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[LA Times] Hillary Clinton ducks chance to attack new GOP star Sarah Palin

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout: Debate & Discussion' started by Faos, Sep 8, 2008.

  1. Faos

    Faos Contributing Member

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    [​IMG]

    http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/09/clinton-palin.html

    Hmm, Hillary Clinton ducks chance to attack new GOP star Sarah Palin

    A very interesting thing didn't happen Saturday.

    Appearing at a labor rally and stumping for congressional candidates in New York, Sen. Hillary Clinton uttered her most popular line from the recent Democratic National Convention in Denver: Senators John McCain Republican nominee for president and Hillary Clinton Democratic loser for her party's top nomination share a close friendship"No Way. No how. No McCain." This time she added, "No Palin."

    But despite some soft lobs by media with her, that's as far as the female candidate who got closer to a major party's top nomination than any other in American history would go in criticizing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the first female top-ticket member in Republican Party history.

    Despite continued grumbling among her supporters about a less than diligent effort by the Barack Obama crowd to help the New York senator retire her immense campaign debts, Clinton has been living up to her promise to fundraise and campaign for the Democratic ticket all over.

    She has repeated the "No way. No how" line about John McCain many times and warned against four more....

    ...years of a Bush-like administration.

    But she's been very careful to avoid saying harsh things against her good friend from Arizona, who was among the first to welcome and show the former first lady around the old-boys club of the Senate on her arrival in 2001.

    In fact, during last winter-spring's Democratic primary campaigns, Clinton lavished considerable praise on McCain for the lifetime of experience he would Alaska Governor and Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin visits American troops in Iraqbring to the White House while Obama, she said dismissively, only "has a speech he gave in 2002."

    On Saturday in New York, reporters eager for a story about a fight between the two female politicians set Clinton up several times to take easy swings at the 44-year-old reform governor, who blew away the Republican National Convention crowd with her speech Wednesday night about her running mate, her own life and some mocking views of Obama.

    But Clinton would not bite. Or swing. Not once.

    "This election is about issues, and that’s what’s going to matter to people at the end of the day," was all that Clinton would say. This despite the obviously powerful fears that Palin has engendered among many Democrats conducting nonstop, massive behind-the-scenes efforts to smear Palin's reputation and plant negative stories in the media, with some success.

    Intriguing to wonder why Clinton wouldn't say more.

    Why do you think? Gender solidarity? Friendship for McCain despite their disagreements? A sign of waning enthusiasm for her own party's ticket? So much joy over the New York Giants defeat of the Washington Redskins in the NFL opener Thursday night?

    --Andrew Malcolm
     
  2. JuanValdez

    JuanValdez Contributing Member

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    I think the Democrats have a lot of potential in Hillary Clinton for showing up the Palin pick, but that it is also a combustible issue she has to handle with care. Done badly, Clinton could make herself appear jealous of Palin, or re-open questions about how much experience one actually gets as the wife of a president.
     
  3. Ottomaton

    Ottomaton Contributing Member
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    Perhaps she is just the kind of political operator that understands that to personal attacks is exactly what the GOP wants. Creating sympathy makes the GOP 'rally around the flag'. I even saw some indications that a McCain campaign pumped a couple of the relatively obscure rumors to the national media through denials.

    If the campaign turns into a Sarah Palin attack-fest the Republicans win. She's backhanded enough to understand the cynical ways of the GOP machine and not fall into that trap.

    And I hope you don’t really believe the Democrats are afraid of Palin. If her treatment means they are afraid of her, then the Republicans have been scared ****less of Kerry, Hillary and then Obama for 8 years straight and are probably in need of some intensive PTSD treatment right about now.
     
  4. pgabriel

    pgabriel Educated Negro

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    faos is one of the same guys complaining about the attack machine

    damned if you do, damned if you don't. other than the intial statement put out by their people about her experience, no one has attacked palin. i think they'll wait till her interviews and debates.
     
  5. thumbs

    thumbs Contributing Member

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    I dunno. It seems obvious to me.

