Obama rose. Clinton slid fast. Why?

[babylonsister]

Obama rose. Clinton slid fast. Why?

Poor planning for post-Feb. 5 races tripped up the Clinton camp, analysts say.
By Linda Feldmann | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

from the February 22, 2008 edition


Page 1 of 2
Reporter Linda Feldmann talks about where the Democratic presidential primary campaign is headed.

snip//

What happened? On Clinton's part, her straits represent a massive failure of planning and organization, analysts say. Her campaign operated on the assumption she would have the nomination effectively locked up with the 22 contests on Feb. 5, and it spent accordingly. The lack of a Plan B has left her scrambling for cash and organizing late in the post-Super Tuesday contests.

That this is happening to the Clintons – until this campaign, a team skilled like no other in Democratic politics in running and winning elections – has left the political world dumbfounded. But even the senator's supporters see how one faulty, central assumption can lead to disaster.

"If an entire campaign strategy is framed around the belief that a particular date will be decisive, and if in the face of contrary evidence you find it difficult to abandon that assumption, then it's possible to be very smart and experienced and still be caught short," says William Galston, a former senior adviser to President Clinton who backs Hillary Clinton's campaign.

Obama, in contrast, has put together a team that appears to work well together, and has fashioned and executed a game plan skillfully, Mr. Galston says.

"People are going to be writing about his campaign for a long time, as a textbook of how to take advantage of changing circumstances – and to leverage your strengths while muting your weaknesses," says Galston, now a senior fellow of governance at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

The stark contrast in how the campaigns have unfolded raises an inevitable question: Do they indicate how each of the candidates would operate as president? For Clinton, whose own husband is telling voters she has to win both Texas and Ohio on March 4 to remain viable, the question is acute. As she vows to voters that she would be ready to lead the nation from Day 1, are they noticing the failings in the largest enterprise she has ever run?

more...

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0222/p01s05-uspo.html

[K Gardner]

1. "A Massive Failure in Planning and Organization".. K&R

[JimGinPA]

2. It Was All Those Pesky Voters Too

:rofl:

[northernsoul]

7. "And I would've gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids!"

[I Vote In Pittsburgh]

20. haha

:rofl:

[greguganus]

21. LMAOBAMA!!! N/T

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

3. Because Of The Media.

Pretty obvious, really.

[scheming daemons]

6. And if she can't overcome the media, she'd be a lousy president anyway...

...

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

11. Now That's Gotta Be One Of The More Stupid Theories I've Ever Heard.

Jeez, do you really believe that?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

10. It's always the media's fault.

Lose an election? It's because the media wouldn't let us get the message out.

It's a cliche. Pretty obvious, really.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

13. Not Always. But You Can't Say It Hasn't Been A Factor Here.

If you could honestly stand up and say it hasn't been, then you're either lying through your teeth or amazingly unaware of reality.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

19. Can I honestly say there's not a vast media conspiracy to nominate Obama?

Yes, I can.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

22. No One Said There Was.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

24. There were also no bombs in Building 7.

Just in case you wanted to know.

[northernsoul]

23. Shhh! You're inverting the DU rules of evidence

Where the most tenuous assertions are considered proven until rebutted beyond all unreasonable doubts.

[nolabels]

29. Yep, that's how it works here and has for years

It's really kind of scary sometimes. That littlest of minutia that could prove someone wrong is almost always magnified beyond proportion. It all started that way because that was the kind of logic that used to install * and so by habit no small stone is left unturned. Many of us also have keen sense of how lawyers use little factoids to screw many others in a court of law.

[lapfog_1]

40. I can say that the media was NOT a factor in her screwing up

the post Super Tuesday campaign.

You should look more at her campaign staff.

[Drunken Irishman]

26. Wrong.

I'll admit the media plays a role, but the bigger problem was always her lack of planning for post-Super Tuesday states. That fact can't be blamed on the media. It wasn't the media who forced Clinton to only plan for Super Tuesday. It wasn't the media who forced Hillary to concede every small state to Obama, where he blew her out and took home the lion's share of delegates. It wasn't the media who forced Hillary into attack mode days before the Wisconsin primary, taking what very well could have been a close state and delivering another blowout victory for Obama. It wasn't the media who decided to ignore Washington, Nebraska, Louisiana, Virginia, Maryland and DC. These are all issues within the Clinton camp, NOT the media's creation. Clinton ran a piss-poor campaign and it showed in the final results.

