The Clinton campaign recently fired two volunteers for forwarding emails suggesting Barack Obama is a Muslim, but these were minor embarrassments, not scandalous.
For one thing, campaigns have little control over what people who are volunteering actually do. How could they control them? Cutting off their cold pizza, stale coffee, donuts, and Red Bull? For another, anything so sensitive as "dirty tricks" would hardly be entrusted to mere volunteers.
A campaign seeking real dirt on an opponent would assign the task to someone else - say, a "deputy campaign manager," wouldn't they? Jeff Zeleny reports for The New York Times:
Presidential campaigns have unlimited appetites for information about their rivals. They track their whereabouts, they study their records and they obsessively follow nearly every movement. By this point in the race, though, it would seem a candidate's work history would have already been sufficiently combed through.Apparently not.
If there was any question whether Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign was concerned about the rise of Senator Barack Obama, here is a fresh example: A deputy campaign manager for Mrs. Clinton sent an e-mail yesterday, trying to find out about Mr. Obama's background as a community organizer in Chicago.
Read it all at the link above. Now, the email in question doesn't specify "dirt" on Obama, but requesting "information" on his old community work could scarcely have another purpose, could it? Was Nash seeking to put up a tribute website for Obama? I doubt it . . .
What's most alarming here is the complete lack of sophistication. Using email - a written record - is exactly the wrong way to go about it. For such dirty work, you use the phone or, better yet, a personal visit. Something which can't be forwarded to the media.
For those who see some innocent explanation for the inquiry, please elaborate. I'd be fascinated to hear it.




Comments (10)
I find it amusing that Mrs.... (Below threshold)1. Posted by DavidL | December 11, 2007 7:03 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I find it amusing that Mrs. Cl;nton, a dishonest and corrupt, politician is looking for microscopic dirt. If Mrs. Cliton wants to see dirt all she has to do is at her husband or better yet look in the mirror.
1. Posted by DavidL | December 11, 2007 7:03 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on December 11, 2007 07:03
2. Posted by frank james | December 11, 2007 7:33 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
this is typical CLINTON'S they never seem to know anything about shady doings . its yesterdayonce more . the underlings are always to blame, those two never do wrong////
2. Posted by frank james | December 11, 2007 7:33 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on December 11, 2007 07:33
3. Posted by Hermie
| December 11, 2007 7:50 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Obama's past associations with Chicago's slumlords and corrupt political machine has been ignored by the MSM all this time. Will they all of a sudden find his past 'significant' if Hillary's people provides info, even though it was just as easily been uncovered by a first year journalism student?
The real question is how much of her rabid attack machine will she attempt to use on Obama? Does she believe as Andrew Young does, that she has the black vote wrapped up and doesn't need Obama for the General Election?
3. Posted by Hermie
| December 11, 2007 7:50 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on December 11, 2007 07:50
4. Posted by Paul Hooson | December 11, 2007 9:21 AM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
I fully expect Hillary Clinton to bring out the tooth and nails before she totally allows the Democratic nomination to entirely slip out of her fingers. But the problem is that building momentum is running against her, where many voters either do not like her or do not trust her, and that's a very tough current to swim against.
Obama is not the most experienced candidate, but many voters are giving him a second look. And with little record so far, little negative garbage is so far derailing him. On the other hand, some strong GOP hopefuls are being passed over by GOP voters because the party is far more conservative than in the past, where moderates like a Dwight Eisenhower or a Richard Nixon would have little chance of being nominated these days, allowing a questionable candidate like former staffer to televangelist James Robison, Mike Huckabee to emerge as a frontrunner.
Both parties are running into some real problems nominating a candidate that can be seen as acceptable to a wide majority of voters, almost certainly propelling some strong third party candidate challenge in 2008.
4. Posted by Paul Hooson | December 11, 2007 9:21 AM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on December 11, 2007 09:21
5. Posted by McGehee
| December 11, 2007 1:31 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I find myself withholding judgment on this, simply because of the sheer illiteracy of the email in question. Just where did this Bob Nash guy go to school!?
5. Posted by McGehee
| December 11, 2007 1:31 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on December 11, 2007 13:31
6. Posted by mantis | December 11, 2007 1:57 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Obama's past associations with Chicago's slumlords and corrupt political machine has been ignored by the MSM all this time.
Except for, you know, the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times, the New York Times, and the Washington Post.
6. Posted by mantis | December 11, 2007 1:57 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on December 11, 2007 13:57
7. Posted by SCSIwuzzy | December 11, 2007 5:24 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
McGehee: He probable went to J-school.
Hooson: Huckabee is ahead in polls before a primary about a primary. Wasn't Howard "The Scream" Dean once the front runner for the Dems in a similar point in time?
It's a little early to be calling anyone a front runner. A dark horse (Paul, Kuchinich and the like) might be tagged now, but it's too early for announce who the real players are.
7. Posted by SCSIwuzzy | December 11, 2007 5:24 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on December 11, 2007 17:24
8. Posted by nogo war | December 11, 2007 6:43 PM | Score: -1 (1 votes cast)
It is clear that Dems are not only afraid of each other. They are afraid of Republican Candidates.
Given the high moral fiber...there will be nothing like this on the Republican side.
Rudi...no problems
Mitt...no problems
Huckabee...no problems
McCain...no problems
Paul...no problems
ok I left out Fred...remember that hope?
The difference between Dems and Republicans?
Each Republican candidate will run on his strength...no need to trash an opponent.
8. Posted by nogo war | December 11, 2007 6:43 PM |
Score: -1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on December 11, 2007 18:43
9. Posted by LaMedusa | December 11, 2007 10:33 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
The structure of the e-mail is quite interesting and familiar. Isn't there a reason for the glaring typos?
I was wondering if that is the most we know about the forwarded "hoax" e-mail that the volunteers sent, and if there is any note of its origin. Why call or knock on a door if something the media gets a hold of can kick up a little dust? There is a vagueness to the word "information" as opposed to "dirt", so no real cause for concern. At first glance, it all appears to be business as usual.
9. Posted by LaMedusa | December 11, 2007 10:33 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on December 11, 2007 22:33
10. Posted by McGehee
| December 12, 2007 10:37 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
10. Posted by McGehee
| December 12, 2007 10:37 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on December 12, 2007 10:37