Back-stabbing staff and non-decisions was Hillary Clinton’s downfall

The downfall of Hillary Clinton‘s push for the presidency can be summed up in one word — Iowa.

Hillary Clinton waits to speak at campaign rally in Wyoming in March. (Photo/Jason Kosena)
Hillary Clinton waits to speak at campaign rally in Wyoming in March. (Photo/Jason Kosena)

Even though Clinton ended her presidential bid in June after wading through primaries and caucuses in every state and territory, her actual Waterloo came long before her awkward exit from the race.

In fact it started after she won third place in Iowa after spending nearly all of the $100 million she had raised. The downfall was exacerbated by back-stabbing, undercutting senior staff and her inability to make a call when the chips were on the table.

That is the conclusion of Joshua Green, senior editor for The Atlantic, in a curtain-pulling article that illustrates the reasons why Clinton lost and how her campaign failed despite her status as the inevitable Democratic choice.

From the article:

“Hillary Clinton’s campaign was undone by a clash of personalities more toxic than anyone imagined. E-mails and memos—published here for the first time—reveal the backstabbing and conflicting strategies that produced an epic meltdown.”

The Clinton memos and e-mails Green obtained are quite candid and very telling about the nature of her campaign.

They show the brilliant political strategy designed by her senior pollster, Mark Penn, as well as the warring factions of her own senior-level staff, as the most recognizable female politician in history bumbled her way through the primaries.

In what must be the most ironic aspect of the article, for all of the campaign rhetoric Clinton pushed about her being “ready to lead” on Day 1, it appears her inability to make important decisions hurt her the most.

For political junkies this article and the supporting internal memos from the campaign are a must-read.

Comments are closed.