Zeitgeist and Schadenfreude

Two excellent German words nicely capture the New Hampshire night music when it came to the man the media loved to see up vs. the woman they love to see down.

When Sen. Hillary Clinton won the Democratic presidential primary contest over Sen. Barack Obama, the astonishment of the punditry was palpable. All over the snowy England ground the Fourth Estate had him pegged as the younger, hotter (or cooler) candidate of the Zeitgeist. That means the spirit of the times, particularly in a new era or age. The 46-year-old is seen as the candidate of change.

"If Obama has history's winds at his back, Clinton is carrying history's burdens," E.J. Dionne, Jr., wrote in his Washington Post op-ed column Tuesday. A sweeping image over morning coffee, but it didn't play out that way. Dionne also wrote she may have written her campaign's obituary Sunday when she declared, "You campaign in poetry, but you govern in prose." And he's one of the best and brightest.

Hillary Clinton's third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, which Obama won, sent a certain shiver of Schadenfreude through the Fourth Estate. This Germanic concept means taking pleasure in another's misfortune. Perhaps it's all too human, but it's not a pretty sight to see etched on the faces of some commentators, anchors and guests all too eager to see a proud woman fall -- or fail. As the Boston Herald put it, she's "so yesterday."

What the media missed was the mettle and grace Clinton displayed under pressure right there in front of them. She didn't sulk publicly and managed to make New Hampshire voters look at and listen to her anew. To their credit, the state's electorate and made up its own mind. It went against their grain to allow Iowa to be the "decider," to borrow a phrase.

Not so the newscasters. At 7 p.m. Eastern time, Katie Couric went so far as to say Clinton was "fighting for her political life" on the once-august CBS Evening News. Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews seemed to be taking their cues from NBC News correspondent Andrea Mitchell at Clinton campaign headquarters. She spoke in grim, hushed tones and implied the result was foregone and it would be just a matter of time before she could share the senator's defeat with viewers. Before the results were in, Matthews made a crack about needing a small room to make her speech look like a large event.

Reports of Clinton's death watch, as it was dubbed in some quarters, were greatly exaggerated. Former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw and MSNBC's Countdown host Keith Olbermann had the good grace to be chagrined. They tried to compensate for the error of their ways by calling her victory one of the greatest triumphes in presidential politics -- a bit much.

The media has made this mistake with the Clintons before. As the joke goes, you think they're the Titanic, but they're really the iceberg. When will they ever learn this lesson: the American people like to see a fighting spirit. As former Gen. Wesley Clark told Mathews, "Chris, she's got game."

To judge by Tuesday, New Hampshire voters responded to Clinton's honest voice. When she said the election was "personal" to her in an emotional answer to a question, that unrehearsed moment softened the Granite state.

Obama will have to ran harder to hold on to his Zeitgeist chops. As for Schadenfreude, it should just stay home for a while.

Jamie Stiehm is a writer based in Baltimore.

Comments

[NABNYC]

Obama got 9 delegates from NH, the same as Hillary Clinton. Given that Obama was 20+ points down a few weeks ago, NH should have been seen as an Obama victory.

But I think the tiny difference in the vote count is largely the result of dirty campaigning by the Clintons.

If you roll Bill Clinton over and check his belly, you'll see it covered with gutter scum. He's not campaigning for his wife. He plans to re-take the white house and vindicate his name. Or maybe he just wants access to those interns.

Everytime I look at Bill Clinton out campaigning to become President-Yet-Again, I am reminded of Napoleon returning from Elba.

Remember, Napoleon was banished to Elba, but became bored and dissatisfied and determined to again march into Paris and re-take his crown.

Some of the people initially were thrilled at Napoleon's return. Some feared for the survival of their nation.

Modern History Sourcebook:
The Return of Napoleon from Elba, 1815

"The determination of Louis XVIII and the Royalists to put everything back where it was before the Revolution aroused great dissatisfaction. Many began to long for the return of Napoleon. In March, 1815, their wish came to pass, for Napoleon landed on the shores of France. He had only a few followers, but as he pushed on to Paris, his old soldiers hurried forward to join him."

"Some could not conceal the terror the name of Napoleon always inspires; others, judging from their own loyal sentiments, exclaimed, "The hand of God is to be seen in this!"

It didn't work for Napoleon, it shouldn't work for the Clintons. They had their turn and they left us Nafta, outsourcing, an economy in decline, and the devastation of our social service safety net. Send Bill back to Elba and let someone new lead the country.

[MsTweetie]

I wouldn't believe Hillary Clinton if my life depended on it. Crocodile tears. The mainstream media is not and will not ever tell you the truth.
Go to Google video and type in "The Video Hillary Doesn't Want You to See". Doesn't anybody get it that the NH primary was rigged! And most likely Iowa too. Speaking of Zeitgeist, check out the following: http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com. It is one of the most-watched videos on Google and YouTube has all but banned it but you can see clips of it. I had no idea until today that the documentary is going to officially be released on March 15.
All but one or two of the Presidential candidates are already bought and paid for, and I don't care if anyone says I'm crazy. You have to see for yourselves what the "government" has in store for us. Do not judge me until you have given yourself the opportunity to see things as they really are. Also check out the Activism link on the website. You must open your eyes before it is too late!
"They must find it difficult¦ Those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than truth as the authority." " Gerald Massey

[barackoblogger]

Media hype aside...

Hillary squeaked a 2pt lead in a state that was supposed to be her stronghold. 2 months ago she was 20 pts. ahead in that state.

obama closed an 18 pt. gap in 2 months. pretty impressive, I'd say.

And in terms of delegates, it's a tie.

Folks, this is going to be a battle. Obama is up against the Clinton machine. Success will be hard, but it will be earned.

And it will make him a better candidate. This is the vetting process everyone has been asking for.

[IndependentMeans]

Honestly, it is SO refreshing to hear intelligent speakers as we did last night in Edwards, Obama and Clinton. No smirking idiot like the last eight years. That alone is worth rejoicing!

[StillAmused]

Lots of insight there, and beautifully articulated. Now, I'm watching the talking hatracks (most of whom had bought the wayward narrative) contort themselves in an effort to recover their 'expertise'.

Sometimes, political allegiances and antipathies give way to a more fundamental instinct... basic fairness.

[LawrenceR]

... I've read numerous essays today regarding Hillary's 'comeback'... I think your analysis comes closer to the truth than all the others...

... In addition, it shows both poetry 'and' prose...

... I am one of those who believes Hillary to be far too conservative for the direction I believe the country needs to be moving towards. With that said however, I'm also glad to see her 'lifted up'... I can only hope that she really and truly has found her own voice -because all the 'experts' she has been listening to in the past -including Bill- are very much out of touch with what it means to be 'a Democrat'...

... Thanks for your essay, and good luck Hillary... hehehe, goooo Dennis!...