Hillary bringing paid staff into Illinois in effort to snatch delegates from Obama

Chicago Tribune ^ | January 17, 2008 | Rick Pearson

[COUNTrecount]

With hopes of wringing some Democratic presidential convention delegates out of Barack Obama's home state, officials for Hillary Clinton's campaign said today they will bring paid staff into Illinois starting next week en route to the Feb. 5 primary.

Though the numbers of paid workers aren't known at this point pending the results of this weekend's Nevada caucuses and the work going on for the South Carolina Democratic primary, their jobs are to try to buttress a volunteer force of congressional district leaders who helped organize the Clinton campaign's delegate slates.

While Illinois Democrats are expected to overwhelmingly support Obama, the state's first term senator, in the presidential preference vote, it's really the delegates that count in the Feb. 5 primary.

[Theodore R.]

Why would IL Demos not be for HRC? She is a Chicago person and spent more of your younger days in liberal IL than Obama did. Is Oprah really that influential in liberal IL, a lost cause for presidential Republicans.

[Izzy Dunne]

Why would IL Demos not be for HRC?

Because HRC has always been a Yankees fan.

[SoFloFreeper]

With hopes of wringing some Democratic presidential convention delegates out of Barack Obama's home state, officials for Hillary Clinton's campaign said today they will bring paid staff into Illinois starting next week en route to the Feb. 5 primary.

There you go. Hillary & Company: steal, rob, cajole, do whatever it takes to keep the African-American from winning.

Racist, I say. A whiff of facism. Kind of like Mussolini.

[SERKIT]

There is no way on God’s green earth that Obama won’t win the Illinois primary in a landslide. Mayor Richie Daley, Sen Dick Turban, many state officials, and many Illinois “biggies” like Oprah are all on record for Obama. There are many Republicans quietly rooting for him to beat the crap out of Hillary - and may cross over for vote that way. The Republican party in Illinois is in such shambles, it is ridiculous. The “Springfield Legislative Crowd” is known as “The Combine” whereby Dems and Reps band together to protect their phoney-baloney jobs. The best entertainment we have lately is watching a Governor tick off all sides of the aisle - including open schisms between the Governor and the same-party Lt. Governor.

[Marathoner]

Living in central IL, I can tell you that a lot of people literally swoon over B Hussein Obama. Gawd, I'll never understand why.

Another factor here is that the really hard core true believer Rats, some of which I work with, believe that Hillary is (believe it or not) too conservative for their taste.

[Polyxene]

More Clintonian triangulation. She renounced her Illinois roots to become a New York carpetbagger — Yankee fan and all — to become a senator. Now, she wants to claim being an Illinois “homeboy” when it will gain her votes to be the presidential nominee. Un-frickin-believable!