Hillary Clinton’s ‘Secret Weapon’ Could ESCALATE Campaign Rhetoric

[Segami]

A new and more combative phase of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign opens next month when she sends her husband out to stump for her in important early states. Waiting for him will be businessman Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner. The former president has been a low-key figure since Mrs. Clinton entered the race for the Democratic nomination in April, offering private advice and helping her raise money at closed-door fundraisers. In January, the campaign intends to showcase him in public forums in Iowa and New Hampshire, two states where the front-runner is locked in a tight race against Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Speaking to supporters recently, Mrs. Clinton described her husband as a “secret weapon.”

Throwing Mr. Clinton into the mix could further escalate the rhetoric between the Trump and Clinton campaigns. In the 2008 presidential race, the former president would bristle at criticism directed at his wife and got in hot water when he suggested Barack Obama’s victory in the South Carolina primary was less significant because of the large African-American vote. This past week saw back-and-forth volleys over whether comments Mr. Trump made about Mrs. Clinton were sexist. He said Mr. Obama “schlonged” her in the 2008 race and said her brief absence from a recent Democratic debate stage, when she was reportedly using the restroom, was “disgusting.” In an interview with the Des Moines Register, Mrs. Clinton said Mr. Trump has “demonstrated a penchant for sexism.” That drew a response from Mr. Trump on Twitter: “Hillary, when you complain about ‘a penchant for sexism,’ who are you referring to. I have great respect for women.’ ” In capital letters he then wrote, “BE CAREFUL!”

~snip~

“Hillary Clinton has some nerve to talk about the war on women and the bigotry toward women when she has a serious problem in her husband,” Ms. Pierson told CNN. Representatives for Mr. Clinton and the Clinton campaign declined to comment.

Mrs. Clinton holds a commanding lead among Democrats nationally, but polling shows the contests in Iowa and New Hampshire are up for grabs. Losses in both states could potentially alter the dynamics of a race she is dominating. In a conference call with supporters this past week, Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta said that Mrs. Clinton was in a “dog fight” in New Hampshire.

“Her greatest fear is she loses both,” said Douglas Schoen, a pollster and consultant who has advised Mr. Clinton. “Then, even though she is still on a path to win the nomination, there would be complete chaos.”

cont'

http://www.wsj.com/articles/hillary-clintons-secret-weapon-could-escalate-campaign-rhetoric-1451082017

[murielm99]

1. The Wall Street Journal.

Rupert Murdoch's little rag. Yeah. Like I am going to believe anything about HRC from that source.

[roguevalley]

10. this is going to get unhinged awful right away

and given Bill's history I am not surprised he has laid low. Trump is going to perforate Bill. Ugh. Ugly times ahead.

[Segami]

2. "BE CAREFUL"....Will the Secret Service....

pay Trump a visit since he publicly threatened the former first lady on his Twitter page or will he get a pass?

Donald J. Trump ‏@realDonaldTrump Dec 23

Hillary, when you complain about "a penchant for sexism,"
who are you referring to. I have great respect for women. BE CAREFUL!

[bl968]

3. Secret Weapon? Commanding Lead?

You should have posted this in the Hillary Group where the hosts ensure that no one is allowed to offer a dissenting opinion.

Commanding lead?

In the latest CNN poll she is 8 points nationally above Bernie Sanders in spite of the DNC's pitiful attempts to put their finger on the wheel to give the election to their candidate of choice. That lead has been steadily eroding as people are exposed to Bernie Sander's ideas often for the first time.

This is exactly what the DNC feared would happen, and why they so laughably attempted to limit Clinton's' opponents exposure during the primaries by restricting the number of the unDemocratic debates, and intentionally scheduling them at the times when the least number of people would be likely to watch them.

BURLINGTON, VT. – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders has significantly narrowed Hillary Clinton’s margin in a new national poll that showed him making dramatic gains with African-Americans and Latinos.

Overall, Sanders cut Clinton’s lead almost in half, reducing it by 12 points in the new CNN/ORC poll.

Support for Sanders has grown to 34 percent among registered voters who are Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents. That’s a four-point pickup for Sanders since November.

Clinton has fallen to 50 percent, a significant eight-point drop in her standing since the same survey was conducted last month. The reversal for Clinton was remarkable because it came after support for her increased in three previous CNN polls.

In an interview broadcast Thursday morning on CNN’s “New Day,” anchor Chris Cuomo told Sanders “the Santa Claus of political polls has brought you a gift, the highest number you’ve reached so far in the new CNN poll…”

Sanders noted the progress his campaign has made from polls earlier this year that showed his support in single digits.

“All of the pundits considered us a fringe candidacy. Today, we’re perhaps in the lead in New Hampshire, where I think we’re closing in here in Iowa, and your poll seems to indicate we have national momentum,” Sanders said in the interview taped in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

“We have come a really long way in 7 1/2 months,” Sanders added. “We have a tremendous volunteer network all over this country. We are raising significant sums of money from small individual contributions. So at this point, I have to tell you, we’re feeling good.”

