Clinton Holds Edge as Rivals Get Tougher

[applegrove]

Clinton Holds Edge as Rivals Get Tougher
By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JEFF ZELENY
Published: September 23, 2007


WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has consolidated her early lead in the Democratic presidential contest, showing steady strength as the candidates head toward the first voting early next year.

She has been challenged for fund-raising supremacy and news media attention by Senator Barack Obama of Illinois. Former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina beat her to the punch in introducing big policy proposals. But nothing that her main rivals have done has so far has derailed Mrs. Clinton, leading them to begin rolling out aggressive new strategies aimed primarily at her, including courting black voters in South Carolina and stepping up attacks.

She has maintained solid leads in most national polls. And while polls in early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire are of limited value in predicting the outcome, they too show her more than holding her own entering the period in which primary voters begin to make up their minds.

“I think they’ve run a great campaign,” David Axelrod, Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, said of Mrs. Clinton, of New York. “She’s been a very disciplined candidate. They’ve been deft in trying to get ahead of this tidal wave of people out there who really want change. They are doing the best they can with it.”

.........SNIP"

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/23/us/politics/23dems.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

[saltpoint]

1. October and November bring changes in the weather. The weather vanes

of caucus and primary voters begin to shift and spin and change direction.

There's just no telling which way they'll point by caucus night in Iowa, 2008.

[MethuenProgressive]

2. The lack of 'toughness' from ObamaEdwards is why I don't support them.

We've tried nice guys (Dukakis, Gore, Kerry) and were not successful.
We need a tough candidate - and ObamaEdwards is seriously lacking in that regard.

[applegrove]

3. I hope to see more toughness from Obama Edwards in the weeks to come.

Hillary will look tougher in response and the whole show will be properly geared up for when they have to face the GOP and its slime machine. I'd happily back either of the top three at this point. I just hope they get down to the nitty gritty sooner rather than later. I want to be able to bite down on the candidate I support.

[ralphmich3]

5. We Need a TRIANGULATOR - Hillary in '08

Yessiree!!! We need a tough triangulator in the White House - a Dem who will cave in to the Republicans and the rightwing at just the right times -

AND THAT MAN IS HILLARY - OOPS, I MEAN THAT WOMAN!!!!

[applegrove]

4. Clinton seems to be doing alot of laughing when she gets tough questions

these days. It works! It defuses the tension and they she move on to a positive responce to the question.

[ralphmich3]

6. War, disaster, genocide, suffering can be fun...

Who needs gavitas anyway?? - Bush didn't need it....

I just love it when HIllary gives us that perky smile.. President Perky... Reminds me so much of Ronald Reagan

[applegrove]

7. She was not answering questions on grave issues. Except for maybe the war.

[Name removed]

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