"Novak disclosed that his source for the story was not anyone close to Clinton but rather, someone who was "told by an agent of the Clinton campaign" about the alleged dirt. Got that? So Novak was not privy to the dirt itself, nor did he talk to Clinton's people. Rather, he heard it from someone who had heard it from someone else. Another secondary source, Novak went on to say, claimed to have heard the same thing. Fact-checking = completed."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/11/19/novak-admits-smear-column_n_73274.html
Monday, November 19, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Chicago Sun-Times: Lynn Sweet: Obama, Clinton clash over Novak item. The dish on dirt.
Sweet column: Obama, Clinton clash over Novak item. The dish on dirt.
LAS VEGAS -- Triggered by an item in Bob Novak's Sunday column suggesting that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has dirt on Sen. Barack Obama but won't use it, Obama's campaign Saturday accused Clinton's team of using "Swift boat" tactics against him.
Clinton's camp swung back, denying they were spreading rumors about Obama or that they planted information with Novak, wondering why Obama would want to fall into a "Republican trap" to "pit Democrats against Democrats."
Starting an unusual series of heated exchanges between the two front-running presidential campaigns was a three paragraph item in Novak's Sunday Chicago Sun-Times column that says "agents of Sen. Hillary Clinton are spreading the word in Democratic circles that she has scandalous information about her principal opponent for the party's presidential nomination, Sen. Barack Obama, but has decided not to use it. The nature of the alleged scandal was not disclosed."
Obama sent out an e-mail calling on the Clinton campaign to renounce the item, which he said was "heavy on innuendo and insinuation," adding, "The cause of change in this country will not be deterred or sidetracked by the old 'Swift boat' politics.
The 2004 White House campaign of Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) was savaged by TV ads undermining his military career, funded by a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.
A reason the Obama campaign went on the offensive -- or that any campaign might -- could be to protect itself from material that could surface later.
Clinton spokesman Jay Carson, in Las Vegas where Clinton was stumping, said "a Democratic candidate should be smart enough not to fall into a trap that he has set to pit Democrats against Democrats . . . if you don't know how to avoid that in a primary, you are going to be in a world of hurt in a general election."
Carson said they had no idea what Novak, whom he called a "Republican-leaning columnist" was referring to.
"Let's think about this rationally for a second. Do you really think Bob Novak will be the repository of information from the Clinton campaign?" Carson said.
Novak, asked to react, said neither he nor his source, who he said was a Democrat, have any more information. Novak said his source passed along what he was told "by people inside the Clinton campaign. It was not specified what it was, and it was said to a Democratic source. Clinton would not reveal it because she is such a good person."
Obama campaign manager David Plouffe, in a second communique from the campaign, demanded that the Clinton team say if "they have 'scandalous' information" they are not releasing. "Yes or no?"
"No and no," Carson said.
Plouffe replied that Obama's team will take the Clinton campaign "at their word ... But what we don't accept is their assertion that this is somehow falling for Republican tricks."
Prodding along negative stories is commonplace in hotly contested races. Obama's presidential campaign "scored a significant hit" against Clinton "by helping to place" a story about tainted Democratic donor Norman Hsu, according to an article about Obama in the December issue of the Atlantic.
The story, titled "Teacher and Apprentice" by associate editor Marc Ambinder, describes how Obama campaign staffers were "frustrated" because the press was not covering Clinton "in the way they expected it would."
http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2007/11/sweet_column_obama_clinton_cla.html
LAS VEGAS -- Triggered by an item in Bob Novak's Sunday column suggesting that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has dirt on Sen. Barack Obama but won't use it, Obama's campaign Saturday accused Clinton's team of using "Swift boat" tactics against him.
Clinton's camp swung back, denying they were spreading rumors about Obama or that they planted information with Novak, wondering why Obama would want to fall into a "Republican trap" to "pit Democrats against Democrats."
Starting an unusual series of heated exchanges between the two front-running presidential campaigns was a three paragraph item in Novak's Sunday Chicago Sun-Times column that says "agents of Sen. Hillary Clinton are spreading the word in Democratic circles that she has scandalous information about her principal opponent for the party's presidential nomination, Sen. Barack Obama, but has decided not to use it. The nature of the alleged scandal was not disclosed."
Obama sent out an e-mail calling on the Clinton campaign to renounce the item, which he said was "heavy on innuendo and insinuation," adding, "The cause of change in this country will not be deterred or sidetracked by the old 'Swift boat' politics.
The 2004 White House campaign of Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) was savaged by TV ads undermining his military career, funded by a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.
A reason the Obama campaign went on the offensive -- or that any campaign might -- could be to protect itself from material that could surface later.
