Who would have ever thought that students would walk out on former President Bill Clinton? Who would have thought that Senators and even some unions backing Senator Hillary Clinton would think out loud (to reporters) about jumping ship? But it’s happening.

The signs are piling up that Hillary Clinton’s campaign is not just in big trouble in New Hampshire, but that if she manages to emerge as the Democratic Party nominee she’ll face a huge task winning over young people turned on to Barack Obama’s candidacy — and some Democrats who now see her as anything but a shoo-in to win the White House race.

You can’t read this and not realize that the Clintons — justifiably or tragically — have found themselves perceived as bunch of old political and physical fogies:

About thirty minutes into Bill Clinton’s nearly two-hour stop here at Dartmouth College, a steady stream of students started walking out of the venue.

Moments later, Clinton — his voice hoarse, sometimes cracking — took arguably the toughest question of the night, courtesy of a tall, blond 19-year old freshman wearing a bright red sweater. “My main concern is, if Hillary were elected, it would create a dynastification of American politics. Bush, Clinton, Bush. What do you think?” asked Sebastian Ramirez, standing less than a hundred feet from the former president.

Clinton responded, to rolling laughter across the room, “I’m not responsible for the 12 years that the American people gave to the Bushes.” He continued: “I actually tried to talk Hillary into leaving me when we were in law school, that’s the God’s truth. I told her, ‘You have more talent for public service than anybody in my generation that I have met… I shouldn’t stand in your way.’ She looked at me and said, ‘Oh, Bill, I’ll never run for office.’”

That got a few cheers from the crowd of about 600, most of them students, with their backpacks and books in tow. But many of the students in the room, judging from more than two dozen interviews, are supporters of Sen. Barack Obama. They plan to vote for him tomorrow night.

The quotes in this Washington Post piece underscores the fact that some now view the Clintons as being outmoded, like the old Verizon phone you had before you got your upgrade:

“I am not anti-Hillary, I am not anti-Clinton, I love Bill Clinton. But I just think we need a fresh start, a new face,” Ramirez told The Trail. “All my life I’ve known the Clintons. As much as I like them, it’s time for someone like Barack.”

Friends Allie Landers, Jenna Smith and Marina Galkina echoed Ramirez. The three stopped by to get a glimpse of Clinton. But they headed for the doors just a few minutes after they got there. They’re Obama supporters.

The Clintons — note how this campaign started with Hillary and has truly evolved into the two of them (we predict that was a fundamental mistake and that it will be noted by future political science historians) — will face a very difficult task if Hillary gets the nomination.

In 1968, supporters of Senator Eugene McCarthy and Senator Robert Kennedy never forgave Vice President Hubert Humphrey for winning the Democratic nomination. The bottom line was that supporters of McCarthy and Kennedy felt their candidates had been new-wave politicians that were going to bring about change. Humphrey represented to them the same old political establishment and status quo. And no argument about what a Richard Nixon presidency would mean would dissuade many of them for voting on Election Day.

Guess who won?

Meanwhile, this is even worse for Clinton:

With Barack Obama strongly favored — even within Hillary Clinton’s camp — to win a second straight victory in today’s New Hampshire Democratic primary, both rivals are looking to the next battle grounds. But his momentum threatens to swamp her in the next two states as well and shows signs of fracturing her support in the party establishment.

Already some Clinton associates have begun lobbying for her early exit if she loses the primary by a big margin, as polls suggest she could. Several Senate colleagues who have sat on the fence are now in talks with Obama advisers about endorsing the freshman Illinois senator over his more experienced colleague.

Despite raising more than $100 million, Sen. Clinton also faces financial worries as contributions have begun to slacken. But she vows to fight on: Her campaign will pivot to focus more heavily on “Super Tuesday” Feb. 5, when 21 states vote. “We are going all the way to the convention,” Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said.

And, indeed, she could pile up enough victories to regain some of her IMAGE. Image propels politics in 21st century America and is as important as “content.”

Clinton’s image was not helped by (widely overblown and exaggerated) reports of her tearing up yesterday while talking, her often by-rote policy wonk way of talking, years of demonization and ridicule by Rush Limbaugh and others, the Iowa loss and her southward poll numbers.

Still, the maneuvering marked an extraordinary turn, and underscored the power of small, early-voting states to scramble all bets — especially in a year when the states’ contests are so closely scheduled. Sen. Clinton until now continued to hold wide leads in national polls; a new Gallup poll has her slipping into a dead heat. Her original campaign strategy, aimed at positioning her as the inevitable nominee who would capture the early states and wrap up the nomination before February, is now in shambles.

So the Clintons now have to come up with a NEW strategy and a NEW way to market Hillary’s message and (important) persona to voters.

And do it without totally turning off people (whom they’ll need later) who now support Obama.