Hillary Clinton and Political Damage Control

Main Topic

Hillary Loses Her Inevitability ()

Hillary Clinton's "inevitability" is old news as Barack Obama moves ahead in some polls and John Edwards just won't go away. The Democratic primary in South Carolina comes hot on the heels of the Iowa and Nevada caucuses and the primary votes in New Hampshire.  In Orangeburg, South Carolina yesterday, Bill Clinton was asked what his wife's number one priority would be if she were elected.  He said the first thing Hillary Clinton would do is send him and the first President Bush on a worldwide mission to repair the damage the current president has done to America's reputation. What happens as a fading front-runner resorts to damage control? Does she go on the attack or soften her image? Does she talk about issues or electability in November?

Guests:

• John Brummett: Columnist, Arkansas News Bureau
• Richard Wolffe: Senior White House Correspondent, Newsweek
• Dean Spiliotes: Political scientist, analyst and blogger
• Kim Gandy: President, National Organization for Women
• Matt Stoller: Political activist and consultant

Links:

• Spiliotes' blog on Clinton campaign strategy for fending off Obama
• Wolffe's article on Bill Clinton's intervention into Hillary's campaign
• Brummett's article on Clinton's loss of inevitability
• Brummett's book, 'Highwire'
• S-CHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program)
• USA Today/Gallup Poll on electability of Democratic candidates

Reporter's Notebook

ANC Deeply Divided over Vote for New Party Leader ()

After 55 years of disciplined unity, South Africa's ruling party is engaged in a bitter dispute over leadership, which could determine who will be the country's next president.  President Thabo Mbeki cannot run for a third term in 2009. Today, he's being challenged as leader of the African National Congress, the party that's ruled the country since apartheid ended 13 years ago. Jacob Zuma, fired as Mbeki's deputy, leads the opposition and is a popular figure. We get an update from Craig Timberg, Johannesburg Bureau Chief for the Washington Post, and Stephen Smith, Professor of African Studies at Duke University and former Africa Bureau Chief for Le Monde.

Guests:

• Craig Timberg: Johannesburg Bureau Chief, Washington Post
• Stephen Smith: Professor in African Studies, Duke University