Run, Hillary, Run, Just Stop Sliming Obama

Hillary Clinton's "negatives" started going up at exactly the same time she began throwing the "kitchen sink" at her Democratic opponent, Barack Obama. The Svengalis in her campaign, Mark Penn and Howard Wolfson, thought it advantageous to treat Obama as if he were a Republican while at the same time "triangulating" against him by heaping praise on John McCain, appearing on Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, and most recently, genuflecting to the odious Richard Mellon Scaife (who Keith Olbermann accurately depicts as Mr. Burns from The Simpsons). Nothing turns off the Democratic Party's base more quickly than hearing Hillary smear Obama while she sidles up to right-wing extremists.

With its desperate tactics and negative tone the Clinton campaign only succeeded in casting doubts about Hillary's trustworthiness. Holding court with Richard Mellon Scaife, who savaged the Clintons throughout the 1990s, is like John Kerry giving a big sloppy kiss to John O'Neill and "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth." It speaks volumes about Hillary's Machiavellian side.

Hillary wants to use Florida and Michigan to shoehorn her way into the nomination. But why did Florida and Michigan buck the Democratic Party leadership and jump ahead of other states without the DNC's approval? And why should Florida and Michigan now be rewarded for their past shoddy treatment of the party? The sensible thing to do is to simply divide up their delegations proportionately between the candidates based on their percentages of the popular vote after the last primary.

Go ahead and run Hillary. Be just like "Rocky Balboa" -- a contender -- and regale us all with your tenacity and winning spirit. Just stop the underhanded attacks against your fellow Democrat. Just stop with the "Change you can Xerox," and "I wouldn't choose Pastor Wright," and "As far as know," and call off your Ferraros and Carvilles. As your husband said the other day: "Chill out."

Ronald Reagan had what he called his 11th Commandment: "Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican." It seemed to have worked pretty well for him and his party. Can't Hillary simply adopt a Democratic version of this idea?

Comments

[PioneerKing]

That's the whole plan if Sen. Clinton can't get the nomination then why shouldn't she do as much damage to Sen. Obama and ruin his chances of winning. That way the Clintons can say see we told you so.

[S1m0n]

"As your husband said the other day: "Chill out.""

That's what he said the OTHER, other day. For what he said yesterday, see under "Politics".

[JoeyP]

I just wish for once the Clintons would think about the health of the Democratic Party instead of their own ambitions -- also, Carville pretended to be the friend of the African American community even though he's married to a bigoted woman, Mary Matalin. But as soon as the Latino governor endorsed Obama there's Carville calling him a Judas and trash talking the leading candidate in the presidential race -- he seems like Andrew Johnson, someone married to a rich right-wing woman and sells out the blacks at the first chance he gets -- but of course, Andrew Johnson was a lot more eloquent and smart than Carville. We need to move the party away from the Carvilles and Matalins and Ferraros and toward the grassroots!

[TwoCentsWorth]

Why write and whine and cry about what Senator Clinton's campaign people say about Obama? Obama's campaign has been practicing the politics of personal destruction against Clinton from the very beginning.

Your Knight's suit got rusty when Rev. Wright's speeches hit the news and voters learned that Obama sat through those tirades for about 20 years. Obama inflicted that very serious damage on himself.

Give up, Senator Clinton is going to be the Democratic nominee because the voters do not want another beginner such as George Bush to be president. Bush was also a guy people thought they would like to sit down and have a beer with. Or better yet, since the superdelegates will choose the Democratic nominee, let's start telling Obama to quit the race.

[efranklin]

You mistake criticism for friendly advice. Obama is not the one whose favorability has dipped to a seven-year low in the polls. If Hillary wants to bury her own image in sludge, she's obviously free to do that. But just don't say she wasn't warned.

[LeftRight]

First, I guarantee that Rev Wright was not saying such things all the time during every sermon. Second, I guarantee that you haven't heard the rest of the sermon, since you will find that they were taken out of context.

Third, and most important: WTF are you talking about? Obama hasn't gone negative ONCE during this campaign, whereas not only has Hillary, but so has Bill, and EVERYONE in her campaign!!!

[martina1965]

Just another rant to protect our "golden boy" from "evil" Hillary. If he is so strong and noble why would he need such hysterical and whining defenders?

[MM5]

Look...instead of just posting disparaging comments, if you disagree with what the writer is saying why don't you argue back his points? It seems to me that he is right on about Hillary resorting to extreme tactics but if you think that is not true, it would be much more productive to enlighten us as to why.

And by the way, as a woman, I would ask that you don't degenerate this into a "boy"/"girl" thing.

[BassMonk]

Be careful, you're projecting.

[V4Vigilance]

LOL!

Speaking of "hysterical and whining defenders", did you catch this one?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/02/bills-tirade-in-private-_n_94605.html

OBAMA 08

[LeftRight]

You know what, you like Hillary, I like Obama. However, which one of us is bitching that the other side isn't being fair, in spite of ALL evidence to the contrary????

[tedbear]

I don't buy the fact that Hillary and Bill Clinton are the least bit swayed by the people they "hired" to run "their" campaign. The Clintons didn't hire people to run their campaign, they hired people to help them do what they do best - lie, cheat and steal what they want..

I hope the Hillary supporters have no shame, because supporting the shameless puts them in the same category!

[V4Vigilance]

"Ronald Reagan had what he called his 11th Commandment: "Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican." It seemed to have worked pretty well for him and his party. Can't Hillary simply adopt a Democratic version of this idea?"