Clinton spokesman Jay Carson, in Las Vegas where Clinton was stumping, said "a Democratic candidate should be smart enough not to fall into a trap that he has set to pit Democrats against Democrats . . . if you don't know how to avoid that in a primary, you are going to be in a world of hurt in a general election."
Carson said they had no idea what Novak, whom he called a "Republican-leaning columnist" was referring to.
"Let's think about this rationally for a second. Do you really think Bob Novak will be the repository of information from the Clinton campaign?" Carson said.
Novak, asked to react, said neither he nor his source, who he said was a Democrat, have any more information. Novak said his source passed along what he was told "by people inside the Clinton campaign. It was not specified what it was, and it was said to a Democratic source. Clinton would not reveal it because she is such a good person."
Obama campaign manager David Plouffe, in a second communique from the campaign, demanded that the Clinton team say if "they have 'scandalous' information" they are not releasing. "Yes or no?"
"No and no," Carson said.
Plouffe replied that Obama's team will take the Clinton campaign "at their word ... But what we don't accept is their assertion that this is somehow falling for Republican tricks."
Prodding along negative stories is commonplace in hotly contested races. Obama's presidential campaign "scored a significant hit" against Clinton "by helping to place" a story about tainted Democratic donor Norman Hsu, according to an article about Obama in the December issue of the Atlantic.
The story, titled "Teacher and Apprentice" by associate editor Marc Ambinder, describes how Obama campaign staffers were "frustrated" because the press was not covering Clinton "in the way they expected it would."
http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2007/11/sweet_column_obama_clinton_cla.html
Saturday, November 17, 2007
NY Times: For Clinton, More Time and More Advertising
By JEFF ZELENY
Published: November 18, 2007
DES MOINES, Nov. 17 — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York has nearly doubled the size of her staff in Iowa and has substantially increased her advertising here as her campaign reinforces its effort to prevent Democrats from coalescing around a single alternative to her candidacy.
In the four weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Mrs. Clinton, whose campaign has been on the defensive lately because of her own missteps and increasingly aggressive attacks from her rivals, is moving to double or triple the amount of time she has spent here in recent months. Seldom will a day go by, aides said, when either she or former President Bill Clinton will not be on some patch of Iowa soil trying to solidify her support and win over an unusually high number of uncommitted voters.
“We’re going to begin using all the assets we have,” said Tom Vilsack, a former governor of Iowa who serves as co-chairman of the Clinton campaign. “We haven’t been bashful about asking for the moon here.”
The intense attention is the latest indication of the Clinton campaign’s worry about establishing dominance in Iowa — the opening contest in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination — to match the strength she has shown in national polls. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina have waged spirited campaigns here, taking advantage of what polls suggest is unease with Mrs. Clinton among many voters.
The maneuvering here is critical, because Mrs. Clinton’s aides, along with many Democrats not associated with her campaign, believe that her momentum will be difficult to slow if she wins here; polls suggest that she is strong in New Hampshire. The Clinton campaign has been flying in operatives from across the country to bolster the effort here.
Complicating the matter even more, the campaigns of Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico and Senators Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware and Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut also have the potential to sway the race. If candidates do not reach a 15-percent threshold in each of the 1,784 precinct caucuses on Jan. 3, their supporters make a second choice, a procedure that Mrs. Clinton’s aides fear could favor Mr. Edwards or Mr. Obama.
In the final seven weeks of the race, all campaigns are increasing their efforts here, placing new advertisements and investing more resources. To fight the new push by the Clinton campaign, rivals also are planning to spend nearly all their time in Iowa in December.
While the Obama and Edwards campaigns have been gradually building for months toward this moment, the Clinton campaign has bolstered its activity here in recent weeks, hiring 100 new workers to concentrate on a person-to-person drive to explain the quirky process of the caucuses, with a goal of having 50,000 in-home visits concluded by Christmas.
More than 60 percent of those who have identified themselves as Clinton supporters, senior strategists say, have never participated in the Iowa caucuses. It is a far higher share than the campaign had been anticipating, suggesting that many of the reliable rank-and-file Democrats have chosen another candidate. So the Clinton campaign is working to expand its universe of supporters to women who have never participated.
“No one is going to give Hillary Clinton this nomination,” said Terry McAuliffe, the national chairman of her campaign, who has traveled to Iowa nearly once a week for months. “She’s going to have to earn it.”
By this week, the Clinton campaign had completed opening 34 offices across the state, arriving in many cities more than two months behind the local operatives for Mr. Obama or Mr. Edwards. Last week, the Clinton campaign’s national headquarters sent a top communications operative to Iowa and hired eight deputies charged solely with drumming up media coverage in smaller cities across the state.
