Marc Ambinder has quotes from what the Clinton campaign is billing as a “major contrast” speech she will give in Ohio tonight (I assume this is being leaked in an attempt to divert attention away from what seems likely to be a big win for Obama in Wisconsin tonight).
Anyway, among the “highlights”:
…Tonight, I want to talk about the choice you have in this election – and why that choice matters…. …This election is not about me or my opponent. It’s about you. Your lives, your dreams, your future. Right now, too many people are struggling. Working the day shift, the night shift, trying to get by without health care, just one paycheck away from losing their homes. They cannot afford four more years of a president who just doesn’t see or hear them. They need a president ready on day one to be commander in chief. Ready to manage our economy. And ready to beat the Republicans this November. I will be that president. This is the choice we face: …One of us is ready to be commander in chief in a dangerous world… …One of us has a plan to provide health care for every single American – no one left out…. …Finally, one of us has faced serious Republican opposition in the past. And one of us is ready to do it again… Both Senator Obama and I would make history. But only one of us is ready on day one to be commander in chief, ready to manage our economy, and ready to defeat the Republicans. Only one of us has spent 35 years being a doer, a fighter and a champion for those who need a voice. That is what I would bring to the White House. That is the choice in this election. …It’s about picking a president who relies not just on words – but on work, hard work, to get America back to work. Someone who’s not just in the speeches business – but will get America back in the solutions business…
Somehow, you know, I think she has to do a bit better than this. After all, she’s been peddling this stuff for weeks now and it doesn’t seem to be working. Is this really the best the Clintons can do or is she holding something better in reserve?
To make just one obvious point, when you hear a politician say that’s what’s needed is “Someone who’s not just in the speeches business – but will get America back in the solutions business” sentient voters may be tempted to think, Look at that! See how clever it is? Lovely repetition of business. Nice too that “speeches” and “solutions” both start (and end!) with the letter ‘S’. Sweet. Why that’s just the sort of hackneyed writing a politician uses when they’re selling me a line. In fact, it’s so obviously – and poorly – “crafted” that it could only be delivered by someone in the “speeches business”. Hmm, wouldn’t that undermine her point? Oh, never mind…
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