Hillary Clinton Confident

[bigtree]

February 11, 2008 -- WHITE MARSH, MD -- One day before three contests her campaign has already said it expects her to lose, Hillary Clinton today declined to admit any concern over the momentum her rival could pick up if he sweeps February's primaries and caucuses.

The senator said that she was ahead in delegates, that she didn't have "any idea" when this race would be decided, and that Obama's big wins over the past few days to the caucus process and to black voters. "We had a great night on Super Tuesday. I'm still ahead in the popular vote and in delegates. We're each picking up delegates," she said. "I believe if you look at the states that are upcoming I am very confident. I am absolutely looking to Ohio and Texas, because we know that those are states where they represent the broad electorate in this country. They represent the kind of voters that are going to have to be convinced and won over in the general election."

The senator also reiterated her belief that superdelegates should use their independent judgment in choosing whom to back.

On whether Obama's momentum could impact Ohio and Texas: "I don't think it does. I think those are independent electorates and everybody knew, you all knew what the likely outcome of these recent contests were and, you know, my husband didn't win any of these caucus states. You know, he didn't win Maine. He didn't win Colorado. He didn't win Washington. This is about making a strong case. You know, before Super Tuesday, you all were reporting the same thing about all of the momentum. It didn't turn out to be true. Let's have the election. You know, instead of talking about them and pontificating about or punditing about them. Let's let people actually vote, and I think in Texas and Ohio, I will do very, very well, and I intend to run very competitive winning campaigns there."

"I'm gonna compete in Wisconsin. I'm looking forward to competing in Wisconsin. It's kind of like one day at a time, where we're going what we're doing. But, you know, I have a very strong campaign already on the ground in Ohio, in Texas, we're getting, you know, prepared for Wisconsin. We're going to compete everywhere that's the advantage of being able to, you know, have the resources and have the ability to compete everywhere."

Clinton said she had not been surprised by the large margin of her recent losses to Obama, citing the fact that they were caucus states and in the case of Louisiania the "very strong and very proud African-American electorate, which I totally respect and understand."

In response to a question about Obama saying that during the Clinton Administration, Democratic lost their majorities in Congress, as well as governorships, Clinton said Americans had positive memories of the Clinton Administration. And they took on a lot of problems, and that you win some, you lose some.


article: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/02/11/655726.aspx

[nickn777]

1. What a crock of.....

She is behind in total delegates, -6 and is behind in pledged delegates, -79, this doesn't stop her from claiming she is ahead though.

After tonight, I wonder if she will still make this claim, employing the Clinton mantra of lying about the same thing so much that eventually people will BELIEVE it is true.

[bigtree]

2. pick a site which lists delegates

Try and compare their total to the others and see what you come up with. These counts are all over the place.

But, I do recall that, at the time, yesterday, when she may have made this interview, the reports of Obama going over the top hadn't yet surfaced. I think you're too quick to call her a liar if you're basing that on the statement from her about the delegate count.

[rodeodance]

12. Do you expect any candidate to say they are doomed in the middle of the primaries?

[Lucinda]

39. CNN and NYT both show her ahead

http://edition.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/
http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/results/delegates/index.html

[bigtree]

47. all over the place, aren't they?

from NYT:

New York Times
Delegate Count » 1,043-Clinton 921-Obama

A.P. Delegate Projection 1,147-Clinton 1,124-Obama


from CNN:

Clinton
1,148

Obama
1,121

[pdxmom]

3. Serious question here. Why does she keep saying that Bill didn't win

Maine, Colorado, Washington and "any of these caucus states? I've looked at primary maps from 1992 and 1994 and it shows that Bill did take the vast majority of these states. Am I missing something?

[bigtree]

4. I don't have the figures

. . . but, could she be referring to just one of the races, as opposed to the other you're thinking about?

[pdxmom]

6. He was unopposed in 1996, so he essentially won every state. Here is

the map from 1994. I am really wondering what Hillary is talking about, because I'm seriously not getting it and the media isn't calling her on it, so I'm assuming I'm missing something. I see that he lost Colorado, but this is showing that he won Maine and he won Washington.

