Hillary

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton is deploying a 40-member "whip team" at the Democratic convention in Denver to make sure her supporters do not cause a ruckus with anti-Obama demonstrations during the roll-call vote, reports Politico. The symbolic floor vote on Clinton's nomination is supposed to be an emotional "catharsis" for her backers, but not too emotional. Clinton joins Obama in wanting to present a unified Democratic front, she says. More »

(Newser) - An Obama-Clinton ticket is looking less and less likely, based on the public and private comments of both senators, the New York Times reports. Obama hasn’t asked Hillary Clinton for background check documents, and his recent statement that he’s looking for a Washington outsider suggests he won’t. Clinton has privately told associates that she doesn’t expect the nod and considers any statements to the contrary a courtesy only. More »

(Newser) - Under the eye of one of Washington's most powerful lawyers, Barack Obama is negotiating with Hillary Clinton over a tangle of issues, from how to retire her campaign debt to what role she will play in this summer's convention. The Democratic party is slowly recovering from its bruising primary fight with the aid of Robert Barnett, who brokered book deals for Obama and both Clintons, the New York Times reports. More »

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton received a hero's welcome today with two standing ovations when she returned to Capitol Hill, Reuters reports. "There was a tear or two and a lot of high-fives," said Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland. Clinton may be getting more than moral support, however. Barack Obama asked his top donors in a conference call to help Clinton retire her $10 million campaign debt, ABC News reports. Also today, Bill Clinton publicly backed Obama and said he'd help him get elected. More »

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton won big by losing narrowly, shedding her toxic image and escaping her husband's ambiguous legacy to become a lionized figure for women, the left, and even some Republicans, John Heilemann writes in New York . "Although in the end she may wind up being dwarfed by Obama, for the moment she is something he is not: fully, poignantly human." More »

(Newser) - John McCain's aggressive courtship of Hillary Clinton's female supporters shouldn't surprise anyone who's been paying attention, Frank Rich writes in the New York Times. "The fictional scenario of mobs of crazed women defecting to Mr. McCain" rather than Barack Obama fits right in with the "new bogus narrative" that ignores a plethora of statistics, which Rich runs down. More »

(Newser) - John McCain is fine-tuning his pitch to women, and while Democrats voice doubt the Republican can find a female following, they’re nevertheless gearing up to make sure it doesn’t happen, the Washington Post reports. McCain sees opportunity in disappointed Hillary Clinton backers, and top adviser Carly Fiorina today begins barnstorming women's events in swing states. More »

(Newser) - Barack Obama may be the big winner, but loads of other political fortunes hung in the balance this primary season. Politico breaks down the winners and losers. Winners: Claire McCaskill: Got tons of air-time and used it brilliantly for Obama Nancy Pelosi: Pulled off a nifty trick by remaining neutral, but leaving breadcrumbs leading to Obama  Ted Kennedy: Critical endorsement legitimized Obama Ed Rendell: Clinton lost, but Rendell delivered Pennsylvania and stayed on message More »

(Newser) - Some clever and mostly legal accounting tricks could minimize Clinton's big campaign debt and leave her with cash on hand for king-making or another future campaign, reports Politico. Hillary could reclassify her own loans to the campaign as contributions, ask donors to redirect their cash to her Senate campaign, and take it slow on repaying understanding debtors. More »

(Newser) -  It’s a shame that Hillary Clinton never gave a speech about gender to match Barack Obama’s speech about race, writes Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times. So why not make that speech yourself, Barack? Kristof even has the talking points for you: Racism is deeper, but sexism may be wider. More Americans say they’d vote for a black man than a woman. Biases are stealthy. Americans don’t mean to discriminate based on gender; but the subconscious harbors stereotypes. More »

(Newser) - After locking up the Democratic nomination, Barack Obama moved quickly to bring Clinton supporters into his general election tent, including Robert Rubin, President Clinton's treasury secretary. Jason Furman, an economist closely associated with Rubin, was hired as economic policy director, and that's provoked the ire of labor unions, who see him, along with his mentor, as tilting toward Wall Street, writes the New York Times . More »

(Newser) - Democratic strategist James Carville thinks Barack Obama should consider someone with a little experience for the vice presidency: like, say, former VP Al Gore. Carville told CNN that choosing the Nobel Peace Prize-winner would drive home the message that America is serious about a new energy policy. A third term would make Gore the longest-serving veep in history, but he's said he'll only run for top spot. More »

(Newser) - Barack Obama has a 6-point lead over John McCain in a new poll by the Wall Street Journal and NBC News. Obama leads 47% to 41%, twice the advantage he held a month ago. Despite the edge, however, the Journal notes that Obama shouldn't rest easy. He trails by 20 points among white men. And given the widespread dissatisfaction with the GOP—voters prefer a Democrat to win by 51% to 35%—his lead over McCain should arguably be bigger. More »

(Newser) - They didn’t like Hillary Clinton or Teresa Heinz Kerry, and conservatives aren't hesitating to pile on Michelle Obama, either, the Los Angeles Times reports. Conservatives have seized on several statements from the Democratic candidate's wife, calling her angry and unpatriotic. The National Review recently ran a cover dubbing her “Mrs. Grievance,” and Michelle Malkin calls her “Obama’s bitter half.” More »

(Newser) - Wounds from Election 2008 aren’t quickly being papered over in Clintonland, the New York Times reports in a speculative piece about who is likely to be on the former first couple's enemies list. How deep will animosity toward Obama boosters Bill Richardson, Jim Clyburn, and Claire McCaskill run? Use of words like “ingrate,” “traitor,” and “enemy” by Clinton associates may not tell the whole tale, but Hillary ’08 chairman does say, “You have to keep track of this.” More »

(Newser) - Now that Hillary Clinton is out of the White House picture, it’s Michelle Obama’s turn to be the object of that “sulfurous national game of ‘Kill the witch,’” writes Maureen Dowd in the New York Times . The fairer Obama can be more prickly than her sunny husband, and dwells more on racial oppression. Websites have already cropped up painting her as another Jeremiah Wright. More »