Post Politics Hour
washingtonpost.com's Daily Politics Discussion

Shailagh Murray
Washington Post National Political Reporter
Monday, January 14, 2008 11:00 AM

Don't want to miss out on the latest in politics? Start each day with The Post Politics Hour. Join in each weekday morning at 11 a.m. as a member of The Washington Post's team of White House and congressional reporters answers questions about the latest in buzz in Washington and The Post's coverage of political news.

Washington Post national political reporter Shailagh Murray was online Monday, Jan. 14 at 11 a.m. ET.

The transcript follows.

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Archive: Post Politics Hour discussion transcripts

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Shailagh Murray: Good morning everyone. Lots of amazing news to digest from the campaign trail, and I'm anxious to hear from you on the race issue, McCain's resurgence, these latest national polls and whatever else is on your mind.

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Richmond, Va.: Is it just me, or is Bill Clinton getting a bit too much into this race? Here's how I see it: Obama is pretty much having to take on both Hillary, the candidate, and Bill, the candidate's husband -- it seems like a bit of overload. The question then becomes, is Bill hurting Hillary and helping Obama?

Shailagh Murray: Without a doubt Bill Clinton has emerged as the biggest wild card on the Democratic side. Yes, he is beloved by the party faithful. No, he's not the same Bill Clinton. I do think that the more voters see the Clintons together, the more it reinforces the dynasty impression. Is that a good thing or a bad thing for Hillary? It's hard to figure. Some people who are close the Clintons -- and concerned about Wild Bill's unscripted performances -- thought one benefit of a New Hampshire loss is that it would have sent him into exile. But it didn't work out that way, and his role seems more central than ever.

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Missoula, Mont.: From a big Obama fan: What is the buzz about how Hillary did on Tim Russert yesterday? Even though she's not my first choice, I will support the Democrats in the general. To me, she seemed way too defensive and shrill, all trees and no forest.

washingtonpost.com: The Fix: Obama Slams Clinton's 'Meet' Appearance (washingtonpost.com, Jan. 13)

Shailagh Murray: The general consensus on yesterday's performance -- at least from my unscientific poll -- was that if you like her you scored her as tough, and if you dislike her the reaction you express was typical. I do find it kind of interesting that just as the race is going national, and presumably becomes more of a popularity contest, she's adopting such a negative tone.

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Kettering, Ohio: Good morning Shailagh. I have read and heard storylines that Edwards is in a position of being a king- or queen-maker by virtue of his running a poor third to Obama and the Hillster. I suspect ego prevents him from even considering this prospect at this point, but how likely is he to do this? Would he settle for a second banana position on either of their tickets? Given his class-warfare campaign, would be even be an asset to a ticket?

Shailagh Murray: I don't expect Edwards has running-mate potential. Aside from everything else, he doesn't have the right profile for either Clinton or Obama. It's pretty clear at this point that Edwards identifies much more strongly with Obama than Clinton, but right now I think it helps Obama to have Edwards still in the mix, because he is competing with Clinton for white support in South Carolina and presumably will repeat the pattern on Feb. 5 in states like Georgia and Alabama.

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Oakland, Pa.: Any indication how the MLK-LBJ brouhaha is impacting voter's opinions in South Carolina? And good morning! Thanks for these informative chats.

Shailagh Murray: We have been talking about this in the newsroom all morning -- and the short answer is, we just don't know. On the one hand this could play to the concerns that many blacks have -- that Obama's broad appeal ultimately will be compromised by his race. On the other hand, maybe folks are really mad and this helps get them to the polls.

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Louisville, Ky.: McCain and Romney are in a dead heat for Michigan. Can you explain how Romney has survived his crushing early losses? Any predictions?

Shailagh Murray: Well, he hasn't survived too well, has he? I expect people will be writing Mitt Romney's political obituary if he doesn't win Michigan. That would be his third hard-fought loss. That's really hard to overcome, especially with the national momentum clearly shifting to McCain.

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Arlington, Va.: I am not a supporter of Mrs. Clinton, but I believe that you have to understand the gimmick behind "Meet The Press," with the finding of quotations going back five or 10 years and asking people to justify why they changed. Russert even quoted Bill Clinton in 1992 on experience. I wondered why he didn't mention that she was a Goldwater Girl in 1964. Virtually everyone on the program ends up being defensive, and I recall that Obama was the same way when he was on.

Shailagh Murray: Like debates, the Sunday shows are a news genre all their own. You wouldn't believe the time and energy that candidates put into preparing for them. And yet it so often turns out like this, with neutral to negative reviews.

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Vancouver, Wash.: In your (off the record) discussions with operatives of the various Democratic candidates, do you hear any preferences as to whom they'd like to run against (or not run against) on the Republican side in the general? Thanks.

Shailagh Murray: Democrats feel pretty good about their chances in November. If there's a Republican who worries them, it's probably McCain -- not just because of his appeal among independents, but because he's such a tough and seasoned campaigner.

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Bangor, Maine: I'm a former Clinton supporter who is now supporting Obama, and part of the reason is the way the Clintons are campaigning. I used to defend Hillary when people said she and Bill were divisive and polarizing. I said it was their enemies who were divisive. But now I think the Clintons brought some of it on themselves. When Bill Clinton got angry and made the "fairy tale" comment, what flashed in my mind was his hand-shaking "I did not have sex with that woman" remark. Do you detect others moving away from Hillary? Her poll numbers seem to have gone down, no?

