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Clinton Tactics Second-Guessed

Posted Jan 5, 08 3:30 PM CST in Politics

(Newser) – Despite a decisive defeat in Iowa—and much second-guessing around the campaign campfire—Hillary Clinton is sticking with the theme that won her third place in Iowa: that she has the experience to bring about change. But some advisers warn that the experience/change message could be a logical contradiction. One said that her campaign is trying to "position" her as a "change" candidate, "but sometimes positioning just isn't available."

Some say Clinton should pivot to comeback mode—a winning strategy for Bill Clinton in 1992, when he, too, showed in Iowa. "America loves an underdog," said one Clinton insider, the Washington Post reports. "Candidates can show their character in defeat." But Hillary plans to turn up the heat on Obama's record, using a "where's the beef?" strategy that worked for Walter Mondale against Gary Hart in 1984.

Source Washington Post

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Supporters both inside and outside Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign have questioned the New York senator's strategy of focusing on her experience and surrounding her with an air of "inevitability,"... (Associated Press)

Paul Begala, a former campaign strategist for Bill Clinton and a Hillary Clinton supporter, said the former first lady could take one of two approaches: explain away Iowa by dismissing it as unfamiliar... (Associated Press)

Some advisers to and supporters of Hillary Clinton are encouraging the former first lady to emphasize how she could bring change to Washington, the Washington Post reports. (AP Photo/Jim Cole) (Associated Press)