Hillary Clinton’s $2 million ad buy on Monday came months earlier than expected, a move Huffington Post reporter Sam Stein said indicates she is "spooked" by the possibility of Vice President Joe Biden’s entrance into the race.
"Certainly it’s enough that the Clintons feel spooked that they had to spend $2 million in a biographical ad," Stein said.
Having served as first lady, senator, and secretary of state, Clinton is one of the most recognizable figures in politics and enjoys nearly 100 percent name recognition. The fact that Clinton chose a biographical ad reveals Clinton is attempting to soften her image.
"This is the vulnerability that allows the door to open for a Biden, which is Clinton, relatability, likeability," Stein said on MSNBC’s Live with Thomas Roberts. "This whole email saga has resurfaced questions over whether she’s too calculating, whether she’s too political."
Clinton has been dogged for months with negative approval numbers. At the center of her troubles are the scandals involving her use of private email at the State Department and foreign donations to the Clinton Foundation. Most Americans do not believe Clinton is honest or trustworthy.
"If Biden has one strength over Clinton, it’s not the institutional political strength, it’s the character strength," Stein said. "So that’s her weakness, that’s his entry in."