Media Treatment of Hillary Clinton

In the latest spate of gripes from the flailing Clinton campaign, chief architects Mark Penn and Howard Wolfson grumbled about the new media darling, Barack Obama, while accusing him of receiving a free ride. Regardless of Obama’s press treatment, Hillary has skated by on quite a few issues without widespread protest.

Take her preposterous claim of being “fully vetted.” Since 2000, the Republicans have stockpiled a treasure trove of ammunition, deemed the “Sierra Madre of Hillary oppo.” A Hillary nomination would unleash the Pandora’s box, contradicting her promise of “no surprises.”

Note the Clintons’ adamant refusal to release their tax returns, a practice commonly followed by presidential candidates. The papers would reveal the couple’s transformation from indigency to riches, buoyed by Bill Clinton’s ties with unsavory characters such as Ron Burkle. Yet the matter hasn’t been pressed in debates or on the evening news. Contrast that to Obama’s Rezko dealings, which have received considerable attention. The secrecy isn’t confined to financial matters, as it seeps into a main pillar of Hillary’s candidacy, her time as First Lady.

Experience isn’t measured by proximity to the Oval Office; the appropriate metric is to judge how Hillary used her time. But besides the botched health-care plan characterized by closed doors and the voluminous tomes on scandals, there is little public information on Hillary’s doings. The files exist, but they are buried in the Clinton Library’s papers locked away until 2012. Again, except for one debate mention, the issue has largely shied away from the spotlight. Answer for your record, as Obama has done when explaining his criticized “present” votes in the Senate.

Hillary frequently tosses out another line, citing her “thirty-five years of experience,” as preparation for the presidency. Yet the claim defies her life’s timeline, suggesting that her entire resume, beginning after law school, was training for the presidency. Despite the questionable veracity, she repeats the statement during debates without challenges from the moderators.

Instead of jabbing fingers at external forces, the Clinton campaign should only peer inwards to uncover the reasons for Hillary’s collapse. The flawed blueprint called for a February 5th knockout, a risky gambit that proved unsuccessful. After Plan A failed, the campaign was woefully unprepared, having scorned the common sense of a backup strategy.