A Pity Pledge, Well Played
A genuine show of financial strain? Cynics could -- perhaps justifiably-- view yesterday's personal-loan announcement by the Hillary Clinton camp as no less tactical than her Iowa tears. Ultimately, Clinton's personal loan may illustrate her financial disadvantage, as much it does her tactical prowess. To wit: Clinton made the loan last month but did not make it public until yesterday, the same day the campaign confirmed that some of her top staff members, including manager Patti Solis Doyle, would go without pay in order to save her cash-strapped campaign. It was an odd roll-out of desperation and self-sacrifice--a perfect recipe, it seems, to ask supporters if they, too, could dig deep.
And that's just what Clinton did. After admitting financial strain, Clinton personally sent an e-mail plea to her donors. "I've never asked so much of you as I am now: $3 million in three days. But the need has never been so great," she pleaded.
Taking on the air of a PBS pledge drive signaled, if nothing else, that Clinton had lost her frontrunner status-- a desirable predicament in a campaign where no one wants to be the Inevitable One. Cue Barack Obama reminding supporters yesterday that he's still the underdog.
In Clinton's case, it seems-- once again-- showing weakness worked. Even without the promise of a commemorative tote bag, the people responded giving Clinton what the campaign said was its biggest single day of contributions since their launch. The Clinton camp exceeded the $3M fundraising goal in less than 24 hours, raising $4M online in a single day. It may not have been calculated, but the value of vulnerability played out once again (Nora McAlvanah).
"Showing weakness worked"? "The value of vulnerability"? This blog sinks lower into irrelevance with each successive posting.
She is damned if she does and damned if she doesn't, right?
This is a perfect example of how the media injects its own biases into the story. Instead of simply reporting that the Clinton campaign raised $4 million in one day, an entire Machiavellian story is concocted about how this was a 'pity pledge' and that even though 'it may not have been calculated' it still worked. The facts seem to work against the suggestions of the article.
entirely calculated.
and the tears were on the brink of utter defeat in New Hampshire, not Iowa.
You miserable conservatives. You see every thing thru conspiracy lenses.
Clinton is in trouble. There is no other way to spin it. It looks more or less certain that she will lose the nomination.
And now ABC News reports that Clinton's stuff NEVER went unpaid ... Mmmm can someone say "manipulation" ? If she thought the story was so bad then she could have denied it 24 hours ago when it first appeared.
Fact she let people believe it for 24 hours without denying it is the smoking gun as far as I am concerned.
Pity campaign. Lovely.
Two questions about Sen. Clinton's loan to her campaign:
1. I heard somewhere that she used the Internet contributions raised since 2/5 (or, I guess, the first $5 million of them) to repay herself - can anyone confirm that?
2. (Less important) In her press conference, Sen. Clinton emphasized that she used HER money to lend to the campaign saying "I used my money to loan to the campaign - that's where the money came from" with an emphasis on the word "my" - does anyone know whether she actually has that much money or whether it was Pres. Clinton's?
Ummm. Is anyone forgetting that obama was the ultimate winner here? His campaign parlayed Hillary's ploy to raise $7.5M, before shutting down the ticker... magically, just afterwards, Terry showed up to announce they did $7.5M in 7 days... convenient but too cute by half because that only further rustles Obama's grass roots to donate and give even more.
She doesn't want a money war with his base, that's something she can't win. This was truly a desperate act, one which Obama gamed perfectly by besting her for 7.5M... and he has no debt to repay. Hillary still owes herself $5M...
Where did you go to journalism school?
The Maureen Dowd School of High School Heathers whose first prerequisite is How to Gang up on a Woman in Order to Prove you're One of the Cool Guys?
Trash is in the mind of the beholder.
Where did you go to journalism school?
The Maureen Dowd School of High School Heathers whose first prerequisite is How to Gang up on a Woman in Order to Prove you're One of the Cool Guys?
Trash is in the mind of the beholder.
Where did you go to journalism school?
The Maureen Dowd School of High School Heathers whose first prerequisite is How to Gang up on a Woman in Order to Prove you're One of the Cool Guys?
Trash is in the mind of the beholder.
Where did you go to journalism school?
The Maureen Dowd School of High School Heathers whose first prerequisite is How to Gang up on a Woman in Order to Prove you're One of the Cool Guys?
Trash is in the mind of the beholder.
NOT mere speculation. The Campaign admits they were poverty pimpin' the media to run a FREE National Fund-raising drive!
From the Politico:
Clinton claims a money surge, plans ads
Terry McAuliffe told donors and reporters on a conference call that the campaign has raised $7.5 million online this month, more than $6 million of it in the last 24 hours.
The message: She's alive and kicking.
Interestingly, the campaign's spin is that Clinton's loan to the campaign -- taken by many as a sign of desperation -- was an effective fundraising tactic, encouraging people to donate.
"They said, 'I didn’t know you needed money, I thought you had all the money you need,'" McAuliffe said.
The question now is why was the media so willing to play along???
Sorry my computer kept failing as I posted each time so I reposted
mea culpa
This "victim" narrative is ridiculous and it's a gift to the Clinton campaign because it only pisses her supporters off more. And rightly so. I'm a die-hard Obama supporter and the misogynist tone of this article sickens me. It is true, however, that the "unpaid staffers" line was a dishonest manipulation to further boost Clinton's donations. And it's also true that they must have been low on cash to not be up with ads in the post-Super Tuesday states as quick as Obama.
debcoop: Actually I liked your computer glitch. anything that exposes Maureen Dowd is kind of refreshing. Do you ever wonder why is there such a disconnect between the media babes (use the tem loosely), and the rest of womanhood? In the view of the Daod, or Ruth Marcus, or Kirsten Powers (a real babe), nothing that Hillary does pass mustard. I think these are women that are afraid of other powerful women, and I mean real power. It is ok for Oprah to have media power. But political power, the exclusive domain of the boys is not tolerated. I just hope Hillary win, Want to see Maureen Dowd head explode as she sees the election returns scrolling on her TV saying: HRC President Elect of the United States of America!