The campaign also began running radio advertisements and significantly increased its television commercials, spending $360,000 last week compared with $260,000 two weeks ago.
At the same time, Mr. Clinton is playing an increasingly larger role in Iowa. After never competing in the Iowa caucuses during his own presidential races, Mr. Clinton has sought to learn the nuts and bolts of the system and has studied regions where he believes his appearances could be most helpful.
Mr. Clinton was sent last week to the western Iowa towns of Onawa and Glenwood, where he created a stir and drew a large crowd of local Democrats.
“Clearly they weren’t all there because they support Hillary,” said Kenneth Mertes, the Democratic chairman in Monona County. “But he is a very persuasive speaker and can sway the voters who come to see him just out of curiosity.”
A New York Times/CBS News poll this month found that 38 percent of Iowa voters who are likely to participate in the caucuses said the former president’s involvement in the race would make them more likely to support Mrs. Clinton’s campaign. But 55 percent said it would make no difference in deciding which Democrat to support.
Mr. Clinton is expected to concentrate on rural areas and smaller cities, where campaign aides believe that Mrs. Clinton needs a boost. (A sign on the office door of Teresa Vilmain, the state director of the Clinton campaign, says: “Hillary is needed in rural Iowa.”) Already, Mr. Clinton has helped recruit precinct captains and has worked to persuade small clutches of undecided voters, but aides say his involvement will increase significantly after Thanksgiving.
With new anxieties about Iowa and a sense of heightened importance in the vote’s outcome, the Clinton campaign sent several senior strategists here, including Karen Hicks, who is known as one of the party’s top get-out-the-vote specialists. To compete with the strong organizations of Mr. Edwards and Mr. Obama, the Clinton campaign held a job fair in Washington to recruit many of the 100 new workers, but it remains an open question whether the late influx of young aides will be able to build the relationships with Iowa voters that other campaigns have been working on for months.
The Clinton campaign’s efforts to bolster its organization here come in the wake of a challenging period in the state, with aides conceding to planting questions in Iowa audiences and struggling to explain whether a tip was left for a waitress who served Mrs. Clinton during a recent visit. Three weeks ago, Patti Solis Doyle, the national campaign manager, traveled here to appraise Mrs. Clinton’s efforts. A strategy was devised to have the Clintons — and many high-profile surrogates — blanket the state in December.
Former Senator Bob Kerrey of Nebraska is expected to endorse her candidacy and travel through the state on her behalf in the coming weeks. Former Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri, a presidential candidate four years ago, is also scheduled to spend time in Iowa and urge his former supporters to sign on with Mrs. Clinton.
And when Mrs. Clinton returns to Iowa on Monday, aides said, she will begin concentrating on smaller audiences and intimate sessions with voters in outlying areas of the state. One stop on the itinerary, for example, is Tama, population 2,700.
“At the beginning, she didn’t understand the whole notion of relationship building,” said Mr. Vilsack, who often travels the state with Mrs. Clinton and introduces her to voters. “She now gets it. She now understands the psyche of this process.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/us/politics/18dems.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
Published: November 18, 2007
DES MOINES, Nov. 17 — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York has nearly doubled the size of her staff in Iowa and has substantially increased her advertising here as her campaign reinforces its effort to prevent Democrats from coalescing around a single alternative to her candidacy.
In the four weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Mrs. Clinton, whose campaign has been on the defensive lately because of her own missteps and increasingly aggressive attacks from her rivals, is moving to double or triple the amount of time she has spent here in recent months. Seldom will a day go by, aides said, when either she or former President Bill Clinton will not be on some patch of Iowa soil trying to solidify her support and win over an unusually high number of uncommitted voters.
“We’re going to begin using all the assets we have,” said Tom Vilsack, a former governor of Iowa who serves as co-chairman of the Clinton campaign. “We haven’t been bashful about asking for the moon here.”
The intense attention is the latest indication of the Clinton campaign’s worry about establishing dominance in Iowa — the opening contest in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination — to match the strength she has shown in national polls. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina have waged spirited campaigns here, taking advantage of what polls suggest is unease with Mrs. Clinton among many voters.
The maneuvering here is critical, because Mrs. Clinton’s aides, along with many Democrats not associated with her campaign, believe that her momentum will be difficult to slow if she wins here; polls suggest that she is strong in New Hampshire. The Clinton campaign has been flying in operatives from across the country to bolster the effort here.
