1. Michael Whouley in Wisconsin

Hillary should have had Michael Whouley in Wisconsin as people in the Potomac Primaries started voting.  The best way to stop Obama's momentum cold is to make it a close contest in Wisconsin at a minimum or to win it.  That would drive the media coverage over the next few weeks as the giddy media stokes the fires for a big show-down in Texas and Ohio. The media narrative would no longer be all about Obama's wins and the herculean and almost insurmountable effort needed by Hillary to actually win the nomination now.  

2. Surrogates in Wisconsin

Hillary needs tough surrogates with credentials who can chip away at Obama's really skimpy resume

(a.)His lack of executive, managerial, leadership experience,

(b.)His "lack of qualifications" to be Commander-in-Chief,

(c.)To make the distinction between a candidate who talks well and promises a lot but hasn't accomplished much in his political life  (lack of any substantive legislative achievements, he's all hat and not much cattle, he chaired a U.S. Senate foreign affairs committee but never held a single committee meeting nor produced any accomplishment which together with his voting present on controversial issues in the Illinois Senate reinforces his lack of accomplishment to back up his loft rhetoric),

(d.) Take him on his Iraq War vote which he always gets a pass on (he made one speech as a State Senator but when he went to Washington he has voted the same way as Hillary and other Senators on the War (contrasts his rhetoric with his actions in the Senate and taken together with the above contrasts reinforces that he talks a good anti-Washington game but played the old Washington game very well while in Washington D.C., he's a politician (surprise!),

(e.) Point out Hillary's political scars for what they are, BADGES OF PRIDE, for the many times that she has fought the tough political fights against the powers that be, against the corporate interests on the behalf of people whose voices are seldom heard in Washington, D.C. - these political scars are PROOF that she will fight for them - she alone has the track record of fighting for those without a voice in Washington, D.C.,

(f.) Explain how her knowledge of how Washington works, how to master the bureaucracy, how to move th levers of power as President, will enable her to Effect CHANGE on DAY ONE and not be sucked into the old Washington game that engulfs every new President - she knows how to avoid the pitfalls by having been there before (Do we really have the time, a whole first-term, for a new President to learn the ways of Washington in able to try to change it b/c by that time Washington will have  engulfed the new President and little change will actually end-up happening,)

(g.) Make the point that the challenges are too great, the risks too high, to take a chance on an exciting personality with lofty rhetoric but, unfortunately,  doesn't have the experience or the accomplishments to back up the rhetoric (if we lose the Presidency then we lose the Supreme Court,)

(h.) Highlight the differences between the Hillary and Obama messages -  his is one of ambiguous change, hers is one of REAL CHANGE, REAL SOLUTIONS - CHANGE that WORKS for the AMERICAN PEOPLE on DAY ONE based on her life experience of effecting change and effecting real solutions to real problems to make a difference in real people's lives

3. Hillary in Wisconsin

(a.) Drive the local media coverage with events that allow the Hillary campaign to point out and contrast the differences between her plan and Obama's plan for health care coverage (his plan is more of the same with rosier estimates of how many people it would cover) and their records and policies on the other economic issues,

(b.) Drive local media coverage with a series of town visits driving toward a huge rally in the largest Hillary demographic area,

(c.) let people know that she is on their side (she understands their issues, their lives, and how her policies will address their concerns and needs - she hears their voices and will carry those voices to Washington D.C. - for the first time in years the voices of the people will drive what happens in Washington D.C. and not the desires and whims of corporate lobbyists,)

(d.) WE, together, have the power to take back OUR country (it's OUR country and TOGETHER we can take it back and move it forward with REAL SOLUTIONS, READY to WORK on Day ONE,)

(e.) Everywhere Hillary goes she should ask people to join her to CHANGE the culture in Washington D.C. - to put the interests of the country first and not those of the corporate lobbyists (Bringing REAL CHANGE, a CHANGE that WORKS for the AMERICAN PEOPLE on DAY ONE,)

(f.) Everywhere she goes she needs to ask the voters to join her and together WE can take back our country and CHANGE the course of history,

(g.) consistent message discipline with events that highlight and reinforce the message:
TOGETHER WE CAN CHANGE HISTORY
REAL CHANGE, REAL SOLUTIONS - CHANGE that WORKS for the AMERICAN PEOPLE on DAY ONE,

(h.) Coordinate, coordinate, coordinate with locals in the field to get the vote out,

(i.) Use Bill and Chelsea and other "prominents" strategically as needed to drive turnout and interest and counter Obama presence as needed

