Clinton Staff To Be Let Go From Campaign

[slinkerwink]

Ben Smith at Politico.com reports that:

June 02, 2008
Categories: Hillary Clinton

Clinton camp converging on New York Tuesday, and shedding staff

Members of Hillary Clinton's advance staff received calls and emails this evening from headquarters summoning them to New York City Tuesday night, and telling them their roles on the campaign are ending, two Clinton staffers tell my colleague Aime Parnes.

The advance staffers -- most of them now in Puerto Rico, South Dakota, and Montana -- are being given the options of going to New York for a final day Tuesday, or going home, the aides said. The move is a sign that the campaign is beginning to shed -- at least -- some of its staff. The advance staff is responsible for arranging the candidate's events around the country.

With the future of her campaign in doubt, Clinton hasn't announced her plans for the final election night of the primary cycle or beyond, but the aides said she would stage her election night event in New York City. Her entourage is currently expected to wake up Tuesday in New York and to arrive in Washington, D.C. Tuesday night.

[Occam Bandage]

1. She's packin' it in, folks.

[slinkerwink]

3. hopefully so.

[calimary]

47. Just tread gently.

This is a lotsa-hurt time for a lot of people. I want to respect that. 'Cause I will NEVER forget how it felt when somebody snark-assed me after Selection 2000.

I wound up on the receiving end of a gloat fest by one of two conservative Republicans in this group of four women. The third woman was a liberal Democrat like me. One of them talked about a party she planned to attend in a few days. She knew there would be quite a few Gore supporters there. She announced that she planned to gloat, and would even dress in a western shirt and cowboy boots just to stick it in and twist it. I remember feeling my blood vessels start to ice up. I liked that woman and admired her artwork. But that incident really punched me in the psychological nose and gut at the same time. I've never forgotten it, or how it completely changed the way I felt about her. She also declared that she felt bush was going to unite the country and this was really gonna be so much better anyway. You know. The way it's supposed to be. :sarcasm:

I've thought about this for a long time. Even though I'm a scorched-earther as far as how I'd like to see the republi-CON party defeated, I would NEVER EVER want to do or say anything that would leave someone else feeling that low after a defeat. Elegance in victory is of the UTMOST importance and PRIORITY ONE. And at any rate, it's a good time to give an educational subtle-but-public (and MUCH needed) demonstration - "THIS is what REAL class looks like, people. THIS is how it's done. THIS is how you treat one another."

As far as the Hillary supporters, their champion proved that a woman CAN swim with the big fishes - and BE one, too. I've started hearing her referred to in various mainstream media outlets as being one of the most powerful if not the most powerful Democrat out there. There is acknowledgement of her merits and what she brings to the table just anyway. It may be politics. It may be bite-your-tongue stuff. It may be temporary. Really doesn't matter. What DOES matter is that this is out there, expressed publicly, given voice in the mainstream media - among supporters and opponents alike. Even the wrong wing has to admit begrudgingly that she's been an excellent Senator for the state of New York. We've actually seen and heard them do so, more than once! This can, over time (and probably not all that much time, either), turn into a tremendous positive for her.

Hillary supporters need to be embraced, thanked, appreciated, and applauded. They've proven that women are a collective force VERY MUCH to be reckoned with, that one dares not ignore or shrug off. They may even be MORE of a force now, because as Obama takes the gold, women wanting a woman president will now feel that they're owed. They're next. Whether we agree with that view - of being owed - or not, it's still there as a component of the political landscape, and still has to be factored into our thinking. I think it's now far more likely that we'll see other capable women step forward in the future because they'll sense this undercurrent and it will empower them and their campaigns. A woman candidate will become more and more appealing and compelling. It's only a matter of time now. Hillary just kicked down the door. And her supporters helped.

I hope that Barack Obama does indeed enlist Hillary to play a key role in his administration. She has goods to bring to the table - LOTS of goods. We're fools if we don't take advantage of her brains, her energy, her willingness to fight with everything she's got, her relentlessness. We need all that. Badly. We need her, badly. We've got a LOT of mess to clean up. It's such a big job Barack is going to need her, bigtime. AND that includes her supporters - because THEY bring a lot to the table, too.

[Shae]

54. That's good advice . . .

and I hope that it's followed.
Everyone who voted for Gore or Kerry in 2000 and 2004 knows how painful it can be when your candidate doesn't prevail. I'm sure that Obama will be gracious in victory, and I hope that his supporters here will try to emulate that graciousness. In the end, we are all on the same side -- or should be.
I truly hope that the Hillary supporters here will be help us defeat McCain in November -- even those who are too hurt to think about that just now.

I'm just rambling on, Calimary, when all I really wanted to say was, "Great post!" Thanks.

