Read and Report On Leaked Clinton Campaign Docs
Joshua Green, a senior editor at the Atlantic, invites OffTheBus members to dig through memos and emails leaked by some of Senator Hillary Clinton's senior staffers. In his most recent piece, "The Front-Runner's Fall," Green provides a chronology of Clinton campaign mishaps and debates, all set in a memoranda backdrop. Here, Green dishes on how his story came into being and appeals for your help:
Earlier this summer, the Atlantic set out to examine exactly why Hillary Clinton's campaign fell apart. Two years ago, Clinton was considered all but inevitable -- she would win the Democratic nomination and probably the presidency. The epic nature of her campaign's collapse was something we felt had not been satisfactorily explained. I spent the last few months interviewing current and former Clinton staffers and outside consultants with a goal of trying to elicit anything that would provide a contemporaneous account of what happened and what they were thinking and saying to each other -- I asked for memos, emails, letters, even diary entries if they'd share them. The result was an unprecedented leak of very senior-level internal documents.
The thought behind the piece was to take the great stuff we'd been leaked and use it in the most innovative way we could find. In addition to our heavyweight lineup of bloggers and web video, we've been giving a lot of thought to how best to present pieces from the magazine on our website in ways that take full advantage of the platform and the readership. I've long been a fan of sites like 'OffTheBus' and 'TPM Document Dump' and 'Smoking Gun,' so I thought it would be cool to scan and post the campaign's internal documents in an easily browse-able format. The idea is to throw open the reporter's notebook, as it were, and let readers see the primary materials for themselves. Let them make up their own minds about what happened to the Clinton campaign and who is to blame. Of course, I'm not looking to put myself out of work here, so there's also an accompanying magazine piece that lends a broader context, includes additional reporting, and links to the relevant materials. I hope people will read it. But if you'd rather not settle for a writer's interpretation of what is or is not important, you don't have to. You can click through the materials in chronological order and see the campaign unfold that way. This was essentially the Mt. Vesuvius of campaign leaks: there's tons more stuff than could ever fit into a single magazine piece, and we fully expect that readers and bloggers will find all kinds of stuff buried in these memos and emails and help advance the story.~~ Joshua Green
Is Green's hindsight 20/20? Take a look for yourself. Then write up your findings and publish them at OffTheBus.
Follow Amanda Michel on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AmandaRMichel
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Many are wondering why we're even talking about this....
I believe in a historically critical context, it's important to purvey....
Nothing's pulling my focus off Obama's win, so, no problem, here.
Right off the bat, I can see that Mark Penn shrouded Clinton's campaign with an obnoxious supremacy that ill served her. His thinking he had it all figured out, was in a way commendable, but actually, without an impenetrable, resilient staff, was naive at best.
Any feelings they had it all figured out was poison because it detracted Hillary from building a roots campaign, as many've said, from the bottom up. Had Hillary established herself with total progressives, this would have taken place naturally. She would've had to apologize for her vote on the Iraq war, which was never really such a big deal, after all. She would've naturally assumed places with other WOMEN in the news like Arianna, Amy Goodman, - the roots format would have begun to gell on its own, having a flexibility that would've made things a lot easier for her staff and everyone to get along.
A lot of the "rigidity" formatted in her campaign which denied her this flexibility was because of too much made of this being about Hillary. Hill should have avoided that like the plague, and instead, always, make this about the American people. Negativity actually hurt her more then anything, at that stage. She was always my favorite until she started attacking Obama, which I felt was scurrilously beneath
I'm sick of her and her debts. As an Obama supporter, and a Republican, I don't see why we should get her out of debt. And why is everyone talking about her? This is crazy. I didn't see John Kerry crying because he lost, or many of the other candidates who have lost. I wonder if such graciousness would have been accorded Senator Obama if he had lost? I doubt it. Those of us who support Obama, if he had lost and had ended up with debt, we would be raising money for him, not begging from somebody else to bail us out. Go away sore losers.
