Journalists Cool Their Heels, Waiting for Hillary

Sarah Palin isn’t the only person who’s waiting for Hillary.

The former Alaska governor toted an “I’m Ready for Hillary” sticker recently during an appearance in Iowa. That was a jab at the former Secretary of State, who seems to be running for president but doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to announce she’s running for president.

But journalists are also ready. And waiting, and waiting, and waiting for Hillary.

The Republican National Committee notes that former Sen. Clinton, who’s known for giving well-compensated speeches to select audiences, hasn’t yet appeared in the United States this year. Her only appearances have been in Canada.

In fact, the RNC found, Hillary hasn’t had a real interview in more than six months. It reports:

• Days since last press conference: 202
• Days since she’s done an interview: 184
• Days since she’s been in Iowa: 103
• Days since she’s been in New Hampshire: 100

Meanwhile, even though reporters don’t have access to Mrs. Clinton, her aides have excess access to reporters. One aide even followed a journalist into a bathroom at an event last year. As the Washington Post explained after that incident, “Put simply: Neither Hillary nor Bill Clinton likes the media or, increasingly, sees any positive use for them.”

Of course, reporters are extremely useful to politicians. They allow candidates to amplify a message. Instead of trying to speak to voters in small groups, reporters allow candidates to speak to hundreds of thousands, even millions of voters at a time.

That’s not always positive. Reporters sometimes amplify a message that candidates don’t especially want out there. But giving an interview is like anything else: Practice makes you better.

So shunning the press may come back to haunt Mrs. Clinton. Unless, of course, she doesn’t have much to say.