You know, I'm liking Hilary better lately.

[last1standing]

I'm still supporting Obama but has anyone else noticed that Hillary seems to have given up on the rabid attacks and is appearing more statesmanly? I'm liking this side of her and I hope it continues. When she stands up and talks about the issues and problems facing this country she reminds me of why I nearly switched my support to her after Edwards dropped out. She could be a great asset to the party with more Dems in the senate to help her move back to the left.

[Mz Pip]

1. Her attacks weren't

helping her.

Attacking McCain is where both candidates need to put more energy.

on edit: I typed the header wrong! I meant to say the attacks weren't helping her.

[last1standing]

5. Her attacks were dragging Obama down.

It was only a short term gain for Clinton as we've seen from the latest polling. I think she's seen that as well and has called off the attack dogs for the most part. Anyway, if this is the real Hillary then I'd definitely support her for senate majority leader over Reid.

And you're right, they both need to go after McCain but that can only happen in earnest when the primaries are done.

[Mz Pip]

13. I edited

my post. I typed it wrong.

Her attacks were just poisoning the well and I don't think Democrats appreciated that. Above all, we need to win in November and she wasn't helping herself or Obama in that regard.

[last1standing]

19. Heh. That did make a difference. :)

n/t

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

29. her attacks were dragging HER down more - its self preservation

she was experiencing blowback from her filthy kitchen sink "strategy".

She is what she is, and she hopes that you will forget what she really is,
if she starts acting differently.

don't be fooled, its still the same old Hillary.

She'll stick a knife in any democrat.

[sfam]

2. By lately do you mean this morning?

'Cause the whole Richardson is a lying Judas seems a bit extreme if we're looking at the Clinton campaign, and that was still going strong as of yesterday.

[last1standing]

10. I'm thinking that's more of a media creation now.

I'm sure the Clintons really are hurt by what they see as the betrayal of a close friend, but Richardson needed to make the decision that felt right for him. But other than Bill blowing up in private there's been no push on the "Judas" thing for awhile now. Let's hope it stays that way.

[Lucky 13]

3. I'm liking Hillary better lately too... better than a rabid wolverine anyway.

[dchill]

47. Yes - I was just thinking I like her a little better...

than scabies - whatever that is!

Eeyuck! I looked it up. I DO like her better! I really do!

[anigbrowl]

4. Agree. I am fine with her when she runs a clean campaign

She would be doing better if she had run like this the whole way through. On the other hand, we've sen the good cop/bad cop switcheroo several times now over the last few months; every time people get really pissed off with her she goes into sunny mode for a few days.

[Liberal Veteran]

6. I like her slightly more than gargling razor blades.

I wouldn't presume to suggest she would not be an adequate and competent president , but likability is one of those traits that she doesn't project to me.

[BeyondGeography]

7. While Ickes and others peddle Rev. Scary Black Man to the superdelegates?

Please try not to be fooled.

[last1standing]

12. Why is it that whenever someone disagrees around here they're called naive?

I'm not fooled, thank you. I know that there's a massive behind the scenes campaign going on to sway superdelegates. What you don't seem to understand is that the Obama campaign is doing it as well - and more successfully. But you don't think they've used the Lewinsky scandal to scare them or pushed the taxes meme? Of course they have. This is the largest political campaign on earth. The players here will do anything to win, anything. If using Pastor Wright or Paula Jones gains a delegate on that convention floor, they're going to jump at it.

The only real difference between the two campaigns' work on the superdelegates is that Obama has proved that he has a stronger, slicker, more nuanced team. That is a very good reason for supporting him in the primaries. His team is definitely more able to take on McCain's team that Hillary's.

[BeyondGeography]

21. Using things the Clintons have actually done compared with things someone else said?

Plus, you're wrong. All the Obama campaign has to do is point to Hillary's ridiculous negative ratings. They don't even have to go there.

This is only a lull. If past experience in this campaign is any guide, her campaign is gearing up for another Obama smear-fest. You can pretend you like Hillary in the meantime if it makes you feel better.