The media didn't help, but surely you can admit there is far more competence in the Obama campaign than what we've seen from Clinton. Obama has actually put forth a successful strategy to not only build momentum toward the party's nomination, but to raise money like no other candidate has ever done before. Had Clinton run a decent campaign, she would have easily won Iowa, then New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina and then she would have wrapped it up on Super Tuesday. But she didn't and she has no one to blame but her own campaign.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

27. Nah. I'm Right.

[Drunken Irishman]

30. And this mindset is why Clinton will lose.

Which I'm very thankful for, because it means my candidate will win. But this has been par for the course when it comes to the Clinton campaign. Deflect any responsibility for losing and build it up as sexism and anti-Clinton media bias. Blame everyone else except your own floundering campaign.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

33. Put The Liquor Down And Relax A Little.

It was the media. But that's life. Nothing for you to get all worked up over. :hi:

[Drunken Irishman]

38. Na', I'm not worked up over anything, I'm glad she's ran a poor campaign.

Remember, I'm cheering for the other guy. :)

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

41. Who, McCain?

What the hell other guy are you talking about?

[Drunken Irishman]

46. The guy that will probably win the Democratic nomination.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

52. You Said The Other Guy.

Maybe it was a Freudian slip?

[Drunken Irishman]

53. Maybe.

[harun]

32. Yah the media trying to force her down our throats (n/t)

[milkyway]

54. Are you saying she wasn't a skilled enough politician to know how to use the media to her advantage?

A big part of contemporary politics is manipulating the media. I thought she was the experienced politician who knew how to get things done? Thankfully, we won't have to hear four years from now how her presidency could have been a success if it weren't for the media.

She has proven to be an incompetent executive. She has managed two large projects on a national scale--her healthcare plan and her presidential campaign. Both have been spectacular failures. Unfortunately for her, her failures as an executive might have gone unnoticed if she didn't have to run against a strong candidate with superior organizational and managerial skills.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

55. Yeah... Like It Works That Way.

:crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: 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[milkyway]

59. If the media ruined her campaign, they would also ruin her presidency. Good thing they won't have

the chance.

You're the one who says that's how it works. It's not Hillary's fault, it's the fault of the media. You would be saying the exact same thing four years from now.

And why are you clogging up the tubes on the Internets with all those smilies?

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

62. Didn't Say The Ruined HER Campaign, I'm Implying They Catapulted HIS.

Try and think once in a while.

:think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think: :think:

[blm]

60. Because he HAD a sharp national team in place already. One free of being undermined

from within as it had been in 2004 with all those Hillary2008 loyalists who pushed themselves into the campaign.

[LordJFT]

65. Always a good scapegoat, that way you can draw away attention from the fact that when voters

actually got to know the candidates, the one they preferred wasn't yours

[northernsoul]

4. Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail

You probably heard that from your high school coach, but it sure is true.

[blm]

5. It's also safe to guess that Obama accessed the only other machine operational NATIONALLY

since Sen. Kerry decided to not run again.

And it appears the Clinton people involved in the 2004 run were never as nimble as the ones who stayed with Kerry. Just LOUDER TALKERS.

And probably not so sincere about a 2004 victory as Kerry's people.
http://www.depauw.edu/news/index.asp?id=13354


http://www.tpmcafe.com/blog/coffeehouse/2006/oct/07/did_carville_tip_bush_off_to_kerry_strategy_woodward



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk1k0nUWEQg

[JanusAscending]

9. You go girl !

The truth will set us free !! GOBAMA !!

[antigop]

8. but, but, but... wasn't she was running a "flawless campaign"? n/t

[samdogmom]

12. She's had a "mystic" that she's tried to run on. It hasn't worked.

Truly--everything I've seen proves the Clintons don't know any more than the rest of us. Maybe they just got lucky in the 90's--who knows? Obviously--whatever they used to do isn't working anymore. End of story.

[THUNDER HANDS]

14. all the millions of sentences typed on this election can boil down to five little words.

The voters liked Obama more.

