How Hillary Helped Obama Win the DebateRandy Shawbyline‚ Sep. 29‚ 2008During the many Democratic primary debates, Hillary Clinton would invariably cite an anecdote about a hard-working person she met on the campaign trail that was now in trouble. The problem could be a lack of health insurance, foreclosure, or the loss of a job, but in each case it gave Clinton the opportunity to connect with working and middle-class voters. In contrast, Barack Obama spoke in terms of policies, not personal stories. He had a better track record on economic issues impacting working people (Clinton strongly backed NAFTA), but her rhetorical strategy was far more effective. In the first presidential debate, Barack Obama followed Hillary Clinton’s script perfectly. He continually talked about the problems of the working class, and echoed Clinton in mostly emphasizing the health care crisis. When CNN polled undecided debate watchers, Obama was deemed the winner by 51-38%—and this victory was primarily attributable to his 62-32% margin among voters who thought Obama was “more in touch with the needs and problems of people like me.” |