LA Times: Clinton toeing the line of campaign negativity

[TeamJordan23]

Clinton toeing the line of campaign negativity
With voting starting in two weeks, she and aides are taking subtle digs at Obama.
By Peter Nicholas
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

December 20, 2007

CORALVILLE, IOWA — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton doesn't tell Iowa voters that in his younger days, her chief rival for the Democratic nomination behaved badly. She never lays out incidents from Sen. Barack Obama's past that could be exploited in a general election contest; doing so might be considered an unseemly personal attack.

But with the Iowa caucuses just two weeks away, she is sidling up to that fine line -- and, in some cases, her campaign surrogates are fleshing out what the candidate leaves unsaid.

Nominating Obama would be a gamble, the senator from New York is suggesting to crowds. Republicans would surely and swiftly make him a target.

Speaking at an antique-car museum here the other day, Clinton said that a major consideration should be which Democratic candidate is most likely to withstand the looming Republican attack and win in 2008.

Recent polling shows that Obama would be competitive in the general election; a USA Today-Gallup poll showed that he fares a bit better than Clinton in head-to-head contests with three top Republicans.

But Clinton's message is that once the GOP finishes sullying him, he won't look so pristine. In contrast, she is, she said, "ready and able to run a campaign against whatever" -- a word she emphasized -- "the Republicans decide to throw our way."

In addressing voters, she does not specify what "whatever" might encompass, nor does she mention Obama by name. But some of her surrogates have.

Continue Reading: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-na-clinton20dec20,1,6813776.story?coll=la-news-politics-national

[Tom Rinaldo]

1. Some will call this nit picking no doubt

But I disagree with the literal spin attached to this quote from Clinton:

"But Clinton's message is that once the GOP finishes sullying him, he won't look so pristine. In contrast, she is, she said, "ready and able to run a campaign against whatever" -- a word she emphasized -- "the Republicans decide to throw our way.

In addressing voters, she does not specify what "whatever" might encompass, nor does she mention Obama by name. But some of her surrogates have."

If Hillary Clinton gets to run a campaign the WHATEVER the Republicans throw our way won't be about Obama, it will be about Clinton. She literally is claiming that she can handle whatever the Republicans will throw at her here. I don't deny that she also asks voters to reflect on whether or not Obama can handle whatever the Republicans will throw at him. But a Clinton selling point is that she has already faced the fury of the national republican party killing maching and still is standing strong while Obama has not shown whether or not he can stand up as well against it. It is a relevent point for her to argue.

The story is a legitimate campaign anaylis, but at least in that one passage it understates that Clinton is using this as an argument IN HER OWN FAVOR and not just as an argument AGAINST Obama.

[Evergreen Emerald]

3. If you listen to her backwards

she says, "edwards is a corporatist."

"Whatever the republicans throw our way" is negative? What a load of crap. More media spin against Clinton. God, I hope reasonable people can see through the bullshit.

[karynnj]

6. She and Bill fought it when it was milder

The question is whether that acts as a vaccine. The other thing is that the RW did manage to control what got done under Bill and the party as a whole lost. Times have changed and they are stronger. I seriously doubt that had Clinton remainded in Arkansas until 2004, he would not have handled the Republicans as well as Kerry did.

I think there's a lot of whistling in the dark. "Going on a bear hunt, I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid." The last month saw Bill Clinton speak back to back about swiftboating and HRC's opponents saying that she flip flops. Clinton either see them as similar - which says he is completely unaware of what they face OR he was using the "swiftboat" to label the opponents. In doing this they weakened the argument you make that she's more experienced against attacks - which she is, but this is not 1992 where Bill was allowed to change his answer several times until it became true - then the media declared it didn't matter.

[Tom Rinaldo]

7. Good commentary

But to be fair Hillary's time in the hot seat wasn't centered on 1992. It was after they tore into her for "Travel Gate" and her health care task force. And it wasn't just the media and Right Wing Noise machine pundits she had to fend with, she had an ongoing 50 million dollar investigation by a Federal Special Prosecuter on her back for years, and he kept leaking damaging news stories to favored right wing lackies. It is hard to say that the Republicans were less toxic back while they were impeaching a popular elected President than they became more recently. And Rush Limbaugh, who used to rule the air waves far more securely than he does now, has ALWAYS had it in for Hillary Clinton.

[BobRossi]

2. The real Hillarious exposed.

"Situations reveal the person"

[geek tragedy]

Hillary: I'm already tarnished and sullied. n/t

[geek tragedy]

4. Hillary: I'm already tarnished and sullied. n/t

[Cha]

5. Why isn't hillary confident

enough to tout her own accomplishments instead of talkin' why "someone" else wouldn't make it through the general but she would..gag.

hillary's "staying power" is sounding like it comes from the Stockholm Syndrome more than anything. If ya can't beat 'em ..join 'em.