The Clintons’ Patronizing Strategy

I disagree. The ad you cite simply consists of video of Sen. Obama - what he said speaks for itself. But the reason this has legs isn't because it's being flogged, but because it expresses a deeper, ongoing story of Obama's triangulation -- his willingness to use right-wing frames in order to "broaden the base." Paul Krugman has been calling him on this for a long time now. It's neither outrageous nor a new story.

I appreciate that someone in the media is reporting the one sided nature of the Clinton attacks. Too often the media lumps both aggressor and respondent together ... as if Obama's complaint "they are twisting my words" is a negative shot equivalent to the word twisting in the first place. As an ardent Democrat, I see the "straight talk" of a McCain to be infinitely more appealing than the Clinton attack machine, and if Obama does not get the nomination, I will be conflicted in choosing to vote for Clinton or McCain.

the dems are cutting their own throats. keep it up. we love it. staky in there bill. you are a great help ......

I am joining the ranks that will not vote if Hillary and Slick Willy slime their way into the Whitehouse !
All these two creeps are good for is getting richer like the Bish Clan and one more trip to the White house will certainly do that !
Bill the Slick shipped job's overseas and devastated the middle class worker and manufacturing.
I for one am not wanting to see this dog and pony show again!!

This seems a specious argument in the context of the media's penchant for dwelling on the negative especially when it concerns the Clintons and the feeding frenzy over President Clinton's support of his wife. Certainly there are strategies in each campaign but I find it hard to believe that either campaign likes to be tagged with the label of support from "less educated, downscale voters" vs. "well educated Democrats". Certainly each campaign wants to appeal to all voters. Let's not pigeon hole the electorate shall we? And maybe then you can begin to listen to the discussion about issues instead of personalities.

I just struggle to understand what people find, especially women, so appealing about having the Clintons back in the White House. Why do we need 25+ years of Bush and Clinton in the White House? This makes no sense. Just because she's a strong woman, doesn't make it right. Let's turn the page. Hillary Supporters - Please reconsider you decision to vote for her. Let's not go backwards.

This stratigy is devisive and robs many voters of the issues. I and many other black voters want a response to our issues! Earn our votes, give us a reason to vote. Think Bill, Hillary, Obama if you don't we might just stay at home.

These Obama/Clinton fights are really entertaining! The way Bill and Hillary go after Obama, you'd think that Obama is some kind of far-right Republican, rather than a Democratic contender. I'm a registered Republican and if the Democrats do win, I'd rather see Obama in the Whitehouse than Hillary. Obama seems genuine in his desire to change the way things are run in Washington. And I believe him when he says he wants to unite the country. If Hillary gets in, I fully expect another 4 or 8 years of bitter partisan fighting and some payback from the far left for all the perceived horrible things done by Bush.

And the Clinton's perceptions of the American public are probably correct. I find most people to be largely ignorant of the issues and pretty much apathetic to what goes on in this country. Many of the people who actually bother to vote don't bother to do any research on their candidates or the issues. And then they complain that they don't know what a particular candidate stands for. Do some research people! Look at the candidates' past voting records. Don't just rely on some statement that they make on a commercial or some catchy slogan that their campaign uses. This is exactly why negative campaigning is so effective. Too many people hear something on the tv or read something in the paper and take it as the absolute truth.

But this will likely not change because too many people have their priorities screwed up. They care more about sports and entertainment than about politics and what's going on in Washington. They're too lazy to educate themselves on the issues and find out what's really going on. And I'm not trying to sound self-righteous or trying to make myself out to be some kind of genius who knows the truth about everything. I'm just a frustrated voter who's tired of the laziness, ignorance and apathy that is prevalent amongst a large portion of our population. And I really hate to think what our country is going to be like in about 20-30 years. I think our glory years as a nation are behind us.

Jonathan, I have always enjoyed your appearances on Countdown with Olbermann. I can't say I always agree with your analysis, but this article is definitely an exceptional one, so thank you for writing it. I am a lifelong Democrat, and I am proud to say I have never voted for a Clinton. This campaign has reminded me why. I would rather have another Republican in the White House for four years and let Obama or Edwards or whoever else make a big challenge in 2012 than see Hillary win. So, if she gets the nod, I'm crossing over, and I know a lot of others who are doing the same. However, my ideal would be an Obama/Edwards ticket, and I think they would be smart to get that together ASAP. They are great for bringing independents over, and Obama is energizing young voters in numbers I haven't seen since Bobby Kennedy. Amazing.

So many of us agree with Little Frenchy. I will not vote for Clinton in the general election and will not vote for her again for US Senator -- as I did twice ( and for B. Clinton twice). I will vote for McCain, an independnt (Bloomberg) or no one if Obama is not nominated.
She is just the first former first lady running for president , not the firt woman.

