December 13, 2006
Clinton Dines With The "White Boys"
Sen. Hillary Clinton has dinner with tonight with several of her husband’s top political advisers – James Carville, Paul Begala, Joel Johnson and Joe Lockhart.
All four have substantial presidential campaign experience, and none will play a formal role in the campaign.
The subject of the dinner could not be determined, but the guest list offers a clue, as does history: Clinton convened a similar dinner shortly before she announced her New York Senate candidacy in 2000.
The “White Boys” – as this group of Bill Clinton top aides informally bills itself, tongue in cheek – are unique assets for Clinton. That they won’t be part of the formal hierarchy of the campaign, which will be managed by Patti Solis Doyle, poses some rare challenges.
Between the four of them, they’re friends with just about every important Democratic strategist and office-holder in the nation. They’re personal friends with Bill Clinton. And they have access to – and regularly speak with – charter members of the national political media.
As informal advisers, they’ll be in a position to provide Clinton with information and perspective from outside the campaign structure. But they’ll also be free to talk about the campaign to others.
One Clinton insider (we hate to use the term, but this person really is an insider) said that Clinton wants all four to know that she’s open to their advice. She may also use the occasion to subtly caution her friends from public backbiting or using their status as advisers to speak on background to reporters.
Carville was the senior consultant on Clinton’s 1992 campaign; he was a close adviser through the Clinton presidency. He leveraged his celebrity into a Hollywood career, a CNN gig, numerous teaching engagements, popular books, overseas consulting for international presidential candidates, and even a restaurant. Democrats sought his advice and feared the sting of his rebukes.
In the late summer of 2004, he pressured John Kerry to shake up his campaign. Within weeks, Johnson and Lockhart, by then wildly successful lobbyists and consultants, were asked to retool Kerry’s public image. Democrats debate today whether their intervention worked.
Other members of the “White Boys” include Doug Sosnik, a former White House political director who is now a top adviser to Sen. Chris Dodd’s presidential campaign, Steve Richetti, another top political aide in the Clinton White House, and Harold Ickes, a former deputy white house chief of staff who is close to Hillary Clinton and who is currently helping her recruit political staff for her campaign. Rep. Rahm Emanuel was considered a White Boy during his White House service.
Among Hillary Clinton’s staff, the term “White Boys” is used to refer to two distinct groups: her husband’s staff, led by chief of staff Doug Band, and the larger group of her husband’s outside advisers and friends. Terry McAuliffe, Clinton’s chief fundraiser and the former DNC chairman, transcends both Hillary and Bill Clinton universes. [MARC AMBINDER]
Posted at 10:20 AM
Comments
Judging from 2004, this group seem totally overrated.
-Paul Begala and James Carville in their media roles pushed the theme of anybody but X, commonly used in the primaries during the general elections. This was done at the point where typically people naturally move to support the nominee. This hurt Kerry with the undecided - as 2 of the very few prominent TV Democrats were signaling that Kerry was not their choice. In 1992, Clinton was not close to my favorite in the primaries, but I didn't even think of whining that I was ABB.
- You say, "In the late summer of 2004, he pressured John Kerry to shake up his campaign. Within weeks, Johnson and Lockhart, by then wildly successful lobbyists and consultants, were asked to retool Kerry’s public image. Democrats debate today whether their intervention worked. "
Now, Kerry VERY easily won the primaries. It seems that without the Clinton help, they did far better than with it.
The advise that Clinton and his people gave was supposedly to speak of the economy. However, Kerry's numbers went up after the foreign policy debate and his speeches on Iraq and terrorism. His other advise was that Kerry abandon a 20 plus year record of support of gay rights and to endorse all the gay bashing amendments. Kerry had too much integrity to do this.
When you add in the claim in "State of Denial" that Carville passed inside information to the Bush administration via his wife at least on election eve, I wonder if the Clinton people jumping onto the bandwagon for the general election may have included dragging their feet like young kids do.
This might suggest that the Clinton people who jumped on the band wagon for the general election may have
Karynnj | 12.13.06 02:58 PM
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