The Clinton Convention

By having Hillary speak in prime time on the second night of the convention and Bill on the third, Obama is handing over both days to the Clintons. The average viewer could be forgiven for thinking that Hillary had won the nomination and that the convention was about her.

Most candidates need to gain 10 points during their convention. That’s the average. Usually you pick up one point on Monday, two on Tuesday, two on Wednesday and five on Thursday when the candidate himself speaks. While Obama is, indeed, planning an extravaganza for his outdoor speech, his gains during the early days will be muted at best. The Clintons are hijacking his convention.

How did they do it? They bargained hard and even had their good friend and book agent Bill Barnett designated and the mediator to handle the talks with the Obama campaign. And they pulled off quite a coup!