Clinton is sending the wrong message

This is not a political post. Frankly I don't think it would be appropriate for me to comment on the election here, since this is a decidedly apolitical forum. Discussing how the candidates conduct the business of spreading their message, however, is our bread and butter. A political candidate becomes the literal embodiment of a public relations campaign. Successful politicians, regardless of their policies, are invariably the ones who best convince us that they have what we need. Hillary Clinton, whom I've always felt was, if nothing else, a shrewd communicator, has been reeling because of the success of her competitor for the Democratic presidential nomination, Barak Obama. (Read the full story here.) In my opinion, her problem is not that people want change more than experience, or Democrats are afraid of what a divisive candidate she would be, or any of the reasons televised smart people have been doling out for her decline in popularity. What is hurting her is that she has allowed this decline to become the story. Several months ago, Hillary Clinton was the heir-apparent of the Democratic ticket. Perhaps that made the campaign feel too secure, unable to see how being heir-apparent could be made into a destructive force. That she has not pulled ahead of Obama, is running out of money, has lost the last 10 contests... these stories themselves are what create the impression in voter's minds that she is not the best choice for President. Neither her policies nor those of her rival's have changed since they both entered the race. It isn't the message that is turning people off, it's the idea that perhaps all of the other people voting for Obama have a point. It would be difficult to turn this story around, as everything hinges on the ability to say, "I'm not behind," and then showing proof. What she could start doing is circulating stories that refute phrases like, "at this point, he's got more ways to win than she does." Though I have a feeling published opinions like this will continue to go unanswered. It is this silence on the subject of how her campaign is doing that makes her look damaged. So by saying nothing, by not coming out and saying, "no, we're fine, it's all going to work out," (as McCain did over the last several months, and quite successfully,) Clinton is sending out the opposite message: "Things are rotten, we're holding on by the skin of our teeth just the way you think we are, and anything else that's bad you have to say about me is probably true too." Rolling with the punches, as sportsmanlike as it may be, could ultimately prove to be her undoing.

About the Author: Eric Reid

I am the Social Media Services Manager for Off Madison Ave. I've been with the company since 2006, when I was hired to do SEO, and link building in particular. When social networking sites started cropping up, at first I started using them to create backlinks - but they weren't the best for that, given all of the "nofollow" attributes. However, I did see the potential for all of the direct referral traffic they represent. Since then I've been actively pursuing both tactics for clients: Links that can help them for search, and social postings that get them involved in the conversation. It's about the coolest job you could ever get. ;)