Is Hillary Vulnerable?

In a word, yes. And playing the victim card as regards the debate won't help. But I imagine her people do get that. See The Hill:

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) top advisers, doing damage control after the candidate’s debate performance Tuesday, told supporters on a conference call Wednesday that the campaign needed more money to fight back.

Hillary can be hurt but it'll take a sub-par performance in Iowa and a rival campaign solid enough and with enough money to capitalize on this stumble. As I don't follow Democrat politics, it's hard for me to know if the dynamics actually exist to topple her, or if this is the media building a horse race narrative to gin up attention.

That almost always happens in politics and can even act as a contributing cause to a collapse. Hillary's strong National poll numbers they've been touting are less applicable to the primaries. By the way, that's true for Rudy, as well.

What Obama and Edwards really need right now is some sort of scandal to break, or perhaps a couple of them - campaign finance issues being one. If there's any truth to that other rumor that's been circling and it does involve the Clintons, you can bet that some of her rivals are working to get it out.

I still think its a long shot that's she's stopped but much does depend on Iowa.

Comments

[Fred Beloit]

Wait and see is my recommendation to all our friends here. Jumping the gun would be foolish and unfair, though reporting there is a rumor is not.

[Michael Volpe]

Of course Hillary is vulnerable. Everyone is vulnerable. The one thing we all know about politics is that we can't predict what will happen next week let alone next year. I think she will make it out of the primaries regardless, but she redefines the word vulnerable when it comes to the general election.

As to scandals, well, frankly, her opponents need not wait for a new scandal to break. What they need to do is start talking about the recent ones out there and under reported. If one of her opponents wants to make ethics an issue, all they need to do is start talking about the name Norman Hsu. That scandal has already been broken but the MSM refuses to give it the attention it needs.

I personally think that her opponents haven't figured out just how to attack her. I don't think that will be a problem for the Republican nominee. I am quite bullish about 2008 for the Reps. (I take a contrarian view on that) Hillary is one of my five pillars for being so bullish. Her vulnerabilities are never ending, however her opponents for whatever reason can't seem to figure out the right way to attack her. Again, I don't think that will be a problem for her Rep opponent. Here is how I see 2008.

www.proprietornation.blogspot.com/2007/10/dont-fret-reps2008-is-our-year.html

[seekeronos]

In my mind's eye... Hillary is as secure in the waters of the ongoing and developing DNC primary race as that famous and mighty battleship that once brought dread fear into the hearts of any Allied sailor... the IJN Yamato.

Sitting at the heart of the Rengō Kantai, this illustrious warship represented the full unbridled power of the Japanese Naval war machine, able to cast 18 shells per minute from its 460mm (18-inch) guns, and itself virtually unsinkable in ship-to-ship combat.

Yet when stripped of her airpower, even she could not last long against so many torpedoes and AP bombshells dropped down her engine stacks.

I wonder which rumour or other thing that might turn up could find use as the fortuitous brickbat by which Madame Clinton herself might yield up the political ghost?

[seekeronos]

"...stripped of her airpower"

I meant air cover.

Operation Heaven-One (Ten-Gō Sakusen) was a rather morbid affair which pitted the Yamato and a handful of escorts and destroyers - completely lacking aircover, as all of the IJN's fleet carriers at that time where collecting barnacles and coral in various parts of the Pacific - sailed to its doom off of Okinawa, where about 400 US Navy aircraft set upon her like so many packs of wolves on a fatted calf.

[joeb]

In the Wash. Post this morning her people said all the Democratic male candidates were piling on because she is the lone female. This is the first time I have heard them play the "sex card".

[seekeronos]

My theory on that sort of thing has always been... if a woman is man enough to step into the ring with other men and start swinging punches, she should not expect to be treated like a lady when the fists come back her way.