Now that Hillary Clinton is throwing her hat into the presidential ring, it will fill the vacuum the media has been forced to plug for months with stories on #emailgate and Benghazi. Those investigations won’t go away, but at least now reporters can focus on Clinton’s policy positions.
While Clinton has remained tight-lipped about her future aspirations, the public has been hungry for Clinton coverage and it resulted, according to Politico, in more than 40 stories written by The New York Times alone about her private email account while secretary of state.
Now it’s time for the media to focus more on the present — following Clinton on campaign stops and peppering her with questions regarding foreign and domestic policy issues.
Clinton is announcing Sunday via a video on social media that she is running for president. This prerecorded video will help her avoid any gaffes, which she was certainly prone to on her book release tour. Remember when she told Diane Sawyer she was “dead broke” when leaving 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?
It’s certainly not unorthodox for pols to announce their candidacy on video. In Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker took the same path. It worked out pretty well for him in the end.
But Clinton can’t hide behind online videos or Twitter forever. She is expected to hit the campaign trail after the announcement and hold small events with voters and supporters.
Before officially announcing her candidacy, Clinton had been able to rely on 140 character responses to major issues facing our country. When it comes to the controversial law recently passed in Indiana, a presidential candidate needs to say more than just, “Sad this new Indiana law can happen in America today. We shouldn’t discriminate against ppl bc of who they love #LGBT,” on Twitter.
As more information is released regarding the deal brokered with Iran, Clinton has to be front and center answering questions about whether this will prevent them from producing a nuclear bomb. As the former secretary of state, she has the most foreign policy experience in the field of announced and unannounced candidates, so critics will expect a thoughtful response.
The bar is set very high for Clinton’s campaign launch as this is her second run at the presidency and she is seen as the chosen one among Dems. Chances are unlikely Clinton will get through the first week without at least one stumble. Big or small, the media are ready to watch and analyze her every move.
Jaclyn Cashman is co-host of “Morning Meeting” on Boston Herald Radio.
Copyright © 2024 Jaclyn Cashman.
