Howard Wolfson, Communications Director for Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign, says there won’t be a Hillary vs. Sarah cagematch no matter how much Obama and team wants it:
For whatever unfortunate reasons, editors and news executives are convinced that two women fighting sells magazines and attracts eyeballs. You can imagine the thinking….if Angelina Jolie vs Jennifer Aniston and Britney Spears vs Christina Aguilera sell copies, what could be better than Hillary Clinton vs Sarah Palin?
Don’t hold your breath. It’s not going to happen.
It’s not in Hillary Clinton’s interest, and its certainly not in the interest of Barack Obama and the Democratic party.
You may not remember, but Hillary Clinton is at her best staying positive and contrasting with her opponents on issues…
Democrats are running against John McCain, not Sarah Palin. Running against Gov. Palin instead of Senator McCain would be a mistake…
Clinton-Palin might drive ratings and sell magazines, but it wouldn’t be good for the Democratic party, or the cause of women’s rights. Some might enjoy the spectacle, but don’t expect Hillary Clinton to play along. Hillary Clinton has spent a lifetime resisting quick and easy stereotypes, and she’s not about to stop now.
This doesn’t mean there aren’t some mighty pissed off Democrats at the news:
Although she is 60 and unlikely to have another shot at the White House, Clinton is apparently concerned that she would appear ungenerous to the Republicans’ first female vice-presidential candidate if she were to go after her.
It is a rationale that will fuel the belief – lingering among Democrats since Al Gore’s failed 2000 presidential run – that the Clintons always put themselves before their party.
~~~Her refusal to roll up her sleeves against Palin, who describes herself as “a pit bull with lipstick”, has already come under questioning by Democratic apparatchiks. “The strategic imperative right now is to do something about Palin and prevent her cutting through the race,” said Democratic strategist Tad Devine.
~~~Attacking Palin represents an even more slippery challenge for Obama.
Just before Palin’s selection, David Plouffe, Obama’s astute campaign manager, looked at the electoral map of the US and declared the national polls less important than the 18 battleground states where Obama had the ground troops, enthusiasm and money to win.
Palin’s emergence has upset those calculations and forced the Obama campaign for the first time to re-examine its successful campaign tactics. Obama now has a great need to drive up voter turnout among black people and the young, while staunching defections to McCain from blue-collar workers and women.
How in the world did this man and his campaign honestly believe that the woman he treated like a dog by not even vetting her for the VP role would ride in on a white horse and come to the rescue?
But we are talking about the Clintons here. They may turn on a dime (or a couple million dimes) and do the messiah’s bidding. But the thing is…the Clintons didn’t get to where they are by being stupid. They see the popularity of Sarah Palin, they see that a majority believes the MSM are lapdogs for Obama, and they see that backlash against the MSM. Add in the fact that Hillary has always gotten along with McCain, and doesn’t really feel any affection for Obama and I would say the odds are long she becomes his attack dog.
Anyways, Obama should listen to Wolfson when he says “Democrats are running against John McCain, not Sarah Palin. Running against Gov. Palin instead of Senator McCain would be a mistake…”
Here’s to hoping he doesn’t listen to the man, just one more nail in his political coffin.
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The Clintons are in the hole 10s of millions of dollars. They are holding like union people waiting for a better financial deal. By the time this is through, Obama and the Democrats will have spent nearly a half BILLION dollars to give him a shot at the White House. I’m sure he or the other Democrats have $50 million or so laying around. I’m sure at this point the Clintons can crack the party for the money since he is running out of time.
Attack Gov Palin, hah, what a laugher. Anyone care to comment how? Maybe Hillary will compare her executive eperience and achievements to Gov Palin’s — oh, uh, er, umm Never mind.
Hillary doesn’t want to damage what is left of her tatters after the Obama treatment. Her standing with women would zero out if she ‘attacked’ another women with the hate and venom she is quite capable of dealing out.
Hillary! is using the Pottery Barn rule on Obama.
Uh-Bamuhs’s chickenzzZZZzzzzz are comin’ home……to rooostttt!!
the Pottery Barn rule ??
