Dante Chinni’s unfortunate obsession with a swooning Hillary Clinton frames an interesting context that does not inherently detract from any assetion of wisdom about the NBC News analysis―
The key word for 2016 poll-watchers this week has been “tightening” as a series of national and state polls have shown Donald Trump drawing nearer to Hillary Clinton.
But look at the numbers closer and any tightening looks more like a mini Clinton swoon, than a mini Trump boom.
―but does, in fact, frame an interesting context by cheapening the whole thing to better suit Meet the Press in the Chuck Todd era.
At some point we might wonder―
The New York Times’ headline this morning certainly gives the impression of a notable scoop: “Emails Raise New Questions About Clinton Foundation Ties to State Dept” ....
.... RedState, a prominent far-right website, quickly alerted readers to the idea that it “looks like” the Clinton Foundation “illegally obtained diplomatic passports.”
Except, it doesn’t “look like” that at all. In reality, that description is pretty much the opposite of what happened.
In 2009, two Americans were being held in North Korea, and former President Bill Clinton went to negotiate their release. As part of the trip, a Clinton aide reached out to one of Hillary Clinton’s aides at the State Department, asking for diplomatic passports―strictly as part of this mission.
The State Department rejected the request. Bill Clinton and his team were acting as unofficial emissaries, so they weren’t eligible for diplomatic documents. The former president and his team went anyway and brought the hostages home.
(Benen)
―if maybe there is a reason for Hillary Clinton’s polling “swoon”. It is almost as if the media is determined to do its part to keep the race close; or, you know, maybe for the media it’s just about “her”.
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Image note: Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton addresses delegates during the fourth and final night of the Democratic National Convention at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 28 July 2016. (Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)
Benen, Steve. “The weakest of the not-so-controversial Clinton controversies”. msnbc. 2 September 2016.
Chinni, Dante. “Hillary Clinton’s Late Summer Swoon Doesn’t Help Trump”. NBC News. 4 September 2016.
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