[samdogmom]

15. So succinct! So correct! Thanks!

[book_worm]

16. bottom line is HRC ran like she was inevitable and downplayed states that Obama

didn't. The small red states for instance that she felt were not important but went to Obama overwhelmingly and gave him a lot more delegates while Obama also fought for the blue states and in the ones she won he still came close to her in delegate counts.

[Cha]

49. Obama went with Dean's strategy and

hilary went with the very expensive mr mark penn.

[krabigirl]

17. Obama has a better marketing team. He's been branded and packaged better.

[babylonsister]

25. Good job giving no credit to Obama for his success. I think he's earned it,

and I'm not alone judging from the last 11 primaries he's won by exceedingly wide margins.
His campaign team definitely helped, but that only tells part of the story.

[ieoeja]

39. I think that WAS giving Obama credit.

He hired a better campaign manager, fund-raisers, etc.

You may recall that Gore was fading fast at one point in his 2000 campaign before he retooled his campaign staff. Gore's original staff was largely inherited from the Clintons. While the staff that turned it around was a Chicago based group ... the same pool of talent Obama drew upon for this campaign.

The Clintons were never political geniuses. Bill Clinton won against Bush when he was being branded by his own party as a "wimp" and a "read my lips" liar permitting a third-party candidate to capture over 10% of the vote. Four years later he barely won as an incumbent against a candidate who saw his platform go down in flames at his own party's convention that year.

Bill Clinton ran against two of the worst GOP candidates in the past quarter of a century. Hardly a "resume" to hang your hat on.

[Cha]

51. Yeah, Obama's positive message is winning

out against hilary's negative campaigning.

[AtomicKitten]

18. Her arrogance in not planning past Feb 5th is her demise.

[mudesi]

28. Say it with me: Iraq Iraq Iraq Iraq Iraq Iraq Iraq Iraq Iraq Iraq Iraq Iraq Iraq Iraq Iraq

If she had apologized, I believe things would be much different.

[babylonsister]

31. That might have helped if Clinton had any kind of a ground game

working for her, or a campaign that wasn't in tatters, or Obama didn't draw crowds like buttaflies:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=108x126026

[Major Hogwash]

34. Hillary used the DLC's 17-state strategy, and Obama used Dean's 50-state strategy!

That's it, in a nutshell. Pure and simple.

[blm]

35. Yep - DNC was run into the ground serving Clintons only from 1993 thru 2004.

Had the DNC been operating FOR the entire party - Gore would have had his landslide and Kerry would be running a primary race against Lieberman.

[Scriptor Ignotus]

36. I hate to compare any Dem to Bush

but he had no plan B for Iraq, just like she has no plan B for Barack.

hey, that rhymed!

[babylonsister]

37. Ha! You're a poet and you don't know it!

:crazy:

[rocktivity]

42. There really wasn't anything wrong with her core strategy

Her "brand name," after all, WAS her biggest asset. But once it became clear that Iowa had NOT been a fluke, she should have stopped, FIGURED OUT WHY things weren't going according to plan, and come up with a NEW one. Envying Obama's superior oratory, strong-arming superdelegates, plagiarizing buzzwords and trying on other strategies like hats ain't it.

:headbang:
rocknation

[milkyway]

57. Iowa is never a fluke. Voters there spend a year with the candidates. The results

this year were a resounding rejection of Hillary.

She did come up with a new plan in NH--to show the softer, more human, more likable Hillary. Capped by the "crying" incident, she won NH and found her so-called voice. But for some bizarre reason they decided to go negative, with both the Clintons, and less subtly their surrogates, using racial stereotypes. The day after the SC debate Hillary was practically giddy that Obama had gotten down in the mud with her during the debate. They thought they had taken the luster off of him, but all they did was reinforce her negatives. That voice she found in NH got lost in SC, making NH seem phony and contrived. I will never understand why they so abruptly dropped their winning NH strategy.

[rocktivity]

67. DING DING DING! Milkyway, you're our grand prize winner!

...(S)he won NH and found her so-called voice. But for some bizarre reason they decided to go negative...using racial stereotypes.

Oprah Winfrey's endorsement was the bizarre reason. She dovetailed Obama's "colorlessness"--his greatest strength--into hers, and the Clinton camp decided that the best defense was to turn him "back" into a "black candidate." Unfortunately, they also decided to to do so by channeling Karl Rove.

