James Carville Book Dishes And Disses On Hillary Campaign

The Plum Line:

In a forthcoming book, top Hillary supporter James Carville reveals that Bill Clinton was privately shocked and infuriated by the Hillary campaign's awful financial mismanagement, and he serves up scorching criticism of the campaign, singling out polling guru Mark Penn for "suffering fatal confusion" about delegate strategy.

Read the whole story: The Plum Line

Comments

[EducatedObserver]

It is interesting to see that the anti - Hillary community is still so enthusiastic, given that so much water has passed under the bridge since the campaign.

For whatever one may say about her, it is manifestly obvious that Hillary Clinton was the superior candidate - more intelligent, pragmatic, experienced and mature - than the gentleman who now holds the office she sought.

History will show us whether the choice which was made for style over substance, was indeed the correct one.

[Know-some-secrets]

there is nothing manifestly obvious in spinning that "Hillary was the superior candidate.­" She started the campaign with a fortune in campaign funds as the envitable Democratic nominee. She assembled her handpicked "DREAM TEAM" of staff, advisors and consultants -- the "best" that money could buy. She had an advantage no other presidential primary candidate had had every before in history: A popular former president campaigning for her FULL TIME. And she had the "claim" to "vast" experience as First Lady that qualified her to be president.

Unfortunately, because of her lack of good judgement in voting for the war in Iraq, her inability to develop a clear. consistent compelling message, her exagerations on qualification, her inability to lead her handpicked staff and end the internal conflicts, her inability to manage her VAST financial resources, her constant casting of self as a victim, and her full embrace of Bush-Rove style tacticsof distortion and division, she drove her inevitable campaign into a debt ridden, embarrassing and unsuccessful ditch. And she LOST.

IWhy would anyone except her spin machine ever suggest that she was the far superior candidate?

[benne]

What I find interesting is that the superdelegates were already decided to go for the Illinois senator. It just confirms what happened: the insiders chose the guy over the gal. Hillary held her head up, despite this, as she has had to do her whole life, and she proves the good little girl in working for the guy. History will show that sexism ran rampant in the Democratic establishment especially, but history will prove that Hillary was a great person. Her speech at the Democratic convention was so moving and eloquent that it convinced me that there was greater issues involved than just this obvious sexism. We'll keep running, Hill.

[2Bfair]

History will prove that Hillary Clinton rode on the back of her powerful husband as far as he could carry her, including First Lady, do nothing Iraq War supporting Senator, and failed presidential candidate who could not organize and inspire success. but vote for war in Iraq and organize a presidential canpaign Senator, and failed. Your portrait of Hillary, the poor poor victim of evil men, does not inspire confidence in her capacity to lead the nation and the world. Good that Obama's interest in defusing the Clintons as political rivals gave Hillary enough to keep her busy, while Bill does his thing.

[Know-some-secrets]

Jame Carville is a snake. He and wife Mary Matalin (the Cheney confidant and member of the Iraq Study Group that should all be charged with war crimes), play both sides of the street in politics, for their own benefit. Is there any wonder they are close to the Clintons?

You can be sure Carville is serving the Clintons with this book, and carrying out the bitter videtta against Mark Penn, scapegoat for Hillary's failed leadership of a doomed campaign. The buck stops with ANYONE but Hillary.

Carville's book of SPIN should open an opportunity for an objective insider to put the record straight and share the details of how the campaign of inevitability hit the ditch with Hillary as the wheel.

[MNfreeze]

Wait...I thought Hillary lost because of "caucus fraud" by the Obama stormtroopers and Barack flipping Hillary the bird. LOL!!!!

The people on NoQuarterUSA (Home of The Whopper) and PUMAPAC are going to be so pissed with the Ragin' Cajun for going off script.

[tel8034]

Is Carville "ghost writing" a book for the Clintons, who can't put out such a book in their name which bashes Penn?

Or is Carville still upset that he was not hired to run Hillary's campaign?

[Know-some-secrets]

I think your first hunch is right, he is delivering stage one not just of the Clintons' vendetta against Penn, but of the re-writing of history once again to cast Hillary as the VICTIM of evil men. She not only failed to lead a successful campaign, she lead a seriously flawed, divided, confused and debt ridden campaign, but its everyone else's fault.

Carville of course is a close confidant of Rahm Emanuel, and is helping distort the advice going to the president to bolster the Clintons and their operartives.

[Imzadi]

Who cares what he thinks these days? He is less relevant than a GOP leader now.

Guess spouse's show is not doing so well{shocker}, so he needs to shi// his book.

[damilitantone]

The presidential campaign is over and while I was ticked at Hillary at the time, she is handling her business as Secretary of State. This is the one cabinet post where I think the nation is being well served. She could have been president and she can still be president. I think she holds the right position at this time because the country needs her to handle its foreign diplomacy and rebuild our international coalitions and relationships.

