Hillary tells top democrats she is likely to run and asks for their support

[Herman Munster]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/03/nyregion/03clinton.html?hp&ex=1165122000&en=dd38868467cbdb24&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has begun a calculated series of meetings with top New York Democratic officials to signal that she is likely to run for the presidency in 2008 and to ask for their support if she does, according to one state Democratic official who spoke with her and two others who have been briefed on her plans

Senator Clinton met last week with Charles B. Rangel, the dean of the New York Congressional delegation, in what her advisers said was an effort to meet with most New York Congressional Democrats by the end of this month to discuss her plans.

On Friday, she also spoke with Herman D. Farrell Jr., the chairman of the State Democratic Party, Mr. Farrell said, and she plans to meet with Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer as early as today. Mr. Farrell confirmed that Senator Clinton briefed him on her 2008 intentions; Mr. Rangel declined to describe their conversation.

Senator Clinton’s outreach was disclosed and confirmed yesterday by three New York Democratic officials, all on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized by the Clinton camp to release the information. One of the officials said he was contacted by Senator Clinton directly about her plans. The two others said they were informed by senior Clinton advisers that she was entering a new phase of contacting officials to line up support for a possible presidential bid.

[BluegrassDem]

1. Get ready for the DU meltdown

[Herman Munster]

2. she sounds like she has made up her mind

The three Democratic officials said that Senator Clinton was strongly inclined to run for the presidency and was eager to do so, and that her outreach was an important new chapter that was likely to end with her declaration of a candidacy. The one Democrat who described his conversation with her said that Senator Clinton sounded enthusiastic and energized about undertaking a presidential campaign, and that she did not sound equivocal or unsure.

All three Democrats said the Clinton team was clearly moving ahead on a path to a candidacy; Senator Clinton was not seeking advice to make a decision on running, they said, but rather was lining up support so her candidacy was on the strongest possible footing.

[patricia92243]

17. Or the DU love fest - of which I'll be one of the participants!

[leveymg]

3. Charlie Rangel and Hillary Clinton. Two visionaries.

Not.

[GOPBasher]

4. I like Rangel. Other than this draft business, he's always been good. n/t

[hurtsolong]

5. Senator seat

If Hillary runs and loses, what happens to her senator seat? Will she lose her seat in the Senate?

[Azathoth]

6. 2008 is gonna be a bloody election cycle n/t

[Countdown_3_2_1]

7. Question for DU. IF Hillary WAS the nominee...

Would you stick with the party or go Green, and possibly split the vote: giving another rethug the victory?

Would a Hillary victory give you more of what you want?
Think. Would a protest vote really justify 4 more years of thug controll?

I don't say this to stir up anger, I know the feelings towards her war votes. She has a LOT of money socked away.
IF she won the nomination, what would you do?

I would hold my nose and pull the "D" lever.

[peacebird]

9. She would do more to energize the Repub base and divide the Dems than anything else

I seriously hope she does not run.

[Countdown_3_2_1]

21. I agree...But she is a financial jugernaught...its hard to compete with that.

I just don't know what to do....
Sure, I'll volunteer for someone's primary campaign here in Iowa (not hers!).
But if she gets the nod, going green won't help anyone...

Ah great. Now I went and depressed myself. Back to City of Heroes.

We got two years. But I fear the blue dogs are enough to see the rethug agenda continues, and the more I think about a Hillary run, the worse i feel.

We almost have a progressive majority...Almost. But if we end up with two years where nothing changes, the war contiunues...who's gonna vote for progressives?!

Seriously, the youth vote can be LOST if Rangle lets the Democrats become identified as the party of the DRAFT! Top that off with a Hillary candidacy.
Are we winning only to loose?!!!

Somebody flame me, slap me...tell me I'm wrong!

[libneo]

27. I hope no democrats but Hillary runs for presidency.

It's my hope against your hope.

[snowbear]

40. libneo?

Hmm. lib & neo...

Wants Hillary and no one else...


Huh.

[libneo]

41. Right, so Hillary will win by default. My hope against your hope.

[William769]

8. Hillary Clinton

YOU GO GIRL! And to hell with anyone that says you shouldn't!

[philosophie_en_rose]

10. Exactly!

It's much to early to pick someone to support in the primaries. (at least for me). However, I would love to see Clinton, Obama, Gore, and Edwards run. Hell. Let's throw in Al Sharpton for the flair he adds to debates.

:bounce:

As long as no one restarts the Joementum (:puke:), I'd be more than happy to see a variety of people in the primaries.

[William769]

12. Thats my point!

This is still a Democracy & people don't realize saying she shouldn't run is circumventing that. I guess they only want a Democracy when it suites them (just like the asshole in the white house now).

[philosophie_en_rose]

15. Oh no. I think people have every right to tell her not to run.

That's democracy. :) You can support or vote for whomever you choose.

But, for me, I care most about a good pool of candidates in th primaries - a Justice League of Competence, if you will.

[venable]

26. that's not a very convincing

argument in her favor.

don't you think you might indicate WHY you think she should run?

[libneo]

31. Isn't her willingness to run a good enough reason to run?

[venable]

33. I don't think so

The fact that she can run, and will, simply tells us that she CAN and WILL. It says nothing more than that, on it's own.

Why she should run is another question entirely.

I personally think that she is not a good candidate, outside of her 30 something % support. She has very little capacity to expand that support, I think. If she did, she would have already, given that she is one of the most well-known entities in American politics. People have made up their mind about her.

She will also, as was mentioned earlier in the thread, mobiize the right wingers, and suppress the progressive vote. Not good math for our team.

