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Patti Solis Davis as VP Chief of Staff??
Some commenters are thinking this appointment of Patti Solis Davis as the VP Chief of Staff means Hillary will be Obama's choice for VP. I do not think so. Why?
First, PSD would not want to work for Hillary after being fired and Hillary would have to find it uncomfortable as well.
Next, I think this appointment may indicate a true outsider is being considered as VP because unlike a Biden he or he will not already have a C of S who knows the ways of Washington and will need someone during the campaign who does know the game. This VP candidate could be a governor who doesn't know DC politics or maybe someone from the military who is not particularly versed in running a campaign.
Or, it could indicate it is a Biden like choice who would need to keep his own Chief of Staff in place to keep his senate office running.
PSD would be well suited to advise the VP choice on how to run and co-ordinate their VP campaign with Obama's campaign.
Also . . . for those of you who question her being hired, she helped run the campaign we admired not the one that was put in place when she was fired.
That she is Latino is a bonus that can only help Obama.
Comments (14)
You mean Patti Solis Doyle? This person is a total incompetent.
June 16, 2008 5:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'd suggest she's not a total incompetent but proved poor at certain aspects of a huge presidential campaign.
Hillary will meet with her donors on Wednesday to convince them to start ponying up for Obama. What's the chance that Obama would announce a huge insult against Hillary on the Monday before?
June 16, 2008 7:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just guessing here, but maybe this has something to do with Wesley Clark. Clark was close to the Clintons and probably knew Solis-Doyle well. Perhaps he has the inside track and asked for her.
I don't get why this is a total slap in the face towards Hillary as some are saying either.
June 16, 2008 6:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
A note of warning about dangerous
entanglements:
Patti Solis Doyle's husband works for Mark Penn's firm. That makes me doubt that she would have been in conflict with Penn during the campaign.
Would you be, if it would put your husband's high powered job at risk?
This bears watching: it is a very strange appointment. It makes me wonder what sort of VP candidate will be content with having a
chief of staff pre-appointed for them, before they have even been offered the position.
Could it be that someone has already been picked, and they wanted Ms.Solis Doyle, or could it be that the Obama campaign team wants to make sure that their VP candidate is on a tight leash.
There was some grumblings about how John Edwards was doing too much freelancing in 2004.
The last speculation that I wish to throw out there is: could it indicate that Bill Richardson is going to be the pick.
June 16, 2008 7:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't know the 'back story facts' about Ms. Solis Doyle's exit from the HRC campaign.
I want to give her the benefit of the doubt here and also give Obama credit for knowing what he's doing with this appointment.
She may have been the 'dumping ground' for other's incompetence (or not). Reports are that HRC and members of her staff simply cut her loose and haven't spoken to her since....
If we trust Obama enough to support him for President, we should have enough faith in him to make the prudent and wise choices for his campaign staff.
June 16, 2008 11:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here you go Auntie :) All you need to know about Patti Solis Doyle and the Clinton Campaign Shakeup:
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200802u/patti-solis-doyle
This person is so ill fitted to belong on anyone's campaign. I can't imagine Obama appointing her to anything..it is just so bizzare.
June 17, 2008 2:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
An interesting quote from the article:
June 17, 2008 2:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
It seems like a mind-bogglingly awful initiative unless Obama already knows who he wants, that person knows too, and agreed to the appointment.
In any other situation, it would be so damned insulting to a VP pick not even to be allowed to pick his/her own Chief of Staff.
(I suppose there's the alternative situation that Obama plans to say to whoever it is, this is just during the campaign - you, of course, will choose your own staff after the election)
Just goes to show doesn't it, it's not what you know but who... Doyle is great friends with Axelrod.
June 16, 2008 11:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Doyle is one of Axelrod's closest professional friends to back-in-Chicago-day. The Clinton camp has not spoken w/ her since her ouster - incl the Sen. herself. This is a get the hint 'no' to Hil. Whatever her issues Penn should have suffered the same fate at the same time.
June 17, 2008 4:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
I believe Hillary has already been told she will not get the nod, so this will not be perceived as an insult by her.
Perhaps, instead, this is Obama's signal to her diehard supporters to forget about pushing the so-called dream ticket.
It would also make sense if the candidate has been settled on, and that person has signed off on Solis Doyle.
Like if Richardson is the VP nominee, and Obama plans a major bid for Hispanic votes.
Aside from that, it's a conundrum.
June 17, 2008 5:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
Obama's hiring of Patti Solis Doyle should effectively put an end to the speculation about Hillary as VP. One of Hillary's bundlers called Doyle's hiring "the biggest fuck you I have ever seen in politics."
June 17, 2008 8:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
"Either one of two things happen," said the [Clinton] bundler. "Hillary is selected as vice president and they fire Patti, or Hillary is not going to be the vice president." The bundler said that Clinton loyalists were livid over the pick. "You don't hire Patti Solis Doyle for her operational expertise," said the bundler. "You don't do that. This is someone who failed dramatically at her job. You only bring her on to fuck someone else."
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/
June 17, 2008 8:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
"Either one of two things happen," said the [Clinton] bundler. "Hillary is selected as vice president and they fire Patti, or Hillary is not going to be the vice president." The bundler said that Clinton loyalists were livid over the pick. "You don't hire Patti Solis Doyle for her operational expertise," said the bundler. "You don't do that. This is someone who failed dramatically at her job. You only bring her on to fuck someone else."
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/
June 17, 2008 9:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
Sorry for the double post. The site's messed up again.
June 17, 2008 9:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
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