[last1standing]

50. OK. Enjoy your day.

:hi:

[mythyc]

8. I bet dollars to donuts this is just a breather before a final really really really really really

really big, dirty, desperate last push. the week before Pennsylvania's going to be ugly. her slim-ball tactics worked so well in texas and ohio, why abandon them when it's really going to count?

[Danieljay]

9. Sure. The dirty work is done, and the average American's attention span will forget that she's

behind many of the rabbid remarks about Obama.

I used to at least respect Hillary Clinton. I've lost that respect.

[Raffi Ella]

11. I feel the same way toward Barack today.

:)

Last night on Hard Ball he reminded me just what this election is all about: Getting a Democrat elected to office. Hearing him talk about OUR issues was just amazing. Bottom line is if he gets the nom I will work to ensure he is elected.

As for you liking Hillary more lately, that's great!! I really think if you guys gave her a chance and stopped listening to all the rhetoric and thinking of her as the enemy of Obama you'd see her for the fiercely Democratic Fighter that she is and would be for Us if elected.

[last1standing]

18. She IS Obama's enemy - for now.

But BOTH campaigns need to be acutely aware that the stray fire from their attacks hits their base of support in the GE. We've all been hit with it over the last couple of months and no one feels good right now.

But yes, we do all need to remember that the real enemy for us is a repub in the whitehouse. We need to choose which candidate can best bring the fight against that, but we shouldn't take their attacks on each other personally.

[susankh4]

26. Good Hillary photo!

I love to see her in yellow!

[Raffi Ella]

54. Thanks!

:dem:

[Vinca]

14. I don't trust her for a minute. Every time I think that maybe she isn't

so bad after all, she does something that drives that feeling way back where it came from. After the Bosnia incident I've decided she'll lie, cheat and steal to get the nomination and I don't like that.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

31. amen. Liking Hillary better now is like going back to a wife beater

a sick addiction that we can all eschew right now, for once and for all.

[last1standing]

51. How does it feel to live with such an extreme mindset?

Hillary Clinton is not all bad and Barak Obama is not all good. They are both politicians who are vying for the most powerful position on earth. They will both do whatever it takes to win. Fortunately Obama realized early that overt attacks would make him look bad and has done things the right way, under the table. He's shown that he is the candidate best able to take on McCain so lets let him do it.

[DJ13]

15. She has NOT cut back on the Obama attacks

She was finding that when either her or Bill were directly attacking Obama it was actually damaging her own poll #'s and giving Obama better poll #'s.

They've switched to the "staying above it" tactic, having their surrogettes do all of the sleazy attacks so she can try to keep it from directly hurting her own poll #'s.

The attacks continue, and yes, she is STILL behind them.

[last1standing]

22. And Obama is doing the same thing.

The only difference is that he learned earlier than she did that the person in the spotlight should look statesmanly and you can't do that by bashing your opponent. Obama definitely has surrogates out there spreading dirt, that's just politics. Every successful politician does it because they have to. I'm not against these two attacking each other, I'm just against them bringing it out into the open because it hurts our chances in November.

[Vinca]

23. What do you consider dirt that Obama surrogates are spreading? nt

[easy_b94]

16. I still don't trust her...she has done too much foul shit

[TwilightGardener]

17. I'm not.

[Cha]

25. Yeah, anyone trusting hilary does it

at their own peril.

Clinton Slipping on Trust
Blunders About Past
Weaken Credibility;
Move to Shift Focus

<snip>

"The New York senator suffered a setback last week when she admitted to overstating the danger she had faced on a 1996 trip to Bosnia as first lady. The incident sparked allegations that she had exaggerated her role on other issues, such as the Northern Ireland peace process, opposing the North American Free Trade Agreement and bringing health insurance to children.

Everhart Flenory, 67, a retired steelworker in New Kensington, Pa., said he used to be a Clinton supporter but plans to vote for Sen. Obama in the state's April 22 primary. "I've lost all my love for the Clintons," Mr. Flenory says. "Why'd she have to lie?"


