The Clinton COUNTER ATTACK in New Hampshire REVEALED

[Herman Munster]

http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/01/the_clinton_counter_attack.php

Hillary is pumped up,” her campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle, said on an internal conference call late last night. “She’s ready to fight. We’re ready to fight.”

Channeling Howard Dean, perhaps intentionally, Solis Doyle said: “We’re going to fight in New York, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, California. This is just the beginning.”

Clinton's plane(s) -- two of them -- she does not not travel with her press corps -- landed here in New Hampshire at about 4 a.m.

Here is Clinton's game plan:

1. Swarm the state with surrogates; she has a deeper network in New Hampshire than any other state.

2. Two rallies a day; lots of retail events; lots of television interviews.

3. Find some way to go negative against Obama. Some Clinton advisers and aides say that the campaign have a storehouse of opposition research -- old and new -- that they'll use against Obama. In Iowa, being directly associated with negative attacks is seen as uncouth and un-Midwestern; in New Hampshire, rude remarks as as welcome as questions and answers.

4. Claim that Clinton never had a shot in Iowa because of the state's historical bias against women (it's only one of two to never have elected a woman as governor or member of Congress); that Edwards had cornered the Democratic vote and that Obama ran against the Democratic party and cornered the Democratic leading independents; that for a New Yorker to receive 25 percent of the vote or her is impressive (although.. I distinctly remember an HRC mailing calling her a Midwesterner).

By the way: Since 1972, four of nine Democratic nominees have finished second or worse in Iowa; but those four all finished first or second in New Hampshire; the calendar was much more drawn out in those cycles.

5. Point to Clinton's strength in New York, California and Florida; point out that Obama is bad in debates and that in contests that don't rely on retail politicking, she has an edge.

6. Run against the idea of John McCain as the Republican nominee; in other words, who's better to face McCain: Clinton or Obama?

7. Women, women, women. Playing the gender card again.

8. Have really, really good debate performances.

[Cameron27]

1. It sounds good,

but she has to be careful going negative. It's not NH that worries me, it's the pundits who will inevitably turn it against her again. I know she can turn it around :-)

[DrDan]

7. well - the "going negative" arguments need to sound reasonable

attacking Obama for something he said in kindergarten sounds like desperation. And I think that hurt her in Iowa.

And she needs a reasonable explanation for her war votes. She has yet explained that to my satisfaction. Many more years in Iraq is not what the general population wants - only the war-monger, blood-thirsty repubs.

[Cameron27]

18. There's no reasonable explanation

for her IRW vote, other than what she's said...she wasn't voting for invasion, she was voting to go back to the UN, more inspectors etc. Her floor speech said exactly that, and there's no apology in the world that works for me. I think it's either a deal-breaker or it's not.

Her Iraq votes were to the left of John Edwards, and Obama wasn't voting at the time. All the Democrats want out of Iraq, and I pretty sure it will take the same amount of time for any of them once they get in office. Withdrawal plans and speeches sound good right now, but it's a long time until inauguration.

[DrDan]

32. well . . . I have a hard time understanding why it would take until

2013 to get out.

Sure, we might have a small on-going contingent as we do elsewhere in the world. But I do not believe that is what she said. Didn't she say we would not get all combat troops out until then?

[Cameron27]

34. Yes she said something like that,

and I think Biden explained why. Maybe not. I'm just looking back on every pre-Presidential promise or campaign platform and what actually happened after they took office. I don't know how anyone can be all that specific about withdrawing troops when so much can happen between now and the time they're elected. I guess I trust that any one of them will do it as fast as possible in a place as volatile as the ME.

[0007]

39. Perhaps Mark Penn will commit political suicide again?

Third place Hillary vs. third place McCain? Egads!!

[Cameron27]

40. I wish she'd get rid of Penn,

but I don't know if that's possible at this point. I feel the same way about Joe Trippi.

[Sparkly]

2. I hope they're careful with oppo against Obama.

Primaries can really make me cringe worrying about that. (Heck, I was worried about Bradley's attacks on Gore!)

They could emphasize number of votes in Iowa for her -- the turnout was great for all of them.

I think they should be careful about talking "bias against women" -- the MSM pounces on that sort of thing relentlessly. ("Victim card! Victim card!") However, I think "gender card" in a positive way can be a plus and wish they wouldn't shy away from it.

It'll be interesting to watch.

[Herman Munster]

3. but it's true that northeasterns don't consider political attacks "rude"

Norheasterns are just much more blunt people and don't take such things personal.

[cali]

6. bwahahaha.

In Vermont if you try and run even the tiniest bit negative, you lose. Period.

And if she goes heavily negative in NH, she'll tank.

[K Gardner]

4. Find a way to go negative on Obama?? She's already done that through

her surrogates on TV and here in cyberspace. I am sitting here with a thoroughly disgusting piece of this filth in my email. If this is the way she wants to play, then I say bring it on. And those of us who are fair-minded citizens of this United States of ALL Americans of any race will do everything, I mean everything, in our power to defeat her and her brand of divisive, disgusting politics. Iowa was only the beginning.

[MadHound]

5. Wow, if that really is Clinton's plan,

Not only is she showing how desperate she is, but she is also showing how low and unprincipled she can be, not a tactic that endears any voter of any state to you.

Oh, and in case she hadn't noticed, Huckabee is 'Pug frontrunner, not McCain:shrug:

[Sparkly]

8. I think they're expecting McCain to win in NH?

Most races involve fights like this -- the nature of the game.

[Cameron27]

13. That's politics,

what's low and unprincipled about it? You don't think every campaign's doing oppo research or that they try to use it without causing a backlash?