Show your love…..
We all know Hillary has those 18,000,000 supporters that LOVE her to death. So please help her by showing your love...
This is my challenge to Clinton supporters
If you like Hillary please send her $1 this month...
If you really loved her please send her $5….
If you really - really - really loved her send her $10...
And all of you McCain supporters that are thankful to the bitter Clinton supporters please send her $100, you could afford it much more then the poor uneducated, white, bitter Clinton followers.
By next month all eighteen plus million of you will pay off her debt and we will not have to listen to her begging anymore...
This will also be an indicator of how many people truly care about the Clintons..
great blog; should let Hillary know there is a way, .........
I DIDN'T READ ANY MEMOS, JUST THE STORIES ABOUT THEM BY SOMEONE ELSE, NOT THE GENUINE MEMOS...I HAVE MY OWN OPINIONS ABOUT HILLARY'S CAMPAIGN AND ALL THE NOCIVE PROPAGANDA DONE BY THE MEDIA...HI
And they call Obama supporters fanatics? To admit you didn't read the intriguing memos is to admit blind, thoughtless loyalty. There is nothing to be afraid of in the memos. They are a fascinating account of a brilliant woman who was caught among campaign operations characterized by disloyalty, dissension, and debt. Nothing to fear here as propaganda. Fascinating history not to be missed for serious observers of the 2008 election.
why are we still discussing this?
Stop the Drama!
0bama 08!
And once again we are wasting time on Hillary, blabbering on about a candidate that no longer exists, and feeding the msm, oh thats right, you are the msm without the integrity to say so, stories about how democrats hate each other. How about you do a piece on something pertinant to the coming GE? Leave campaign archiology for after the deed is done. It is unseemly to do an autopsy before the patient has died!
HRC's campaign emails are VERY telling; it ought to be crystal clear that her campaign was in deep doo-doo long before anyone doubted her veracity or called her on faux claims. The charges of the MSM treating her badly, the nonsense about sexism etc, just muddy the water further, un-necessarily. No one dished out to Hillary anything that she hadn't likewise cooked up herself.
What concerns me is not the post-mortem on her campaign, but the abyss-like division between Dems . I'm ashamed of the slurs and barbs thrown around between party members here on HuffPo, never mind the broader national scale.
The thing is done, people. Get the hell over it: move on; we have much bigger fish to fry. We have REAL worries, like keeping the Republicans out of the White House and rescuing our nation from the economic tailspin we're whirling downward in. Who gives a rat's ass if they read her name on the ballot at the DNC ? They want to make noise, let 'em. Take it with a measure of grace; get about the business of supporting our candidate. If Clinton supporters are nursing a case of sour grapes, too bad. Now's the time for genuine unity; it's inappropriate to attempt to further the agenda of the losing candidate. She oughta have enough class/ concern for the nation to ask her supporters to throw their weight behind Obama, but if she can't manage it, we're still going forward. Deal with it.
chriso, the facts are, hillary lost because of bad management ,bad accounting, bad advice, and seeking to change the rules after agreeing to them. she lied about events, she was unfair to obama ,he was very patient with her, then she injected , "its because im a woman" into the race,no none likes a victim mentality especially in a president , she blames everyone for her loss, her husband didnt help her case, she fought well but only when her back was to the wall, if she hadnt presumed she had won before the contest, she might have had a chance ,never underestimate your opponent, not when it was someone as brilliant as obama ,and an excellent campaign team behind him, the DNC had all the facts and bent over backwards to appease hillary. chriso you say obama supporters are hateful toward hillary then say obamas ran a slimy race based campaign, hillary did not campaign for him ,she did not even congratulate him ,did not concede and so called held on to her delegates, (she dosnt own them ) and now wants to spoil the convention which should be a celebration for demograts not an agenda for the clintons and sour grapes supporters, move on people obama is the nomminee not the clintons.
