August 30, 2007

CLINTON: Weapon Of Mass Persuasion

Reporting on Hillary Clinton's decision to deploy Bill Clinton to both IA and NH on 9/1-3, TPM's Eric Kleefeld comments: "Apparently the Hillary campaign still hasn't gotten the memo from all the pundits who keep telling us Bill Clinton and his personal lapses are a liability for Hillary. The reality is that he's been an asset for Hillary's campaign in multiple ways - from fundraising to reminding people of their fond memories of the 1990s."

Open Left's Chris Bowers also notes Bill's stepped up role and blogs: "Bill Clinton might be the ultimate Democratic primary campaign weapon for any candidate." Bowers cites: "I do know that after Bill Clinton campaigned for Hillary in Iowa back in early July, Clinton promptly increased her Iowa standing relative to Edwards according to Zogby, ARG, Research 2000, the University of Iowa, and Strategic Vision. Those five polling firms are the only outfits that took Iowa polls both before and after Bill Clinton came to Iowa, and in every single case they show Hillary Clinton rising."

More Bowers: "I am starting to think that if any Democratic candidate has a chance of defeating Hillary Clinton for the presidential nomination, they will have to start making the argument that many of the problems we have faced as a country under the Bush administration were caused, at least in part, by the way our political system operated in the 1990's and earlier. Unless there is a repudiation of the 1990's, it is hard for me to see how anyone except Hillary Clinton will end up as the nominee."

Posted by Conn Carroll at August 30, 2007 12:58 PM