[Renew Deal]

9. And do this all in 5 days

Good Luck!

[Bullet1987]

14. Exactly

When Clinton did it, he had much more time to work with.

[rucky]

10. No policy discussion?

With the second-tier DOA, I can see where this is all going.

[MethuenProgressive]

11. "New Hampshire, rude remarks as as welcome as questions and answers."

New Hampshire people aren't shy. At a Paul Tsongas event years back I remember a senior ending her question to him with "..and skip the bullshit." And him strating his answer with, "OK lady, no bullshit..." :thumbsup:

[Rock_Garden]

12. Since I trust her to run the country, I trust her campaign choices, as well.

Iowa was just a scratch. Ever onward!

[Rosa Luxemburg]

44. she would be a good President too

in fact all of the front runners would be OK

[rocktivity]

15. "Find some way to go negative against Obama."

How ironic that Hillary's having the same problem with Obama the Rethugs don't want to have: not enough to attack him with politically. Swiftboat-style personal attacks like the madrassah smear are only going look desparate and pathetic. Why do you think the Rethugs want Hillary to win?

:rofl:
rocknation

[cosmik debris]

16. #3 is a BAD idea.

#4 is lazy excuses.

#5 is idle speculation.

#6 Huh? third place Hillary vs. third place McCain? WTF?

#7 a pity party for people who want a gender war--that's not a winner.

Sounds like desperate times call for desperate measures.

[Sparkly]

17. Clinton and McCain are currently in 1st in NH. nt

[cosmik debris]

19. Clinton used to be in first in Iowa. n/t

[Cameron27]

20. Clinton never expected to be first in Iowa.

[cosmik debris]

22. The expectation game does not trump reality. n/t

[Cameron27]

23. It wasn't an attempt to lower expectations,

the Clinton camp was hoping for a win but not expecting one. Coming in third was unexpected.

[Sparkly]

27. I'm just explaining why they're looking to contrast with McCain. nt

[cosmik debris]

30. And I'm just saying that it is not a productive strategy

to run against someone who is not on the same ballot that she is on. She may as well run against Saddam Hussein.

[Bitwit1234]

21. One thing they can't bus students to up the total they will have

to be registered, legal voters.

[aquart]

25. And, hopefully, actual Democrats?

[Cameron27]

28. YES!

[aquart]

42. No. I looked it up. They let independents vote.

The wishy washy fence sitters get to decide OUR fate.

[SoxFan]

29. Suck it, Bitwit

It was HILLARY'S staffers who used phony addresses to vote in the Manchester municipal elections in a sad little effort to defeat Obama supporters running for the city council and school board.

It failed miserably, by the way. The only two candidates to upset incumbents were both Obama supporters.

[dionysus]

38. you mean the students that are legally allowed to vote?

why are you pushing a lie?

[aquart]

24. I don't see quotes around the "game plan."

Sounds like his opinion of what Hillary and her campaign will do.

[DrFunkenstein]

26. Obama Vs. McCain - That I Would LOVE to See

Obama as the youthful turn-the-page guy vs. crusty old, old, old McCain who walked through Baghdad with a virtual armada talking about how great everything is. That is a contest I would heartily welcome.

In fact, Obama would kick the ass of every GOP candidate by a healthy margin by bringing in independents and fed-up Republicans looking for something new and a renewed sense of unity for the country.

[Sulawesi]

31. That dog won't hunt...

Somebody, anybody, explain to me how this is different from what she tried to do in Iowa. They are just counting on NH being a different place. I expect we'll see some movement in these polls toward Obama, and rightly so.

[violynn19]

33. women in Iowa

I think that the fact Hillary was not the leader in Iowa has nothing to do with the history of not electing women to major offices in Iowa, but rather everything to do with Iowans feeling that SHE is just NOT THE WOMAN FOR THE JOB. As for the history of not electing a woman to one of those top spots, since I've been able to vote in Iowa I have never seen any woman run for a top spot that I thought was THE ONE FOR THE JOB. I think playing the gender card is just an excuse here, because as an Iowa voter I did not caucus for a woman, a black man, or a white man...I caucused for an INDIVIDUAL that I thought could best lead this country.

As far as negative ads, if I'd had to listen to negative ad after negative ad for the last ten months I can guarantee you I would have closed my mind to all of it and not even bothered to caucus. Negative ads only serve to give the uninformed public ammunition to argue points of interest with half the facts or skewed facts at best.

I think Hillary could benefit more from acknowledging those who serve her, such as the "lowly" Iowa State Troopers that provided escorts to get her safely from one destination to another, as well as the Secret Service agents who are there to protect her on a daily basis, all of whom are prepared to put their lives on the line to save her life (as though more significant than their own). Sure, it is their job, but a simple "thank you" goes a long way. Perhaps someone should have clued her into the fact that the state trooper is also an Iowa voter whom could have been a potential supporter. All it takes is for someone like her to get out of the car she is in and turn and wave to them (Obama would actually walk down the line of his police escorts and shake their hands and thank them personally). That goes a long way. Because she is too high and mighty to even do that though, all it took was one trooper to tell his family members, who in turn all told everyone with whom they talked politics, and soon word had spread that she does not respect the "little people". Bravo Hillary! Bravo! Perhaps she should hire a new strategist.

[Cameron27]

36. How do you know that she didn't thank the state troppers?

[BenDavid]

35. As long as you obama people do not call em racist.

[Sulawesi]

37. huh?

[no name no slogan]

41. VIDEO of plan released

HERE

[Quixote1818]

43. I would much rather see Obama against McCain. Hillary constantly loses to McCain. nt

[calteacherguy]

45. Sounds like a reasonable plan. I hope she really, really stresses point #3. nt