To me, The Twilight Zone was one of the great television series of all time; because it portrayed the alternative realities that can exist in people's minds. In one famous episode, a pre-Star Trek William Shatner played Don, a newlywed who gets caught up in the answers doled out by a little "Ask me any question. I have the answer" machine in a diner where he and his new wife are eating. Although these answers are very general (as they would have to be for a machine like this), they get twisted by Don's superstitious mind until he thinks they mean much more than they could ever realistically mean.
Well, something similar has happened with how Hillary's campaign sees Obama campaign manager David Plouffe's March 12th Memo.
With her campaign's pre-existing determination to find any weakness in Barack Obama that they can exploit... any reason to claim that Barack Obama is less qualified to be president than she is... or any reason to say to the Super Delegates that Barack Obama is less electable than she is, David Plouffe's memo is being treated as a document that reveals that Obama has given up on Pennsylvania... thrown in the white flag... and once again shown he has no winning strategy for the November election.
Now, if this was just about the funny similarities between a classic TV show and Hillary's mind (and, I'm sorry, but unlike Keith Olbermann, I am unwilling to say that Hillary's campaign people are doing things on their own that she has not already authorized them to do), this spinning of an opponent's words and intent wouldn't bother me.
But I've just realized that Hillary's twisting of Barack's campaign's words and documents has another much more serious parallel in how George W. Bush twisted the words of Saddam Hussein in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq. When Saddam Hussein said "I no longer have weapons of mass destruction," George Bush said "That really means he's hiding them really well. When we attack him, we'll find them." (I'm paraphrasing here, but these links will take you to the original February (Hussein) and March (Bush) 2003 statements.)
Well, we all now know who was really telling the truth back then.
And, based on the ease with which Hillary's campaign says "Barack has given up on Pennsylvania and has no solid general election strategy" when he and his campaign have said nothing even vaguely similar to that remark, I will now issue a strongly cautionary statement - not a declaration that I know something for sure - but a strongly worded cautionary statement:
Beware of a politician who - in order to achieve a victory she believes she is destined to achieve - says that a candidate has given up a fight when he has in actuality done nothing of the sort. That candidate may just turn out to be as dangerous as George Bush - who said Saddam Hussein was looking for a fight when he was, in actuality, doing nothing more than seeking to remain in power in his own region and country. Destiny-based thinking is a dangerous mindset. It can cause one to unnecessarily blow up a country... or a political party.
Yesterday, I suggested that some reporter ask Hillary is she'd campaign for Barack if he gets the nomination... work really hard to help him win those big states we all know are important (although some of us know that smaller states are important too).
Today, I'd like to suggest that some reporter ask Hillary if she thinks she is destined to become President of the United States.
Because I do not know the answer to this question, I wrote above that I am offering a strong caution to people... a yellow alert, so to speak. Were I to know for sure that Hillary thinks it is her destiny to be president, then I would change what I am saying. But for now, I am keeping open the possibility that this is all just some game she and Bill are playing to "toughen up" Barack for the general election in case he gets the nomination.
In a world full or different spins on reality, Hillary saying "You survived everything I could throw at you, Barack. Congratulations! Now, you go beat John McCain!" is one Twilight Zone episode surprise ending I would be very happy to have happen for real... in Hillary's speech at the Democratic Party's convention.
And now, so you can read it yourself, here is David Plouffe's entire memo...
I think that you will agree that there is no "white flag" in this memo. It is an appropriate effort to balance out the reality spin of the Clinton campaign, which wants people to think that only the upcoming Pennsylvania primary counts.
Memo from Obama Campaign Manager PlouffeTo: Interested Parties
From: David Plouffe, Campaign Manager
Date: March 12, 2008
RE: Moving On to the Next 10 ContestsWith his overwhelming victory in the Mississippi primary, Barack Obama's lead in pledged delegates is now wider than it was on March 3, before the contests in Ohio and Texas. He netted more delegates in Mississippi and Wyoming than Senator Clinton netted on March 4. Obama now holds a pledged delegate lead of 161 with a total of 1411 pledged delegates, while Senator Clinton trails with 1250 pledged delegates. As the number of remaining pledged delegates dwindles, Hillary Clinton's path to the nomination seems less and less plausible.
Barack Obama has now won nearly thirty contests, over half the states in the country, including critical battleground states like Virginia, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Colorado, Missouri, Washington and Colorado.
Now that Mississippi is behind us, we move on to the next ten contests. The Clinton Campaign would like to focus your attention only on Pennsylvania - a state in which they have already declared that they are "unbeatable." But Pennsylvania is only one of 10 remaining contests, each important in terms of allocating delegates and ultimately deciding who are nominee will be. Senator Obama campaigned in Pennsylvania yesterday and will do so again later this week, but he will also campaign aggressively in the other upcoming states - he will travel to other upcoming states in the very near future.
We have activated our volunteer networks, are putting staff on the ground, and building our organization in every one of the upcoming states. The key is not who wins the states that the Clinton campaign thinks are important. Throughout this entire process, they have cherry-picked states, diminished caucuses, and moved the goal posts to create a shifting, twisted rationale for why they should win the nomination despite winning fewer primaries, fewer states, fewer delegates, and fewer votes.
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Everything about her campaign is really much like you say something out of the "Twilight Zone."
Except that William Shatner was brave enough to walk out of the diner with his girlfriend ... I do not know if the Clinton's have the same courage and in the process they will bring the rest of us down with them
I am glad SenatorObama's delegate lead was extended today. I hope that continues all the way to the convention. I do hope that they could figure something out for the vote in Florida that will be fair to Senator Obama.