:headbang:
rocknation

[LittleClarkie]

43. Well that's what happens when you assume

Doncha know.

[Cha]

44. Don't forget Hawai'i!

That wasn't the best sales pitch, either. B-)

[Nederland]

45. A team skilled like no other?

I have no idea why anyone ever believed this. Bill Clinton won two terms because he ran against two lousy opponents. Bush Sr., who hated campaigning so much he looked at his watch every five minute to know when he could leave, and Mr Viagra himself, Bob Dole. Is this how one gets an aura of invincibility? Please...

[TheDoorbellRang]

56. That and Ross Perot took a good chunk of GOP voters away from Bush & Dole. n/t

[Mme. Defarge]

47. Both campaigns

will be used as business and management case studies for years to come.

[Arugula Latte]

48. Everyone is focusing on strategy. The reality is, Hillary is a substandard candidate.

[blm]

64. I agree - imagine this crowd running the way they are against Bush in 2004 when he was

at his MOST powerful.

RNC wouldn't have HAD to rig machines and suppress votes.

[HopeforChange]

50. Obama's Community Outreach Process is now Automated

That is my take on some of this. Yes he is a great candidate and a great speaker but in addition he has built and automated systems to pull communities and groups together that works with his grass roots volunteers. He was a community organizer for many years and as a grassroots volunteer and a data processing professional I am impressed with the tools he has placed into the hands of any voter with access to the Web to get out and support him.

[KittyWampus]

63. thank you. Organizing people effectively is what works. The GOP worked that way for decades

[Perry Logan]

58. Also, he's been the one fresh face in the race. No doubt about it, America wants change.

[DemGa]

61. She's fighting a slick format -- nothing more

See: Deval Patrick and Eliot Spitzer.

[backscatter712]

66. Summed up already - bad planning, lousy campaign infrastructure, self-destructive tactics.

She assumed that she'd be anointed on Super Tuesday, but didn't count on a voter insurgency. So she didn't plan on potentially fighting a long campaign.

After she failed to vanquish Obama on Super Tuesday, she didn't have volunteers in place or campaign representatives in place or any sort of boots on the ground in the states. Obama did.

Then she resorted to nasty negative tactics, but Obama's campaign was able to get the facts straight, minimize the damage and cause the smears to boomerang on her, making her look nasty and petty.

And quite frankly, I don't see anything changing between now and Mar. 4th. She still doesn't have boots on the ground. She still is flailing desperately trying tactics that frequently backfire. And now she's behind on delegates, falling behind in the polls, running out of money and running out of options while she tries to face down a campaign that's taking off like a rocket. All the proclamations from her supporters about how this time she's going to come out ahead sound an awful lot like Baghdad Bob. It's only a matter of time before she gets steamrolled.

What can I say? She brought this mess on herself.

[Dogmudgeon]

68. The press, gaming the election

At this point, it's impossible to separate the press' promotion of Obama and hatred of Clinton from the un-spun views of the voting public. They have only seen Hillary presented in a consistently derogatory light, and Obama in soft focus with sugar.

This could be a real problem for Obama because at some point the press will turn on him. Whether it's tomorrow morning or a year into his prospective first term, he will be facing what Hillary is facing.

ALL prominent Democratic statesmen since FDR have been sabotaged by the press.

Every. Single. One.

Harry Truman.
Adlai Stevenson.
John Kennedy.
Julian Bond.
Lyndon Johnson.
Hubert Humphrey.
George McGovern.
Shirley Chisholm.
Edmund Muskie.
Ted Kennedy.
Jimmy Carter.
Jesse Jackson.
Walter Mondale.
Andrew Young.
Michael Dukakis.
Bill Clinton.
Al Gore.
Howard Dean.
John Kerry.
Joseph and Valerie Plame. (Perhaps not statesmen, but articulate and publicly accessible.)
Dennis Kucinich.
Hillary Clinton.

And you know I forget a few.

I can not understand the Obama supporters who are defending the press. The press' and pundits' adulation is a Trojan horse. By building him up so much, his fall will be another public spectacle they will use to sell advertising. They used the trick to their great satisfaction in tearing down Bill Clinton, and have decided to finish the job on Hillary.

Barack Obama should have a Plan B ... and a Plan C ... and pay close attention to Washington press corps gossip.

--p!