Team Clinton in action:
Billy Shaheen, the co-chairman of Hillary Clinton’s campaign in New Hampshire, raised the issue of Sen. Barack Obama’s past admissions of drug use in discussing the relative electability of the Democrats seeking the presidential nomination today.
In an interview, Shaheen said, he remains perplexed about why, at this fraught point in history, voters and the media are not giving more attention to experienced Democratic candidates such as Sens. Chris Dodd and Joe Biden and are instead elevating into the first tier alongside Clinton a pair of candidates with less experience in Washington, Barack Obama and John Edwards. Shaheen also expressed his personal misgivings about whether Obama or Edwards would be electable if they became the party’s nominee.
Among his concerns about Obama as the nominee, he said in an interview here today, is that his background is so relatively unknown and that the Republicans would do their best to unearth negative aspects of it, or concoct mistruths about it. Shaheen, a lawyer and influential state power broker, mentioned as an example Obama’s use of cocaine and marijuana as a young man, which Obama has been open about in his memoir and on the trail.
“The Republicans are not going to give up without a fight … and one of the things they’re certainly going to jump on is his drug use,” said Shaheen, the husband of former N.H. governor Jeanne Shaheen, who is planning to run for the Senate next year. Billy Shaheen contrasted Obama’s openness about his past drug use — which Obama mentioned again at a recent campaign appearance in New Hampshire — with the approach taken by George W. Bush in 1999 and 2000, when he ruled out questions about his behavior when he was “young and irresponsible.”
Shaheen said Obama’s candor on the subject would “open the door” to further questions. “It’ll be, ‘When was the last time? Did you ever give drugs to anyone? Did you sell them to anyone?'” Shaheen said. “There are so many openings for Republican dirty tricks. It’s hard to overcome.”
What do you think? Did Mr. Shaheen decide to talk about this all on his own?
Mr. Shaheen’s wife is former governor Jeanne Shaheen, who is running for U.S. Senate. You can contribute to her primary opponent here.
I first heard this story when my husband read it to me a couple hours ago. He responded thusly:
Renee, I totally agree!
I am from NH – and there probably was some discussion at Hillary’s main NH headquarters – and knowing how damn independent people are – Bill Shaheen probably talked to a local reporter on his own violation.
As to him being a “Power Broker” – sorry, there is no such animal in NH as their is in Ma, Pa, NY, IL and etc. People really are very independent thinkers up in that state. Best Bill can do is be “influential”, and get peoples time and ears, if he keeps his act clean and doesn’t cause any scandals.
I came to see Hillary, James Carville, Dee Dee Meyers, George Stepanopoulis and etc up close and personal back in 1992. Hillary’s very visible LUST for power was obvious even then. And slobbering, drooling lust, whether it be for Power, Money or illicit sex is a hideous thing. So yes, she is nasty when crossed, and also extremely demanding – like entitled to whatever she wants. In fact of that whole crowd, Bill Clinton can be charming, and George Stepanopoulis was the only truly decent one of the lot.
For me, the nastiness is a non-issue. Maybe we need a president who is capable of cutting throats.
What makes Hillary a non-starter is the breathtaking hypocrisy. Now she’s a concern troll about Obama’s drug use, which he’s been open about from the beginning? At the same time she’s trying to sell herself as a return to the mediocre 1990s and hubby prez the doping, lying adulterer?
Too bad her vast “experience” doesn’t include persuading her own husband to straighten up and not hand the White House to Bush. Is this who we want trying to negotiate with Iran and Russia and China? I’ll take my chances with any of the other Dems.
The corner has been turned here. Hillary’s tactics are descending into the darkest depths of campaigning at breakneck speed.
Just wait- I bet the rehashed Harold Ford jungle drums ad is right around the corner.
This is Hillary’s co-chair in NH and he can’t see the answer that is right in front of his face?
Here, I’ll give him a subtle hint:
It’s EXACTLY BECAUSE THEY HAVE LESS EXPERIENCE IN WASHINGTON AND WITH THE CORRUPT PEOPLE THERE!!!
Jeebus.
If there has been one constant through Hillary’s campaign march, it has been discipline.
Billy Shaheen a loose cannon? Riggggghhhhtt………
He’s not some campaign neophyte, by any means.
Surely this makes Karl Rove smile. The Clinton campaign is emulating his style. And Lee Atwater, wherever you think he might be tonight, has a new protege. And his name is Billy Shaheen.
over this latest. There are at least three diaries on this, with over a 1,000 combined comments.
This is what I said:
Furthermore, trying to dog Oprah using the smear/whisper campaign/attack that she’s supposedly non-union may backfire as well.
Where did Hill get that one? Mark Penn?
First, Obama’s Muslim; a few days ago, he was attacked for being an overly ambitious 5 year old, now this. Clinton is dropping in the polls, and her camp is desperate.
And between this and the jackass comments of Andrew Young
that just came to light, she’s going to lose her support in the Black community, too.
(Watch the video, but on an empty stomach. It’s even worse. Disgusting! We don’t need his friggin’ clowing!)
Where did Hill get that one? Mark Penn?
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/12/12/01754/724/65/420967
HRC must be in real trouble, this is the sort of thing that gets thrown around when their numbers are sinking.
And I don’t think this is going to go over well with black voters in South Carolina.
Booman you are the best!…Don’t inhale…LMAO!
The HillShills are gettin desperate.
I think we should expect a Taylor Marsh post on HuffPost in the next few days, carrying on the work of Howard THE ROVE Wolfson. This shout-out from Shaheen is a typical Wolfson desperation tactic.
“Did Mr. Shaheen decide to talk about this all on his own?”
Right after firing up a big, phat spliff, because you’d have to be on drugs to make a move that dumb.
Good grief, it’s a Democratic primary. I bet more than 4/5 of potential voters ‘experimented’ when they were young.
It sounds like he’s come up with the attacks the HRC campaign would like to make and thrown them out in hopes that the GOP will run with them.
This sort of sliminess is exactly why I hope Clinton doesn’t get the nomination. Thanks, but I’ve spent almost eight years in the Rove universe, and I’d like to go home now.
Oh well, Hillary must be worried about her chances of being elected, first it was grade school papers, now she’s getting real dirty. i just hope these two fight enough that John Edwards gets the Democratic noimination.
More recent rumors of a possible Bloomberg run once the nominees are known. I’m ready to abondon the Dem party if Hillary is the nominee and throw in with Bloomberg. Am I crazy?
No, but understand that if the Republican nominee ends up getting elected, and there is any way to argue that Bloomberg took away enough to votes from the Democratic nominee to make the difference, then the pain of a thousand thousand Naderites will be visited upon you forevermore.
Hillary is a F#@KING BITCH.
F%#K Her and her whole F#&KING CAMPAIGN.
I don’t want to hear anymore about how evil Cheney, Rova and Bush are.
You are seeing pure evil right now. And there are a few bloggers doing the exact same thing.
They slime Obama daily and just say, well, maybe it’s not true, but that’s what the Republicans will say.
HEY AHOLES. Talkleft, Mydd, Bartcop. You are the ones saying it, and your apology will be under the radar.
We are seeing the blogosphere can be as power hungry as the MSM. Obama won’t kiss their ass so they turn on him.
Obama doesn’t need you. So move on to something else.
president hucklebee
can you hear the banjos playing in the background?
god help us