The news out of Clintonland today is basically this: they are so mad!
The Hill has two stories out this morning about the Clintons, and each details their irritation with various “allies.”
First is David Brock and his always hilarious Correct The Record: in 2013, CTR attacked a Republican by accusing him of “punish[ing] political enemies”—something the Clintons know well and that set Bill Clinton off.
Clinton believed that Correct the Record had violated an iron rule of politics by attacking an imploding enemy. The former president was worried that the “collateral damage” to Hillary Clinton could have been high, and that she could have been drawn into a polarizing debate.
Watching from New York, Clinton “burst a gasket” and let loose on his chief of staff Tina Flournoy, who in turn called Burns Strider. … “Your boy is red in the face,” Flournoy told Strider, who is also a confidante of the former president.
Maybe the relationship between Brock and the Clintons isn’t quite as rosy as is widely reported?
The other story involves David Axelrod’s many public swipes at Clinton and her 2008 campaign during his recent media tour promoting his book. Cue the anonymous quotes and hand wringing!
“It’s not helpful and it’s definitely not appreciated,” said one Clinton ally. “The last thing we need is another round of headlines about lingering tension and this is doing exactly that.
“When he speaks, it gets picked up and people listen,” the ally added.
Another supporter added: “I think a lot of us are scratching our heads. Why is any of that necessary?” A third added, “She’s been a great team player, she’s been very supportive of the president and she hasn’t gotten in front of him on a lot of issues so what’s he trying to do?”
Axelrod did not respond to a request for comment.