[bigtree]

9. she misspoke?

I dunno. Not a big deal.

[yellowcanine]

21. Nice try but .... "my husband didn't win any of these caucus states. You know, he didn't win Maine.

He didn't win Colorado. He didn't win Washington."


In fact, Bill won a lot of caucus states, including Maine and Washington. So there is no use defending her spinning on this. She was talking out of her hat. And all so she could downplay the importance of caucus states, which just now she has suddenly developed an aversion for. Not a word was said about this dislike of the caucus process before she started this losing streak. As I said, unbecoming - and totally unnessary as well. If she gave Obama his due for winning those states and said nevertheless, the race is still essentially tied and I am going to keep fighting, everyone could respect that. She loses more votes than she gains with this kind of talk.

[bigtree]

30. Well, if we're going to judge these two on misstated facts . . .

it's still a draw.

[yellowcanine]

34. Again, you assert but where is the citation to back it up? And as I said,

pointing out an Obama flaw does not make this turd any less a turd. It is just trying to distract. Defend Hillary on this one if you can. But "Obama does it also" is not a defense.

[bigtree]

37. Obama hasn't made any factual errors, speaking in this primary?

okay :eyes:

[yellowcanine]

41. Divert Divert Divert. Of course he has. And how in the heck does that change this?

[bigtree]

43. it's a misstatement of facts which you want to blow out of proportion

to include all of the biases you have against her. not very interesting.

[yellowcanine]

46. Oh now you concede the point but suddenly it doesn't matter. Ok.

If it is not very interesting, why the impassioned defense?

[bigtree]

49. I admitted it on post #10 at IO:47 am

"I don't think her statement on this, if it's in error, will make any difference in her support at all."

I didn't bother to research it because I don't care if she made a mistake on that point. And, my interest in your posts is to make certain your vile profane characterizations of Hillary Clinton and your nitpicking attacks on this possible misstatement don't go unchallenged.

And, it kicks this thread, mostly for the Clinton folks here who I intended to see this.

[yellowcanine]

55. Ok. Excuse me for not recognizing "if it's in error" as conceding the point.

Kind of like saying "I am sorry if anyone was offended" don't you think?

"...possible misstatement..." Heh. There you go again. Ya just can't say it, can you? No one likes to admit that their candidate mispoke but this is getting ridiculous. Either Bill Clinton won the Maine and Washington caucuses or he didn't. If Hillary says he didn't when he actually did, how it is a "possible" mistatement? Sheez. And I am being silly?

[bigtree]

57. I have no frickin idea, because I don't care whether her statement was wrong

I don't think it makes any difference in the world, except as another button for her detractors to opportunistically push. Even that's boring.

[yellowcanine]

7. No you are not missing anything. Hillary is making it up as she goes. Her excuse making is really

unattractive. How much better if she were to say, "It is a tough race, I have a worthy opponent, and I will keep going so that the voters can have their say." There is no need to diss states for being small or red states or caucus states. I think she lost a lot of votes of people who are still making up their minds.

[bigtree]

10. She hasn't 'dissed' any state. She's saying that she can still advance without winning those areas

It makes no sense to view everything these candidates say with such cynicism. I don't think her statement on this, if it's in error, will make any difference in her support at all. It does, however, provide an opportunity for her detractors to continue their attacks on her credibility. I don't see any evidence, though, that the tactic is working to draw support away from her. Both candidates have made nonfactual statements in this campaign, but I'm not going to make a game out of labeling them a liar at every opportunity.

[yellowcanine]

19. Not saying she is a liar - saying she is making excuses and having a selective memory.

If Obama starts making excuses for losses I will be disappointed in him as well. It is unbecoming, it is not presidential, it will not win votes and might well lose some. I went into this race prepared to vote for Obama but also prepared to accept either the nominee whoever it happened to be, including Hillary. I will still vote for Hillary if she is the nominee but I can tell you I will do it with less enthusiasm than I would have one month ago. At this point I would probably not try to "sell" Hillary to anyone else - at least not very hard. Now from my name you can maybe tell that I am a yellowdog Democrat - so that is saying something.

