« Dems Plan Major Political Push Against GOP On Subprime Mortgage Crisis | Home | Reid Ready To Force Weekend Senate Showdown On Iraq »

Sidney Blumenthal Joins Hillary Campaign

By Greg Sargent - November 15, 2007, 1:40PM

Sidney Blumenthal, a longtime fixture in the Clinton firmament, has announced over at Salon that he's joining the Hillary campaign as a "senior adviser."

Sid, who wrote for The New Yorker in the 1990s before joining the Clinton administration, has long been tight with Hillary, helping her get elected to the Senate in 2000. So, as Kevin Drum notes, this is not unexpected given their history, but it could make a bit of news, given Sid's often-aggressive posture towards the media.

Indeed, Sid was one of the chief elaborators and promoters of Hillary's "right-wing conspiracy" view of the political media. So this might result in more aggressive pushback against the media from Camp Hillary than we already seen -- though it's unclear whether he'll have the same pull within Hillaryland that he once had.

A spokesman for the Hillary campaign didn't immediately return a request for comment on exactly what role Sid would be playing.

PERMALINK | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)
| TOPICS: Hillary Clinton

12 Comments

| Leave a comment
user-pic

More of the "usual suspects?"

Posted by ReTodd
November 15, 2007 2:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
user-pic

Smart move on the part of both sides.

Fits with Blumenthal's ambitions.

Fits with the Clinton's strategy of whining about the right wing conspiracy against them so loudly that legitimate progressive criticism of their stand for nothing careers is drowned out, or simply lumped in with the right wingers. Wanna gripe about Hillary's humiliation of Bill's rape victims---join the other right wing nutcases. Want to say anything about the Clinton's personal crap overwhelming the Gore presidential candidacy giving us 8 years of Bush making Clinton look great by comparison----we will be happy to lump you with Limbaugh. We have proof that flip flopping and obfuscation works a hell of a lot more effectively than standing for anything.

Posted by kjoe
November 15, 2007 2:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
user-pic

Just what Hillary needed. Another Old time Clinton loyalist true believer in her campaign.

Posted by NCSteve
November 15, 2007 2:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
user-pic

re: "Wanna gripe about Hillary's humiliation of Bill's rape victims---join the other right wing nutcases."

Bill's rape victims?
It appears you have already joined the other right wing nutcases.

Posted by Anonymous
November 15, 2007 2:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
user-pic

I find it odd and inappropriate that you repeatedly refer to Blumenthal as Sid, as if he were a close friend or colleague. Even if that's true, I think it doesn't belong in a news post like this. Generally, I think an arm's-distance formality fits the current TPM profile a lot more comfortably.

Posted by along
November 15, 2007 2:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
user-pic

Anonymous wrote on November 15, 2007 2:57 PM:
re: "Wanna gripe about Hillary's humiliation of Bill's rape victims---join the other right wing nutcases."

Bill's rape victims?
It appears you have already joined the other right wing nutcases.''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Thanks for helping me make my point, sid.

Posted by kjoe
November 15, 2007 3:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
user-pic

kjoe, no legitimate progressive critic of Clinton, of which I am one, has EVER accused him of being a rapist, on account of there being no evidence for the charge. That's what makes us the REALITY-BASED COMMUNITY. So take your Rovian ravings elsewhere.

Posted by Peter Nichols
November 15, 2007 4:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
user-pic

"Fits with the Clinton's strategy of whining about the right wing conspiracy against them so loudly that legitimate progressive criticism of their stand for nothing careers is drowned out, or simply lumped in with the right wingers."

As soon as I hear some legitimate "progressive" complaints about Hillary, I'll agree with you. First, Obama comes out with this right-wing language on Social Security. This is "criticism"? Then other candidates join in on the mugging of Hillary by Mr. Potatohead and the deranged Chris Matthews. Whenever I go to HuffPost, the "progressives" are indistinguishable from the right-wing trolls.

Read your basic Bob Somerby. The MSNBC Dirty Duo are two of the most prominent liars about WHOEVER is in the lead among Democrats. If Obama overtakes Hillary, expect a lot of questioning of his American-ness, his religion, his Black Power Secret Past, all of it. Chris Matthews will find Michelle Obama just a bit "domineering," you know? They'll find some storyline and start hacking away at it. I know it's encouraging to supporters of Obama and Edwards to see MSNBC and the Dowd wing of the NY Times seemingly on your side, but believe me, don't trust them any further than you can throw them.

It's next to impossible to have a real debate in the current House of Mirrors, and certainly not on MSNBC for the duration.

Remember Gore? The LOVED Bradley, arguably the lightweight who repeated the Conventional Wisdom they loved most, and they couldn't stop questioning Gore's masculinity, sanity or honesty, inventing "character" issues all the way.

So good luck to Sid. We need an deconstructed ownership here. If Hillary were to back diversification of ownership, I'd be with her 100%.

Posted by Jim H
November 15, 2007 4:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
user-pic

Personally, I'll miss reading his pieces at Salon.

Posted by Mroom
November 15, 2007 4:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
user-pic

Great choice by Clinton. She needs a gutsy, brilliant, no-apologies progressive like Blumenthal to balance out all the cynical, sail-trimming triangulators on her team. Let's hope he has plenty of influence!

Posted by Carlotta
November 16, 2007 2:39 AM | Reply | Permalink

Leave a comment

Poll Tracker


2008 Election Results View interactive results map »
Advertise Liberally
Share
Close Social Web Email

"To" Email Address

Your Name

Your Email Address