When the week began we were under the impression it will belong to Barack Obama. Not so fast. Day two continues the Obama-Clinton sideshow, which now has expanded into the main event. Clinton will speak tonight in the 10:00 hour. But earlier today she gave a somewhat odd talk to her Emily’s List fans which included this:
“I know a little bit about how the White House works,” Clinton said. “And, you know, if the president isn’t exactly on our side — call the first lady, and with Michelle Obama, we are going to have somebody who answers that phone.”
In one fell swoop, she reminded her followers of her 3 a.m. ad and her superior White House experience and suggested Barack Obama wasn’t “exactly” their guy. Not bad for a luncheon talk. We’ll see if she is more robust in her praise tonight.
Meanwhile, the Clinton forces are getting plenty of attention. And the Wednesday roll call? Hillary will get it. How long it will go on is unclear.
The bottom line: the Obama team may have seriously underestimated the impact on the faithful of Hillary’s non-selection as VP, even if both camps knew it wasn’t to be. That – -coupled with a failure to appreciate the amount of news an aggrieved group can generate with thousands of reporters milling about with not much to do until the main evening speeches commence — has created a major distraction for The One. Someone didn’t quite think this through.
And Hillary’s speech? If it’s really, really good, will it further fuel her supporters’ ire over her rejection? If she is only so-so, do people take that as a slight? There seems no way for everyone to go home perfectly pleased. But stay tuned.