Tigs, well-said - grammar, syntax, and run on sentences forgiven :). I agree completely. Barack has been a gentleman, and I'm really tired of hearing how he played the race card. He never did, even when he well could have. But oh did Hillary use every bit of the gender card she could in every way possible. She blew it and needs to grow up, take her licks, and allow the convention to go off without a hitch. Enough already. I would have voted for her if she'd been the nominee even though I love Obama and see him as the true inspirational once-in-a-
you are right marirose , i get so mad at the clintons my one finger typing gets in the way of my brain , but its good fun HEH !
Kudos to tigs and marirose: clear, concise and accurate identification of all of the trouble spots in this campaign. The early assumption of entitlement was a major miscalculation on the part of the candidate. Her bruised feelings were more blatantly displayed than those of a wounded toddler. The emotional immaturity convinced most people of her inability to lead without prejudice and tantrum. When one contrasts the maturity of Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton, it is obvious that age does not hold the trumps. There must have been some major promises made to her behind the scenes to produce the air of entitlement so prominent in her campaign. At this point we should be very cautious and guarded about what kind of mischief will be created at the convention on her behalf. May we not turn this event into a coup.
A a former Clinton supporter, I am trying so hard to vote for Obama, but his supporters as in this case are still as stupid and arrogant as ever. If you continue to put your energy in such a negative endeavor and continue putting Clinton down you are wasting your time and again, I do not want to vote for anyone with backers like the ones he has. On the other hand I do not want to vote for people who use Carl Rove to do anything. If all the supporters would keep their mouths shut and stop putting all that nastiness out, it would give us a chance to react to the candidates and not their unfortunate followers.
Then by all means please get the backers of Clinton who cannot get over the loss not to create a distraction at the convention.
You have a choice - vote for Obama or for McCain. Voting for Obama's "supporters" is not one of the options.
I started out as a Clinton supporter. I was turned off by the arrogance, disarray, etc. If the tables were turned and Obama had lost, I would have voted for Clinton (despite many misgivings) because I have a son and a daughter. I don't want my son to go to a stupid war of McCain's making, and I want my daughter to have choices in life - be it birth control or abortion. It's as simple as that.
I don't know what Obama supporters you have been talking to, but MY concern as a proud American is to get the Republicans, who have trashed the country and what it stands for., out of the Whitehouse. This has been my desire all along. If Hillary had been nominated, she would have my full support. My opinion is that if you care about this country you will hold your nose on election day and pull the lever for the person who is not a Republican.
If we pull the plug on every Repugnican doesn't that put us into the same situation we now face, an Administration over run by Democrats. How can we be assured that they won't end up becoming just as megalomaniac. What we ought to do is either throw them both out completely and find a party or parties, and I mean more than two, that will actually be our representatives in Government and not the Government. Or we should insure that we vet all of those who we return to office and make them swear oaths of loyalty to Americans. As I had always understood it , we the people were supposed to be the government. Not Political Parties. This country is defined as us, we the people and not some abstract concept such as flag, or Country. We are the country, we are the flag. They owe us good government designed to benefit all of us, not just a few.
The followers aren't running for office. There are many people who didn't agree with some of the Clinton followers but they voted for her because of her, not her followers. If you really want to vote for Obama because he is the democratic nominee, vote vor him. Obama is no more responsible for the thoughts or deeds of his followers than Hillary was responsible for hers.
Please think about this:
Will you vote to keep killing our bravest young people for 100 years?
Will you vote for a man that sends our people in harm’s way but votes continuously against supplying then with needed equipment?
Will you vote for a man that voted against needed funds for VA hospitals?
Will you vote for a man who does not know 9-11 was caused by Osama Bin Laden not Sedam Hussein?
Will you vote the man who voted against increasing benefits for the military that he sends in harm’s way?
Will you vote to keep putting our government on the china, Saudi Arabia credit card?
Will you vote for tax cuts for the wealthy at the expense of the middle class?
