Hillary is in a tough spot right now. She has millions of Americans who backed her with their votes, money, and volunteer efforts. And she has to know that she let them down -- not because she ran into a charismatic buzzsaw (she did, but that's not her fault). Rather she kept mouthing the words, "experience" and "ready to lead on day 1" while running an extremely shoddy campaign. As a result, she has squandered all of the advantages that she had on the front end and now finds herself in a desperate effort just to stay in the race. Her first mistake was authorizing the war in Iraq. The second was not admitting her first mistake, apologizing, and talking about what she had learned from it. That mistake gave Obama the opportunity to take on the mantle of change candidate (and what American drawing breath besides George, Dick, and Condi doesn't want change). Finally, it is apparent that Obama spent last year laying the groundwork for an extended tough fight. Hillary? It seems to me she must have spent most of 2007 working on her victory speech. And from the looks of things, that's a speech she is not going to get to give. So now her campaign has come down to attempting to belittle Obama through mockery. This just shows how little Hillary understands the electorate. It's too late for that approach now because millions of Americans (even many Clinton supporters) believe that Obama is the inevitable nominee. So now her mockery comes off as sour grapes and as a sore loser's effort to tear down the guy who will represent the party in the fall. Such an approach is likely to cost her far more Democrats than she will gain.
The Clinton Meltdown
After Hillary's gracious, if somewhat contrived, final statement at the CNN debate in Austin, Texas, I finally felt Democrats were ready to reconcile after a long, hard-fought election. Hillary would get her final shot in Ohio and Texas, and then, if it didn't work out, we could all move on and focus on a critical general election. Hillary would retain her dignity by at least going out on the high road, and possibly secure for herself and her husband some role in the Obama administration.
Wishful thinking, I guess. In the last couple days, Hillary Clinton has reached a new low, chastising Barack Obama like a child -- "Shame on you, Barack Obama!" -- for daring to distribute mailers that criticize her on NAFTA and Healthcare (apparently, she would never do such a thing -- and even though these mailers have been out since New Hampshire, she felt a sudden burst of righteous outrage).
Here's the video, for those who missed it:
And now, today, she has gone from simply saying that Barack Obama's words are hollow or "plagiarized" or too inspiring, to openly mocking him in a caustic, sarcastic tone. She apparently picked up on last week's media narrative that Obama's message has become "messianic" and his followers a brainwashed "cult." A cult, these days, apparently refers to a group of millions of people who have been disillusioned with politics, like Obama's message of hope and change, and want to play an active role in making this country better. Scary indeed.
Here's the clip of a gracious Clinton embarrassing herself, while ad hominem attacking her party's future nominee:
How inspiring!
When I first read Frank Rich's New York Times editorial this morning about the Clinton train wreck, "The Audacity of Hoplessness," I thought it was a bit harsh. Yet the resemblance between Bush's war and Clinton's campaign do indeed share some striking similarities in their arrogance, short-sightedness, and poor planning. Rich writes:
The Clinton camp was certain that its moneyed arsenal of political shock-and-awe would take out Barack Hussein Obama in a flash. The race would "be over by Feb. 5," Mrs. Clinton assured George Stephanopoulos just before New Year's. But once the Obama forces outwitted her, leaving her mission unaccomplished on Super Tuesday, there was no contingency plan. She had neither the boots on the ground nor the money to recoup. . .Clinton fans don't see their standard-bearer's troubles this way. In their view, their highly substantive candidate was unfairly undone by a lightweight showboat who got a free ride from an often misogynist press and from naïve young people who lap up messianic language as if it were Jim Jones's Kool-Aid. Or as Mrs. Clinton frames it, Senator Obama is all about empty words while she is all about action and hard work.
But it's the Clinton strategists, not the Obama voters, who drank the Kool-Aid. The Obama campaign is not a vaporous cult; it's a lean and mean political machine that gets the job done. The Clinton camp has been the slacker in this race, more words than action, and its candidate's message, for all its purported high-mindedness, was and is self-immolating.
