Clinton Team Strained By Internal Strife

Washington Post: Even After Victory, Power Struggles Among Advisers Remain

(Washingtonpost.com)  This story was written by Peter Baker and Anne E. Kornblut.

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For the bruised and bitter staff around Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Tuesday's death-defying victories in the Democratic presidential primaries in Ohio and Texas proved sweet indeed. They savored their wins yesterday, plotted their next steps and indulged in a moment of optimism. "She won't be stopped," one aide crowed.

And then Clinton's advisers turned to their other goal: denying Mark Penn credit.

With a flurry of phone calls and e-mail messages that began before polls closed, campaign officials made clear to friends, colleagues and reporters that they did not view the wins as validation for the candidate's chief strategist. "A lot of people would still like to see him go," a senior adviser said.

The depth of hostility toward Penn even in a time of triumph illustrates the combustible environment within the Clinton campaign, an operation where internal strife and warring camps have undercut a candidate once seemingly destined for the Democratic nomination. Clinton now faces the challenge of exploiting this moment of opportunity while at the same time deciding whether the squabbling at her Arlington headquarters has become a distraction that requires her intervention.

Many of her advisers are waging a two-front war, one against Sen. Barack Obama and the second against one another, but their most pressing challenge is figuring out why Clinton won in Ohio and Texas and trying to duplicate it. While Penn sees his strategy as a reason for the victories that have kept her candidacy alive, other advisers attribute the wins to her perseverance, favorable demographics and a new campaign manager. Clinton won "despite us, not because of us," one said.

Sifting through the data yesterday, her divided circle offered other theories. Some credit field operatives who set up organizations in record time. Others cite strong Hispanic outreach in South Texas that held off a late Obama push. And even some Penn opponents grudgingly cite his television commercial that asked which Democrat is more prepared for a 3 a.m. crisis call at the White House.

In the days leading up to the Ohio and Texas contests, Clinton presented herself as the victim of media bias and displayed a sense of humor on "Saturday Night Live" at the same time her staff was holding daily conference calls attacking Obama on his trade record and for his ties to an indicted real estate developer. The yin-yang approach -- going positive and negative at the same time -- may not have been deliberate, but it seemed to work.

"There has been a long-term disagreement on strategy over whether to focus on character . . . or raising questions about Senator Obama," said one top Clinton aide who was at the core of the fight. "What's happened over the last two weeks is we've done both."

One of Clinton's favorite books is "Team of Rivals," Doris Kearns Goodwin's account of Abraham Lincoln's Cabinet, and she assembled her own team of advisers knowing their mutual enmity in the belief that good ideas come from vigorous discussion. But while many campaigns are beset by backbiting and power struggles, dozens of interviews indicate that the internal problems endured by the Clinton team have been especially corrosive.

They fought over Penn's strategy of presenting Clinton as a strong commander in chief rather than trying to humanize her, as aides such as admaker Mandy Grunwald and chief spokesman Howard Wolfson wanted to do. They fought over deployment of assets and dwindling resources, pointing fingers over the failure to field organizations in many states. They fought over how to handle former president Bill Clinton and his habit of drifting away from his talking points into provocative territory.

At the center of much of this turmoil has been Penn, the rumpled, brusque, numbers-crunching strategist respected even by his foes for his intelligence, if not his social graces. A trusted adviser to the Clintons since helping orchestrate Bill Clinton's reelection campaign in 1996, Penn mapped out a strategy emphasizing strength and experience but, in the view of critics, did not adjust adequately when it became clear that voters wanted change.

"I think about all camps think it's Mark's fault," said a Clinton White House veteran close to the campaign. "I don't think there is a Mark camp." Another person who has advised the senator from New York said: "Penng should have been let go. He failed the campaign in developing a message and evolving the message as things changed."

But there is a Penn camp, however small, that believes in his message of strength, experience, and fear of recession and crisis -- and its most important members are Bill and Hillary Clinton. Three times, campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle and senior adviser Harold Ickes tried to hire another national pollster so Penn would not be the one to test his own message, campaign sources said, and three times they were rejected. When the candidate forced out Solis Doyle last month after a string of defeats, the departing manager said Penn should also be fired, to no avail, sources said.

Penn declined to respond when reached yesterday, but he has been firing back in conversations with compatriots in recent days, arguing that he never had control of the campaign's finances or organization, instead blaming Ickes, Solis Doyle and her deputy, Mike Henry, who resigned. "Mark Penn's point is: 'I didn't do any of the spending,' " said a campaign colleague who has heard the argument. "Penn's whole point is: 'To say I had control of the money is crazy. Patti was in charge.' "

And so strangely enough, a moment of victory for the Clinton camp somehow feels less than victorious. "Mark blames Patti and Patti blames Mark in a circular firing squad," said an adviser who has worked for both Clintons and watched Penn, Solis Doyle, Ickes, Wolfson, Grunwald and others go at it for months. "What they don't realize is that everyone else blames them -- all of them."