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120700474140878503.html?mod=special_page_campaign2008_topbox

[TwilightGardener]

28. My parents in PA are just baffled by the Big Sniper Lie. But what really

sank her in their eyes is the fact that she suggested that McCain would make a better President. My dad is a lifelong Dem who has never, ever voted for a Repub--to him, Hillary committed an unforgiveable sin with that endorsement.

off topic--you can't beat a name like Everhart Flenory.

[Cha]

44. Interesting about your parents, WD!

I know,Everhart Flenory.. When I first read the article(too fast)I thought it was a woman but then I was rereading it to my son over the phone and I realized it was "Mr Flenory" as I stumbled over the name. :silly:

You gotta wonder what hilary and her crack team of strategists were thinking when she endorsed mccain over Obama? Did they think hilary was teflon and it wouldn't be very offensive to real Dems? :wtf:

[ORDagnabbit]

20. then I remember she is a liar and puts on whatever face she wants us to see.

[susankh4]

24. I feel similarly about Obama....

I Think I may be able to live with the moderate in him.

I am seeing our two candidates come closer together on issues, and on respect for one another

Good News for the party!

[grantcart]

27. My guess: a message was sent that they could not continue and say anything

that could be used in the GE campaign against Obama or there would be a large SD endorsement of Obama. In exchange a number of prominent SDs agreed to hold off until after Pennsylvania.

Just my guess

[last1standing]

33. If that's what it takes.

I'm just glad it's cooled down a bit. Hillary even put out a 3am ad against McCain and Obama's been attacking him as well. I like that.

[FrenchieCat]

30. Sure, now that she's done damage, she can step back.....

but, that's kind of like voting for the IWR, and then acting like that wasn't all that important.

And her 3 day old behavior (after seeing that the attack at any cost approach only sank her numbers) for some folks can be equated to the fact that they don't remember what they ate for lunch yesterday......so for them it only about "what have you not done to destroy the Democratic party today?"

Personally, Hillary has already shown me who she is and what she is about, and I don't like it one bit....and time won't erase her character as it was demonstrated.....

[Tatiana]

32. I agree. She knows how the superdelegates feel right now and is responding to it.

The negativity in this race was mostly coming from the direction of her campaign. At least, that's how many superdelegates like Kennedy and Richardson felt and you can believe she's been hearing the message loud and clear in her attempts to win over more superdelegates.

Without the pressure of having to constantly take a swipe at Obama, and instead focusing on her own positives, she comes across more favorably. When Hillary is on her game, she can be both wonkish and funny; both intellectual and warm. Honestly, if she hadn't thrown the kitchen sink at Obama, she probably would have made a better case for the superdelegates to back her candidacy.

As it stands, I still think she has an opportunity to lead and has a promising future in our party.

[last1standing]

37. 100% Agree.

I think we've seen in this campaign why Hillary and Bill are such a good match. They both embody the best, and the worst, our party has to offer. If she can keep her demons reigned in she could possibly go down as one of the best senate leaders in history.

[Marrah_G]

34. I like your post

And I like Obama even though I am a Hillary supporter. Yes his campaign has done things I don't like, as has hers, but in the long run I personally think they are two good Dems.

[last1standing]

40. Thanks, Marrah.

And I agree, essentially these are two good Dems. Not good progressives, but good Dems.

[redqueen]

35. It makes her campaign less annoying...

but I can't get over her cheerleading the WH lies about Iraq... or her waffling about torture. I don't know that I could say I "like" her better no matter how friendly she is.

[last1standing]

41. She is too conservative for my tastes, but then so is Obama.

I supported Edwards as the most progressive of the likely nominees.

[Abacus]

36. I appreciate your sentiment and I, too, prefer this side of Hillary

but it's not out of any sense of honor or decency, it's because it was hurting her more than it was hurting Obama. If it improved her numbers, she'd still be doing it.

