Maggie on Hillary: "(P)eople think she's such a big lib. I think she's extremely conservative."

[jefferson_dem]

Circa May, 1999. Is this the direction Hillary's campaign will be headed in...?

...

''The biggest mistake of the American press is thinking they know her,'' says Maggie Williams, Clinton's former chief of staff and one of her closest friends. ''You know, people think she's such a big lib. I think she's extremely conservative. I think she has more in common with people in upstate New York than in New York City, in a lot of ways.'' Williams calls Clinton ''patriotic and practical. She thinks it's important to spend money on social programs, but she wants to know that they work.''

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A06E0D61531F933A05756C0A96F958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

[Thrill]

1. DLC

[papau]

2. 'patriotic and practical" is now the definition of "conservative"?

[jgraz]

7. It is for conservatives.

That's always been the language they've used to piss on the left. We've known that Hillary's been a part of that since '92.

[chascarrillo]

20. According to Clinton's campaign manager Maggie Williams, it is.

[NJSecularist]

3. She's a "compassionate conservative"

[DB1]

17. That is hitting below the belt.

[Blue State Bandit]

4. D'OH!!!!!!

[Bicoastal]

5. How is it that you and jackson_dem have such similar names...

..and such opposing ideas?

[jefferson_dem]

8. Weird, huh?

For what it's worth, I was here first. Mr. Jackson has only been here a few months...under than moniker at least.

Actually, I respect Mr. Jackson. We don't always agree but I find his offerings thought-provoking and engaging.

[jgraz]

9. hah! you should see me and jpgray go at it.

Hey jeff -- one of these days the four of us should stage an all-out flame war in GDP. People's eyes would melt. :evilgrin:

[southern_dem]

13. Could be because

Jefferson and Jackson were two different people? ;-)

On a side note: people with "_dem" usernames unite!

[Tom Rinaldo]

6. Have you heard of moving to the right or left for primaries and...

...moving to the center for a General Election? I know you have heard of the necessity of winning an office first in order to use that office to further social goals.

Let's see, 1999; Hillary had been in the Right Wing hot seat as the poster girl of ultra left liberalism for seven years straight at that point. The hurdle everyone thought Hillary Clinton faced in order to win a New York State election against the man everyone assumed would oppose her - NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, was convincing relatively conservative upstate New Yorkers that Hillary wasn't too liberal to represent them in the U.S. Senate. Duh.

[jgraz]

10. Yes, I hear many people with no core values tend to do that.

[Tom Rinaldo]

16. Many successful politicians try not to get boxed into ideological corners

that may make them seem less desirable to vote for to some of the voters they may want to appeal to:

JH: Senator, you were ranked recently by National Journal as having the most liberal voting record as having the most liberal voting record in 2007. That prompts a question from Politico reader Don Mousch (sp.?) or Norwell (sp.), Mass. He wants to know what they liberal record should give us confidence that you can reach across the aisle and get things done in Washington.

BO: Well, first of all, not to grouse against the National Journal, but let me give you an example of why I was rated the most liberal was because I wanted an office of public integrity that stood outside of the Senate, and outside of Congress, to make sure that you’ve got an impartial eye on ethics problems inside of Congress. Now, I didn’t know that it was a liberal or Democratic issue. I thought that was a good government issue that a lot of Republicans would like to see. So that’s the problem with some of these ratings – how they score things. It uses categories that I think don’t make sense to a lot of Americans.

LH: Well, are you proud of that designation? To be known as the most liberal voting senator?

BO: I don’t think you heard what I just said, which is that the designations don’t make sense

JH: Michael Dukakis said, “Yes, I’m proud to be a liberal.” Bill Clinton said, “No we can’t cast ourselves as liberals.” Are you comfortable with the liberal label?

BO: This is what I would call old politics. This is the stuff we’re trying to get rid of."
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8457_Page2.html

Obama has his own way of handling this, his purple America framing. But he wants to be thought of as progressive by the Democratic activist base at the same time.

[Bread and Circus]

22. but....but....I warn people of Hillary's inevitable hard right turn as soon as

she get the nomination and I am told to fuck off....

So, which is it :shrug:

What is Clinton, really?

[Tom Rinaldo]

25. The same question gets asked about Obama by many

If Hillary made a major tactical error this primary season it has not been one of political expediency, it has been the opposite. She did not move dramatically left for the primaries. Instead she positioned herself for the General Election all along. That is part of how that meme that so many who dislike Clinton use got legs; the inevitability factor. Hillary Clinton spent the first half of this primary season acting like she was running against the Republicans and not fellow Democrats - and it cost her activist support.

[Bread and Circus]

30. It's hard for clinton to swear off her DLC roots and hawkish foreign policy,

And I'm not just talking about IWR and Kyl-Lieberman either, that's not the half of it. >>> check www.fpif.org

But I do think you have a point.

[BeyondGeography]

11. U dawg U

:spank:

[New Dawn]

12. I agree, she IS extremely conservative. n/t

[angie_love]

14. LMAO! Great find Jefferson. This will teach some of them a lesson!

:rofl:

[Dogmudgeon]

23. I am in disgrace! Dishonor tears at my breast!

Oh, to be humiliated again by Mr. Rofl on DU!

These Solons of the Obama campaign have truly gotten the better of me. Whatever shall I do? As an enemy of hope, there is nowhere to turn!

I shall hide my face from the world.

--p!

[angie_love]

15. Kick and recommend BIG TIME

:kick:

[goclark]

18. Not that it matters but isn't Maggie Williams African American?

I may be mixing her up with another member of the Clinton staff from their WH days.

[TwilightGardener]

19. Shape shifter.

edit to say: The Mitt Romney of the Democrats.

[mmonk]

21. Bingo

[MagsDem]

24. And Obama is MORE conservative

On healthcare coverage, on getting out of Iraq, on working with rethugs, and the list goes on. That's the problem -- the media made sure you ignored the only real progressive candidates that had a chance. And you fell for it. Just like you did in 2004.

[jefferson_dem]

27. So the "most progressive" Senator is more conservative than "extremely conservative" Hillary.

Ok.

[AX10]

26. I'm no left wing liberal myself.

Most people are not. Most people are not far right conservatives either.
Most are either moderately liberal or moderately conservative.

[Universitario]

28. Yes, Universal Health Care is such an extremely conservative position

Plus women's choice, path to citizenship, bringing the troops home, global warming emissions cuts, embryonic stem cell research, etc.

[Obamaniac]

29. lol

The Clintons are ABSOLUTELY CLUELESS aren't they?

Is this the new meme? Does she honestly think that us Democrats want a conservative Hillary as the Democratic nominee?

Her campaign is so bad that i'm starting to feel embarrassed for her.