The Calculus Behind Hillary Clinton and 'everyday Americans'

In Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign launch video released Sunday, she said she was running because “everyday Americans need a champion and I want to be that champion.” The video has since gone viral — with more than 4.1 million views this week — and Clinton has been eager to speak about “everyday Americans” on the campaign trail. She’s tweeted the phrase, emailed it out to voters, and Republican opponents like Marco Rubio have already folded it into their attacks. The phrase is actually quite rare in presidential campaigns, speeches and the media. For Hillary, the real question is whether the phrase helps her cause. Republican strategist Rick Wilson doesn’t believe it does. He said, “You can’t look at Hillary Clinton and say ‘everyday Americans.' Nothing about Hillary Clinton’s life has been ordinary for the last 40-plus years.”