Oh if only Hillary Clinton could turn back the clock and heed the incredible medical wisdom of Rep. Dave Nagle (D-Iowa).
As many remember, Clinton collapsed after leaving a September 11, 2016 commemoration ceremony. She had been diagnosed with pneumonia but tried to “power through” her demanding schedule.
Nearly a full year earlier in October, 2015, Nagle — who tried to run for the Senate in 1998 but dropped out because of his alcoholism — sent Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta a memo about thriving on the campaign trail.
Subject line (from the Wiki dump): Status of the Campaign
The Mirror has highlighted the relevant parts.
This is a large excerpt of the full memo, which can be seen here.
Weirdest comment of the memo: He notes how “fresh” Clinton looks in the morning and evening.
“Being ahead in Iowa presents opportunities, but also dangers. Running a successful campaign can present as many challenges, as you know, as managing a losing one. This brief memo focuses on both opportunity and dangers that face the Clinton organization as it moves toward February.
It is the fundamental premises of this writing that you cannot “win” Iowa in October. The political graveyard is full of candidates who were ahead at this juncture and dead after the first of the year. In addition, a full cannon barrage now significantly limits the options available for the period of time right before the caucus when the contender wants to be perceived as getting hot or catching fire…
…Two final thoughts for your consideration. First, I would suggest that only a modest ad campaign is necessary at this point. People aren’t really focused and there is so much from the Republican side that all ads seem to merge together. If polling shows a different trend, you can always increase, but for now it seems prudent to save your money.
Secondly, it was Vince Lombardi who said, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” (John, I know you are from Chicago, so let me remind you that he was the coach of the Green Bay Packers.) What has impressed me, and I have seen the Secretary both in the morning and the evening, was how fresh and engaged she appeared. As the close comes, demands on her presence will increase and she will be told by Iowans that she has to be here, she has to be there, she has to be everywhere. Fewer events and a fresh contender can avoid a host of unforced errors.
I very much enjoyed our meeting and hope you find these suggestions helpful.”