WaPo Turns On Hillary: Internal Memo Reveals Campaign Desperation

[berni_mccoy]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2016/05/31/what-a-clinton-camp-memo-about-her-emails-tells-us/

What a Clinton camp memo about her emails tells us

Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, in a memo to top supporters, writes:

Since last year, Secretary Clinton has said her use of a personal email server was a mistake. And while there have been ongoing reviews of this matter, the completion of the Inspector General’s examination gets us one step closer to resolving this.

While the rules surrounding use of a personal email account were clarified after Secretary Clinton left office — and the Inspector General recommends the State Department take measures to even further clarify them — the Secretary has once again acknowledged this was a mistake. And she has taken responsibility for that mistake — including in many interviews she’s done since the report’s release.

That is three uses of “mistake” in two short paragraphs, maybe a record for her. The memo tells us a number of things about Clinton and her campaign:

1. She is finally willing to drop the claim that predecessors did the same thing. “She believed she was following the practices of other Secretaries and senior officials” (emphasis added) is now the operative explanation.

2. That she is making such acknowledgments shows genuine concern in her camp that her credibility is reaching critically low levels.

3. Exactly who in the Clinton camp, maybe Podesta himself, was finally able to break through to her? It’s not a good sign that it took so long, but it should remind her that her closest confidants do not necessarily have the best judgment — and only reinforce her own weaknesses.

4. Podesta’s claim that “she has taken unprecedented steps to ensure public access to her emails — providing the Department with all of her work-related emails, totaling 55,000 pages, and calling for their release” still overlooks one giant problem with the whole setup: Clinton destroyed tens of thousands of emails on the grounds they were “personal”; we’ll never know whether they were really about yoga classes or about more important issues.

5. The explanation of convenience still makes no sense. “What she thought would be a convenient way to communicate with family, friends and colleagues — by using one email account for both her work related and personal emails — has turned out to be anything but convenient. If she could go back, she’d do it differently.” First, we are talking about putting work on a private server, not merely sharing an account. Second, in her own statements she has hinted at the real reason: She didn’t want others gaining access to her emails. In other words, she was evading possible oversight by Congress as well as Freedom of Information Act laws.

6. Barring an FBI finding of criminal conduct to support a prosecution, Podesta is likely right that “voters will look at the full picture of everything she has done throughout her career.” If voters disliked her before, they will have further reason to after this; if they were willing to cut her slack, it is unlikely to turn supporters away.

7. The best thing she has going for her, as Podesta notes, is Donald Trump (“an unqualified loose cannon is within reach of the most powerful job in the world”). In the grand scheme of things, Clinton will say, in effect: Which is worse — my infamous desire for secrecy and penchant for digging in my heels, or an erratic narcissist who has no idea what he’s talking about?

[oberliner]

1. Jennifer Rubin is a right-wing conservative.

Her column at Washington Post is called "The Right Turn: My take from a conservative perspective".

[Renew Deal]

7. Sounds about right for Hillary's opponents

Judicial Watch, Breitbart, Town Hall are all good sources. DU, Daily Kos, etc are bad sources.

[oberliner]

9. Right-wing sources (and writers) seem very popular around here lately

As long as they say negative things about HRC.

[tonyt53]

2. You should really get a better writer to follow and quote.

[sufrommich]

3. And by WaPo you mean conservative Jennifer Rubin.nt

[JRLeft]

13. A conservative criticizing a conservative. That's rare these days.

[YouDig]

4. Do you ever post anything except right wing links? It's like a Right Wing encyclopedia!

[WhiteTara]

5. BM. I fear for your health.

I hope you meditate or have some way of calming your emotions because this seems very unhealthy and strokes and heart attacks are real.

[Tom Rinaldo]

6. I agree with the bottom line summary about how this will untimately be framed

"Which is worse — my infamous desire for secrecy and penchant for digging in my heels, or an erratic narcissist who has no idea what he’s talking about?"