Will you vote for a man that helped turn a projected surplus into a national debt of 9.4 trillion and counting
Will you vote for tax credits for health care rather than a national health care program?
Will you vote in opposition to SCHIP?
Will you vote for and a right-wing supreme court?
Will you vote for a man who says the economic downturn is psychological?
Will you vote for a man who says you are better off under George bush?
Will you vote for a man who says irresponsible, undeserving homeowners are losing their homes?
Will you vote for a man who voted against raising the minimum wage in, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2006?
It is time for all of us who believe that the Clintons are detrimental to the Democratic Party to shut them and their supporters out. Do not read about them, do not watch them on television, do not listen to them on the radio, do not comment on blogs about them. They and their supporters feed on frenzy, be it negative or positive. Why help them? Can you imagine the blogs if there were no Clinton detractors on them? Whatever will their supporters do? If you must vent, let the party and its officials know that you will no longer pay any attention to the Clintons or the venues which feature them. It is time we took back the Democratic Party from the Clintons and the DLC. It is time we used all of our energy positively to get Obama and local worthy Democratic candidates elected.
Shut them out? How very democratic of you.
Here's an idea: how about focusing on the real "enemy" of the Democratic Party, McCain and the Republican Party. Maybe then you'd not antagonize equally "worthy democrats" who happen to think a little differently than you do.
what is this, germany 1943?
nice post, fabienne
Clinton lost because Obama and the media used the race card and also because the media created some superhuman mythical candidate named Barack. Now that he is speaking more for himself and not always allowing the press into speeches he holds you see a tiny shift, but not one that will shake the media from their goal of an historic victory. Hey you can't blame them....or can you?
Is the story more important or electing a President who will be best for the country? Actually it appears neither democrats or republicans are too sure of their candidates and feel they'd like a do-over.
Clinton lost because Obama is simply better.
I'm sorry but there is no way the MSM has given Obama a free, or favorable ride. He has gotten much of the coverage true, but most of that coverage was negative and served to ask inane questions like, 'What? no flag pin today?
Because incessantly hounding the man over his ties to Reverend Wright, and alleged "un-American" superficialities like whether or not he wore a freaking flag lapel pin or put his hand over his heart while reciting the pledge, is straight out of the "How To Create A Superhuman Mythical Candidate" playbook.
Obama may be receiving a considerable amount of broadcast network coverage, but do try to understand that much of it isn't exactly positive, and that said coverage is often at the expense of proper mainstream reporting on McCain's numerous gaffes on the campaign trail.
Please enlighten us all as to how and why smears and sins of omission help foster a messianic image.
Was this before or after Hillary Clinton was the "inevitable" candidate as far as everyone, including the media, were concerned?
Let's not forget my all time favorite comment by Penn. "Being human is overrated.
I found these memos an amazing read. For so long, I had an image of political consultants as intelligent, thoughtful, proud Americans. I thought Mark Penn was a slob, but he must certainly know his stuff to get that far in political consulting, eh? Well, no. After reading Mark Penn's work, I am no longer surprised that Hillary shot herself in the foot so badly. When you take such awful advice from someone who can't spell or construct a proper sentence, you are going down the wrong path.
I am shocked that Senator Clinton put her trust in someone so clueless.
Just read the first paragraph of Penn's first memo, entitled "The Plan". What serious candidate for President of the United States would even bother reading beyond the first page and taking the advice offered here? It's insane.
Seriously.
I think the AA racists need to apologize to the Clinton's. Obama inserted race in the campaign in his speech in Pennsylvania. The speech was suppose to explain why rev. Wright was so hateful, crude, & un American. Obama used the opportunity to inject race & avoid the Wright issue.
Clinton's remark was racial, not racist. A huge difference. Up until Obama's "famous" cop out speech, we were still asking if Obama was black enough for AA's. AA's threw their biggest presidential ally in history under the bus. No wonder Bill was so hurt & mad.
