The votes are in, and the best sound-bite from the Democratic candidates’ debate last week belonged to Hillary Clinton. Not only was it the best retort of the night, it was perhaps the shortest sound-bite in presidential debate history.
Secretary Clinton was asked by CNN moderator Anderson Cooper if she wanted to respond to an attack from one of her challengers, who said her handling of the controversy over a private email server raised doubts about her ethics. Her reply was just one word: no. Riotous applause from her supporters followed.
As any three year old can demonstrate, “no” is a complete sentence. And it was the perfect response for Hillary to make under the circumstances. Delivered with confidence and verve, it had the effect of rebutting the claim without giving the issue a moment’s more attention.
Perhaps Hillary’s deft use of “no” owes something to the French diplomats she encountered as Secretary of State. The French are famous for it: a wave of the hand, an upturned chin and a nasally “non” and the subject is closed. She batted away the controversy with a “no” that was straight out of a Paris bistro.
Candidates usually spend hours rehearsing pithy phrases and memorable sound-bites. Launching one at just the right time can make the highlight reel on television news broadcasts and ripple over social media for days.
But often these efforts look strained and, well, rehearsed. Like when Lincoln Chafee, making a nod to New Hampshire, said he was “a block of granite” on the issues even though he switched to the Democrats after being a Republican for years. It was a nice phrase, but it seemed like he was going to use it in the first ten minutes of the debate regardless of the question.
But Hillary’s simple “no” was spontaneous, exquisitely timed and effective. Poor Anderson Cooper had nowhere to go, except on to the next issue.
The “just say no” technique is catching on with other candidates, too. Lindsay Graham appeared on “Morning Joe” the following day and replied with a terse “no” when asked if he wanted to comment on Donald Trump. The conversation moved to more fruitful ground.
If this keeps up, a lively discussion on real issues might break out.