8/25/08
Roger Simon, Politico's chief political columnist, has been a respected name in American
journalism since the 1970s — and an authoritative voice in American politics for just as long.
After the historic contest between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama finally came to an
end in June, Simon launched an intensive effort to get behind the scenes — and to the bottom —
of what happened and why.
He interviewed scores of well-placed people at all levels of both campaigns, many of whom have
been sources of his for years. This project, which Simon named "Relentless" to reflect what he
saw as the animating spirit of Obama's remarkable campaign, is the result of Simon's two years
of reporting on this campaign, and decades of observing political personalities in action.
– John F. Harris
Introduction: The path to the nomination
By: Roger Simon
August 24, 2008 09:09 AM EST
In the summer of 2006, Patti Solis Doyle offered David Axelrod a job. Hillary Clinton was running for reelection to the Senate and Solis Doyle was her campaign manager, but everybody knew Clinton was soon going to run for president. And Clinton wanted Axelrod onboard.
Axelrod was a highly experienced and successful political consultant and just what Clinton needed. But he declined. Presidential campaigns were mentally taxing, physically exhausting and emotionally draining. There were easier ways to make a buck. Unless. “I wasn’t planning to work in a presidential race,” Axelrod told me, “but if Barack might run, well, he would be the only guy to cause me to get in.”It was not impossible. As early as November 2004, even before his swearing-in to the United States Senate,Barack Obama was having conversations about the possibility of a presidential run in 2008. The conversations were very preliminary, however, just a toe in the water. And Hillary Clinton was not worried.
In May 2006, Clinton herself had interviewed another experienced campaign consultant, Steve Hildebrand, but had turned him down. The time was not right. And she had plenty of time. But it would prove to be a costly mistake. A few months later, Steve Hildebrand would play a key role in persuading Barack Obama to run for president.
Hillary still was not worried. She would put together a great campaign team, a Dream Team. It did not turn out that way. “Happy families are alike,” Leo Tolstoy famously wrote. “Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” The Hillary Clinton campaign was an unhappy family. I was told by Clinton campaign staffers that Mike Henry, the deputy campaign manager, stalked Clinton headquarters in Ballston, Va., with a baseball bat in his hand. I was told that Patti Solis Doyle stayed in her office watching soap operas and refused to return the phone calls of governors, members of Congress and Bill Clinton. I was told that there were suspicions that Mark Penn, the campaign’s pollster and chief strategist, “cooked the books” in presenting his polling results. (All denied the accusations.) It was that kind of campaign.
Read the rest of the story, you will learn a lot about The path to the nomination
click here
journalism since the 1970s — and an authoritative voice in American politics for just as long.
After the historic contest between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama finally came to an
end in June, Simon launched an intensive effort to get behind the scenes — and to the bottom —
of what happened and why.
He interviewed scores of well-placed people at all levels of both campaigns, many of whom have
been sources of his for years. This project, which Simon named "Relentless" to reflect what he
saw as the animating spirit of Obama's remarkable campaign, is the result of Simon's two years
of reporting on this campaign, and decades of observing political personalities in action.
– John F. Harris
Introduction: The path to the nomination
By: Roger Simon
August 24, 2008 09:09 AM EST
In the summer of 2006, Patti Solis Doyle offered David Axelrod a job. Hillary Clinton was running for reelection to the Senate and Solis Doyle was her campaign manager, but everybody knew Clinton was soon going to run for president. And Clinton wanted Axelrod onboard.
Axelrod was a highly experienced and successful political consultant and just what Clinton needed. But he declined. Presidential campaigns were mentally taxing, physically exhausting and emotionally draining. There were easier ways to make a buck. Unless. “I wasn’t planning to work in a presidential race,” Axelrod told me, “but if Barack might run, well, he would be the only guy to cause me to get in.”It was not impossible. As early as November 2004, even before his swearing-in to the United States Senate,Barack Obama was having conversations about the possibility of a presidential run in 2008. The conversations were very preliminary, however, just a toe in the water. And Hillary Clinton was not worried.
In May 2006, Clinton herself had interviewed another experienced campaign consultant, Steve Hildebrand, but had turned him down. The time was not right. And she had plenty of time. But it would prove to be a costly mistake. A few months later, Steve Hildebrand would play a key role in persuading Barack Obama to run for president.
Hillary still was not worried. She would put together a great campaign team, a Dream Team. It did not turn out that way. “Happy families are alike,” Leo Tolstoy famously wrote. “Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” The Hillary Clinton campaign was an unhappy family. I was told by Clinton campaign staffers that Mike Henry, the deputy campaign manager, stalked Clinton headquarters in Ballston, Va., with a baseball bat in his hand. I was told that Patti Solis Doyle stayed in her office watching soap operas and refused to return the phone calls of governors, members of Congress and Bill Clinton. I was told that there were suspicions that Mark Penn, the campaign’s pollster and chief strategist, “cooked the books” in presenting his polling results. (All denied the accusations.) It was that kind of campaign.
Read the rest of the story, you will learn a lot about The path to the nomination
click here
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