Ken Berwitz
What is a payless Payday: When there is a budget impasse, and government employees are not paid when they\’re supposed to be, because no money has been legally allocated to pay them.
What is a debateless debate: When there is a “Town Hall Meeting in which each of the candidates tells you why he/she is better than the others without actually talking to each other directly.
Last night we had a debateless debate between democrat presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O\’Malley.
How did it go?
All three candidates did pretty much what they always do. Bernie Sanders hammered away at income inequality, to be solved by income redistibution, Hillary Clinton told us she had a long record of _________ (name an issue, any issue), and Martin O\’Malley, tried to present himself as a refreshing change from Mr. Sanders and Ms. Clinton.
No big news, no fireworks, no nothing.
There was, however, one quote by Hillary Clinton – no doubt meant to show what a great choice she is for President – which, I suspect, is going to hurt her.
A young man introduced himself as a passionate Sanders supporter, noted that a lot of his friends think of her as dishonest, and asked why she thought young people\’s enthusiasm for her is not there. Ms. Clinton\’s answer:
“Look, I\’ve beenaround a long time. People have thrown all kinds of things at me and, you know,I can\’t keep up with it. I just keep going forward. They fall by the wayside.They come up with these outlandish things. They make these charges. I just keepgoing forward because there\’s nothing to it. They throw all this stuff at meand I\’m still standing…You have to ask yourself why are they throwing all thisstuff? Because I\’ve been on the front lines of progress since I was your age.”
That answer got a round of applause from the (clearly pro-Democrat) audience. But, taking it apart, Ms. Clinton first complained that she\’s a victim (which never plays well for any politician), then told us that no charge ever leveled against her is valid (shades of Vinnie Gambini\’s “Everything that guy just said is bullshit”), and finished by reminding the young man that she is at least old enough to be his mother.
As a focus group moderator who started in the business well before anyone ever heard of Hillary Clinton, I think I know something about that last part of Ms. Clinton\’s statement.
I have not conducted any groups in years. Not because I am less capable now than I used to be (I conduct training sessions these days and, happy to say, client testimonials tell that story), but because, at age 69, I am less desirable to the people who give out this kind of work.
The main reason is that most – not all by any means, but most – people who give out qualitative research tend to be in their 20\’s and 30\’s. They are almost always younger than I am and usually younger than my children.
If, for example, there is a six group study – two in New York, two in Chicago and two in LA – do you think they want to travel around the country with dad, maybe even grandpa? Tell dad, or grandpa what he is doing wrong/what needs improvement between sessions? Go out drinking with him after the sessions are over? We both know the answer.
So, barring a surprise call (which, in my not-very-humble opinion, would work out very well for whomever makes it) I won\’t be conducting focus groups anymore.
Well, Hillary Clinton is just about my age. Therefore every “millennial” in the country, and just about every one of their brothers and sisters, cannot remember a time when she was not there.
This does not make Hillary Clinton their candidate, it makes Hillary Clinton their parents\’ candidate.
It also explains why Bernie Sanders, almost 6 years her senior, would be their choice over her. Sanders may be old in years but, politically, he is new and fresh to them, not old and stale like Hillary Clinton.
This morning, the Today show announced the results of its weekly national poll. Overall, Hillary Clinton retains a comfortable lead over Bernie Sanders (though significantly less than it was months ago).
But among 18 – 24 year olds? She loses 68% to 21%. Let me post that again so you know it isn\’t a typo: Among 18 – 24 year olds, Bernie Sanders leads Hillary Clinton 68% to 21%. More than triple.
Does anyone really think that Hillary Clinton reminding the electorate about how old she is/how long she has been in our faces, is beneficial to her. I sure don\’t.
Iowa\’s caucuses are a week away. In the immortal words of Laugh-In\’s Arte Johnson, the results are going to be “veddy veddy intethestink”.
