Campaign Memo Urges Sen. Clinton to Bypass Iowa

[Capn Sunshine]

NEW YORK - Hillary Rodham Clinton's deputy campaign manager wrote a memo this week urging the Democratic front-runner to bypass next year's Iowa caucuses to focus time and money on New Hampshire, South Carolina and several large states hosting primaries next Feb. 5.

The memo from deputy campaign manager Mike Henry emerged days after a Des Moines Sunday Register poll of likely caucus goers showed Clinton trailing rivals John Edwards and Barack Obama in Iowa, which is to hold the first voting contests Jan. 14, 2008."I believe we need a new approach to winning the Democratic nomination," Henry wrote. "This approach involves shifting the focus away from Iowa and running a campaign that is more focused on other early primary states and winning this new national primary."

All the major presidential campaigns have been struggling to adapt to next year's vastly accelerated campaign calendar, which such states as California and New York holding primaries within weeks of traditional early powerhouses Iowa and New Hampshire. In his memo, Henry argued that winning Iowa would require a huge cash investment that could cripple the campaign as it moved into the big states.
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Funny, that. If you can't win, leave your supporters and go home.

[ccpup]

1. to be fair

the memo was unsolicited advice that, judging by her campaign events this weekend and into next week in Iowa, she's chosen to ignore.

mighty quick to beat up on her, aren't we?

[Capn Sunshine]

6. Just quick enough

Hillary has plenty of supporters here. I'm not worried about her side of things. But yeah, she's gonna look bad if she stays, and worse if she leaves.
Kinda like that Iraq War thingie.

[rinsd]

2. Actually this was in discussion early in the primary season when Vilsack was still running.

It was also used by Clinton in 92.

I'm not a big fan of skipping any primary but with Sooper_Dooper Tuesday looming so large it wouldn;t be the worst move tactically.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

5. Everyone skipped Iowa in 92' because Harkin was running

[earthlover]

3. Clark decided to skip Iowa....

Of course, Clark had just gotten into the race in September.

Hillary has all the establishment, the money, the machine, the name recognition and we are to believe that they don't have the resources for Iowa and want to save them for later primaries? HUH? So is Hillary inevitable or NOT?

In 04 Kerry went from second tier to inevitable in one day as a result of Iowa. He was behind in New Hampshire as well going into Iowa. Iowa changed all that.

Hillary has said she is in it "to win". You can't win a caucus you don't compete in.

Maybe this is their way of "lowering expectations" for Iowa. I can't believe they are seriously considering pulling the plug on the first caucus. Then, maybe if Hillary places second it will be viewed as a miracle victory....

[Capn Sunshine]

7. Clark ignored significant support in Iowa

and paid the price. His campaign was always a day late and a dollar short.

[Gman]

4. I don't remember much in the Iowa Democratic caucuses but

the GOP is notorious now for buying delegates and shipping people in from out of state into Iowa to vote for them. With that kind of potential out there, and considering the small size of the state, skipping Iowa is not bad strategy.