Hillary Clinton has ditched the tarmac and comforts of a private jet for the open road in her van nicknamed “Scooby.”
“Road trip! Loaded the van & set off for IA. Met a great family when we stopped this afternoon. Many more to come. — H,” She tweeted soon after announcing her run for president Sunday.
Maybe now she will find out what a gallon of gas costs.
The former Secretary of State, who hasn’t been behind the wheel since the mid-90s, is driving across country en route to her first campaign stop in Iowa. She will arrive sometime today to meet with students and educators for a round-table discussion in Monticello, Iowa.
I am just waiting for her Secret Service driver to ask her to pump the gas or take the wheel so he can get some shut-eye. Wouldn’t that be an image worth tweeting?
Clinton has the uphill challenge of creating excitement around her campaign. I think the van could be her ticket to some early buzz among voters. I can already see the hashtags as voters spot her traveling across country, #Scoobyspotting, #Snackstop, #TakingTheWheel.
Midwesterners will be on the lookout for Hillary sightings at random diners just off the highway or at gas stations, like the one in Pennsylvania she tweeted about. That’s homespun social media gold.
This road trip also buys her some time away from the media while she connects with voters and holds no public appearances, just random refuelings. She is completely controlling her own coverage of her first days on the campaign via social media.
She should stay in that van and avoid pricey private planes for as long as she can. Besides, isn’t she the candidate concerned about climate change? If she wants to relate to middle America this could be a start. However, it won’t be too long before there’s a motorcade of media that follow her. But in the meantime, she has a real opportunity to make spontaneous pit stops.
Some critics see right through this campaign tactic. Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer said, “How stupid do the Clintons think the American people are?” he told Time magazine. “They pulled the same exact stunt in 2000. This is not resetting, it’s recycling.”
This pony might not have new tricks, but Clinton has certainly found an unconventional way to launch her latest bid for the White House.
Jaclyn Cashman is co-host of “Morning Meeting” on Boston Herald Radio.
Hillary Clinton has ditched the tarmac and comforts of a private jet for the open road in her van nicknamed “Scooby.”