[last1standing]

39. And if it improved Obama's he'd start.

That is why I prefer Obama at this point, he knows what to do and when to do it. He has run much more effective campaign in every aspect. He has shown that he can rebound from scandal, he can attack and still look like the nice guy and he can bring in tons of cash in the process. This is the candidate to stand up against the repubs in November.

[msallied]

38. Voter Beware

I don't trust that woman as far as I can throw her.

[TexanDem]

42. only because attacks didn't work-not from goodness of heart

Hillary will do or say anything to win. Her attacks have proven to hurt only herself. Don't be deceived!!!

[last1standing]

43. You haven't read my other posts in this thread, have you?

I'm not deceived and I'm not naive. I don't give a Damn why she's stopped, I only care that she's stopped. Why do we need to delve into motivations and mind reading?

[Buzz Clik]

45. Give it a week.

[last1standing]

49. If she goes overtly negative again she will lose her career in politics.

Or at best remain stagnant as the junior senator from NY for the rest of her career. I think she realizes that - at least I hope so.

[Buzz Clik]

53. My god -- I hope she has no ideas of going more negative than she already has.

[npincus]

46. trust me, same attacks happening below the radar

taking it directly to superdelgates... Ickes admitting that Clinton advocates using Rev. Wright to persuade that Obama is "unelectable". Gov. Richardson, a high-profile superdelegate, was told by HRC that Obama is unelectable. If you think she's had some epiphany about negative campaigning, you'e kidding yourself. It has simply proven itself to be counterproductive.

[last1standing]

48. Ugh! It's like talking into a vacuum.

I've repeatedly said in this thread that I know that she's gone under the radar and I'm sure Obama has as well. That's what politicians do and we need a leader who knows how to play the game. Obama is trouncing Clinton on that score and all others, so he has my support. For all the talk of him being a neophyte he has shown that he can not only play ball but has the best batting average.

Yet I'm being called the naive one here. :eyes:

[elmerdem]

55. I won't call you naive.

I'll call you wrong by comparing what Obama is doing behind the scenes to what Clinton is doing & calling them the same thing. Her campaign is using 'racist republicans' to try to secure democratic super delegate votes. It has been put out there by the her campaign so the the MSM will pick up on it & perpetuate the Wright story. Whatever the Obama camp is doing behind the scenes they have not pushed it to the MSM. Her campaign is using underhanded racist tactics to scare super delegates & voters. It is not something that democrats should tolerate & certainly should never support a candidate that does such things. I am disgusted. See for yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6aT2y4It7Q&eurl=http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com

[last1standing]

56. And that's why she's losing.

She chose to use tactics that worked well in the past but are no longer as effective. Most people really dislike race baiting and when her campaign engages in it, superdelegates move into Obama's corner. I'm saying that both campaigns are doing their best to win this primary but Obama has run circles around Clinton by doing his dirty work so under the radar that most people never even hear about it. That's a good thing because it makes him look like the clean campaigner and we'll need that in the GE because McCain has the same kind of reputation.

Should we tolerate using racism to win an election? No. However, Dems and repubs have been doing it for centuries and its a bit disingenuous to pretend that this is a new thing that Clinton is doing. The only new thing at play here is the fact that it isn't working. That gives me more hope than anything else this election cycle.

[elmerdem]

57. I didn't say it was new.

I only pointed out that I don't think you can compare it to what Obama is doing behind the scenes.

[last1standing]

58. The great thing about Obama's campaign is that we don't know what he's doing behind the scenes.

He's running a massively efficient operation and that's what we need in the GE. But for all we know he could be trying to convince the SDs that Bill is sleeping with Laura Bush or that Hillary is Hitler's love child.

[Orsino]

52. I wanted her to have to work for it...

...and I think she is. My sympathy tends to lie with the underdog, and I forgive much of her condescension in past months--which was mostly the usual campaign pretense.

In the next few weeks, we will learn even more about her character. We will see how she acts when the world isn't handed to her on a silver platter.

[zonkers]

59. Too late. Her lunacy has already been revealed. Thank God.