Earlier this week New Hampshire held its presidential primaries. During the media build-up to this event Barak Obama was a favorite in the polls. One poll predicted Obama to win by percentage points. However, unless you live under a rock, you know that not only did Hillary Clinton win, she won by a comfortable margin of eight percentage points.
So, what happened? Well, of course, first there were cries of racism. The theory that people chose Obama in the polls to seem “open minded” or “unbiased by race” was widely floated. The idea was that when it came time to vote they just couldn't bring themselves to select someone with different colored skin. Others maintained that Clinton's “crocodile tears” during a meet and greet rally swayed public opinion. Hillary herself said that she could feel the tide turn after she had spoken at a rally.
Here's what really happened (or my theory of it). America loves an underdog. Now, without making any cheap remarks about Clinton's appearance; I think that Hillary hatched a plan to play the role of underdog. This strategy started months ago with Hillary's complaints that she was being picked on unfairly by the other candidates because she's a “woman”. To further sympathy for herself in New Hampshire, during a speech at a rally two “chauvinist pig” protesters showed up chanting and carrying a sign that said “Iron my shirts!” (a nearly 40 year old anti-feminist slogan). Instead of just having the “protesters” (aka obvious plants) escorted out, Clinton had the lights raised so all could see the “protesters” and had some “off the cuff” responses that had the crowd applauding, the NY Daily News said. (Hillary doesn't do spontaneous, by the way.) Now, for the coup de grace: New Hampshire.
If you don't know much about the New Hampshire primary, let me enlighten you. One does not need to be a resident of New Hampshire to participate in the primary. This is also true of straw polls and caucuses. Also, supporters of political candidates often charter buses or ride in caravans from out of state to influence the primary's outcome.
I believe that many of Hillary's supporters got together and participated in every poll that they could, choosing Obama every time. This set Obama up to be the expected winner and Clinton the certain loser, a true underdog. But, we all know what happened when it came time to vote. Hillary won and wowed the media with her newfound momentum; something her campaign desperately needed.
"Together, let's give America the comeback that New Hampshire has just given me."
Yeah, right.
