This night has finally come. While I attempt to prepare tomorrow’s lecture for the class I am teaching and do some work for my mentor, I find that my thoughts are constantly turning to tonight’s primaries. Results from the primaries continue to pour in, and all I can seem to do is watch. And wait. My goodness! I even feel like taking up a nail-biting habit! Given the anticipation of this evening's primaries, I thought I would post about the election. In a recent (and great) NYT Op-Ed piece, Maureen Dowd discusses the Clinton campaign approach of late. Her words summarize the problem with communicating a message that lacks unity and coherence. Dowd says:
“After saying she found her “voice” in New Hampshire, she has turned into Sybil. We’ve had Experienced Hillary, Soft Hillary, Hard Hillary, Misty Hillary, Sarcastic Hillary, Joined-at-the-Hip-to-Bill Hillary, Her-Own-Person-Who-Just-Happens-to-Be-Married-to-a-Former-President Hillary, It’s-My-Turn Hillary, Cuddly Hillary, Let’s-Get-Down-in-the-Dirt-and-Fight-Like-Dogs Hillary.
Just as in the White House, when her cascading images and hairstyles became dizzying and unsettling, suggesting that the first lady woke up every day struggling to create a persona, now she seems to think there is a political solution to her problem. If she can only change this or that about her persona, or tear down this or that about Obama’s. But the whirlwind of changes and charges gets wearing.
By threatening to throw the kitchen sink at Obama, the Clinton campaign simply confirmed the fact that they might be going down the drain.”
When I first read this article, it brought me comfort. Perhaps this did mean, as Dowd suggested, that the Clinton campaign would soon be ending. After all, as I have learned in my Health Communication course, having a clean, clear, tailored, and unified message is critical to any campaign’s success. Why would that not be the case for Hillary? Only time will tell what the impact of Hillary’s scattered message will be.
And with that, I’m off. With fingers crossed.
To read the article in its entirety: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/opinion/27dowd.html?ex=1361854800&en=e52cc0a1a83d5aed&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
5 comments:
Interesting post. I love M. Dowd. I was actually just commenting to friends that Hillary had "tried everything". This to me meant that she had run out of messages and would immediately withdraw herself from contention. After getting the results from Tueasdays primaries, that is obviously not going to be her next move, but I think she still has little hope.
I think Texas and Ohio are unique states. Ohio with it's large constituency of working class males (which Obama has yet to win over) and Texas with it's large latino population (another group that hasn't caught to Obamania (yet).
It sort of worries me what Hillary might start throwing at Obama along with the kitchen sink. It's cool neither candidates have gone negative yet (at least nothing that crosses the line imo). And I hope it doesn't go that route.
BTW I love that graphic. Where in the world did you find it?
Although I must point out it looks much more like a bathroom sink...
yeah, it totally looks like a bathroom sink huh? google is my savior.
yeah, needless to say, i was disappointed on tuesday and have been ever since. maybe disappointed isn't the word. but worried. it isn't that i despise hillary. not even close. it's just that i am afraid of exactly what you're afraid of--that things are going to get ugly. and that the kitchen sink will become an entire kitchen!
Happy Birthday. I'm crossing my fingers for Clinton. Clinton isn't allowed by the media to be hard and soft and sarcastic and a mutable person. The world has already thrown the kitchen sink and the whole house at her, and she is still standing up.
KDH - You are an Obama supporter and disappointed by Tuesday's primaries? Hillary only gained 12 delegates!! I think most people were expecting a lot more! I have no doubt that the better man (uh, person) will be victorious in the end.
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