Since the Norman Hsu campaign finance scandal first broke weeks ago, conservatives have wondered when liberal media members will get concerned about how this might impact the presidential aspirations of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY).
If Sunday's "The Chris Matthews Show" is a barometer, the news is not good for Hillary supporters.
As The Anchoress accurately reported Saturday, NBC's Andrea Mitchell made a statement concerning the Clintons that was absolutely shocking:
Up until now, Bill Clinton has been a complete plus among Democratic primary voters for Hillary Clinton. But now, with the Norman Hsu money-raising controversy, for the first time there's a real concern in the Clinton camp that this is real baggage from the Clinton White House years. There's a lot of stress, a lot of damage control, a lot of finger-pointing - and in fact, stress is so high that there was a shouting match observed among Clinton staffers in public last week.
Contrast this with Mitchell's statements about former President Clinton on September 5's "Today' show as reported by the MRC's Tim Graham:
Well experts in both parties say he is the best political strategist in the business and now he's got another book that is sure to be a bestseller. So how will that affect the political fortunes of his wife at a critical point in the campaign? He's not the typical candidate's spouse.
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Barack Obama is attracting big crowds. But for Democrats, Bill Clinton has more star power than any of the candidates, perhaps even his wife.
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And so far what he is doing is a big asset to his wife's campaign. In fact, Hillary Clinton is getting her biggest crowds when her husband is campaigning at her side. But her aides say that she is running on her own record, even if, for now, the former president is one of her biggest assets.
What a difference ten days make, wouldn't you agree?
This raises an important question: Does this scandal have the traction yet to really stick to Hillary, or will she prove just as Teflon-coated as her husband?
Stay tuned.