Short Answer: Obviously Not

OBAMA 08

[Joseph A. Palermo - Huffpost Blogger]

The Clintons really can't have it both ways: Claiming to want more "democracy" when it comes to Florida and Michigan, and the remaining primaries, while they follow a strategy of smearing their Democratic opponent. They started the smears, not the Obama camp, he's got bigger fish to fry like fighting off mysterious blanket emails saying he's a Muslim and countering the constant racist smear by association of the "all-Reverend Wright-all-the-time" cable news stations. Also, the State Department snooped into Obama's Passport 3 times, and he's the only candidate who lived abroad for a substantial period. The State Department then dredged up an old peak at Hillary's Passport and a bogus one relating to McCain to strip the "politics" away from it -- be we should be looking into that issue -- the media dropped it like a rock. It's potentially a huge story though. Karl Rove has used the Justice Department and the GSA and the NSA against Democrats, why not the State Department? Hell, the whole place if filled with Republican private contractors anyway. Hillary just has to keep it a battle of ideas and policies, high ground, say the sliming for the Republicans, and lose Scaife and Murdoch for goodness sakes!

[Disparaged]

I'm sure all women would love to have a female POTUS. I'm no exception. But HRC is just NOT that woman. She has shown the worst about women to the majority of women (especially to young women). No wonder men are running to Obama. If she just had some scruples and lived by those scruples, not only would she have women supporting her, but all these men that her actions have turned away would come running back. It is difficult to support anyone who lies, cheats and steals their way to win anything.

[TwoCentsWorth]

Disparaged --
You have bought the the line we'd like a woman for president, but "HRC is just NOT that woman."

It may be worth your while to review some of the analyses of the voter demographics as this campaign has progressed.

I think you will find that "misogyny" has played a major role -- what you describe as "...all those men...who would come running back..." is not true.

[westwind]

Take away "Xerox", Pastor Wright, "As far as I know", "A 2002 speech", an apparently racist Ferraro, egomaniacs Carville, Penn and Wolfson, multiple brazen lies about NAFTA, Tuzla, SCHIP and the Irish peace process, and President Bill shredding his reputation more than he ever did with Monica, and Hillary Clinton wouldn't have a campaign.

I don't profess to know the psychological reasons for it, but I don't think, based on the evidence thus far, that she could campaign fairly or decently. That lack of decency seems to be her only advantage when running against Republicans, but it is not a recipe for dealing with the lawlessness that has brought the country to this moment.

[uscitizen]

it is not a recipe for dealing with the lawlessness that has brought the country to this moment.
----

Good summary.

[doc1400]

It is interesting to note that the movie character Rocky was a poor Philidelphia meat packer and definitely an underdog. He was also a sincere, law abiding, compassionate person.
Now how in God's green acre does this bio match to HRC, the very entrenched politcal animal, millionaire, slash and burn, totally un-compassionate opportunistic liar.
I am waiting for Sylvester Stallone to sue HRC for defamation of character.

[LeftRight]

I still love the fact that she was describing Rocky 1, even though Rocky lost the fight to a black man!

[Herrington]

Ain't gonna be no rematch!

[jules7212]

I am waiting for Sylvester Stallone to sue HRC for defamation of character.

I love it!!!!!!! Thanks for the laugh. You got it right.

[VET613]

Class will tell won't it? Hopefully, once she has been hopelessly defeated, she will just dry up and blow away.

[GaiasChild]

Excellent perspective. I agree with comments that had Clinton's campaign not resorted to this Karl Rove type of manipulating public perceptions, she'd be much more popular right now. I'd like her better for it. I'd think she could represent us to the planet. But now I think she's gotten infected by the type of thinking that Bush has used to gain office, starting with governor of Texas. It's just that type of seamy underside of politics that people don't want.

[jdm58]

Joe, I think it goes both ways. I'm not saying that there haven't been some brow-raising comments coming from the Hillary camp, but Obama, and his camp, are not without guilt. You yourself posted something Monday that could qualify as, shall we say, unsympathetic to the Democratic process? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-a-palermo/hillary-clintons-special_b_94328.html
Neither candidate is my first choice, but I have been able to cast my vote, and patiently await for the rest of America to do the same. When we have a nominee, I plan to support them. I hope you, and the rest of the vehement Obama supporters that post here, can rise to the call and do the same. What is at stake here in this election is far greater than Hillary, or Obama. I think they both know it too.

[LeftRight]

I am an Obama supporter, and I agree with you completely! When we have a nominee (which we SHOULD know at the end of the real race, it better not last until the convention) I will support him or her, with all my effort! It is very refreshing to hear a Hillary supporter come out and say this! I will say, however, that from my point of view it looks like there are many more Hillary supporters who are being vicious.

[jdm58]

Glad to know there is someone else reasonable out there in the blogosphere. It is becoming more and more depressing every day, listening to the hateful trash posted- about both candidates! I too, hope this doesn't continue to convention. Both Hill and Bama have missed some wonderful opportunities to speak on the issues of climate change, and healthcare, but because they have been too busy campaigning elsewhere, or going on vacation, their buddy John McCain has been the only candidate to show up to the different venues to speak.

[slow2]

Brilliant, and thanks Mr. Palermo.


Hillary's talent all along has been "to run." Were she ever, by some foul means, elected; she'd still be in the running mode.


Governance is not a genetic or an acquired skill for Hillary. It's all about campaign strategy; "fighting" one's opponents; and creating PR. All those years on coattails and all these months promoting herself make her simply a perpetual candidate -- for anything, anytime.


The spectre of Penn and Wolfson in the Oval Office, never mind Bill Clinton for the third term, is beyond frightening. So, run Hill, run. Then go back to NY. Maybe you can run for Governor. Or not.