What is so new about the Clintons pandering to ignorant Democrats? It's worked for them in every previous election. This is the party of the Truthers, who think America attacked itself on Sep 11. These hammerheads will believe anything if said with fierce enough conviction by the Clintons. It doesn't matter if the facts are faked as long as they are believed by the unwashed liberal masses to be accurate. If you believe Dubya is Bushitler then it's easy to believe that Obama is secretly a Muslim who admires Reagan.

The Clintons will do say anything to return to power even if it destroys the Democratic party chances in November. It is completely out of line for a former President to so completely wallow in the mud. Even Bush I has kept silent during the attacks on W. NOW I know why people hate the Clintons so. Diane Bloch 1/24/08

i am so sick of the obama bias on msnbc, abc, cnn, newsweek, et al. you must think (like you think the clinton's think) that the vast bulk of the population are pretty dumb and that we would automatically believe clinton=bad, obama=good just because you're saying it. you imply, since "obama is stronger among well-educated democrats," that people who are smart enough to know better about these kinds of things will choose him. and i know you like the rose coloured glasses. but the reality is, as you go further up the ranks in academia or the professional world, things start looking more and more white, and those whiter and whiter groups have more and more white guilt based on their privileged status. as a white person with a phd, i can tell you: obama and his so-called speaking ability makes me yawn. he inspiring only for those hordes who think oprah wisdom is insightful. it is true that lots of my educated white friends say they really like him, and when you ask them why, when you press them, they essentially say it has something to do with the fact that he???s black. they say something like ???we???re ready for a black president.??? they want the blackness of their presidential candidate to make them feel less bad about the historical disparities between black and white in the western world, or in the world at large. but the thing is, with the kinds of real problems we face in the world today, with the prospects of global warming and al quaida trying to get nukes, those of us who care about our children???s future have much more pressing real-world concerns than to root for some kind of symbolic racial recompense that makes them feel all fuzzy on the inside. america owes it to their country and their future to elect only the most qualified. and the only thing obama has done was to beat alan keyes!

In the next democratic debate, I would like Senator Obama to look directly at Mrs. Clinton and ask the following question: Have you no sense of decency that you continue to distort my words? Is there no other way for you and your husband to gain political power except at the expense of truth and honesty?

Frankly am tired of hearing about Clinton's one-night-stands with women. That is none of our business, but only an issue between husband and wife. It had no revelance to his job performance, none to the American people either. The economy was healthier than it had been in years. The U.S, debt was decreased for the first time in decades. And yet, the right-wing leaders and fundamentalists did all they could to impeach and indict him because of his sex life.

iI daresay that the majority of the men in Congress as well as the majority of American citizens have at one time or other cheated on their spouses.

For the past 8 years we have had a man in the presidency whose behaviour has divided the country, 'killed over 4,000 American soldiers, maimed physically or mentally tens of thousands,, and God only knows how many ordinary people in the Middle East. The American government' reputation has been damaged amongst other nations. Never would I have believed that we would become a laughing stock for some and a derogatory conversation piece for others,

Clinton lied about his sex life. Bush lies about WMD, etc. Bush's lies lead to dead Americans and an
upheaval in the Middle East that will last for decades. Which do you prefer?

Most other nations honestly do not are about their head of state's sex life. Whether or not the job itself is being done is all that matters.

I've had enough with the smears and word-twisting of both Hillary and Bill. I'm tired of Bill being at the center of the campaign and I can't help but wonder what his role will be in the White House if Hillary's elected. A returrn to the Clinton era does not excite me and it seems that the public would want to move away from the Clinton scandal plagued administrations. As a woman, I'm embarrassed to see the tactics that Hillary has used to get the nod from voters. Senator Obama's campaign tried to stay above the race-bating tactics of "Billary" but s/he ehas managed to pull him down in the muck and mud. While it's all done strategically to win points and favor with the public, I would hope the public is smarter and wiser than the Clintons make us out to be. Haven't we had enough already? Hillary is not a change agent but a power monger. Obama is correct: you can't just say or do anything to get elected. People want to know that there is a person of integrity guiding our country. Obama's message of inclusion should appeal to everyone no matter who they are. It's sickening to know that someone like the Clintons are making another bid for the White House and yes, Bill will be right back in the West Wing. The more I hear and see what the Clintons are doing, the more I'm hoping that Obama can win women and other groups seriously looking for change. If Clinton gets the Democratic nomination, I'll be voting Republican.

One Woman Who's Had Enough

Is this news or an editorial? This piece of "journalism" is about as fair and balanced as a FoxNews broadcast. GIve me a break, Mr. Alter. If you dont like Clinton, just say that. You lose whatever credibility you had when you cherry-pick one line of campaign attacks and editorialize about it in a disguise of "news." YOU'RE the one betting on the stupidity of the American people.