Campaign Sources: Chelsea Clinton May Have to Tell HRC to Quit

[oldpol]

Chelsea Clinton may have to tell Hillary to quit
By Tim Shipman in Washington
Last Updated: 2:33PM BST 5/10/2008
Chelsea Clinton has emerged as the key confidante her mother will consult when she makes a decision about when and how to abandon her presidential bid.

Senior aides to Mrs Clinton have told friends that they believe the former first daughter now has a vital role to play in helping her come to terms with the reality that her once “inevitable” candidacy has fallen short.

Concerned Democrats, who want Mrs Clinton to acknowledge that the electoral maths are stacked against her, have long debated the question: “Who will tell her to quit?”

The dominance of the family in the Democratic Party for almost two decades has left few elder politicians with the clout to intervene.

Conventional wisdom has it that husband Bill will take her aside because continuing may impair her chances of making another bid for the presidency in 2012.

But several of those in the upper echelons of the campaign believe that the decision would be best made in conjunction with Chelsea rather than the former president.

One senior Clinton aide told a close friend last week that Mr Clinton has too much personally invested in the campaign to make a rational judgment.

Aides believe he wants to win as much as his wife does, to cement his own legacy and secure a political obituary that is not dominated by the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

They think that explains his temperamental behaviour on the election trail, which has backfired on several occasions with claims at one point that he played the race card against Barack Obama.

The friend recalled the Clinton aide’s argument like this: “Chelsea is the key to this. Everyone has always said that Bill will be the one to take her aside, but he is too emotionally involved. You’ve seen that throughout the campaign. He’s too close to it to make the best judgment sometimes.”

By contrast Chelsea, whose role as an advocate for her mother, or surrogate in the US political terminology, has grown dramatically in recent weeks, is seen as someone with political savvy, but not a personal investment in the campaign.

“She started out not saying a word and by the end she was Hillary’s best surrogate,” the friend said. “They have been through a lot together and Hillary respects her judgment.

“In the end it will be Hillary who makes the decision, but Chelsea may be even more important than Bill in helping her to come to terms with it.”

The close bond between mother and daughter was in evidence on Saturday as Chelsea joined Mrs Clinton for a fundraising event to mark the US Mother’s Day.

Chelsea also sent an email to supporters of Mrs Clinton containing a 90 second internet advert extolling her virtues, which you can see here on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c7Z_A9ERvo

In her email, she says: “Thank you again for your support of the person I am so proud to call my mom.”

In the video, she recalls how her mother was running for things long before she ran for president. “She’d run straight home from work to ensure we had dinner together every night and to help me with your homework. She’d run to my school if I was sick and needed to be at home with my mum taking care of me.”

She concludes: “I want to wish every mother out there a happy mother’s day and remember your little girls can be anything they want to be in America when they grow up, even if it’s to be the second woman president.”

It may soon be Chelsea’s task to persuade her mother that she cannot be the first, at least not this year
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/1943917/US-elections-Barack-Obama-plans-to-declare-victory.html

[nomorewhopper]

1. chelsea seems like a smart girl, lets hope she still has the ability to think clearly

[mmonk]

2. Gosh, that's a lot to put on her.

[gkhouston]

49. She's an adult. So is Hillary. Why does Hillary need to have someone

tell her this -- shouldn't she be able to discern for herself when it's time to step out?

[roguevalley]

64. she's obsessed. not exactly thinking straight. also, they come from

a strata that doesn't take no for an answer. no is for the little people.

[Blue_Roses]

3. oh, good grief...

this article is ridiculous. Hillary is not going to listen to Chelsea or anybody else.

[writes3000]

4. "Mr Clinton has too much personally invested in the campaign to make a rational judgment."

That has been alarming evident for quite awhile.

I blame HIM for much of the tenor of her campaign.

[w13rd0]

5. Wait...

...are we going to spin this as a "Mothers Day" concession? Actually, not a bad way to go out maybe. I dunno. But hell, points for inventiveness if that's the case.

