Is Clinton now planting people in campaign forums?

An amazing coincidence today on the campaign trail in Iowa with Hillary Clinton.

The New York senator was in Donnellson, Iowa continuing a broad statewide tour by herself, her husband, Magic Johnson and relatives and friends who've spread out to all 99 crucial counties to tell stories about her to soften and help personalize the Democratic candidate's calculating image in what's become a very tight caucus race.

According to the Associated Press, at a campaign forum in the fire station, which will be a caucus site come Jan. 3, Clinton happened to be asked about her religious faith. Practicing Methodist, she responded, adding, "I'm often asked if I'm a praying person and I am a praying person. My father prayed at his bedside every night and we prayed at the table over dinner."

Then, the most incredible thing happened. Someone pointed out that Clinton's childhood Sunday school teacher, Rosalie Bentzinger, from her Park Ridge, Ill. days happened to be right there in the very same Iowa fire station at that same moment. What are the odds? The Sunday school teacher stood up. Clinton rushed over to hug her. It was a warm moment.

The 84-year-old Bentzinger gave Clinton a photograph she happened to have with her. And Clinton announced, "She has a picture of my confirmation class -- March 27, 1959."

Last month, some folks may recall, Clinton was forced to admit planting questions in a similar forum  audience in Newton after a student revealed a Clinton campaign staffer had handed her a question on global warming to ask. Clinton denied this was a regular practice and vowed it wouldn't happen again.

Today, Clinton aides said they were unaware the Sunday school teacher was in the crowd. Still, the incident happened to make a warm story to help personalize the candidate.

--Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[unloud]

That is rather convenient.

[natekng]

What kind of header is that? Will you guys stop at nothing to get a hit? The 84-year-old Sunday school teacher made it clear that her being there was not'planted', and you can't even give credit when it is due?

It is really sickening, all this Hillary-bashing. What has she ever done to anyone? If you are not able to see anything but dirt in another person, its because the dirt within yourself. Get a life.

[hcsubbarao]

The major media and highly successful business women in US have become rabidly anti Hillary and rabidly pro Obama. They waited till a few weeks ago when Hillary, in a debate, made a blunder in answering whether she approves giving driving license to illegal immigrants. Then all of them jumped on her like a ton of bricks! In the very next debate, Obama made the same mistake about the same question and there is hardly a whisper about it. This article is another example of the same bias. No organization wants to employ a fresh MBA as their CEO though he may be a straight A, when an expererienced and time tested MBA is available. It is high time that major media and doubting women show a little less partiality. US should not miss this opportunity to elect a woman president for the first time in its history. Hillary is a very capable person. It will not be possible to find another woman of similar capability for a long time. We should not miss this opportunity. It is very sad that the media is giving her such a bad publicity for a few of her minor snafus.

[Don Fraser]

Shameful - or should I say shameless - display. If only Robert Ripley were still alive to see this one. Hillary's old Sunday school teacher just happens to take a trip to Donnellson, Iowa to check out the world famous Donnellson fire hall and strangely enough just happens to pack a photo of Hillary's Sunday School class along for the trip and the next thing you know Hillary herself just happens to drop by. Of course this is all a big surprise that after nearly 50 years they should meet this way. Hillary's setup and her feigned surprise is just one more example of her willingness to do whatever it takes to get elected.
The Clinton campaign is starting to look like a bad episode of "This is Your Life."

[pk]

lol. this is just funny.

[Duane]

There is no such thing as a coincidence, ESPECIALLY with these two (Bill & Hilary). Can't they just go away?

[lLARRY WILSON]

TOO MANY PEOPLE STILL BELEIVE IN FAIRIES.THE ONLY THING MORE RIDICULOUS THAN HER LIES IS HER CACKLE (LAUGH)

[joe randy]

remember peoplr the clintonistas are a wicked bunch of socialists. that sounds extreme i know but she represents nothing aout the america i know and love. will not get my vote and certainly not enough to win the presidency so you dems better find another candidate. I really by the way resent her sexist approach to this whole thing trying to tell americans it's time for women to run this country.

[Robert Bell]

Yes, it was staged and she was planted, and I have the proof.

The A/P press report (a photocopy of a Clinton Campaign Press Release) which has been reported verbatim in at least 12 newspapers and local TV stations, insinuates that Hillary had not seen her Sunday School teacher in years and years. Not true. They met in APRIL for BBQ in a town not 14 miles from this event.

The event was staged to make it appear that Clinton was "surprised" to see her old Sunday School Teacher in the firehouse. The two hugged. The Teacher, Rosalie Bentzinger, even brought a photo of Hillary's confirmation class. Not a dry eye in the house! After all these years!

The event also provided an excellent opportunity for Hillary to expond on her religous beliefs (presumably contrasting them with Obama's). The entire staged event was started with a planted question about her faith. After Hillary expounded on her praying habits, the long-lost Sunday School Teacher came forward from the small crowd gathered.

The problem with the event is that Hillary and Ms. Bentzinger are hardly strangers, having met at a similar campaign event in April of this year.

Ms. Bentzinger is hardly an unknown retired Sunday School teacher living in obscurity, either. Ms. Bentzinger is a well-known regliious scholar and leader and even has a religious scholarship named after her.