The Centennial Hotel in Concord, N.H., was a grim place the night of Jan. 7. Fresh off a third-place finish in Iowa on Jan. 3, Clinton looked as though she would lose the New Hampshire primary the next day, a defeat that could be fatal to her presidential bid. Penn sat on his bed in his hotel room and drafted a plan for how to go forward.

He had no idea whether he would be around to execute such a strategy. Exasperated, Hillary and Bill Clinton were skething out a staff shake-up. They would bring in former aides, such as Douglas B. Sosnik and Steve Ricchetti, two of the "White Boys," as her staff still called his advisers from their White House days. Hillary Clinton would ask her former chief of staff, Maggie Williams, to effectively take over, although Solis Doyle would keep her title. "People are telling me the campaign's not working, and I've got to show I'm making changes," Clinton told aides.

When word got around, there was a "parade to the doorstep" of the candidate by other top aides urging her to keep Solis Doyle or accept their resignations, a senior adviser said. "There was virtual universal agreement that if there was fault, it should be laid at the door of Mark Penn, not Patti Solis Doyle," the adviser said. "People thought change should be made, but the wrong person was being fired. And it created enormous resentment within the campaign."

Penn has been a lightning rod ever since the 1996 campaign. More comfortable with data than people, he promoted a centrist approach that was policy-driven and successful but bloodless. He earned a passel of enemies along the way. Longtime Clinton advisers such as Ickes, James Carville, Rahm Emanuel, John Podesta and Paul Begala openly despise him, and some even nicknamed him "Schlumbo." Ickes and others tried unsuccessfully to get Penn fired from Hillary Clinton's 2000 Senate campaign.

[grazinggoat]

Chaos, backbiting, paranoia, an unfocused message, mutiny, uncontrolled rage, an inability to handle money responsibly-- and engaging in dirty political tricks against their opponent. Just another day at the Clinton campaign. We are witnessing Hillary Clinton''''s character and so-called executive skills in the way she conducts herself and mismanages her campaign. We are also seeing the types of petty, selfish, and vindictive people she would "hire" as President to work with her-- and the picture is not pretty. By contrast, Senator Obama''''s masterful campaign organization, which reflects his own character and executive skills, has been focused, harmonious, tremendously effective, respectful and a class act-- and is earning him the admiration of millions, at home and abroad. Our allies around the world are wondering why those crazy Americans seem to see little difference between Senator Obama and Senator Clinton, when Senator Obama is so obviously a uniquely gifted and strong statesman, a good and wise man, and an inspirational leader of vision who would make a magnificent President of the United States, and is perhaps the last, best hope of America and of peace around the world. Senator Clinton lives in her tight and cynical little world of anger, paranoia, and revenge, while Senator Obama calls upon on us instead to find, in Lincoln''''s words, "the better angels of our nature." Wake up, America!
Posted by Cutebunion at 10:49 PM : Mar 06, 2008

-Very well said!

She creates a storm were ever she goes Ms. Conflict thats Hillary! Just think what a Hillary Clinton White House would look like.

Posted by smashwl7
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Dark Stuff

First of all, if Hillary turns out to be the nominee, I''ll vote for her. I would vote for the prince of darkness before I would vote republican.
However, if she does turn out to be the nominee - and gets elected, she will take the perpetrator of "Monicagate" with her. To the White House!
That is a drum that the rebublicans will beat on incessantly this fall.
Doesn''t matter to me, I consider most any republican to be far more immoral. But there are those to whom it does matter, a very great deal,unfortunately.
Might want to think about that when voting in a primary.

[clifden6]

Howard Wolfson and Hillary Clinton are in LalaLand if they think that Obama shouldn''t be scrutinizing Bill and Hillary more than he has. Just wait till Hillary meets John McCain and the Republicans in the fall and they wished they had Barack Obama back. If Senator Obama doesn''t become more critical of Hillary''s record now, and if she is nominated, then the Democratic Party will be saddled with a potential loser that the Republican attack machine could rip apart in the fall. Hillary is not only running on her record as a junior US senator, but on Bill''s legacy.
Hillary and Bill are a liability to the Democratic Party, and Republican Governor Charlie Crist of Florida knows it. If Hillary is nominated, that is a Republican dream ticket, since it includes Bill. Better now for the Senator Obama to make Democrats aware of her liability now before it is too late, then after she is nominated. Wednesday''s ABC/Wash Post poll has her 6 points ahead of McCain, which after the Republicans finish with her will evaoporate. Barack is not only 12 points ahead of McCain, he can bring in contributions and the votes of both Independents and disastified Republicans, Hillary cannot.

