12 months later and the Clinton Campaign's Failure of Imagination has gained 4%

[grantcart]

a) To refresh your memory - Exactly one year of campaigning has moved her in the polls from 37% to 41%


This poll from last year by CNN shows that Senator Clinton entered the campaign with 37%:

. . . . Mar. 9-11 . . .Jan 19-21. . . . Dec. 5-7. . . Nov. 17-19. . . Oct. 27-29. . . Aug 30-Sep 2
. . . . .2007 . . . . . . .2007. . . . . . 2006 . . . . . . . 2006. . . . . . 2006. . . . . . .2006

Clinton . .37%. . . . . . . 34%. . . . . . . 37%. . . . . . .33%. . . . . . . 28%. . . . . . . .38%

Obama . . .22% . . . . . . .18%. . . . . . . 15%. . . . . . 15%. . . . . . . 17%. . . . . . . . N/A









b) One of the most important qualifications a leader must have is that of imagination. Hillary Clinton's Presidential campaign has been completely and totally void of imagination:

1) Lack of Strategic Imagination.

She made the classical blunder of overestimating her strengths and her opponents weaknesses and underestimating her own weaknesses and her opponents strengths.

"I am in it for the long run but it isn't going to be a very long run - it will be over on February 5th"
Hillary Clinton December 30th, 2007

Here is the chilling patronizing tone of Senator Clinton:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saBU6ux0hsQ




2) Lack of Tactical Imagination.

There have been a number of key moments in the campaign where she could have broken out of the mold and taken the higher ground. The big opportunity was the Wright controversy. She could have come to Obama's and Wright's side and that would have endeared her to democrats. The same is true with the 'bitter' controversy. Instead of taking a 'high road' tactic to gain favor with democrats she has used tactics that are the kind of negative attacks you would use in a General Election campaign.

Here she is accusing Obama of being 'Un American' ala McCarthy.

Here is her caustic attack on Obama's 'American-ness'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-hbPmcMFxU



3) Lack of Thematic Imagination

We are a year into a campaign that is still searching for a theme. Ready on day one? Well when a campaign is still firing campaign staff and not paying its bills its hard to say with a straight face. What exactly is Clinton's basic theme of her candidacy? What besides "I know you are not bitter and I used to spend summers here" is her compelling reason for Pennsylvanians to vote for her?



4) Lack of 'Come Back Kid' Imagination.

When McCain was out of the contest, dead and on the mat, he threw away his campaign staff and showed up and took on all comers at town hall meetings. It endeared the press and made people sympathetic. Senator Clinton is knowledgeable and personable when stripped away of all of the packaging. Had she done the same thing she probably would have been the nominee. Her strategy for rebounding in those 'come back kid' moments (with the exception of New Hampshire) was essentially a 'more cow bell' approach. Using the same tired arguments with higher volume.


Hillary Clinton has had a few successes past 'Super Tuesday'. They have mostly been in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania where she is leaning heavily on the state apparatus where the state machines have been heavily aligned with her and where he best demographics are heavily represented.


A year ago Hillary Clinton had 37% of a 6 person field. With the other 5 candidates sharing 63% it seemed impossible to consider that she wouldn't pick up a significant part of that piece of the pie. The reality is of that 63% she was able to pick up only 4% when 4 other candidates left the race.


The reality when you step back and look at it is that in 12 months Hillary Clinton has made virtually no movement in the polls.


Its unbelievable really, hard to imagine.