Follow BeltwayBlips on Twitter
-
Erin And if Bill Clinton hadn't covered up his affair with Monica Lewinsky, Al Gore would have won the presidency and Bill would not have had to pledge his soul to get the nomination for Hillary. -
Robyn74 How disapointing that someone in the Clinton camp has decided to turn Edwards idiocy into something about Hilary. Anyone ever heard of the high road?
Did media silence on Edwards cost Hillary the nomination?
Hot Air » Top Picks —
Did media silence on Edwards cost Hillary the nomination? posted at 8:20 am on August 11, 2008 by Ed Morrissey Send to a Friend | printer-friendly Howard Wolfson makes that argument to ABC News , and points to Iowa as evidence. Barack Obama put himself firmly on the path to the nomination by scoring a mildly surprising win in the first contest of the primary, while Hillary stumbled to a third-place showing. If Edwards hadn’t been a factor, the Clinton campaign adviser believes Hillary would have won, and Obama would never have grabbed the momentum: Sen. Hillary Clinton would be the Democratic presidential nominee if ...
Uh, Howard?
Eschaton —
Trust me, you really shouldn't have gone there.
Edwards Lie Cost Clinton Nomination
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire —
Sen. Hillary Clinton "would be the Democratic presidential nominee if John Edwards had been caught in his lie about an extramarital affair and forced out of the race last year," insists Clinton aide Howard Wolfson, ABC News ...
The Note: Ex-Rivals Still Plague Obama
Political Radar —
Jindal Contrasts McCain/Obama Energy Proposals | Main The Note: Ex-Rivals Still Plague Obama August 11, 2008 9:22 AM ABC News' Rick Klein reports in Monday's Note: It’s supposed to be Sen. Barack Obama’s moment on the podium -- so why are the cameras trained on those who captured the silver and the bronze? To the winner goes the spoils -- and this is fresh: With Denver approaching, and party unity elusive anyway, Obama’s drama now includes the accumulated baggage of his failed opponents. (Surely he didn’t think he could escape them in Hawaii. . . . ) Former Clinton strategist Mark Penn’s words will live longer than his ...
Amanda Carpenter: Edwards Fallout
Townhall.com Blog's TownHall Blog —
If John Edwards had dropped out of the Democratic primaries because of his affair with Rielle Hunter earlier, or never ran at all out of shame, would Hillary had a better chance of winning the nomination? It wouldn't be the first time a cheating man has blunted her political ambitions. Edwards ended up endorsing Obama, but what if he never ran? Would Hillary have gotten more of his poor, working class voters? I think she would have. I'm think the question is worth putting out there. Open thread, curious to know what Townhall readers think. Update: Former Clinton campaign manager Howard Wolfson says "YES." ...
A Meteor Woulda Won This Thing For Us
pandagon.net - we are the public option —
by Jesse Taylor
Sometimes, bitter people cling to hypotheticals.
Any number of things could have swayed the primary. But at the end of the day, Clinton apologizing for her Iraq vote (or just not having voted that way in the first place) would have guaranteed her the nomination. Or her running for Senate in Illinois. Or Barack Obama getting dysentery in the summer of 2004. Or not letting Mark Penn and Howard Wolfson run her campaign.
Go away
AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth —
They really want to go there? Sen. Hillary Clinton would be the Democratic presidential nominee if John Edwards had been caught in his lie about an extramarital affair and forced out of the race last year, insists a top Clinton campaign aide, making a charge that could exacerbate previously existing tensions between the camps of Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama. "I believe we would have won Iowa, and Clinton today would therefore have been the nominee," former Clinton Communications Director Howard Wolfson told ABC News.com.Woulda, coulda, shoulda. ...
Quote of the Day
Taylor Marsh —
BY TAYLOR MARSH
Howard
Wolfson on Edwards’ lies:
"I believe we would have won Iowa, and Clinton today would therefore ...
John Edwards Watch: Stupid?
FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog —
Screen capture from the National Enquirer
Jim Geraghty asks the question: Does John Edwards think the American public is STUPID?
…. there are at least two glaring questions that suggest Edwards’ explanation consists of additional lies. (Besides his claim that ...
Attention Must Be Paid (over and over and over again)
Rising Hegemon —
Deep thought: Are the Clintons the Willy Loman of politics? /via Atrios
Will Media Wonder If Edwards' Lie Cost Clinton the Nomination?
