Hillary Bashing Put Her in Favorable Light
Throughout her career, Clinton has benefited from being on the defensive.
Jan. 9, 2008 — -- Barack Obama and John Edwards are finding out what others have learned in the past: It doesn't pay to upset Hillary Clinton.
Clinton's surprise comeback came after a debate in which Obama and Edwards appeared to have become a tag team to criticize Clinton, triggering an outburst by the former first lady eager to defend herself against accusations that she is the candidate for the status quo.
A day later, Clinton was on the verge of tears as she described her "passion" for the country. Both moments were replayed throughout the 24 hours leading up to the New Hampshire vote.
"It's been a long-standing trend," said ABC political contributor Matthew Dowd. "Clinton does better in voters' minds when she is on the defense. She always does best when she looks to be ganged up on or under siege."
"[Edwards and Obama] fed right into her underdog fighter mode," said Dowd.
"There's no doubt that when there's this relentless bashing of Clinton -- like what was occurring on page one of most newspapers in New Hampshire (on Tuesday) -- there was this notion that she was through and done and stick a fork in her," said Lee Miringoff, the director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion poll. "It put her into a victim role that creates some sympathy."
Clinton won the New Hampshire primary with 39 percent of the vote, fueled by an outpouring of support from women.
Clinton has benefited from sympathy before, most noticeably when she debated Republican rival Rick Lazio in the 2000 New York Senate race.
Clinton's popularity soared -- while Lazio's plummeted -- after Lazio stomped across the stage to Clinton's podium, repeatedly insisting that she sign a "ban on soft money" pledge.
Clinton was clearly taken aback by the in-your-face tactic, but held her ground and insisted on a handshake rather than a signature.
Within days, her poll numbers rose over 50 percent for the first time in her campaign in the Quinnipiac Polling Institute survey that had been tracking the race. She went on to easily defeat Lazio.