    If McCain beats Obama, Hillary would undoubtedly be the Democratic candidate for 2012. She would be pitted against a weak president in McCain, and that's something she craves. With Obama not helping her tamp down her campaign debt, I think she feels justified in not helping Obama as much as she could. Also, Hillary can play the victim again -- she did all she could but Obama didn't meet his end of the bargain in paying her debts.

    The interesting twist would be for McCain to step down, leaving Palin the front-runner, assuming she doesn't stumble. Then it's Hillary vs. Sarah, the political spectacle of the young century.
     
    #5 thumbs, Sep 8, 2008
    Last edited: Sep 8, 2008
  6. ROCKET RICH NYC

    ROCKET RICH NYC Contributing Member

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    It already has.
     
  7. pgabriel

    pgabriel Educated Negro

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    there is no reason to attack palin right now especially after the GOP has already played the victim card of the evil liberal media.
     
  8. thumbs

    thumbs Contributing Member

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    My apologies for not being explicit. I was talking about Hillary playing the victim because Obama didn't come through on his purported promise to help her retire her campaign debts. I will go back and make that edit.
     
  9. pgabriel

    pgabriel Educated Negro

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    I know what you're saying, I'm saying that no one for obama should be attacking palin right now, that includes hillary. they should wait till after she interviews
     
  10. Sweet Lou 4 2

    Sweet Lou 4 2 Contributing Member
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    the best strategy the dems can take is to avoid critizing palin.

    why?

    because she's going to destroy herself in the press and debates - i think they know that.

    let Palin make a fool of herself, her star will diminish.
     
  11. thumbs

    thumbs Contributing Member

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    Agree. Attacks on the positions she takes and how she responds to questions is fair game. Attacks on her person and family are as bad as personal attacks on Obama, Biden and McCain. Let's stick to the issues.
     
  12. rocketsjudoka

    rocketsjudoka Contributing Member
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    A question that I've been pondering is if Clinton had won the nomination, leaving aside who she might've picked for VP, would McCain have picked Palin?
     
  13. FranchiseBlade

    FranchiseBlade Contributing Member
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    I have seen them make some issues oriented attacks, but it hasn't gone personal with her. All they need to do is keep letting the media do it's job and then be tough during the debates.
     
  14. MystikArkitect

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    Of course not. The female supporters would rather have a woman president or V.P? Wouldnt have made any sense for him. Hillary, Obama and Biden are taking the right approach and letting the press do the work for them. They're not taking the bait. I think everyone (Palin included) knows that Palin is on a completely different (read: lower) level than the 3 other candidates (4 if you count Hillary). Like a senior in high school talking bad about someone in 5th grade. They only one that comes out looking stupid is the senior.
     
  15. Faos

    Faos Contributing Member

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    :rolleyes:
     
  16. MystikArkitect

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    Brilliant rhetoric.
     
  17. rocketsjudoka

    rocketsjudoka Contributing Member
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    That was my first thought but Palin has really seemed to fire up the base for McCain and I'm starting to wonder if the choice of Palin had more to do with firing up the base and getting a DC outsider, way way outside, than necessarily a woman. If Clinton had won the primary, leaving out who she might pick for VP, I could still see Palin as a pick to provide an alternative for women who disagree with Hillary Clinton on the issues but still want to see women in higher office and to shore up the base.
     
  18. IROC it

    IROC it Contributing Member

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    Hillary wants to keep her shot at POTUS some day. But I don't think that's her only reason for "ducking" this.

    Good for her.
     
  19. Refman

    Refman Contributing Member

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    I don't think Hillary was "ducking" anything. She has stated her support for Obama.

    As others have suggested, an attack by her on Palin right now likely would go over like a lead balloon.
     
  20. MystikArkitect

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    Yeah I can see that, but my first reaction is that McCain would pretty much do a 180 to whatever the democratic party would do. If Hillary was elected, I think he would've gone with a male candidate to appease those who still feel deep down that a woman can not be President (of which I'm sure there are many). I think Palin was a knee-jerk reaction by the Republican party to shore up Hillary supporters. If Hillary hadn't failed, no one on earth would know who Sarah Palin was. Plus maybe putting a woman V.P. on the ballot against a woman running for President could be easily labeled as a "me too" strategy by the media.
     

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