Complicating the matter even more, the campaigns of Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico and Senators Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware and Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut also have the potential to sway the race. If candidates do not reach a 15-percent threshold in each of the 1,784 precinct caucuses on Jan. 3, their supporters make a second choice, a procedure that Mrs. Clinton’s aides fear could favor Mr. Edwards or Mr. Obama.
In the final seven weeks of the race, all campaigns are increasing their efforts here, placing new advertisements and investing more resources. To fight the new push by the Clinton campaign, rivals also are planning to spend nearly all their time in Iowa in December.
While the Obama and Edwards campaigns have been gradually building for months toward this moment, the Clinton campaign has bolstered its activity here in recent weeks, hiring 100 new workers to concentrate on a person-to-person drive to explain the quirky process of the caucuses, with a goal of having 50,000 in-home visits concluded by Christmas.
More than 60 percent of those who have identified themselves as Clinton supporters, senior strategists say, have never participated in the Iowa caucuses. It is a far higher share than the campaign had been anticipating, suggesting that many of the reliable rank-and-file Democrats have chosen another candidate. So the Clinton campaign is working to expand its universe of supporters to women who have never participated.
“No one is going to give Hillary Clinton this nomination,” said Terry McAuliffe, the national chairman of her campaign, who has traveled to Iowa nearly once a week for months. “She’s going to have to earn it.”
By this week, the Clinton campaign had completed opening 34 offices across the state, arriving in many cities more than two months behind the local operatives for Mr. Obama or Mr. Edwards. Last week, the Clinton campaign’s national headquarters sent a top communications operative to Iowa and hired eight deputies charged solely with drumming up media coverage in smaller cities across the state.
The campaign also began running radio advertisements and significantly increased its television commercials, spending $360,000 last week compared with $260,000 two weeks ago.
At the same time, Mr. Clinton is playing an increasingly larger role in Iowa. After never competing in the Iowa caucuses during his own presidential races, Mr. Clinton has sought to learn the nuts and bolts of the system and has studied regions where he believes his appearances could be most helpful.
Mr. Clinton was sent last week to the western Iowa towns of Onawa and Glenwood, where he created a stir and drew a large crowd of local Democrats.
“Clearly they weren’t all there because they support Hillary,” said Kenneth Mertes, the Democratic chairman in Monona County. “But he is a very persuasive speaker and can sway the voters who come to see him just out of curiosity.”
A New York Times/CBS News poll this month found that 38 percent of Iowa voters who are likely to participate in the caucuses said the former president’s involvement in the race would make them more likely to support Mrs. Clinton’s campaign. But 55 percent said it would make no difference in deciding which Democrat to support.
Mr. Clinton is expected to concentrate on rural areas and smaller cities, where campaign aides believe that Mrs. Clinton needs a boost. (A sign on the office door of Teresa Vilmain, the state director of the Clinton campaign, says: “Hillary is needed in rural Iowa.”) Already, Mr. Clinton has helped recruit precinct captains and has worked to persuade small clutches of undecided voters, but aides say his involvement will increase significantly after Thanksgiving.
With new anxieties about Iowa and a sense of heightened importance in the vote’s outcome, the Clinton campaign sent several senior strategists here, including Karen Hicks, who is known as one of the party’s top get-out-the-vote specialists. To compete with the strong organizations of Mr. Edwards and Mr. Obama, the Clinton campaign held a job fair in Washington to recruit many of the 100 new workers, but it remains an open question whether the late influx of young aides will be able to build the relationships with Iowa voters that other campaigns have been working on for months.
The Clinton campaign’s efforts to bolster its organization here come in the wake of a challenging period in the state, with aides conceding to planting questions in Iowa audiences and struggling to explain whether a tip was left for a waitress who served Mrs. Clinton during a recent visit. Three weeks ago, Patti Solis Doyle, the national campaign manager, traveled here to appraise Mrs. Clinton’s efforts. A strategy was devised to have the Clintons — and many high-profile surrogates — blanket the state in December.
Former Senator Bob Kerrey of Nebraska is expected to endorse her candidacy and travel through the state on her behalf in the coming weeks. Former Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri, a presidential candidate four years ago, is also scheduled to spend time in Iowa and urge his former supporters to sign on with Mrs. Clinton.
And when Mrs. Clinton returns to Iowa on Monday, aides said, she will begin concentrating on smaller audiences and intimate sessions with voters in outlying areas of the state. One stop on the itinerary, for example, is Tama, population 2,700.
