Why doesn't Hillary "go after" Obama in the debates?

[senseandsensibility]

I've heard two theories from the pundits tonight. One is that she knows she's lost already. The other is that she doesn't want to tear the party apart.

Well, I'm not a pundit, so I won't claim that I can know for sure why Hillary does what she does. But she HAS been much more aggressive on the stump than she has been in the last couple of debates.

And I think the reason is simple. She'll get booed (like she did tonight) if she tries it in front of a live audience with Obama supporters. She and her campaign don't like to get booed on live TV.

Nobody seems to mention that.:shrug:

[Thrill]

1. She was nasty a couple times tonight

[Cha]

12. As only hypocritical hilary

can be nasty.

[John Q. Citizen]

2. I think you may be right. Also, even when she wasn't booed, Obama parried and thrust, and

she got tagged.

It's easier to trash talk him behind his back instead of to his face.

[ClassWarrior]

3. Are you suggesting she prefers handpicked audiences of supporters?

NGU.

[senseandsensibility]

4. Me?

Never.:-)

[jackson_dem]

5. The same reason Obama never goes after her in debates

Edwards was the only one who had the cojones to go after the celebrities in debates.

[JimGinPA]

6. It Makes Her Look Bad - It Doesn't Hurt Him nt

[scheming daemons]

7. She's smart, and can read the writing on the wall...

The one time she DID go after him tonight, she got booed.

Bad strategy.

[Barack_America]

8. Because she's not able to do it in a subtle, yet cutting way...

All she knows is to go for the jugular and it doesn't play well. She attacks openly and gets booed for it.

She needed to work on setting Obama up to trip himself or at least tuck the negativity within praise. That in particular might have worked well for her, considering she came into these debates with a position of superiority. She could've kept him down (so to speak) with condescension.

Instead she simply dismissed him until it was too late and then retaliated via lashing out.

[housewolf]

9. Because her negatives go up when she does

It doesn't work for her, doesn't buy her anything.

[Beausoir]

10. Everytime she speaks in specifics, she does go after him.

But this country has the attention span of a gnat.

When she delves into real policy...the Obama people complain that she is rambling.

Ponies! We want pretty ponies!

[Beausoir]

11. Everytime she speaks in specifics, she does go after him.

But this country has the attention span of a gnat.

When she delves into real policy...the Obama people complain that she is rambling.

Ponies! We want pretty ponies!

[Occam Bandage]

13. You have it dead to rights. Whenever she gets nasty, the audience boos.

Now, why she thinks that means it's a good idea to get nasty elsewhere is beyond me.

[Political Heretic]

14. Neither one of those are the reasons.

Going attack mode in the debates is great when you can put your opponent on the defense, and when you have movable voters.

At this stage of the race, all Barack has to do in response to attack in debate, is just grin. He doesn't have to respond, doesn't have to defend himself - he can just ignore it with a "pivot and bridge" ...that's message discipline where you just say, "you know I'm not here to get into personal politics with you, I'm here to focus on ...(bam. right back into YOUR message and what YOU want to talk about.)

Second, a substantial number of voters this year are new voters - its tough to go negative at this stage, because you don't "regrab" voters you lost.. you just turn off new voters who turn around and just go home.

Third, her particular brand of negative attack is really bad. The more she keeps trying to paint Obama as a sham, a phony and full nothing but words and not "real" she INSULTS ALL the new voters who have come out this year and supported Obama and ALL the voters she needs in order to win the nomination. She basically keeps telling the people SHE needs to come over and vote for her that they are stupid, idiotic, dellusional dolts who are support the wrong candidate because their dumbasses and not because their concerns have any validity. THAT'S A FAILING MESSAGE!!! She needs to be WOOING Obama's supporters not calling them stupid.

[senseandsensibility]

16. Barack basically told her she was calling his supporters

delusional in the debate tonight. But he did it in a ligthearted way. He had the audience laughing.

[TheZug]

15. It's all part of her master plan.

Along with the $1300 bill for Mark Penn's donuts.

[Emit]

17. She's damned if she does and damned if she doesn't

She's in a tough spot

[senseandsensibility]

18. You're right about that

And although I'm not a Hillary fan, I do think she is judged very harshly because she is a woman.

[Emit]

23. Perhaps

Regardless of whether she secures the nomination, she has blazed the trail for our future female presidents with her run.

But, IMHO, it's because she's married to a recent past president, and, unfortunately, carries his baggage with her, no matter what one's opinion is of Bill. The Bush/Clinton/Clinton/Bush/Bush/Clinton/Clinton pattern, in times of such desire need for change was really to her disadvantage.

[grantcart]

19. part of the problem is that they keep aiming and missing

hes not black enough

he cant raise money

he is too intellectual

he cant inspire people

he is too black

he is too inspirational



the only one that has stuck

he cant win big states is about to be blown away

what are they going to tear him apart with? His policies are the same as mine

He is totally inexperienced but he runs a better campaign than I do?

The only thing left is he is left handed

[Egnever]

20. I think she is going to drop out

I think there has likely been a lot of pressure on her the last week trying to restrain her from taking the nuclear option. as the polls have tightened I think that pressure has become even greater. I actually think she has come to terms with not getting the nomination. I think in the end it turns out she is a true democrat and does not want to go down in flames tearing apart the dem party with her.

We will see what happens over the next day or two but with bill outright saying if she didn't win texas it was over today, I think they are about to hang it up.

[Justice Is Comin]

21. I don't know that either.

Same as that lame asinine Kerry strategy. She could have him stuttering all over himself if she was allowed to ask some questions.

That wasn't a debate. That was a pie social and running blather oratory. Have them standing up and limit them to strict time limits for answers. With no crowd applause allowed at all. Like McCain is going to have when he obliterates him if he's the (God forbid) nominee.

Obama would look like the preacher Ken Copeland he is stumbling for more time to fence walk with his circuitous bullshit. Wagging his knurled arthritic finger.

[Ikonoklast]

22. Sen. Clinton realizes that she's not the only smart person

In the room now.

Her campaign staff made a huge mistake under-estimating the intelligence of her opponents, and over-estimated the appeal of their candidate.

Any direct attacks now would seem desperate, and be counter-productive. She has to campaign on the merits of her ideas now almost exclusively and let the voters decide whose platform is better suited to represent the party.