NewsBusters.org - Exposing Liberal Media Bias —
With Hillary Clinton talking about demanding a full delegate vote at the upcoming Democratic National Convention, the John Edwards sex scandal has the potential to further interfere with the unified and harmonious nomination of Barack Obama media clearly seek. After all, the case can certainly be made that if the Edwards affair had gotten the press attention it deserved back in October when the National Enquirer first broke the story, the former senator would have been forced out of the race sooner likely giving Clinton enough delegates early in the process to prevent the eventual groundswell for Obama. The only question is ...
Opening the Day: Obama To Announce His VP Over Text Messages, Email
Open Left - Front Page —
... petty political attacks that are echoed only by the Kremlin," said McCain aide Tucker Bounds in the statement. "The reaction of the Obama campaign to this crisis, so at odds with our democratic allies and yet so bizarrely in sync with Moscow, doesn't merely raise questions about Sen. Obama's judgment -- it answers them."
So does McCain want to go to war with Russia? Is that it?
Howard Wolfsen thinks that Clinton would have won Iowa if John Edwards hadn't covered up his affair. We'll never know.
Jared Polis in CO-02 has some ...
Fallout from the John Edwards affair confession
Sister Toldjah —
Here’s a few things that have been reported in the aftermath of His Royal Phoniness’ affair confession on ABC’s Nightline program Friday night:
Elizabeth Edwards posted her own statement on the Daily Kos blog
In spite of the fact that John Edwards said he’d be willing to take a paternity test to settle the “who’s the father” question, The Other Woman aka Rielle Hunter has said “no” to the idea. Hmmm.
Edwards’ campaign chair Fred Baron stepped ...
Did John Edwards Affair Cover-up Cost Hillary?
FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog —
Michael Ramirez on the John Edwards Love Child Affair
Howard Wolfson, former Hillary Clinton for President campaign communications director whines that John Edwards cost Hillary the Presidential nomination to ABC News.
The Clinton Cabal is still trying to “PAINT” Obama as an ...
Things Clintons Can't Complain About Dept.
The Corner on National Review Online —
Monday, August 11, 2008 [image] Things Clintons Can't Complain About Dept. [ Jonah Goldberg ] Look, the Clintons have their understandable, if not always legitimate, gripes about losing the nomination. But there is just one thing the Clinton camp can't ever, ever, ever complain about. Can you guess what it is? No? Well, here it is: You can't whine about smooth-talking southern politicians who cheat on their wives and then brazenly lie about it. Howard Wolfson is floating the idea that Hillary lost the Iowa caucuses and by extension the nomination because that no good John Edwards didn't 'fess up to the American people. What a ...
Alternative history
Ben Smith's Blog —
Wolfson tells ABC he thinks Hillary would have won Iowa if Edwards' affair had been oconfirmed when it was first reported last October.
Other interesting hypotheticals keeping Hillaryland up at night: What if the Jeremiah Wright tapes had aired before Iowa? What if Hillary had skipped Iowa?
But the hypotheticals run the other way as well: If she hadn't happened to tear up in that New Hampshire diner, and if Obama had campiagned in New Hampshire like he was the underdog, the race could have essentially ended in mid-January.
Wolfson Speaks
The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan —
They never let go, do they? Howard Wolfson opines that if the Edwards scandal had come out earlier ... "I believe we would have won Iowa, and Clinton today would therefore
have been the nominee." There is a wholly different level of self-regard among Clinton aides, isn't there? All gravitating to the molten core. ...
Iowa Without Edwards
44 —
The Pollster Iowa Without Edwards [image] Supporters of Democratic Presidential candidate and former U.S. Senator John Edwards (D-NC) are see before the start 30th annual Harkin Steak Fry in Indianola, Iowa September 16, 2007. (Reuters) By Jon Cohen Would Hillary Clinton have won Iowa if John Edwards had been forced out of the race? Howard Wolfson thinks so. Wolfson, former director of communications for Clinton's presidential bid, suggested to ABC News that the New York senator would have prevailed in Iowa had Edwards been forced from the race before voting started in early January. "Our voters and Edwards' voters were the same people," ...
Also? Sexism
Swampland —
I like the logic of this bold experiment in revisionist history from HRC flack Howard Wolfson:
Sen. Hillary Clinton would be the Democratic presidential nominee if John Edwards had been caught in his lie about an extramarital affair and forced out of the race last year...
"I believe we would have won Iowa, and Clinton today would therefore have been the nominee," former Clinton Communications Director Howard Wolfson told ABCNews.com.
Yeah, because people who gave up on John Edwards would surely not want to put another adulterer in the White ...
