Hillary Clinton, In Warrior Mode In Iowa, Dismisses E-Mail Controversy As ‘Partisan Game’

[Purveyor]

Source: Washington Post

By Philip Rucker August 14 at 10:33 PM

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa – Hillary Rodham Clinton was in political warrior mode as she addressed Democratic activists here Friday night, delivering a fiery, rip-roaring speech designed to help quiet concerns about her weaknesses as a presidential front-runner.

Clinton took the burgeoning controversy over her private e-mail server head-on, saying probes into her correspondence as secretary of state as well as her handling of the 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya, are nothing short of a political witch hunt by her Republican opponents.

"It’s not about Benghazi,” Clinton said. “And you know what, it’s not about e-mails or servers either. It’s about politics.”

Clinton vowed to fight back aggressively, saying, “I won’t get down in the mud with them. I won’t play politics with national security or dishonor the memory of those we lost. I won’t pretend this is anything other than what it is: the same old partisan games we’ve seen so many times before. I don’t care how many super PACs and Republicans pile on. I’ve been fighting for families and underdogs my entire life and I’m not going to stop now.”

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/08/14/hillary-clinton-in-warrior-mode-in-iowa-dismissing-e-mail-controversy-as-partisan-game/

[vadermike]

1. Bring it

If Hill is gonna prevail this is how to do it !! No playing nice like Kerry and Gore!! Bring it Hill!!!!!!!!!!

[karynnj]

6. actually, the attacks on HRC ARE more successful than the lies against Kerry

The only people who believed the SBVT over the Navy, never would have voted for Kerry. With the email problems, there are independents and even Democrats who think there is a problem.

As to Gore, the attacks were insidious. They were things like he exaggerates or he was boring. Those are hard to defend against. The accusations against HRC on the email are real - even if it is true that some have made too much of them.

In fact, HRC has already lost more favorability than either of these men. Maybe this strong attack mode will help, but to give it credit now is premature.

[Control-Z]

7. BS n/t

[ericson00]

8. not a good parallel; these are the primaries, not the GE

and in the GE, clearly, Kerry got hurt by the flip-flopping.

A better potential parallel is 2000; Bush was clearly (https://web.archive.org/web/20001214221524/http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/epolls/US/P000.html) seen as much more honest than Gore, enough to make the election close enough to steal, yet Gore still won the popular vote.

Another thing; W. was far more politically savvy than any GOPer out there now, especially his Gomer Pyle like brother.

[karynnj]

10. It wasn't MY parallel I was responding to the op

The flip flop charge is almost always used for any legislator. It's easy as similar bills, or bills at different times require yes or no votes, when nearly everyone is yes but or not but.

In reality, I can make a much stronger case that HRC has flip flopped than anyone can make for Kerry, who is actually pretty consistent. To list a few for HRC, consider TPP which she praised in her book and is now skeptical on. What about voting yes on the awful 2001 bankruptcy bill that she opposed in 2005?

Not to mention, my point is it is premature to claim victory. Not to mention, neither Gore or Kerry had to deal with scandals that had any real elements.

[JI7]

11. what hurt Kerry was his "global test" comment and the terrorist attack in Russia

there are many things he could have done differently but the swift boat thing is overrated in terms of how much it affected the race. at worst it took attention away from other things . but the ones who believed it are the same ones as the birthers.

[ericson00]

12. Kerry was a gaffe machine

thank god Bill Clinton build the blue wall (NJ, CA, CT, MI, IL, DE, PA, MD, VT, ME, NH/NM*) that kept Kerry from a Dukakis/Mondale like landslide, given how many massive gaffes Kerry made. Those states all went GOP in 1988 against Duke, all went Reagan 1984, mostly went Reagan 80, Ford 76, Nixon 72/68). That global test one did enforce the idea that Kerry wouldn't assert America as much. That remark in his convention speech "any attack will be met with a swift response" I think hurt the chances of him getting convention momentum greatly. Or I think, actually, not just the 87 billion flip-flop allegation, but the fact he did come back from 'Nam and tossed his ribbons and testified against the war. Those actions were also used in the SBVT. Had he just been accused of shooting himself, but not have done those two things, the flip-flop AND the SBVT attacks would've been far less effective. I think given how the anti-war protests had a much stronger association with the counter culture than "trying once and not inhaling" which everyone has done, thats why Kerry reeled from it more than Bill Clinton got hurt from "not inhaling."

Hillary doesn't make gaffes like Kerry did, thats a difference between the Clintons and Gore and Kerry. People oughta appreciate it.

[Dawson Leery]

35. None of the Rethugs running are well liked

by the majority, including the base of the GOP.

[George II]

20. The attacks haven't been successful at all.

[karynnj]

24. look at her numbers

She was fortunate to start out incredibly high including being double digits ahead of any Republican. In addition, almost all Democrats had a positive view of her. She is still likely to win, but it will be a tougher race than it would have been without this self inflicted wound.

Be honest with yourself. WWouldn't you prefer that never happened. Then, like Gore and Kerry, she would STILL be fighting some attack, but we and the Independents would be comfortable knowing they were bogus. It also would mean the main topic would be the differences in policy between the parties.

[still_one]

2. Absolutely right this is about politics and the piss poor excuse we have for such a lazy and inept

media.

