Campaign 2012 Tidbits (29 of 30): Clinton aphorism.

From Mark Halperin and John Heilemann’s Double Down – Game Change 2012 (New York: Penguin Press, 2013), p. 430:

As for Obama[‘s good fortune with Romney’s gaffes and other mistakes], Clinton trotted out for his pals the same line again and again:  “He’s luckier than a dog with two dicks.”

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Campaign 2012 Tidbits (28 of 30): Obama on Romney’s Benghazi fiasco.

From Mark Halperin and John Heilemann’s Double Down – Game Change 2012 (New York: Penguin Press, 2013), p. 398:

And here was Romney, the Republicans’ choice to be commander in chief, trying to score cheap political points.

“It’s practically disqualifying,” Obama said [to aides].

. . .

Campaign 2012 Tidbits (27 of 30): Biden on Romney’s Benghazi fiasco.

From Mark Halperin and John Heilemann’s Double Down – Game Change 2012 (New York: Penguin Press, 2013), p. 397:

Joe Biden had caught Romney’s press conference live on TV that morning[, in which Romney affirmed his comments of the previous day about Benghazi].  The VP’s reaction was brief and to the point:  “He’s a horse’s ass.”

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Campaign 2012 Tidbits (26 of 26): Joke discarded from Clinton’s DNC speech.

From Mark Halperin and John Heilemann’s Double Down – Game Change 2012 (New York: Penguin Press, 2013), p.386:

A shot at Eastwood was discarded [from Bill Clinton’s DNC speech draft], and so was a joke of [old time Clinton Staffer Paul] Begala’s:  “Every time I hear Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan say they’re gonna fix Medicare, it reminds me of what the veterinarian said about my old dog Buddy.  That was not a fix.  It was a cut.  And there’s a difference.”

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Campaign 2012 Tidbits (25 of 26): Behind-the-scenes on Michelle’s DNC speech.

From Mark Halperin and John Heilemann’s Double Down – Game Change 2012 (New York: Penguin Press, 2013), p. 383:

[A DNC speech specialist] noted a passage [in Michelle Obama’s DNC speech draft] that alluded to voter suppression...  “That’s a pretty good section,” he remarked.

“Yes, I want that in there,” Michelle said firmly.

POTUS generally made a point of saying out of FLOTUS’s way when she was preparing oratory...  But when [David] Axelrod and [speechwriter Jon] Favreau started raving about Michelle’s speech as it was coming together, Obama made an exception and took a look at the text – and was struck by how personal it was, how much it referred to the girls.

“This one’s going to be tough for me to watch,” he told Favreau, “because I’m going to cry.”

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Campaign 2012 Tidbits (24 of 26): Eastwood effects.

From Mark Halperin and John Heilemann’s Double Down – Game Change 2012 (New York: Penguin Press, 2013), p. 374:

Romney and [staffer Stuart] Stevens were watching Eastwood together backstage.  The candidate seemed to think it was funny – at least at first.  “Did you guys practice this?” he asked Stevens.

“No,” Stevens said.  “I have no idea what he’s doing.”

Stevens’s head was exploding at the sight of the disaster occurring onstage...  Not wanting to upset Mitt, Stevens excused himself , went into another room, and vomited.

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