Way back in March, Carpetbagger regular Jim Benton encouraged the Clinton campaign to “stop with the Tonya Harding tactics.” Apparently, it’s a comparison that’s catching on. Jake Tapper reports:
I just spoke with a Democratic Party official, who asked for anonymity so as to speak candidly, who said we in the media are all missing the point of this Democratic fight.
The delegate math is difficult for Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, the official said. But it’s not a question of CAN she achieve it. Of course she can, the official said.
The question is — what will Clinton have to do in order to achieve it? What will she have to do to Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, in order to eke out her improbable victory?
She will have to “break his back,” the official said. She will have to destroy Obama, make Obama completely unacceptable.
“Her securing the nomination is certainly possible – but it will require exercising the ‘Tonya Harding option.'” the official said. “Is that really what we Democrats want?”
In late February and early March, when the Clinton campaign’s offensive began in earnest, staffers told reporters they were calling it the “kitchen-sink strategy.” That seemed apt, though the “Tonya Harding option” certainly has a bit more flair, doesn’t it?
As for the question from the party official, I suspect most Democrats are saying, “No, this isn’t what we want.”
I suppose there was a point, maybe eight or nine days ago, when Clinton supporters could reasonably make the argument that the Jeremiah Wright controversy was so explosive, and the media was playing edited versions of Wright’s sermons so frequently, the party should wait to see if Democrats and voters in general repelled from the Obama campaign in disgust. Maybe, they thought, this was the break they’d been waiting for.
Except that hasn’t happened. Obama has rebounded from the controversy, has retaken a slight lead in the polls, and the overall campaign dynamic is not significantly different than it was before the Wright issue landed on front pages. Worse, it’s Clinton, not Obama, who’s been stuck with an awkward controversy (the flap surrounding her false claims about her 1996 Bosnia trip) that undermines her credibility.
So, we’re left with the “Tonya Harding option.” And what does that include? Clearly, Clinton’s attack on Wright yesterday is part of it, but that’s not all.
The Clinton campaign is distributing an article in the American Spectator (!) about Obama foreign policy adviser Merrill McPeak and his penchant for.. well, the article accuses him of being an anti-Semite and a drunk. Principally, the author takes McPeak to task for supporting a Middle East map that would require Israel to withdraw to its pre-1967 border. It also makes the case that McPeak supports the Walt-Mearsheimer view of the influence of the Israeli lobby on foreign policy.
The author’s sudden conclusion: “Obama has a Jewish problem and McPeak’s bigoted views are emblematic of what they are. Obama can issue all the boilerplate statements supporting Israel’s right to defend itself he wants. But until he accepts responsibility for allowing people like McPeak so close to his quest for the presidency, Obama’s sincerity and judgment will remain open questions.”
As one keen observer pointed out to me, if advocating the pre ’67 border map makes one an anti-Semite, just about every iteration of the U.S. government since 1967 would qualify. Tony McPeak’s verbal gymnastics do not make a “Jewish problem” for Obama.
Let’s put it this way: when Hillary Clinton is sitting alongside Richard Mellon Scaife and on the same day her campaign is distributing an article from the American Spectator, you know there’s a problem. (What’s more, the Clinton campaign responded to Bosnia questions by releasing a memo documenting various misstatements from Obama, including his May 2007 gaffe overstating the death toll of a tornado in Greensburg, Kan.)
Considering all of this, Atrios noted, “Remember back in junior high, when you had that friend that the bullies picked on all the time? And you defended that friend, who really never did all that much for you, which led to you getting your ass kicked a few times yourself? And then you got to high school and your friend joined up with the bullies? It’s kind of like that.”
Kevin added, “There are already an awful lot of reasons for me not to bother defending Hillary even tepidly, and I hardly need another one. She’s been voted off the island. It’s time for her to go.”
It’s fair to say that Atrios and Kevin are not sycophantic Obama cheerleaders. When they’ve reached this conclusion, the “Tonya Harding option” is probably doing more harm than good.