One of the hallmarks of President Clinton’s White House was the idea that you should “Win the News Cycle.” At the end of every day, the staff would gather to watch the evening news to decide if they had won or lost the day. Team Obama rejected this idea out of hand. The value of the “news cycle” was dramatically diminished as fewer Americans watched the news and subscribed to the local paper. Barack Obama’s philosophy of communications is about telling a story over time, and chasing the latest headlines could often be a distraction from the larger—and more important—task.