You mean, she would have coasted in Iowa had Edwards' not been on the ticket
culturekitchen - fresh dissent served daily —
The Clintonistas may have been quiet most of this summer. It doesn't mean they put their grinding stones nor their axes away. It certainly doesn't mean that Howard Wolfson, Patti Solis-Doyle, Mark Penn, Bill Clinton or Hillary Clinton are willing to step up to the bat and take responsibility for the most mismanaged primary of the last 3 presidetial elections cycles.
So when I read the following denial-laden rant by Howard Wolfson, it just doesn't strike me as out of character:
ABC News: Wolfson: Edwards' Cover-up Cost Clinton the Nomination: "'I believe we would have won Iowa, and Clinton today would ...
Did Edwards' Lies Hurt Biden and Richardson?
Political Punch —
Shrum On Clinton Memos: An "Ugly" "Appeal to Stereotypes" | Main Did Edwards' Lies Hurt Biden and Richardson? August 11, 2008 12:23 PM Some former Clinton aides are suggesting that by remaining in the race despite having had a recent affair, former Sen. John Edwards, D-NC, hurt the candidacy of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY. I'm not so sure. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson came in 4th in Iowa, maybe Edwards' voters would have gone to him. Or perhaps they would have flocked to two other white men in the race, Sens. Joe Biden, D-Del, or Chris Dodd, D-Conn. Clinton folks say their polls showed Clinton would have gotten about ...
Small Lies and Big Lies, Part 2
A Blog For All —
... her husband, which when taken with the fact that Rielle's lawyer refused to state that the reason she wouldn't call for a paternity test was because she knew the father to be Edwards' former staffer, Andrew Young. And if you think that the media coverage of the Edwards affair wasn't news or didn't have an effect on the Democratic party nomination process, know that if the media had done its due diligence and discovered that Edwards was cheating on his wife when her cancer returned, it would have killed his campaign , and given Hillary a serious boost to the point that we'd be ...
The Wolfson And The Sour Grapes
Firedoglake —
Failing to learn from Aesop's Fables.
Oh, woe is Howard Wolfson, wronged political strategist who bears no responsibility for electoral loss?
"I believe we would have won Iowa and Clinton today would therefore have been the nominee."
That's ...
Memo to Howard Wolfson
Blue Gal —
Thank you for your kind and intelligent comments. It's sad to think that if only John Edwards had been honest about his philandering (holy shit tell me Wolfson DIDN'T SAY THAT), America could have Hillary Clinton as President of the United States. Howard, did you personally approve the "Bill can't have any onion rings" advertisement? The Celine Dion campaign song? Hill-ar-ee for you and mee "Up With People" events? The nefarious 3AM phone call ad? "Shame on you, Barack Obama"? You know, Howard, I like the way you think. If I was 19 instead of 45, if I didn't ...
Where We're Going, We Don't Need Campaign Trails
Hit & Run —
Speaking of super-classy Hillary Clinton supporters, the eerily mirthless Howard Wolfson, ex-flack for the Democrat's runner-up, grabs Jake Tapper by the labels and rants about John "Who's Your Daddy?" Edwards. "I believe we would have won Iowa, and Clinton today would therefore have been the nominee," former Clinton Communications Director Howard Wolfson told ABCNews.com. ... Obama won 37.6 per cent of the vote. Edwards won 29.7 per cent and Clinton won 29.5 per cent, according to results posted by the Iowa Democratic Party. "Our voters and Edwards' voters were the same people," ...
Shots from the Show 8/11
Tammy Bruce —
**This post will be updated throughout the show**
ABC: Wolfson: Edwards' Cover-up Cost Clinton the Nomination
McCain warns Russians of "severe, long-term negative consequences"
Hahahahahaha! One guy shows up for an Al Franken for Senate roundtable.
UPI: Lennon assassin receiving conjugal visits
George Clooney: Super-Duper-Advisor, Life Coach, Body Language, Foreign Policy Expert to B. Hussein Obama.
Political Punch: Top Clinton Adviser Wanted to Go After Obama as ...
Townhall.com Staff: What's Hot Monday
Townhall.com Blog's TownHall Blog —
What are the most popular stories around the web today? Townhall does the surfing so you don't have to. ABC News: Wolfson: Edwards Cost Clinton the Election Huffington Post: John Edwards' Affair with Rielle Hunter Politico: Clinton to Forfeit $13 Million Loan, Unless... Newsweek: Zakaria: What Bush Got Right Wall Street Journal: Russia Widens Attack on Georgia Time Magazine: Has Georgia Overreached in Ossetia? Los Angeles Times: Dark Knight Stays Steps Ahead of Pineapple Express New York Times: Flush with Energy New York Post: Lost Sovereignty Boston Globe: So, You Want to Be ...
