Regular PW readers know I like to highlight organization stories, as the media tends to gloss over them as boring. But Marc Ambinder has some tidbits in his account of the flailing Clinton campaign worth wider exposure:
A lack of money is the main reason why the Clinton campaign failed to organize well enough in smaller caucus states like Minnesota, Colorado and Maine. It’s not that the demographics of these states were favorable — certainly they were not — but donors, allies and the press have wondered by the campaign was simply not competitive enough to keep Obama’s vote totals — and thus his delegate totals — in a standard orbit. This mistake has given Obama many extra delegates and with that, the argument that he has won more delegates than she was.
Note that the lack of money was a problem for a campaign that raised over $100 million in 2007. Nor is this the first time people have noted questions about the way the Clinton campaign spent money last year, including $500,000 on parking costs. But wait, there’s more — this time on the relationship between Clinton’s old campaign manager and her new one:
The relationship between Maggie Williams and Patti Solis Doyle has been described as close but acrimonious, akin to two longtime friends who have the same goal in mind but argue about how to get there. They have argued in private, and increasingly, in public settings.
Two sources said that Williams last week threatened to leave the campaign — she had only been on a 30-day consignment — unless the chain of command was clarified — what one person privy to the threat called “a mutiny.”
A lack of chain of command is the hallmark of a disorganized campaign. It is bizarre that that the Clinton campaign can organize targeted efforts across a state the size of California to maximize a victory, but was “managed” by someone who insisted on approving low-level decisions, such as where to hold a minor event and whether bagels or donuts should be served. The departing Doyle’s chief qualification for the job seems to have been her ability to read Hillary’s moods. That is not a campaign manager; that is a candidate manager.
Some like to call Hillary “The Glacier.” But if her campaign cannot get itself organized, she’ll be looking more like the Titanic.
Run, boys! Run for your lives! She’s calving!
I bet they picked bagels.
“Close but acrimonious” could only be used to describe two or more women, I should think. If a man annoys me that much, I would never consider him “close.”
BTW, the calving thing was funny. I laughed. I really did.
reprise. Just cause.
That was totally a bagel kind of event, happy. Good thing NG smells good. That is a nice addition to looking good.
I’m not your brightest reader, so I need some help. Ambinder wrote:
This mistake has given Obama many extra delegates and with that, the argument that he has won more delegates than she was.
So if Obama gets more delegates, he didn’t win them, right? And if the Democrats happens to nominate him, he didn’t win, but got the nomination because of a mistake? Was the mistake Hillary’s candidacy in the first place? Marrying Bill? What?
“A lack of chain of command is the hallmark of a disorganized campaign”
It is also a pure sign of poor leadership, and that falls squarely on Hill’s shoulders. She should be the general, overseeing the actions of her staff, from the 50,000 foot level. The various people running things should have enough responsibility to make decisions that would reflect Hill’s decision’s if she was at that same position. If they are struggling with organizational issues as characterized here then I would say that Hill couldn’t run a lemonade stand without it going bankrupt.
maybe she’s just demonstrating more of her changey-ness. what have you people got against change!?!!eleventy!!!
It’s a tough time of year for lemonade stands.
This also shines some light on why her earlier attempt with universal health care was such a rube-goldberg disaster. It would appear that her “chicken” of a complete lack of experience in actually running anything has come home to roost.
Scott,
What Ambinder is suggesting is that, had HRC been more organized, she would have had more money to spend contesting the smaller caucus states, and that HRC would have won more delegates than she did. Over the course of the campaign, it may make a significant difference that Obama is winning caucus states by a huge margin that he does not get in the primary states.
It ain’t hard to find a quality manager/tactician to oversee the campaign and make the correct decisions when necessary. The fact that they haven’t brought in anyone with the requisite skill set tells me that Hill doesn’t want anyone like that because SHE will make those decisions. Could it be that her ego – which is driving her to the WH – could also be her undoing?
Karl,
Some recognition needs to be given to the fact that Dean’s organizational moves have changed the makeup of the Democrat “system” since his takeover. Ole Rolodex didn’t get down inot the nuts and bolts nearly as deeply as Dean has and a number of the “party faithful” just aren’t faithful to the Clinton’s. I’d toss in the fact that the SEIU appears to be fully coordinated according to Dean’s plan and I don’t believe that his plan has the objective of another Clinton Presidency.
And, of course, there’s the “Bush economy.” Hell, my lemonade stand got repossessed when my evil financial institution raised the interest rate on my mortgage…
Bastards, always trying to make a buck. It oughta be illegal, I tell you!!!1!!111
Maybe Obama’s folks just realized that the messages of Teh Messiah and changeyness would resonate more better in a caucus environment, where mobs of crazed moonbats could influence groupthink.
United Exclusionary African Church of the Obamasiah in America needs to be checked to see if hillary has bought the First Leader of the Obama Oprah Chicago Africom(Chicago controls foreign policy money) in America and the first tribal leader of the State Department in Kenya and legislation for the tribal division of the leaders(if they work for the administration they must be a bad tribe) of the Kenyan democracy non United Exclusionary African Church of the Obamasiah in America; that doesn’t want the elected leader because the election watch was ordered by McCain of the biblical hurry cane and not the United Exclusionary African Church of the Obamasiah in America because of the non United Exclusionary African Church of the Obamasiah in America involvement, but a dem from the Clinton years who refuses to acknowledge the Global Africom United Exclusionary Church of the Obamasiah in America and the troops that are really foreign policy money of the United Exclusionary African Church(Chicago) of the Obamasiah in America.
So, anyone have mushy hearts or is it just me? Hey, let’s fast!!!
Rick,
An interesting point I may research.
JD,
The caucus thing is simple numbers. Fewer people show for a caucus. It favors the dedicated activists that Obama trains, rather than the ordinary voter. They don’t have to be full-on moonbats either. Edwards could have gone with that strategy, but blew it.
People they keep sending me this a lot today. I find it derivative.
Isn’t Maggie Williams the chick who “helped” Hillary with the Vince Foster fiasco? I believe they shared multiple, multiple, multiple phone calls of condolences with one another that evening. Or some such nonsense. She must be good people.
Looks like the Clintons are going back into their “circle the wagons” position. Expect a fucking barrage of Wolfson, Begala, Blumenthal, and the rest of the attack dogs in the next couple weeks.
BROKERED CONVENTION ! BROKERED CONVENTION !
[…] has now thrown her “alter ego,” free-spending manager Patti Solis Doyle under the campaign bus, but (as Green notes) , she was never Hillary’s Karl Rove — that […]
[…] to Hillary Clinton’s dysfunctional organization – free-spending campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle demoted in favor of Maggie Williams and Roy Spence (brought in to lurk after Clinton lost Iowa), […]
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