It's been sad to watch the demise of a Clinton brand that had steadily improved over the years. But after months now of "Obama's run is a fairy tale, Obama wasn't really against the war, Obama took cocaine, Obama's middle name is Hussein, Obama is like Jesse Jackson (they're both black, get it), Obama isn't pro-choice, Obama is for latte drinkers, Obama only wins caucuses, Obama only wins states that don't matter, Obama is all talk and no action, Obama plagiarizes, Obama's followers are a cult, Obama isn't ready on day one, Obama might cause or not be able to handle a terrorist attack, Obama shouldn't win because I am entitled and even if it takes Michigan, Florida, and superdelegates, even if it takes destroying the Democratic party and disregarding the will of the voters, I MUST WIN!!!"
As for the American people, after 11 straight losses in primaries and caucuses across the country (and even outside) by 17 points or more, the message has become clear: America is ready to move on. Without the Clintons.
Hopefully, Hillary will get the memo soon, before her legacy is completely destroyed.
UPDATE: Wow. If this turns out to be true, it's the final straw. The Clinton campaign, apparently, is now circulating a photo of Barack Obama in a turban and traditional Kenyan garb. "The photo, taken in 2006, shows the Democrat front-runner dressed as a Somali Elder, during his visit to Wajir, a rural area in northeastern Kenya," the Drudge Report said.
After seeing it was on the Drudge Report I thought, well, what do you expect, and who knows if the Clintons actually sent it to them. Surely, they would denounce it as shameless fearmongering. And then this comment came from the Clinton camp:
"If Barack Obama's campaign wants to suggest that a photo of him wearing traditional Somali clothing is divisive, they should be ashamed. Hillary Clinton has worn the traditional clothing of countries she has visited and had those photos published widely."
No denial that they did in fact circulate it. No recognition of the obvious implication with Barack Obama as opposed to other politicians. This is truly sickening. In my mind, whatever legacy was left is now officially destroyed.
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I do not feel sorry for Hillary at all. There have been many times I have felt depressed by her campaign's negativity towards Barack and the excitement his campaign has generated. I think where Hillary went most wrong...was that she and her crew, believed in their own propaganda.
Ready to lead on day one...but not a minute before.
Ready to get the job done. Here's a job for you to get done. Win the election. Then I'll take you seriously that you can get the job done when it's someone who's not actually mostly on your side.
Obama's campaign is evidence that he is a leader and knows how to get stuff done. Look at the odds he's had to beat and an entrenched brand he's had to compete with, and is doing so quite effectively and un-vitriolically.
Whew can you imagine the pressure that HRC is operating under...campaign $$$ worry, Bill is where doing what worry, Mark Penn vs Harold Ickes worry, where is Maggie Wms. worry, that (curses) Obama worry and that's just the stuff we see. Couple those worries with sleep deprivation and it's a wonder she doesn't just fly apart. These last 2 "outings" were not the way to go. Unpleasant and disappointing to watch and probably exhausting for her to pull off. I am anxiously waiting to see which HRC comes out of the gate at Tuesday debate. I think it will be subdued-but-determined-my feelings-are-hurt-BO-how-could-you-treat-me-this-way-throw-all-caution-to-the-wind-say-anything-HRC. The velocity of these changes right in front of our eyes will either make our heads spin or hers. Fasten your seat belt.
But there's even more pressure as President - she's not campagining any harder than Obama or anyone else ---at this point I think HRC needs to look in the mirror, decide who she really is, what she wants to say and stick with it - and quit worrying about what Obama is doing -- by offending Obama supporters she'll only hurt herself should she get the nomination. .
I agree
My deep reservoir of affection for Hillary finally bottomed out with the latest screech-scold.
Can she put the future of the country, the progressive movement, and the Dem party above her own personal ambition? Looks not.
Also, disappointed she could find no other way to "compete" beyond some kind of Survivor Reality Show Last Nasty Fool Standing Wins mentality.
Been there, done that, no more please. Not on our side.
I am an Obama supporter but I do not/did not dislike Hillary no matter how many things they have said about her but my affection (as with Dvmx) is fading fast. These tactics will not work. She is a desperate candidate who blew it.
It's about headlines and news cycles. You know that, Joe. To get the headline you have to do something dramatic and interesting. Generating conflict is one of the best ways to go about this.
