Reply #20: People's perceptions are what matter in politics.

[yardwork]

The perception of this is:

1. Somebody called Hillary a monster and she got so mad that the somebody lost their job. People perceive that kind of thing as petty and vindictive. Nobody will remember that the somebody said something rude. They'll remember that Hillary overreacted.

2. Now the word "monster" is tied to Hillary's name, since she's made this a much bigger story than it otherwise would have been. People expect to see candidates ignore dumb little things like being called names. Hillary should have laughed it off and said something gracious. That would have made her look good.

3. Instead, now Obama is the one who looks good. He stepped in and fired an aide who said something rude. Obama kept his promise to keep his campaign positive, while Hillary ends up looking like a crybaby.

That's the way I see it, and the way a lot of other people will see it.