Return of the Big Dawg

J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press

No surprise the NYT used a theatrical phrase — “Return Engagement” —  to lead it’s caption of this print-fronting photo.

Touted as a major Friday afternoon White House PR surprise aimed at pulling wavering Dems into the fold on “the great GOP Tax fold/compromise,” did Clinton provide any new argument or “substantive anything” to validate his presence in the WH Press Room?  Not all all.  In fact, what the photo mostly does is confirm just how much celebrity has subsumed substance when it comes to governance.

In short, it’s all about “the glow.”  But then, to the extent we are all fooled into thinking that form is substance, how well did it work on the “sizzle, not steak” level?

Well, the move was a win to the extent a.) the media played up the mini-spectacle of Obama “bringing out the big guns” / “turning loose the Big Dawg”, etc., and worked even better in  b.) successfully pre-empted Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders’ concurrent, umpteen-hour C-SPAN fillibuster of the tax compromise.