Posted on 12/18/2007 8:38:19 AM PST by NCjim
A common theme in New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination has been experience - leadership experience, for instance, or with foreign policy.
But Clinton's national campaign director, Terry McAuliffe, was in town Monday touting another kind of experience: the experience of constantly getting attacked and coming out on top.
And McAuliffe, the former Democratic National Committee chairman, talked just as much about the position his party is now in - control of Congress, but not the White House - and how Republicans aren't going to give up the executive branch without a fight.
"Let's be honest: We didn't win '06. They lost '06," McAuliffe told a small group of students and faculty at the University of South Carolina Upstate.
"People should have no illusions about that. It was the Iraq war. It was this guy (Jack) Abramoff, and the lobbying scandal. It was (former Florida congressman) Mark Foley. It was the debt - the conservatives stayed home because of the debt."
The Clinton campaign has long tried to use electability as a selling point. And it's an issue that's been called into question lately due to a leveling off in the polls and the fact that two key endorsements - the Des Moines Register and the Boston Globe - went opposite ways this weekend, with the Register going for Clinton and the Globe supporting rival Democrat Barack Obama.
"They say Hillary's negatives are high. They are," McAuliffe said. "But let's assume we're not the nominee for a second. Whoever the Democrats pick … once (the Republicans) start spending $1 billion defining them, like they did to John Kerry, like they did to Al Gore, the negatives are going to be up there for anybody. The one benefit for us: Everyone knows her. I don't know what new things you could possibly say about Hillary Clinton."
'Not an ax murderer'
McAuliffe seemed taken aback when anyone suggested that the Clinton campaign would resort to personal attacks.
"It's going to get tough," McAuliffe said. "It's going to get scrappy. And it has. … Are we going to have issues, and talk about people's plans on education and health care that aren't as good as ours? Absolutely. But, in fairness, I don't call that an attack. I may call it a comparison or whatever. But I really dislike personal attacks."
When one woman asked him about e-mails attacking Obama for his past drug use - which the Illinois senator has talked about openly in his book and on the trail - McAuliffe pointed out that the person who made the comment did so on his own and was fired.
And Camp Clinton hasn't been without its share of online attacks. (Just visit www.stophernow.com.)
When asked about the anti-Hillary contingent, and what people who fall in that group say about her online and in print, McAuliffe said, "The stuff that's been written about Hillary Clinton: Don't believe all of it. She's not an ax murderer. She has not sold drugs to children. You can go on and read some of these right-wing blogs, and it's just not it. That's just not fair."
A big fight for the Clinton campaign will be courting swing voters, 14 percent to 18 percent of the electorate that McAuliffe characterized as mostly consisting of educated women who make up their minds a week or two before the election.
The latest CNN poll of South Carolina Democrats has Clinton leading this state by 8 points. An Insider Advantage poll of this state released just a few days earlier showed Obama in the lead by 6.
A late November poll by Clemson University showed Clinton leading South Carolina with 19 percent of the vote - Obama was at 17 percent - but also pointed out that 51 percent of Democrats said they could change their minds before the Jan. 26 primary.
The Obama camp held a Greenville event Monday morning to showcase the support of former Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus and former Oklahoma congressman Brad Carson. Their topic: electability.
"… Our best chance to win in difficult territories, like Oklahoma, is to have a candidate who wants to turn the page of the past 20 years of divisive, polarizing and gridlocked politics. Obama is that candidate," Carson said, according to the Obama camp.
McAuliffe maintained that Clinton already has been put through the Republican wringer and is best suited to withstand attempts to tear her down by the GOP if she is picked as the Democratic nominee.
November 2008 could bring "one of the meanest" general election contests in U.S. history, he later added.
McAuliffe stopped in Spartanburg before heading to Greenville to open a regional field office for the Clinton campaign. He was at an Anderson restaurant Monday afternoon.
Most of the USC group Monday was faculty, as students are on winter break.
While support those listening to McAuliffe was mixed, at least two (of the four) students there were Clinton supporters.
Xavier Pearson, president of the USC Upstate student body, said one of the reasons he's supporting Clinton is because he researched her positions on issues - health care, in particular, he said was important.
He said he hopes others will do the same.
"People always get caught up in the hype," Pearson said. "They're supporting someone, maybe because someone they know is supporting that person, maybe they heard an inspiring story by that candidate. But at the end of the day, look at the issues. Look at what each candidate is going to do."
USC Upstate political science professor Tim Dale, who organized Monday's event, said most of his students work for the various campaigns, and during class he lets each one report on his or her camp. Dale, who is volunteering with the Clinton campaign, said he would welcome speakers for all of the candidates.
When asked whether McAuliffe represents the kind of Washington establishment that other candidates - particularly Obama or former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards - criticize, Dale said, " 'Change' is a word that can be used a lot of different ways. But real change requires experience. We all want change. The question is, 'How are we going to get it?' "
Benefit.. aka albatross, anvil, achilles heel...
The truth, from Terry McAuliffe no less...
You're right, Terry, I don't believe all of it. I don't believe she used an ax.
Boy am I glad that Terry McAuliffe is continuing to find work. After he drives Hillary!’s campaign into oblivion I hope they put him back in charge of the DNC. He’s my favorite DNC chairman ever. Only Howard Dean even comes close.
Republicans or more correctly said Conservatives will NEVER EVER get away with the activities that liberal liars have grown accustomed to walking free from scenes of crimes. Tooooo bad President Bush did not realize you can never ever make deals with oppressors on the left.
Parsing is a political science major.
“The stuff that’s been written about Hillary Clinton: Don’t believe all of it.
She’s not an ax murderer.
She has not sold drugs to children.
(so far those are the only two things we have been able to disprove)
Thank You Terry McAuliffe.
Especially if, in turn, the team they are playing blows a lead.
After the holidays, the real work begins to save America in 2008.
We’ll have to roll up our sleeves once again to beat the Clinton machine and its flunkies once and for all.
If we don’t, this country won’t last much longer with a Marxist at the helm.
Imagine Cankles and Bubba in orange jumpsuits. That’s what they deserve.
I hope Bush-41 doesn't let him get away with it.
& if my husband was an airline pilot, would they let me pilot the plane?????? yeah, right
I’ve contacted the reporter and given him the teaser that there is a candidate who has filed four false FEC reports and compromised all three branches of the government in the investigations. He asked, “Would that candidate be Hillary Clinton?” BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! He knew right away. He was under deadline, but wanted my contact info so we could talk later. Let’s see if he has any guts.
No guts, No GLORY!!! But, hey, he MIGHT want to LIVE.
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