As 2016 Nears, Hillary Clinton Keeps in Mind Mistakes of 2008 Campaign

As 2016 Nears, Hillary Clinton Keeps in Mind Mistakes of 2008 Campaign

By AMY CHOZICK at the NY Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/19/us/politics/as-2016-nears-hillary-rodham-clinton-keeps-eye-on-mistakes-of-2008-campaign.html?_r=0

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“Was it the best managed campaign? Of course not, they lost,” the Democratic strategist Donna Brazile said of 2008. “But what lessons will they apply to the future if she decides to run?”

Some things have clearly changed: Those close to Mrs. Clinton now embrace a view that her gender can be more of an asset than a liability. But familiar hazards remain, especially the air of inevitability that seems to surround the Clinton camp, along with the lack of a broader rationale for her candidacy.

“Inevitability is not a message,” said Terry Shumaker, a prominent New Hampshire Democrat and former United States ambassador. “It’s not something you can run on,” he added.

These topics are being quietly discussed at private dinners with donors, at strategy talks hosted by an outside “super PAC” and in casual conversation as Mrs. Clinton greets friends at holiday parties and a Clinton Foundation fund-raiser in New York.



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