Monday, January 7, 2008
Hillary: The Human Bean
The campaign coverage about Hillary — “she showed real emotion” — is paradigmatic of the media. Is it a Muskie moment? Is it a revelation that Hillary really has feelings?
Do you care? Well, I guess. The human displays seem to shift things. Obama's recurrent dismissiveness, manifested recently in a debate as, “you're likable enough Hillary”; Edwards' saying he wouldn't comment about Hillary near tears — then saying we “need a strong president”. McCain's sarcasm about Romney's changed views — all of those things do reveal something or other. Maybe if the campaigns didn't manufacture Stepford candidates a sign of the tell-tale human heartbeat rustling the surface would be less fascinating. How many times can these pols utter the mind-numbing meme, “change”, without the public looking for something more interesting — a more personal indicator?
Obama was right when asked about Hillary tearing up: “the campaign can get to be a grind”. She was just exhausted.