smorg

http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=f7a4a380-c4a4-4f84-b653-f252e8569915

Interesting feedback from Clinton staffers when they were asked what caused the campaign to implode so badly. It’s striking how many of the responses are about using old school dirty tricks and political games, i.e.:

“Clearly [Obama] was a phenomenon. He was tapping something really different than anyone had ever seen before. … Months and months before Iowa, he was getting record crowds. I just think they should have really gone after him back in the summer and in the fall. I know it would have been a difficult decision to make back then. She’s the leader of the party, the standard bearer, the big dog. Everyone thinks she’s gonna win and walk away with it. Why go picking on Barack Obama? But that’s just something the campaign should have done sooner.”

The problem, in my opinion, is that they tried to run a fear campaign in an age where people are able to find out anything they want, at any moment of the day in order to assuage those fears. Saying ‘Obama is a muslim’ doesn’t hold muster when one can Google the same phrase and learn the truth.

Lies, half truths and scare tactics can no longer be considered effective tools in politics.