The latest South Carolina poll has Edwards threatening to overtake Clinton for second-place which could be a blow to the NY Senator. However, that could also keep Edwards alive to Feb. 5th which could ultimately boost Edwards's chances.

Depends on which day it is or which candidate Obama's running against?

Greg DeLassus,

Yes, it will go unnoticed by the voters, but its important in terms of setting expectations among members of the media, who do notice this stuff.

I agree with Greg L. Who's going to care about this outside of Election-Central addicts?

Unless this is the Clinton camp laying the ground work for using the "flip-flop" theme.

I really think Clinton is going to have bigger problems answering questions about Bill's role in all of this, whether she wins SC or not. The Hill and Bill theme might not be such a good idea.

So the same question applies to the Clinton campaign that I earlier posed to her supporters on here: Are you really that stupid that you can't follow the simple premise of the memo, or are you trying to play dumbass in hope that the majority of voters won't know any better?

Just like the Reagan comment bullshit, I think the Clintons are obviously smart enough to know better, however they would much rather deceive the voters and spread lies than be honest and straight forward about anything. Which, as it turns out, is exactly what Obama was talking about when he said they will say anything and do anything to win.

Once again Hillary, you prove his point.

Greg DeLassus, I wouldn't call your opinions worthless. You add a much needed voice of sanity here.

And yes, this response will go largely unnoticed, except for serious pendents and the hardcore party regulars that are currently hanging off every word from the two campaigns.

matthew...still think obama is throwing everything out there?

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0108/8079.html

didn't think so.

It’s the electability, stupid. Democrats, please pay attention: Hillary cannot win the general and that is the ONLY point worth putting out at this crucial moment of the primaries. Don't get distracted or side-tracked: put every other piece of info, scrappy fight, comment by surrogates, squabble, newspaper article, blog, story and propaganda-filled speech aside. Its not about race or gender or policies or change or experience. You only need to know ONE piece of information to make your decision: no candidate can win a general election that is not supported by half of her own party. Keep your eye on the 11/08 ball before it’s too late. She is the only thing that will rally the struggling Republican Party. Tell every Democrat and Independent you know: a vote for Hillary is a vote for John McCain, HIS war in Iraq and an economy that will not recover for a very long time. Why does the DNC not recognize this? We are running out of time to put an end to the eight, and I now fear 12, years of negative and never-endingly bad mojo and the moment to do something about it is right now. So stop talking and go out and do something. One simple first step? Email The DNC and tell them how you feel about the way The Clintons are leading our party and running their campaign. http://www.democrats.org/page/s/contactissues . Pass it on.

matthew...still think obama is throwing everything out there?

Ooh, ooh, they might bring up the Republican impeachment charges again?

Oh, I'm sure that will work great for the Obama campaign. Remember when the Republicans attacked Bill Clinton on that point? What happened to Bill's approval ratings? Why they shot up. Oops!

And now these idiots think that it's going to seem fair to attack Hillary on those charges? Really?

franklyO...

you idiot, read the article before you waste your time, my time with blather. it's more than impeachment. jesus.

"Hillary Clinton has been the beneficiary of Obama’s failure to engage. She has turned the health care reform debacle of the 1990s into an advantage by talking vaguely about how she “wears the scars” of that effort and has returned older but wiser.

But she has never been pressed on the details of that effort — how it was not simply Republicans and insurance companies but senior officials within the Clinton administration such as Lloyd Bentsen and Donna Shalala who recoiled at the process she ran.

Health care is not the only blemish on her decision-making record.

Obama has never insisted that she explain her record in an area in which she had virtually unchallenged authority — staffing the legal apparatus of the first-term Clinton administration.

Hillary Clinton’s decisions led to the appointment of Bernard Nussbaum as White House counsel (fired after a year), and former Rose Law Firm partner Webster Hubbell as a top Justice Department official (forced to resign and later sent to prison).

These colossal misjudgments about personnel should hardly be the sole basis for judging potential as an executive. But they are more relevant than subjects Obama has raised, such as her service in the 1980s on the board of directors of Wal-Mart.

What’s more, it is almost delinquent of Clinton’s Democratic opponents not to ventilate this history and make Clinton defend it before she faces a general election."

the anonymous post above is mine. sorry.

According to Al Giordano at The Field (sorry, don't know how to link) The New York Times, Washington post, and LA Times are all sitting on a story about Bill Clinton's scandalous behavior since he left the presidency. He speculates they're waiting to see if Obama blows it in South Carolina, in which case they'll kill it. What do you suppose Bubba could have been up to?

Daniel wrote on January 24, 2008 1:28 PM:

The latest South Carolina poll has Edwards threatening to overtake Clinton for second-place which could be a blow to the NY Senator. However, that could also keep Edwards alive to Feb. 5th which could ultimately boost Edwards's chances.

Edwards is going no where, but the following Clemson U poll, coupled with ARG's and Zogby's polls earlier, shows why the Obama camp seems so desperate today:

Q2. If the 2008 presidential primary in South Carolina were held today, for whom would you
vote?

