On The Clintons, The RNC Goes There... By There, As In, You Know... That Stuff

A story placed by the RNC in today's Hill is case in point:

Republicans plan to seize on an allegation from the 1992 presidential campaign to tarnish Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) on the red-hot issue of government surveillance.

In their book about Clinton’s rise to power, Her Way, Don Van Natta Jr., an investigative reporter at The New York Times, and Jeff Gerth, who spent 30 years as an investigative reporter at the paper, wrote: “Hillary’s defense activities ranged from the inspirational to the microscopic to the down and dirty. She received memos about the status of various press inquiries; she vetted senior campaign aides; and she listened to a secretly recorded audiotape of a phone conversation of Clinton critics plotting their next attack.

“The tape contained discussions of another woman who might surface with allegations about an affair with Bill,” Gerth and Van Natta wrote in reference to Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton. “Bill’s supporters monitored frequencies used by cell phones, and the tape was made during one of those monitoring sessions.”

So -- what will the Republicans seize, who's doing the seizing, and why telegtraph your plans in a newspaper article?

1. This is a trial balloon floated by the RNC to see whether anyone bites.

2. The RNC is willing to associate itself with the Clinton sex stuff. Also: the Clinton's tenure in Arkansas is fair game.

3. The RNC wants state parties to start challenging Clinton. As if on cue, this news release came this morning from the Republican Party of Arkansas:

"Today, Republican Party of Arkansas Chairman Dennis Milligan called on State Attorney General Dustin McDaniel to investigate the fact that New York Senator Hillary Clinton may have eavesdropped and recorded political opponents' telephone conversations while her husband was Governor of Arkansas."

4. The RNC doesn't mind the world knowing that they're going to throw everything, including the kitchen plumbing, at Hillary Clinton.

5. From a reader:

"My guess on that RNC thing was that they did it that way because they knew it would get them a story on Drudge -- classic ploy, "we plan to use this in an attack" sources say...whereas if they'd actually used it in an attack, it would have been widely ignored, because it's so thin."

Comments

What was that? Sorry, I dozed off when I saw 1992.

Posted by Joel | October 16, 2007 11:02 AM

Just another reason to vote for Obama.

Posted by goethean | October 16, 2007 11:54 AM

I think republicans and Obama would be wise to go after the Clintons on non-sex related scandals/corruption. When it is about sex, it is easy to dismiss and creates a backlash. I think the financial corruption and the pardons would be better to go after with less blowback. But ultimately, I don't think it will be easy to take them down on character, even though there is plenty of ammunition out there.

Posted by RKA | October 16, 2007 12:10 PM

This is funny! If the GOP decides to go after Hillary on the sex scanalds, it will NOT help the eventual GOP candidate. It will seem like they are attacking her character and no one knows how to play victim better than Hillary.

One moment on Oprah and The View and the women will rally around her.

Attack Clinton on the SUBSTANCE, not on the personal life. Americans know about all this stuff, they don't need more information.

As for the above comment on supporting Obama, please, if they will bring back sex scandals to attack Hillary, just think of how much fun they will have with "stinky" Barack in the South, playing racist tones with his skin color and spreading stronger rumors about his religion. The rednecks in OH and PA will not vote for him, simply and straight.

Posted by Justice&Peace | October 16, 2007 1:01 PM

Justice andPeace....those like you...no they won't but no racist ever would.

BTW if the shoe fits wear it.

Posted by Grace | October 16, 2007 1:20 PM

I believe in the movies, they call this "coming attractions". It is supposed to give you a glimpse of what you will be seeing in a few months. Also, used as a signal to buy your popcorn and coke before the feature begins.

The anti-Clinton barrage they are working up will make "Nightmare on Elm Street" look like "Mary Poppins".

Posted by C Gibson | October 16, 2007 1:34 PM

Grace, Justice&Peace was speaking the truth - doesn't sound like he's a racist to me. Ask your Republican friends to add you to the list of emails the Rs like to circulate, and you will likely see the one about Obama being a Muslim. They won't quite mention his color - but there is serious racism that exists in this country. Ever heard of Jena?

Posted by Nick | October 16, 2007 1:38 PM

If you're an avid PS3 gamer, then you know the importance of saving your progress for future game play.
Pls, help me!

Posted by gutenmter | March 25, 2008 5:13 PM