The biggest Clinton tactical error has been...

[Didereaux]

The biggest negative on Clinton all along has been the assumption of title before the fact. The public is angry, angry with Dem Congress for not stopping the war and prosecuting criminals in office, they are angry at the administration for lying to them about the war, for lying about many other things, for high oil, for billions wasted at home and abroad that seemingly went directly from US treasury into criminal corps pockets, angry at themselves for being duped in the first place and on and on and on. You do not get elected or supported by making yourself appear aloof and above such petty feelings. You get yourself elected by being angry(or at least appearing to be so) at the same things, and adamantly stating your intentions to do something about these things.

The Clintons, and their advisers uncharacteristically opted for the statesman approach...it may be too late to recover. Then again the American electorate has the memory and attention span of a hog, and if Clinton goes full bore on the attack, not against the other candidates, but against those the people are mad at, the people may just conclude that she would have more clout and would be more apt to 'kill' the bad guys than would the other candidates. It is an easy leap to conclude that she might hold heavy duty grudges and so be far more apt to pursue vengeance...and so long as it did not interfere with attacking the major domestic issues and foreign problems, there is no logical reason the DoJcannot be kept gainfully employed investigating and prosecuting repug criminals.

that strategy could also work just as well for Edwards...get off the narrow anti-bigbidness soapbax and onto a larger stage that would allow all the other 'anger items' to be hammered at. The voters don't really give a crap about 'feel good' Oprah-esque newage yuppy clap-trap...not when laid side by side with Bush & Co. They will go back to ohmani kas, and kumbaya AFTER the bloodletting and burnings are over.

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. The biggest Clinton tactical error has been overestimating the voting public.

[marylanddem]

2. I think you meant to say "underestimating" - didn't you?

[The_Casual_Observer]

No, I didn't.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. Overestimating their stupidity?

[The_Casual_Observer]

6. Sure, yea, whatever. We all got hope!

[Didereaux]

8. and Biden should have been Clintons clue...

They fell into the common trap of assuming all others think like themselves. Happens all the time. In fact curiously it happens more often with intelligent people than with the duller ones. Intelligence is the least common characteristic of humans, and as can be argued with vast amounts of written history, it is also the single most discriminated trait in our species. Seems illogical on the face of it, bit now when you realize that as 'weak' predators the social/group gene is more important to survival than great intelligence, average is perfectly sufficient. Also on the survival line of reasoning it is paramount fro the 'weak' to fear or at least be very wary of anything out of the ordinary. Intelligence, extra skills and such(the group will 'use' them, but they will resent them as well). oops getting and verbosely pedantic as Biden hissownself. grin anywho the average voter will not vote for intelligence unless they are also pretty, go to the same whatever, or they think the intelligent one will drop something useful in front of them.

[The_Casual_Observer]

12. There's a real problem with this whole thing. There's a world class

sales job going on all of a sudden & it's coming from all directions. Why does it seem like some kind of trap.

Biden would have been a rational choice, but this isn't about rationality. Anymore, rationality only comes after, during the owing up part.

[Malikshah]

18. I'm a bit confused by the prose, but are you saying Biden and Clinton

are intelligent and that they overestimated the intelligence of the US population?

I'd argue otherwise concerning Biden and Clinton as intelligent. These two Senators have shown a marked lack of intelligence in their actions. Their decisions have been based more on politics than on reasoned intelligence.

[Didereaux]

20. to clarify...

Yes they are intelligent, both of them, so is Obama and Edwards and Kucinich and Dodd,,,but They are separated by wisdom(but I veer).

What I was saying is that the Clinton camp knows and acknowledges that Biden is both intelligent and very knowledgeable and has wisdom...he is also very laid back, and organized. So when the Democratic voters and the American voters at large continued to ignore Bidens attributes it should have given them an idea that the public wanted emotion, emotion of such level as to trigger big endorphin releases.

Biden is way to intellectually honest to play those kinds of games, but I cannt find evidence that the clintons or Edwards or Obama has any such constraints.

So, put another way and more succinctly I said the the reaction to Bidens candidacy should have given the Clinton camp a major clue.

[Malikshah]

21. Ah-- thanks for the clarification.

We'll have to agree to disagree on the intellectual honesty bit.

Biden's played it both ways (along with the others for too long).

They are all counting on the collective amnesia of folks concerning their votes in congress.

[Didereaux]

25. ok and yeppers and thanks

[daa]

3. Bingo, I think we have a winner nt

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

4. I think it was getting into the race to begin with.

What with her record.

[PassingFair]

7. Three little consonants...

d.l.c.

[MethuenProgressive]

9. .. being attacked 24/7 by Edwards, the MSM, Obama, and the GOP?

That's her fault?

[marylanddem]

11. It must be hell to feel so entitled to something & see it slipping

away...

[MethuenProgressive]

13. Do you even know you're echoing an MSM meme?

"Entitled" & "Inevitable" both created outside the Clinton campaign to use against her.

[marylanddem]

14. Am I? Well, it happens to be true.

[MethuenProgressive]

15. It's "true" Clinton "felt entitled"? Who told you this?

Quote? Link? Speech she made?

[marylanddem]

16. I think it was those tears of rage that gave it away...

[MethuenProgressive]

17. That tells me all I need to know about you.

Good luck to your candidate.

[Marrah_G]

19. "tears of rage"? Now which tears would those be? Please elaborate

[marylanddem]

22. I believe that Hillary's apparently vulnerable moment yesterday,

in which she seemed on the verge of tears (though none really fell) reflected a strong sense of frustration - although I know she said with great sincerity that she cares very much about the nation, etc., - but then immediately launched into an attack on an "unnamed"
competitor. Perhaps "tears of rage" is a stretch - o.k., tears of frustration or whatever. I just have trouble finding authenticity there.

[RoadRage]

10. I think her biggest error has been UNDERestimating Obama

I don't think she or her advisors ever thought that people would give him a shot in hell until about late November.. and by then it was too late.

Which, if you read his books - is how he's won past electins in Illinois. People always forgot he was even running.. didn't really think he had a chance so they "play nice with the token black guy in the race".. and the next thing they know... he's taken the race from them.

I wonder if any of the Clintons ever read Obama's books.. he really has followed the same exact strategy.. and so far it's getting similar results.

[leftofthedial]

23. Bill's buddy-buddy routine with the bush scion

[Didereaux]

26. that one is just plain twilight zone, I cannot logic it.

[lovuian]

24. Believe it or not I like all the Dem candidates and if any would

be Prez I'd be fine with it
I have to say Kucinich is my favorite

Hillary's problem is she was a war Hawk

and her record shows it otherwise she is smart and has lots of saavy

I think this is her problem

[undeterred]

27. Too much Bill, too much of the past.