Hillary Aides Ordered to Lower Iowa Expectations

HRC staff ordered to lower expectations
By: Roger Simon

DES MOINES — You can accuse the Hillary Clinton campaign of a lot of things, but overconfidence is not one of them. Not in Iowa. Not anymore.

Orders have come from the top of the campaign here that nobody is to predict that Hillary Clinton will win Iowa.

That may be part of the “expectations” game that all campaigns play.

Or it may be because the campaign no longer is really sure that Clinton will win.

In interviews with top Clinton staffers, who did not wish to be quoted directly, I was told that Clinton could survive a second-place finish in Iowa and that the state was not do-or-die for her.

Gordon Fischer, the former chair of the Iowa Democratic Party who is now backing Obama, says that attitude represents an “evolution.”

“The strong pitch made to me and others not that long ago was that we had to be for Hillary, because Hillary was going to be the inevitable winner,” Fischer told me. “They have come a long way if they now think Iowa is just survivable.”

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1207/7518.html

inevitable unless they have a freaking crystal ball.

crystal ball for about 5 minutes...looks like they still control it..:eyes:

nobody could say hillary was going to win Iowa..looks like they dropped the BALL!

or shattered into a zillion pieces?

imploded for sure.. :bounce: :bounce:

respond to myself. :blush:

Every campaign is going to lower expectations.

to you, babylonsistah! Say it ain't so! ;)

but when I see this in an article, especially "politico"

"In interviews with top Clinton staffers, who did not wish to be quoted directly,"


I take it with a grain of salt. A really big one.

Unfortunately for her, I think she's looking at a third or fourth place finish. (depending on Biden)

After all, the folks at HillaryLand tried to tell us they never spread the idea that Hillary was the inevitable nominee. I guess it was our imaginations!

So, in their never-ending quest to make up the truth as they go, we will surely be told they never lowered their expectations, even as they say they always Expected Hillary to finish 2nd or 3rd. Heck, they will have an excuse for 4th place.

Just wish they could own up to what they were sayin'

nt

I think their poll numbers must be good and they are trying to lower expectations so if she wins they can say. "Hillary's Miracle in Iowa" or something like that. If Huckabee wins on the Republican side he will get the headlines. The Clinton team is trying to boost their possible "unlikely win".

I am hoping that Obama wins though.

Go Obama!

Welcome to DU!

:donut:

this has to be a diversion

Oh, no, wait. That was Gordon Fischer who said Tom Vilsack was going to win the Iowa Caucuses (before he changed his mind and said Barrack Obama was going to win the Iowa Caucuses :crazy:)

But it seems from afar that she has defined herself as so many things in the past few weeks that it cannot server her well. Do we vote for the tough Hillary ("fun part begins"), the Hillary I know, the experienced Hillary, the likable Hillary, the change agent? Maybe they are trying to sell her as everything to everyone, but it comes across as she will buy whatever you want to buy. That is a losing strategy, not to mention that it is being delivered in a sloppy way. I know the polls are close, but I honestly don't see how people can support...there are fine options on the demoncratic side that don't start out with 45% of the american public hating their guts.

becomes a second tier candidate. Some positives there, but why run a lightening rod when other choices are out there that don't have that baggage? We can't risk turning this election into a referendum on the Clinton years. Even setting that aside, Senator Pothole has been behind so many earmarks that there is plenty of ammunition there based solely on her record.

we've been fed inevitability for months, and no one is going to be fooled by this lowered expectations game. Anything less than a win will shatter her front-runner status and will be devastating.

...if she is respectable in Iowa, but then it would seem NH is a must win. If the African American community begins to believe Obama can win, which I hope happens, then I think she cannot win SC unless she wins NH. I think Edwards has the most to lose from a 3rd place finish in IA, then Obama, then HRC...All would be hurt if they are a distant 3rd.

once she is no longer "inevitable" her support is going to fly away like "that." Her support is largely based on name rec and perceived "electability".

to make sure all supporters get out and vote with the assumption that the race is too close to call. That way, people won't stay home thinking "she won't need my help because she's already going to win."

Just kidding. I love Iowa.

Get ready for the coronation, now! ;-)

This state has NEVER elected a woman to Congress or the Senate.
caucusing and voting, these caucus goers should reflect and
CAUCUS about that little gem.