“At the beginning, she didn’t understand the whole notion of relationship building,” said Mr. Vilsack, who often travels the state with Mrs. Clinton and introduces her to voters. “She now gets it. She now understands the psyche of this process.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/us/politics/18dems.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
The Fact Hub: Obama Campaign Tactics
Obama Campaign Tactics
Today, Sen. Barack Obama echoed Republican talking points by repeating a totally false claim by Republican Bob Novak about the tactics of the Clinton campaign.
It might be a good time for Sen. Obama to take a look at the tactics of his own campaign.
The Obama campaign pedaled an opposition research document, titled Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-Punjab), attacking Hillary for her ties to the Indian-American community:
Senator Barack Obama disavowed the document his campaign aimed at Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton last week, saying today that it was "stupid and caustic." The headline of one of the documents, which referred to Mrs. Clinton as 'D-Punjab,' touched off a furor among Indian-American groups that called on Mr. Obama to apologize for the remarks. [New York Times, 6/18/07]
The Obama campaign made a false attack on Bill Clinton:
More Obama oppo is online today, including a detailed document on Bill Clinton and Ron Burkle (.pdf) and a story, which turned out to be false, about Bill Clinton giving a paid speech on 9/11/06. [The Politico, 6/15/07]
The Obama campaign took credit for placing stories attacking Hillary regarding Norman Hsu:
In August, Obama’s team scored a significant hit by helping to place a story in several newspapers revealing that Norman Hsu, a major Clinton donor, had skipped town after having pleaded no contest to a charge of grand theft 15 years earlier and still faced an outstanding warrant... (Hsu had also contributed to Obama.) [Atlantic Monthly, 12/2007]
The Obama campaign was 'digging for damaging facts' at the Clinton library:
How far is the money being spread? The Obama campaign spent $27 at the Arkansas state archives and $9.30 at the Clinton library, digging for damaging facts on Clinton. Asked what Team Obama found, spokeswoman Jen Psaki conceded, "Not much." [New York Daily News, 10/17/07]
The Obama campaign's communications director compiled a list of opposition research stories on Hillary that he was pitching to reporters:
I couldn’t help but notice some of what he had scrawled on a whiteboard hanging on his wall:
HC Bio > NY Post
HC Travel (AP?)
Tax Returns (Balz?)
Darfur investments (HF)
JE 527
HC is, of course, Hillary Clinton...These were obviously notes about stories the campaign was pushing or anticipating...'"
Today, Sen. Barack Obama echoed Republican talking points by repeating a totally false claim by Republican Bob Novak about the tactics of the Clinton campaign.
It might be a good time for Sen. Obama to take a look at the tactics of his own campaign.
The Obama campaign pedaled an opposition research document, titled Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-Punjab), attacking Hillary for her ties to the Indian-American community:
Senator Barack Obama disavowed the document his campaign aimed at Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton last week, saying today that it was "stupid and caustic." The headline of one of the documents, which referred to Mrs. Clinton as 'D-Punjab,' touched off a furor among Indian-American groups that called on Mr. Obama to apologize for the remarks. [New York Times, 6/18/07]
The Obama campaign made a false attack on Bill Clinton:
More Obama oppo is online today, including a detailed document on Bill Clinton and Ron Burkle (.pdf) and a story, which turned out to be false, about Bill Clinton giving a paid speech on 9/11/06. [The Politico, 6/15/07]
The Obama campaign took credit for placing stories attacking Hillary regarding Norman Hsu:
In August, Obama’s team scored a significant hit by helping to place a story in several newspapers revealing that Norman Hsu, a major Clinton donor, had skipped town after having pleaded no contest to a charge of grand theft 15 years earlier and still faced an outstanding warrant... (Hsu had also contributed to Obama.) [Atlantic Monthly, 12/2007]
The Obama campaign was 'digging for damaging facts' at the Clinton library:
How far is the money being spread? The Obama campaign spent $27 at the Arkansas state archives and $9.30 at the Clinton library, digging for damaging facts on Clinton. Asked what Team Obama found, spokeswoman Jen Psaki conceded, "Not much." [New York Daily News, 10/17/07]
The Obama campaign's communications director compiled a list of opposition research stories on Hillary that he was pitching to reporters:
I couldn’t help but notice some of what he had scrawled on a whiteboard hanging on his wall:
HC Bio > NY Post
HC Travel (AP?)
Tax Returns (Balz?)
Darfur investments (HF)
JE 527
HC is, of course, Hillary Clinton...These were obviously notes about stories the campaign was pushing or anticipating...'"
Talk Left: Final Thoughts: Who Won The Nevada Debate?
Final Thoughts: Who Won The Nevada Debate?
