Instead, he kicked her hard. And character and trust is about, well, more than that. Unfortunately, that's become a pattern, I think, for my opponent. There's some evidence it may have hurt him. But an instant poll conducted after the debate by the New York Daily News found that by 2 to 1, women thought Hillary had won.
Few voters expect a candidate to sign the other guy's prop.
If Hillary does move up with women, it will be a vindication of the strategy devised by her top aides, pollster Mark Penn and media consultant Mandy Grunwald. She had to demonstrate her concern for the people of New York, and that would set the stage for dealing with those other questions. It's a cautious strategy, but risky as well, because it is now too late to recalibrate her image. If she wins by a comfortable margin, it will be because Al Gore and Joe Lieberman win New York by a huge one.