Monday, January 28, 2008

Irony revealed

One of the fun things about this election (and there are a few) has been the creative use of the internet. The Slate site video compares Clinton's campaign to that of an obscure 1999 movie called election that starred Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon. The premise of the movie was the interplay between a high school teacher who runs student government and a driven student who wants to become student body president at whatever cost. The comparison to Clinton's campaign could not be more apt. The interplay of the video between the movie clips and actual election coverage is wonderful. But I was struck with one quote taken directly from the (real life) candidate. Hillary, in one clip says "I'm not just running on the promise of change, I'm running on 35 years of change."

It is odd when a candidate gets caught up in the moment like that - I'm the candidate of change because I have 35 years of being a key part of the establishment. That is not to say that other candidates don't engage in their own flights of folly, indeed they do. On a day when the Clinton campaign is seeking (according to the NYT) a "kinder,gentler" role for Mr. Clinton (because his bellicose role in South Carolina may have shed some voters, this video was delicious in its irony.

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