Team Clinton's Latest Spin: This is why people can't stand them
Sun Mar 02, 2008 at 11:12:25 AM PDT
Spinning, is alas, a permanent part of the political landscape these days. WHAT happens is no longer important, instead the campaigns all try to focus on HOW the media covers it and people at home perceive it. Campaign strategists today seem to speak the language of advertising execs and brand managers rather than precinct captains and ward-heelers. Now, to be fair, in the world of the 24 hour, always-on news cycle, message control and image awareness are necessary survival skills for a modern candidate. Just ask Dean about a the effect of little unwonted mic feedback.
HOWEVER there is a fine line between "aggressive spin" and "insulting America's intelligence"; the latest missives from team Clinton didn't maerely cross that line but marched over it with a 65 piece marching band, dancing girls, and circus elephants.
It seems Tuesday's Primares are indeed a "must Win"--for Obama:
No Really, I'm Serious, it's in the title of their latest press memo:
To: Interested Parties
From: The Clinton Campaign
Date: Friday, February 29, 2008
RE: Obama Must-Wins
And the Body of the Memo doesn't get any less ridiculous:
The media has anointed Barack Obama the presumptive nominee and he's playing the part.
With an eleven state winning streak coming out of February, Senator Obama is riding a surge of momentum that has enabled him to pour unprecedented resources into Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Translation in to English: "Obama is currently kicking our Ass" , true, but not exactly something you'd ordinarily want to trumpet; and then the memo goes on:
The Obama campaign and its allies are outspending us two to one in paid media and have sent more staff into the March 4 states. In fact, when all is totaled, Senator Obama and his allies have outspent Senator Clinton by a margin of $18.4 million to $9.2 million on advertising in the four states that are voting next Tuesday.
Senator Obama has campaigned hard in these states. He has spent time meeting editorial boards, courting endorsers, holding rallies, and - of course - making speeches.
Still 100% true, and just a little tip: If your opponent is outspending and out hustling you in states that everybody from your top campaign Strategists to Bob, the proprietor of Bob's Bait Shop, have tagged as "must wins" for you? Then you have one of two problems. Either:
A) Your Campaign is dumber than the warning on a box of eyeglass repair glue*
Or
B) Your campaign ain't got any more money or hustle left to spend.
But let get back to the memo, because after that aperitif of truth, the memo serves up a whole heaping helping of deep-fried crazy
If he cannot win all of these states with all this effort, there's a problem.
to quote on of my favorite philosophers, Scooby Doo, "A-roo?"
Yep, according to the Clinbtons, poor Obama, he's really up against it here:
Should Senator Obama fail to score decisive victories with all of the resources and effort he is bringing to bear, the message will be clear:
Democrats, the majority of whom have favored Hillary in the primary contests held to date, have their doubts about Senator Obama and are having second thoughts about him as a prospective standard-bearer.
YEP, should Obama fail to completely erase the double digit leads Hillary had two weeks ago
, and not merely win, but win decisively, it's pretty much all over for him, at it will be clear that the vox populi is demanding that lady that's lost the last 13 in a row and 23 out of 33 overall be our Party's candidate.
(They're not booing, they are chanting "boo-come our nominee"?)
Holy hell. Captain Jean Luc Picard would you care to express my first reaction to this story?
Frankly, If the AP didn't have the story as well, This thing is so ridiculous, so obviously a parody of the slick truth-impaired campaign spin, I'd have been sure Wonkette had gotten taken in by an aspiring writer for the Onion
But it IS real and that's the Problem.
People always ask why we who don't support her bid to be our nominee seem to have such a violent and visceral dislike for Hillary. Well, speaking only for myself, it is not misogyny, nor some latent strain of Democratic self-loathing, but, in a nutshell, THIS RIGHT HERE. The fact that she and hers don't seem to mind lying to my face, and acting as if its for my own good. (though this, I've come to expect from politicians). And worse than that acting as If I'm too stupid to notice that it is 180 degrees out from what they said yesterday.
Do they really think none of us will remember that nearly everybody on her team including her own damn husband told us in the last few weeks that Ohio and Texas were "must wins " for her. Do they think we won't remember that when she said that, she was up 20-25% in both states and those leads have now been completely erased. Apparently so, because they offer this latest line of BS without so much as a blush or stammer.
Now A normal human faced with this situation might offer a more humble statement, albeit one with a bit of bravado, something along the lines of "Wow, we are really up against it now, How about that Obama? a magnificent campaigner isn't he? But we are confident that no matter how effective he is a s speaker, we have the better message and the voters will see that"
That would be fine with me and possibly even make me admire them and re-examine her message one more time. If you are on a losing political campaign, it's fine to say you believe in your candidate, and you believe in her vision, but you also need acknowledge reality and your own past statements. What you DON'T do, a least if your goal is avoid enraging me and people like me, is you DON'T look me square in the eye, lie to me, and keep repeating the lie, no matter what. No matter how many charts, graphs, videotapes, emails, electronic intercepts etc I show you, you stick to the lie until I either agree with you or give up in frustration.
Unfortunately it seems par for the course for team Clinton. Bill and Hillary have always seemed to take a condescending attitude towards their electorate. They Know better than we do what we want and need so they'll distract us with shiny baubles while they go about the grown up work of running the country. Hillary's Head campaign guy, Mark Penn was the guy who encouraged Bill Clinton to make Campaign 96's hot-button issue School uniforms.
Now obviously there were a HELL of lot more pressing issues in 1996 than what clothes public school children wore to school, but that one was easy, emotional and distracted voters from the nuances of NAFTA, or globalization or international relations. And that's how Team Clinton's though processes have always worked: You aren't smart enough to understand what's best for you, so it's okay to manipulate you into supporting them; because it is ultimately for your own good.
Once upon a when this behavior was almost as charming as it was exasperating; but that was because despite all the misdirection and lack of honesty, Bill Clinton really WAS a hyper-competent guy who had top notch advisers bent on doing what was best for their country. Unfortunately Karl Rove was in the wings taking notes, and since we were acclimated to it already he used the same strategy to perfection. Unfortunately he Used it to install a manifest idiot and his larcenous cronies into office rather than dedicated public servants, and by the time people noticed (right after a Hurricane named Katrina) it was far too late.
As People are finally emerging from this long national nightmare with a rudimentary set of critical think skills and a healthy skepticism of their government; now is no time to lull them back to sleep. Hillary is offering 4-8 more years of "government behind the curtain"; and while I think she'd make a pretty competent Wizard, I'd much rather have a president, thanks.
*Warning: not for use on contact lenses
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