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Clinton rattled at NH dinner

From the Weekly Standard: "Dinner with the Democrats" (HT: Althouse)

But a few minutes into her speech she trots out her standard line about how "some people think you get change by demanding it and some people think you get change by hoping for it" (a dig at Edwards and Obama)--there's actually some booing. It throws her off. After starting the speech upbeat and sunny, she becomes a bit brittle. The response from the audience gets fainter with each applause line until you can actually see the Obama supporters sitting on their hands, their "O" signs resting on their laps.

"We have to pick a president who is ready on day one," she says, to muted applause from her small contingent. The Obama crowd then waves their signs and begins chanting "Obama! Obama!" while she keeps speaking. It's a tense moment and Clinton seems rattled by it.

Clinton's campaign has always followed some kind of circular logic that she should be the nominee because she should be the nominee. But now that the "inevitability" myth has been shattered, Hillary has no substance to fall back on. She's been purposely vague on issues and her "standard lines" are as hackneyed as an episode of "ER."

Furthermore, Hillary has been making broad statements like these for months without anybody really challenging her. But now Democrats are asking "what's it all about, Alfie?" What does it mean that Hillary is "ready on day one?" In what special way is Hillary more qualified? Because she once had an office in the West Wing? Preposterous.

Yes, some people think you get change by hoping for it, while others think you get change by holding secret meetings to re-jigger America's health care system:

The second of Hillary Clinton's important experiences was the drafting, in secret, of a national health care plan. It was so dauntingly baroque and ominously statist that a Congress controlled by her party would not bring it to a vote.

Her experiences that should matter most to primary voters reveal consistently bad judgment. Her campaign's behavior radiates bad character.

"Experience counts" says the Clinton camp. And how.

Extra - Via Gateway Pundit who has more on the dinner, there's this brutal live-blogging from 2008 Central: "She uses her 'some people want to fight for change, others hope' line…and gets a significant amount of boos, as she segues into experience. She’s really doubling down on experience."

More - Even Bill Richardson joined in: "Richardson had a special line of gratitude to offer the audience and attendees, "I want to thank the candidates in this race who don't have the political pedigree of others," a not-so-subtle dig at Clinton."
posted by Eric at 12:19 PM