One major reason the Clinton 1992 playbook is not working in 2008

[Yurovsky]

In a word, TECHNOLOGY.

When WJC and his gaggle of advisers/consultants (now household names-Carville, Begala, Stephanopolous, Ickes, Grunwald, et al) took the world by surprise in 1992, they did it with a war room that was simply more aggressive at getting out information and countering every single item put out by GHWB & Co. They got their message out quickly and loudly, and whether or not the facts backed it up or not, their claims were often left unchallenged. Their primary weapons were cell phones (often times shared by several staffers due to expense) and fax machines. Today, just a short 16 years later, such technology seems almost quaint. Responses generated within a 24 hour news cycle have now been compressed down to hours, even minutes by text messaging and the internet. An unpleasant video snippet that might have been buried by CNN or the Big 3 networks now ends up with a million hits on Youtube.com and then ends up on all the network & cable news shows shortly thereafter. Facts can be scrutinized meticulously, instantaneously. It is a world in which Senator Barak Obama has displayed a mastery of the political landscape, and one in which both WJC & HRC (not to mention their multitudes of overpaid advisers & pollsters) are fish out of water.

The end is near, not only of HRC's campaign, but of the brand of politics that the Clintons practiced and prospered with for over 30 years.

Thanks be to Silicon Valley.

[NJmaverick]

1. I don't know about that- Rove was able to use those same tactics

even with the technological improvements. I think what's changed is that people have had time to study the rove/clinton tactics. They have come up with successful ways to counter them. It's always like that. You come up with winning ideas, and in time people learn to adopt or counter them.

[Yurovsky]

4. Rove's biggest trick ...

was knowing how to target specific districts in order to maximize their impact on state results. How else to you beat Al Gore in 2000 while garnering so many fewer votes in the general election (Ok, he got a lot of help from the SCOTUS, but to even make it close, took an evil genius).

Fortunately Rove's greed will prevent him from putting his evil genius to work on behalf of gramps.

[book_worm]

2. the biggest reason is Hillary isn't Bill

I have a lot of complaints about Bill's presidency, but there is no two ways about it he had charm and he could lift me for a while with his way (unfortunately for Hillary he seems to have lost it this time around). Hillary is as smart as Bill (no doubt they are both highly intelligent), but doesn't have his charm or likeability. At least not to me.

[jasmine621]

3. And remember what "their brand of politics" bought us for eight years.

All that peace and prosperity, good feelings about government, thanks to changes in FEMA and Social Security Admn., people were feeling pretty good about themselves and their country.

[Yurovsky]

6. A lot of single moms on government assistance had a different experience...

thanks to WJC's DLC/GOP inspired welfare "reform". And the people of Serbia and Somalia might have an different take on the whole "peace" issue. Of course, the folks in Rwanda might have welcomed a little US intervention, but that was not to be.

IMHO, it wasn't all wine and roses, despite what the Clinton camp would have you believe. Better than under W? Sure, but the bar is pretty damn low nowadays.

[Hippo_Tron]

8. I think we were correct to act in Kosovo

BTW, when I was working on the Obama campaign I talked to a man who was from Kosovo and in a concentration camp during the conflict. He credits Bill Clinton with saving his life but he's supporting Obama.

[Yurovsky]

10. I think the EU should have gotten involved a lot sooner ...

for crying out loud it was in their backyard. Same with the violence in sub-Saharan Africa. The former colonial powers should have felt some moral obligation to help. Sadly they didn't.

[grantcart]

5. you forgot the most important

Clintons can manage a strong 42% of the electorate. They need a third candidate to win.

[izquierdista]

7. Also, their song is getting kind of old

The one Bill used in 1992 -- "Don't Stop Thinking About My Ego".

Мне нравится ваша имя. :hi:

[Mooney]

9. Also, it's 16 years later.

Things are different now than they were then.

[mod mom]

11. Amen, we're better informed as to the Clinton's BS opportunism.

[NoBushSpokenHere]

12. It's the Internet, Stupid... LOL couldn't resist

Great OP!

[aaroh]

13. Hillary = Old School, Obama = New School

Welcome to the new school of politics Hillary!