Back From The Brink

Washington Post: A Triumphant Night In New Hampshire For Clinton Supporters Fearing Worst

(Washingtonpost.com)  This story was written by Dana Milbank.

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"I come here tonight with a very full heart," Hillary Rodham Clinton told a gym full of screaming and chanting supporters here a few minutes after 11 p.m. Tuesday. The unexpected victor in the New Hampshire primary, she vowed to "give America the kind of comeback New Hampshire has just given me."

In truth, it wasn't as much a comeback as a return from the political dead.

Even her own aides had seemed to believe the worst. They had booked the big gymnasium here at Southern New Hampshire University -- the same spot Howard Dean filled in 2004 -- and put the numerals "20:08" on the time clock and the words "Hillary" and "Clinton" in the home and away spots. But instead, they decided to hold the event next door, in a dank auxiliary gym half the size -- an irresistible metaphor for a dying campaign -- and the crowd of 400 was too small to fill the place.

But then, a few minutes after the polls closed, CNN broadcast an unexpected announcement: The candidate was not, in fact, deceased. It was, the cable network announced, a "close race" -- and the numbers crawling at the bottom of the screen even showed an early, narrow Clinton lead.

Fair-weather supporters rushed to join the party, and reporters, their Clinton obituaries already filed, hurried over from their hotel rooms. Finally, 2 1/2 hours later, the CNN broadcast made it official: The presumed-dead candidate had, in fact, won the New Hampshire primary. The wake thus terminated, Clinton aides and supporters screamed and danced, waving "Clinton Country" placards for the cameras.

Tom Thompson and his brother were in the middle of the celebration. "If you asked me last night, I would've said Obama's a lock," confided Tom, wearing a button of President Bush and the words "Good Riddance." But now, he said, "I'm loving every second of it."

It was not supposed to be this way. A Gallup poll released on the eve of the election showed her trailing Barack Obama, the buoyant winner of the Iowa caucuses, by 13 points. Reporters wondered if the margin would be even higher, and Democratic operatives began to hatch ways to nudge her gently out of the race.

Against those expectations, even a narrow defeat would have been a soaring victory for the new comeback kid -- and Clinton aides were ready to celebrate their victory over expectations.

At about 8:30 p.m., Phil Singer, Clinton's peripatetic spokesman, began to circulate in the gym, looking giddy.

"I'm not giddy," he said, smiling. "I had several beers before I came over."

Prematurely drowning his sorrow?

"No comment," the spokesman answered, and then he allowed himself to savor the moment. "People were writing her obituary -- I read it several times this morning," he exulted.

Her advisers in recent days seemed to be feeling their way through the five stages of grief, spending most of their time in the denial and anger phases. "This whole thing is the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen!" Bill Clinton, employing his famous squint and finger point, said of Obama on Monday.

Hillary Clinton herself seemed to be grieving in a particularly poignant and public way. The day before the election, when a woman from Portsmouth asked her, innocently, about how she gets out of the house in the morning, Clinton choked up and tears formed. "This is very personal for me," she said. "It's not just political."

As supporters waited for the doors to open here Tuesday evening, televisions in the gym disbursed the conventional wisdom about Obama's triumph. "We haven't had anything like this since maybe Bobby Kennedy," said Jack Cafferty. "Might she shake up her campaign?" asked Wolf Blitzer. "This is a tidal wave" for Obama, said Donna Brazile. "This is a tidal wave that will not be stopped after tonight."

And yet, in the hallway outside, waiting to enter, the Clinton faithful continued to hope. First in line: Phil Luber from Acton, Mass., wearing a Clinton button and waiting 2 1/2 hours to get in. "I spent much of last night with my wife, railing at the television" as correspondents forecast an Obama victory, he said.

The crowd hadn't even been let in the room when the early returns began to appear on television. But word filtered into the hallway, and a muffled cheer could be heard in the gym after the words "close race" appeared.

"As of this afternoon, I thought it was going to be Obama by 10," said Bill Thompson, one of the first Clinton supporters in the room.

