Peter Daou has joined Hillary Clinton as her blog advisor.

Clinton has been attacked frequently by the liberal blogosphere for her centrism and constant recalibrations on policy. She has reached out to Daou to help her connect with the netroots, or perhaps more accurately, convince the netroots that she is worthy of their positive attention.

What is interesting about Hillary’s choice of blog advisors is not that it’s Daou exactly since he worked on a high level on the Kerry/Edwards campaign, but rather what Daou has said as a blogger since the 2004 campaign fizzled in defeat. It’s no secret that Daou is a favorite of Emboldened, and especially of mine (see here, here, and here). His piece on the importance of a Democratic narrative to counteract that of the GOP has been a foundation block of my own views. For Daou, success in the media comes from weaving a coherent narrative through every story in order to encapsulate any story within a broader positive message. He argues that the Democrats may have current events on their side but that the underlying narrative is still fundamentally pro-Republican.

Which brings me to Clinton. Daou could not have chosen a more challenging figure to redefine. There are so many “truths” about Clinton that are taken as gospel that most of America has a pretty good idea about what she stands for. That’s not to say that it’s correct, but Hillary comes with serious political narrative baggage. So in many ways I am disappointed that Daou has chosen Hillary since I believe so strongly in his argument. I don’t see how Hillary can change her own personal narrative, much less her party’s, so I worry that Daou has taken a premier position at the cost of his convictions.

In his announcement, Daou suggests that Hillary has some great things to offer the netroots, like her stance on Net Neutrality and privacy. He doesn’t suggest that his role as intermediary will introduce a more grassroots-y Hillary to us nor that we’ve been mistaken in our critiques. Perhaps he is hoping to start small by focusing on shared values now, but I would hope for a more excited announcement for anyone joining a top contender for the White House.

I realize that Daou is a political consultant with bills to pay. This is his job and he just landed a very sweet deal. However, Hillary’s campaign will be about convincing the country that she is an individual, a Democrat, and a unifying figure. None of these help the party define itself since she has to essentially tear it down and rebuild it around her. She becomes the story and the narrative for the entire Democratic Party which, with half the country already decidedly against her as a person, can only hurt the chance that a Democratic narrative of Daou’s own description can emerge.

This is a perfect example of how the current consensus in the progressive blogosphere is going to be shattered in 2008 as our heroes and leaders pick sides. I hope Daou can flex his principles inside the campaign and convince Hillary to guide her party, not just run for president.


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