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Memos show Clinton turmoil

Jackson6612 — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:05:10 GMT

Memos show Clinton turmoil

Question: I would have written ''Clinton's turmoil''. Why didn't the author use apostrophe?

BY CRAIG GORDON AND TOM BRUNE | <email addresses removed by mod.>
August 13, 2008

Question: Why is semicolon used instead of comma to separate the email addresses above?

WASHINGTON - In a fresh postmortem (=an examination of a plan or event that failed, done to discover why it failed, =autopsy) on Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential bid (=attempt to obtain or do something), newly published staff memos (=a short official note to another person in the same company or organization) and e-mails reveal a campaign hobbled (=to hobble something or someone means to make it more difficult for them to be successful or to achieve what they want) by internal rivalries (=a situation in which two or more people, teams, or companies are competing for something), faulty planning, bloated (=more than needed, =excessive) spending - and perhaps most important, Clinton's own failure to make the hard decisions.

Clinton offered herself to voters as a hyper-competent (=extra competent) executive ready to be president from day one. But atop (=on top of something) her own campaign, she was a hesitant leader, who allowed bitter infighting (=when members of the same group or organization argue, or compete with each other in an unfriendly way) to fester (=If an argument or bad feeling festers, it continues so that feelings of hate or dissatisfaction increase) among staffers over whether to go negative against Barack Obama, according to the Atlantic magazine.

The most bare-knuckled (=characterized by disorderly action and disregard for rules) lines of attack came from Clinton's chief strategist, Mark Penn, who urged Clinton to highlight Obama's "lack of American roots" due to his upbringing in Indonesia and Hawaii - saying he could only win if he faced Attila the Hun ((?406-453 AD) a king of the Huns (=an ancient people from Asia) who attacked and took control of large parts of the Roman Empire. He is famous for being violent and cruel).

But Clinton didn't embrace Penn's flag-waving (=the expression of strong national feelings, especially when these feelings seem too extreme) approach (=way of doing something), which campaign aides (=someone whose job is to help someone who has an important job, especially a politician) insist was never seriously considered.

Question: Clinton didn't embrace Penn's approach because she did not consider it seriously. Therefore, what campaign aides were saying is redundant.

The article also says that Clinton at times grew frustrated and short-tempered - including on the morning after her stunning third-place finish in Iowa in January, when aides on a call were silent. Clinton's camp dismissed the story as "inside-the-Beltway gossip" and "old news." And former campaign aides sharply disputed the notion of Clinton as an indecisive leader, with one campaign veteran saying, "Nobody seems to want to remember the fact that we had so many successes and come-from-behind victories in this campaign ... and they are due in large part to Senator Clinton's leadership."

Question: What does the line including on the morning...when aides on a call were silent mean? If she finished third place, then why would the author describe it as stunning? What does call mean in when aides on a call were silent?

Question: What does the phrase inside-the-Beltway gossip mean?

Question: What does the line Nobody seems to want to remember...to Senator Clinton's leadership'' mean?

But the e-mails and memos offer vivid (=very clear and detailed) new details about what had long been reported - that Clinton's headquarters was beset (=to make someone experience serious problems or dangers) by caustic (=bitter) internal battles involving Penn and former President Bill Clinton, who wanted to forcefully attack Obama, and others who wanted the New York senator to take a more positive tack (=method, =way of doing something). At one point, it was Bill Clinton - and not Hillary - who approved the famed 3 a.m. phone call ad.

Question: what had long been reported is passive past perfect tense. Am I right?

Question: I think headquarters should take plural verb. What do you say?

Question: Why are the hyphens used in -and not Hillary-? I believe commas would do instead?

Adding to the turmoil was the fact that the campaign had little strategy and no money left to seriously compete in the post-Super Tuesday contests - having (=the form having with a past participle can be used to introduce a clause in which you mention an action which had already happened before another action began) burned through $106 million before Iowa. That allowed Obama to win 12 straight contests and effectively wrap up (=to finish a job, meeting etc) the nomination.

