There Will Be Mud
Just last Wednesday, Robert Novak wrote: “Inside the Democratic Party, it is already taken for granted that the queen is dead and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is the king.” A few days earlier, Mark Halperin counted 16 “underappreciated Obama advantages.” What — only 16?
Such is the world of media and politics that tonight, on the eve of the March 4th primaries, Hillary Clinton is cast in nearly all mass media as tomorrow’s likely victor — even if she should gain fewer delegates. Dick Morris, once gleeful at the prospect of Hillary’s demise, predicts enough bounce for Clinton to extend the Democratic campaign through spring. The Michigan and Florida primaries, annulled by the Party, will be restaged, he predicts.
Ohio ice will be Pensylvania mud before this is all over. And the mud will be slung with abandon.
Two weeks of Saturday Night Live, yesterday’s Sixty Minutes and today’s Daily Show have showcased a laughing, self-deprecating Hillary, while regular newscasts have featured a series of questions about Obama’s character. First, the Tennessee Republicans unearthed a photo of Obama in an African costume, then Obama’s erstwhile supporter Rezko went on trial for corruption. Finally, today a slime-covered story surfaced picking up on the NAFTA-Canada angle. It seems that one of Obama’s economic advisers met with Canadian consulate officials (at their request) and, according to a leaked report of the meeting, the adviser told the Canadians that Obama’s critique of NAFTA was only for public consumption. Although the Canadian government denied this — as did the adviser and Obama himself — the damage for this election eve news cycle was done. Hillary quickly said Obama had given a “wink and a nod” to the Canadians not to take his NAFTA criticism seriously.
A gotcha moment, eh?