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No More Mrs. Nice Guy
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ShareJanuary 04, 2008 9:08 AM
ABC News' Kate Snow and Eloise Harper Report: As her plane headed from Iowa to New Hampshire overnight, exhausted senior campaign advisors to Hillary Clinton suggested that it's time to make some "contrasts" with her opponents.
That's code for No More Mrs. Nice Guy.
Will there be negative television ads on the airwaves in New Hampshire later today? It's highly possible.
Will she go after senators Obama and Edwards forcefully in Saturday's debate, to be televised on ABC? It's likely.
Clinton has only two events on her schedule in New Hampshire today and one event tomorrow besides the evening debate. She will spend the bulk of Friday and Saturday preparing for that debate.
Speaking to reporters late Friday night, senior strategist Mark Penn said Clinton's campaign knew full well that Obama might pull off a victory in Iowa.
Penn said their internal polling as early as last week showed Obama gaining on Clinton across Iowa.
While they saw that trend internally, senior members of Clinton's team were trying to set different expectations in the media, quietly whispering that they thought Edwards had the lead.
Clinton poured millions of dollars and massive resources into Iowa. Her Iowa State Director had called their get-out-the-caucus efforts "supersized". They left no detail to chance, sending out 600 snow shovels and thousands of pounds of rock salt in an effort to make sure their supporters would make it to the caucuses.
But in the end, of course, it didn't work.
Clinton advisors suggested that part of the reason might have been Iowa's reluctance to support female candidates. Although Democrats in Iowa have in the past chosen women as nominees, no female Democrat has ever won a high office in the state.
They also pointed out that a victory in Iowa does not guarantee success on the path to the White House. There is, after all, no President Richard Gephardt.
On the day after a loss, there is likely some second-guessing as to whether they should have skipped Iowa all together -- the way Bill Clinton did in 1992.
A memo written by senior staffer, Mike Henry, last spring had suggested as much.
January 4, 2008 in Bush, George W., Kucinich, Dennis, Tancredo, Tom | Permalink | User Comments (8)
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It's time to Hillary to portrait who she is and to show she can't win. She is not a perfect; but who is the perfect one? Beside she is facing some of the biggest hurdles a candidate can face from start, a hatred from the Republicans that Obama is exploiting well (her possible inelectability)while keeping the focus and criticisms on her and avoiding his own scrutiny. She has to show now forcefully his agenda, show the facts and differences between her and Obama and Edwards if she wants to have a chance. She has to fight back hard not with misleading tactics but with courage and force Obama to take stands and follow her example. They both have the millions of dollars to fight back and forth, who will win? That battle will be an interesting one to watch and follow. Who will be the winner(s)?
Posted by: Paul | Jan 4, 2008 10:23:45 AM
It's time to Hillary to portrait who she is and to show she can win. She is not a perfect; but who is the perfect one? Beside she is facing some of the biggest hurdles a candidate can face from start, a hatred from the Republicans that Obama is exploiting well (her possible inelectability)while keeping the focus and criticisms on her and avoiding his own scrutiny. She has to show now forcefully his agenda, show the facts and differences between her and Obama and Edwards if she wants to have a chance. She has to fight back hard not with misleading tactics but with courage and force Obama to take stands and follow her example. They both have the millions of dollars to fight back and forth, who will win? That battle will be an interesting one to watch and follow. Who will be the winner(s)?
Posted by: Paul | Jan 4, 2008 10:24:51 AM
Hillary spent millions and used a lot of resources to place third. Is this who you want in control of your tax dollars?
She will go more negative than she has been but this will be like her "now the fun begins" comment. She will do something and it will backfire, someone will get canned and she will apologize. Then it is on to a new game plan to try and dupe the voters.
She believed she was entitled to the job. When she announced, she was the top runner and high numbers as Iowa approached. Then she went out and people got to meet her and she dropped like a rock. Today her campaign intimated that those who voted for Obama were not thinking...
Posted by: Big Dog | Jan 4, 2008 10:54:14 AM
Jake Tapper of ABC showed that the reluctance of Iowa Democrats to elect women is a fairy tale. Several Iowa women have won statewide Democratic primary races for state offices (including Governor, Secretary of Agriculture).
Posted by: bob | Jan 4, 2008 1:53:40 PM
What is this revisionist history!
Hillary Clinton and her campaign have already gone negative on Obama!
Going back to his kindergarten comments about wanting to be president!
Also, have we forgotten Bob Kerry, a Clinton supporter and his comments referring to Obama a Barack Hussein Obama(using this as a subliminal message that because Obama has a Muslim sounding middle name that he is tied to terrorism).
Hillary Clinton and her husband, Bill have never been Mr or Mrs nice guys!
Wouldn't it be nice if ABC(All Bout Clinton) told the truth for a change?
Posted by: reaganfan | Jan 4, 2008 5:53:40 PM
lay off Hilary!! First of all, she's treading across ground never touched before in history, which is hard enough in itself, and if anything, she deserves a lot of credit for that. Reaganfan, follow your own primaries. politics have never been, and never will be pretty; everyone is namecalling on both sides, as always. As for the amount of money spent in Iowa, I highly doubt Hilary was the only one to spend millions!!! All canidates spend tons of money in every state, (and Iowa, being one of the first primaries is one of the most important primaries to win, hence the millions of dollars) so if we cant trust a canidate who spends millions in Iowa for primaries, then I guess we have to get all new canidates, don't we?
Posted by: heather | Jan 4, 2008 6:16:47 PM
heather: being the first woman candidate
for president does not give Hillary Clinton a pass!
besides there are more qualified women who should be running for president like
Nancy Pelosi and Condi Rice!
Second I am following both parties because your side might get lucky and win and I don't want to see a phony
like Hillary Clinton elected president!
She would be a disaster.
Posted by: reaganfan | Jan 5, 2008 1:00:58 AM
when was she ever a Mrs Nice Guy?
she was never nice.
she was never a guy, but tries to
be.
she is old news. Most of us were just
waiting for a way to say goodbye to
her. iowa is a start for that.
yeh!
Posted by: becky | Jan 5, 2008 1:58:29 AM
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