Clinton suddenly loves the press

CORALVILLE, Iowa -- Who says newspapers are dead?

Hillary Clinton can't stop talking about her endorsement Sunday by the Des Moines Register.

Crisscrossing Iowa in a five-day helicopter tour ("Hill-a-Copter,'' as the campaign calls it) she is repeatedly reminding folks that Iowa's largest paper named her as its choice in the Democratic presidential race (on the Republican side, they picked John McCain).

Monday night, as Clinton wrapped up hours of campaigning with a rally in Coralville (a burg near Iowa City, home of the University of Iowa), she said of the hoops the Register's editors had her jump through as they mulled the endorsement: "I have never been through a process more grueling."

This from a person who testified before Ken Starr's grand jury!

Clinton aides privately concede the endorsement was a welcome bit of good news ...

after weeks of the other kind (a flap over planted questions, husbands and campaign officials who veer off message, declining poll numbers, etc). No one seemed happier than the candidate herself, who quickly worked references to the endorsement into her stump speech.

"They really put us through our paces,'' she said at a livestock auction house in Dunlap on Sunday. "I think I was interviewed maybe four times. They asked really hard questions. Every time I left I said, 'I'm sure not going to get that.' ''

But she did. And the Clinton campaign wasted no time advertising it.

On Monday, the campaign released a 30-second ad touting the paper's decision and quoting directly from it: "Her readiness to lead sets her apart.''

The access the Register's editors got to Clinton set them apart. During most of her almost year-long campaign, face time with Clinton for reporters has been at a premium, as the Washington Post's Howard Kurtz recently delineated.

Just how important was the newspaper nod to the Clinton campaign?

On Monday, as she visited her campaign headquarters in Des Moines to thank staff members for their efforts, there was tacked to a wall a sign that read: "Action Items.'' The top one read: "Winning the Des Moines Register Endorsement.''

Next to it was a box. It was checked.

-- Peter Nicholas

Comments

[evanel]

The editorial board of the DMR decides on the endorsement, and not the staff (why don't they just be "democratic" about it and let everyone have a vote?).

The Register's editorial board members who participated in the endorsement process were: Laura Hollingsworth, publisher; Carolyn Washburn, editor; Carol Hunter, editorial page editor; Linda Lantor Fandel, deputy editorial page editor; Rox Laird, editorial writer; and Andie Dominick, editorial writer.

Notice that 4 are female, and 1 is male. Not to be too cynical, but I think that might have had something to do with it.

Along with the fact that DMR is owned by Gannett.

Disclaimer: I am far left-wing Democrat, and do not wish to see Ms. Clinton as POTUS. I prefer Mr. Obama, but any other Democrat nominee is also acceptable. If Ms. Clinton is the nominee, I will sit out the election.

I am male, but actually, I think if there were more female leaders in the world, we all might be slightly better off. Statistically, women tend to commit less violent crimes, tend to want to go to war less often (excl. Ms. Clinton, of course), etc. The fact that most political & religious leaders in the world are male is not a balanced trend, and probably is one of many reasons why there is so little improvement in those aspects of our societies. But I don't think there's too much difference between Ms. Clinton & the other male candidates.

[Peter .N.N]

Hillary IF nominated will make the worst president in the History of America!. Ask her why they took all American jobs to Punjab? ask her why she voted for the way? ask her why Monica was smarter than her?

[eNews Reference]

I find it hard to believe that Senator Clinton love the media...it is interesting to see that Bill Clinton has swooped in to save the election... http://www.enewsreference.wordpress.com

[BB60]

Every candidate lobbied the Des Moines Register (and hard) for this coveted endorsement. Many far left blogs started to tout Obama's endorsement prematurely-they were disappointed. The good folks of Iowa understand that gravitas trumps charisma. Especially now that our country and the world has been spinning out of control under George W. Let's get real -we need real strength and courage not just warmth and rhetoric.

[chrisss]

Hillary rightly and correctly received the endorsement from the Des Moines register. She is the best candidate for the job. Despite the shrill howling of folks like Peter above, who think she'll make the "worst president in history" (sorry, Peter, George W. Bush has that title all sewn up), and despite media folks like Chris Matthews and Tucker Carlson so are so threatened by female leadership that all they can do is cross their legs and wince, Hillary can do the job. Obama's a nice guy, but pulling America out of the ditch Bush-Cheney drove it into is going to take experienced leadership.

[PulSamsara]

Barack Obama for President.

It's time for America to Rise and Shine again.