When the Focus of the Campaign Becomes Campaigning

Looking over the coverage of Hillary Clinton's pitch this week, I can't help but think she's off message. Today in Philadelphia, for example, Clinton is emphasizing the need to keep the presidential campaign going.

In excerpt of a speech she's set to give to the AFL-CIO in the City of Brotherly Love, Senator Clinton says "just as it's getting time to vote here in Pennsylvania, Senator Obama says he's getting tired of it. His supporters say they want it to end."

"Well, could you imagine if Rocky Balboa had gotten half way up those Art Museum steps and said, "Well, I guess that's about far enough?"

And in talking to local TV stations this morning and yesterday, Clinton pushed back against those who want the nominating fight to end.

Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton accused rival Sen. Barack Obama and his allies of trying to stop people from voting as some of his backers have called on her to drop out of the presidential race. [...]

In a series of television interviews in states holding upcoming contests, Clinton vowed to press on with her campaign and suggested Obama and his supporters wanted to keep those states from playing a role in selecting the party's presidential nominee.

And consider this lede to the LA Times' campaign coverage this morning.

In one of their sharpest exchanges of the presidential campaign, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama clashed over the Iraq war on Monday, with each challenging the other's credentials on national security.

Meanwhile, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Obama's rival for the party's nomination, went after Obama's supporters for urging her to exit the race.

There's obviously a common thread here. It seems as if the Clinton strategy is to focus the campaign on campaigning. Given the microphone, Clinton is using it to talk about how important it is that she keep getting the microphone. This is the wrong message at the wrong time.

Put aside, for a moment, whether it helps or hurts the Democratic Party to have the race continue. Reasonable people can draw different conclusions about this, and Clinton is making a perfectly good case that she deserves to keep on fighting, regardless of the hurdles.

That's not what this is about. What, exactly, is the point of a prolonged process? In theory, for Clinton and her supporters, it's about giving voters more time to see and hear what the candidates have to offer, and giving voters in eight states and two territories more time to weigh in with their preferences.

Clinton has made it clear she's not going anywhere anytime soon, which Democrats can interpret as either good news or bad. But the point here is what Clinton chooses to do on the campaign trail now that she's vowed to stay on it. So far, the emphasis the past several days has been on the importance of keeping the nomination fight going, and criticizing Obama supporters for wanting to wrap things up.

But that's not a compelling campaign pitch. There's no reason to keep talking about why the race should continue; the race is continuing by virtue of Clinton's ongoing efforts.

So, Clinton campaign, make the best of it. Get the spotlight and use it make your case. Don't talk about the need to keep talking; tell voters who they should vote for and why.

Reporters and campaign junkies enjoy the inside-pool and horserace analysis, but on the list of voters' top concerns, the debate over whether the Democrats' nomination fight should in April, June, or August is probably near the bottom.

Clinton has a compelling policy message, but if all we hear is a campaign based on the need to continue campaigning, the race might as well end. It will have passed the point of vapidity.

Comments

[Titonwan]

It's almost if she was expecting to get kicked to the curb and had a ironclad argument for staying in and then nobody (especially Obama) said to do so and now she's at a loss for words....w­hich is the rarest of flowers (usually she won't STFU) (crickets chirping..­. ... ... ... ... ... :) (we read "when the fat lady sings" and are cutting her slack and letting her hang her own self)

[pastgone]

That's the biggest problem with Hillary's candidacy at the moment--not the candidacy itself, but the direction it has drawn the national debate, by her own doing. She's grabbed onto what the media likes to focus on--who's winning the popularity contest--and she's ignoring the issues. Is this the kind of president she's going to be? More concerned with adolescent popularity issues and who is winning the latest insult derby than actually addressing things of importance to the American people? Of course it is. She's an egomaniac and everything's about her. All she talks about is herself these days. I used to be on the fence about who I supported on the democratic side, but she's lost my vote forever. She wants us to think she's a "fighter", but her "fighting" isn't for us or for America--it's for her own ego, advancement, and glory. That's the last kind of "fighter" we need in the White House. The question on her mind when the phone rings at 3 a.m. isn't going to be what is good for this country--the question on her mind is what's going to be good for her politically. That explains her vote on the Iraq War, and that explains her current candidacy.

[c1ee]

Great post. I totally agree.