I thought is was .. you break it you bought it
That’s right Neo.
Obama broke it. He shattered a sure thing by not choosing Hillary.
So, now Hillary says “This one is all yours buddy.”
Going after Sarah Palin, Hillary would be, for the sake of Obama, ending her own prospects of ever running again. Although 60 years old, Hillary may need to save whatever she has left of her feminine prowess. Hillary would have to argue against herself — Palin seems to be Teflon coated as was Reagan.
Besides, what would Hillary say? “Don’t vote for Palin because she’s a woman.” Or, how about, “Don’t vote for Palin because she doesn’t have experience.” And, then she’ll have to pray no one has heard about Obama’s lack of experience? Not likely.
Palin has rocketed past Obama’s popularity in just 7 days — and steady as she goes. A great majority of American voters, Republicans, Conservatives, Independents, and caring Democrats, have now “met” Palin and they overwhelmingly love what they see.
Hillary’s integrity and honesty would be compromised unless she keeps her distance from Obama. Remember that Obama picked Joe Biden over Hillary. In retrospect, it was and is a debilitating mistake for Obama. But Hillary would be seen as cowering to a man who has shut her out.
Obama is now publicly and politically desperate with no help for him at all — he’s falling fast in the polls.
Nowadays you hear Obama saying nonsense like, “I would have joined the military.” This is supposedly meant to diminish the honorable service and sacrifice John McCain has proffered his country. This represents some seriously flawed advise to Obama from his handlers. Nice try but no cigar.
And, what about the surge, “Everyone was surprised at how well it worked.” Only Obama was surprised, he was against the surge from the beginning. Obama was wrong. John McCain’s was and still is right.
Interestingly enough, I believe that those voters that have been leaving Obama, after learning what Obama really represents, are not likely to be talked into favoring Obama again. Obama has a repugnant record on his pro-abortion, pro-infanticide plank. And Obama associates with some of the worst from the sewer – Wright, Pflager, Ayers, Resko, Marshall-Davis, Farrakhan, Rashid Khalidi, and other socialists, communists and anti-Americans. Birds of a feather.
Can you image Hillary wanting to get too close to that Obama filth? I think not. Obama’s radical, left-wing, extreme liberal, socialist ideology is a lost cause.
Hillary may be infected with that high dose Clinton arrogance, but she’s no fool. Attacking someone with the charm, smarts and all around talent of Sarah Palin would be the equivalent of taking on a tiger with a soup spoon. Timing is everything in politics-and everything else-and this ain’t the time for a political loser with 50% negatives to takt out after a rising super star. Hill will sit this one out and enjoy her popcorn.
Well stated Adrian. Like you said, birds of a feather. Funny how the left turns a blind eye. Makes me believe evil or corruption is the only head that can turn away from such atrocities without feeling a thing, much less justify it. Oh wait, but Bush is the evil one! Remember, he single handily destroyed the levies in New Orleans and planted the c4 in the towers? Man, that guy is like a ninja. Funny, I have a friend that works in Northcom and he said that they made sure Airforce 1 was NOWHERE near New Orleans during the hurricane. Need to make sure he doesn’t do it again [sarcasm intended].
if you look at all of the negativity has been flying at palin you see how contradictory it is to the dems stance on women. then when they realize they are being completely unreasonable they take a step back and ask for high level female dems to take her on. for the most part even the female dem voters are awed at how the attacks came and then were proven to be lies. they are feeling cheated because of hillary, and now they were given false info on palin. they knownow that they are being lied to, they are not happy and if obama doesn’t mind his p’s and q’s he will be thrown under the bus along with all his friends and family. i think the high level dems are finding that their attacks at high power females is losing them big points with your average woman. hillary would be very wise to keep to herself and let the obama team and the rest of the dnc peeps take all the heat and then she can say she told them so.
I can’t help it. In my mind I keep seeing this vision of Hillery in the voting booth come election day. Does she cast her personal, private vote for obama? Just one crossover vote for Mcain won’t give him the election, she reasons, honestly, who would know?