Non-white voters

4/16-4/19 - 1%
5/29-5/31 - 5%
6/26-6/28 - 9%
7/22-7/25 - 12%
9/17-9/19 - 17%
12/17-12/21 - 32%

Looking closer at the CNN survey, Sanders has demonstrated growing support among what the pollster refers to as non-white voters. In a survey last April, he had only 1 percent of voters in that category. As he made a concerted effort to reach out to African-Americans and Latinos, Sanders support has grown to an impressive 32 percent in the most recent poll.

Turning to the general election, several recent polls show Sanders holding a big advantage over Republican front-runner Donald Trump and faring better than Clinton against potential Republican nominees.

A Quinnipiac University poll released on Tuesday found Sanders leading Trump by 13 percentage points, 51 percent to 38 percent. “If this margin held in a general election, Democrats would almost certainly regain control of the United States Senate and very possibly the House of Representatives,” according to Bent Budowsky, a columnist for the The Hill newspaper.

The CNN poll did not ask voters about a Sanders-Trump contest. The survey did show Clinton with a statistically-insignificant two-point edge over Trump, 49 percent to 47 percent. She has slipped from a five-point lead over Trump two months ago. As in earlier CNN matchups, Clinton trailed Republican Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas.

If I was Hillary Clinton, I would be shitting bricks. She is losing this campaign even worse than she lost in 2008. Bill Clinton will be a polarizing figure. People either love him or hate him, and if you are not a Clinton family fanboy, it generally leans way towards the hate side of things.

I think he will hurt her, way more than he helps.

IF she doesn't want to be held to account for his missteps as president and since, then she would be better served by keeping him in the background.

[ConservativeDemocrat]

4. You're yelling at a fellow Sandersista

Just thought you might want to know.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[bl968]

6. Rebuttal not Yelling

I am not yelling at anyone, I am simply rebutting what this poster said in their post. I did however throw a little dig in at the Hillary Clinton Group hosts.

[Metric System]

21. FYI, the Sanders Group doesn't allow dissenting opinions either.

[Renew Deal]

5. Bill Clinton is the 8th most popular president ever at nearly 70% approval

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2015/02/16/new-ranking-of-u-s-presidents-puts-lincoln-1-obama-18-kennedy-judged-most-over-rated

You're missing a link.

[peacebird]

18. This particular thing of beauty should be elevated to an OP, please?

[George II]

7. More rightwing talking points to advance a left candidate. Anyone see the problem with this?

[Segami]

8. So, are you saying that you don't believe...

that Hillary described her husband as a “secret weapon?".....or that Trump warned Hillary and tweeted in capital letters “BE CAREFUL!” ??....

Do you believe these are "rightwing talking points" as you're claiming or are they factual statements in a developing story?

[artislife]

9. This is meme number 15 just being trotted out again...nt

[pnwmom]

16. I think Bill will be a strong addition to her campaign against Trump or whoever

the Rethug nominee is.

He was a very popular President in his day, which is how he survived all the attacks by the Rethugs -- which is actually what DREW all the attacks by the Rethugs. His popularity infuriated them, because they thought he was white trash.

[840high]

14. I see a problem with Hillary's dandruff.

[cprise]

11. Neolibs are used to sailing on gusts of Gingrich-style

neoconservatism, profiting by alternately holding fast (gridlock) and tacking toward Sellout Harbor.

Its becoming increasingly clear the Clintons cannot handle their longtime friend and his punkish appeals to desperate voters (and the media's love for selling him). After the primaries, Hillary may get the same media treatment that Al Gore did in 2000, while Trump excuses the indiscretions of his 'early campaign days' in a difficult primary surrounded by reactionaries.

I can hear the TV already: "Democrats need to move on and stop obsessing about inconsequential 2015 blather", in between many many pieces that dote over Trump and a few Hillary spots that get cut off mid-word.

One aggravating factor: When the media decide to use the "liar" label with rancor, this time it will stick.

[Dustlawyer]

12. She decided to bring him out front to stop the bleeding and change the narrative.

He is well like by Democrats and attacks on him will gain sympathy for her.

She is getting desperate because she knows Bernie will get a jump when it is proven that the DNC and DWS conspired to give Hillary every help they could to beat Bernie.

[pnwmom]

13. If Trump directs more of his disgusting misogyny at HRC, he'll be playing right into her hands.

So I don't know why any Dem would be worried about that.

[NCTraveler]

15. Dems aren't worried about it. Nt

[99th_Monkey]

17. This is nothing but a Punch & Judy Show choreographed for the electorate by Oligarchs

Clinton (Bill) put Trump up to running for POTUS, it's liked a "fixed " boxing match to fleece the rubes .

OK, now I'll now proudly put on my new hat:

[CharlotteVale]

22. Snort. I love that comparison.

[Vinca]

19. I don't think Hillary should consider her husband a "secret weapon."

Weapons sometimes backfire. If she's the nominee against Trump, I imagine we'll be reliving the Clinton White House years over and over and over and over and over again. Trump has probably already given Lewinsky a million bucks for the blue dress.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

20. Well, he is experienced in secrets. Keeping them secret is another matter.