July 27, 2007
Smile for The Camera
Part of what has made the recent Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama feud so noteworthy was that the two candidates went on camera to talk about it. Obama was the first, speaking to NBC News on Wednesday. The next day Clinton spoke with CNN. But, for the last two months, the two have been nearly invisible when it comes to face time on the tube.
In June, according to Hotline TV tracking, Clinton and Obama didn't do a single TV interview. This month, before the "dictator dust-up", each gave CNN's John Roberts a minute (literally, one minute) of camera time during the festivities for the CNN/YouTube debate in Charleston. Before that, the only other appearance was an Obama stop- by on the "Today" show after the Senate's all-nighter on Iraq.
The top-tier presidential candidates rarely go on television themselves, preferring to let their surrogates speak for them. In the spin rooms after the debates you won't spot Clinton, Obama or John Edwards. It's their campaign managers, strategists or spokespersons that do the talking.
So for the two of them to go on the record, on camera themselves made what could have been a one-day story last out the week. And it gave television something to air over and over again. [EMILY GOODIN]
Posted at 03:43 PM
Comments
Post a comment
The Watergate · 600 New Hampshire Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20037
202-739-8400 · fax 202-833-8069
NationalJournal.com is an Atlantic Media publication.
