I think Hillary's concession speech worsened her plight. Edwards had fire in his voice and excitement in his eyes. He rearticulated the central themes of his candidacy, and his reasons for fighting on. Hillary didn't. She pulled back, congratulated the party, spoke slowly, offered a laundry list rather than an argument. Her candidacy now lacks its central advantage: The impression of inevitability. Worse, its central rationale -- "experience" -- was decisively rebutted by the voters, who voted to change the system rather than seek to better master its workings. Indeed, the argument of experience now boomerangs back against her campaign: If she was so experienced, such a consummate professional, what happened in Iowa? And can she credibly argue that Obama is a naive and weak politician after he bested her in their first, and arguably most important, contest? Experience was really a promise that she would win, and tonight she lost. Having watched all the speeches, I know what Edwards is going to argue tomorrow morning. He will offer his populism as the alternative to Obama's call for consensus. What will Hillary offer?Photo used under a Creative Commons license from MarcN. HILLARY STUMBLES.
I think Hillary's concession speech worsened her plight. Edwards had fire in his voice and excitement in his eyes. He rearticulated the central themes of his candidacy, and his reasons for fighting on. Hillary didn't. She pulled back, congratulated the party, spoke slowly, offered a laundry list rather than an argument. Her candidacy now lacks its central advantage: The impression of inevitability. Worse, its central rationale -- "experience" -- was decisively rebutted by the voters, who voted to change the system rather than seek to better master its workings. Indeed, the argument of experience now boomerangs back against her campaign: If she was so experienced, such a consummate professional, what happened in Iowa? And can she credibly argue that Obama is a naive and weak politician after he bested her in their first, and arguably most important, contest? Experience was really a promise that she would win, and tonight she lost. Having watched all the speeches, I know what Edwards is going to argue tomorrow morning. He will offer his populism as the alternative to Obama's call for consensus. What will Hillary offer?Photo used under a Creative Commons license from MarcN. 
