The Trail: A Daily Diary of Campaign 2008

and I credit 3 a.m. ad with major damage to the Democratic Party.

As if she cared.

http://tpzoo.wordpress.com/2008/03/04/comment-this-cannot-go-any-further/

If Hillary succeeds in tearing this primary away from Obama, she'll also be tearing the party apart. The Democrats will surely have lost my vote. I've had enough of the Bush-Clinton-Clinton-Bush-Bush-? Merry go round. The Bush-Clinton era of DC politics is over. Please turn the page and vote Obama.

Hillary Clinton is making a BIG mistake with the 3 AM ad. Even IF it gains her points, and even IF it miraculously turns the election around and leads her to overcome Obama's big lead and win the nomination, McCain will be able to turn it right back on her. If foreign policy "experience" wins the day, then McCain wins hands down. It's a mistake for her to make the campaign about foreign policy experience, which she really has very little of herself. This ad would make a lot more sense if it were McCain running it instead of Hillary.

Obama effectively turned it around on her in a way that will also work against McCain--by making it about judgment rather than so-called "experience." After all, when that crisis call comes, what the President will need is sound judgment to make the right decision. As Obama points out, Hillary and McCain have already had their "red phone moment" and made the wrong decision on Iraq.

I also think what Hillary is saying on the stump about this is very dangerous thinking. She's saying the President can't call in advisors. God help the President that doesn't call in advisors--especially call in some of the top military brass if it's a military decision. She definitely doesn't have the experience to make a military call alone, without advice from the generals. Neither does Obama or McCain. All of them would need to consult with the people who have actually wielded military command at high levels and made tactical decisions.

An effective President, in a time of crisis, will consult with top leaders and advisors but then will be the one to make the final call. He or she will draw on THEIR experience and then use his or her judgment to choose the right action from among the options given. I don't want a President (especially one with no military command experience) who will wake up and make a rash decision while half asleep and without consulting with the military brass. Hillary is showing bad judgment in this dangerous way of talking about a national crisis.

dojeagle:

I did not know about her Law School class ranking, but wasn't it the D.C. bar she failed?

OOOOOOOOOO....Didn't Zogby have Obama winning by 90 points somewhere? Ha! Remember NH polls? The nitwits are still quoting polls...no one is counting the ground race. They don't know how. This crap is so wrong! But watch for yourself.

Hillary's 35 years of "Experience":
2 years as a law student
12 years at a large corporate law firm in Arkansas-- and doing things like serving on the board of Wal-Mart, so it's ridiculous to even suggest that was "public service."
8 years as an elected representative, while Obama has been an elected official for TWELVE years.

And one last thing-- Clinton was near the bottom of her class at Yale Law and FAILED the New York bar after graduation, while Obama graduated at the top of his class (magna cum laude) and was head of the Harvard Law Review.

Experience? Sounds like Hillary supporters have been drinking the kool-aid.

Again we forget! Bloomberg is a NAFTA/CFR/
NAU/CAFTA member!

Again we forget! Bloomberg is a NAFTA/CFR/
NAU/CAFTA member!

Isnt the 3am add playing to the same fears that saw George W Bush re-elected. Is it not the case therefore that Hillary Rodham CLINTON is tryingto scare people to vote for her.
Why hasnt anyone commented on this? It is the same old politics of the past is it not. Shame on you Hillary....

The one I saw was "For Internal Use" Only ; )

JakeD, feel free to show me the polls that were started and completed on Saturday and Sunday, for release today. Thanks in advance.

bsimon:

May I be the first to introduce you to Saturday and Sunday?

Have the Press asked Mr Penn how an ad released last Friday has already been reflected in polls released on Monday?

I believe the "momentum" Penn is referring to is the upward swing for Clinton in BOTH Ohio and Texas over the last few days, not the 20 point free-fall for the two weeks before then. Of course, I am NOT a "Clintonista" so I have no first-hand knowledge of that -- I really doubt if anyone posting here is paid by either campaign, cause I wouldn't turn down free money -- of course, that means I am able to contact the Canadian Ambassador too ; )

Will somebody tell Mark Penn that Hillary WAS over 20 points up in TX and OH less then 2 weeks ago??? Now she's essentially tied or even down a point or two. Thats not momentum! More people are laughing at that ad then responding to it. Pull your head out of your focus test groups and see what the real world is saying... You've done a terrible job, and you and your strategies have caused an almost sure bet to go out like real loser. Great work.

YOU MIGHT BE AN IDIOT:-)

If you think Barack Obama with little or no experience would be better than Hillary Clinton with 35 years experience.

You Might Be An Idiot!

If you think that Obama with no experience can fix an economy on the verge of collapse better than Hillary Clinton. Whose ;-) husband (Bill Clinton) led the greatest economic expansion, and prosperity in American history.

You Might Be An Idiot!