At that moment, CNN flashed a graphic showing Clinton ahead by 40 percent to 36 percent. The crowd cheered. "Wow, look at that!" marveled Tom Thompson.

A late wave of exit polls began to filter through the assembled reporters, standing on and around risers in the back of the gym. The new numbers: A slim 39 to 38 Obama lead. Reporters looked at one another and shrugged.

Young Clinton aides, no longer grieving, lurched back into autocratic mode, ordering reporters to keep away from the supporters in the room, who were glued to CNN on the big screen, the volume turned up loud. They cheered for Blitzer at 9:25 p.m. as he read out a 39 to 37 lead for Clinton with 42 percent of the precincts in. They grew silent when Gloria Borger said that Clinton aides were "nervous" because Obama-friendly college towns had not yet reported. They cheered anew when Borger announced that women were turning out for Clinton in large numbers.

By 10 p.m., the crowd of about 400 had doubled. They watched CNN as if viewing a football game. Clinton up, 47 to 34, among women: Big cheer. Obama up, 42 to 30, among men: boos. Clinton up, 45 to 33, among Democrats: cheers. Obama up, 41 to 34, among independents: More boos. CNN then went live to the Clinton crowd, and they responded with chants of "Hillary! Hillary!" and "Comeback Kid!"

Nearby, Jay Carson, a young Clinton aide, newly in demand, spoke with NBC's Andrea Mitchell on the camera risers. "Yesterday, the Drudge Report was doing a death watch for when she'd drop out," he exulted. "This morning, the reports were about who's going to be fired."

Soon surrounded by reporters, Carson continued his celebration. "There were no shortage of people ready to declare us dead," he said, acknowledging that he was preparing to be a pallbearer himself. "I felt the same thing when I woke up this morning," he said.

[gunnerv1]

jon2012 Ever heard of NPR or Public TV Both are Taxpayer supported and nothing but liberal. Now fair is fair, where is the Conservative version of NPR/Public TV at Taxpayers expense?

[gunnerv1]

Yeah, yeah, she won, but it was only by 2% over Obama and less than 800 votes. Perhaps if voters weren''t trucked in by the bus load from other states......
(p.s. I''m not a Dem.)

[jon2012-2009]

Hillary is all for supporting rape victims... until the rapist is Bill... then its all about blaming the victim...

Feminists for Hillary? Really?
Posted by NameVerified at 06:14 PM : Jan 09, 2008

Too bad I have to go through guys like you to find interesting comments. Just give us the facts and your reasoned opinions based on them, cut out the trash you dish out under cover of "this is the other viewpoint."

[jon2012-2009]

You know I''''ve heard you Nazi''''s use this constant whine about the Media for so long it''''s sickening. Exactly WHO would you like to determine when the "Media" is FAIR? Who should determine how "Balanced" that media is and what we should hear and see? Should we have a Propaganda Ministry? Sieg Heil Bush!
Posted by MCVet at 03:21 PM : Jan 09, 2008

I don''t know about "liberal" media either and it has been a topic from time to time. Without going to talk radio, one recognizes obviously "conservative" media outlets in Fox News and NRO and Weekly Standard. I can''t think of any "liberal" counterparts. What is not conservative, I am likely to just call "fair."

What I think is happening is that some people are trying to tar all media with the same brush, as "unbalanced" or lacking in objectivity. This will have the intended result of confusing the issue and masking the takeover by right-wing elements on media that control public information.

[hwy71so]

Boy. CBS sure does like Hillary. I''ve NEVER seen so many articles on just one candidate in all my years. CBS has been painting Hillary in the most positive light they can come up with, meanwhile highlighting all the negatives about the other candidates.

I''m fairly convinced the Clintons "own" CBS.

[rowdytexan2]

Posted by NameVerified at 06:14 PM : Jan 09, 2008

Really old lies going there, NameV. They''ve been repeated so many times, maybe if you go to Germany and repeat them there, they might start to believe.

But not here. Sorry.

[candide777]

Posted by NameVerified at 06:12 PM : Jan 09, 2008

get a life -- you are such a prude -- what does Clinton''s *** life have to do with anything? It''s idiots like you who keep this country back in the dark ages.

