Sen. Clinton Using Surrogates to Reach Anti-War Congress Members

[AnnInLa]

http://electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2007/feb/19/source_hillary_campaign_reaching_out_via_surrogates_to_antiwar_members_of_congress


Source: Hillary Campaign Reaching Out Via Surrogates To Antiwar Members Of Congress
By Greg Sargent | bio

This is interesting: A high-level Democrat tells me that several of Hillary Clinton's senior advisers are reaching out to top Dem donors and other political leaders with connections in Congress to ask them to make Hillary's case on the Iraq war privately to highly-visible antiwar members of Congress.

The idea appears to be to get these go-betweens to suggest to prominent antiwar members of Congress such as Russ Feingold and John Murtha that they either back Hillary or vouch for her position on Iraq.

snip

The effort was described by my source as not completely formal or orchestrated, but as something clearly viewed as important by Hillary advisers. "Clearly it's a strategy they're pursuing," the source says.

The campaign is not so much to get outright endorsements from such members of Congress, the source emphasized (though that certainly wouldn't be rejected, of course). The goal is more to get visible antiwar Congress people to vouch for Hillary's antiwar credentials, which she's being quizzed about due to her backing for the 2002 resolution authorizing Bush to go to war.

"It's about getting people in Congress to say, She's a leader now, she's with them, she's on the same page," the source says, adding that Congress people who might not be able to bring themselves to okay her previous vote are being encouraged to "at least praise her for her current position."

more at link above

[More Than A Feeling]

1. You gotta be kidding me.

The only thing that is going to happen if the anti-war members vouch for Hillary is that their own image and integrity will be tarnished. She is trying to borrow their good judgment. Just like when she pretended that she had a lot of web support, this too, is made-believe.

[mnhtnbb]

2. The smoke-filled back room is alive and well!

[papau]

7. There's no politician not "reaching out" like this- why is it news-&why on DU is it seen as bad? n/t

n/t

[ProSense]

9. She's not talking about political hacks. Evidently she believes other members of Congress'

opinions can be coerced. Maybe other members of Congress will speak up and vouch for her on their own, and actually believe what they are saying.

[lyonn]

6. What keeps Hillary from doing this talking herself?

That's all we need is another arrogant yet weak/cowardly politician afraid to lose a vote. Speak for yourself Hillary or go away.

[babylonsister]

3. My opinion of her goes down daily. Ugh! nt

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

4. "....to vouch for Hillary's antiwar credentials," Like vouching for Shrub's "compassion".

Non-existent in both instances.

[leftchick]

13. well said

:thumbsup:

[cui bono]

5. If this is true it's deplorable. Imagine what she'll do with the press if she

becomes president. Same thing the WH is doing now.

If she would get a spine and some principles maybe she could stand up and state her beliefs and people would decide for themselves if they back her. I wish she would just go away.

[cali]

8. sickening.

This and her half assed statementabout the confederate flag in one day. Ugh.

[babylonsister]

10. What did she say about the conf. flag? I missed that. nt

[shireen]

11. there's no excuse for her war vote

I don't trust anyone who voted to allow GWB to launch that war in 2002. The reasoning that led to their decision says volumes about what kind of people they are. Even Edwards's apology is too little too late, where was his brain when he cast that vote? How can I trust either one of them to do the right thing in the Oval Office? If Hillary wins the Dem. primary, I'll hold my nose and vote for her in the general election, but only because the Republican alternative is much worse.

[Skittles]

15. she voted her (perceived) career over the interests of America

and years later she is STILL making excuses - it makes me ill

[Morgana LaFey]

12. My God. Has she gone delusional too?

Wants her cake and eat it too.

NO WAY, dammit. You resolutely stand with your IWR vote, then that's where you stay, lady.

Pisses me off like you can't believe. The NERVE!

[msongs]

14. total BS - a "high level Democrat"? - no name, no attribution -NO credibility nt

[KharmaTrain]

16. She's Obviously Proud of Her IWR Vote

Hillary lost the netroots last weekend once and for all by inviting us to "look for other candidates" if we feel the IWR is a defining issue in choosing a candidate. Hillary's gamble is triangulating her in a very bad position and she's trying to buy and fudge her way around it...and it's backfiring badly.

What gets to be insulting is the claim Hillary wants a "dialogue" with Democratic voters, yet she stays on her talking points and is attempting to create her own reality and echo chamber to outshout her critics. She's sooooo scared of the right wing and Repugnicans, she's willing to piss off the majority in her own party to prove she's "not weak". Sorry, Hillary, this Democrat won't be bought off with "get on the bandwagon" or let her paper over this vote with money.

Whomever the Democratic candidate is next year, be assured their IWR vote or stance on that vote will be a defining issue. It addresses the candidate's character and integrity. IMHO Hillary's problem is she's trying so hard to avoid being slammed and attacked by people who will never vote for her, she just alienated many who were on her side but she's lost in the past few weeks.

[Skidmore]

17. Just heard on NPR on the way in this morning a portion of a Q&A

she held where she basically told people that if you disagreed with the war and a candidate's renunciation of initial support for it was important to you, there were other candidates you could vote for. She did follow it with some statement of wanting to stop the war now.

As far as I'm concerned, this has more to do with a candidate's judgement leading up to the war, not their political savvy. That is why I think Obama can do the job. He not only saw this war for what it was but denounced it before it happened with clear reasons.