[calimary]

55. Thanks back atcha!

But I'm afraid what I'm REALLY struggling with - is not how my instincts want to treat fellow Dems who supported Hillary instead of Barack. I want to tread extremely gently around them and give them all the time and room and support and sympathy they need to grieve. Hell, I've got friends in that situation at this very moment - women who were SO ardently for Hillary and gave her campaign their all.

As for those unrepentent bush-lovers or mccain supporters - I'm not so certain I'm feeling all that gentle or kind toward them. Especially those who willfully remain in denial and insist we're full of shit and the war was/is great and the surge worked and bush is a patriot whose cockamamie policies have made us safe and that he hasn't made any mistakes... I know more than a few of those types, also. Arrogant and condescending and self-deluding - such terms barely even begin to describe them. They're the types who pronounce the word "do-gooder" with a sneer and a curled lip - as though wanting to do good for others (especially the poor and disenfranchised) is a bad thing.

Um...

Those folks I'd kinda like to treat as though they were walking around with a "Kick Me" sign on their backs, an "I Love Hitler" tattoo on their hearts, and a sheet with eyeholes cut into it stashed in the back of their closets (where all those well-handled naked photos of jeff gannon and a shrine to Lord Voldemort are hidden). Like my former friend - I must admit there's a part of me that wants to see her miserable, distraught, drowning in a pity party and crawling into a bourbon bottle and staying there for a few years so she can't do any further damage to anybody. Kinda like her hero junior george. There's a part of me that wants her to know how I felt. And to sit on it. And to swivel. It's a huge struggle within me all the time now. I know how I'm supposed to be. It's what we were taught in catechism class about forgiveness and rising above it. I find that my instincts go directly to the Dark Side first, and then I have to tell myself to grow up and yes - rise above it, and work extra hard at rationalizing myself back away from all that - toward some sort of sanity and forgiveness. I should go to the forgiveness place first, especially with these types. I don't. My gut goes immediately to the scorched earth revenge department - wanting them to hurt. BIGTIME.

Hey, grotesque imperfection, intolerance, and piss-ant grudge-holding: thy name is calimary. :P :spank: :dilemma:

That's something I will be struggling with, probably for the rest of my life. I know I should be forgiving of my enemies and to try to reach out. I can do it for all the Hillary Clinton people - easily. They deserve it. It's a LOT harder to apply that same kindness and mercy to the pro-bushies and war-whores. That's because I remain utterly FURIOUS with those people and the way they lied us into war and made obscene profits off it, while trashing our Constitution and everything we're supposed to be about as Americans. They have oceans of blood on their hands. If I were an Iraq war widow or had buried my child from there, or otherwise had to live for the rest of my life with that death of a loved one - a completely unnecessary death, a death IN VAIN, I'm not sure how I could cope.

[TahitiNut]

31. Too bad. So sad.

:nopity:

[tularetom]

2. On Wed they'll all be let go. On Thursday they'll sign book deals.

And I expect some of the books will make for some very interesting reading.

[slinkerwink]

4. or doing a tell-all to newspapers

[EFerrari]

15. It would be fun to write a spoof memoir.

:evilgrin:

[ErinBerin84]

5. "shedding staff"

Haha, that makes me think of a snake shedding its skin.


Honestly, I wouldn't even be too upset about an Obama/Hillary ticket (though I'm still not convinced that's the way to go) if I wasn't worried about some of her more prominent Clinton staff members fucking it up, if the campaigns merged.

[napi21]

6. I TOLD YOU she was not going to be the bitch you were all making her out to be!

You watch! This will all be over by the end of next week at the latest!

[AZBlue]

9. Um....I'm afraid she's already earned that title.

She should have stepped down months ago - that way she'd still would have some respect and a political future.

[napi21]

17. Well, I can tell you I earned the name bitch quite a few times in my

career, and I'm very proud of it! In the past when Hillary was called that, I was proud of her too! She has said many times she was going to stay in this until the last votes were counted. I would have done that too! She has also said she was staying in it until one candidate had the number of delegates necessary to be the candidate. Yes I know her campaign has been pushing the popular vote stuff, but if you really listened to Hillary & Terry, you would have known when Barack reached the majic number of delegates, she would bow out gracefully, and that's exactly what's going to happen.

[movonne]

37. I don't think there is anything wrong with her staying in til all votes

are counted...but she has whipped her supporters into a frenzy and has said so many nasty things...she has divided and that is not good...

[slinkerwink]

40. she's hoping for them to stay divided after she drops out

[napi21]

45. Whippng your supporters is the way you campaign! There's

nothing wrong with that! I have no doubt that she will support Barack, and get her supporters to do so too!