[actornaught]

Posted by NameVerified at 04:45 PM : Jan 09, 2008

Good point, sortof.

Since you mentioned it, they''re not reporting much that Hillary has 187 delegates already, vs. Obama''s 89. But then, the story isn''t the delegate count, it''s that she indeed came back from a widely predicted loss to a consistent win. So esad.

[shutupnvote]

We are with you Senator Clinton........and Senator Obama and Edwards can Bring it On you are not alone..........and the male elitist leadership of this Party that just attempted this coup and coronation you need to step back we will not be herded like supposed cranky old goats not entitled to the future refund the deposit for the coronation hall%u2026

wrong party play book and not very subtle

[mcv57]

Hillary will win. Romney, a wannabe bass player - so he turn greedy politician, is not even a good liar.

I think America will vote for any Clinton over a Republican. Here will go again, demos love more taxes, tolerate more walfare, and pervert moral social standards (the law enforcement agencies will love that - torture citizens, kill wifes, and provide KKK membership). Who knows, perhaps Hillary will lesbo orgy at the White House.

[candide777]

So Hillary hit bottom and cried and got her daughter to call a few dozens strangers on the phone for her, and was still only barely able to squeak out a tie. What other cards does the she-beast have left to play?
Posted by NameVerified at 04:48 PM : Jan 09, 2008

NameVerified -- I thought I told you to finish high school first, so that you might learn how to construct an argument before you keep posting here. Leave politics to the grown-ups. Your comments bore us.

[candide777]

Hillary is hot. But she didn''''t win new york for the rediculous reasons stated by Chris Matthews. No one can get elected in New York State without merit. We have probably one of the largest number of intellectuals, millionaires and successful people in the country. New Yorkers certainly don''t vote out of sympathy. We''re tough as nails and demand the same in our elected officials.
Posted by davek455 at 04:03 PM : Jan 09, 2008

Wow, my respect for NY just plummeted -- are your really stupid enough to believe what you said above? Giulliani is proof-positive that any idiot can get elected in NY -- if it weren''t for his prostate cancer, he''d be in the Senate now. No, when it comes to elections, NY is anything but discriminating, just like every single state in the country, any idiot can win under the right circumstances. New Yorkers may have a few things to be arrogant about, but you just stuck your foot into your mouth.

[gunownerdan]

The best prostitutes will get the most media attention.

[davek455]

Hillary is hot. But she didn''t win new york for the rediculous reasons stated by Chris Matthews. No one can get elected in New York State without merit. We have probably one of the largest number of intellectuals, millionaires and successful people in the country. New Yorkers certainly don''t vote out of sympathy. We''re tough as nails and demand the same in our elected officials.

[starleo146]

Media bias at its worst has been exposed in all its nakedness by the victory of Hillary Clinton.It is time for the American people to recognize that the media is one of their highly treacherous enemies and far more dangerous than the corporates and other entrenched interests.

Posted by ozonmojo at 02:17 PM : Jan 09, 2008
+ r

CORRECT!!!!!

[robin22222]

almost another false flag,voter fraud,hr 1955 overwhelmingly passed (internet restrictions),and other?it makes me wonder if that guy Alex Jones from infowars.com,prison planet.com is not right?GOD I HOPE NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[robin22222]

i bet there will be a recount and sit back and watch the fireworks!RON PAUL the best man for the worst job

[gunownerdan]

"Unless the people retain sufficient control over those entrusted with the powers of their government, these will be perverted to their own oppression, and to the perpetuation of wealth and power in the individuals and their families selected for the trust."
- Thomas Jefferson, 1812

[gunownerdan]

"How a politician stands on the Second Amendment tells you how he or she views you as an individual ... as a trustworthy and productive citizen, or as part of an unruly crowd that needs to be lorded over, controlled, supervised, and taken care of."
- Suzanna Gratia-Hupp

[one_american]

MCVet-

Still don''t get it, do you.

Oh well, I tried - but there is just no helping stupid people.