One point I want to mention...Hillary has 'Hillary' highlighted on all of her campaign material... not Senator Clinton. 'Vote for Hillary' is what she promotes so I suggest that her supporters take note that she herself informalized the use of her name...I do not feel it is a slight on her....it is just what evolves out of asking the public to know you by your first name.
I am still wondering what happened to the story of Senator Obama at a media event with many military leaders. It took place in Illinois and was clearly intended to address his 'passing the test as commander in chief' as he has been challenged to do which I realize is bogus to begin with. Hillary hasn't passed this 'test' in my view. The military leaders said that they met to discuss what qualities they would look for in a commander in chief. They stated good judgement as the quality that they would consider most valuable in a commander in chief. They talked about why they are supporting him and called him 'no shock Barack' and 'no drama Obama'. He also answered questions afteward very well but I found this event was recognized barely if at all in the media.
This is a very troubled time in our country and I am glad Senator Obama is willing to be president because it is going to be a very tough job considering the state of our nation.
Obama/Edwards '08
Your article thankfully is a step in the right direction to show how dangerous Clinton could be as POTUS. If she is willing to make outright lies about Obama, what would she do as President?
She has surrounded herself with less than capable people who have blown in excess of $150 million dollars and really have delivered precious little on their own. In those states that she has won, it was the Democratic Party apparatus has delivered for her.
I expect that she rejected Howard Dean's "fifty state" approach" and went with the same losing strategy of the last two campaigns which relied on winning Ohio and Florida to get a simple electoral majority. Can't do much in the Congress with that.
What is interesting to me is that Bill Clinton cared little for building the party and presided over the loss of House and Senate majorities. It was all about him. His "free trade policy" and lack of engagement in a major war are his legacy along with the failure to stop Al Quaeda, Mrs. Clinton's botched job on health care reform and Monica. Hard to point to growth in the Democratic power on that.
It is obvious, however, that the Democratic Party has improved it's lot with Howard Dean's fifty state approach and Barak Obama's orgainizing ability. It is a shame that Hillary seems bent on making the Democratic nomination worthless. Maybe she should look at the numbers and find a gracious way to begin the healing process now rather than let Republican crossovers assist in her destruction of America's best chance for a new beginning. Sadly, there's little chance of grace coming out of the Clinton campaign as they trot out Penn and Wolfson to vomit on the political stage yet again.
Yep- her supporters will really help you out in the GE if you keep this up.
Not to mention -- one of the main reasons I support Obama is that he is appealing to new and disaffected voters, those 50% who are so sick of pols talking out of both sides of their mouth, triangulation, calculation, and equivocation that they've just given up on the whole thing. I have always said that DLC 50%+1 strategy was a loser and I've been proven right in both 2000 and 2004. The candidate who can motivate those former non-voters is the one who can energize our country.
Bush stole my feelings of patriotism when he trashed our Constitution. Now, the Clintons are stealing my pride in the Democratic party. I want them BOTH back!
Obama '08!
What supporters you talking about? The Repulbicans that crossed over to vote in open primaries to pump up her numbers? That would be 24% of her votes in Mississippi alone. Those "supporters" will not vote for Hillary or any other Democrat! So her popular vote and delegate count have been artificailly
inflated by Republicans because they think she will be so much easier to beat in a general election. Nice endorsement.
She claims to be vetted. How long is she going to lay eggs on those tax returns and the Clinton Library Donor List? She promised to release them March 4th. Well that date has come and gone so until then- she not vetted! All this stalling isn't helping her at all.
It's interesting now that some are saying he is only going to get the black vote in the remaining states. That's based on the last two primaries. He got the black vote, Hillary got the white vote. It's this racism thing. People are getting tired of hearing that everything slightly derogatory toward Obama is racism. Can you imagine a presidency like that? Can you imagine a general election where he gets the black vote and McCain gets the white vote?
HRC says she did this.
Experts involved say maybe not so fast HRC.
HRC says Obama can't do that.
Experts say she shouldn't have said that, it is misleading.
Repeat tommorow, and the next day till August.
Are you sure she hasn't gone back to her Republican roots?
Especially with her 3AM ad - at first I thought it was an ad for John McCain!
For contrast, one may wish to look at how Obama's mind works: Read "The Obama I Know," an essay published on Huff Post a couple of weeks back.
I couldn't agree with you more. I stopped watching MSM too, except for Ollberman and The News Hour on PBS bc I can't stand their spin and top of the day stories. There isn't any real news in the MSM anymore. Its been corporatized...yuck!
We need to keep the Clintons, cause god knows they and their supporters won't!
And that's why we should all contact Hillary Clinton at www.hillaryclinton.com and the DNC at www.democrats.org and remind them that:
- Hillary agreed not to "campaign or participate" in MI and FL
- Hillary did not object to the rules up front
- Hillary admitted that the votes would not count on Super Tuesday
- Hillary's current claim that the votes in MI and FL were fair, legal and should be counted is outrageous, because they weren't and her shallow motive is clear based on her previous actions and remarks.
- re-votes would drain precious contribution dollars from the general election, (much like her destrucitve, futile) campaign.
- in order to uphold the rules, the MI and FL primaries cannot count.
- as a compromise, in order to seat delegates, they should be split 50-50
- revotes would drain precious contributions needed for the general election
- revotes would be incredibly expensive relative the number of delegages that might go to one candidate or the other (if OH and TX are any indication, $2-$3 million dollars each)
- Hillary, the state representatives who ignored the rules and the voters should be happy to have their delegates seated at all, based on the fact that the rules were well known.
- Hillary should be thankful she isn't fined for campaigning.
ALSO, go to www.barackobama.com and offer to volunteer IN PA. If you don't have the frequent flier miles, they have people arranging donations. They also have limited housing they can arrange. Give it serious thought. And tell a friend.