[MannyGoldstein]

6. Then Chelsea Can Grab A Rifle And Go To Iraq

Since she thinks the war is such a grand idea.

[cboy4]

7. Nice!

:thumbsdown:

[MannyGoldstein]

10. You Don't Think She Should Back Up Her Tough Talk?

She's the right age, and healthy, and she thinks it's a great idea. She can afford the economic hit of taking a few years off from her hedge fund.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

14. Can You Please Provide Me A Citation

Can you please provide me a citation for your claim that Chelsea said the Iraq War is a "great idea".

Thank you in advance

[MannyGoldstein]

19. How Could She Be Against The War And Shill For Her Mother?

It was the most important vote in decades, and unlike most elected Democrats, Hillary voted to attack. Hillary has continued to say that she made the correct call. I can't imagine how someone could be feverishly pro-Clinton and not be in favor of the invasion of Iraq - it would be like being in favor of hamburgers but being against meat.

[The Night Owl]

20. Lie. {EOM}

[cboy4]

24. Yup, it's a lie all right.

:puke:

[MannyGoldstein]

27. Can You Be Specific?

If I'm wrong, I'd like to know.

[The Night Owl]

34. Sure. Arguing that a vote in favor of the IWR was a vote in favor of war is like...

...arguing that a license to own and use a weapon is a license to murder.

[EFerrari]

37. No, it's not. The Iraq WAR Resolution authorized the USE of force.

"Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002".

[The Night Owl]

39. So, according to your reasoning, authorizing a police officer to use force is...

...tantanmount to authorizing the officer to commit illegal acts of violence. What nonsense.

[EFerrari]

40. Your comparision is nonsense. Our armed forces are not beat cops. n/t

[MannyGoldstein]

42. So Why Did Most Congressional Democrats Vote Against The IWR? [nt]

[The Night Owl]

43. The Congressional Democrats who voted against the IWR did so...

...because they understood that giving George W. Bush any kind of power is a bad idea.

Look... I'm not suggesting that Hillary Clinton's vote in favor of the IWR was not a mistake. What I'm saying is that it was not a vote for war.

[speedoo]

45. How are you not contradicting yourself with that post?

Of course Congrrsional Democrats knew that giving George W. Bush any kind of power was a bad idea. Hillary knew it too, and that's why her vote for the IWR was a vote for war.

[MagickMuffin]

58. Bad analogy, police officers DO use their weapons to make "Illegal Acts of Violence"

They do it ALL the time. I should know because my BIL told me this as being the case. And if you know your history, then you would realize that when a civilian is gunned down by law enforcers and their defense is "I thought he had a gun" after asking the victim to show ID, and then the enforcers makes the claim that they thought the wallet was a gun, is dishonest to say the least.

[MannyGoldstein]

38. Most Americans Knew What The Vote Was About

At a poll taken around the time of the vote, roughly 2/3rds of those sampled responded that Bush had already made up his mind to attack Iraq. Moreover, most Democrats in Congress voted against the resolution - why did they?

[tabasco]

44. Hahahahahahahahaha!

Anyone who thought madman Bush was going to use diplomacy is too stupid to hold public office above the dog catcher level.

[roguevalley]

65. without that cover, bush wouldn't have done it. you can spin that

from here to hell and gone and you will be wrong. she helped enable a war and its blood on her hands. Its probably the thing that doomed her sorry ass.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

21. Is Your Argument

Is your argument that Chelsea disown her mother and not campaign for her because she made a vote she presumably disagrees with?

And does that extend to every Democrat, of which there were many that voted for the Iraq War Resolution?

[MannyGoldstein]

26. I Wouldn't Expect Her To Disown Or To Not Love Her Mother

But, if she were against the war, she would not seek to give her mother more opportunities to get enormous numbers of people killed without remotely-reasonable cause.

That does go for the other elected democrats who voted for war - they should be fired, not elevated. Most elected Democrats voted against it, there's no good excuse for getting it wrong.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

28. Did You Object To John Kerry's Daughters Campaigning For Him In 2004?

Their positions on Iraq were virtually indistinguishable...