[paulk]

24. I think she's referring to the caucuses, not the GE

I know that Jerry Brown won the CO primary in 1992, while Clinton did very poorly.

[yellowcanine]

42. Nice try but Reply 6 gives the caucus/primary map. Bill won the Maine and Washington caucuses.

And also other caucuses. Trying to defend this outrageous spinning by Hillary is futile.

[bigtree]

44. Why is it such an outrage? If she's wrong, it'll change nothing.

[yellowcanine]

48. It is an outrage because she "writes off" a whole bunch of states as "not important"

And justifies herself by falsely saying "Bill didn't win them either." That's pretty outrageous,imo. "If" she is wrong? Ya still can't quite say it, can you?

[bigtree]

51. not in this article she didn't. I don't know where you got that quote from

but it doesn't appear in her comments in this article.

Did you misspeak?

[yellowcanine]

56. Ok it was implied. Boy you do "reach," don't you?

[bigtree]

58. you are the stickler for detail on this post

and, it was not implied.

[paulk]

59. fuck you.

I'm not trying to defend the outrageous, I'm just giving some info I thought was pertinent.

Maybe I was wrong.

Assholes like you need to calm down. You make your candidate look bad.

[midnight]

5. I have been watching her since Edwards has decided to

suspend this race. She keeps her positive outlook, an important quality. She also is hands on,and will be in charge of what is going on in that White House-very important. She shows respecta and understanding. I do want to hear more of a voice for the working class. I want people who have health insurance to not be blocked with statements like not medically neccessary for pain treatment.

[Skidmore]

11. Hands on? Surely you jest?

If she's so hands on, what happened to her with that juggernaut campaign of hers that just jumped the tracks? Her campaign doesn't speak well of her management skills.

As for Hillary being the voice of the working class, I don't get that. I think she is only aware of the working class when she wants our votes. BTW, the "working class" is much more extensive since NAFTA was implemented. I recall the selling point of NAFTA was that all the menuial work would be done overseas and the American worker would be retrained to do these wonderful tech and white collar jobs left here. The dotcom industry was an example of the new "working class" job, and the education required to get those jobs required post-high school training. In other words, some college. So when I hear the terms "educated" and "elite" bandied around and applied to Obama supporters, I think of the promises of NAFTA. The "working class" created by a bad policy that sold major industries in this nation out. I don't see Hillary as being willing to scrap NAFTA or any of the other AFTAs and start again with a major labor initiative beyond cosmetic fixes to something that is considered part of her husband's legacy.

I want people to have health insurance too...myself included. I want someone who has good sense, can manage accountably, and work well with others and without secrecy to get us there.

[bigtree]

15. her campaign's fine. On Hillary Clinton and Nafta . . . of course she didn't vote for it

she wasn't a senator at the time. But . . .


Carl Bernstein: Hillary Clinton and NAFTA

Bernstein: "Hillary Clinton’s economics, the ones she preached to her husband in the White House are much closer to John Edwards then you would think. She argued with Bill Clinton when she was First Lady, her husband, she said ‘Bill, you are doing Republican economics when you are doing NAFTA.’ She was against NAFTA. And if she would somehow come out and tell the real story of what she fought for in the White House and failed in a big argument with her husband she would end up moving much closer to those Edwards followers."

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/01/31/carl-bernstein-says-hillary-clinton-fought-against-nafta-when-bill-implemented-it

[Rock_Garden]

8. This all reminds me of the tortoise and the hare.

[H2O Man]

13. Confidence

[Freetospeak]

14. She is not confident... Nothing to be confident about!

[bigtree]

16. I'm confident

[aquarius dawning]

18. No reason to start panicking either though really. The race is close

but far from decided either way and she's still hanging in there.

[yellowcanine]

22. Then why is Clinton panicking. This kind of talk suggests panic, imo.

Making excuses, dissing the voters in caucus states, etc. Not the language of someone who thinks they still have a good shot at winning, imo. This is loser language. Baghdad Bob stuff.

