Why is Hillary Clinton turning to Twitter? In a word, distraction (+video)
Lately, it seems every time Hillary Rodham Clinton sneezes er, tweets it is a news event.
Take Monday, for instance. The likely 2016 Democratic nominee took to Twitter, admonishing congressional Republicans for delaying the nomination of Loretta Lynch for attorney general, calling it part of a "trifecta against women."
Ms. Lynch has been waiting for Senate confirmation for 128 days. Her confirmation is being held up by a bipartisan human trafficking bill stalled over an abortion provision that Democrats do not like, which Clinton alluded to in her second tweet. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, has said that Lynchs nomination would not be considered until the legislation moves forward.
At a Monday press briefing, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest called the delay unconscionable and a bunch of political obstructions set up by Republicans.
Mr. Earnest's comments didn't get much coverage. Hillary's tweets did. Why?
For starters, he's not running for president. She likely is.
And her not-yet-campaign has done a masterful job leveraging Twitter and using it to their candidate's advantage, as the National Journal pointed out.
"[A]s she continues to map out a presidential campaign while rarely dipping into daily political or policy debatesor speaking with the media outside of last week's conferenceher Twitter account has become a potent tool. The (presumably) carefully tailored, deliberate, short blasts have taken the place of news releases, and have been used for everything from spreading information about her personal initiatives to responding to controversy," it said.
Consider this: Between Jan. 25 and Feb. 21 of this year, Clinton sent only three tweets, but averaged 14,099 retweets per tweet, according to an analysis by The Washington Post.
"If retweets were votes, Hillary Clinton would win a 2016 Twitter election in a blowout," the Post reported in a piece titled, "Hillary Clinton has the biggest and most effective Twitter reach of any potential 2016 candidate. Its not even close."
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Why is Hillary Clinton turning to Twitter? In a word, distraction (+video)