The strategy was effective in creating the image of a woman who already has experience at the highest echelons of public office. The imagery conveyed a woman who practically served as an apprentice for the presidency with Obama during her tenure as Secretary of State.
The reality is irrelevant when one considers the subliminal effect in this regard. It is the emotional impact that will matter when the voters are watching the candidates over the next several months.
“It Takes a Village,” Clinton wrote 20 years ago, and four years later she walked out of the White House as a First Lady.
It’s been 237 days since Clinton has been willing to face media in a situation in which she is not entirely in control of the questions: her last news conference was held in December 2015. But this does not matter because when Trump is in front of the cameras at campaign stops, he is still unable to stay focused; as a result, he loses visual credibility.
President Bill Clinton has presented his wife as an “agent of change.” But President Barack Obama underlined the image of a leader who will carry on the policies he has already set in motion and which have been ongoing for the past eight years.
The former raises the question of whether the changes mean a drop in defense funding for Israel, or a rise in pressure to make more concessions towards the Palestinian Authority.
For those who worry about the existing anti-Israel sentiment in the White House the latter message is clear: things aren’t likely to change there either. Hillary Clinton has a long history of cozy ties with the Palestinian Authority and her icy attitude towards Israel is renowned.
Bottom line: If Donald Trump continues to disregard his campaign manager and family members, and keeps going off message at the microphone, Hillary Clinton’s warnings will resonate with many more voters than she won at the Democratic National Convention this week.
If Clinton proves more effective at the microphone than Trump, the United States will find itself with another Democratic White House. Israel will be faced with another Democratic president whose distaste for Jerusalem and the government of Benjamin Netanyahu may not be concealed at all.