Hillary Clinton’s appearance on Saturday Night Live last weekend got fairly mixed reviews. But Clinton probably would be the first to admit that she’s not going to give up the day job anytime soon.

She’s back in the political mix Tuesday, when her first national TV spot is slated to air on CNN and MSNBC.


The ad focuses on House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy's Benghazi gaffe last week. "Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right?" McCarthy says in the clip from Fox News. "But we put together a Benghazi special committee. What are her numbers today?"

At that point, one could almost hear GOP operatives cringing in pain. McCarthy’s comment was interpreted by most everyone on the planet that the sole purpose of the committee was to bring down Hillary Clinton and sink her presidential candidacy.

Clinton’s ad pounces on the committee. "The Republicans have spent millions attacking Hillary because she's fighting for everything they oppose. From affordable health care to equal pay, she'll never stop fighting for you, and Republicans know it," the ad's narrator says over footage of Clinton addressing a crowd.

If only McCarthy’s office could appreciate that Hillary Clinton plays hardball and, let’s be honest, has a touch of Teflon that would probably make Ronald Reagan jealous.

From a communications standpoint, the ad accomplishes a few things.

Primarily, the ad changes the Benghazi narrative as Clinton prepares to testify before the committee on October 22. It could also derail McCarthy’s candidacy for House Speaker. What party would elect someone as speaker who, through his actions, sent a big, fat bouquet to the woman in line to lead the opposition?

The episode also speaks to why it’s crucial for PR executives to play long ball when dealing with sensitive issues (or clients) and see beyond the next few news cycles.

Did McCarthy and/or his communications team see beyond scoring a few, ephemeral points against Hillary Clinton? Did they gauge what the reaction to McCarthy’s comments from Hillary’s camp might be? Did they put themselves in Hillary’s shoes?

Considering the ad makes McCarthy look like a rank amateur, our guess is his PR team didn’t think it through.