Hillary's Public Emotion: Plus Or Minus?

Humanizing moment--or sign of weakness? Those are the two sides of the debate that's roaring today in the news media and among political professionals as they assess Hillary Clinton's emotional monologue during a campaign event yesterday in Portsmouth, N.H.

At what was billed as a forum for undecided voters, the Democratic presidential candidate was asked by an apparently sympathetic attendee how she copes with the campaign's demands day to day. Clinton started out in a lighthearted vein but quickly turned serious. Her eyes welled up, and her voice broke as she talked about how high the stakes are.

"I just don't want to see us fall backward as a nation," she said. "I mean, this is very personal for me. ... Some people think elections are a game--who's up or who's down. It's about our country. It's about our kids' future. It's about all of us together. Some of us put ourselves out there and do this against some difficult odds."

The media have given the incident saturation coverage in the run-up to today's New Hampshire primary, where polling indicates a lead for Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential race. Some journalists, commentators, and bloggers say Clinton finally showed an appealing vulnerability that she has largely hidden from public view up to now. Others saw it as a calculated ploy to increase her likability in her battle with the charismatic Obama.

Still others considered it a sign of weakness amid the strain and frustration of the campaign. CNN's website headlined the story: "Clinton chokes up, is applauded, at campaign stop." Fox News went with: "Clinton Dismisses Claims of Being Too Emotional" as the network reported that she was "driven to the verge of tears." Journalists compared the incident with then Sen. Ed Muskie's emotional moment during the New Hampshire primary campaign of 1972. Some said Muskie wept as he responded to attacks on his wife. Others say the "tears" were actually melted snow around Muskie's eyes at the outdoor event. In any case, the emotional moment didn't do his campaign any good.

By Kenneth T. Walsh