[bigtree]

23. I recall a few news conferences where Obama had some 'splaining to do

The Baghdad Bob reference is despicable politics.

[yellowcanine]

25. Where did he say anything even close? Asserting it doesn't make it true.

Baghdad Bob was the ultimate spinmeister. If Hillary is going to go into deep spinmeister mode, well, the shoe fits then, doesn't it? I would say claiming that Bill didn't win caucus states by name (Maine, Washington) when he actually did is deep spinmeister mode, wouldn't you?

Hillary laid the turd on this one. You can polish this turd all you want, it is still her turd. It doesn't do any good to point out what Obama may or may not have done. That shiny turd still lies there no matter how much you want to make this about Obama.

[bigtree]

28. Oh, you see your candidate through partisan eyes. It's perfectly natural.

And the rest is typical attack politics, full of hollow character attacks, distortions, and the usual profane venom, including your association of our Democratic senator with Saddam's mouthpiece. Despicable politics.

[yellowcanine]

32. "My candidate"? Hillary will be my candidate if she wins the nomination.

But that is not going to keep me from calling a turd a turd or from calling extreme spinnning for what it is. Spinning to the point of denying reality is Baghdad Bob behavior. Sorry. It is what it is.

Edit: And how did I distort anything? Hillary did say that Bill did not win the Maine and Washington caucuses. He won them. That's the truth. If anyone distorted, she did.

[bigtree]

36. what perplexes me is why all of the words from her opponent about 'hope' and 'unity'

haven't yet trickled down to some of his supporters who are obsessed with making vile and profane characterizations like your own.

[yellowcanine]

38. What perplexes me is why you would defend something Hillary said that is clearly not true

just because you support her candidacy.

I have plenty of hope if Obama is elected. Heck I have hope if Hillary is elected. But I am not going to close my eyes to reality. And I only got profane because you are being so obstinate about defending the indefensible. It's a turd. Accept it and move on.

[bigtree]

45. I said she may have made a mistake. You want to convict her for it

I think you're being silly.

[yellowcanine]

50. I don't want to convict her for it but it would be nice if she would have the class to say "I was

wrong about that." It would make me feel much better about supporting her in November if she wins the nomination. What I think is silly is trying to defend a silly statement just because the candidate you support made it.

[bigtree]

52. maybe she will, when asked

It's a ridiculous expectation that she would in this interview, not having been confronted about the claim.

[aquarius dawning]

26. I've listened to her speaking recently and she sounded pretty much business as usual to me.

I actually thought she seemed remarkably calm given the intensity of this fight. Then again, this is far from the worst she's been through in her political career. Has BO been through any intense political battles before this?

[yellowcanine]

27. Well Barack lost a congressional race. And he has lost states in this round but I don't hear

him spinning and making excuses. "Sounding calm" while spinning to the point of absurdity, as she did when she claimed Bill hadn't won the Washington and Maine caucuses in 1992, is not a political virtue, imo.

[aquarius dawning]

33. Sounds like you suffer from a form of selective hearing disorder to me.

cause that's now what I'm hearing. :shrug:

[yellowcanine]

35. How so? Asserting it does not make it true.

[aquarius dawning]

53. because I don't hear or see any panic going on. She appears perfectly calm to me.

and, let's face it, we all see what we want to in these things to some extent. My guess is, she is currently dealing with what we in the medical community would call "a healthy level of anxiety" and I'm sure the same could be said of BO.

[Froward69]

17. I am confident I will get laid someday

does not make it true though.

[bigtree]

20. not enough information to compare

. . .but, then again, that's really too much information right there

[rodeodance]

29. That is a very nice Photo of her. She looks confident also. Thanks

[bigtree]

31. you're welcome

It's a shot of Hillary walking away from the news conference.

[yellowcanine]

40. I agree. Nice photo of Hillary. I would be proud to have her as my President if she beats Obama.

[grantcart]

54. Today on MSNBC Clinton surrogates were writing off Wisconsin

saying it is down to 3 states Ohio, Penn, Texas

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Wisconsin_Release_021208.pdf

This poll shows her down 14 in Wisconsin