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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?

Re: Kind Regards or Kind regards or kind regards...?

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 23:14:30 GMT

Written Formula for Ending a Letter (British English)

Informal, personal (to close friends and family):

With love
Best wishes

Semi-formal / informal (emails, notes, business memos):

Kind regards
Best regards
Regards

Formal letters:

Yours sincerely
- Use when you know the addressee by name (Dear John / Dear Mr Smith). You can only be sincere with someone you know.
Yours faithfully
- Use when you don't know the persons name (Dear Sir or Madam).

Case / Capitalisation

Sentence case applies. Only capitalise the first letter of a sentence (with the exception of proper nouns and special conventions).

Punctuation

Open punctuation and mixed punctuation are common in the UK. If you begin the letter with "Dear Jane," (or "Dear Jane:" in American English), then the closing should be punctuated with a comma (e.g. "Kind regards, John"). These commas (or colon and comma in American English) would be omitted when writing a letter in open punctuation (as the line breaks make such punctuation redundant).

Re: Too much modest

Avangi — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:13:15 GMT

Hi,

In my view it would be more natural and common to omit the word "certain" in this situation. (He does not have a profession)

aristocratic (spelling)

"has a poor, serfdom background" is a little unusual.    Perhaps, "has the poor background of a serf," or "comes from a poor, serfdom background."

I would say, "far more successful than he," but perhaps that's old fashioned.

comma after "strangely"

he plays an imaginary billiard game

He is sometimes snobbish but more often he is awkward. ??

He shows that nobility does not make a person graceful.   ??

a position at a bank which is much too modest for him.

At the end of the play, he sets himself apart by being a bit of a realist   ??

Best regards, - A.

Re: very difficult question

Avangi — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 04:05:03 GMT

Yankee
With respect to only the commas, either a pair of them or none at all should be used.

Hi Yankee,
Would this effect the meaning?

Best regards, - A.

Edit. Sorry, did you mean that discussion is off-limits?

Re: very difficult question

Avangi — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 03:06:59 GMT

Hi, wholegrain,

I agree completely with your analysis. The comma after "path" makes "that he chose to take" parenthetical, rather than a modifier of "path," as it is absent the comma.

Best regards, - A.

Re: depend upon it

Clive — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:36:02 GMT

Hi,
Fact is, I begin to feel a little qualmish about the darkie myself. Something queer about this darkie, depend upon it."

Ok, does he mean that something queer about this darkie depends upon the qualmish feeling about the darkie? He is saying 'There is something queer about . . .'

why is it depend instead of depends It's an imperative. Like 'Trust me!' or 'Believe what I am saying!'

and why is there a comma before the word depend? Because the phrase 'depend on it' is added to the main sentence parenthetically, as an afterthought.

'Qualmish' is not a standard word in modern English.

Please note that the word 'darkie' in regard to a black person is generally considered very offensive in modern English and the associated Western English cultures.

Best wishes, Clive

Re: Punctuation

Clive — Sat, 24 May 2008 12:30:17 GMT

Hi,

Please tell me if they are punctuated correctly.

1. He is unable to move; thus, it will be hard for him to come to your house today. OK, but I'd prefer a period to a semi-colon.

2. He has hurt himself in a traffic accident. It will thus be hard for him to come to your house today. OK

3. Josh is from a farm country. He however likes the life of city. -- What difference would it make if I enclose the adverb 'however' with commas? I see it as necessary.

With regard to the use of commas when such adverbs, I'd say it's really a question of native speaker instinct. ie In a particular context, do I feel that a pause before and after the word is required?

4. You should cover all the chapters for the exam, or you will otherwise face difficulty when you take exam tomorrow. -- What difference would it make if I enclose the adverb 'otherwise' with commas? It will make the listener think a bit more about the word 'otherwise'.

Since you have said 'or', do you feel that 'otherwise' is also necessary?

5. The bus is packed with people daily. It will therefore be very difficult for you to spot her in the bus. -- What difference if I enclose the adver 'therefore' with commas? It will make the listener think a bit more about the word 'therefore'.

Best wishes, Clive

Re: subordinate clauses?

Jackson6612 — Sat, 24 May 2008 08:57:34 GMT

Anonymous

Why are number 1's correct, whereas number 2's are not? Please note the commas.

First Part:
1. Stealing is illegal, because it is a crime.

2. Stealing is illegal because it is a crime.

Second Part:
1. Fishing is important to us, since it generates a lot of income.

2. Since fishing generates a lot income, it is important to us.

I can understand what thing is baffling you. In the First Part you would be thinking about the use of that comma. I don't think that the second sentence is incorrect. Sometimes what choice of words/punctuation an author uses in certain expressions is completely at his discretion. So both sentences in the First Part are correct. because is used when stating the reason for something. In the following sentence no comma is used in front of because. The President has played a shrewd diplomatic game because from the outset he called for direct talks with the United States...

Now come to the Second Part. since is used to introduce reasons or explanations. since=as. since can also be used at the start of the sentences but only when the sentence begins with the subordinate clause. e.g. Since you are unable to answer, we should ask someone else. In that sentence you cannot use since in front of we because the clause starting with we is the main one. The second sentence is also correct. It's just that it starts with the subordinate clause.

Kind regards,
Jackson

Re: as

Avangi — Sun, 04 May 2008 15:36:29 GMT

Hi N2g, I'm probably too pooped to make any sense.

After you confirmed that this was not a "stand-alone" exercise sentence, but an excerpt from a news article, I began thinking in terms of "previous context," specifically that it had already been extablished that food prices and shrinking hours were messing with his pocketbook.

So we may now consider looking at the sentence you posted as adding the third item, and then justifying the addition. (Note MrP's use of the comma.) "Since he drives etc." is the reason gas prices may be added as the third significant financial problem the man faces. It also makes it clear that the subordinate clause modifies the entire main clause rather than just the verb.

In my post prior to MrP's first one, I was starting to hedge on my analysis that the final clause modifies only the verb. His switching from "while" to "since" and his addition of the comma, makes that approach more valid, in my estimation.

Regards, - A.

Re: The question mark/comma/quotation mark debacle

RayH — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:30:19 GMT

Please note that American English likes to place the final punctuation mark inside a title or quotation, even though it doesn't form part of it.
The British regard this practice as illogical.
AmE: He's always wanted to read "Moby Dick," "Oliver Twist" and "The Great Gatsby."

BrE: He's always wanted to read "Moby Dick", "Oliver Twist" and "The Great Gatsby".

Here is the link to the site this came from if you want to check it yourself. The relevant section is near the bottom of the screen under the heading "quotation marks".

HTH

http://www.davidappleyard.com/english/punctuation.htm