Wolfson speaks on Edwards' affair
The Swamp —
... "They were older, pro-union. Not all, but maybe two-thirds of them would have been for us and we would have barely beaten Obama."
Edwards admitted last week that he had an extramarital affair with a former campaign staffer, Rielle Hunter (pictured at top right). He denied a National Enquirer report that he had fathered her child.
Watch Edwards' confession here:
Read more about Wolfson's comments on John Edwards at ABCNews.com.
(Photo of Rielle ...
Wolfson Backtracks On Edwards/Iowa Claim
The Huffington Post | Full News Feed —
... Naturally, Wolfson's protestations against "playing the what if game" confuse me, since the most avid player of the "what if" game has been, uhm...Howard Wolfson: ...
OBAMA OWES THE NOMINATION TO A LIAR, CAD AND ADULTERER
THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS —
Edwards campaigned in Iowa for a solid year - ALL the time knowing he a HUGE skeleton in his closet. He had NO BUSINESS RUNNING. Edwards won 30% of the vote and came in second. This allowed Obama to win, and Obama's win in Iowa is what propelled him by Hillary and won him the nomination - just like Kerry in 2004 (whose win in Iowa propelled him by Dean). If Edwards is not in the race, then Hillary wins Iowa and the nomination. I wonder how Obama feels knowing that he owes EVERYTHING top the disrespectful and immoral Edwards - a liar and a cad and an adulterer. What does this say about Obama's ...
Wolfson's ridiculous speculation
Daily Kos —
Fox News "Democrat" Howard Wolfson is embracing his new role as "useful idiot and concern troll" wholeheartedly. Sen. Hillary Clinton would be the Democratic presidential nominee if John Edwards had been caught in his lie about an extramarital affair and forced out of the race last year, insists a top Clinton campaign aide, making a charge that could exacerbate previously existing tensions between the camps of Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama. "I believe we would have won Iowa, and Clinton today would therefore have been the nominee," former Clinton Communications Director Howard Wolfson told ABCNews.com. ...
Tuesday morning links
Maggie's Farm —
... bedevilled by emerging inflationary forces, will endeavour to reassert their grip on economic affairs. If that becomes widespread, globalisation could reverse – at awesome cost. It's not all Russia's fault. CSM. Maybe not, but I underestimated their goals. They are taking over the country. Not trustworthy people, the Russians. Georgia headed back to Russian domination. 25 strangest fetishes Wolfson: Edwards made Hillary lose. Probably true. What a strange world. Mark Penn had the best, if dishonest, ...
Edwards "Money Man" Baron raising money for Obama too...
The Discerning Texan —
The plot around the Edwards scandal thickens: first you have a top Clinton aide claiming that the media's suppression of this story likely cost Hillary the nomination (more on this below); now we have an apparent connection between the Dallas lawyer bankrolling the silence (and refusal to request a paternity test) of Edwards' mistress Rielle Hunter. Ed Morrissey weighs in ...
Wolfson: Edwards' Cover-up Cost Clinton the Nomination
Democratic Underground Latest Breaking News —
... ABCNews.com. Clinton finished third in the Iowa caucuses barely behind Edwards in second place and Obama in first. The momentum of the insurgent Obama campaign beating two better-known candidates -- not to mention an African-American winning in such an overwhelmingly white state -- changed the dynamics of the race forever. Obama won 37.6 per cent of the vote. Edwards won 29.7 per cent and Clinton won 29.5 per cent, according to results posted by the Iowa Democratic Party. Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5553013 ...
Az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde!
Brilliant at Breakfast —
...which is Yiddish for "If my grandmother had testicles she would be my grandfather", which is my response to Howard Wolfson for this little gem: ...
Once again...
RIGHTWINGSPARKLE —
Hillary Clinton may have been screwed over by a cheating man.
links for 2008-08-12 [delicious.com]
FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog —
Barack Obama Watch: The One's Fan Club
(tags: Barack Obama)
Did McCain Plagiarize His Speech on the Georgia Crisis? - Political Insider
A Wikipedia editor emailed Political Wire to point out some similarities between Sen. John McCain's speech today on the ...
Obama Running Ahead of Kerry in 41 States
The Hollywood Liberal —
Obama Running Ahead of Kerry in 41 States Josh Goodman compares state polling in the presidential race to the results of the 2004 election and finds that Sen. John McCain “is only running ahead of Bush’s 2004 result in four states.” Meanwhile, Sen. Barack Obama “is doing at least 2.46 percentage points better than Kerry in 41 states. In 2004, 2.46 was Bush’s margin of victory in the national popular vote.” Most interesting fact: “Every single one of Obama’s 12 strongest states when compared to Kerry has an African-American population that is below the national average of 12.4%. This group includes four states — Montana, Idaho, ...
