Bill de Blasio’s Lost WeekendThe mayor returned to Iowa as part of his public consideration of a presidential run, and struggled with weather, logistics, and small audiences.
Clinton Includes Swing Voter on VP Short ListOn Tuesday, retired admiral James Stavridis told Fox News Radio that he is “leaning toward Secretary Clinton” but would prefer to make his final decision “in the privacy of my own home.”
ByEric Levitz
Hillary Clinton Lets Jason Segel Down EasyA little while back, Jason Segel told Us Weekly that he really wanted to put Madam Secretary Clinton in his next film, saying you can feel her […]
Hillary Clinton’s Long WeekendEverything that happened to Hillary over the weekend, in case you took one weekend off from reading the news.
early and often
Is It Too Late for Tom Vilsack?The Observer blog today prophesies that Hillary will pick former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack as a running mate if she wins the Iowa Caucus (speaking of the Observer blog, have you noticed that the whole paper has suddenly become a blog? Was this somehow inevitable?). But we can’t help but disagree. Back in October, we predicted Hillary will choose Evan Bayh instead. Now, we’re pretty sure not even Hillary has made up her mind. She’s a smart lady and didn’t get where she is today by not knowing the advantage of leading a few dudes on at the same time. But if anything, the fickle nature of Hillary’s Iowa poll numbers shows that having Vilsack (a campaign co-chair) on her team doesn’t guarantee a sure win in the swing state. In which case, he’ll seem like a much less potent force in the general election. Sure, we haven’t heard as much from Bayh lately, and he’s not as much of an attack dog for his mistress, but we say don’t count him out. A lot of stuff is going to fall into place in January and February, and the VP pick is going to be upon us before we know it. We’re just saying, don’t forget about the hot dude.
Vilsack for V.P.? Depends On How The Caucuses Go [Politicker/NYO]
Earlier: In Which We Predict Hill Will Take a Bayh in ‘08
intel
In Which We Predict Hill Will Take a Bayh in ‘08
Today Cindy Adams predicts that Wesley Clark is in line to be Hillary Clinton’s running mate. He recently endorsed her, and Adams points out that four years ago, the two of them were the big Democratic stars. Interesting! Or, at least it would be, if Cindy Adams were at all a political expert. She’s not, and neither are we. But since America is probably going to have to deal with the whole running-mate issue earlier than ever this year, we thought we’d pile on with our prediction of whom she’ll anoint. After all, if Hill really wants to cement her position as the de facto Democratic nominee, why not go all the way? Barring any of the other candidates, we think she’s going to pick Indiana Senator Evan Bayh. Why? If you’ve even bothered reading this far down, you might as well click through to the jump to read our crackpot logic.
intel
Team Hillary Begins Framing the Giuliani–Clinton Matchup
Last night, Tom Vilsack made a few small statements about Rudy Giuliani that could signal some big upcoming moves for the Hillary Clinton campaign. Vilsack, who is a co-chairman on Hillary’s team, warned that in a national campaign against Rudy, things will get personal. “There’s a lot that the rest of the country is going to get to know about Mayor Giuliani that the folks in New York City know,” the former Iowa governor said, stifling a maniacal cackle. “I can’t even get into the number of marriages and the fact that his children — the relationships he has with his children — and what kind of circumstances New York was in before September 11.” Vilsack, by suggesting that the race is going to get ugly between Hillary and Rudy, is broaching a new tactic for the campaign: framing the election as a choice between the two. By subtly encouraging voters to imagine what will happen between Hillary and Rudy, she’s helping to anoint herself as the de facto Democratic nominee. Gadzooks!