1. Hillary Rodham Clinton 20%
2. John Edwards 17%
3. Barack Obama 27%
4. Undecided 36%

He is leading by only 7% in the Clemson U poll, by 9% in the ARG poll, and, although still leading by 15% in the Zogby poll, he lost 9% of the black support and 3% overall support. There is a clear trend with just a couple of days to go, AND 36% undecided! John Zogby is never at loss for words:

"Obama maintains a 15-point lead, but he has dipped under 40%, losing ground, including a few points among African Americans. And nearly one in five African Americans is now undecided with just three days to go until the election. Still, his is a commanding lead with just three days to go."

So, yes, Hillary is "pulling out all the stops" to win South Carolina. Is that a sin? Hello!?

dcshungu...good comment/point, though the data you offer doesn't necessarily suggest edwards is going nowhere. if obama and clinton keep up the stupidity, he could easily grab some spill-over.

Yes, the polls are showing that Hillary has the momentum, so she's ramping up her efforts to win. This is a huge race because if she wins, the election is over. She's going for the knockout blow.

DCS-

I'm a little confused. You are conflating two polls. Does the Clemson U poll "push undecideds?"

You have a point, though. Maybe the Clintons see an opportunity here... Of course, maybe this is all crap. We'll see on Saturday.

"Mike

A few days ago, Hillary was planning on not being in South Carolina today. Now, she's changed her mind and is here. Why? Maybe Singer can tell us."

You are making up or you are ignorant. Of course there is always the 3rd choice: both

Anyway instead of worrying about Hillary's schedule maybe you should pay attenion to what the candidates say:

Obama On Reagan Again

But what I also said was that there were a number of his ideas that I disagreed with and, you make an important point, which is that I don't think that everything is either/or. And I don't think that we as Democrats have to spend all our time running down Republicans, what I'm trying to do is get Democrats and Republicans to work together to move the country forward. That's the kind of President I want to be.
http://www.talkleft.com/story/2008/1/24/123942/068

And if you watched any of the fisa debate in the senate today you know just how much of a joke mister kumbaya is.

Angry Vet wrote on January 24, 2008 2:08 PM:

DCS-

I'm a little confused. You are conflating two polls. Does the Clemson U poll "push undecideds?"

Sorry, you're right. Undecided voters: 36% in the Clemson U poll, and 1/5 African-Americans in the Zogby poll (no number for entire sample given).

dcshungu....yes so sad....we need to work hard to help people who have that. :(

Do you imbeciles really believe that Americans will EVER elect either a Muslim Negro or a Butch Lesbo to be our President?
You girls gotta cut back on that whacky weed...

Smart move by HRC... she might be trying to not fall to third place in SC, but it also keeps Obama pinned in SC instead of being able to move on to super tuesday states.

"He can hear Hillary's footsteps and the object in his rear view mirror is larger than it appears."

Yes, the Clinton smear machine has many foot-soldiers - hence the foot-steps..

UPI has now officially christened the corruption trial where Obama’s name floats around Rezko-gate. The story is not going away anytime soon.

And it’s still a whole month until the trial itself begins.

Obama is toast. Perhaps he’s beginning to realize that himself?

Tapper-

I love your Freudian slip of "principal" instead of "principle." Are you suggesting Americans really are fighters who stand up on money? Quite an accurate statement by a fan of deregulation if I ever heard one.

Pulling out all the stops = lying and practicing the politics of personal destruction and running negative ads and unleashing attack dog bill.

Hillary leaving the state and then coming back early to try to salvage second place from John Edwards is not somehow incompatible with their campaign "pulling out all the stops."

I mean, duh.

Tapper

You are showing your true colors!

"The story is not going away anytime soon."

Outside of the fact that she is a complete a complete shill - http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/1/18/25812/2147/708/438638
Taylor Marsh is a known hack, a paid operative for the Clinton Campaign - who's services including being a lemming-like shill and smearing Obama with hamfisted, semi-coherent diatribes. I've read more fluid articles from retarded stroke victims, you have got to try harder.

If you want to discuss rezko, I prefer this little piece.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karen-russell/whitewater-v-rezko-the-_b_83040.html

I'm sure it will be just dismissed by clinton cult people as another hater, but it does list facts, which are interesting.

dear Mark F,
weak, weak.
it's the Mittidiots always bringing up bill's sex life.
oh and the cult "slur".
must be a campaign talking point.
and ps, grow a pair so you can loan them to Bill so he don't wag his finger in my face no more.

Michael A,
You Obamalamas can go play the old Whitewater tune all you want. The American public will surely reward you accordingly.

You can twist and you can lie and you can spin. But you can't win.

Our man is just doing a rope a dope on the bitch.
He's engineered a drop in his poll numbers to lure her in for the big knockout punch when his Super Duper Secret Troopers come crawling, I mean flying, I mean worming, well you know what I mean, their way out of the sewers to vote Obama and give him his 20 point victory!

