Trouble in HillaryWorld - retooling campaign, finger-pointing, Clinton fatigue, empty seats... (NYT)

[jefferson_dem]

January 5, 2008
A Campaign Retools to Seek Second Clinton Comeback
By PATRICK HEALY and JOHN M. BRODER

<SNIP>

Mrs. Clinton, after arriving here at 4 a.m. Friday, used a rally in Nashua to begin focusing on young voters and independents, two groups that flocked to the Obama banner in Iowa. She said she wanted to appeal to young people, and surrounded herself with them at the rally, in contrast to her caucus night party where older, familiar faces from the Clinton administration and her political team stood out.

Yet many of the challenges and questions she faced in Iowa — like Clinton fatigue and the generational showdown with Mr. Obama — remained part of her baggage as she flew east. While she is ahead in public polls here, she faces a popularity contest against Mr. Obama. There were empty seats, for instance, at a rally Mr. Clinton held with students at the University of New Hampshire on Friday afternoon.

And her campaign, while trying to fine-tune its strategy, is also engaging in some finger-pointing. Some advisers say that the campaign miscalculated in having Mr. Clinton play such a public role, that Mrs. Clinton could not effectively position herself as a change agent, the profile du jour for Democrats, so long as he stood as a reminder that her presidency would be much like his. Other advisers say that Mr. Obama now owns the “change” mantra and that Mrs. Clinton needs a Plan B.

“Hillary says she’ll change things, but then voters see Bill and hear them talk about the 1990s, and it’s clear that the Clintons are not offering change but rather Clinton Part 2,” said one veteran adviser to both Clintons. “That won’t win.”

Beating a sunny, charismatic opponent like Mr. Obama — especially given his embrace by such a cross-section of Iowa voters — is not part of the Clinton experience. When facing political crises, the couple’s modus operandi has been to attack their attackers and question their motives. But Mr. Obama is not Kenneth W. Starr, Newt Gingrich or Paula Jones; a presidential campaign is not a Washington scandal; and the Clinton strategy of attacking Mr. Obama’s readiness for the presidency did not work in Iowa.

<SNIP>

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/05/us/politics/05clinton.html?ref=politics

[TwilightGardener]

1. The beginning of the end of the Clinton Dynasty, is how I see it.

[aquart]

10. Is that like the Ming Dynasty? How many generations did it last?

You choose a lie and stick to it like glue. Hitler's best technique. After a while, people don't even realize there isn't a word of truth in it.

[TwilightGardener]

21. Comparing me to Hitler, are ya?

[annie1]

32. i hate the dynasty argument. it is so corny.

[loveangelc]

17. I hope.

[Cha]

22. I hope it's the end..

but I'm not counting anything until they've packed up and gone to New York.

[BeyondGeography]

2. This is bullshit

==“I was never a front-runner of any significance in Iowa — I knew it was always going to be hard for me,” Mrs. Clinton said. “Both of my two leading opponents, one had been there for years; one is from a neighboring state. So I feel that we executed what we thought was the limit of what we could produce in Iowa under the circumstances.”==

They may have dithered at first, but they were going for the kill in Iowa.

[K Gardner]

4. Who says this.....

"executed what we thought was the limit of what we could produce in Iowa under the circumstances."

What does that even mean? Who says chyte like that? Does anyone you know talk that way? Just sayin...

[TwilightGardener]

7. "The limit of what we could produce"--when the Clintons hit a snag, the

meaningless wonk-speak and word-parsing comes out.

[jefferson_dem]

9. Wonk-talk for "Hillary had a ceiling of support that she could not penetrate"...in Iowa at least.

I guess. :shrug:

[BeyondGeography]

11. Not too long ago we were reading about her great organization there

==The total Democratic turnout in 1,781 precincts is likely to top 125,000. If Sen. Clinton can gather 50,000 supporters — roughly 2% of Iowa’s voting-age population — advisers believe she would achieve a winning plurality. This month she opened a 36th office. With more than 100 paid staffers and volunteers, including legions of current and former Clinton aides and friends, the campaign has more than matched Sen. Obama’s early advantage on the ground. The cost for the Clinton campaign alone is expected to exceed $15 million.==

http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=8105

Yeah, they were just trying "to execute what they thought was the limit of what they could produce there."