Question: What does burned through mean?

In the end, the campaign's strategy came to reflect some of the internal turmoil, as Clinton veered (=changed course) from attacking Obama to emphasizing her personal side.

Question: What does her personal side mean?

Penn did offer some advice in March 2007 that proved on the mark - Clinton's path to victory lay with women and lower- and working-class voters.

Question: What does proved on the mark mean? I couldn't find it in the dictionary.

But by the time Clinton finally settled on that strategy to win the later primaries, it was too late.

Excerpts from the memos

"All of these articles about his boyhood in Indonesia and his life in Hawaii are geared towards showing his background is diverse, multicultural and putting that in a new light ... It also exposes a very strong weakness for him - his roots to basic American values and culture are at best (=even when considered in the most positive way) limited. I cannot imagine America electing a president during a time of war who is not at his center fundamentally American in his thinking and in his values." Strategist Mark Penn, from a March 19, 2007, memo to Hillary Rodham Clinton advising her to attack Barack Obama for his "lack of American roots."

Question: What does centre mean in the above context?

"The right knows Obama is unelectable except perhaps against Attila the Hun, and a third party would come in then anyway." Penn, from the same memo.

Question: Does right refer to right wing in the above context?

"This has been a very instructive call, talking to myself." Clinton, before angrily hanging up on a staff conference call the day after coming in third in Iowa in January. "She complained of being outmaneuvered (=to gain an advantage over someone by using cleverer or more skilful plans or methods) in Iowa and being painted as the establishment candidate," according to the Atlantic - but was met with near-silence.

Question: I would have written This has been..., talking to me. Why did she use myself?

Question: What is a conference call? Is it some kind of telephone call which address many poeple?

Question: Why is in used in coming in third?

"STOP IT!! I have help my tongue for weeks. After this morning's WP story, no longer. This makes me sick. This circular firing squad that is occurring is unattractive, unprofessional, unconscionable, and unacceptable ... It must stop." Robert Barnett, a Clinton lawyer and Washington insider, from a March 6, 2008, e-mail to campaign staff after a Washington Post story detailed the infighting.

Question: What does I have help my tongue for weeks mean?

Question: What does This circular firing squad mean?

Question: Were the comments in the last paragraph made by Robert Barnett?

correct sentences?

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:06:03 GMT

Please correct these. 1) Hi, I thought you needed his biography, so I am attaching it here in this email. If you have any questions, please ask me at the meeting. 2) It isn't going to make a hill of beans worth of difference at the Olympics. -- Why not "a hill of beans' worth" with an apostrophe like in "two years' experience in mechanical engineering"?? 3) They need to be aware of Chinese law. if any group comes to check the law, it should do so blantantly. -- Why no article before "Chinese law"??

Re: which ones are articles modifying?

CalifJim — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 07:54:56 GMT

Yes. My answer is pretty oblique. I don't think the function of determiners is to modify at all.

Underlined words show the correct use of apostrophes.

<<I thought the "new mother's room" was for nursing mothers.>>

I don't think so. The room is new, not the mothers.

"We are excited to announce that the new mother's room is now available for moms to use. It is located ..."

I think the room has just been finished. Hence the excitement. It has just become available. So it's new.

Re: a genitive of classification?

Believer — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:11:54 GMT

Thank you, CalfJim.

You wrote:

My daughter goes to a girls' school. This one is possible. A school for girls. It seems to me that this version without the apostrophe is also common. You might wait for a second opinion on this. >>

In regard to my initial question of whether an article is used in "lions' den" in normal situations, I believe your response was that it is used. Would you say, then, it is similar, if not alike, to the one I quoted above? "a girls' school" means "a school for girls" and "a lions' den" denotes "a den for lions" (or something similar to that ...)

Let us assume plumbers hold their annual conference in a big city. I think the distinction can be made between "a plumbers' conference" and "a plumbers conference" based on whether you are focusing on their possession of the conference or their membership part of the conference. I am writing this but I do not know how to apply this in real world.