I'll take door number one if presented with that choice, hopefully enough other voters would too.

Of course an indictment would blow that all to hell.

[KoKo]

21. Possibly.. But, did anyone see the "many interviews" Hillary has done?

It is troubling though that Podesta says this:

While the rules surrounding use of a personal email account were clarified after Secretary Clinton left office — and the Inspector General recommends the State Department take measures to even further clarify them — the Secretary has once again acknowledged this was a mistake. And she has taken responsibility for that mistake — including in many interviews she’s done since the report’s release.

Have you seen the "many interviews she's done since the report's release?" All I've seen/heard is a phone in she gave to MSNBC or CNN. What did I miss? I had expected the Sunday shows to interview her, and maybe I missed it, but in my switching channels I didn't see an interview with her and since the news broke last Wednesday so Sunday shows would have been the venue for her.

[Bonobo]

27. It is difficult not to see her self-destroyed emails as akin to the Nixon tapes.

At least that is how it will be framed.

[emulatorloo]

8. I seriously doubt Jennifer Rubin has "turned", as she's a conservative columnist

[dchill]

10. Podesta is trying to use "mistake™ Band-Aids...

to cover badly hemorrhaging criminal wounds. As first aid, it's not even a decent stop-gap.

[dsc]

11. Nice source

was Goebells too busy being dead for you to use?

[Major Nikon]

26. Results...

On Wed Jun 1, 2016, 10:41 AM an alert was sent on the following post:

Nice source
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=2101128

REASON FOR ALERT

This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate.

ALERTER'S COMMENTS

unwarranted reference to Nazi propaganda.

You served on a randomly-selected Jury of DU members which reviewed this post. The review was completed at Wed Jun 1, 2016, 10:44 AM, and the Jury voted 2-5 to LEAVE IT.

Juror #1 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: Dear Alerter..... LOL!
Juror #2 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #3 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: Sometimes things are so stupid it's hilarious and can't possibly be offensive.
Juror #4 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: This was directed at a public columnist known as very conservative, not a dem or anyone on DU. No reason to hide.
Juror #5 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #6 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: Can we stop attacking fellow DU members?
Juror #7 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: Now a Washington Post blog = Nazi propaganda? Hyperbole much?

[SidDithers]

12. The right hates Hillary. The fringe left hates Hillary...

But they both looooooove right-wing columnists like Jennifer Rubin.

Sid

[JRLeft]

14. Hillary is a right winger, just a moderate one.

[oberliner]

18. No she's not

You should maybe take a closer look at what right-wingers actually support.

Trump, for instance, has said he would rip up the Paris Accord, and that the Iran Deal was the worst deal the US ever negotiated in history.

[JRLeft]

23. She's a centrist neoliberal politician, she represents the AL From wing of the party.

Just because the GOP is far right it doesn't mean the moderate republicans of the past aren't democrats now. She like Obama and others are Rockefeller republicans that are in the democratic party.

[bobthedrummer]

34. +1 There it is, JRLeft!

[Lizzie Poppet]

37. She's a centrist, leaning a bit left on social issues, and center-right (at best) on economic ones.

I don't think it's worthwhile to try to hang a "spectrum" label on Trump at all. "Uninformed lunatic" doesn't really have a point on the political spectrum...

[randome]

15. The rule on handing over only work-related documents has a huge loophole.

The user has the discretion to decide if something is work-related or not. Citing Clinton's ability to delete personal emails as a stroke against her shows the partisan nature of the article. It makes no sense.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[Meteor Man]

16. The Hillary Campaign is in free fall

Analysis from Gaius Publius at Down With Tyranny:

Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Bernstein: The White House Is Terrified the Clinton Campaign "Is In Freefall"

Bernstein: There is a huge story going on. I've spent part of this weekend talking to people in the White House. They are horrified at how Hillary Clinton is blowing up her own campaign.

