Fresh Doubts About Clinton in N.H.

[sniffa]

Jim Splaine, a veteran Democrat in the New Hampshire legislature and author of the 1976 law that helped solidify the state's first-in-the-nation primary status, is worried. He is a strong supporter of Hillary Clinton and he does not like what he is seeing of her campaign in New Hampshire, where several polls have shown her large lead over Barack Obama closing to a tie in recent weeks.

In particular, Splaine is concerned about the gap between the Hillary Clinton he got to know when she campaigned in New Hampshire with her husband in 1991 and 1992 -- when she helped drive him to a strong second place that resuscitated his scandal-dogged campaign -- and the Hillary Clinton he has observed in the state this past year.

"What I've seen these past few months isn't the Hillary Clinton I remember from her campaign visits here in 1991, when I first met her, or her several visits since and prior to this year," Splaine wrote last week in a lengthy posting on the blog Blue Hampshire. "Where has the 'conversation' gone that she said she wanted to start with her announcement last January? It seems as if she is talking 'to' or 'at' us, even 'down' to us. She needs to talk 'with' us -- in fact, one of the strengths of the NH Primary is that candidates indeed have that chance, to get away from the podiums and look us in the eye, face-to-face, not talking over our heads."

Fond memories of the 1992 campaign, and the subsequent close relationship that the Clintons maintained with New Hampshire voters, figure to play a role in the Jan. 8 primary. But as Splaine's posting suggests, for some New Hampshire Democrats the memory of the scrappy, no-holds-barred campaign waged by Bill Clinton in late 1991 and 1992 -- when he famously pledged to voters that he would stick by them "until the last dog dies" if they stuck by him -- only serves to highlight the relative caution and message-controlled rigor of Clinton's campaign this year.

more..

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2007/12/17/fresh_doubts_about_clinton_in.html?hpid=topnews

that's a shame.

[SoxFan]

1. Sage advice for every campaign

Jim Splaine is one the true "good guys" in New Hampshire politics. He's a good friend and was a fine mentor in the legislature. While I disagree with his decision to back Hillary, I know that Jim will always try to speak the truth.

[sniffa]

2. agreed

:thumbsup:

[CoffeeCat]

3. Hillary is running her NH campaign...

...like she's running her Iowa campaign.

That's why she's tanked in both states.

My guess is that she mistakenly believes that the Rovian/Bush model
of campaigning is king. She thought that highly orchestrated, slogan-filled
speeches would be the magic bullet. She was testy and cold in her
Iowa events, compared to the warmth and openness that the other candidates
exuded.

Doesn't Hillary realize that Bush's model of containment and control is
now viewed with disdain? Apparently not.

Interesting that NH voters are reporting the same experience that we
in Iowa are getting from her.

I don't know if she's being given reallly bad advice, or if she just
cannot connect with people. Either way, it's a losing strategy.

[silverojo]

6. She can't connect

She's a cold person. Her speeches don't inspire, so much as talk down to people...she sounds like Mister Rogers trying to explain a new concept to preschoolers. Sorry, Hillary, but if you want to impress me, you're going to have to start being specific in what you're going to do for (or to) this country.

That's why I like Edwards--he explains his plans in detail in his speeches.

[sniffa]

8. that's fairly apt

:thumbsup:

[loyalsister]

9. "whatever works"

I wonder if the campaign has decided that they need to model theirs after what has worked most recently?
Even people here have said that they want her to be the nominee because she will get mean. Give what she got, etc.
I think that may be a possibility.
I don't know if there is time for her to switch gears or not.
I have a sneaking suspicion that she is smart enough that she could actually capitalize on this endorsement in a short amount of time. It will be interesting to see.

[PATRICK]

4. This might be a

damned if you do or don't proposition for Clinton. The more she is engaged in the ground battle in the early states, the more she risks her large advantages in the media campaign states. They should have flipped a coin and stick with it. Instead they are getting the worst of both strategies, the traps as predictable as they might have been unavoidable. There WAS a clever way to get around this and a typically cautious one. But these are the Democratic primaries still and not the GOP. Things drive the candidates even in the GOP.

Everyone exhibits some incompetence and mistakes in this kind of heat. I think we are seeing what the Clintons most wanted not to reveal. Weakness and some ineptness and some lack of better qualities than the other candidates. Forced to or not, unavoidable or inevitable, the damage comes from the candidate herself and we have a very nervous party leadership and more nervous electorate. Caution won't cut it and
mistakes will cripple. It is a bad year for all frontrunners.

[bunnies]

5. Ive still yet to see a single canvasser or piece of literature in my mail box.

From the Clinton campaign. Ive gotten at least a dozen things from both Obama and Richardson... maybe two dozen mailers from Edwards. And in fact, other than another NH poster on this board, no one else I know has received anything from her either. I dont really understand it... given the millions of dollars she has. I havent personally seen any effort to win people over.

Even my mother-in-law who was all about HRC at Thanksgiving has gone back to looking at the other candidates. Though, her change of heart is mostly due to the Clinton health care plan. The other reasons have to do with the campaign.

[CoffeeCat]

11. Yes, me too...

I'm in Iowa, and I could wallpaper my walls with the stuff I get from Edwards in the mail.

I get lots of literature from Obama and Richardson as well.

I get tons of emails, phone calls, home visits and invitations to functions from Obama.

There's also a good amount of phone calls and information from Biden.

Nothing from Hillary. Nothing. Maybe a flyer or two, but no phone calls, no
event invitations. I suspect that they're having a hard time finding people to
work for the campaign.

It's very bizarre that she isn't even doing the basics, that the other candidates
are doing. Did she just think she was "inevitable" or did she think that all
she needed to do was a few canned speeches here and there?

Odd.

[Perky]

7. This is the result of the fierce fight in Iowa and the condensed schedule

I am firmly in Obama's camp and love this post...but Obama is only spending a single weekend in NH before the Iowa caucuses...Everyone is focused on Iowa to the exclusion of the NH demand for retail politics.

Everythin gets condnsed to sound bites, drive-bys and media saturation. Probably hurts Hillary the most, but the criticism is valid for everyone.

McCain is going to win NH in my view because he gave up on Iowa to focus there.

[BeyondGeography]

10. The manhunt for Hillary's inner regular person continues

[Franc_Lee]

12. In the beginning I had an open ear to Hil, but now? poof! she's...not to cool, not at all...

[geek tragedy]

13. Indeed, such a shame. Cackle. n/t