Clinton Campaign Confident

bigtree

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Mon Mar-03-08 03:33 PM
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Clinton Campaign Confident

Edited on Mon Mar-03-08 04:01 PM by bigtree

TOLEDO, Ohio – Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday that she expects to do well in critical contests in Ohio and Texas and that she is in for the long-haul against Barack Obama.

Dismissing pundits who suggest she needs to get out of the race if she whiffs on Tuesday, Mrs. Clinton asserted, “I’m just getting warmed up.”

“I know what’s happening and I believe we’re going to do well tomorrow, and I believe that that’s going to be a very significant message to the country. And then we move onto Pennsylvania and the states still ahead,” she said.

“We’ve got lots of people who are prepared to go to their caucuses. We’re reminding everybody it’s a two step process . . . it's a Texas two-step and we’ve been, you know, practicing to be able to dance our way to victory,” she said.

TOLEDO, Ohio — “Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got. Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot. Wouldn’t you like to get away?”

The music behind those words, the opening lyrics to the theme from the long-running TV sitcom “Cheers,” ran through the minds of everyone aboard Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign plane as it departed from Cleveland late Sunday with actor Ted Danson and wife Mary Steenburgen aboard.

Clinton and the pair of celebrity supporters made their way back to the press area of her chartered 737 where she introduced Steenburgen, the Oscar-winning star of “Melvin and Howard” and a veteran of numerous other films, as a friend of 27 years, and Danson, the star of “Cheers” and “Becker,” as a friend for 14 years.

After a full day of campaigning in Ohio in advance of primaries in the Buckeye state and in Texas on Tuesday that could determine the fate of her campaign, Clinton said she didn’t believe a protracted nominating process would hurt the eventual Democratic nominee.

“No. I don’t,” she said. “Look, hard fought primary contests are part of American politics. We’re going to have a unified Democratic Party. We’re going to get behind whoever our nominee is and we’re going to win in November. That’s what I think is going to happen.”

(http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2008/03/will_it_be_cheers_for_hillary.html)

TOLEDO, OH, March 3 -- It's 5:41am, and Hillary Clinton is standing just inside the factory gate at a Chrysler plant, greeting workers as they come through the turnstile. (http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2008/03/spread_the_word.html)

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, who has campaigned for her extensively in the state, and California Rep. Laura Richardson are with the senator as she poses for pictures and asks for support in the pre-dawn hours one day before voters hit the polls in a contest that will help decide her political fate.

"I'll work hard for you," Clinton says as she shakes hands with workers. "I need your help tomorrow. I need you to get everybody to come out and vote."

Clinton has visited several factories in Ohio in recent days, part of an effort to emphasize her commitment to helping revive the state's economy and the nation's manufacturing industry. She often says in speeches that a country that doesn't make things cannot grow.

“Help me out tomorrow, please,” she implored as workers passed by. “I’d be honored to have your vote.” (http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/03/clinton-shakes-the-pre-dawn-hands/)

The reactions from the workers ranged from thrilled to startled. “Hillary, all right!” exclaimed one. “Hillary Clinton, you’re a very strong woman,” said another.

“Hillary, you look so young!” enthused a third. Mrs. Clinton, 60, liked that. “Did everyone hear that? Did you get it on tape?” she asked the cameramen clustered around her.

Private Worries as Team Clinton Looks for Best Case Scenarios