Thom's take on Hillary's negative campaigning.

[PyaarRevolution]

He said some of the accusations/comments towards Bernie during the debate as well as the auto-bailout accusations have hurt Hillary and he lays the blame more at Brock and Podesta's feet imo.
I'm ambivalent here. I'm wondering if, by this point, Hillary is so use to negative campaigning when on the ropes that it's her reflex action or she has just generally internalized it. I wonder if this might be her fatal flaw in this primary. Thoughts?

[Wilms]

1. It's a total package.

Brock, Podesta, Davis, Blumenthal...it's a long list of associates I'd rather not have near the White House.

[oldandhappy]

2. The lies seem to spill out. I noticed in January and beat retreat.

I do not watch the debates anymore. Bernie is the bravest person I know to keep putting up with her and to continue to be so gracious.

[revbones]

3. I would suggest going back to watch this week's debate then

Since you would see Bernie stand up to the lies and misrepresentations of his record. It was truly something to behold. The standing ovation at the end for Bernie while she had to just stand and smile through it was icing on the cake.

[PyaarRevolution]

5. I noticed that too.

Hillary did NOT look happy at the end of the debate when that happened.

[litlbilly]

6. Bernie was out in force last night, you should watch it.

[MasonDreams]

4. She is now known by the company she keeps.

Shes in a bubble. She really thought. That crap would work?

[Waiting For Everyman]

7. What bothers me most is that she can say this stuff with a straight face.

Or worse, sometimes a smirk. This is a woman who thinks in plausible deniability and gotcha spin designed to wrongfully kneecap another person. If it were someone else's idea and alien to her way of thinking, she wouldn't be able to say it to a large public audience. It is in fact how she thinks.

By contrast, it was clear that Sanders never dreamed she could come up with such a knowingly-twisted lie about the auto bail out. You can't plan to defend what you can't imagine. His mind does not work that way.

It reminded me of Tanya Harding's attack on Nancy Kerrigan. Clinton seemed proud of herself for it, that's who she is.

It's a fundamental thing that matters a lot. We have a real person and a fake; a positive person and a poisonous one. The idea that they're both on our side and either one's ok, is nonsense.

[pdsimdars]

14. As much as Hillary's twisted thinking and lies puzzles me

I am also puzzled by the people who support that. Are they so blinded that they can't see all the ugliness and nastiness that comes out of her? And if they are blinded, what is it that blinds them to all that crap?
Kind of like the Trump people, they just don't see it

[marions ghost]

19. ^^^ well said!

Re. the smiles, smirks and "gotcha" strategies... the obvious arrogance and sense of entitlement. Every little point is launched with a puffed up, "So there!" "Touche!" "Top that!" = so

"It is in fact how she thinks." Yep. That's how you flick off annoying bugs, rudely and impatiently.

I hope people are seeing through this kind of wrongful kneecapping, obfuscation and distortion.......

AND are sick of it.

[Skwmom]

8. It's the same with trying to blame the advisors for the horrendous trade deals.

It wasn't our fault, we got bad advice. What bullshit.

If Hartmann said that he sounds like nothing but an apologist for the Clintons dirty campaigning.

[PyaarRevolution]

10. Thom tries to give the benefit of the doubt to people.

Additionally I think he tries to see the best in people and is an optimist. None of these qualities I think are bad things. He's clearly a Bernie supporter, rather he is even an endorser. He's gotten shit from Hillary supporters when he's even slightly critical of her so I would ease up a bit.
I set up the OP more to question whether Hillary is truly an innocent party to these tactics, well this time around and I expressed my doubts.

One big thing is he's mentioned trying to get her campaign on lately to no avail.

[pdsimdars]

15. I had some such thoughts too but I think you are wrong

It's not that he tries to see the best, because he rakes Trump over the coals. I do think it is a weak spot in his thought process, he's a bit blind to it. I have emailed him and asked him about it.
One caller will call in and want to comment on something nasty that Hillary or her campaign has done and he won't allow it. The next caller calls to trash a GOP candidate and it's all OK.
that is UN-balanced.

[Major Hogwash]

9. I'm surprised she hasn't fired some in her campaign for the Michigan loss.

Maybe that's coming tomorrow, during the Friday "data dump" period after the news hour is over back East.

[Nanjeanne]

11. I love Thom but this is a really flawed take.

He is saying basically that Hillary hired these guys knowing how they campaign, she is incapable of telling them she won't go as low as they want her to, she is unable to fire them if she disagrees on the slant they want her to take and is unable to reign them in when they go over the line she has.

If she is that weak and pliable and follows their advice even if it goes against her principles and unable to get her people in line or stand up to them --- how is she strong, principled and possessing character to be my President?

[Ruby the Liberal]

13. Or, this is her MO

It isn't weak and pliable - it is how she has chosen to run her campaign. Again.

[Nanjeanne]

20. Well exactly. But that's not what Thom is saying. So if I buy his argument then

Hillary is weak and pliable with bad judgement. Neither scenario works in her favor. Thom is trying so hard not to discourage people from voting for her if she is nominee but this argument he is using isn't worthy of him. It's flawed badly.

[pdsimdars]

16. Another point that goes along with this is that she CHOSE these people to advise her.

That tells anyone paying attention, that these are the kinds of people she would choose if she were elected.
I think that is one of the "tells" about Obama. We all thought he was a progressive, then, as soon as he got into office, he appointed Geithner and Summers to be in his treasury. The very people who pushed for the deregulation that led to the economic crash. And went on to fill his administration with Goldman Sachs and Wall Street.
People say it was congress that prevented Obama from being more progressive. That is not true. He CHOSE those people, those non-progressive, corporate people to be his advisers. Congress blocking came AFTER that. But Obama set the direction to be corporate.

[Ruby the Liberal]

12. Many of us laid blame at Mark Penn's feet for her ham-fisted attacks in 2008

There is a common denominator here. She is choosing how her campaign is run and hiring the individuals she wants to execute her strategy.

[beedle]

17. This is not 'rocket surgery'

This is a standard Hillary ploy, provoke your opponent into frustration and get them to make an 'off-color' reply to her nonsense, and then play the 'poor me' card.

[pdsimdars]

18. Amen! Seen a hundred times. Poor little Hillary