Clinton’s Tactic of Emphasizing Experience Is Questioned Focus on credentials as secretary of state and senator gives Sanders an edge with his message of change, some say By Peter Nicholas
http://www.wsj.com/articles/clintons-tactic-of-emphasizing-experience-is-questioned-1453678867
CLINTON, Iowa—In her closing pitch to Iowa voters, Hillary Clinton is casting herself as the one Democrat who has the experience to make the life-or-death choices that come with the presidency.
It echoes the argument she made in 2008, when she ran an ad saying a president must be ready for a “3 a.m. phone call” warning of imminent peril. It didn’t work then and some people close to the Clintons worry it won’t succeed now.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has narrowed Mrs. Clinton’s lead in Iowa ahead of the state’s Feb. 1 caucuses. He could scramble the race should he notch a victory there and in New Hampshire. His theme is direct: He is the champion of voters who are disillusioned with Washington politics and impatient with an economy that lavishes rewards on a tiny fraction of families.
“I am angry…and the American people are angry,” Mr. Sanders said Sunday on CBS.
He is promising a political “revolution.” Even if his ideas may be difficult to achieve in a polarized, Republican-controlled Congress—a point Mrs. Clinton often makes—his message is overshadowing Mrs. Clinton’s focus on experience, some Clinton allies said. They want to see her return to an argument more central to her campaign when she entered the race nine months ago: that she will shake up the system.
Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley will face voters Monday night in a televised town-hall event in Des Moines, Iowa, their last such meeting before the caucuses next week.
One longtime Clinton ally, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mrs. Clinton’s focus on her credentials as a former secretary of state, first lady and U.S. senator is out of step with the nation’s mood. By embracing President Barack Obama more tightly as voting nears, she seems to be opting for continuity, this person said.
James Carville, who helped steer Bill Clinton’s victory in the 1992 election, said in an interview that Mrs. Clinton faces a quandary: She is running against a self-described socialist who by definition is seen as wanting wholesale reordering.
“It’s an argument you’re not going to win, because the guy is a socialist who is always going to be for change,” Mr. Carville said. “But there’s no question that no one can ever run for president saying the next four years are going to be just like the last eight.”
Clinton aides dismiss the idea that she is repeating a mistake from eight years ago, saying the political dynamics this time are different.
Robby Mook, Mrs. Clinton’s campaign manager, said that in 2008, many voters were eager for something different after eight years of the Bush presidency. “Voters right now are looking for someone to build on progress Obama has made and get something done.” Mr. Mook said.
Campaigning in Iowa over the weekend, Mrs. Clinton again played up her time spent huddled with powerful officials with the nation’s security on the line. She talked about sessions in the White House Situation Room advising Mr. Obama to launch the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
“I was able to bring my years of experience to the forefront in evaluating what I was hearing and what I was seeing and what needed to be done,” she said at a town hall-style event Saturday. “So this is one of the biggest parts of the decision as you head toward Feb. 1st that I want you to keep in mind.”
A new ad released by the Clinton campaign shows images of her leaving government airplanes, speaking at lecterns and reading paperwork. It is a vivid contrast to a new Sanders ad that, using the Simon and Garfunkel song “America,” shows images of everyday people and droves of supporters cheering at Sanders rallies. There is no narrator, no mention of policy and no reference to Mr. Sanders’s credentials.
Polling shows the risk Mrs. Clinton takes in showcasing her résumé. A Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll this month found just 29% of all registered voters believe the country is moving in the right direction, compared with 63% who believe it isn’t. Even a large chunk of registered Democrats aren’t happy with the nation’s trajectory: 40% said the country was on the wrong track, compared with 48% who are happy with how things are going.
“I feel like she’s your typical politician and I feel like Bernie isn’t, which is why I’m interested in him,” said Katie Ruedas, 25, a stay-at-home mom from Fort Dodge, Iowa, interviewed at a recent Sanders event.
Chris Kofinis, a Democratic strategist who has been conducting focus groups of party voters, said they already see Mrs. Clinton as more experienced so it doesn’t do her much good to make the point anew.
Addressing Mr. Sanders’s appeal, he said: “The question you have to ask is: What are voters looking for? Experience is a factor they admire, but what they want to hear is a vision. They’re getting it from Sanders, but not from her.”
The debate within the larger circle of Clinton allies mirrors that of 2008. In that race, many of her advisers came to regret the overriding importance she attached to her experience, as Mr. Obama tapped into voters’ hunger for a new direction.
—Laura Meckler
contributed to this article.
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