And then came Mrs. Clinton’s stump speech. And, oh boy, even though it was a Friday night in San Francisco at the beautiful Orpheum, Mrs. Clinton once again showed one of her deficits as a candidate: She simply has trouble pulling off a great rally.
No matter the setting, Mrs. Clinton treats nearly every campaign event as a wonk-filled town hall meeting. Rather than whip up the crowd by tossing brickbats at President Bush; rather than tell funny stories or show the sides of herself that Mr. Danson and Ms. Steenburgen hailed; rather than try to deliver her best stemwinder – Mrs. Clinton instead sunk into the weeds of her policy ideas, laying out her plans for tax credits and health care and education reform.
A full minute or two would go by without applause.