[Cha]

24. No wonder Iowans

didn't go for them. Let's hope New Hampshire doesn't understand talk like that, either.

In other words.. "they blew it".

[Cha]

23. They're reminding

me of chameleons and it ain't pretty.

[CarbonDate]

3. Part of Hillary's problem...

...is that her "advisers" seem a bit too enamored of themselves and keep talking to the press instead of playing their cards close to their chests. Thing is, it's not a straight flush they're showing; it's a pair of deuces. They're not nearly as clever as they think they are -- kind of like their candidate.

That's what happens when you have professional political advisers like Kerry did instead of true believers like Bush did. The value on "inspiration" isn't so much on governance, but on the quality of people you attract. And in the end, a leader is only as good as the people he or she surrounds him or herself with. Are your people dedicated to you as a candidate, or are they hired guns who'll turn coat as soon as things go bad? We're seeing the fruits of that here.

[beachmom]

8. The advisors to Kerry you speak of with loose lips were Clinton people.

[KittyWampus]

5. If Hillary were 100% authentic and molded her campaign to reflect her core, she wouldn't

be in this jam.

[aquart]

12. How completely disingenuous. Just like the Thomas hearings

(Biden was there) when our male senators KNEW Anita Hill had to be lying because, if it were true, she would have quit.

There is no way for a woman to run for president against old school sexism like Biden's without being very careful indeed. She has been attacked for EVERY SINGLE THING SHE'S DONE INCLUDING LAUGHING.

So don't give me that crap about authentic. You want to see the viscera so you can gut her.

[juajen]

26. Thanks aquart, I'm really sick at heart tonight and

nobody on DU gives a damn except the ones who are fair to her or support her. I have been horribly disappointed by the way she has been treated on this board.

I believe she's one of the bravest, finest and smartest woman this country has ever produced. If she can't win, what does this say about a woman ever becoming a leader of this country?

She showed great fortitude and compassion during the debacle of the impeachment and in so many ways paid her dues to the dem party through endless and monumental fundraising for other dems and state and national organizations after her election to the Senate. Her work for New York state as their Senator has been great, and they do love her and support her, for the most part.

Women all over this country should be in her corner, not trying to anihlate her. That's what really breaks my heart. As always, women are their own worst enemy. I saw this in the business world and hated it. It still makes me sick. If we lose Hillary as our nominee it will set women in this country back another 50 years or more. I believe the pugs are very afraid of her and much prefer Obama as their foe. He is untried and young. I'm afraid they will crucify him.

Sorry, didn't mean to get on my high horse. I'm just very upset tonight. Here's hoping for a win in NH.

[aquart]

29. I was like that last night.

And when my sister, who talked me into Edwards, told me she likes Obama and was worried about the Bush/Clinton/Bush/Clinton dynasty I lost it altogether.

I really just adore how we're supposed to think Obama is "inevitable" now. But this time it's a good thing.

If hypocrisy were a knife, it would slay them all.

[annie1]

37. i hear you. it's bullshit.

[Beacool]

38. Hang in there, this is just the beginning!!!

Obama is riding the popularity wave right now and he might win in NH, but Super Tuesday is not too far away and I think that she'll do fine on Feb. 5th.

Have faith!!!

[sandnsea]

27. Because she couldn't even LAUGH authentically

Women have fought against being called "girl" for 30 years - and what does she turn around and do, tells a bunch of male union workers she's their "girl". Over and over she stepped into cow pies, all by herself. It had absolutely nothing to do with sexism and Biden sure as hell had nothing to do with anything.

People don't like her because she isn't being real. People have had it with packaged and programmed. It has nothing to do wih sexism. Iowa voted for a black man, they'd have been just as likely to vote for a woman if they liked her and believed her.