The sole virtue of her candidacy is to make Americans more familiar with a woman running. The problem, though, is that because the woman is Hillary, they will be more familiar with the concept, but even less comfortable with it.

[libneo]

42. so every candidate should be preapproved by you?

[venable]

45. hmm..not sure where I said that

I was operating under the assumption that this was a site and a thread where people shared their thoughts, and explained them.

[election_2004]

46. venable, you have to understand something....

The Hillaristas will demonize and vilify anyone who doesn't fall in line with supporting their pre-annointed candidate 100% of the time. It's their MO. Is it any coincidence that they have Al From, James Carville, and Paul Begala on their team? (and gee, I wonder who Joementum is going to endorse, come primary time...?)

The sooner party activists realize this, the easier it will be to stop the Hillaristas in IA and NH.

[zulchzulu]

11. Hillary won't make it past Super Tuesday...

I know of no one who would vote for her...men, women...from progressive feminists to moderate Republicans and everything in between...nobody I know wants her to run...nobody...

I can't imagine that she can transform herself to be more palatable...

[William769]

13. I want her to run so you do know somebody.

:evilgrin:

That reminds me back in the 90's when everybody around said they didn't vote for Bill Clinton. My response was "well then I must be very a important person, because I voted for him and he's President!".

[LisaL]

18. No doubt Hillary would have a bunch of people determined

to vote against her.

[ElizabethDC]

37. Yes, but those people aren't likely to vote for the Democratic candidate anyway. nt

[libneo]

28. Right, nobody in New York voted for her

How did she get reelected???

[KingFlorez]

35. She'd win most of the primaries

[Montauk6]

14. Get ready for the flip-flop spin as her 2004 interview on MTP is regurgitated ad nauseum.

You know, where she emphatically denied wanting the job?

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[cali]

22. Normally, I find remarks like

yours simplistic, offensive and stupid, but in the light of HIllary meeting with Avigdor Lieberman- something that makes me furious, you get a pass from me on your comment.

[nealmhughes]

19. Three reasons I hope she does not run:

1. Triangulating & covorting with Rupert, etc.

2. CAFTA and NAFTA

3. Health care -- remember that?

oh, wait, 4!

4. Approval of the ex post facto "oops -- don't get caught again" cluster bomb bill...

With Democrats like that...

[libneo]

29. Who doesn't like universal health care? Republicans.

[skipos]

20. HELLLLOOOO President McCain!!! nt

[LibertyorDeath]

44. Thanks for the SANITY can you fucking believe it

It will be a COMPLETE FUCKING DISASTER!!!!

[MadHound]

23. Suprising, no, disappointing, very much so.

Sadly, it looks like we'll wind up with an election much like '68. Two avid war hawks vying for our votes, a spectacle that disgusted so many dedicated anti-war folks that they dropped out of the political process altogether, and many have never come back. This move by Hillary is foolish. Her run will re-energize the Republican base, split the Democratic party, and the only real winners in such a scenario will be the military industrial complex. Sadly, the rest of us will be very much the losers.

Let us hope that Hillary gets her ass kicked out in the primaries. Her pro-war, pro corporate attitude is out of step with the majority of the public's sentiment.

[libneo]

30. Is democracy really that dissapointing?

Maybe party bosses should just appoint our presidential candidate and that would just be the end of it.

[MadHound]

38. Where do you get the idea that I find democracy disappointing?

Frankly I would like to open up democracy in this country a bit more, mainly with IRV and publicly financed election campaigns. That way we can get more views in play than the corporate approved platforms that are corporate vetted before they are put out at the conventions.

No, what I find disappointing is the spectre of two pro-war candidates viaing for the honor of letting even more Iraqi blood. Now that prospect may excite you somehow:puke: but for me it holds nothing but sorrow. And if that event comes to pass, it won't be democracy that I'm disappointed with, but the people who voted to bring about such a scenario. It would be a sad commentary on our society to have two candidates viaing to see who can outhawk the other.

[libneo]

43. If the country were for the war, so be it. Hence democracy.

But I doubt people would vote for Hillary because she voted for the war; people would vote for here for millions of other reasons, though.

[dailykoff]

24. My guess is that after raising billiions, she'll decide to wait

and keep her powder dry, and instead back some poor stooge who'll go down in flames in Iowa or shortly afterward, just like she did last time.

[Writer]

25. Okay, I'm going on record for this:

I think she will run.

I think the American people will accept her and she will win.

I think she will make a brilliant president.

Unless there is a watershed event that returns the public's mood to anger and fear.

[leftofthedial]

32. has she said yet whether she is for or against the Iraq occupation?

or if she's for or against th Patriot Act?

or if she's for or against the repuke tax cuts?

or if she's for or against holding the bush cabal accountable for their crimes?

anyone know?

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

34. Personally, I would like President Gore to appoint her to the Supreme Court.

I think she could shine there. But, I am one of those people who just does not like to see the Presidency pass back and forth from Bush to Clinton to Bush and then back to Clinton again. Really. And then Jeb after Hillary? No way.

I have Clinton fatigue. I'm sorry, but I do. Now, after saying all that, if she were the candidate, she would be my candidate

[Labors of Hercules]

36. spot on - She would be a much better "Your Honor" than "Mrs, President"

[JeremyWestenn]

39. I'm backing the nominee...

Whoever that is. Be it Clark, Edwards, Clinton, or even Kerry for that matter. Personally, I hope she runs and I hope she gets the nomination and I hope she becomes our next President.

[SaveElmer]

47. Excellent News...

I hope these reports are accurate...