[WDIM]

3. Of course its a partisan game. Its all Kabuki theater.

To distract from talking about any real issues. And Republicans are the best at it. Deflect and misdirect and give em a good show.

I disagree with even the idea of secret information. All government information should be public because it is a public government.

The idea of email being private government or personal is a lie. Nothing that uses the internet is private. Why doesnt the DOJ just ask the NSA for the emails you know they got them.

This whole thing is ridiculous. And the Clintons are great using scandals to also deflect and misdirect and even bad press is good press the more people hear her name and forget about a trumped up email scandal by next year the more they vote for her and Hillary knows it. Its all politics as usual.

[ericson00]

9. Whitewater 2.0

a phony scandal, no serious consequences for anyone, but the media dies for it.

One of the great things about Trump is that when the media gets off him, if they do, the email story will seem so bland and boring, and by then Hillary will come back stronger.

[hollowdweller]

22. Totally agree. Started about Benghazi and then will keep expanding into other areas.

[elleng]

4. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley made impassioned, populist

appeals that were received enthusiastically by the capacity crowd of 2,100 people. The response to former Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee was more muted, though he hit a number of progressive touchstones. . .

The three other speakers made subtle contrasts with Clinton. Chafee, a former mayor, senator and governor, said, “What I’m most proud of in my decades of public service is I didn’t have any scandals.” . .

O’Malley followed Sanders on stage and touched many of the same progressive themes. He tried to distinguish himself from the other candidates by noting that he is the only one with 15 years of executive experience, having served as mayor of Baltimore before being governor.

O’Malley ticked through some of the highlights of his record in Maryland: raising the minimum wage, investing in public schools, passing tough gun-control laws, expanding voting rights, giving driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants.

“Actions, not words,” O’Malley said, over and over again.

He closed his remarks with an assault on Wall Street. “If the bank is too big to fail, too big to jail and too big to manage, then it’s probably too damn big,” he said.

Though he has struggled to gain traction in the polls, O’Malley was well received by the crowd. Yet in an illustration of the challenges for his candidacy, as he was speaking photographers trained their cameras not on the stage but on the audience, where Clinton had taken a seat to watch.

[Hekate]

5. Warrior mode! Bring it on!

[HereSince1628]

14. We love politicians that fight, but sometimes forget to ask what's being fought for?

She wants to be the "Champion of the People", that's how she launched this campaign.

Yet, once again, as we've often seen in her public career, she's mired down fighting for herself.

You can say those who attack her are unfair, but the point is she's forced once again to be fighting for herself, her integrity.

I suppose you can't fight for the people, until you've secured the world for yourself.

But, unfortunately, that puts the fight for the people as a second priority. What potential benefit is so great that the people need to elect someone whose history shows -must- regularly put their needs second, after self-defense?

[Fairgo]

13. Wise strategy

i seriously want to hear her in debate over the real issues of governance, not media sniping on perpheral-to-erroneous sideshow issues.

[DCBob]

15. Good for her. I am glad she is finally fighting back on this.

The RW media has gone too far with this non-sense.

[Kingofalldems]

16. Freepers not liking this one.

E-mails!!

[FlatBaroque]

17. "I won't play politics"

[sendero]

18. Benghazi...

... was a partisan game. The email scandal is not, it is AT BEST a spectacular display of hubris and bad judgment and it is not going away.

[BlueMTexpat]

28. So why is Hillary the ONLY one being pilloried

for this when it was a practice common to all US Secretaries of State since email has become a mode a communication?

True, those others are not now running for President. But the fact is that Hillary was only following a practice that had begun before her tenure. It's so easy to pick on her alone for this non-scandal by those who wish her ill.

This is indeed ALSO a partisan game, Benghazi is just one aspect of it. And there will certainly be others that will be raised in the great scheme of things.

[Katashi_itto]

19. Warrior Mode, like when she took sniper fire?

Or when she voted for the war?

She is so awesome!

[Indepatriot]

25. Tuzla Annie rides again!

[onehandle]

21. The Right in an alliance with Clinton haters on the left are getting nowhere with this.

Might as well invoke Vince Foster and her 'secret lesbian lovers' when you bring this shit up.

[hollowdweller]

23. Really

[okasha]

26. I wonder just how many

of the nonstop Clinton-haters are actually on the left. I have mis sospechos particularly of those who are promoting an Independent for the Democratic nomination with the help of Republican votes.

Talk about strange bedfellows.

[BlueMTexpat]

29. Indeed. eom

[Indepatriot]

27. Srange Bedfellows would be a candidate who claims to be a "fighter for the Middle Class"

getting all cozy with the Wall Street Banksters who've been gutting Middle Class pensions/jobs/lives for 30 years....

[BlueMTexpat]

30. And you have substantiation for this

oft-stated conclusion?

[Indepatriot]

33. Google "Hillary Clinton's top donors". Then Google "2008 Financial Crisis".

Then get back to me on that if you've learned anything new.

[Lurks Often]

32. So the FBI & the DOJ, run by the AG appointed by President Obama, are all "partisan"?

If this is such a "partisan game" why hasn't the President or the Attorney General ordered the FBI to stop investigating?

I mean if there isn't anything to this, then why is the FBI wasting resources and money on it?

[candelista]

34. +1.

Took the words right out of my mouth.