from hillaryclinton.com
Big News! Hillary Clinton's running for presi...zzzzzz. Okay, not the biggest surprise in the world. But a few things are striking:
She announced on Saturday. Weird day to announce... unless you're angling to dominate the Sunday talk show chatter. Perennial "Meet The Press" stalwart John McCain is on tomorrow, he can't be happy about that."I'm not just starting a campaign, though, I'm beginning a conversation. With You." Hillary, like Obama, eschews traditional media and opts to announce online (which is immediately picked up by traditional media). "You" once again takes it for most important everything in the country. Note how Obama used similar language. He did it first, so he gets the analysis.
"I'm In. And I'm In To Win." Defiant, tough, challenging. No "let's just see how this exploratory committee thing turns out" for Hillary - she's in, and she's in to win. This is her putting everyone else on notice: She's done the assessment, and she's taking you on. Worrisome undertones: First statement out of the gate is about winning, and it's about her — not the country. Beware the candidate who wants the office before all else. Too much ambition can be a scary thing.
The Locale. Hillary was seated not in an office — ovular or otherwise — but at her home, in her living room, on a couch. Behind her, no doubt carefully-placed photos remind us that her husband is a guy they still call President. Her presentation is great - direct but comfortable, and she looks great - but at one point she leans forward and says "Let's chat," and at that point she reminded me of Katie Couric, trying to find a place in the balance of what she is and what others expect her to be. Katie comes by the perkiness naturally; Hillary does not. The warm, living-room coziness does not accord with what we know of her as a brisk and efficient professional, and it feels like the blatant attempt at softening her that it is.
Her statement vs. her video. Unlike Obama, her statement is not the text of what she says in the video, though they hit on many of the same points. Still, it's in the text that she mentions being First Lady. Subtle difference, but obviously carefully considered. Running on her independent record is obviously the right move though.
These are just a few initial reactions; no doubt the speech will be parsed ad nauseum over the next few days (with ample attention paid to what she's wearing, no doubt, which the tie-less, Ahmedinejad-esque Obama mercifully escaped in his video). Despite the number of Google hits for "Hillary Clinton," what, exactly, will this declaration change? No doubt will learn tomorrow morning on every single talk show and on the cable nets throughout the next year and a half.
Update: Here's another reason why she may have announced today.
