Hillary Clinton crumbling after cruising

Daily News ^ | 12/14/2007 | Michael Goodwin

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Hillary Clinton crumbling after cruising

Friday, December 14th 2007


Hillary Clinton entered Thursday's Democratic debate in a tight battle for first place. She left in danger of finishing third in the Iowa caucus. Yikes.

It's not because she had a particularly bad debate. It's just that Barack Obama was far better and John Edwards was slightly better. If their performances are an omen for the caucus results on Jan. 3, Clinton could lose the nomination she seemed to have locked up two months ago.

Iowa's outsize importance had to be on Clinton's mind, along with mistakes in her campaign, and she came ready to battle. She was focused and leaned into her answers with confidence. She knew exactly what she wanted to say - perhaps to a fault.

Edwards stuck like glue to his message, that big corporations are bad, bad, bad. I find it tiresome, but it's a clear position that distinguishes him, and he sold it well.

Obama was just consistently better. Although he missed some chances to hammer his theme that real change can't come from Washington insiders, there was a human, personal quality to many of his answers.

The best was when, asked about a new year's resolution, he said he needed to keep reminding himself that "this is not about me."

He cited the stress on his family life, saying he took two hours off to get a Christmas tree with his daughters Wednesday, then ended with an unusual resolution for a politician - "not to be timid, not to be distracted by the fear of losing."

(rest at link...)

[massgopguy]

“Melting!”

[RayChuang88]

I think people discovered these problems with Senator Clinton:

1) She can't get out of the shadows of her husband.
2) They still haven't resolved many of the scandals involving her revealed in the 1990's.
3) Many of her campaign tactics turn off voters. The "plant" questioners at recent debates didn't sit too well, to say the least.
4) Her legendary bad temper is getting whispered up again.

[Senator_Blutarski]

The sequence began when Obama was asked how he could be the real agent of change when so many of his top advisers came from Bill Clinton's administration. Hillary burst out laughing saying, "I want to hear that." After only the slightest pause, Obama looked across the stage at her and shot back, "Hillary, I'm looking forward to you advising me as well." Eureka!

B. Hussein disses Hillary big time. Better yet, the press reports on it!

(Of course, B. Hussein did not answer the question...)

[r9etb]

caucus results on Jan. 3...

Gads, but that's galling. January F***ing 3?

[BlueStateBlues]

Did you see the dials on FOX during the debate? Whenever Edwards and Obama rolled, they literally went off the chart (I guesst that means 100%), but everytime Hillary-of-beans spoke the dials stayed mid-level. If not hostility it looks like apathy has set in on Hillary, and therein lies her coming loss.

[kromike]

If it does indeed go Ears’s way, I pray that the Clinton Inc. team exacts a incredibly vicious revenge.

[Don Corleone]

Toast! Lightly browned and buttered.

[SpaceBar]

Let’s hope the headline on Drudge about the end of the Clintons is prophetic.

[mel]

Polls have said that any of the GOP can beat Hilary, but what are the polls saying about GOP against Osama err I mean Obama.
That is what worries me about Clinton sinking.

[TomGuy]

3) Many of her campaign tactics turn off voters. The "plant" questioners at recent debates didn't sit too well, to say the least.

Another tactic was uncovered yesterday in NH, and it isn't going over well either. It was her use of sock puppets on chat/discussion websites:

[Sock] Puppets of the Clinton Campaign

Posted by TomGuy On 12/14/2007 8:27:52 AM CST NY Times ^ | Dec 13, 2007 | Katharine Q. Seelye BlueHampshire.com, a progressive site in the Granite State, has found that several Clinton staff members slipped into sock-puppet mode to beef up the pro-Clinton diary recommendations on its site. The Caucus learned of this through techpresident.com, which is surprised that anybody still uses sock puppets

[nikos1121]

Plus and foremost:

5) She is not a warm person with a personable smile. She reminds me of those over bearing school teachers or bosses one gets a few times in their life time that causes you undo stress.

If she wins the election for President there is something REALLY REALLY wrong in this country.

nikos

[petercooper]

Mrs. BJ Bill Clinton or Muslim schooled Barack Hussein Obama? Hmmmm..... Either one will be easy to beat.

[BluH2o]

If not hostility it looks like apathy has set in on Hillary, and therein lies her coming loss.

You haven't heard it yet but you will ... Hildabeast supporters while wringing their hands in despair will be saying she peaked to early.

[MinuteGal]

Frank Luntz (polling guy) said on TV yesterday that results will take so long to come in from the Hawkeye Cauci that it will be 'very late" before they are known.

Translated: Go to bed and wait for morning when the finals indicating the winner should be in.

Leni

[econjack]

...Clinton could lose the nomination she seemed to have locked up two months ago.

Awh, man, that would be a shame. I was so looking forward to having a Marxist in the White House.

[RayChuang88]

That’s actually an extension of the #4 problem with her I mentioned. This is something that really puzzles conservative talk show host Michael Medved, who actually knew Senator Clinton fairly well when they were fellow students at Yale.

[Crawdad]

If she’s elected, will she have to wash her hands in the same sink off the Oval Office where her husband “finished-up”?

[daisyscarlett]

At yesterday's debate, she does not look too pleased:

And Chelsea should call her plastic surgeon pronto, looks like 1/2 of her face lift is falling:

[YellowRoseofTx]

Polls have said that any of the GOP can beat Hilary, but what are the polls saying about GOP against Osama err I mean Obama. That is what worries me about Clinton sinking.

That is my concern also. As much as I love seeing Hillary the Arrogant One falling, I would rather she got the nomination and then watch her free fall