By Jeralyn, Section Elections 2008
Posted on Fri Nov 16, 2007 at 01:10:00 AM EST
Headlines after the debate: Clinton Sparkles in Vegas Debate (Guardian); Hillary Makes a Recovery in Las Vegas Debate (CNN); Hillary Shows She Can Take a Punch in Vegas Debate (San Francisco Chronicle); Clinton Calls and Raises in Vegas Debate (CBS News); Hillary Takes Aggressive Tack Against Rivals (International Herald Tribune); Clinton Swings Back Against Rivals (Boston Globe); Hillary Hits Back (Washington Post). After Rough Few Weeks, Hillary Clinton Gives Strong Debate Performance (ABC News).
Obama falters Over Illegal Immigrants (New York Sun); MSNBC: "Richardson, btw, had one of his better performances, possibly his best. Dodd didn't get a lot of time but when he did speak, he seemed to be on message."
My thoughts on the debate:
Winners: Hillary, Dodd, Richardson.
Waffler: Obama playing slip and slide on drivers' licenses for the undocumented. Four chances and wouldn't answer the question.
Least likely to have gained new support: Edwards. But he gave a great answer in response to a question from the audience on racial profiling. Said when he is President, there will be no racial profiling, no illegal spying, no Guantanamo, no torture.
Biden: Displayed a sense of humor, it still doesn't make up for his bad position on issues, particularly on crime. Sample comment: People are afraid their kids are going to run into a drug dealer on the way to school.
More --and a poll -- below the Fold
Kucinich: A little too angry tonight, but deserves praise for taking on Wolf for calling the undocumented "illegal." Best line on why he was the only one who voted against the Patriot Act: "Because I read it."
Favorite political line: Hillary saying she understands they're attacking her not because she's a woman but because she's ahead.
Favorite issue answer: Bill Richardson on drivers' licenses for the undocumented, "I've done it." "We should stop demonizing immigrants."
Who do you think won? Reminder: There are no losers because every one of these Democrats are better than the alternatives Republicans are offering.
http://www.talkleft.com/story/2007/11/16/1625/4522
By Jeralyn, Section Elections 2008
Posted on Fri Nov 16, 2007 at 01:10:00 AM EST
Headlines after the debate: Clinton Sparkles in Vegas Debate (Guardian); Hillary Makes a Recovery in Las Vegas Debate (CNN); Hillary Shows She Can Take a Punch in Vegas Debate (San Francisco Chronicle); Clinton Calls and Raises in Vegas Debate (CBS News); Hillary Takes Aggressive Tack Against Rivals (International Herald Tribune); Clinton Swings Back Against Rivals (Boston Globe); Hillary Hits Back (Washington Post). After Rough Few Weeks, Hillary Clinton Gives Strong Debate Performance (ABC News).
Obama falters Over Illegal Immigrants (New York Sun); MSNBC: "Richardson, btw, had one of his better performances, possibly his best. Dodd didn't get a lot of time but when he did speak, he seemed to be on message."
My thoughts on the debate:
Winners: Hillary, Dodd, Richardson.
Waffler: Obama playing slip and slide on drivers' licenses for the undocumented. Four chances and wouldn't answer the question.
Least likely to have gained new support: Edwards. But he gave a great answer in response to a question from the audience on racial profiling. Said when he is President, there will be no racial profiling, no illegal spying, no Guantanamo, no torture.
Biden: Displayed a sense of humor, it still doesn't make up for his bad position on issues, particularly on crime. Sample comment: People are afraid their kids are going to run into a drug dealer on the way to school.
More --and a poll -- below the Fold
Kucinich: A little too angry tonight, but deserves praise for taking on Wolf for calling the undocumented "illegal." Best line on why he was the only one who voted against the Patriot Act: "Because I read it."
Favorite political line: Hillary saying she understands they're attacking her not because she's a woman but because she's ahead.
Favorite issue answer: Bill Richardson on drivers' licenses for the undocumented, "I've done it." "We should stop demonizing immigrants."
Who do you think won? Reminder: There are no losers because every one of these Democrats are better than the alternatives Republicans are offering.
http://www.talkleft.com/story/2007/11/16/1625/4522
New Hampshire Union Leader: Bill Clinton urges youth to support Hillary
By DAN TUOHY
New Hampshire Union Leader
MANCHESTER – The Comeback Kid was back in Manchester last night to urge young Democrats to fight for their party and support his wife's presidential bid.
Former President Bill Clinton, the candidate once grilled on MTV about his choice of underwear, called on the younger generation to not only "rock the vote" but also get plugged in and make a difference in their community.
"I'm glad to be here with you because you have the most at stake in this election," Clinton said as he kicked off a convention of the National Young Democrats at the Radisson Hotel Manchester.
