I'm sorry, I can't resist writing this article because the title is just too perfect. It deserves to be on the front page of every newspaper in 120 point type. It's just too sensationalistic and too perfectly poetic not to use.
In what can only be described as the most blatantly manipulative moment in American political history, Hillary Clinton managed to summon up some convenient tears at a diner in New Hampshire on Monday, and somehow humanized herself enough to overwhelm Barack Obama's substantial lead in the polls and win the New Hampshire primary.
Obama had won the vote among women by a substantial margin in Iowa, but exit polling in New Hampshire shows a reversal of that trend with Clinton reclaiming the votes of her Democratic sisters in her surprise primary win. Clinton's well established image as the 'iron maiden' had apparently alienated women voters, and after a dismal showing in Iowa and with her $100 million warchest running out, Clinton was clearly getting desperate over the weekend. There was talk of mass firings on her staff and a complete restrategizing of her campaign. Big money lobbyists were jumping ship and it looked like the band on the SS Iron Maiden was playing “Nearer My God to Thee.”
Obama had the momentum, the media was raising him on their metaphysical shoulders, and it looked like it was all over. Then Hillary cried and all bets were off. It wasn't a big balling fit. That would have been unrealistic. It was a carefully measured bit of misty-eyed, tight-lipped teariness, just right to humanize a candidate too often compared to the Terminator. It was reminiscent of her husband's classic lip-biting sincerity, a reminder of the warm human within the tough exterior.
It was a high-risk strategy. It could have backfired, as it did when Ed Muskie cried in 1972, and made her look weak and out of control, but in the aftermath of Obama's boost among women from association with Oprah Winfrey, a humanizing gesture appealing to women was probably a good bet. What was a disaster for a man in 1972 might work quite differently for a woman in the much changed and feminized culture of 2007.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Laura McKinney
This is ridiculous. Everyone speaks of Hillary's win on Tuesday as if it was completely out of the blue - coming from a dying candidate who had held little to no lead for months. The truth of the matter is that she had held a lead over Obama exceeding 20 points nationally and within New Hampshire for over a year! It was only in the past few weeks just prior to and the few days following Iowa where the ever accurate polling pundits found her lead to fall. I mention this if only to enter some perspective into this row.
2 - Lumpy
Hillary was firing her staff and bringing in Billl's old crew to take over. Sounds like she thought she was on the ropes too.
3 - PulSamsara
It is time to pass the torch away form Clinton-Bush divisive politics of the past 20 years. It is time to move forward !
I hope we have an independent candidate to vote for if Hillary is nominated because I will vote against the Dems for the first time. I fail to see how Clinton can stand for a new direction this country desperately needs.
4 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
And I thought I had only contempt for Hillary Rodham Clinton.
5 - Douglas Mays
Hhhmmm...I thought those tears might work against her, actually. The question is: Is the USA ready for a woman or black man as president? Obama is still a guy. There are many countries of the world with female leaders. I guess the USA is way behind the times...
Typical media, outthinking the question.
6 - Deano
Honestly, I have no irons in this particular fire but I'm starting to hope she wins just os I can watch the psychotic reactions of the anti-Hillerites all screaming and yammering about the coming apocalypse in unison.
it should be fun.
7 - Douglas Mays
Also, the Obama message of 'hope'... hhhmmm... isn't hope for suckers? Hope also sounds like desperation for someone without a plan.
Hillary is a Chicago area woman raised in the 50s. One thing I do know, women from that region during that time are tough and compassionate gals.
Maybe the tears represent the fact that domestic policy will not be overlooked. You know what could be fixed on our own soil with the hundreds of billions of dollars being pissed away on a war overseas?
8 - handyguy
The only "proof" anyone can offer for HRC's tears being fake rather than real is the existing prejudice of the person expressing the opinion. It goes like this: HRC is a lying opportunist; therefore the incident in the diner is another example of lying opportunism. Nothing has been [or can be] proven or not proven about what was going on in a person's head and emotions. How convenient for snarky web political analysis.
It's pretty rare for any presidential candidate, present or past, to offer detailed policy proposals. They will never get enacted in proposed form anyway, and they provide too much ammunition for the other side. [Although one of Dave's least favorite candidates, John Edwards, has by far the most detailed policy proposals on his web site.]