4. Texas

(a.) While the Wisconsin fight is underway, field coordinators should be working in Texas, esp.  to drive enthusiasm and lock-in Latino(a) votes and women votes (through Latino outreach and Women outreach programs,)

(b.) Get Surrogates in immediately to bring the same message as in Wisconsin, to contrast and compare Obama with Hillary

5. Ohio

(a.) Get Michael Whouley in Ohio the night before election day in Wisconsin so he can start on the Wisconsin election day organizing in Ohio,

(b.) Get Surrrogates in immediately,

(c.) While the Wisconsin campaign is underway, the field ops people should be working the Hillary areas and coordinating with the Governor's team

6. General

(a.)Rotate a core group of surrogates through the states with other surrogates brought in to buttress local outreach efforts,

(b.) On the air, radio and cable locally, strategically to drive turnout in key areas and to blunt Obama strong areas

O.K., it's tough to write a complete campaign document in a short period of time but the above is a good start. ;-)

SUMMARY

Three keys to Being Successful:
(1.) Dominate the local news, radio and cable through events, surrogates and a strong, tough but fair campaign,
(2.) Message Discipline
(3.) Organization

It's been obvious that the Hillary campaign has not had all three of these since NH. And with CHANGE the driving issue, Hillary is the perfect vessel for that change - She's been there, done that! She has a track record, no need for lofty and soaring rhetoric.

NOTE on the MEDIA

I still say that Obama takes Wisconsin by 5%.

It was a little slap in the face to Wisconsin voters that she wasn't even in their state that night when Obama had a 17,000 people rally in Madison.

Could they send a message to their list asking for just "5 phone calls" to Wisconsin?  Something relatively painless?  

Call it 5 Calls for Victory...

Then do the same for other states.

I think she should appeal to the natural rebelliousness of youth and challenge them to not follow the herd for Obama. He's trendy now but trends come and go quickly. She needs to catch the inevitable backlash and turn it into votes for her, the new underdog.

It does seem darned late in the game for a change at the top here, with less than a week to ago -- although there is need for better coordination.   All campaigns can be crazy, and the local volunteer coordinator has been emailing like mad, trying to rally the troops but with little info to do so.  The local paper in Milwaukee, the leading paper in the state, lists only one Hillary Clinton event, but it's the $100 dollar Dem dinner where Obama will speak, too.  

Not that the Obama schedule has had much detail  until today -- but now it has an event a day in other cities, culminating in a Milwaukee rally just set for Sunday in our convention center . . . while we await word of a public event with Hillary Clinton here.  Details of the Bill Clinton event early tomorrow just went out late today, the Chelsea Clinton tour that began in Milwaukee didn't have a time or place publicized until the morning paper, only hours before. (I would have reversed the tour, if set so late, to start her outstate to then come to Milwaukee with more notice -- and ditto for Ambassador Joe Wilson, with less than 12 hours' notice to set up events; he could have drawn crowds with 24 hours' notice!)

Ohio - Clinton 55% Obama 34%

Texas - Clinton 52% Obama 36%

She should state her position openly & proudly -- seat the delegates -- it's too late for a do-over.  The DNC messed up with unequal enforcement of rules and the delegations of all 50 states should be treated equally -- including the states that messed around with the dates.

She (and surrogates) should be asking for his solution.  Does he envision a convention without FL & MI?  Or is he just playing political games with votes?

All I was trying to say was that even McCain's campaign is getting worried that it will be hard to mount any attack on Obama without it hurting them.  Maybe I read into it too much by thinking that their claim also suggests that there isn't much legitimate ammo out there to work with, and they'd be reduced to nasty, empty mud-slinging which this adviser does not want to do against a good person.

I had read a handful of articles on the subject - perhaps a better one is this where the author includes a quote saying that he has a crossover voter appeal.  Central argument being, even IF Clinton does what this blog posts suggests, it might not be enough to counter one of Obama's big claims that he is just more electable next to McCain.  Frankly, I think it's a legit argument to make.  I think that the 5 items listed in this post are not wrong, but won't necessarily work given the force field Obama has managed to build around himself.  

I obviously applaud you for speaking your political views. However, I am generally interested in criminal issues strictly.

I am not naive enough to think that we can strip politics from criminal justice issues. But, I do think many of the problems are with "both sides of the isle."

A generic candidate offering her resume might be appealing in an ordinary year, running against an ordinary field of competitors.  None of these facts exist today.  