And they're worried that the Democrats could blow -- they are horrified that the whole business of the transcripts, accepting the money -- that she could blow the Democrats' chance for White House. They want her to win. Obama wants her to win.

But Sanders has shown how vulnerable she is. These ethical lapses have tied the White House up in knots. They don't know what to do. They're beside themselves. And now, you've got a situation with these transcripts a little like Richard Nixon and his tapes that he stonewalled on and didn't release.

This is the beginning of the end.

Bernstein: The implications of all of this [the email server issue] are that Hillary Clinton did not want her emails subjected to the Freedom of Information Act or subpoenas from Congress. And that's why she set up a home-brew server.

I think we all know that. People around her will tell you that in private if you really get them behind a closed door.

I was in Washington this week, I spoke to a number of top Democratic officials and they're terrified, including people at the White House, that her campaign is in free fall because of this distrust factor. Indeed, Trump has a similar problem, but she's the one whose numbers are going south.

If nominated as expected, Hillary may very well bring the Democratic Party down with her.

http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2016/05/bernstein-white-house-is-terrified.html?m=1

[oberliner]

19. Gaius Publius?

Is that his real name?

[Meteor Man]

22. Kos Alumni

It's a nom de plume. He also posts at Digby's Hillabaloo:


http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/?m=0

[charlyvi]

24. Publius' Hillary hate knows no bounds.

His columns for months now are mostly wishful thinking.

[Meteor Man]

32. So you hate progressive bloggers?

At the end of most of his posts:

Ready to stand up and slap down the DCCC and the corrupt party bosses who control it by electing anti-corruption progressives like Alina Valdes? Please contribute what you can at the thermometer below:

UPDATE: Miami's Mayor Tomás Regalado Weights In On Herr Trumpf

Miami-Dade has been rapidly trending Democratic. Obama won every congressional district in the county except Diaz-Balart's and last time he came close enough in Diaz-Balart's (1%) to predict that Hillary or Bernie would win it in November. Trump's anti-immigrant/anti-Hispanic hate speech goes over very poorly there. Dr. Valdes: "As a candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in the 25th district and, more importantly, as a Latina, I find Donald J. Trump's statements about Latinos and women extremely offensive. We are a diverse group of people who made America our homes from many different countries but the vitriol and contempt the Republican nominee for president has chosen to use goes beyond reason and common sense.

http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2016/05/update-miamis-mayor-tomas-regalado.html?m=1

[Waiting For Everyman]

31. I tend to believe Carl Bernstein.

If they are as upset as he says, which I don't doubt, then to me that says they know the bigger indictment is coming, and soon.

[Gomez163]

17. Bernie Bros are now quoting Jenghazi articles.

[Surya Gayatri]

20. Jennifer Rubin?

"Reveals Campaign Desperation..."

[onenote]

25. Jennifer Rubin now speaks for the Post?

No, she speaks for herself, and her conservative pals. Who apparently now include Sanders' supporters.

[MineralMan]

28. Another right-wing blogger? Really?

Here's a hint: You can find lots of right-wing attacks on Hillary Clinton on the Internet. Not all of them deserve posting on DU, it seems to me.

blogs/right-turn in the URL should have been your clue.

[amborin]

29. she needs to drop out now

[TeddyR]

30. So for all of those attacking Rubin

As a conservative and arguing she doesn't speak for the WaPo, does this article from the WaPo editorial board "The Post's View - Clinton’s inexcusable, willful disregard for the rules" work?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/clintons-inexcusable-willful-disregard-for-the-rules/2016/05/25/0089e942-22ae-11e6-9e7f-57890b612299_story.html

[frylock]

33. And while there have been ongoing reviews of this matter..

Ongoing reviews? How about ongoing INVESTIGATIONS? She's fucked, and they know it.

[Dem2]

35. Anybody who knows anything about politics knows that Rubin is the resident wing nut there

Have you no shame?

[B Calm]

36. The only thing I know is, her propaganda on being strong on National Security has

been flushed down the toilet.