If you think that Obama with no experience fighting for universal health care can get it for you better than Hillary Clinton. Who anticipated this current health care crisis back in 1993, and fought a pitched battle against overwhelming odds to get universal health care for all the American people.

You Might Be An Idiot!

If you think that Obama with no experience can manage, and get us out of two wars better than Hillary Clinton. Whose ;-) husband (Bill Clinton) went to war only when he was convinced that he absolutely had to. Then completed the mission in record time against a nuclear power. AND DID NOT LOSE THE LIFE OF A SINGLE AMERICAN SOLDIER. NOT ONE!

You Might Be An Idiot!

If you think that Obama with no experience saving the environment is better than Hillary Clinton. Whose ;-) husband (Bill Clinton) left office with the greatest amount of environmental cleanup, and protections in American history.

You Might Be An Idiot!

If you think that Obama with little or no education experience is better than Hillary Clinton. Whose ;-) husband (Bill Clinton) made higher education affordable for every American. And created higher job demand and starting salary's than they had ever been before or since.

You Might Be An Idiot!

If you think that Obama with no experience will be better than Hillary Clinton who spent 8 years at the right hand of President Bill Clinton. Who is already on record as one of the greatest Presidents in American history.

You Might Be An Idiot!

If you think that you can change the way Washington works with pretty speeches from Obama, rather than with the experience, and political expertise of two master politicians ON YOUR SIDE like Hillary and Bill Clinton..

You Might Be An Idiot!

If you think all those Republicans voting for Obama in the Democratic primaries, and caucuses are doing so because they think he is a stronger Democratic candidate than Hillary Clinton. :-)

Best regards

jacksmith...

Momentum change? Has anyone in the Clinton camp begin playing attention to where she has gone in polling over the last three weeks, both nationally and in state primaries/caucuses? The 20-pt polling leads that Hillary enjoyed over Obama have shruck down to statistical ties in Texas and Ohio. Nationally polling shows her below Obama by double-digits for the first time in this 2007/2008 campaign season.

Mark Penn is fighting for his job and money. He knows that if Hillary's campaign fails, he will shoulder much of the blame and fury from the Clintons, especially Bill.

Obama in 08!

Texas Primary Prediction Time!

Who do you predict will win the Texas Democratic Presidential Primary?

http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=1793

.

Ohio Primary Prediction Time!

Who do you predict will win the Ohio Democratic Presidential Primary?

http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=1794

.

How can Hillary claim momentum? She's lost 11 states in a row, and in a mere two weeks, her "firewalls" of Ohio and Texas have gone from 20-point leads to dead heats.

Even if Clinton narrowly wins popular votes tomorrow in Ohio and Texas, she still can't win the nomination and she will have done real harm to democrats for the general election. No more fear tactics to scare up votes!!!

Hillary and her cronies such as Mark Penn have been declared incompetent. The only word they know is "fight". How can Democrats rely on these people to beat John McCain in November?

That's the question Chris should have asked to his friend Penn

Los Angeles Times had a story this morning about Clinton's attack machine:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-clintoncamp3mar03,0,3307106.story?page=2

Obama, who leads Clinton in delegates, would pose problems for any candidate. But aides to Clinton said the dysfunction within her campaign team made its task that much tougher.

Joe Trippi, a senior advisor to John Edwards' now-dropped Democratic campaign, said: "At some point the candidate has to step in and bust heads and say 'Enough!'

"If there's fighting internally, the candidate has to step up and make it clear what direction she wants to go and stop this stuff dead in its tracks. Otherwise there's going to be a struggle for power and control right until the end. It's crippling."

Polls are based on people. That means emotions, events and even lunar cycles could come into play- yet both of us are on the Internet and use Google... Of course it is not 100%. Yet that said, do you really think that voters that have been greatly dissatisfied with the last 4 years are going to choose an older, more hot-headed president Bush in McCain?

TEN new polls were released today from Ohio and Texas, and all by Zogby's show Clinton regaining some ground and increasing her lead, especially in Ohio. Full roundup: http://www.campaigndiaries.com/2008/03/in-last-day-of-campaigning-clinton.html

davidmwe:

Your "Google Effect" is statistically unreliable -- at least there is only a slight margain of error on the latest LA Times / Bloomberg poll that showed John SIDNEY McCain beating Barack HUSSEIN Obama ; )

I agree with Penn (to a certain extent) America is afraid of its own shadow at this point. So much so that they buy Hillary's assertion that she is ready for the 3 am call because she was beside Bill when he waited for that call.

Just like the Republicans Hillary is feeding on America's - home of the brave - fear.

McCain is hopeless with the middle to younger generations- John McCain would lose to Hillary or Barack:

Obama vs. McCain- the Google Effect:
http://newsusa.myfeedportal.com/viewarticle.php?articleid=48

I actually think that John SIDNEY McCain can use this ad in the general election more effectively.

Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring...

Who is on the Caller ID?

Mark Penn.

Let it keep Ringing, maybe he'll get the Hint-at least a Clue! ;~)