by Jill Zuckman
If there's one thing Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign wants people to know, it's that she's running a primary campaign, period.
With national polls showing Clinton at or above 50 percent and beating Sen. Barack Obama by 30 points, some people have begun to suggest that she's shifting her message to appeal to a general election audience. Her rivals, Obama and Sen. John Edwards, have complained to voters that she's acting like it's game over, without a single vote cast.
Clinton officials insist that the truth is that they are far more nervous than cocky.
"We are running a primary campaign. We do take every caucus, every primary, ever vote a hundred percent,'' said Mark Penn, Clinton's chief strategist.
At a breakfast meeting today with reporters sponsored by The Christian Science Monitor, Penn said Clinton's huge lead in the polls has not made her campaign feel overconfident or that her nomination is inevitable.
"This race is certainly not over. It's certainly in the major throes of the race,'' he said. "We are running an all out primary campaign that seems to be playing well with the primary electorate.''
The candidate, too, he said, is hardly taking it easy.
"She's out there virtually every day with new policy proposals,'' said Penn. "She's doing the opposite of someone sitting back.''
Penn said Clinton has steadily improved her position among voters as they have gotten to know her.
"She is probably the most famous but unknown person,'' he said. "She continues to increase because people learn the images they had in the past were false ones.''
Penn said that people often come up to him and say they think Clinton is great, but she can't win the general election. That, he said, has been disproved by polls showing her beating each of the Republican candidates by seven or eight points, including in the battleground states of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
"I heard the Republicans want her as an opponent,'' he said. "Perhaps someone once thought that, but I doubt they think that anymore given the way she's progressed in the race.''
But the first test is in Iowa, he said, where voters are still a long way from making up their minds, even as Edwards appears to be losing ground, Clinton is gaining and Obama seems to be staying the same.
"There's no sense in this campaign of taking anything for granted,'' said Penn. "We understand full well how quickly these things change. The good news is that people are receiving her well.''
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Comments
The only thing that Hillary/Bill is not taking for granted is the arrows and barbs that will be directed for at least another 4 years if they are elected. They know that the American people are tough and will be able to endure having to put up with the constant distractions to come when all the old enemies, and new ones, begin seeing how much dog poop they can put out for the Clintons to step in. And you know, they will step in it the same way they did for 8 years. Democrats, wake up!
Posted by: GW | October 18, 2007 10:52 AM
Hillary will not win the primary. Mark Penn can do all the polling he wants. We are just now getting to know the candidates. Obama is the best in the pack. Learn more about Barack Obama.
Posted by: jdr | October 18, 2007 11:15 AM
Give it up, will you? The problem with Barack is that he cannot hold a candle to Giuliani, neither does Edwards. Only Clinton has what it takes to take the presidency for the Democrats. If you want to give the Republicans another go, then vote for Edwards or Barack. That will show them.
And if there was anyone who arrogantly took things astride, it's Barack Obama. From the start, he's campaigning as if he's the front runner. Clinton got to where she is through hard work and consistency and the willingness to win over even those who do not agree with her. This is something that Obama has yet to learn.
Posted by: Anduril | October 18, 2007 12:31 PM
The one thing the democrats shouldn't take for granted is Hillary Clinton's ability to mobilize the right and probably some moderates to come out and vote against her. I would have expected that someone with such a formidable lead amoung the democratic candidates to be polling little better than even with Giuliani.
Posted by: Michael | October 18, 2007 12:53 PM
Mr. Obama could not survive the Republican machine in a general elections. He will wilt the way Dukakis did, plus the polls show Mrs. Clinton running much stronger than Mr. Obama or Mr. Edwards against the Republicans.
The Clintons have proven they know how to beat the Republicans and how to run a country.
Posted by: Denise | October 18, 2007 1:00 PM
Barack Obama would be torn to shreds by the GOP hate machine, as would John Edwards.
The Democrats have ONE candidate who can take this thing all the way to the Whitehouse and her name is Hillary Clinton.
Facts. Eventually, they become hard to avoid.
Posted by: Gerald and Nadine in Iowa | October 18, 2007 1:40 PM
UNLESS OBAMA CHANGES HIS NAME TO OJ. HE CAN BE A BLACK MAN WITH A COUNTRY SO HE SHOULD BE FINE.
PLUS THEY ARE MASSING IN MASSES AND APPEARS THEIR VOTE WILL BE THE DECIDING FACTOR. PLUS AMERICA COULD USE A BLACK PERSON IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION UNDER ESTIMATES THE POWER OF THE VOTE. A MILLION MEN MARCHED ON THE CAPITOL. HE CAN'T GET A MILLION MEN TO JOIN HIS ARMY IN ONE YEAR. SO WITH ALL THE PURGING OF THE PROSECUTORS TO CAGE THE VOTE IN AMERICA.
THIS CONGRESS EXPOSED THE TRUTH AND NOT EVEN JEBS ENDORSEMENT TO KATHERINE HARRIS, I MEAN RUDY WILL CHANGE THAT.
UNLESS KEN MEHLMEN AND BLACKWATER HAS GUNS LIKE IN KATRINA AND NOW ALLOW LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT BE LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT.
WE GOT SHACKLES ON OUR FEET.
Posted by: Roger Morris | October 18, 2007 1:51 PM
She is the only democratic candidate who is winning nationally against all of the republicans. She wins every swing state, and even puts VA, TN, AR, and TEXAS into play.
She's the only candidate running with the strength and experience to lead from day one and restore America's standing around the world.
Posted by: Ryan | October 18, 2007 1:56 PM
if you want another 8 years of fighting vote for Hillary. If you want someone who is going to work with both parties to stop this nonsense and make government work for the people and by the people then vote Obama. You have a choice to continue this Jerry Springer rerun for another 8 years or stop it and put a man who is balanced and will do what is right for this country domestically and abroad. When you want someone with good balanced rational judgement vote Barack...it's very simple. Our nations youth and future generations depend on this country working together..fighting and pushing doesn't get bills passed in the house and senate.
Posted by: Eric | October 18, 2007 7:55 PM
Oh my God!
The U.S. election process is heating up, and the mud is spreading! Hillary Rodham Clinton, the leading Democratic candidate for U.S. President, is being sued in the state of California in what may be the largest election fraud in U.S. history. All news of this case has been effectively censored in the U.S. mainstream media.
Hillary may have violated the law by not reporting large contributions to her successful 2000 campaign for the New York Senate. Mr. Peter F. Paul claims that his contributions were omitted from the public reports filed with the Federal Election Commission, and Hillary denies all knowledge of these contributions. See the latest ruling in Paul vs. Clinton.
Hillary even denies knowing Mr. Paul, who made the contributions to her 2000 Senate campaign. A video produced by the Equal Justice Foundation of America has been viewed more than 650,000 times. A case such as this would normally end any politician's career in the United States.
Posted by: mcthorogood | October 19, 2007 12:14 PM