In answer to a question earlier, Wolfson said Hillary has not paid herself off yet (there was a contrary statement earlier today).
If this was a "game" to raise funds - it was sick. Why can't Hillary be honest for once?
If the funds situation was bad - that is worse. How can we trust our country to her if she can't manage her campaign? Despite having Bill and Terry to do this for her?
Interesting choice - Integrity v/s Mismanagement.
Maureen Dowd or Machiavellian? Um, neither... great write up, a lot better than most of the crap on this website.
In answer to a question earlier, Wolfson said Hillary has not paid herself off yet (there was a contrary statement earlier today).
If this was a "game" to raise funds - it was sick. Why can't Hillary be honest for once?
If the funds situation was bad - that is worse. How can we trust our country to her if she can't manage her campaign? Despite having Bill and Terry to do this for her?
Interesting choice - Integrity v/s Mismanagement.
Maureen Dowd or Machiavellian? Um, neither... great write up, a lot better than most of the crap on this website.
Why isn't the press mad that they were taken for a ride with the story - now shown to be a lie -- that staffers were going without pay?
Maybe this was concocted by James Carville who lied about working for the Clinton campaign.
Once agai, Clinton has shown she will do or say anything win. A calculating, utterly manipulative, egomaniacal excuse for a human being.
No one who has lost the Massachusetts, New
York, and California primaries has ever become the Democratic nominee.
It’s those big blue states that elect a Democrat to the White House.
That is where Clinton has concentrated her efforts and it has paid off handsomely.
The Clintons are the Masters of Spin and Re-arranging the Truth as they see fit! However, in this new age of instant messaging via internet, cell phones, people are much more exposed to what are their true motives, and we shall see if they do not spin themselves out of the running.
Starting with the Hotline article itself, and then reading every single comment --
Tell me who are the most divisive... Obama supporters or Clinton supporters?
Tell me which supporters are waging personal attacks against the other candidate?
Tell me who is spreading hatred of the other candidate?
Obama supporters shame Obama's message.
They just prove to the rest of us that he's naive and won't ever be able to actually DO anything more than give a flowery speech.
I couldn't agree with you more! Let's remember, it was the Clintons that started the rift in the country. Bill was only Impeeched because he wanted to be. He could have settled the sexual harrassment suit, should have settled the suit before he did. They opted instead to put the nation through it, giving sympathy to Hillary, putting her in the position of power she now weilds.
So you're praising this? What deception and it gets applauded. And this is who women are telling their little daughters to be like. God help this nation if this woman gets in the white house.
So you're praising this? What deception and it gets applauded. And this is who women are telling their little daughters to be like. God help this nation if this woman gets in the white house.
An observation. It's difficult to support Senator Clinton when you can't believe her. There's a lack of transparency, consistency and candor in her campaign strategies that is a big red flag. When something comes out of Obama's campaign, I believe it. When info generates from Clinton's campaign, I wonder if it's true and, if it is, whether it's some stealthy political manipulation.
An observation. It's difficult to support Senator Clinton when you can't believe her. There's a lack of transparency, consistency and candor in her campaign strategies that is a big red flag. When something comes out of Obama's campaign, I believe it. When info generates from Clinton's campaign, I wonder if it's true and, if it is, whether it's some stealthy political manipulation.
I fail to comprehend why Hillary continues to be supported and her actions defended by Clinton fans. It may be hard to relinquish your dream of "a Woman in the White House" but have you really taken a good hard look at Hillary. She shares some of the sexual harassment condemnation for trying to discredit the women who dared to accuse Bill publicly of what he had been doing privately. Imagine the power of instigating IRS audits on your enemies. The Presidency quest must be the supreme ego-trip for Hillary. Imagine her with extreme influence over several government agencies to do her "investigating" as payback for those who disagree with her. She has an intense hunger for power and has her mind set that she will make history as the first female president. She already made history and it's nothing to be proud of. She's angling for the job, and uses Bill as her experience. It's worse than pathetic. They are both partners in trials of denials. Don't engage in the double standard of excusing Bill for his conduct as it was "just a little fooling around", or "not his fault women find him attractive and come on to him". By the way, about those tax returns and the money Bill "earns" speaking in foreign countries. It's not right for an ex-president to be making deals in questionable products such as uranium. Seems like you Clinton's are always hiding something. I am convinced that Barack Obama is the only person capable of uniting our country and bringing honesty back into government. Honesty, that's something we haven't had for far too many years.
These sexist attacks on Hillary have got to stop. Now if she lied about her staffers going without pay, then focus on that and get the word out, that could be useful and interesting, if you have the actual facts to back it up. Otherwise it's just speculation.
But this tying it to code words and to times she's supposedly crying and supposedly playing some woman card, just has to stop.
I don't even support Hillary, I'm for Obama all the way. And I don't want his campaign being a part of these kinds of attacks on Hillary. They're useless and distasteful when they happen to anyone and need to stop.
And to Obama people I appeal to ya, don't be a part of this kind of sniping. At the least concentrate on the fact that it hurts our campaign by making Hillary supporters feel she's being unfairly attacked. Because she is. Let's keep it fair, just because in a fair fight, we'll win.