[divaatty]

Awesome. You are on the money.

[ItsAlessandro]

nonsense.

[divaatty]

How so? Explain please. Or is it just "nonsense" because you declare it so? I am honestly interested in an intelligent refutation to pasgone's post.

When has Hillary fought for the American people? When she was using unethical behavior to circumvent the Nixon impeachment process? So much so that she was fired and her boss refused to give her a recommendation? Or how about when she was directly involved in lying for her husband in assuring the country that he was was not a serial cheater, going so far as to target and destroy the reputations of the women that had the "gaul" to seek justice when they were victimized by him (Paula Jones anyone?). Or maybe when she brokered a deal between her brother and his criminal client for a pardon by her husband? Or maybe Hillary was fighting for us when she was stealing china from the White House?

Give me a break. You respond with "nonsense" because the facts don't allow you to respond with anything else.

[RealistDem]

Im actually sick of the fighting in washington, Id like them to get something done for the american people instead of themselves.

[hopeless277]

How will she pay for all the campaigning? She's is evading creditors now. Can she find more people to bet on her 'experience' now that she has shown a talent for lying? Probably. From the style of her campain so far, all I can conclude is that she will destroy Obama before letting him win either the nomination or the general election. After all, she is entitled, right?

[jsomerville5]

Trustedcommentator: Agreed. She is always bemoaning her victimhood and using it to get sympathy votes. Not from this New York City woman she won't. I didn't vote for her as Senator, didn't vote for her in the Primary and would never ever vote for her in the General.

She is a terrible role model for young women. Additionally, I don't want anyone in the White House who makes up stories out of whole cloth about being under sniper fire.

Case closed.

[caral]

But isn't campaign coverage all about "sound bites"?

Where do we find the compelling policy "sound bites" being headlined?

[SaintZak]

We've seen 20 debates, we've been through months on this campaign. We know her policy positions.­..she's losing. She's doomed by the math. What is she contributing by forging ahead? It really is all about her. Sooner (rather than later I hope) the public will grow bored with this. After all, how many times can one listen to the same broken record. The election will be bewtween Barack Obama and John McCain. Its time to get down to the serious business. She's a self-serving side show now. It was fun Hillary, but time to move on.

[RLuzzatto]

You're right. It's done. Obama should actually learn from McCain here. McCain was respectful of Mike Huckabee in the last weeks of his campaign, and he never exerted pressure to end the race unnaturally. He simply pivoted his arguments to the new audience when the outcome became mathematically clear. Obama can do that while simultaneously scoring points in the primaries.

[Aleka]

But I don't think Huckabee was actively trying to undermine him for the general. It i very easy to be graceful when your opponent is not outright lying about you to all the press every day.

She is doing a lot of damage. Her penchant for moving the goalposts (popular vote, electoral vote, winner take all, big states, blue states etc etc) means her supporters no longer have any real idea what the contest actually is; her people are likely to be convinced that Obama "stole the election" when he finally does have 2024 dels, because she has spent so much time making it clear that she doesn't think pledged delegates (or caucuses for that matter) should count.

Further, she keeps outright lying about MI and FL- inciting those people to anger because they are now suffering the consequences of their own states actions, and outright blaming Obama for it, when that is not reality.

People who feel cheated and who will blame Obama because Clinton says so - as many her supporters will, and many of the people in MI and FL will - are really unlikely to vote for Obama in the general. Feeling "cheated" transcends "well my candidate lost, so in a few months I will come around to the other - people don't forget that. Look how hostile everyone still is at Nadar.

I just wish she would stay in the race gracefully - but even today, more mean spirited low blows and outright lies.

[lizr]

I agree.... let her do her thing until she has to bow to the inevitable. Don't give them one reason not to unite behind Obama in Nov.. assuming we get to have an election, given what I am hearing AGAIN about bombing Iran, another "terrorist incident"and God knows what all else Darth Veder Cheney has up his sleeve. will no one stop him?

WHY did Pelosi take impeachment off the table?

They have to stay in power or they will go to prison for war crimes...

[trustedcommenter]

She never gets as much mileage from taking policy positions as from bemoaning her victimhood (at the hands of Bill, right-wing conspiracy, sexists, Rick Lazio invading her personal space, etc.). That's all she's doing now with the "quit the race" issue - falling back on the formula that always has worked before.