HILLARY'S FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL – AT 10:22 A.M. ET:   Hillary will probably be defeated in New Hampshire today by Bernie Sanders.  She is now in a fight for political survival, but some Democrats worry over the tactics she's chosen.  From The Hill: 

Hillary Clinton’s White House campaign is going negative against her left-wing rival Bernie Sanders — and a lot of unaligned Democrats think that’s a bad idea.

Her husband, former President Clinton, is leading the charge, hitting Sanders supporters as sexist on Sunday while accusing the Vermont senator of muddying facts.

The attacks come as Hillary Clinton faces a defeat — perhaps a heavy one — in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, according to opinion polls.
Clinton barely defeated Sanders in last week’s Iowa caucuses, and Monday brought rumblings of a possible staff shake-up.

The shift by the Clinton team to a more aggressive footing evoked memories for some of her 2008 campaign against Barack Obama, when Bill Clinton and other surrogates mounted attacks that were widely seen as counter-productive.

Clinton supporters worry that history might be repeating itself, and that the former president’s attacks could boomerang on his wife by turning off large swathes of the Democratic electorate.

And...

Iowa gave added sharpness to the 42nd president’s existing frustrations.

“He’s had enough of this,” one supporter said.

All the same, even some Clintonites have found his tone perplexing.

“It doesn’t feel strategic. It feels reactionary,” another ally said. “Angry Bill is kind of fun but when he’s looking older and older, not so much. I don’t understand it. In the end, show me anyone who believes [Sanders] gets the nomination, so why not keep his supporters happy for the general?”

Another former aide who worked for Clinton during her 2008 bid said Bill Clinton “should have let others be the attack dog while he promotes Hillary.”

COMMENT:  I think the critics are right.  The Clintons come off as a wealthy corporation being pushed aside by a scrappy start-up. 

But it's also true that, thanks in some measure to Barack Obama, the Democratic Party has veered far to the left, and that just isn't where the Clintons are.

February 9, 2016