Clinton Supporter Thinks Russert "Should Be Shot"

In the immediate post Dem debate period it looked like Hillary Clinton had once again won handily. In fact, if you read the liveblog posts at The Corner and many other sites you would have come to conclusion that Hillary pretty much mopped the floor with Obama, Edwards, et al. The post debate spin that has developed since then has reflected anything but a victory for Hillary. Her flip-flopping non-answers to some of the tough questions she got from the moderators, especially on the issue of nukes in Iran, her papers at the National Archives, and the New York illegal alien drivers license issue reflected very badly on the supposedly unflappable Ice Queen.

The campaign is scrambling for damage control, but in a conference call with supporters the team heard the some things that won't help them too much:

The object of the call, and a follow-up breakfast Thursday morning with campaign chairman and former chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Terry McAuliffe, was apparently to stop whatever bleeding the senator might have sustained during a debate in which Clinton wore a bull’s-eye on her back throughout the evening.

Penn and Mantz said “a new phase” in the campaign had begun with about 65 days to go before the Iowa caucuses. They expect Obama and Edwards to go “negative on TV, and we’re going to need the resources to fight that front.”

While one supporter voiced his concern that the Clinton campaign is not devoting enough money and staff to Iowa, lagging behind Obama, most supporters who commented on the call expressed their displeasure with what they saw as the moderators’ focus on Clinton.

One caller from Oklahoma City said that “the questions … were designed to incite a brawl,” and that Russert’s and Brian Williams’s moderating was “an abdication of journalistic responsibility.”

Another said Russert “should be shot,” before quickly adding that she shouldn’t say that on a conference call.

I should think not. Making the moderators the subject of their anger will only encourage future moderators to take a tough line with Clinton to evoke a similar response. It's their job to challenge the candidates and force them to articulate their positions and explain why they should be president. "Shooting the messenger", so to speak, is a pretty bad campaign tactic.

This episode is a reminder that Clinton and her shock troops have an enlarged sense of entitlement as it pertains to the presidency. She considers the White House her birthright and anyone that gets in the way must be crushed. I don't know if this episode will represent a turning point in the campaign, but it certainly will give her opposition some ideas about how to get under her skin.