Clinton eyes the aftermath of Iowa result

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) presidential campaign plans on holding a “Momentum Day” immediately after the Iowa caucuses, either to stop the bleeding if she loses or to capitalize on a win.

Supporters are being told that “the most important thing you can do for Hillary” will be to “consider hosting a Hillary Hub,” according to a campaign e-mail obtained by The Hill.

{mosads}The campaign plans a “national briefing conference call” on Jan. 4, at which supporters will be asked to “call through their Rolodexes and ask their contacts for contributions to donate online.”

The national briefing call will offer “an update from Iowa, messaging points and strategy on how the campaign moves forward.”

As Sen. Barack Obama’s (Ill.) poll numbers in Iowa have caught Clinton’s in recent weeks, planning for the possibility of defeat has taken on an increasing importance in the former first lady’s campaign.

The Momentum Day is seen as a way of turbo-charging the impetus of an Iowa win and propelling her to resounding victory in New Hampshire four days later — or surviving the debacle of a second- or third-place finish in the Hawkeye State and remaining competitive in the first primary.

“The four days between the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary will present an incredibly important opportunity for us,” the e-mail reads.

It is signed by Clinton aides Natalie Jones, Shilpa Pesaru and Sharon Yang and encourages supporters to bring five to 10 colleagues and friends to their home or offices at 11 a.m. the day after the Iowa caucuses.

They are asked to set a fundraising goal of $500, $1,000 or $5,000 and encourage “guests” to bring 10 to 15 names of people they can call to ask for donations.

A phone number and e-mail address was provided for those who “want to take a leadership role and host a Hillary Hub.”

The campaign declined to comment Monday on the e-mail or any of its contents.

The e-mail leads with the news of Clinton receiving the coveted endorsement of The Des Moines Register and invites supporters to join a conference call Wednesday with campaign Chairman Terry McAuliffe and Jonathan Mantz, Clinton’s finance director.

Mantz will provide supporters a fundraising report and plans for the Momentum Day program, according to the e-mail.

The news come as Team Clinton is engaged in what one analyst called a “full-court press” in Iowa, apparently reinvigorated by the Register’s endorsement and committed to competing in the state until the end.

The campaign on Monday unveiled a new ad touting the endorsement, and Clinton and her surrogates are fanning out around the state, determined to visit all of Iowa’s 99 counties in five days.

The candidate will travel through much of the state on a helicopter, dubbed the Hill-A-Copter by her campaign. She was also viewed in thousands of living rooms Monday morning as she appeared on six of the morning TV shows.

Former President Bill Clinton is scheduled to be in Davenport today with former basketball star Magic Johnson. Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack (D) will join many others stumping throughout the state.

As part of the campaign’s “Every County Counts” tour, the campaign launched a new website Monday, called TheHillaryIKnow.com. On the site, viewers can watch taped testimonials from friends, supporters and constituents who use words such as “motherly,” “compassion” and “warmth” in describing the candidate.

Several of those featured will join Clinton on the trail in Iowa.

Dennis Goldford, a political science professor at Drake University, said Clinton is clearly engaged in a “full-court press” in Iowa, determined to show a likable side that aides often describe but voters might not see.

“The key flaw people find in her … is that they find her, accurately or not … manipulative, cold, calculating,” Goldford said.

Goldford said the Clinton campaign is now in its third phase in Iowa: from a leaked memo in the spring hinting that Clinton might want to skip the caucuses, to narrowly leading there for a while, to watching that lead evaporate.

“Iowa has gone from possibly irrelevant to possibly a benefit to now [a] possible danger,” he said.

Goldford said he thinks Clinton would survive a second-place showing in Iowa, but a finish behind Obama and former Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) would make it difficult to bounce back.

“That’s not blood in the water,” he said. “But that’s certainly getting banged up a bit.”