The backlash against the Machine has begun.

"DanR2 wrote on January 24, 2008 2:32 PM:
Smart move by HRC... she might be trying to not fall to third place in SC, but it also keeps Obama pinned in SC instead of being able to move on to super tuesday states."

obama has been pretty much stuck in SC and attacking like a wounded animal. With the lead public polls show for obama it would seem he has some breathing room. I wonder if his internal polling shows something different than public polls.

I would just like to note that the comment using my tag at 3:16 PM was not placed by me. As any viewer of my comments of the past several weeks would note, that is not my style of attack.

Besides, the "attack" is so obviously self-immoliating I would never use it.

Many these people are just nasty, aren't they? I am now convinced the trolls have come to roost at TPM. I'll stop commenting here VERY soon.

As of 1/21, Clinton's plans were to leave SC after the debate, campaign in Feb 5 states on Tuesday/Wednesday, and return to SC on Thursday. She didn't change her plans to respond to anything Obama or Edwards said.

http://www.thestate.com/scpolitics-wire/story/292469.html

Michael A,
You can prefer whatever you want in your bag of sh_t.

Throw your garbage, any garbage, at Hillary Clinton and the American public will reward you accordingly.

Your Mr. Obamican can't win this. Nor can you.

right Mark F,
that's just the bait and switch you dems always use.
IT WAS ABOUT HIM GETTING AWAY WITH LIEING!
and it was a losing strategy against America then.
it will be again.
you dems just don't get it:
americans want you out of our newsrooms!
period!
and to you dear anonymous,
neither you nor any other dem has any business in my head.
period.
but hey, glad to see your true dem colors coming out:

vote Mitt, he'll spice up your sex life!
five women to every man

BillHill Lays Down Two Cards at Once!

DILLON, S.C. - Bill Clinton said Wednesday he expects blacks to vote for Barack Obama and women to vote for Hillary Rodham Clinton, and the dynamic may cause his wife to lose the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary Saturday.

The race card and the gender card

Throw your garbage, any garbage, at Hillary Clinton and the American public will reward you accordingly.

Among the many gifts I received when I graduated from college, I remember receiving a 3-dollar bill with Bill Clinton's face on it. The seal claimed that it was "legally tender for all debts, but mostly pubic and private." I thought that it was totally tasteless, but the woman who gave it to me was a good, union democrat. I also remember a very small video game which was all the rage in my dorm which featured Bill Clinton's head racing around the screen chasing 1) big macs and 2) bikini-clad vixens and trying to keep away from 1) Newt Gingrich and 2) Kenneth Starr. It was small enough to circulate as an e-mail attachment and I received numerous copies of it from friends, including fellow democrats. This is a long way of saying that it is not obvious to me that the public punishes derision directed against the Clintons.

Greg may not relish the prospect but the Tiresome Twosome would be the perfect antidote to 8 Years of a Moron!

Wouldn't it?

Come on over to Ron Paul's Freedom Train, Folks. No Flim Flam Flip Floppers, No PMS Screamers, No 100 Years/Trillions of OUR dollars for wars warmongers, over here. Just "real" true blue Americans that know all the issues and what needs to be done to get us back on track. A constitutional limited republic government thats for the people. His past record speaks for itself. Come join us, you'll feel so much better about yourself and your great country.

http://robertreich.blogspot.com/2008/01/bill-clintons-old-politics.html

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Bill Clinton's Old Politics

I write this more out of sadness than anger. Bill Clinton’s ill-tempered and ill-founded attacks on Barack Obama are doing no credit to the former President, his legacy, or his wife’s campaign. Nor are they helping the Democratic party. While it may be that all is fair in love, war, and politics, it’s not fair – indeed, it’s demeaning – for a former President to say things that are patently untrue (such as Obama’s anti-war position is a “fairy tale”) or to insinuate that Obama is injecting race into the race when the former President is himself doing it. Meanwhile, the attack ads being run in South Carolina by the Clinton camp which quote Obama as saying Republicans had all the ideas under Reagan, is disingenuous. For years, Bill Clinton and many other leading Democrats have made precisely the same point – that starting in the Reagan administration, Republicans put forth a range of new ideas while the Democrats sat on their hands. Many of these ideas were wrong-headed and dangerous, such as supply-side economics. But for too long Democrats failed counter with new ideas of their own; they wrongly assumed that the old Democratic positions and visions would be enough. Clinton’s 1992 campaign – indeed, the entire “New Democratic” message of the 1990s – was premised on the importance of taking back the initiative from the Republicans and offering Americans a new set of ideas and principles. Now, sadly, we’re witnessing a smear campaign against Obama that employs some of the worst aspects of the old politics.
posted by Robert Reich | 8:07 AM

Thanks, Greg, for posting the Clinton campaign's talking points as a news item. We really appreciate your effort. For what it's worth.