008, running with the inevitability cloak and having that fail miserably."

Not all of her donors feel this way, but it's striking that it's out there. Against a 74 year old promiser of unicorns and ice cream dreams


http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-democrats-idUSMTZSAPEC2BDQPD6L

[JRLeft]

1. Pretend to care

[casperthegm]

2. Sharpen attacks; AKA sling more mud

And see if anything sticks. We've seen Clinton in desperation mode before and it's not pretty, especially with her well funded super pacs doing her dirty work, leaving her with no accountability. We just have to be prepared for it and fire back, pointing out the lies and twisted half truths on as many social media outlets as we can. If Clinton thinks we're going to back down and allow her crap to go unchecked she seriously underestimates the power of a grass roots campaign.

[corkhead]

3. Sorry to say, She is more suited to play the role of Goliath than David

[TwilightGardener]

4. It's not the message, it's the messenger.

I couldn't give a shit what she's saying THIS week. It means nothing. All of it is stagecraft and manipulation and pandering and triangulation and divide-and-conquer tactics.