It Ain't Over Till It's Over

After last night's win in New Hampshire by Hillary, it is obvious that the primaries are not over by a long shot. Obama came in a strong second, but after the expectation that he would win big, it felt worse than it was.

I feel that the battle will really be between Obama and Clinton, but Edwards has not given up and may still surprise us. Whatever happens this year, at least it isn't dull.

In looking for a good picture of the two main candidates (Photo source: Win McNamee/Getty Images) I found an interesting point of view by Deborah White on About.com.

In this article, she compares the "profound differences" in communications styles of Clinton and Obama, and the way that they connect with voters. Ms. White explains:

"...the Obama camp uses symbols and personal contact to establish direct grassroots connections WITH people. In contrast, the Clinton camp uses images of feminine authority and pop culture allusions to appeal TO people."

She says that Obama "emphasizes bipartisan reconciliation and listening," while Clinton "boasts a long record of forceful, principled top-down leadership" and is "widely known less as collegial, and more as authoritarian. Based on her confident, experienced wisdom, Sen. Clinton emphasizes telling, not listening."

Ms. White points out that in recent times we've tended to elect authoritarian leaders, not conciliatory, diplomatic leaders. If past performance is indicative of the future, then Clinton may get the nomination, if not the election. But this is the year everyone says they want "change." It remains to be seen how much change they really want.

According to the article, "Obama is betting that younger voters will reject top-down politics as usual, and will opt, instead for authenticity and personal connection."

Ms. White goes on to describe an encounter with Barack Obama on a conference call:

"This past weekend, I participated in a brief conference call with Barack Obama, in which he took a few questions. Sen. Obama made me feel like it was just him and me and a few others. In everyday lingo, the senator warmly thanked me for making time for his phone call and for my support... and his gratitude felt genuine. Not one staffer or aide uttered a word.

That really happened. Except that a few thousand others were likely on the conference call, too. And they probably all felt the same symbiotic connection with Sen. Obama."

Interestingly, this is how I always heard Bill Clinton made people feel when he met them up close and personal. And we all know how compelling Bill Clinton could be.

As Yogi famously said, "it ain't over till it's over." And Obama and Clinton have a long road ahead. We'll see which communication style wins out with the voters.

Today's Haiku:

Hillary is first
Obama came in second
How could it be?

Women went for Hill
Independents for Barack
She came out on top.

Two primaries down
But still forty-eight to go
It's a long campaign.

What is it we want?
Competence or idealism?
Barack can inspire.

A few tears did help
Hillary is sensible
But now seems human.

Obama rolls on
His speech inspirational
He says "Yes we can!"

McCain won the day
Romney's looking rather tired
And where was RUDY?

On to Michigan
More primaries to follow
May the best ones win!