Townhall.com Staff: What's Hot Tuesday
Townhall.com Blog's TownHall Blog —
What are the most popular stories around the web this morning? Townhall does the surfing so you don't have to. Politico: 7 Worrisome Signs for Obama Los Angeles Times: Obama Without His Script FOX News: Inconsistencies Suggest Edwards May Still Be Lying About Affair Newsweek: Desperate Georgians Ask: Where is America? Europe? Wall Street Journal: Old Scam Casts Doubt on Citizenship New York Post: Riviera Fed Up With Russians Boston Globe: Today's Work Ethic No Longer Works Houston Chronicle: U.S. Men's Gymnastics Takes Bronze CNN: Boy in Suitcase Was Cult Victim Washington ...
Iowa expert: An early Edwards exit would have aided Obama, not Clinton
Top of the Ticket —
A new -- and persuasive -- "what if" scenario has been offered for how the Democratic presidential race would have played out if John Edwards' extramarital affair had been revealed before the voting began, rather than long after it was over.
And this latest view differs dramatically from the lament offered Monday by ex-Hillary Clinton aide Howard Wolfson (below).
Wolfson, in yet another sign that some Clinton acolytes are having difficulty letting go of the past, caused a stir by telling ABC News that his boss would have ...
Howard Wolfson: My Gut Tells Me Hillary Would Have Won
News Hounds —
... proved that the netroots’ qualms about his joining FOX News were not unjustified. In his appearance on last night’s (8/12/08) Hannity & Colmes, Hillary Clinton’s former communications director repeatedly said that he wanted all Democrats to enthusiastically endorse Barack Obama Yet his own advocacy remained luke warm. On Monday, Wolfson told ABC News that Clinton lost the nomination because of John Edwards’ cover up. Last night, Wolfson backed off the claim a bit by saying, “I don’t necessarily think it’s relevant today,” but then added that he still thinks she would have won. ...
Would Hillary Have Won Iowa Without Edwards?
Pajamas Media —
A close look at the numbers. [image] Former Clinton campaign spokesman Howard Wolfson told ABC News Monday that he believes John Edwards’ decisions may have cost Hillary Clinton the Democratic nomination. His premise: had John Edwards dropped out of the Presidential race in October, 2007, when allegations of his affair with campaign aide Rielle Hunter first surfaced, it is likely Hillary would have won Iowa and ultimately become the nominee. Bloggers and journalists reacted swiftly to Wolfson’s allegation, almost all of them refuting it, including Chris Bowers at Open Left , Nate Silver at 538 , Markos at Daily ...
Was Enquirer holding back on Hillary?
Michael Calderone's Blog —
Howard Wolfson recently imagined what would have happened if the Enquirer's Edwards story broke into the mainstream back in October. So as long as we're playing a game "what if," imagine if the Enquirer had been digging up dirt on the Clintons during the same period?
According to the Palm Beach Post, the tabloid wasn't looking very hard (via Romenesko).
The Post says thats because of Roger Altman, Clinton's former asst. Treasury Secretary, who put $767 million into Enquirer-parent American Media in1999, and Ron Burkle, F.O.B. extraodinare, an AMI suitor.
David Perel, who's been making ...
Plouffe: Palin "Was Our Best Fundraiser And Organizer In The Fall"
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com —
Speaking at a forum on presidential transitions, Barack Obama's campaign manager David Plouffe said that the Texas primary constituted "the biggest mistake" he made during the campaign, said if John Edwards had finished third in Iowa, Obama would have won New Hampshire, and scoffed at cable news for its knee-jerk coverage of anything "snarky."
These reflections on campaign '08 were not deeply controversial. But Plouffe's appearance was, because it was insisted that the session be off-record for members of the press.
When word came down about these ground rules, protest and histrionics erupted in the halls of ...
Plouffe: Palin "Was Our Best Fundraiser And Organizer In The Fall"
The Huffington Post | Full News Feed —
Speaking at a forum on presidential transitions, Barack Obama's campaign manager David Plouffe said that the Texas primary constituted "the biggest mistake" he made during the campaign, said if John Edwards had finished third in Iowa, Obama would have won New Hampshire, and scoffed at cable news for its knee-jerk coverage of anything "snarky."
These reflections on campaign '08 were not deeply controversial. But Plouffe's appearance was, because it was insisted that the session be off-record for members of the press.
When word came down about these ground rules, protest and histrionics erupted in the halls of ...