[MannyGoldstein]

31. I Generally Objected To Kerry

There was a big difference though - Kerry had acknowledged that his vote was wrong. This didn't make him fit for the presidency in my opinion, but it's a mitigating factor that made his daughters' support a bit more palatable.

[dsc]

46. did you say this about Kerry's or Edward's daughters

I bet not.

[MagickMuffin]

55. Bad analogy, I DO love hamburgers and I'm against meat, I make soy burgers

They're DEEEEElicious.

[cboy4]

23. MannyGoldstein will be unsuccessful in accommodating

your request DSB, because such a citation does not exist.

They will stop at nothing.

[speedoo]

33. Can't give you such a citation, however...

Chelsea was arrogant and dismissive when questioned by a student who criticized Hillary's IWR vote:

"She voted based on the best evidence at the time. Perhaps you had clairvoyance, and that's extraordinary."

OK, it's only one quote, probably reflecting some immaturity and defensiveness, and I don't think anyone really knows her actual views on the subject. But I lost some respect for Chelsea when she said that. Not just for the silly "clairvoyance" comment, but for her false assertion concerning "best evidence".

[MannyGoldstein]

36. I Wonder How The Clintons Feel About Those Who Voted Against The War

Traitors? Naive?

[rodeodance]

22. Stop the LIES--where do you got off saying Chelsea thinks war is a 'grand idea"!!!

.......Since she thinks the war is such a grand idea.

[MannyGoldstein]

30. How On Earth Else Could She Possibly Think Her Mother Is Fit To Be President?

Assuming that Chelsea is of sound mind, it stands to reason that she must be in favor of her mother's stand on what was, far and away, the most important vote of Hillary's life.

[rodeodance]

41. Chelsea is smart. She, like other Hillary supporters believe in her strong polices and her

ability to enact them.

[Shae]

35. where did you get that idea?

[mmonk]

8. Seems a little unfair to Chelsea to me.

I hope it doesn't come down to that.

[rocktivity]

9. Source: "Senior aides to Mrs Clinton (who) have told friends..."

Mother's Day pathos peddling--a new variation on Hillary's crying game?

:boring:
rocknation

[CreekDog]

11. And Chelsea has acted with class and dignity throughout

unlike the other two, I'm sorry to say.

[BeyondGeography]

12. Compared with Bill on this particular matter, there's no question she is the grown-up in the room

He seems just as stuck, if not moreso, on returning to the White House as Hillary.

[gateley]

13. Boy, that would be tough.

You can see the love Chelsea has for her parents. I don't understand how she could be viewed as not being too invested in the outcome. I sure would be if it was my mom. I hope this story is BS --

[EmeraldCityGrl]

15. The dynamics in this family are fascinating

I can't wait to read the book someday.

[CreekDog]

16. A Clinton aide that tells her to drop out would not be considered "loyal"

she only keeps "loyal" folks around her, if they question her, they are not needed.

but she can't "fire" her daughter (not that she would).

this is my take. i have never liked that her advisors are sycophantic.

[Jennicut]

17. That is a lot of pressure to put on a 27 year old. This is Hillary's decision.

She has to make it on her own.

[oldpol]

25. who will tell her otherwise? McGovern tried the other day...

Jimmy Carter is the only other elder left with such stature

[The Night Owl]

18. Murdoch... discard. {EOM}

[JBoy]

29. This story read like a piece on Entertainment Tonight

I think Britney's mom is the only one who can get through to her.

[Beregond2]

32. I have nothing against Chelsea.

God knows she has grown up under pressures that most of can't imagine, and has always conducted herself well. But when she makes statements like: "...your little girls can be anything they want to be in America when they grow up" I have to laugh. What does she know about the lives of typical little girls in America? She was handed a 900K a year job with a hedge fund because her name is Clinton.

It is absurd for people to be suggesting that Hillary needs someone close to her to bring her back to reality. She isn't deluded. She knows exactly what the situation is; she just doesn't care.

