The XX Factor: Slate women blog about politics, etc...

What About the Philadelphia Pile-On?

A question from John Dickerson:

I am still waiting for data that proves that women flocked to Hillary in NH because of the debate pile-on or the near tears moment in Portsmouth. (Data suggests late deciders actually went to Obama.) But clearly women everywhere are talking about these moments, which leads me to ask: If women in part recoiled at the way Obama and Edwards treated Clinton at the debate in Manchester, why didn't they do so after the Philadelphia debate, when she was also piled-upon? Is it because Clinton didn't draw attention to it n Manchester the way she did after Philadelphia? Or was it because after the Iowa defeat, she was truly vulnerable in a way she wasn’t in Philly? (My bet for the enduring explanation of all this is that to the extent Clinton benefited from being vulnerable and human it was from the IA loss not the Portsmouth moment.)

 I agree with the Iowa loss explanation.