A bit of a break from film this week.
I have to say, I have developed an unnatural obsession with the US Presidential Elections, and have become an avid follower of every twist and turn in the race. It seems to me and everyone else – although not yet apparently Hillary Clinton herself – that the primary result is all but over, but the intricate manouverings taken by her campaign team over the past few weeks to subtly move the goalposts about what she needs to do to win have been masterful.
Boy can that lady fight. I honestly thought when she was at her victory rally in Indiana that she was going to jack it in, and the look on Bill’s face behind her only reinforced that feeling, but she hasn’t. Instead she has spent the intervening two weeks trying to persuade everyone, but especially the super delegates that she has really been the winner.
When she started this process and was favourite to wrap it up by Super Tuesday, she seemed to think the process was fine, but as it slowly dawned on her that she was losing on the pledged delegates count, she started trying to play the electability card to get the super delegates behind her. She would be the only nominee to bring home the swing states, where she won big in the primaries. Finally she has tried to make it about winning the popular vote, including votes cast in a primary election where Obama wasn’t even on the ballot because it had been declared void by the Democratic Party. Hardly seems democratic does it?
I don’t know whether today’s primaries in Oregon and Kentucky will finally bring to an end this incredible contest, and it can surely only be a matter of time, but credit to her and her comms team for managing to get the media to engage with her changing ambitions for so long. That’s communication!
PS Is it just me, or am I really cynical? When Obama was in his hole over Jeremiah Wright, everyone expected the pastor to go on TV and make conciliatory remarks; well he didn’t. And don’t you think that made it easier for Obama. He could distance himself from this ‘radical’ pastor more easily and move on. It put the issue to bed for a lot of people. If Wright had actually apologised, the issue may have dragged on and on. Wright doesn’t seem like the sort of person that would bend his principles or position for anyone, but I just wonder if Wright spoke so forcefully on purpose, knowing that it might actually help out the presidential hopeful.