In our media age, style will trump substance. This is not a great thing. But I do hope this year that positive ideals [Barack's Hope, Clinton's "Thanks for helping me find my voice, now let me fight for you," McCain's emphasis on honor and courage and principle] will trump cynical, soul-killing attack ads as the main definer of the campaign.
The GOP will be tempted to go negative if HRC is their opponent. But the public may reject negativism more soundly than ever this year.
That's one reason I think it may yet be a McCain vs. Obama "nice guy" campaign in the fall. And if Obama and Huckabee are the VP nominees instead, the "nice wins" principle may still apply.
9 - Heloise
Hey, Dave, congrats on a nice one. I see you too are taking lessons from Heloise on writing headlines. I should get paid for bringing up the style on BC. Netemara put the 'net' in netroots. It is for sure style over substance every freakin moment here on BC...just kidding. We get the substance right too sometimes.
Heloise
10 - Heloise
Listen, I think Jesse Jackson Jr (national campaign manager for Obama) got it right he wants to know where were the tears for Katrina, for the soldiers in Iraq, for her dead friend Benazir Bhutto. That's what I want to know, where were her tears then?
Hell, it's tough getting in front of students every day too, and I have cried many a day because of it.
She may not be scripted but she sure is convenient.
Heloise
11 - Heloise
Is crying the cure for lackluster polls? It is really one hell of a gamble. Talk about throwing the dice on this one, oh boy, Bill's "world class genius," guessed damn right. And now it was the right time for this wild west woman to take off the pants and show her stuff.
Heloise
12 - Heloise
People, Hillary insiders are jumping ship and going over to the Obama CAMP...hello... She may be firing some people, but others are leaving.
Saying hope does not sell like soapflakes is like saying that once you've heard MLK speak his message is now stale. WRONGO!! He has newsmen in there crying or near tears. Maybe we should show some newspeople crying while listening to Obama. THere's a soap opera for you. John Kerry was on fire while talking about Obama, you can't pay for that kind of press.
What you forget about great men and great messages is this (and I know wherof I speak) they say the same damn thing over and over, they just change their ties and shirts. Does it get old? Are people still seeing the MLK and Ghandi as saints of course, and not just because they're dead. Ann Coulter called it right when she said that JFK was the saint of the Dems. I'd never thought of it that way before.
Anyway, good article.
Heloise "the master of style over substance"
13 - Heloise
Hey Dave glad we see eye to eye on this one.
Heloise
14 - Heloise
Funny, this reminds me of when I said George Bush was a great hugger and people said yeah he is. George Bush the hugger and Hillary Clinton the misty-eyed wonder.
Hey Dave glad we see eye to eye on this one.
Heloise
15 - Dave Nalle
Looks like like the video got munged by the RTF editor. All lovely now.
And thanks for your zillion comments, Heloise. Take some Ritalin now.
Dave
16 - Texas
WhAAAHHH! HRC tears up to manuipulate foolish females into voting for their "sister". As President will HRC tear up when Iran's dictator tell her to take a flying leap...when N. Korea decides to build nukes or when she can't get her way with Congress? PATHETIC. Real leaders (who happen to be women) like Condi and Thatcher never needed to squirt to get their way. PS As a woman myself, HRC's antics are an embarrasment.
17 - Dan Miller
This is a test. It is only a test. If it were a real issue, you would be given detailed instructions.
1. Of all the presidents over the past one hundred years, which do you most admire? Elvis, Madonna, Brittany, OJ . . .
2. Of all the present candidates, which (if any) comes even close?
I can answer question 1, with ease. Question 2 is more difficult.
18 - Heloise
Hey, we are forgetting the obvious here with Hill's tears: Women are THE GREATEST fakers on earth. I mean this is classic woman 101. We need to ask Bill about Hill's faking on the home front.
Heloise
19 - Dan Miller
Heloise,
Far be it from me to disparage the female sex, but I can't agree with you too much (as Sen. Kefauver SP) was wont to say.
I have always found that politicians are far better than mere women at faking things. And here you have both a woman AND a politician.
Oh well.
Dan
20 - handyguy
I'll say it again:
If she's faking, she's brilliant at it. She should win an Oscar.
Frank Rich says he thinks the defining moment occurred at last Saturday's debate, when HRC said about reports that people find her less likable than Obama: "Well that hurts my feelings. But I'll try to go on." And he, unnecessarily and churlishly, said, "You're likable enough, Hillary." In that instance, her humor worked, and his was temporarily on the blink.
