In both politics and public relations, perception is reality -- and this was never truer than in the New Hampshire primary.   The candidates, of course, can’t shape their own perceptions.  Just as Wall Street analysts set expectations for public companies’ performance -- and those companies are stuck with what the analysts say -- candidates are saddled with expectations created by the media. To understand how the New Hampshire primary turned out, let’s consider the candidates’ performance -- not in absolute terms of votes or percentages, but in terms of what the chattering class’s conventional wisdom predicted.  In other words, let’s look at the perception, which shapes the reality in forthcoming primaries and caucuses. Sanders and Clinton:  Let’s start with the easier campaign -- the Democrat dust-up.  At the start of his campaign, Bernie Sanders was down in the polls 50 points against Hillary; however, by...(Read Full Article)