How to Read Election Headlines and Spin

By the time the Time Magazine headline reads "Will Clinton's Obama Attacks Backfire?" it's already a rhetorical question, to which the answer is a strongly implied affirmative. In other words, if Hillary's spin-machine shock troops had been successful in landing a punch, and setting the media's agenda, the headline would read something like "Is Obama Ready To Be President?".

The people in Hillary's campaign must think they have more clout with the media than they actually do, these days. The game has changed radically since 1992. You can't guilt your friends into positive coverage. You can't pull off the same hack political ploys, like planted questioners, that you could in the past. Well, you can try ... but the downside is massive, and very likely to happen in an era of greater transparency.

The immediate question is - can Obama refine his message, and consistently put forward a dignified but forceful response?

So far, so good.

Tags: Obama, Hillary, Smashmouth Politics