Unfortunately, there's been so much vehimint division on DU lately that nobody seems to see that.

We had TWO great candidates and the Party was supporting them almost equally!

ONE candidate has won, and we will support that winner!

[nadinbrzezinski]

38. Terry gave one of those dog whistles today

he started the interview by saying that Obama would be a great candidate in the fall

I posted it, but people simply missed it

[AZBlue]

7. Oh, please let this FINALLY be the beginning of the end.

I've gotten my hopes up too many times before to really believe it yet, but this is a very good sign.

[Colobo]

8. IT'S OOOOOOOOOOOOVERRRRRRRRRRRRR!

[goletian]

10. im gonna donate 20 bucks to clintons campaign right now. whos with me?

[slinkerwink]

12. not I.

[goletian]

20. "you are cold as ice."

[LiberalAndProud]

28. not until the concession speech

then maybe

[movonne]

39. Nto until I hear her say she is out...and backs Obama..

[mystieus]

11. This could be just because she can't afford to pay them to stay on afterwards for any amount of time

[BlooInBloo]

14. On the teevee earlier today they were saying that Clinton + NYC = giving up....

But it was the teevee, so your guess is as good as mine.

[texas_indy]

13. Don't get your hopes up....staff can be let go since there aren't any more primaries to do..

it doesn't mean she is ending or even suspending her campaign....

She's gonna fight to the convention for HER nomination....

[slinkerwink]

16. maybe so. but you still need advance staff for the general election.

[BlooInBloo]

18. Has Obama let staff go?

[slinkerwink]

19. no, he hasn't let staff go. You keep your advance team with you through the primary

and general when you're the nominee.

[Kool Kitty]

21. Yes. He's letting them all go on Tuesday night.

Both he and Hillary are quitting. Neither one of them wants to go against the "charisma machine" that is McCain. ;)

[slinkerwink]

23. lol

[texas_indy]

25. Couldn't they be hired back quickly enough if needed? Maybe key staffer are not being released yet.

I would love it if HRC would concede, but I won't believe it till she actually says it.

She is too tricky to take at face value.
After all she stated the MI and FL votes meant nothing and were only beauty contest until she decided she needed their votes.

I'd trust a used car salesman 100 times more than HRC.

[slinkerwink]

26. no, they can't be hired back quickly.

[texas_indy]

30. COOL! OK, I guess I can let myself start feeling good about this after all....

I'm pretty excited at getting Obama elected and starting a new chapter for the US!

I was just worried about getting disappointed once again with the anti-Obama stuff.

[slinkerwink]

34. however, don't count out her team members on still working to damage Obama

even though she'll have dropped out. It's to help with the 2012 strategy.

[PermanentRevolution]

22. This is true, but...

If she realistically thinks she has a chance of being the nominee, wouldn't she still be doing GE campaigning throughout the summer? If she's releasing her campaign staff, it seems she's pretty much conceding that she's not going to win the nomination regardless of what happens at the convention.

[slinkerwink]

24. exactly.

[Colobo]

27. Absolutely. Obama has a lot of future events ahead. Hillary has none.

[slinkerwink]

44. exactly.

[rwheeler31]

29. Thank you. We know we can fight, can we win?

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

32. Link? n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

33. BOUT BLOODY TIME

well played, well played... this is packing... FINALLY

[WA98070]

35. I'll believe it when it happens.

[slinkerwink]

36. Tuesday or Wednesday will show us the truth

[madfloridian]

41. Thanks, slinker. I am keeping reservations though.

We have been down this road before.

[slinkerwink]

43. I know.

[candice]

42. No need to campaign if the primary is over. Is Obama keeping his team in Puerto Rico and

West Virginia or North Carolina? When primaries are over, smart campaigns move the teams out. I'm sure someone is taking care of this for Obama.

[FrenchieCat]

49. Yes, Obama is keeping his team. Not in Puerto Rico, since they can't vote

in the GE.

[Eurobabe]

46. Til Tuesday...

[my3boyz]

48. According to this article..she is not going anywhere. :(

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/06/01/clinton_campaign_still_very_mu.html?hpid=topnews

[FrenchieCat]

50. Sending mixed signals......

I guess she has no choice in doing the two at once until Tuesday. She's still wants to win S. Dakota and Montana after all.

[goclark]

51. Will they get paid?

Or, will she pay herself and let them twist in the wind? :shrug:

[4themind]

52. Yeah we should keep in mind that people are losing jobs

so while it's a hopeful sign that the primarries are over, I also wish them luck in securing another way of sustaining themselves. I will have trouble saying the same thing about mark penn, when his time comes, however....

[Douglas Carpenter]

53. sounds very good and very plausible....PTL!