[aquart]

30. It has EVERYTHING to do with sexism.

Pathetic, the lies you tell yourself.

[tularetom]

6. Clinton is trying to make this election a referendum on him personally

and i don't think a lot of voters are buying it. The old Clinton charm isn't transferable to Hillary.

Or maybe everybody's tired of hearing Clinton babble about what asshole buddies he and daddy boosh are.

[Cha]

25. Therein lies the

clinton fatigue.

[aquart]

31. "A referendum on HIM"?

You mean because he did what's expected of political wives and stood up for her and with her?

And all YOU see is "HIM"? I'm sorry you can't look at a woman candidate and see "HER." Me, I can.

[tularetom]

36. Wow! You read all that into the two lines I posted

I'll try to be a bit more succinct. Bill Clinton needs to shut the fuck up and fade into the background if Hillary is going to have any chance at being elected. He isn't running for anything and his personality overshadows her.

[Renew Deal]

13. Hillary is going with the same "experience" message in NH

"He never mentioned Mr. Obama’s name, but he seemed to draw a contrast between what he called her 36 years of public service and Mr. Obama’s relatively limited depth of experience, the very themes that did not succeed for the Clintons in Iowa."

Good luck with that.

[K Gardner]

16. Her sign makers must be very confused. And tired. n/t

[zulchzulu]

14. The Inevitable Frontrunner is now trying to morph into the Poor Me Underdog

That's going to go over well in New Hampshire....

:rofl:

[bvar22]

15. Oh yes, Hillary. Surround yourself with some younger faces.

THATS the solution.... :think: ...younger window dressing for the cameras!

Don't look at you platform, or your shameless support for a failed WAR, or your promises to keep combat troops in Iraq.....

After All, the problem at AbuGhraib was not the torture policy, it was the cameras!

[Renew Deal]

19. Young people are stubborn and cynical about this stuff.

It's too late to make a move on them.

[Renew Deal]

18. Penn is saying "I told you so" about Bill

But Penn is right for the wrong reason. Penn didn't want Bill looming over Hillary and wanted her to stand on her own. Bill has hurt her for a different reason. That is that he's been way off message.

I think Bill helps her get people through the door. I'm not sure if people want to go back to the 90's.

[loveangelc]

20. yes Hillary, a change in strategy by surrounding yourself with the faces with people my age.

its not transparent at all.

[juajen]

28. I have news for you sister. Older people are, for the most part, smarter than the young

Perhaps you should listen to them occasionally. I'm pretty sick of this attitude. If the candidate isn't young and good looking, young voters can't be bothered to show up. Pretty sad don't you think? Perhaps Obama should always be photographed with a Starbucks latte in one hand and a Zune in the other.

Fortunately, a lot of young people like Hillary and are voting for her.

[loveangelc]

35. Just how exactly are older people smarter than young people?

Perhaps Obama should always be photographed with a Starbucks latte in one hand and a Zune in the other.

perhaps he should :p

Honestly, I don't understand how anyone who is older is necessarily any more intelligent than someone young. Because they are more resistant to change? I don't find being resistant to change very smart. And older people usually are. Hillary has never made an effort to woo young voters that I know of, and suddenly wants to surround herself with young people. If you were never interested in younger people's issues and never went out of your way to seek their support, why now does she want to do it after seeing Obama's victory with young people? It's so transparent and we can all see what is going on with this.


Sure, there are younger people who support every candidate, but from what I've seen, most younger people like Obama much, much more than Hillary. And btw, not all of Obama's supporters are young. My parents like Obama (and they are republican leaning and voted for bush in 2004).

[aquart]

33. Dear, nothing is transparent to you.

I hope one day you will have the growth to be embarrassed by this ageist and unbecoming attack. Say, when you hit forty?

[alcibiades_mystery]

34. A disgusting hit piece from the Kool Kidz Journamalism Club

Awful.