Continuing on the theme of controlling the story line of the 2016 election instead of the puerile media making it about "appearances," and "truthfulness," E. J. Dionne, Jr., writes today:
From the beginning of 2015, Republicans have enjoyed enormous success in making her campaign all about her — focusing on any aspect of her life (or her husband’s) that might turn off voters otherwise open to her policies. It’s no surprise that her personal ratings have fallen. [snip]In other words, it will be Hillary Clinton's task to stay above the constant bleating by the hypocritical, attention-deficit, "gotcha" media that wants to establish its own simpleton story lines; as Dionne says, she needs to make the 2016 election about "you," i.e., the great majority of the American people and their interests and welfare. From all indications, she and her campaign staff are savvy enough to be messaging this way (viz., immigration reform, voter enfranchisement, etc.). If it were up to Republicans and their media enablers, this election would be non-germane, small-bore chatter about e-mails, Benghazi!!! and "[sob] why is Hillary avoiding us?"
There is only one tried-and-true way for a candidate to displace a story line she doesn’t like, and that is to come up with a story line of her own. If Clinton wants the campaign to be about how she’d govern, she will have to inundate the media with substance.
