2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: OK, I'm a Bernie supporter, but Hillary had a fine moment yesterday when she [View all]RufusTFirefly
(8,812 posts)The fact is that among people who follow politics closely, HRC has a major perception problem. She's viewed as highly scripted and inauthentic. So in the unlikely event that the above was a genuine moment, it will still be viewed with a huge -- and highly justified -- amount of skepticism.
Lucky for her, most people aren't following her all that closely yet and many who are get their information from fawning or uncritical sources. (Such as the Pravda-like Correct the Record.) In other words, she has a chance to remake herself into a compassionate politician before most people are paying attention to notice the cynical transformation.
Regarding those who just know it was unscripted: I am surprised and disappointed by how naive and media unsophisticated many otherwise discerning, intelligent people are. Periodically, someone will post a heart-tugging "flash mob" that "just happened" and when I point out the production logistics involved in such a maneuver (microphones, multiple camera setups, release forms), I'm treated as though I'd just left a turd in the punch bowl. People want to believe things are real, even when the facts make it abundantly clear that they aren't. The Clinton campaign is so pathologically careful and risk-averse (with good reason) that it strains credulity to suggest that she didn't know this question was coming.
As for love, I believe there is no force greater or more powerful in the universe. It is precisely for that reason that I take exception when people attempt to use it for cynical purposes.