I had resolved not to intrude into this one-sided discussion, but I guess I just can't let all the mockery continue without an answer.
I have an active, liberal Democrat for a great many years, and I can usually spot something that does not seem right about a candidate.
Guess what, folks, after I listened to Sen. Obama giving his victory speech in Iowa, I thought something was amiss. I had my suspicions, but who am I to single-handedly confirm them.
But now I am no longer alone. For what is wrong with Obama, see Bill Kristol's column (sigh) in todays NYT. It is entitled: "It's all about him". Kristol has absolutely nailed it.
"I am an active, liberal Democrat for a great many years, and I think we should all listen to Bill Kristol."
Right. Well, at least when you post ludicrous arguments online, they are self-refuting. That's definitely an advantage.
Bill Kristol is not a pundit (though he plays one on TV and on the pages of the NYT). He is a political operative who is extremely ruthless. His only goal is to advance the power and influence of the radical wing of the conservative movement.
His article on Obama is not analysis and I doubt he believes a word of it. The article is a political hit piece that is designed to divide the Democrats and create a political narrative that can be used by McCain in the general election.
The NYT has done the world a real disservice by giving one of the most prestigeous platforms in journalism to this obvious politcal hit-man
Yeah,I'd take Bill Kristol's opinion as gospel. If I hadn't seen him on Fox News Sunday morning show suggesting that Hillary Clinton should resort to "the politics of fear" to try to pick up some momentum. Seems to me that the politics of fear is what got us into the war in Iraq in the first place (by the way both Clinton and Kristol were supporters of that disaster while Obama was not). So no thanks, I think my game plan will be to listen carefully to whatever Kristol says and then Do Just The Opposite.
And, of course, Bill Kristol has been so right about so many other things. . . Iraq, George Bush, Iraq, Dick Cheney, Iraq. . .WMDs.
there's a novel idea... read Bill Kristol to decide what to think about Obama!
No smart Democrat would listen to Bill Kristol.
Furthermore, Okla, you were already posting these kinds of comments about Obama back in January:
"Yes, apresdeluge. Thanks you for helping me get clear or what is really happening. It is so easy to become confused when all of this racial stuff is being circulated so heavily.
Yes, Obama does seem determined to divide the Democratic base and yes what an ego, probably actually a narcissistic one. Notice how impatient he is. I don't know if he is actually in the hire of the Republicans or if he is just a megalomaniac."
Oh, thank you. I thought I had decided which Democrat to support, but as usual, I stopped myself and asked, "What does Bill Kristol think?"
If revealing the truth about Hillary"s policy positions is a Rovian tactic, then what kind of tactic is Hillary"s use of the race card?
Anyone else notice the latest Clinton personna coincides with the Maggie Williams takeover of her campaign? I am at the point I will vote for Nader if she is nominated. I am at the point that I would move to NY just to vote against her when she runs for senate again. Bill - adulterer/perjuror. Hill - multiple personality/unstable. What a pair!
While I am in total agreement with everything you've pointed out in your post, Joe - the last sentence puzzles me a bit. What legacy do the Clintons or more specifically - does Hillary Clinton have - a pathetic, misguided and failed attempt at cramming her brand of universal healthcare down everyone's throat in the early nineties? - this from someone who had never held elective office? Yeah, that's some legacy she has - a legacy of ignorance and audacity. I concur 100% with Mr. Rich's column in the NYT - the "audacity of hopelessness"...
I just got to the bottom of the first comments page... gee... where are all the Clinton supporters who are generally so vitriolic in their defense of HC? Too ashamed to show their e-faces?
Sad, she's not really doing womankind a favor at this point. Tina Fey is wrong by the way...
By the way, with regard to the Tina Fey faux editorial, I've worked for bitches and I've worked for very nice people. In general, the very nice people were more competant than the bitches and could stay calm in a crisis. The bitches were overcompensating for a huge lack of competance and seemed to generate more trouble for themselves and everyone else. Has nothing to do with gender.