[Freesia2]

I was ticked too. But looking back on it, some things are clicking into a different view. I was puzzled at the time how a woman as disciplined as Hillary Clinton seemed to be so erratic. It was like she was driving with blown tires and yet plowing ahead on the rims. Penn messed up worse than I realized. She'd wanted the Presidency most of her life and she must have been in a personal hell those last 2 months.

I'm glad it turned out like it did. I wanted Obama to be President so bad I actually felt physicall ill the last week of the election lest something go wrong at the 11th hour. And yet through it all, after all the rancor and bad feelings of the primary, I knew that one reason he won was because she got a grip and got to work. For him. For the country. I was grateful. And I was really glad to see him appoint her SOS. I felt she'd be good at it. She is.

But Penn really took her for a ride. It's still ultimately her responsibility - she hired him. But I think he pulled some fails that no one would expect. How could he not understand California?

[Know-some-secrets]

Yes, I agree. Hillary's history is being the frail victim of big ol' mean evil men, particularly Bill Clinoton, Ken Starr and Mark Penn. I'm sure if and when she again fails, as SoS, it will be Obama's fault for appointing her. But, why would the MAJORITY of the nation ever elect HIllary the constant victim so often thwarted by evil men to be president of the U.S. and leader of a world full of evil men? HIllary's spin of blaming others really does undermine her contention that she is a capable leader.

[Grulg]

Bill Richardson--Judas. You know it's true.

I of course was a bigtime Hillary supporter. I bet you Olbermann and Matthews will give this book 100x the coverage and air-time than they have her first few months as the Sec of State. You can be against Hillary it's all good to me---but you'd think esp. Matthews would grow up. If he ain't by his early sixties, he ain't gonna.

[GeoLee]

1. When the book comes out in Mid May, it will be the least of importance compared to what is going on in9our world. 2. The main network 5that will cover this is FOX and Chris Matthews who hates Clinton will most likely join in. 3. Ann Coulter will have her usual efforts to highlight the book just because it is against any Clinton. 4. Some HuffPo posters will have their say, but won't buy the book. 5. It will be a ho hum non interesting book to the rest of us....and not worthy of Arianna's time or space her.

[Know-some-secrets]

Carville is spinning for the Clintons. Why do your thnk conservatives will take the bait?

[brijit]

Carville cracks me up. I may not always agree with him but he always is interesting and original. Who else writes books of political commentary with recipes? I'll probably buy the book because I like political gossip, (metaphorical) train wrecks, and Carville's writing style.

[Know-some-secrets]

Interesting endorsement. Will it be on the back cover? Is truth something you care about?

[deeppeace]

Wow. That physical resemblance to a snake wasn't my imaginatio­n...

[Gericault]

http://www.newsweek.com/id/167582/page/5

This link is to a six chapter story feature Newseek did about the "Behind the scenes" in the "08 Election. The page i linked is when Terry McAuliffe has to tell Bill that Hillary is going to lose the Iowa Caucus and the mountains of money they burned through.

It's an old article but was probably the most in depth fascinating read about the election I have seen.

[Budokan]

I didn't support Hillary during the primary but Mark Penn was pretty awful....

http://kennethmarkhoover.com

[Know-some-secrets]

Mark Penn was hand picked by Hillary. It would seem that Hillary was either a bad leader who picked the wrong person, or a weak leader who let an employee ruin her campaign. Either way, Hillary made the decisions that lead to a failed campaign. She chose the advice that guided those decisions. She her judgment seems very flawed

[BartLA]

Carville may not have had an official role, but he was on the airwaves 24/7.

And I really lost respect for him when he called Richardson Judas. (I'd have to say, who's Judas now?) He was one trying to spin about the Superdelegates coming around for Hillary but then was upset when they didn't. He couldn't respect that perhaps they were simply choosing Obama.

I'm sure his book is no doubt pretty accurate, but his pimping himself out is just the icing on the cake.

[Budokan]

Yeah, I didn't care for how he characterized Richardson, either.

http://kennethmarkhoover.com

[Azmom]

I Agree....A­lso, he should take his lumps for his role in that failed campaign. He contributed with his comments about Richardson, whether he wants to admit it or not.

[kevenseven]

I don't know who he is betraying now.

[voltage356]

He also charges the campaign made a “flawed” decision to be as aggressive as possible with the press because they’d concluded “the press didn’t like them.” I guess when you drag your 15yr old daughter under snipe fire and lie about it to the press and the American public what do you think.

[beckpod1]

Like the man or not...he usually hits the nail on the head!

[Imzadi]

Not this time.