Quote:
Originally Posted by molson
Maybe people would have been just as excited about Clinton if it was just a coronation for her, being the first women nominee and president would have been a huge deal too. But I just don't buy her inspiring people and getting them to the polls the way Obama did.
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I think that's the story for the DNC - they couldn't ignore the media, and, just as important, the excitement from a group that never showed any prior interest in the process in the past.
Hillary's strategy early on was to stake a lot on New Hampshire, which takes time to develop, just like Iowa. It's hard to do both properly. Most focus on New Hampshire the previous summer and fall and then Iowa hard going into the caucuses. But the dates keep moving back and candidates run out of time. They have to choose one these states or do both badly and hope for the best.
Her husband won the "Comeback Kid" nickname for finishing a distant third in Iowa, then following up with a close second in New Hampshire. I'm sure she felt New Hampshire was more important.
I thought she ran a decent campaign, but Obama was a phenomenon, and the DNC had to act rather than giving the impression that rules changes and a mass of superdelegates mattered more than the votes. A divided convention would have done a lot of damage.