The Clinton courtship paid immediate dividends. Gray Chynoweth, president of the New Hampshire Young Democrats, endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton before he introduced the former President.
The New Hampshire Democratic Party is trying to use the three-day summit to build a large grassroots army of volunteers. Chairman Raymond Buckley said the goal is to protect last year's political victories and deliver the state to the Democratic presidential nominee on Nov. 4, 2008.
The convention continues today with workshops and training sessions. Former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis is leading a presentation on grassroots organizing. New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch is among those scheduled to deliver speeches. As many as 700 Democratic activists are estimated to be in Manchester over the three days. The Stonewall Democrats and Eastern Region members of the Democratic National Committee are also participating.
Bill Clinton is not the only spouse speaking to the Young Democrats this weekend -- Elizabeth Edwards is scheduled to speak at noon today -- but there was no second-guessing his star attraction. Clinton, who campaigned earlier in the day in the North Country, rifled through dozens of subjects, some obscure and some universal, from tribal greetings in South Africa to the need for alternative energy.
Former President Bill Clinton speaks at the Radisson in Manchester last night. (DAVID LANE)
"On climate change, there's another 'inconvenient truth' that has to be told," Clinton said, in a salute to Al Gore's documentary by the same name. "We ain't never going to get it done if we make it like swallowing castor oil."
His message was that people have to work together to effect change, regardless of political or cultural differences. Clinton said that, too, is a reason to support his wife: her ability to build consensus.
Clinton cited his 1992 campaign -- when he toughed out a second-place finish in the New Hampshire Presidential Primary and declared himself the Comeback Kid -- as an example of rejecting cynicism and the importance of focusing on the daily trials and tribulations of ordinary people. He noted critics in the media had made fun of him when he said, " I feel your pain."
As he wrapped up his 45-minute address last night, Clinton said he saw a little bit of himself in the fresh-faced crowd.
"I know you're here because you can feel other people's pain," he said.
Conference highlights
The Democrats' conference will include presentations by some of the country's top political experts.
"This conference will bring hundreds of diverse Democrats from around the country to New Hampshire to celebrate the importance of the New Hampshire Primary," said Buckley.
Today begins with an 8 a.m. welcome breakfast at the Radisson Hotel Armory featuring Lynch and 2nd District U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes. Also speaking will be Buckley and Chris Pappas, vice chair of the state party; Klye Bailey, vice chair of the YDA's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Caucus; and Chris Anderson, executive vice president of YDA.
The morning sessions from 9:15 to 11:30 a.m. will include: grassroots organizing, led by Dukakis; becoming a delegate to the national convention, led by Phil McNamara, DNC director of party affairs; and delegate selection and VAN (Voter Activating Network, an online voter data base) training, led by Parag Mehta, DNC director of training.
At noon, a luncheon will be held in the Armory with speakers representing several presidential candidates. Elizabeth Edwards will appear for her husband, John, while Washington U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee will speak for Hillary Clinton and Connecticut U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney will stand in for Chris Dodd.
The afternoon sessions from 1:15 to 2:30 p.m. will include Mehta speaking on "The Plan," which is the party's political ground game for 2008, and Rick Boyland, a Stonewall Democrats board member, who will speak on "Pride in the Party."
From 2:30 to 5 p.m., conference participants will have the opportunity to volunteer for a Presidential candidate's campaign or for a U.S. Senate candidate's campaign.
This evening, the AFL-CIO Labor Reception will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at The Shaskeen, 909 Elm St.
The YDA's Women's Caucus Reception, dubbed "Wonder Women: A Salute to Outstanding Activists and Candidates," will be held from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the Presidential Suite in the Radisson. Special guests are state Senate President Sylvia Larsen, D-Concord, and state House Speaker Terie Norelli, D-Portsmouth.
Tomorrow begins with a continental breakfast in the Armory at 8:30 a.m. with speakers Stew Acuff, national director of organizing for the AFL-CIO, and Pennsylvania U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy representing Presidential candidate Barack Obama.
A workshop from 9:30 to 11 a.m. on the importance of including new media techniques in today's ever-increasing, virtual world will be led by Donnie Fowler, CEO and founder of Cherry Tree Mobile.
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Bill+Clinton+urges+youth+to+support+Hillary&articleId=d53e6e01-ce54-49d9-901e-7e9e608b6548
New Hampshire Union Leader
MANCHESTER – The Comeback Kid was back in Manchester last night to urge young Democrats to fight for their party and support his wife's presidential bid.
