EXPECTATIONS….Drudge is running a big headline claiming that Hillary Clinton’s internal polling shows her 11 points ahead in Pennsylvania. Was this a deliberate leak from HRC to Drudge? Josh Marshall doesn’t think so:
Here’s why.
The game is heavily about expectations at this point. And the public polls are showing a fairly close race. Far better for the Clinton camp to keep expectations right there and surprise people with a low double-digit win. Switching expectations to 10 points, only to meet those expectations makes no sense, especially since Clinton started 6 weeks ago with a 15 or 20 point margin.
I’m not so sure about this. I think we’re beyond the expectations game. Better to get the word out that “momentum is building,” or some such, in order to rally the troops, set the tone for news coverage, and try to regain a little bit of that old “inevitability” magic. I have no idea where Drudge got his leak, or even whether it’s true, but at a do-or-die stage like the one Hillary is in now, excitement and momentum are more important than the media expectations game, I think.