Word. You nailed it. Their male counterparts are typically labeled with the 'Napoleanic Complex'. They make dealing with crisis 4 times more difficult than it need be whenever one arises at work. Male or female, it's the same crap and we always end up having to clean up afterwards.
Let the true Hillary please stand up! Being nice is not one of her virtues! She wants the presidency so bad she can taste it! However,
Obama is right by pointing out her short comings and if she had a plan in the past to one day run for president she should have voted accordingly. Now she wants to make it all go
away. Does not work.
You can tell a lot about someone by how they lose. Whenever Obama lost a contest this season, he was very gracious. He congratulated Hillary, didn't use the moment to bash her, and thanked his supporters. Hillary shows no class. When she's faced with losing, she lashes out, tries to diminish the significance of her opponent's wins, and even his supporters. She's just digging herself a bigger hole now.
Throughout this campaign, Hillary has tried out multiple personalities. Just as she was receiving kudos for her faux generous sign off at the last debate, she storms forth with this vicious, angry tirade. It is by far the scariest Hillary of all. Despite Joe Scarborough's praise for this sort of anger fest, and despite her anger and frustration, it is a telltale sign of the 'real Hillary'. What a nasty way to grasp for votes. The picture of Hillary screaming, ranting and raving is surely not the image we want to portray around the world. Shame on you Hillary.
Hillary: "I am honored to stand on the same stage and lie to Obama's face and then trash him behind his back and I have 35 years of experience doing it."
"I am honored to stand on the same stage as Barack, whilst I sharpen the knife to insert in his back after we're done here."
Senator Clinton didn't help her cause by going on rampage this past weekend. The action she displayed this weekend showed just how unstable she is. The headline was true, she is having a meltdown right before our eyes.
It's the emergence of the brand new, recently finished, super improved Sybil hillary!
Agreed. Hillary had no Plan B. But every politician needs an exit strategy. See Iraq.
The larger point here is: Hillary's "I am experienced" campaign relied on people taking her word for it just as much as Obama's "I am hopeful." All politicians make promises and expect their supporters to accept them. It's just that Hillary could not see hers, so now she's trying to take down his.
hillary's experience was BS.
You don't let the stewardess fly the 747 because she happens to be married to the pilot.
Thank you, Roseanne.
actually, if you think about it, she was calling obama's campaign a "fairy tale."
her campaign is a mess, her advisors are screaming at each, and every new tactic she uses against obama falls short. well, she is right about one thing her campaign isn't a fairy tale; it's a nightmare.
I was saddened to see Joe Scarborough this morning quasi-celebrate her tactics on his program. To me it seems that she is lacking sleep, having a breakdown, or perhaps is having a psychotic rage that betrays anything I could want in a commander in chief ... can you imagine if she gets her hand on the "button?" On the contrary if this is cynical and just a ploy/political tactic it is the most disgusting thing I have ever witnessed ... Whatever shred of dignity existed in the Clinton legacy is now completely lost to me I cannot get her disgusting comments out of my head ...
I think wow what if I was a religious person to have someone say something like that on a Sunday --- gross ...
I think that shame on you reminded me of my grandmother admonishing me for bringing dirt into the house
And what is she blasting Obama for telling the truth on NAFTA? For having crowds and speeches she is just awful awful awful and I still wonder why Joe Scarbourough admired this tactic and then I realized once again he is a Republican and it would be to their advantage to run against her --- now that she has shown her true colors and they are really really ugly
More importantly, he is a newsperson and the more controversy he can gin up on national TV, the more he can sit around and pontificate about it. It could just fill days of endless blabbering on and on.
What in the hell are the Clintons' thinking? They need to fire everyone in their campaign and start over. Oops! Too late for that.
Joe Scarborough likes her tactics because he is a Republican, the tactics are right out of the Republican Playbook. Negative, Scary, and hopeless. Win at any cost. I hope she does not cost us the election in November. When Kathlene Kennedy Townsend says it's over, it's over!
If I remember right he was actually praising it as her being herself and genuine. Basically saying her being nice and courtesy was just an act. IMHO if anything he insulted her by saying what he said, but meant it as a compliment.
Posted February 24, 2008 | 07:12 PM (EST)