"Planting Questions" On The Campaign Trail

Today much is being made of a staff member of the Senator Hillary Clinton campaign trying to plant a question with an attendee at a Iowa event. Supposedly a member of the Clinton campaign asked a friend to ask a particular question and the individual not only refused but also informed the press. Now we are all reading about it.

Earlier in the day, as I was watching a news station, I was hearing a report concerning a lack of a tip left after a group of Clinton staffers had eaten at an Iowa Diner.

These are both examples of how much scrutiny a front-runner receives when they are running for President of the United States.

After a little of "who said what" went on, both of these events received official answers and apologies from the Clinton campaign. Both issues are important because everyone realizes that a waitress/waiter's income is dependent largely by the amount of tips they receive and no one wants to hear that the questions a candidate is answering at a local event has been planted by the candidate them-self.

Neither one of these incidents will play well in Iowa, where voters take getting to know the candidates very seriously. Former Senator John Edwards (N.C.) has already jumped on the planting of questions by the Clinton campaign. He is comparing her actions to those of President George W. Bush and his well screened events he has held in the past.

Although none of the other candidates will probably admit it, having supporters ask questions at an event happens all the time.

Four years ago as former Governor Howard Dean (Vt.) was leading the polls, it was days before the Iowa caucus when television stations began airing taped conversations with the Governor from a Canadian television talk show. Howard Dean had appeared on the show on several occasions in previous years during his time as Governor of Vermont. I was working on his campaign in Maryland at the time and I remember sitting at home, watching the news and saying to myself "oh-oh, we have a problem"!

In the aired tapes. the Governor was questioning the caucus manner of voting in Iowa. Obviously, this was not well received by the Iowa caucus goer and with only days before the Iowa caucus Gov. Dean had no time to respond.

After a stumble in the last debate, whether these latest guffaws will affect Sen. Clinton's standing in the Polls, time will tell us and we will see if this story of the planting of questions continues in the press and become an "oh-oh" moment.

There is another Democratic Presidential Candidate debate next week - do you think one of the panel members will ask about the "planting of questions"?