I like 'em both. I want them to avoid tearing each other to pieces so they can still be on the same ticket in November. Her forcefulness and his eloquence would win against any GOP ticket.
21 - handyguy
Among those who have publicly expressed their belief in the sincerity of HRC's tears-in-the-diner episode:
Karl Rove
Pat Buchanan
Ralph Reed
Their opinions don't prove anything either. But I don't like the way Dave and others present it as just a given that it was a manipulative ploy.
22 - Douglas Mays
Heloise (re:#12). Regarding firings or those jumping ship. Politics is a really tough gig. Those jumping ship just don't have what it takes. We don't know... Who cares? She brought on a good team? We'll see.
I love everyone getting their panties in an uproar over 'real' tears. It doesn't matter.
It goes to show how trivial the 'democracy' of the people (that includes everyone of you USA citizens) is. How weasely and lame our power of democracy has gotten.
People use the weakest, most insignificant point as if some major point. Geez, you think any of this trivia has anything to to with anything? I guess it does to the trivial mind.
Think of this. One reason I am for Hillary is that it means that 1/3rd of the USA population will have had lived in a country served by either a Bush or a Clinton. That is the closest we have come to a Monarchy in this country...okay, just a thought...
OK, Hillary is woman who is so hard (iron fist), yet so soft (tears). We need that right now. I am sick of the white noise coming out of the mouths of the USA male right now. White noise has nothing to do with race. It is an audio technical term. Look it up. Katie Couric ROCKS!! Good move CBS!
Notice how I did not use the term "America" during this comment? Yeah, get it straight you arrogant people. America refers to the new world. There is North America, Central America, South America. Many individual countries. So what gives us the idea we are 'the America'.
I guess all I am saying, get your s*** together people. This country is so messed up we can't even see straight. I guess it is time to go f*** yourself. Don't try f-ing me.
OK, that is my rant.
best,
DM
23 - Arch Conservative
OK, Hillary is woman who is so hard (iron fist), yet so soft (tears).
Bzzz......wrong.
Hillary is a women so calculating in her personal quest for power that she will appear tough when her handlers think the situation calls for it and soft in other situations where her handlers have deemed it most beneficial to her quest.
That is not what the nation needs.
24 - Douglas Mays
Arch... you sound like a heck of a paranoid, sniveling for some weak assed reasoning.
"Hillary is so calculating", SO F-ING WHAT!! That is how you play any game of success. Geez, what if any coach or player on the football field was NOT calculating?! Every moment of the game you are calculating what play to run, how much energy has to go out towards certain opponents on the other team, etc.
Sorry ARCH. THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT KIND OF PERSON WE NEED. Someone calculating what is best. Right now we have some hoh-de-doh hick in office with no idea about anything he is doing. Are you saying that is what the USA needs? sorry, that is for LOSERS. And the USA is losing really big time right now on the world market.
Calculating means you have a vision and a drive to win and accomplish. It means you are thinking. Don't try making the word 'calculating' into a 'bad' word.
Calculating is a word (like any) that is defined by the exucution of the word. Your police department has to calculate how to catch a criminal. In your world you would rather have the cops run around like chickens with their heads cut of hoping to maybe catch a crook. Calculating is bad.
Calculating means thinking about what you are doing. Hillary is being smart, not evil. Right wing nut jobs (like you?) are weaseling for the lamest of excuses....
LOSER!
best,
DM
25 - Douglas Mays
To take it one step further...'in her quest for power'.... SO WHAT! That is what the position of President of the United States IS!
Every single candidate is on a quest for power. Period. If you are not there in a so-called quest for power, then we don't need anyone in office like that. Can't have some wimp running this country.
Is is just a matter how one uses that power. Currently we have a horrible mis-use of power in office. The result: besides a lot of dead, we have a country in horrible debt. We need that power from a credible person to dig us out of this hole.
Funny how the last Clinton had the country ridin' high. Took a Bush to blow it. Hillary as President with a former President who knew what he was doing (the pee-pants level of mentality of prosecution over the Lewinsky deal was typical of moron USA) in the White House is a pretty powerful team. Great to have such an advisor around.
Hey, we need that sort of power to dig the USA out of the hole it is in.
pissed off,
DM