Shailagh Murray: No, this message was not approved by Barack Obama.

But the point you are making is exactly the point that he is making in response to the latest round of Clinton criticisms: It just reinforces that people are sick of that political style.

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Cincinnati: I was disappointed that Hillary Clinton was so confrontational with Tim Russert on "Meet the Press" (more than any other candidate has been during the MTP chats with the candidates) and how she has continued the spinning that launches her veiled and direct barbs against Obama and then reinforces them in round two when Obama defends himself. This is clearly the opposite of the "human" Clinton that won her New Hampshire and is potentially fatal to her chances either in the primaries or the general election. Who is giving her the advice that she needs to be more, rather than less, "Clintonian"?

Shailagh Murray: You make an interesting point. I've been wondering the same thing -- what voice is it exactly that Hillary Clinton has found? It was quite a pivot.

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Rockville, Md.: I just do not understand the buzz behind Obama. Yes, he is charismatic, smart, and well-educated -- so I am I, but it doesn't qualify either of us to be president. He has one year of experience in the Senate and he spent that whole time campaigning! What qualifies him to lead this country? I think people on the fence are generally ridiculous and should make up their minds, but as a die-hard Democrat, if the race came down to Obama vs. McCain, I actually think I would have a tough decision on my hands. Why do you think people fall for the "hope" shtick? Yes, we all want change, but any candidate out there is going to be a major change from what we have now.

Shailagh Murray: Obama is certainly not a typical type of candidate for Democrats, especially party faithful types. It's all about your view of leadership and its attributes. I'm not sure Obama expects to convert masses of folks who feel more comfortable with long resumes -- I think the idea is to expand the voter pool so he doesn't need them.

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Re: The Race Issue: Since you asked, I'll just offer my view. I am a liberal Democrat who will be voting for Obama. The Clintons, and some of their advisors and supporters have depressed me with their approach to this race. They are losing potential general election votes in the process. Shame for the Democratic Party.

Shailagh Murray: From the focus group.

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Boston: Hello Shailagh -- aren't you glad you're not in New Hampshire today with a foot of snow promised? My mom lives and votes in New Hampshire, and actually answers her phone and responds to poll questions. She found that when the pollsters were looking for issues, they did not ask her about climate change. Finally, she told a pollster "you haven't asked me about climate change and if we can't solve that, then all the other issues I care about won't matter." The questioner, of course, said nothing.

Granted, it's not transparent which organization is behind any given poll and perhaps some of them were more comprehensive. I'm not sure how many issues-related polls she received -- mostly she received calls on the party's primary in which she was not participating. Just saying that I wonder if some of the issues-focused polls aren't really covering all the top issues...

Shailagh Murray: I've gotten a few questions about issues this morning -- as in, why isn't anyone talking about them? Not the candidates, not the reporters. Your anecdote is interesting because it underscores how practical voters are, even when they're being drowned out all the horse-race chatter. Another reader pointed out how rarely we quote voters in stories, as opposed to campaign aides and whatnot. And the fact is, during the Q&A sessions on the trail, all people ask about is education, the mortgage crisis, immigration, health care, etc.

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Leesburg, Va.: The polls in Florida are showing a four-way dead heat for the Republicans. If Giuliani loses, after all his campaigning in the Sunshine State, will his campaign have taken on too much water to survive?

Shailagh Murray: I think so. Like Romney, you only can lose for so long before people start seeing you as ... a loser.

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Greenville, S.C.: Who benefits when Obama and Clinton squabble over race? I am a white supporter of Barack Obama and plan to vote for him in the upcoming primary, but I am worried about recent debate about whether the Clintons and Hillary's campaign are offending blacks and dissing Martin Luther King. This kind of debate only will hurt Obama because it makes him appear overly sensitive and too quick to use the "race card" (or victim card) when he is criticized. He may gain black voters, but will lose many more white voters, who are tired of the Al Sharptons of the world jumping in and fanning the flames of racial conflict. Anyway, my question is: Who do you think benefits in this debate about whether the Clintons are offending black people?

Shailagh Murray: Interesting observations from the South Carolina front. Basically, my take is that nobody benefits from a race debate.

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Seaford, N.Y.: In his weekend article, Dan Balz calls John Edwards the "angry populist." Is that fair?

Shailagh Murray: The dude is angry -- and proudly so. It's like watching a blog live.

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Boston: Are there any concerns in Washington or on the trail that foreign governments are buying out our largest bank (Citi) and our largest brokerage (Merrill)?

washingtonpost.com: Kuwait's $200 billion fund keeps mum on Citi, Merrill (Reuters, Jan. 14)

Shailagh Murray: It's easy to be cynical these days, isn't it?

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Annapolis, Md.: Between the spin by all the Democratic camps I am not sure whom I would want for president and I think that this is how a lot of people feel. Everyone I talk to has not made up their mind yet and I am beginning to think that a lot of people will not make up their mind until they have a chance to vote. I can only hope that Maryland will make a difference in who wins.

Shailagh Murray: Hey, everyone may get a say this year, even in Washington!

But the more you know, the less you know, right? One thing about the candidates this year -- this process is a killer, an exhausting, relentless sprint. Whoever survives, good for them.

And thanks to all of you for participating this week -- it was a big, boisterous crowd. Have fun and keep us honest. Cheers.

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