Pundits agree: Hillary's negative campaign is a losing strategy

[maximusveritas]

Here's an interesting compilation of opinion from across the political spectrum. They all seem to agree that Hillary's decision to go negative on Obama is a bad idea. The recent spate of polls from the early primary states seem to show that the American people agree. People are leaving Hillary and Obama is capitalizing.

I wonder when all the attack dogs here will wake up. You may feel good writing those attack posts, but it's only hurting your own candidate.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/balance/stories/DN-balance_07edi.ART.State.Edition1.3695f5e.html

Going on the offensive "shows – take your pick – either the meanness or toughness of Mrs. Clinton and her posse," writes The Nation's David Corn. "I lean toward characterizing it as the former ...

"Mrs. Clinton is ... running the risk of alienating those kindhearted souls of Iowa by slamming the lovable, likable and inspiring Barack Obama. She could end up looking a bit desperate."

Joe Klein simply declares the Clinton attack strategy "downright idiotic."

"All right, it's true Mrs. Clinton is in a tussle," the Time magazine columnist writes. "I've talked to lots of voters in the past few days out here in Iowa who seem to be moving toward Mr. Obama – but these sorts of harsh, obvious attacks won't do her any good ... Mean don't cut it around here."

[Progress And Change]

1. the establishment rallying to defend their Obama

[lurky]

9. Um, Hillary IS the establishment.

In fact, that's her main campaign pitch: "I have the experience, connections, relationships, etc."

[Forkboy]

22. The logic train is still at the station. See if you can catch it.

[sniffa]

27. ...

:spray:

[Lerkfish]

31. LOL!

ok, now you owe me a new screen

[Nailzberg]

35. That made my night.

:rofl: Well done.

[killbotfactory]

2. I hope she had fun with it

for all the good it did her.

[Lord Helmet]

3. this is backfiring on her big time

as it should

[Progress And Change]

5. why? it worked for obama and probably will for clinton

[Lord Helmet]

7. Obama hasn't gone ugly negative like Hillary has, and it's hurting her not him because of it

[Skip Intro]

26. Nah, calling her dishonest, comparing her to bush/cheney, romney, gouliani - not personal at all...

:eyes:

[Bullet1987]

13. No...Obama never got personal with her

He never attacked something she did before she got into politics. Her campaign never got caught sending out Obama/Muslim emails. THAT is mudslinging. Obama always hit her on the issues.

[surfermaw]

33. What would he have to critize her for before she entered Politics?

[TwilightGardener]

4. The one thing Hillary can't afford to do is look mean. She needs to

stay nice and kindhearted, and she's failing. Iowans like nice.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

17. the one thing she (ok, one of many things) cannot do is play nice.

it is not in her genes. She is mean, self-serving, calculating and artificial. Other than that, she is inevitable. she is also pure DLC.

[sandnsea]

6. Tough is fine, lying is the problem

People are just not as stupid as the Clinton campaign (and a couple others) think they are. They knew it was legal for kids to vote in Iowa. They know a mandate doesn't guarantee 100% compliance. They think kindergarten essays are cute.

People thought she was tough enough to beat Republicans and they found out she's just plain silly.

[BeyondGeography]

8. They could only say, "Whatever happened to the politics of hope?" so many times

But who knew Plan B would be to dredge up kindergarten essays, attack a perfect abortion rights record by misreading his 'present' voting strategy in Ill., scream about a PAC that actually donated money to candidates who supported her, and trash students' right to vote.

The scorn is well-deserved.

[Brother_1969]

10. Anybody that does not vote for HIillary

is an idiot.

This is obvious.

[Perry Logan]

15. The anti-Hillary folks may just be assholes.

[Lerkfish]

32. well, I'd have to say observations don't support your theory

however, the converse......

[Nedsdag]

25. Thank you, Hugh Rodham!

I'm sure your sister is proud of you!

:sarcasm:

[reprobate]

11. Her sliding poll numbers show that most Dems neither like her nor trust her.

She's the candidate with the lowest positives and highest negatives in polling.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

16. but she told us she's inevitable. She wouldn't LIE, would she?

[Kixel]

12. It is foolish...

Negative campaigning isn't as effective for people who actually vote in primaries. The knucklehead undecideds who decide a couple of days before the election are the ones who are swayed by that...

[Bitwit1234]

14. In the 50 years I have been watching Democratic campaigns

this is the first time I have ever seen more mud slinging, flaming, slurring and down right common character less doings and it ain't coming from Hillary Clinton. From the get go Ob ama so upset he can't get it his campaign has run the worst filthy rove type doings I have ever seen. those that say Hillary runs a dirty campaign tell us please. Did she start about Ob ama wanting to bomb Iran, hell no, but all he has done is say she voted for the IR. Did he tell everyone he skipped the Kyla Lieberman resolution hell no but he bashed Hillary because she did. I can go from the very first of the campaign and tell you when Mr. Smirking Waneta be started when he was so damn far behind his ass was dragging.

Until Oprah paid to have all those students bussed into Iowa to get them to vote for "her" choice he was still ass dragging. NO matter how you spin it mud mud mud it is all he has done.
I WOULD STILL LIKE TO SEE EVER ONE OF THE ' SO CALLED DIRTY TRICKS THAT HILLARY HAS DONE POSTED' OB AMA GROUPIES CAN'T DO BECAUSE THERE ISN'T ANY.

[babylonsister]

18. Pleeze. Is that your post-of-the-day, I hope? Did you even bother

to read the OP?

[creeksneakers2]

19. Going negatively hurt her nationally too

She lost 12 points in 14 days in the Rasmussen score card. The other candidates get away with attacking Hillary with garbage because Hillary is seen as the strong one. When Hillary attacks back, its seen as her picking on the little guys.

The last count showed the bleeding in the Rasmussen may have stopped. If Hillary's advisers are smart at all, they'll switch tactics. Its OK for her to attack Obama or Edwards but it the attacks have to be over something significant and have to be backed up better.

I don't like frivolous attacks on Democrats from each other. They hurt the party. All the candidates should stop.

[maximusveritas]

20. I think her national numbers will stay constant

Most people aren't paying that close attention. The people in the early primary states are and that's why they're all leaving Hillary.

[Skip Intro]

21. "...the lovable, likable and inspiring Barack Obama" gee, no bias there

:puke:

[Forkboy]

23. It's not helping anyone this time around. People are sick of it.

Ask Kerry Healey how well it worked for her here in Mass in '06.

[gulliver]

24. It was klutzy, really bad.

Did she honestly think she was going to get away with going negative and blaming it on Obama? That's just fairly stupid. She needed to just keep smacking Obama around in the debates. Instead she did something incredibly stupid: She went on the air saying she was going to "fight back." Then she attacked. She needed to just attack and do it well and with humor. Trying to frame it as a counter-attack (which it arguably is) was foolish and phony.

Hillary apparently thinks she is someone other than who she is. I don't know how else to explain her inability to play the authentic Hillary well.

[maximusveritas]

28. I'm going to kick this everytime I see a new Hillary attack

This is for the 3 or 4 new ones out now

[Onlooker]

29. Meanwhile, she reversed her slide in Rasmussen

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/daily_presidential_tracking_polling_history

[maximusveritas]

30. Kick

for Progress and Change

[maximusveritas]

34. Kick

for change and hope