Hillary is not a generic candidate.  For much of the reason that many of her supporters support her (her association with Bill), there are many who do not.  Although this has not yet come up in this primary campaign, you should realize that were she to be the party nominee, a second, equally true narrative about the 1990's will be offered to the public.  That would be the narrative of nonstop scandal and investigation.  A non-transparent White House that seeks to destroy its enemies (eliminating any hope of bipartisanship).  While most of you will react with anger at this idea, and blame the bad Republicans (who I, too, despise), you cannot dispute this fact.  It happened; and it halted any chance of meaningful progress on a progressive agenda.  Many Obama supporters were Clinton voters in the 90's, but recall with horror how campaign promise afer campaign promise went unfulfilled--not because of an absence of will by the Clintons, but because of the toxic political environment in which they governed.  To blame 100% of this toxicity on Republicans is folly.  

This is not a "normal" year.  You can argue that every election cycle brings about the desire for change, but never before has that change manifested itself in the campaign slogans of virtually every candidate, Democrat and Republican.  The people don't want conventional politics any more.  Washington didn't just "break" in the last 7 years.....

Obama is not a "normal" candidate.  Increasingly large majorities of Democrats (and even most Independents and many Republicans--see Lincoln Chafee's endorsement this morning) see in Obama an honorable, intelligent, wise and inspriational leader.  We haven't seen that in 40 years (no offense, Bill, but you were not "honorable").  Dismiss him (and his supporters) as "naive" or fluff, but you are missing the picture.  This man simply has far better judgment than Senator Clinton.  It isn't just the Iraq war (though that is huge).  Look at how he has organized his campaign.  Look at how he has remained true to his message in the face of great triumph (Iowa, and all the contests since Feb 5th) as well as in the face of great disappointment (New Hampshire).  By contrast, your candidate and her surrogates routinely change their message, thank supporters in states that she wins (like Florida...) but trash those states where she loses (like 2/3 of the states that have voted).  Just today Mark Penn trashed every state Obama has won, except Illinois, as being "insignificant".  Really?  Will Hillary, as the party's nominee, repeat that line in a general election in Virginia, Missouri, Colorado, Iowa, Washington, Louisiana...?  

And that is really the point.  Hillary does not have the temperament to be a good president.  Mark Penn should be fired immediately (frankly, he should have been fired for his repeated "cocaine" references before Iowa).  Of course, he won't.  Ed Rendell should be publicly excoriated for saying that white Pennsylvania Democrats won't vote for a black man.  Of course, he won't.  Why?  Because Hillary rewards loyalty above all else.  Just like George W. Bush.

So, it isn't about tactics in this race.  Your candidate is losing because your candidate is burdened by one unfixable problem: YOUR CANDIDATE.

2nd.   YOU ARE NOT YOUR HUSBAND-go buy a new writer and change your act.

3rd.   Want younger voters. Try giving them more respect by realizing you can't buy their vote with some young up and coming singer/band/actor/actress.  Who cares who you know in show biz? You certainly don't need acting lessons. Besides, can THEY end the war or bring change to the country?
   (by the way if you want to waste your time trying to find the best young singers/bands.... go right ahead......we'll stick to the real issues).

4th.  Come up with an orginal idea before Obama (and your NOT supposed to mention that just because he brought up an issue first-didn't mean you weren't going to address it later...geez)

5th.  Set aside your superiority complex.  Remember we are REAL people and these are real lives you will be playing with.

Did you know that Hillary used to work at Walmart????

1. Some have suggested going negative, I think that's a bad plan for a lot of reasons.  In a primary its cannibalism and to the extent the fight is for dems who are on the fence I think it pushes them the wrong way.  It was in no small part some of the negative comments, especially Bills' South Carolina crap, that pushed me toward Obama.

2. Don't surrender anywhere.  It sends a terrible message not just to the states being ignored, but to those down the road.

3. Don't make it easy.  Don't give the MSM or Obama easy shots.  Keep Bill under control.  Release your tax returns.  In a race this close you can't afford unforced errors.

4. Stop talking about super delegates in public.  Do all the back room wheedling you want but the more you talk about using the supers to get you over the weaker you look and the more you can be painted as thwarting the will of the people.

1.  Edwards and Obama made much in the early debates about Bill Clinton's full White House records not being released until 2012.  Since Hillary supporters are confident that her experience from 1992-2000 is good and of key importance, she surely spoke on numerous issues.  Release those records NOW so that all that good stuff can be seen.
   
2.  Al Gore was Hillary's co-vice president.  Perhaps he might be willing to vouch for her effectiveness during those years.
   
3.  APOLOGIZE for leaving Monica Lewinsky twisting in the winds for months.  Failure to admit his mistakes is one of Bush's biggest flaws.  There is no reason to share this flaw.