Race has been the elephant in this room from the beginning.
Brave of him to address it.
the repeated plays of the wright video, which penn sought, forced the philadelphia speech.
Am an old, hardworking white woman and can surmise it IS in the eyes of the beholder. Have defended the Clintons for nonsense in the past , especially the impeachment due to BJ nonsense and meven their travelgate and Foster deat and even "wagging dog" war subliminal attempts..
To many people, just appearing in public displays the race card for all of us. It is the visual identification of who we are, where we are likely to have come from, and what most expect our experiences to have been. In the case of Obama, those assumptions have been blown away by a respectful research of the actual facts. Obama is not denying his racial heredity, his comments seem to me to have been acknowledgment of that heredity. His experiences, however, are not typical of that racial identity, and this is what causes so many to incur "hoof-in-mouth" disease. Our responsibility at this point is to ensure that the convention and the campaign result in the election of the Democratic candidate, and to assist in assembling a similar congress and cabinet to bring about the desired changes in our country.
Frankly I tried desperatelt to reach her to tell her she was going to lose right in the beginning. I offered my help. I watched everything like a hawk & I saw the mistakes she was making, watched as the media & all the male candidates treated her like dirt. especially here at Huff post.
She treated all the male candidates like dirt and so are you. I guess it is alright for Hillary to insult and make fun of the opposition candidate ("and the sky will open etc.) but it can't be thrown back at her, if so it is sexism? Enough of the weak excuses.
Why in the world would Democrats on this site want to waste time picking through old Mark Penn emails for no apparent purpose other than to continue campaigning against Hillary Clinton 2 months after she dropped out to campaign for Obama? To even make that kind of an offer is an insult to Obama supporters because it assumes they are fundamentally more interested in trashing Clinton than in promoting their candidate during a tight election, and I'm sure that can't be right. Maybe Arianna will realize how divisive these Atlantic Monthly articles are to party unity and discontinue featuring them, you think?
I guess you're unaware of the emerging dynamic for the Convention, or the Hillary "Ghost Dance" movement that hopes to revive her and steal the nomination. It's useful to reaffirm that her campaign was as corrupt and conniving as we originally thought.
That "emerging dynamic" is more like "Obama supporters' fever dream." Other than wanting her name placed in nomination, (which is pretty standard practice) what exacrtly is Hillary doing to even suggest that? The people who want to see her effort recognized are not the same as the PUMAs. Her delgates are primarily long time Dem loyalists (like the Clintons) who have no interest in sinking the party's chances. Is Obama such a fragile candidate that he can't even tolerate someone else receiving votes at the convention? Hillary's supporters will cast their votes, he'll win the nomination, and that will be that. It's ridiculous how so many Obama supporters are insisting that they don't want Hillary's name in nomination because it will "divide the party," while at the same time vilifying both her an Bill. Who's doing the dividing here?
The answer is that Obama supporters and campaign officials built up such a hatred towards Hillary that they can't let it go. It's not enough that she endorses and campaigns for him, she has to fall in love with him. But Obama supporters are only interested in engaging in ridiculous conspiracy theories about her.
If Hillary can supposedly wave her hand and get all 18 million of her voters to do whatever she says, then why can't Obama wave his hand and have his supporters stop calling the Clintons racists? I give Hillary extra credit for campaiging so vigorousaly for Obama after the slimy, race based campaign he ran.
Knowledge is power. You can always learn more by reading more.
As an Obama supporter, I am not insulted. Please don't assume that you understand me, and please stop speaking for me.
She didn't drop out. And wasn't forced out. She lost. And even when it was clear that she lost, she couldn't be gracious and congratulate the candidate. She ran a nasty, poorly organized campaign and she paid the price.
Thats being said, who cares about the stupid emails. Lets look forward and get behind our nominee.
I don't get this anymore either. The reason there is animosity isn't because of the win and lose...it'
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