Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - Memo: Seasons of the Campaign

To: Interested Parties

From: Clinton Campaign

RE: Seasons of the Campaign

SENATOR OBAMA'S "NEXT PHASE"

There have been three major developments in the race this month: Senator Clinton has broken 50 percent in several primary polls, she outraised the other candidates in the third quarter and her opponents have entered a new season of the campaign that they call "clear contrast." Most others call it negative campaigning.

Related? You bet.

Yesterday's FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll puts Senator Clinton at the 50 percent mark, Senator Barack Obama at 18 and former Senator John Edwards at 11. This poll comes on the heels of last week's Washington Post/ABC News poll which had Senator Clinton at 53 percent, Senator Obama at 20 percent and former Senator Edwards at 13 percent.

And it's not just the national polls that show Hillary getting stronger. Recent polls in the early states of New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina show her with consistent, wide leads while the latest data in Iowa shows that her support is growing.

To put these numbers in context, six months ago Hillary held as little as a 5-point lead over Senator Obama – today, as all of the candidates have become better known, her lead has grown to as many as 33 points.

At the same time, Hillary -- for the first time -- outraised Senator Obama in both primary and overall contributions. She attracted 100,000 new donors in the third quarter -- more than Senator Obama -- and raised $8 million online.

These trends reflect the fact that Hillary's message of experience and change is resonating with voters as the first primary contests grow closer. She spent the last week explaining her programs to rebuild the middle class after 7 years of neglect by President Bush (See: David Brooks ; New York Daily News), following on her well received healthcare plan. She is outlining her vision for change and talking with the voters about her ideas.

Other campaigns are reacting. Senator Obama said yesterday his campaign will be entering a time of "clear contrast" in an article headlined "Obama: Bye-Bye Mr. Nice Guy?"

Apparently Senator Obama's fall in the polls has led him to abandon his pledge to change our politics and bring people together.

This week Senator Obama criticized Senator Clinton's vote to designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization.

Senator Obama was silent on the measure when it was considered on the floor. Despite serving on the Foreign Affairs Committee, he wasn't involved in Senate negotiations or discussions over the bill's language. (See: Huffington Post) He didn't speak out against it before it was voted on – he didn't even return from the campaign trail to vote. He didn't speak out against it at a nationally televised debate that night or defend himself from an attack during the debate on his missed vote. In fact, he waited more than nine hours after the vote was over to issue a statement about it.

If Senator Obama believed the measure was as dangerous as he says, wouldn't he have had some obligation to stand up, speak out, and fight against it?

So perhaps something else is at work: politics.

As Senator Obama's closest ally in the Senate, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, said, "If I thought there was any way it could be used as a pretense to launch an invasion of Iran I would have voted no."

As Senator Obama abandons the politics of hope in favor of attack politics, Senator Clinton remains focused on her vision for America – the kind of vision that today is attracting the key endorsement of civil rights hero Congressman John Lewis.