Mullings by Rich Galen | Issue for November 24, 1999

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She's Going to Live WHERE?

Wednesday, November 24, 1999

Hillary Rodham Clinton Rodham has announced that she intends announce, after the first of the year, that she will be running for Senate from New York. This, according to Democratic sources, is supposed to put New York Democrats at ease. But the oratorio that the chorus of New York Democrats has been singing for the past three weeks has not been "O Hillary Please Announce Thine Campaign." It has been "O Hillary Please Take Thy Leave."

If this announcement-of-intention-to-announce was truly newsworthy, where were Bill and Chelsea? It's one thing to do this while they are in Kosovo. It's something else again to admit - as she did - she was making the announcement without even having discussed it with either of them. This may go down as the "Through the Looking Glass" campaign.

Aboard Air Force One Clinton, upon learning that Hillary had said she would be moving into the house in Westchester as soon as it is ready, broke out - for the first time in over a year - the cigars and bongos.

In a story first reported by sponsor Conservative News Service, the company which owns the billboard across the street from Vice President Al Gore's campaign headquarters in Tennessee has reneged on a deal to allow the Republican National Committee to buy advertising on the grounds the message was "anti-Democratic and negative."

Here's what the billboard depicted: Al Gore and Bill Clinton hugging one another with Gore's statement (during the White House lawn pep rally following the House impeachment vote) that Bill Clinton would go down in history as "One of our greatest Presidents."

So, a photo and quote of Al Gore supporting Bill Clinton is "anti-Democratic and negative?" Upon further review, the sign company may have a point.

The CNN web page story on the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll has the headline: "Divided Government Possible if Election Held Today." The data showed that George W leads Gore and Bradley in a head-to-head match by 16 and 15 percentage points respectively (56-40, 55-40). So the headline could have been: "Bush Maintains Huge Lead in General Election Matchup." But it wasn't.

The question regarding who respondents would vote for in the 2000 Congressional race had Democrats leading Republicans 47-43. What's the margin of error of the poll? Plus or minus four. So the headline could have been: "GOP-Dems in Statistical Dead Heat for House Control." But it wasn't.

Also from the poll, the favorability ratings of the two parties is 51% for Democrats and 50% for Republicans. In December (at the time of the impeachment vote) these two numbers were: 57% favorable for Democrats and 31% for the GOP. So the headline could have been: "Hastert, Bush (or Lott, or McCain) Lead GOP Back to Favor." But it wasn't.

The CNN headline writers took the only data which wasn't absolutely positive for the GOP, took the worst possible interpretation of that data, and made it news.

There will be no Mullings on Friday. Happy Thanksgiving.

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