[Lady-Damai]

47. Weirdly enough... I like Chelsea but not her parents.

[SoCalDem]

48. That ALONE tells me that she was never "fit" to be president

If her own judgement is so clouded by hubris & entitlement, that she cannot see that she's lost...and she needs her daughter to tell her to quit....that's she's become a national embarrassment?..that's beyond pathetic..

and not in the LEAST "role-model"ish...reminiscent of too many Moms who stay with "dad" until finally the teenaged kids (the reason why she SAID she stayed all those years) finally tell her to LEAVE the BASTARD..

not a role model for feminsists or young women..

[Cha]

51. Precisely.. It's so evident

that this primary has brought to fore hilary's worst failings and we would have had to live through four years of that after 8 years of bush.

Time for the USA to get to the business of changing our Karma.

[anonymous171]

50. God, I hate dynasties. So much drama.

[LaurenG]

52. I really don't like this article. I can't stand that the world thinks that Senator

Clinton needs to "come to terms" with anything. For some reason this just pressed all my buttons.

Senator Clinton does not strike me as someone who looks to her child for "advice". I think she knows she's in hot water but wants to see if anything will change at the last minute. I don't blame her. :shrug:

My biggest regret is that she allowed her campaign to take such a negative and stupid twist downward. I hope everyone remembers who her strategists, handlers and advisor's were because I blame them for letting her screw herself so badly.

[Mooney]

53. The buck stops at her own desk.

Her campaign was full of incompetent fuck-ups, and nobody would dispute that. But the fact that she didn't seriously re-tool after Super Tuesday, and the fact that she has never fired Mark Penn say more about her than it says about anyone else.

That she would keep on a chief strategist who didn't know how delegates are apportioned in the Democratic primaries speaks volumes. That she would keep on a chief strategist that who saw no problem with not contesting caucus states --- arguably the whole reason that Obama has the delegate lead that she can't overcome --- speaks volumes.

[LaurenG]

54. I do agree that the buck stops with her

I just feel badly about this. What a freaking shame.

[Mooney]

67. It's beyond tragic.

And it flies in the face of every admirable quality that I always believed she possessed. Bill's behavior on the campaign trail falls into that category too.

Like almost everyone else on this board, I'm sure, I voted for Bill Clinton twice and defended him to the death against the any and all freeptards for the past 16 years. When Hillary Clinton ran for the senate I knew it was a stepping stone to the presidency, but I had no problem with that, since I assumed, like a lot of people, that she would make an extremely competent and capable executive.

And now, after just four months of primary, I have to really wonder what the hell happened to these people. I also have to consider the possibility that maybe I was always wrong about them. They fucked up her campaign on such a rudimentary level it's absolutely shocking. How could they just write off the caucus states? Or the red states? It's fucking mind-boggling.

[L0oniX]

56. This OP is clearly a huge waste of web space. Save the web space environment ...please recycle.

[VotesForWomen]

57. yeah, i so believe this story. not..

[Ezekielgabriel]

59. Huh? This looks like an opinion piece

How is it a breaking news when someone thinks the daughter of a politician "has" to tell her to quit?

[LaurenG]

60. Doh! That was fast!

:bye:

[Arrowhead2k1]

61. BS.

Somebody is trying to prop up Chelsea's image to begin to jumpstart her political career. She's the Clinton dynasty's next hope.

[ShortnFiery]

62. Wow! HRC is so intimidating it would be HELL working FOR her in the WH.

We need a President whom you can "tell it straight to" without getting fired.

Abraham Lincoln MADE SURE to surround himself with advisers who could be "adversarial" ... even some that were secretly jealous of his talents but who could "bring something to the table" that was not in Lincoln's background.

The massive Clintonian Egos involved have made them BOTH unapproachable.

Now that's a tragedy. :(

[Lord Helmet]

63. OK but who's going to tell Chelsea?

[Clear Blue Sky]

66. Someone will have to tell her...