Hard to believe Clinton did not recognize her in the crowd, considering they shared BBQ together a few months earlier. The following photo is available on wireimage.com for sale. Looks like a smoking gun to me:

Event Name: Senator Hillary Clinton at a BBQ Fundraiser in Fort Madison, Iowa
Event Date: April 3, 2007
Caption: Presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., right, greets Keith Fraise, left, and Rosalie Bentzinger during a campaign stop at the rural Fort Madison, Iowa home of Eugene Fraisse on Monday, April 2, 2007. Bentzinger was Senator Clinton's Sunday School teacher when she lived in Park Ridge Il.
Headline: Senator Hillary Clinton at a BBQ Fundraiser in Fort Madison, Iowa
Venue: Fort Madison
Location: Fort Madison
Credit: Mark Hirsch/WireImage.com

[mjlor]

natekng asks the question, "what has she ever done to anyone"? Good Lord, person, where does one begin when exposing the people she has trashed and destroyed.

[john Smart]

The media is addicted to bashing Hillary Clinton. You just can't stop it. You need help. Is there a 12 step group for reporters who mindlessly attack with no provocation? See if you can go one day with out a stupid, insulting story about Hillary Clinton.

Meanwhile, I suppose Saint Obama was in another county in Iowa feeding starving children, raising the dead, and walking old ladies across the street.

[HorizonScanner]

Hillarity is a Fixer. As in the Redbone Cattle Future Trades when Hillarity RodThem made 100K in a succession of short sales that NEVER lost which she explained she made based on her study of New York Times FUTURES charts and listings that NEVER EXISTED! (The Times doesn't list Chicago Commodities charts, etc.) so too did Her Regalness FIX the attempt to derail Obama in the last debate with the question posed by her politburo shill, Washburn, regarding Clinton advisors in a future Obama administration, so too is it FIXED that old friends, teachers, etc., simply materialize at obscure venues far from their own hometowns and job routines. Anybody in her way, she decks. Problems are FIXED. And, she is, as well, a SCHOOL YARD BULLY. That's her style: SCHOOL YARD BULLY. This person, like a criminal mastermind depicted in a Columbo Mystery, has henchpersons do her dirty work.
She always wants to be the one laughing as her target buckles in pain. Her well paid male dwarfs take the shivs to her enemies kidneys
as she cackles and hortles. What else can the cackle symbolize but that she enjoys evil laughter as her opponents die? Think about it.

[Michael Snyder]

I'm still waiting for the "well documented history of Hillary's presidential experience" to be made public.
I really believe Hillary would sleep with Bill if it meant an electoral vote. We'll see a plethora of "creative incidents" (was that PC enough?) from this candidate before this race is through. What's next; a "chance encounter" with a "victim" of the sub prime debacle?

[jb]

There she goes again. They just can't help themselves. It's who the Clintons are.

[cathy]

Hillary and her Sunday School teacher were together at a BBQ function
about 6 months ago. So much for the long-lost reunion! Now, the
elderly Sunday school teacher just hapens to make the long trip from
Illiinois to Iowa. I wonder how she travelled to Iowa and how she could
afford it? Hmmmmmmmmmm.

[Suffering Bruin]

I am fairly certain that if Hilary Clinton rescued a family from a fire, she would be accused of setting the blaze.

Dear Media: please stop it. Please.

[Speculation Without Proof Equals Disingenuousness]

Speculation Without Proof Equals Disingenuousness and I would expect more from your newspaper!

[akibo]

Any two-faced politician who has gone along with the Bush plan to invade Iraq from the start deserves this kind of scrutiny by the media.

[akibo]

Any two-faced politician who has gone along with the Bush plan to invade Iraq from the start deserves this kind of scrutiny by the media.

[Gabriel]

The mud slinging at the Clintons is nothing new, but the people who have pointed the bandwagoning that's gone on since the driver's license question are right on. The media got right to the point of corronating her 'the inevitable' nominee, and then sacked her. You could see it coming from a mile away, and now it's happened - weeks of bad press and people looking to undermine her entire candidacy and character.

Hillary seems to be back on track, though, and in the thick of it people like this Sunday school teacher who knew and loved her in the past come out of the wood work and try to help her win. But everyone wants to assume it's a trick? She drove down to go to a rally, not just a firehouse! It's a campaign event. I agree with the poster who said if you can't seen any thing but dirt in someone else, it must be dirt in you. The Clintons have been targets of people projecting on them forever. From the impeachment to Whitewater, people with dirtier pasts than theirs have tried to bring them down.

Good luck. It won't work.

[Keith]

How clumsy can they be?

[Tom Oldani]

Obviously Hillary's old teacher came to see her, and brought the picture to present to her. Her teacher was not necessarily planted. Accusations like this would never be condoned by Obama, and we who support him should use him as an example.

[msnz911]

Please Hillary...go away. We the people wants really change, not a setup.

[KojiroVance]

Given Mrs. Clinton's history, it is hard to imagine this is not a plant.

It reminds me of the "vast right wing conspracy". Sure Mrs. Clinton. A story comes out that your philandering husband had sex with an intern - and your first thought is that his enemies are making it all up? Listen to Mrs. Clinton's reading of her autobiography when she mentions this part. It defies belief.

The Clintons are consummate liars.

[Grassboots]

Fraser wrote:

Hillary's old Sunday school teacher just happens to take a trip to Donnellson, Iowa to check out the world famous Donnellson fire hall and strangely enough just happens to pack a photo of Hillary's Sunday School class along for the trip and the next thing you know Hillary herself just happens to drop by. Of course this is all a big surprise that after nearly 50 years they should meet this way

Don't forget that she just happened to be asked about her religion.