Hillary Clinton crosses fingers, shakes up her campaign

[Brrrp]

Source: LA Times

The new campaign honcho, Maggie Williams, will face the challenge of running an operation that needs to be more careful in its spending than it has been. And she will have to do so while Clinton tries to break a mini-losing streak to Obama, which continued Sunday with his triumph in the Maine caucuses.

An excellent overview of tensions ...within Clinton's staff was provided two weeks ago by the New Republic's Michelle Cottle. The piece, which you can read here, presaged Williams' ascension. Noting that her "history with the Clintons is a fraught one," Cottle also offers this useful background:

"Of the original Hillaryland crew, arguably no one bore the brunt of the scandals and political storms as fiercely. Twice, Williams became the object of intense public and legal scrutiny: first, when the Whitewater probe raised allegations that she had helped obstruct the investigation into Vince Foster's suicide by removing files from his office on the night he died; and, again, when the disputed details of her acceptance of a $50,000 political donation from Johnny Chung earned her an invitation to testify before Congress during the Democrats' 1996 fund-raising scandal. For many political watchers, Williams stood as the poster child for the Clintons' careless disregard of those close to them. At the end of Bill Clinton's first term, a scarred and exhausted Williams, having racked up $350,000 in legal bills, resigned her White House post and fled to Paris for a couple of years with her new husband."



Read more: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/02/clinton-staff-s.html

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It looks to me as if Hillary has replaced Ms. Sorta Nice (Patti Solis Doyle)with someone more accustomed to street fighting.

[dkf]

1. This is what happens when you have a bunch of "yes" people around you.

"Adopting the same ready-for-business tone, message guru Mandy Grunwald tried to spur conversation by asking other top advisers if they wanted to share any thoughts. Nothing. After a pregnant pause, Hillary jumped back in to talk for a few minutes about what she saw as the next step. Again, she was met by silence that stretched out awkwardly until a displeased Hillary snipped, "This has been very helpful talking to myself," and hung up on the group."

http://tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=75e41edb-784d-4f9a-ba6e-08cab93d09ae

[Demeter]

3. This Is What Happens When You Screw Your Base--Repeatedly

I'm in Michigan, and I am not forgiving.

[thereismore]

4. At least H recognized that the yes-men do not help her. Kudos to Hil. nt

[Brrrp]

5. Maggie looks like a super yes-man (yes-woman) to me.

That was her role as damage-controller in the scandals surrounding Whitwater, Vince Foster, and Johnny Chung.

[Tom Rinaldo]

6. There is a difference between the actions one takes to defend one's team

...and the counsel given in private. What we know is that Maggie was a true loyalist, that is not the same as being a "yes woman" at all. It makes a whole lot of sense to have loyalists at the core of one's campaign.

[fenriswolf]

2. Just love Hillaries crew, mark penn now this.