Possible name for a center to help local runaway children in the Nowhere city? Nowhere Runaway Children Help Center?? Why not? Nowhere Runaway Children's Help Center

Possible name for a center to help local battered women in the Nowhere city? Nowhere Battered Women Help Center?? Why not? Nowhere Battered Women's Help Center.

Would you say the first choices are better because they are focusing on the group (membership) part of the conference? My big question is "How would you know whether a name is focusing on its membership or its possession of the entity?" I think that will help me put the apostrophe in the right place. It seems to be clear that women and children don't own the centers for the examples above.

Re: a genitive of classification?

CalifJim — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 05:24:16 GMT

I don't believe that the term "genitive of classification" is widely used. I'm not familiar with the concept.

<< in normal situations, people would go about using 'tigers' den' without the article? >> No. The article is used.

<< My daughter goes to a girl's school. A school consisting of only one girl is not likely.

My daughter goes to a girls' school. This one is possible. A school for girls. It seems to me that this version without the apostrophe is also common. You might wait for a second opinion on this. >>

Re: is this sentence correct?

Grammar Geek — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 19:10:46 GMT

Others' would require an apostrophe.

Other opinions is correct

The opinions of others=others' opinions is also correct.

The use of the definite article "the" is often quite tricky. I don't find it wrong either way.

Re: confusing possessive

Hoa Thai — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 16:21:26 GMT

Goodman wrote:
Hi Hoa Thai,

From reading your explanation, I couldn't help but pitch in my 2 cent regarding the "possesive" confusions. If the my observation is accurate, "God" does not take any article. I'd like to point out that in the back of any US greenback, "In God We Trust" is printed on it. Notice God is capitalized and singular.

"He thinks he is God's gift to women but he is not God!" Notice, no article is used. For any name ending with "s", such as Jones, Thomsons or Davids, to indicate the possesive property, we just simply add an apostrophe. i.e. I had dinner last night at the Jones' house.

Hi Goodman,

Thank you for pointing that out. I agree with you God, the almighty, requires no article. It is not a very good example used by Anon, who started the thread. However, the point we've just tried to resolve was related to plural possessive. So God was treated as any surname. That's all.

In any event, I finally decided to heed Grammar Greek's words given earlier.

Best,
Hoa Thai

Re: confusing possessive

Goodman — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 16:00:02 GMT

Hi Hoa Thai,

From reading your explanation, I couldn't help but pitch in my 2 cent regarding the "possesive" confusions. If the my observation is accurate, "God" does not take any article. I'd like to point out that in the back of any US greenback, "In God We Trust" is printed on it. Notice God is capitalized and singular.

"He thinks he is God's gift to women but he is not God!" Notice, no article is used. For any name ending with "s", such as Jones, Thomsons or Davids, to indicate the possesive property, we just simply add an apostrophe. i.e. I had dinner last night at the Jones' house.

Re: Possesives of nouns...help me out.

Loojka — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 00:39:35 GMT

Yoong Liat wrote:
WesternAmerican wrote:

Marius' G guitar [I believe some will write Marius' and others Marius's. Maybe guru Marius can comment on this.]

This has already been discussed. It was said that it should be written as "Marius's", i.e. that only the plural nouns don't have "s" following the apostrophe and that names ending in "s" should have it, even though they end in "s".

@ Western:
"Ok I'm a little ashamed to say this--But sometimes I just don't know when to add an apostrophe."

If this can be of any comfort to you, I'll never learn how to use the articles

An Apostrophe Query

JasonDW — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 17:11:24 GMT

I know this is a grammar board, but I figured this would be the place to inquire about the apostrophe. In a recent newspaper article in a local publication, the last name of a gentleman was Williams. Because his name ends in an "s" and it's a proper noun, shouldn't the possessive be "Williams's" and not "Williams'"? A friend tried to tell me that it's acceptable to use just the apostrophe because it ends in "s", but I argue that because it's a name, it needs apostrophe and "s" both. Who's correct?