Former President Bill Clinton, the candidate once grilled on MTV about his choice of underwear, called on the younger generation to not only "rock the vote" but also get plugged in and make a difference in their community.
"I'm glad to be here with you because you have the most at stake in this election," Clinton said as he kicked off a convention of the National Young Democrats at the Radisson Hotel Manchester.
The Clinton courtship paid immediate dividends. Gray Chynoweth, president of the New Hampshire Young Democrats, endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton before he introduced the former President.
The New Hampshire Democratic Party is trying to use the three-day summit to build a large grassroots army of volunteers. Chairman Raymond Buckley said the goal is to protect last year's political victories and deliver the state to the Democratic presidential nominee on Nov. 4, 2008.
The convention continues today with workshops and training sessions. Former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis is leading a presentation on grassroots organizing. New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch is among those scheduled to deliver speeches. As many as 700 Democratic activists are estimated to be in Manchester over the three days. The Stonewall Democrats and Eastern Region members of the Democratic National Committee are also participating.
Bill Clinton is not the only spouse speaking to the Young Democrats this weekend -- Elizabeth Edwards is scheduled to speak at noon today -- but there was no second-guessing his star attraction. Clinton, who campaigned earlier in the day in the North Country, rifled through dozens of subjects, some obscure and some universal, from tribal greetings in South Africa to the need for alternative energy.
Former President Bill Clinton speaks at the Radisson in Manchester last night. (DAVID LANE)
"On climate change, there's another 'inconvenient truth' that has to be told," Clinton said, in a salute to Al Gore's documentary by the same name. "We ain't never going to get it done if we make it like swallowing castor oil."
His message was that people have to work together to effect change, regardless of political or cultural differences. Clinton said that, too, is a reason to support his wife: her ability to build consensus.
Clinton cited his 1992 campaign -- when he toughed out a second-place finish in the New Hampshire Presidential Primary and declared himself the Comeback Kid -- as an example of rejecting cynicism and the importance of focusing on the daily trials and tribulations of ordinary people. He noted critics in the media had made fun of him when he said, " I feel your pain."
As he wrapped up his 45-minute address last night, Clinton said he saw a little bit of himself in the fresh-faced crowd.
"I know you're here because you can feel other people's pain," he said.
Conference highlights
The Democrats' conference will include presentations by some of the country's top political experts.
"This conference will bring hundreds of diverse Democrats from around the country to New Hampshire to celebrate the importance of the New Hampshire Primary," said Buckley.
Today begins with an 8 a.m. welcome breakfast at the Radisson Hotel Armory featuring Lynch and 2nd District U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes. Also speaking will be Buckley and Chris Pappas, vice chair of the state party; Klye Bailey, vice chair of the YDA's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Caucus; and Chris Anderson, executive vice president of YDA.
The morning sessions from 9:15 to 11:30 a.m. will include: grassroots organizing, led by Dukakis; becoming a delegate to the national convention, led by Phil McNamara, DNC director of party affairs; and delegate selection and VAN (Voter Activating Network, an online voter data base) training, led by Parag Mehta, DNC director of training.
At noon, a luncheon will be held in the Armory with speakers representing several presidential candidates. Elizabeth Edwards will appear for her husband, John, while Washington U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee will speak for Hillary Clinton and Connecticut U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney will stand in for Chris Dodd.
The afternoon sessions from 1:15 to 2:30 p.m. will include Mehta speaking on "The Plan," which is the party's political ground game for 2008, and Rick Boyland, a Stonewall Democrats board member, who will speak on "Pride in the Party."
From 2:30 to 5 p.m., conference participants will have the opportunity to volunteer for a Presidential candidate's campaign or for a U.S. Senate candidate's campaign.
This evening, the AFL-CIO Labor Reception will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at The Shaskeen, 909 Elm St.
The YDA's Women's Caucus Reception, dubbed "Wonder Women: A Salute to Outstanding Activists and Candidates," will be held from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the Presidential Suite in the Radisson. Special guests are state Senate President Sylvia Larsen, D-Concord, and state House Speaker Terie Norelli, D-Portsmouth.
Tomorrow begins with a continental breakfast in the Armory at 8:30 a.m. with speakers Stew Acuff, national director of organizing for the AFL-CIO, and Pennsylvania U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy representing Presidential candidate Barack Obama.
A workshop from 9:30 to 11 a.m. on the importance of including new media techniques in today's ever-increasing, virtual world will be led by Donnie Fowler, CEO and founder of Cherry Tree Mobile.
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Bill+Clinton+urges+youth+to+support+Hillary&articleId=d53e6e01-ce54-49d9-901e-7e9e608b6548
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