Posted on 01/20/2007 2:32:19 PM PST by MindBender26
As many FReepers know, I’m spent many years in TV network news. I polled old friends and acquaintances today and with one exception, all agreed that Hillary Clinton’s announcement today that she is running for President (yawn) is a HUGE misstep.
First, she did it at a time guaranteed to get her minimum television exposure. The Saturday HUT (Homes Using Television) numbers are miniscule. When was the last time the Saturday Noon News was a “must see” for anyone?
In addition, anyone watching TV today or tomorrow is probably a man and he is tuned into sports. Not Hillary’s target audience!
She should have announced on 4:00 P.M on Thursday, after appearing earlier in the day on GMA, Today, CBSMN, and especially “The View” to coyly announce that she just might have something importance to announce “soon.”
By announcing at 4:00 on a Thursday, she would have been the lead story on all that evening’s newscasts. Thursday is often the second highest rated show of the week. Then she would have been topic #1 that night and all day Friday. She could have been back on the AM shows and The View on Friday, perhaps even a quick Oprah appearance. Friday night’s national news shows would have been all reaction stories, a visit to her hometown, yada yada yada, etc. She would have owned 36 hours of prime TV.
As it is, she chose the absolutely worst time. The Sunday AM shows will be all over it, but no undecided voters watch those shows. She will get no mojo or movement from them. By Monday, it’s old news.
Next her method of announcement. She posted it as a statement on her website.
Idiotic.
She could have gathered 2000 screaming, sigh waving supporters on the Capitol steps, balloons, a band, etc. Could have been a huge hoop de do! CNN, FNC and others would have covered it live, etc. As it was, nothing! In the words of one senior editor, “She mailed it in!”
Next, she has based her campaign on “Stopping Bush.” That’s got about 30 days worth of legs. In addition, everything she says for the next 20 months will be seen as “political.” She just threw away any chance she had of being seen as a healer or “statesman” like. Politically, she just painted a huge target on her back. Every time she says word one on any issue, an “independent” third party spokesperson can rake her over the coals, and the Republicans can stay above it all.
Finally, everyone sees it for what it is. She panicked over Obama.
He is a 60 day flash in the pan, this year’s Weasley Clark or Howard Dean. America is not about to elect a Black, Muslim-trained, admitted cocaine-using man President, no matter how good he looks on TV… this month.
The media loves him…. this month. The media that loves him now will fill the air with “investigative stories” about him next month. By April at the latest, he will be very old news
Bottom line on that issue; Hillary stood eye to eye against a totally non-electable presidential candidate…. from her own party…. and she blinked!
Mark Halperin at ABC is gushing over her announcement, but everyone else is saying “Huh?”
Another said, "She has been planning this for 20 or 30 years, and this is her best shot!?!?" "What's next, shooting Santa Claus on Christmas Eve?"
Oh, gawd, not another "listening tour."
She doesn't dare...her boobs would jiggle.
Good catch!
Gore doesn't even have to announce. He's the only Rat out there consisting giving the moonbat deeply felt warm and fuzzies. He'll be drafted.
I would be very curious to see a Rudy Guiliani/Michael Steele run. Don't start with the Anti-Rudy stuff here please...the truth is we need a big name, a strong personality and #1 on The War On Terror. Rudy is going to be the nominee and if he picks Michael Steele as his running mate, these are two savvy politicians who speak well, articulate very well, and could honestly beat HRC & Company. People whine all day here about a R candidate but the reality is we need a street fighter against Hillary and Rudy is the only one to have the balls to take her on and win the big electoral prize: New York!
No disagreement here.
The Democrats will elect her with the help of the female voters who will vote her in just because she's a woman (I know, that's using the term loosely).
She will be there in '08 with the sympathy vote for her when her husband's untimely demise occurs between now and w008. That's my sense of how this will be unfolding.
It is my impression, little the Clintons do is not fully calculated. So if she got little attention then she wanted little attention right now. Her announcment was almost a "oh and add me to the list of candidates as well" announcment.
I almost think they have decided it is better for Hillary to run as much under the radar as possible until closer to the actual primary and general election dates.
Obama is the annointed "front runner" and they want him to take the real scrutinizing attention and also do the heavy lifting of helping pave over any other candidates--thaqt is until Obama finally gets cut off at the knees. That way Hillary avoids any really tough positions or tough questions adn brusing conflicts with other RATS. Prompted by the Ranging Cajun and Forehead, she can wait to print past Obama at the most convenient time.
The Clinton team (Carvile, Begala, et al.) must sense the negatives could be too high for Hillary to withstand prolonger front runner attention. Plus her capacity to make real gaffs given constant focus over a duration of months if not years would be a campaign killer.
She will ride in to the rescue when Obama get deep sixed.
Until then, a few snooze announcments may be just fine.
Looking at it from the point of view of political ignoramuses (most of the public) her shrewish personna was well-hidden. She came across as a well-educated, friendly, suburban lady. A sham, for sure, but one that will make her more likeable to the general public.
She is going to go as far as she can with these scripted, limited access appearances, and the media WILL NOT CALL HER ON IT. They will simply re-broadcast whatever appears on her web site.
Here is another thing: I bet she refuses to debate, and no one will call her on that, either.
Conventional wisdom (such as redictricting will make it impossible for the dems to take Congress) is more and more not reliable. With the advent of web sites, You Tube, a totally co-opted mainstream media, and a unique personality (a former first lady running for president) we are in totally uncharted waters.
I wouldn't underestimate her chances, especially if we spend all of this year fighting about how crappy all of our candidates are.
In other words, we have an "Enigma, wrappen inside a mystery, hiding behind a fat ass" (to paraphrase Churchill) or something, huh? Hope you are right, and truly hope it works for whoever it is.
Me too. That girl's as pleasant as punch.
She could have gathered 2000 screaming, sigh waving supporters...
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"sigh waving supporters?"
I hope that was a typo. If it wasn't; I do not want to know!
I can't claim credit, there were a few other threads that brought up the point.
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Play some excerpts of some of her speeches at her ranting, raving, screeching best, and for contrast one of her talks where she is speaking to a crowd of senior citizens as if she were talking to four year olds in her slow, syrupy sweet voice.
Then have a voiceover person ask, "Is this what you want to year for the next four years?"
I suspect a lot of people thought she announced two years ago.
Unfortunately for her, she long ago established her public persona as a shrew and a droning scold.
It is not simply a matter of creating a persona. She has to undo the existing one first.
And she has to hold the new image intact for almost two years through a brutal campaign.
I think she'll be throwing ashtrays and letting her medusa hair down long before she gets to the finish line.
You are one of my favorite posters.She blinked:)
I disagree on the timing issue. The 'stealth announcement' allows her to continue acting as if she's just New York's senator for another several months, while at the same time turning the fund raisers loose at full speed. She gets the advantage of being a candidate without the national-scale responsibility for her actions that a candidate would have. It's a classic Clinton move.
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