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Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) campaign, reeling from 10 unanswered losses to rival Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), is giving supporters a chance to weigh in on the campaign with senior officials Thursday morning. Supporters who phone in will be able to ask questions and offer advice to campaign Chairman Terry McAuliffe, political director Guy Cecil and Roy Spence, a senior adviser, according to an e-mail obtained by The Hill. In the e-mail, the Clinton campaign invites those on the list to join the call at 11:30 a.m. because “we want to hear your thoughts, advice and questions as we move forward to the March 4th primaries.” The e-mail could suggest that Clinton’s campaign has hit a wall after a string of decisive defeats and been confronted with a media environment that is increasingly skeptical about the New York senator’s ability to right her listing ship. The former first lady’s camp has also pursued an increasingly negative tone with regard to Obama, citing plagiarism charges and arguing that the Illinois senator offers only rhetoric. Spence is the messaging superstar who created the phrase “Don’t Mess with Texas.” He was brought on board the Clinton campaign after her loss to Obama in the Iowa caucuses. Because of the emphasis the campaign has placed on winning Texas on March 4, it is perhaps no surprise that the supporter e-mail reminds recipients that Spence has “deep Texas roots.” The e-mail, which appears to be a regular note to campaign supporters, makes a plea for volunteers and contributions, and it offers “Daily Talking Points” for Feb. 20. The Clinton campaign, having lost Wisconsin and Hawaii to Obama Tuesday night, also held a conference call with reporters earlier Wednesday. On the call, senior campaign advisers made it clear they plan to campaign hard through the end of the process. Harold Ickes, a senior adviser, said the campaign thinks it will be in a position to clinch the nomination about the time of the Puerto Rican caucuses on June 1. The supporter e-mail makes clear that the campaign wants supporters to sign up for the long haul. “The Obama campaign is trying to end the race in the middle of the process — when the delegate race is still tight and before people in 16 states and territories cast their votes,” the e-mail reads. Obama has won the last 10 contests since Super Tuesday, and his aides are now questioning how Clinton can make up the margin of pledged delegates that separates them. |
