Sep 17, 2008 7:21 pm US/Eastern
Political Guru: Clinton Snub Of Palin Ill Advised
Tells CBS 2 HD Hillary Is Alienating Jewish Voters By Not Appearing With GOP VP Hopeful At Anti-Iran Nuke Rally
Assemblyman Hikind: Palin 'Scares Daylights Out Of Democrats'
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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New York Senator and former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, flanked by daughter Chelsea, acknowledges crowd at the Democratic National Convention at the Pepsi Center in Denver on Aug. 26, 2008.
Stan Honda/Getty Images
There was a new twist in the presidential campaign on Wednesday -- a big dis for Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin from New York's junior senator, Hillary Clinton.
Clinton pulled out of an anti-Iran rally next week because organizers put Palin on the program
Many see it as a demonstration divide.
The only time you may see Clinton and Palin on the same stage is if both are played by actors, such as was the case recently when Tina Fey and Amy Poehler portrayed the two on Saturday Night Live.
Because such is Sen. Clinton's apparent dislike of Palin that she suddenly pulled out on a rally next Monday to protest Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his pro-nuke policies.
"Ridiculous. A big mistake," Assemblyman Dov Hikind, D-Brooklyn, said. "I don't know what it's about Sarah Palin that scares the daylights out of Democrats."
Admittedly, to have both women at the rally, sponsored by a number of Jewish groups, would have set up a potentially explosive pairing in the midst of a hard fought campaign, a campaign where Palin is actively courting disappointed Clinton supporters.
"There's something terribly wrong," Hikind said. "This is not about politics. This is demonstration. This rally is about unity against Iran that is a sponsor of terrorism."
Clinton's staff said they were blindsided by the news Palin would also attend.
"Her attendance was news to us, and this was never billed to us as a partisan political event," said Clinton a spokesman Philippe Reines. "Sen. Clinton will therefore not be attending."
Palin's people put their spin on it.
"Governor Palin believes that the danger of a nuclear Iran is greater than party or politics," spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt said. "She hopes that all parties can rally together in opposition to this grave threat."
Political consultant Hank Sheinkopf said the snub is a big mistake by the Clinton camp.
"It's not so good for Hillary Clinton not to be there," Sheinkopf said. "Ultimately, Hillary Clinton has to face the constituents that elect her and a lot of them are downstate Jews who worry about the free world. Ahmadinejad is the enemy of those very people."
Malcolm Hoenlien, the executive director of the rally's prime sponsor, the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, did not return messages seeking comment.
However, presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama have made strong appeals to Jewish voters.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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