For the past couple weeks, Hillary Clinton has complained that Barack Obama hasn’t committed to enough debates. So why do I feel like tonight’s CNN debate was the 6,000th time I’ve seen the two of them sitting next to each other on stage?
I wouldn’t be nearly as annoyed if they were saying anything new. But I popped popcorn for nothing tonight. I’ve heard every word that came out of their mouths tonight. Well, I hadn’t heard Hillary’s “Xerox” line, but I’d heard the sentiment.
That leads me to my one political revelation from this debate. TV pundits hate it when candidates talk trash. They hated Hillary’s “Xerox” line tonight. They hated Barack’s “you’re nice enough” shot at Hillary at an earlier debate. But even though the crowd booed her tonight and the pundits killed him last time, I enjoy a bit of competitive smack-talk from my politicians. It shows me they’re engaged and interested.
Setting that aside, the only danger I saw for either candidate in tonight’s debate was for Barack Obama. Clinton managed to get him bogged down into the details of their competing health care plans. It’s not a bad spot for her to be (although I don’t think she gains much by it), but for him the minutiae represents disaster. Very few people know the tiny details that separate his proposals from hers. And he’s winning that way. He’s winning because people believe in him. They believe he has a vision. They don’t know about the details… and at heart, they don’t care.
That’s the lesson the Clinton campaign hasn’t learned yet. She’s not going to be able to micromanage her way back into contention. She comes across smart, capable, and competent. But her weakness is her inability to inspire. She needs the details, because she hasn’t been able to convey the big picture. Unless that changes, all the debates in the world won’t save her.
