NY Observer: Clintons being asked to do very little by Obama campaign

[DeepModem Mom]

Team Clinton Says Obama Intimidated By Palin Factor
Hillary: ‘We Will Do What We Are Asked’; Panetta: ‘They Are Totally Reactive’
by Jason Horowitz
September 9, 2008

....With the McCain campaign running tactical circles every day around the Obama outfit — which has failed, somewhat unbelievably, to come up with even a semi-compelling response to the Palin selection — one might think Mrs. Clinton, to say nothing of her sidelined husband, would be a useful surrogate on the counterattack right about now. Apparently, the Obama campaign does not agree....

Leon Panetta, a former chief of staff to Bill Clinton... (says) “As president of the United States you are going to have to learn how to deal with people you may not particularly like, because if you are trying to get things done, you have got to use everything and everybody that you can to get it done. I do think that they absolutely in this race have got to make use of the Clintons in every possible way, because they need them. He has clearly got some problems out there.”

Depending on who’s doing the telling, the reason the Clintons have been apportioned such a modest role — even as the Obama campaign gets pasted on a daily basis by the opposition — is either that remarkably little has been demanded of them, or simply that they don’t feel up for doing much more. Most of the former and present Clinton staffers interviewed for this story, as well as Mr. Obama’s campaign, say that the limited role she has taken in advocating Mr. Obama’s candidacy is by design, and that she is doing precisely what is asked of her.

We’re not seeing more of her, in other words, because that’s how they want it. “If they asked Hillary to do more, she’d be happy to do it,” said one Clinton adviser.

But one source close to the Clintons provided a slightly different version of events, saying that a high-ranking Obama staff member indicated to a Clinton counterpart that they would like Mrs. Clinton to take a more aggressive tack, and that the answer was no. Either way, the fact that it has taken so long for this discussion about the Clintons’ role to occur — while polls show a sharp shift in support toward the Republican ticket — is a source of wonderment in Clintonland. The consensus there, based on conversations with present and former Clinton advisers, is that the Obama campaign has isolated itself both as a result of its desire to break with the Clintons and establish itself as the future of the Democratic Party, and out of primary-victory-inspired hubris.

The effect, they say, has been a disastrous passivity....

***

(S)aid a Democratic operative close to the Clintons, referring to the former president....“I think they want to do it without him - without both of them. A lot of this is psychological.”...

***

It is clear that there was never any sense of urgency within the determinedly harmonious Obama campaign, at least not until now, about enlisting the help of the two Democrats who are arguably more capable than any others of creating news and changing, or at least displacing, unhelpful narratives. Instead of being deployed to go make news, the Clintons, whose ability to sow doubts about Mr. Obama kept the primary going until the bitter end, have instead been asked to talk about the middle class in Florida and equal pay in New Mexico, according to a Clinton adviser....

http://www.observer.com/2008/politics/team-clinton-says-obama-intimidated-palin-factor?page=0%2C1

[still_one]

1. Do you relly believe anything the media says after the last 8 years? /nt

[DeepModem Mom]

5. I judge every article as it comes, and don't see all articles as black or white.

Sometimes there's no truth (only bias) there, sometimes there's significant and welcome exposure of truth (even from the MSM), sometimes it's a mix.

What I don't believe in is hiding stuff. I think we've got a lot of smart people here, and they can, and do, judge things for themselves. (ON EDIT: As we see from the responses below!)

[still_one]

11. A few days ago they also indicated that Obama was desperate for funds

I look at past performance

They told us that Iraq had WMDs
They told us that Iraq was associated with 9/11 and AQ
They told us that Hillary and rudy would be the nominee
They told us that the Democrats would not be united
They told us that Hillary supporters would vote for mccain
They told us the economy was just fine
A year ago they said their was absoluting no real issues with the housing crisis
They told us Fannie and Freddie would not go under
They told us oil would never go above 100 bucks a barrel
They are telling us that white women are flocking to mccain

The polls have been all over the place this election, and not partcularly accurate since 2000. I wonder why that is?

Remember when they said during the primaries that Obama would win the NH primary by 5 to 10 points?

The MSM, just by their "awe" of palin tell me exactly what their agenda is

When Democrats take back the White House and Congress, by a large margin, you won't see any self-critical analysis from them

It will be women, the young vote, and the record number of newly registrated Democrats that will make all the difference, and bring the end of the PNAC/bush/mccin era to an end



New Democratic voter registration

[DeepModem Mom]

13. I post pieces critical of the media here, usually daily, and post from Media Matters...

almost every day, sometimes more than once a day. And I agree with you completely that turnout is key to this election, and that there is a new electorate forming in our country, thank goodness.

[still_one]

14. I understand. I also think that there is a pschological game being played

in this campaign.

I have always found your posts thought provoking

Personally, I believe that Obama and Hillary have been in this together since the election

I also believe that if Obama becomes President, and a Supreme Court vacancy occurs, Hillary WILL be chosen as a justice on the Supreme Court

[Jennicut]

2. This is a bunch of crap. He just met with Bill yesterday

and Bill will be campaigning for him. This is not like Al Gore not using him in 2000, the Clintons and Co really need to get their egos in check.

[DinahMoeHum]

7. ". . .get their egos in check. . ." - absolutely !!

Obama is not called "No Drama" Obama for nothing. He does not suffer histrionics and "drama queens" gladly on his campaign staff - and (G*d willing) he won't have them in his Cabinet and staff in the WH.

:kick::kick:

[blm]

10. Clintons and their loyalists always did behind the scenes backstabbing of Gore and Kerry. They want

to be seen as the savior heads of the Dem party, no matter what, even if it means keeping a Republican in the WH. They would rather be able to craft their See Dems, you NEED Clintons meme for 2009.

The Bushes did the same thing to Republicans, and look how that ended up hurting their brand name.

[msongs]

3. notice all the sources are un-named lol political hit piece nt

[freestyle]

4. Hillary will be very busy in Ohio next week.

That is straight from the schedule on the Obama website. This is more manufactured bullshit.

[flpoljunkie]

9. Yep! Hillary will hold rallies on September 14th--in Elyria and Akron, Ohio

[Arkansas Granny]

15. And she has recently campaigned for Obama in Florida, California and Nevada, if memory

serves me correctly.

[islandmkl]

6. "....gets pasted on a daily basis by the opposition..."

we ALL have opinions...who needs any factual evidence??

Barack does need the Clinton's help...but how many times is he supposed to genuflect??

2010/2012 isn't going to be pretty for some Democrats if this election goes south...too many of us will be asking "What did YOU do in 2008?" to all the dem leaders...

and the bullshit of "Barack didn't ask me for help" or "the Obama camp wouldn't let me get too involved" will not fly...

we should all acknowledge that many Congressional Dems/DLC/'old schoolers' AREN'T THAT ENTHUSED to have too much NEW BLOOD directing the party...

they're happy to pull 'the good Dem' routine while Obama fights the rightwing machine...

[Kermit77]

12. Sounds like the Obama campaign asked Hillary 2go sharply after Palin and she refused-so why use her

The Obama campaign asked her to go hard at Palin but she didn't want to. So the Obama campaign moved on. The Clintons are setting a bunch of restrictions on their campaigning (no negative attacks on Palin,private plane etc).

There are plenty of surrogates who will help the Obama campaign with much less drama, financial costs and trouble. He should rely on stalwarts like Bill Richardson, Claire McCaskill, Kathleen Sebelius. Besides they really want him to win and that is a great motivator for campaigning.

[Skwmom]

8. Team Clinton wants Obama to lose but they don't want to be blamed for it.

FAT CHANCE. People aren't that stupid.