“Does that prohibit me from being out there, out of a box, not allowing handlers to shape me and to force my message to be what donors or what contributors or what pundits want it to be?”
If SHE is the one in charge of her campaign then why would she hire *handlers* that she would allow to change her message? Why shouldn’t she STILL be *the maverick* even when she is campaigning. All of these politicians who let these people *mold* them into a *perfect candidate* are missing what it is the public really wants — TRUTH (in all aspects).
You should have people within the campaign working to SUPPORT your message - not change it. Sounds like she’s still having nightmares regarding McCain’s campaign *professionals*. I don’t know why she would assume that running her own campaign wouldn’t be different — it SHOULD be much different. Perhaps these politicians need to do away with some of these political operatives and charts, and polls, and *focus groups*. The American Public is clamoring for REAL people - not plastic talking heads whose message changes because they are afraid of tomorrow’s poll numbers.
She’d do fine up to the point of winning the nomination, if she did. Then suddenly every RINO will be weighing upon her, including some not so subtle hints of how John McCain helped launch her national career. She needs an anti-Karl Rove to shield her from all the unwanted “assistance.”
“You should have people within the campaign working to SUPPORT your message - not change it.”
Maybe because she thinks the people who know how to win campaigns will tell her she has to be more nuanced. You can’t say ponzi scheme if you want seniors. You can’t say you’re going to be too tough on illegals if you want the Hispanic vote. You can’t say everything that you want to say if you want to win and that’s a problem for her. There really isn’t such a thing as a populist conservative because you’ll have to say no to some people and they won’t like it.
We get to say whatever we want here. We have this freedom because we’re not even thinking of the presidency but it also means we won’t be able to change very much of the govt.