Falling For It

I mentioned yesterday that Hillary's tears, talk of dropping out and predictions of a double digit loss in New Hampshire had the look of careful and professional expectation management.  It seemed clear that she was positioning herself so that a close victory--or even loss--in New Hampshire would be portrayed as a major comeback. 

Two weeks ago her 8,000 vote win would have been a major loss, but the Clinton machine has brilliantly led a stunned national media to think that it was over.  I pointed out that she was trying to revive the "Comeback Kid" theme.   Here's today's Republic right on cue.

Two 'Comeback Kids'

Hillary Clinton, all but declared dead as a candidate, staged a stunning comeback of her own in New Hampshire - the same state where her husband's nearly comatose campaign found new life in 1992.

Clinton's New Hampshire victory will be tough for political analysts to explain, given how many of them wrote off her former "juggernaut" after she lost dramatically to Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., in the Iowa caucuses five days earlier. Some pollsters had gauged Obama's New Hampshire lead over Clinton at 13 percentage points or more.

Before the count, reports from the Clinton campaign depicted dispirited, discouraged supporters all but ready to jump ship. Numerous Democratic senators reportedly were primed to publicly side with her opponent, Obama.

Now that was a comeback.

Comments

[Guy Guffé]

I disagree with you on almost everything, but I think you nailed this one. Hillary and her minions (or is Carville and his minions?) planned this episode beautifully. And most the mainstream media fell for it. It's not just the Republic, all the morning news shows have been proclaiming Clinton's comeback.

Kind of disappointing. I think a Clinton nomination is the one thing that will guarantee a Republican win in November. President Huckabee anyone?

Guy

[SonoranSam]

As Tedski said on Rum Romanism and Rebellion, if Hillary walked on water, you guys would be blogging that she failed to prove she can swim.

Hillary had a moment in which her professional demeanor slipped. I believe it to be real. We all know that campaigning is stressful - right, Greg? she was seeing all her work circling the toilet, and she got emotional.

Based on some of the interviews I've heard this morning with NH women, it helped a lot of voters - especially women - see that a lot of the smears on Hillary Clinton were based on old-fashioned sexism. If she keeps it professional, she's cold and calculating. If she has a tearful moment, clearly she's too damn emotional to be trusted with the Nuclear Football.

I'm not a Hillary supporter, BTW. If I weren't an independent, I'm not sure how I'd vote in the Feb. 5 primary. There are several Dem. candidates I like.

But if she wins the nomination, I can vote for her.

Something unexpected happened in NH, and voters are starting to see Hillary through different eyes.

We'll see what happens in the coming weeks.

[The Klute]

Sonoran Sam's right. This was an impressive victory, and I'm an Obama supporter. No one called this right, even the harshest critics from Dick Morris to the Corner to Fox News had Obama winning. Every poll from Rasmussen to SUSA to Real Clear had Obama winning - most by double-digits on Sunday. Clinton turned a double-digit loss into a two-digit win. Shifting the balance in 2 days? I'm not at all pleased with the results, but don't tell me that's not a genuine comeback.

[ron]

Personally, I think we are making too much of this. McCain came out of NH with a barnstormer win in 2000 - I didn't see his name on the ballot in November.

Hillary and McCain make a 'comback' last night. I am still not convinced we will see either name on the ballot in November.

Over the years I have collected articles about prognostications of various trends, I am amazed how inaccurate the media and the spin doctors are. I am not losing sleep over last night's results.

[tom]

One thing to keep in mind, though--since the primary process began, only 2 presidents have been elected who didn't win in their New Hampshire primary...

[Joe Baby]

Ah, poor poor Hillary, with her demeanor slipping, etc.

I'd give her the benefit of the doubt on such an "emotional" moment if it wasn't one that just happened to contain several soundbites + a dig at her main opponent.

[azvoter]

Uhhh, same could be said of McCain's campaign...

[Ann]

At this point in the political carer of every single candidate, they have learned to live with the reality that EVERY WORD out of their mouth is a sound bite. She has been at this for so long, mentally and professionally preparing for the moments she is now living out, that her words are genuine to the point of being hers.

The tears, I am no fan but, I do believe they were real. I actually think she was a bit taken back by it at first, then her quick recovery mode, triangulated even her physical response and turned it into "a moment". She capitalized on it further in her "I found my voice" statement of last night.

She might be a lot of things, but slow and stupid....not among the list.

[ron]

Ann, you are correct - 'slow and stupid' are not words to describe Hillary - but these are: carefully, crafted, nuanced soundbites

[The Klute]

"carefully, crafted, nuanced soundbites"

As opposed to saying whatever the hell pops into your mind a la Sen. Jack Harper.

[Ann]

Klute,

I think Harper actually thinks about it and waits for an opportunity. His sense of timing could use work.

[Rex]

This was on the ABC News site this morning:

However, the woman who sparked the emotional response from Clinton admitted Wednesday that she voted for Obama.

"I went to see Hillary. I was undecided, and I was moved by her response to me," Marianne Pernold Young, 64, a freelance photographer from Portsmouth, told ABC News in a telephone interview.

"We saw 10 seconds of Hillary, the caring woman," she said. "But then when she turned away from me, I noticed that she stiffened up and took on that political posture again," she said. "And the woman that I noticed for 10 seconds was gone."

I never believed Hillary's hubby "felt my pain" and never once voted for him. The Clintons are cynical, self-centered bloviators. As a Democrat, I fervently hope we do not buy their line of bull once again.

[The Klute]

Ann,

Wow. He actually plans to say the things he says? So rather than being crazy, he's just cravenly desperate for media attention. I'm not sure which is worse.

[Ann]

Klute,

I prefer to think of it as passion without perspective.

[The Klute]

Ann,

That's a very diplomatic way of saying "Leon Czolgosz".