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Recent Editorials |
Will Timing Soften Hillary's Flub?by Josh Gerstein
The question of tonight's Democratic debate: How does the fact that Senator Clinton's big screw-up of the night took place with five minutes left in the two-hour debate diminish its impact? First editions of newspapers and the first rounds of wire stories were long gone by the time Mrs. Clinton ran into trouble on her answer about drivers' licenses for illegal aliens. My Web story which works in her comments on that, but was filed well after print deadlines is here. I felt her first answer on the issue was OK, though it could have alienated some independents or Republicans she might try to win over in the general election.However, her subsequent interjection, trying to revise and extend her prior remarks was a big mistake. It played right into the hands of Messrs. Obama and Edwards, who had been arguing for much of the night that she is too shifty on important issues. With few differences on substance between the candidates, Mrs. Clinton's large lead nationally rests on perceptions about her experience, electability and other intangibles, as well as the perceived deficits of her rivals. A sense that those perceptions are misplaced could lead to quick changes in the horse race. If this had occurred early in the debate, it could have been disastrous for Mrs. Clinton. Her saving grace here is that it happened late, after the "pile on Hillary" storylines were established. My guess is that, despite the 24-hour blogosphere and news cycle, the continued dominance of the traditional news cycle will result in her weathering this muff with minimal damage.Related Topics: Dem Primary, Immigration |
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