[liberty4you]

From NBC News

From NBC%u2019s Domenico Montanaro
Per the Toronto Globe and Mail, in a story that was the lead on the paper%u2019s front page today, that call to the Canadian embassy was actually from the Clinton campaign, not Obama%u2019s:

%u201CMr. [Ian] Brodie, [PM Harper%u2019s chief of staff], during the media lockup for the Feb. 26 budget, stopped to chat with several journalists, and was surrounded by a group from CTV. The conversation turned to the pledges to renegotiate the North American free-trade agreement made by the two Democratic contenders, Mr. Obama and New York Senator Hillary Clinton.

%u201CMr. Brodie, apparently seeking to play down the potential impact on Canada, told the reporters the threat was not serious, and that someone from Ms. Clinton''s campaign had even contacted Canadian diplomats to tell them not to worry because the NAFTA threats were mostly political posturing.

[liberty4you]

Toronto Star today: Clinton campaign calls Canada, not Obama''s:

Brodie downplayed the concerns.

"Quite a few people heard it," said one source in the room.

"He said someone from (Hillary) Clinton''s campaign is telling the embassy to take it with a grain of salt. ... That someone called us and told us not to worry."

Government officials did not deny the conversation took place. This will be the biggest scandal since WATERGATE,

NBC News also has an article "Clintons NAFTA-GATe?"

Hillary had the Canadian right wing govt. lie to smear Obama. Canadians are going nuts over this....

[arr967]

Hillary couldn''t compete with anyone by staying on the issues. Now it''s come out, her "Swift Boat" adds were BS, and the Ohioans, and Texans were stupid enough to fall for it. This doesn''t really suprise me. Look at the shmuck we''ve got now for a President. He carried Texas, and Ohio.

[popstom1]

If ya an''t Obama ya aa racist yeah right I won''t vote
Obama

[barbaraf4]

I just heard Hillary say she helped establish peace in Northern Ireland - Gore saying he invented the internet came to mind.

Observation: Obama needs to stop having his wife stand behind his right shoulder on the plane when he is talking to the press. She hasn''t perfected the Nancy Reagan "gaze" and she just looks bored to tears.

[keithepike]

Whasingtonpost.com has been trying to pass this Tabloid story since eary Wed. We all know where the Whasington Post Politics Lay.

[oldabeeagle]

Clintons and MJ fundraiser!!!

http://image.pathfinder.com/time/daily/2001/0101/clinton0128.jpg

[smashwl7]

She creates a storm were ever she goes Ms. Conflict thats Hillary! Just think what a Hillary Clinton White House would look like.

[oldabeeagle]

Please donate to Billary!! She desperately needs your money to help the poor and feed the sick. And, do not forgot how kind she is to corporate welfare.

Article about Hillary and her relationship to the healthcare industry.

http://money.cnn.com/2006/07/12/news/newsmakers/healthcare_clinton/index.htm

[samrlim]

ANOTHER TABLOID STORY !!!! BY THE MEDIA.

[oldabeeagle]

Hey jsilver!! Great spooky Clinton photo!! I wonder how much MJ donated!!!

http://image.pathfinder.com/ti
me/daily/2001/0101/clinton0128.jpg

[jpspec]

It is understandable that her campaign could become frustrated. Obama has been diffuclt to compete against. He has not been in the senate long enough to be confronted with any controversial "votes" In other words, he has no record to challenge. Now the most important thing is that the Bush administration is so unpopular that any democratic should win. Because of this, Obama has been able to use his oratory skills and constantly repeat the same message of change. As a result, Obama has been able to avoid issues or personal scrutiny. Being an unknown, he was considered as having no baggage. In addition, it has been very difficult to bring up Obama''s flaws without being called a racist.

I can understand the challenge of trying to come up with a strategy and how be frustrating and consequently cause friction.

Fortunately, enough time has passed and Obama is no longer able to survive simply giving the same inspirational speeches.He is finally being asked questions by the media that he finds difficult to answer.

Now is the time to join ranks and get Hillary elected.

There is a saying: If you give someone enough rope they will hang themselves. By keeping Hillary alive, the time has now run out where Obama can continue to just survive on speeches. He is finally being forced to answer questions. Best of all, he is not doing to well in this department.

[jsilver2th]

Here''s what the Clinton advisors better be worried about:

http://image.pathfinder.com/time/daily/2001/0101/clinton0128.jpg

[rowdytexan2]

Posted by metroduck75 at 02:15 PM : Mar 06, 2008

Yehawwww! And arrrrrrrrrrrribaaaaaa!

[prinzowhales]

Support White Slavery! The white slavers are Dynegy remain Demopublican supported defense contractors unchallenged by hundreds of Demopublican congress critters! Keep the trade in children and women going with your tax dollars! Vote Demopublican!

[prinzowhales]

Vote Demopublican! We didn''t even have to read the Patriot Act to pass it! This is representation you can trust!

[prinzowhales]

Vote Demopublican! Free Speech Zones for everyone!!