Wednesday, January 9, 2008
News / Chicagoland
96 0 tears
Posted by Whet Moser on Wed, Jan 9, 2008 at 12:21 AM
I didn't get to see Hillary "choking up... or choking?" until tonight's postgame coverage. I'm calling for instant replay, since it's a close one:
That's it? Forget these "newspapers," I'm watching TV from now on. This is being described as Hillary's "Muskie Moment," in reference to the "crying" "incident" that doomed Ed Muskie in 1972. And it's a great comparison: this is also a crying-related, silly-ass pseudostory that's at best way overplayed and at worst inaccurate.
David Broder, one of the prime movers behind the Muskie story, describes it as "the story that still nags me." Why? Here's how he described Muskie's moment in 1972: "With tears streaming down his face and his voice choked with emotion. . . ." 15 years later, Broder wasn't so sure: "In retrospect, though, there were a few problems with the Muskie story. First, it is unclear whether Muskie did cry." Whoops! Broder says it could have been snow that was "streaming" down Muskie's face. It's like Rashomon, except stupid.
Today the headlines aren't any different, but New Hampshire voters seem to have viewed this event as a reason to like her, a nonstory that doesn't matter, and/or a nonstory that matters in the sense that it's worth it to vote for her just to spite the media (more here, here , here and here). Hillary and her competitors are promising change, but I'm happy to see it coming from voters.
Update: "But Hillary did feel she needed to prove her masculinity. That was why she voted to enable W. to invade Iraq without even reading the National Intelligence Estimate and backed the White House’s bellicosity on Iran."
[snip]
"At her victory party, Hillary was like the heroine of a Lifetime movie, a woman in peril who manages to triumph."
I'm not yet prepared to turn my vote into a protest against Chris Matthews, Maureen Dowd, and all the rest. But: I understand.
Update II: Michael Sneed's column today is actually pretty moving.
Showing 1-2 of 2
Nice work, Whet, but TV is no sanctuary. The coverage last night was atrocious, with CNN's Anderson Cooper left to grill right-wing hatchetmen Ralph Reed and Bill Bennett about Hills, and MSNBC's Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews utterly flummoxed by her victory. At one point Tom Brokaw pretty much told them to shut the fuck up and just count the votes. The exchange is repeated by Salon's Glenn Greenwald at http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/index.html. And ordinarily I'd insist it's impossible for the Queen of the Sneedlings to be moving, unless you're referring to one's bowels, but it's a surprisingly sharp piece of work drawing parallels with her own life. I'd skipped past it this morning except to remark to myself that Jimmy Page now looks like a sitcom dad, so thanks for drawing my attention back to it. Ted
My favorite was Rudy Giuliani's response when asked about Hillary's near-tears. "I've Gotten Emotional Too... At 9/11 Ceremony" YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu1PFTBW7OQ&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cynical-c.com%2Findex.php%3Fpaged#2301899463549757948
Latest in The Blog
-
Alderman Moreno Begins His Career in the City Council With a Fundraiser
He hasn't been sworn in yet, but the newly appointed alderman of the First Ward is headlining a fundraiser.
- Mar 18, 2010
-
Theatre Building Chicago Update
Theatre Building Under Contract to Lubaka Productions
- Mar 18, 2010
-
This Week's Musicsplosion
Have you noticed all the great music content in the new Reader? Here, let me help you.
- Mar 18, 2010
- More »
Author Archives
-
Dinner & a Show: Wednesday 2/10
Recommended events paired with nearby restaurants.
- Feb 10, 2010
-
American Editors Cards Proof That Things Used to Be Awesome
Life was better when editors had muttonchops and their own collectible cards
- Feb 16, 2010
-
Dinner & a Show: Thursday 2/25
Recommended events paired with nearby restaurants.
- Feb 25, 2010
- More »
Top Commenters
Comments (2) RSS