WP: Clinton campaign organized a three-week blitz to court the Des Moines Register editorial board

[sabra]

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2007/12/the_register_endorsement_how_c_1.html?nav=rss_blog

<snip>

The editor's of Iowa's most influential newspaper closely guarded their pick, leaving people like The Fix to engage in rampant speculation about which Democrat and Republican would get the nod. In the moments leading up to the announcement, conventional wisdom seemed to have settled on Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.). But the truth was that no one really knew.

So, how did Clinton win the Register's editorial board over? And what does it mean for her and her main opponents in the final 18 days before the Iowa caucuses?

Let's answer those questions one by one.

Knowing their backs were against the wall in Iowa (as an endorsement by the Register of Obama might well have sealed the deal for the Illinois senator in the Hawkeye State), the Clinton campaign organized a three-week blitz to court the editorial board.

Clinton and her husband met with the board over cocktails to make the case. A series of surrogates -- including former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, retired Gen. Wesley Clark, EMILY's List chief Ellen Malcolm and Robert Kennedy Jr. -- barraged the board with calls in support of Clinton. High-level Clinton staffers -- including campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle, pollster Mark Penn, policy director Neera Tanden and senior adviser Ann Lewis -- met individually with members of the board to make the case.

The central argument was that Clinton -- and Clinton alone -- had the experience, both in and out of public office, to not only be elected president but also do the job from day one.

[Onlooker]

1. That's one good thing about Hillary

Her team is smart. They have the best experience for running a campaign. (That doesn't mean they have the best candidate, though.)

Thanks for posting.

[MNDemNY]

2. Are you implying this is a bad thing?

I'm sure more of the candidates did this. So what?

[sabra]

3. Nope. Like the article mentions many believed the board was leaning Obama. This gives

a little more background...

[riverdeep]

4. I think what the OP is implying

is that if she hadn't done this, she wouldn't have gotten the endorsement. That she can't win based on merit alone, but rather money and influence. That's how I read it.

[Lucinda]

5. It's been reported that BOTH Obama and Clinton actively courted the Register.

and they met with most of the other candidates as well.

[Bitwit1234]

6. Gee we see it worked.

Guess Obama is not the uniter he pretends to be. He can't get the confidence of a newspaper where he is supposed to have the votes sewed up.

[onehandle]

7. And Edwards or Obama will win Iowa.

Newspapers aren't worth the toilet paper they're printed on.

[riverdeep]

8. I think they used to have more influence.

But those days are fading. It probably still matters to some older voters, the ones who still read a newspaper everyday. But for the most part, it's becoming more irrelevant for the public. Fewer people reading, more sources of info, etc. It was already irrelevant for me decades ago.

[moondust]

9. DMR owned by Gannett since 1985.

Which also owns:

Air Force Times, Springfield, Virginia
Armed Forces Journal, McLean, Virginia
Army Times, Springfield, Virginia
Defense News, Springfield, Virginia
Federal Times, Springfield, Virginia
Marine Corps Times, Springfield, Virginia
Military City, Springfield, Virginia
Navy Times, Springfield, Virginia
Gannett Healthcare Group, Falls Church, Virginia

KGAN TV, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Utterly unwatchable. One reason (from 2004): "The Point" is a one-minute commentary hosted by Mark Hyman, the Sinclair (Broadcasting) vice president for corporate relations. In recent weeks, the spot has said presidential candidate John Kerry falsified documents concerning his military service and supported "communist forces opposed to the U.S. in Vietnam" by speaking out against the war.

Far right wing drivel.

[brentspeak]

10. "Met over cocktails..."

Looks like K-Street's influence extends a lot further than just Georgetown.