Opinion Focus

Washington Post opinion columnist Eugene Robinson was online Tuesday, April 22 at 1 p.m. ET to discuss his recent columns and the latest news.

Discussion Group: Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood

The transcript follows.

Archive: Eugene Robinson discussion transcripts

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Eugene Robinson: Hello, everyone, and welcome to Pennsylvania Day. We've waited six weeks for this primary, and now the consensus is... that it's unlikely to settle anything. Sigh. The thing is, though, that voters sometimes have a way of making pundits and pollsters look like idiots. So stay tuned. This morning's column was about John McCain, whom I think is quite beatable in the fall -- if the Democrats can manage to stop beating up on each other. Onward!

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Denver: Hi Eugene, love your work on TV and in The Washington Post. What do you make of the national polling showing Clinton/Obama vs. McCain being essentially a dead heat? In an election year after eight years of a frustrating Republican presidency, I find that nothing short of flabbergasting.

Eugene Robinson: I don't believe those polls. Maybe I'm just in denial, but I'm relying on the fact that match-up polls are generally not worth very much until there's an actual match-up to ask about. Once there's a Democratic nominee and the candidates have to start talking about the issues -- on which the Democrats have a huge edge -- I'll start paying attention to the general election polls.

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Bow, N.H.: So, Obama is pulling a Clinton and going to Indiana tonight. Any chance John Mellencamp will be singing "Small Town" in Evansville? Or maybe Obama heads to Seymour tomorrow to see the real thing!

Eugene Robinson: I'd say it's a virtual certainty we'll hear a lot of "Small Town" in the next couple of weeks.

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Alexandria, Va.: Do you think Obama reads this chat? I hope so, because I'd like to tell him that he needs to practice suffering fools -- if not gladly, then at least with some level of equanimity. I think he's terrific, but he suffers from impatience with stupid questions. This is entirely reasonable, but not desirable for a person running for office, a process that seems to involve spending a lot of time doing just that.

If you happen to talk to him, could you recommend that -- when asked one of those questions -- he take a deep breath, turn on his killer smile, and then answer. Because sometimes it seems like he's about to roll his eyes, and that never works. And one more thing: Tell him to keep having fun on the campaign trail -- because, again, that smile just makes you like him. That's not the same as wanting to vote for him, but it helps!

Eugene Robinson: I'm pretty sure he has more urgent things to do than read this chat, but someone from the campaign probably does, so your advice is noted.

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Ridgefield, Conn.: You know Gene, compared to Senator Obama's curious interpretation of the Second Amendment at the last debate, I thought ol' Barack handled the affirmative action questions pretty well. He spoke of a broader view of affirmative action that encompasses class as well as race, and then -- almost in parentheses -- talked about a sort of sliding-scale approach to affirmative action that looks at income along with race when evaluating school admissions/assistance. Like you said, it was "almost news."

Eugene Robinson: To me, it was as if he walked up to a new definition of affirmative action but didn't quite take the last step. Maybe we'll hear more in the coming weeks.

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Baltimore:"But I don't see how most Americans will believe that McCain's basic economic philosophy -- keep cutting taxes for the well-to-do and restrain discretionary government spending -- will make their lives any better." This is a typical liberal argument against conservatives. Let's be honest -- the top one percent of earners pay almost 50 percent of the tax burden; as it is the "well-to-do" who pay the taxes, they deserve the tax cuts. Also, both Democratic candidates will raise taxes on the middle class. How is that going to help anyone?

washingtonpost.com: Not Quite Like Ike (Post, April 22)

Eugene Robinson: For the record, both Democrats have pledged not to raise taxes for the middle class. And the reason to increase the tax burden on the wealthy would be that the very rich receive a greater share of income than at any time since the 1930s.

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Rockville, Md.: Mr. Robinson: I would bet you have as much of a temper as McCain, yet you manage to function. Or is this just another political exercise of blowing up the negatives and seeing what will stick? Got to get paid, to be sure.

Eugene Robinson: If you read Michael Leahy's excellent story in Sunday's Washington Post, I'm hard-pressed to see how you could call McCain's temper normal. You can argue whether it is a big enough deal to become a campaign issue, but it's clear that the guy loses it more often than most people. Certainly more often than I do.

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Washington: I'd love to hear what you think about Dana Milbank's Washington Post article today on voters' views in McKeesport, Pa. Choice quotes from folks he interviewed: "I think he just wants to be president because he's black"; "I don't even think he's American."

I grew up in small-town Western Pennsylvania, where there are a whole lot of people who think that way, and I'm glad to see a big name reporter finally covering these attitudes. They are far from rare in small American towns. The Republicans will do everything they can to exploit these attitudes against either Democratic nominee, but I shiver to think of what they'll whip up against Obama in particular. Your thoughts?

Eugene Robinson: That racism and xenophobia exist doesn't surprise me. I'm sure they would influence some voters if Obama were the Democratic candidate, just as I'm sure that sexism would influence some voters if Clinton were the nominee. But if these attitudes were all-pervasive, Obama and Clinton would never have gotten to this point.

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Baltimore: Re: National polls on an Obama/McCain matchup, columnist Mark Shields is fond of pointing out that in April 1980, Jimmy Carter had a 30-point lead over Ronald Reagan in national polls. Enough said.

Eugene Robinson: Enough said.

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Richmond, Va.: Do you believe Obama has changed his position on gun control, or is he just saying anything to get elected? I find the explanations very disappointing. Reminds me a bit of Mitt Romney.

Eugene Robinson: I don't think so, because he quickly added that he believes Second Amendment rights can be reasonably restricted. I was fascinated at his view of the Amendment -- he said he believes it conveys an individual right to keep and bear arms, not a collective right -- in part because he has studied and taught constitutional law and I thought it was interesting that this is how he sees the question from a legal standpoint.

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The McCain Temper Story: I am a McCain backer, but the campaign's response to the Michael Leahy story ("99 percent fiction") strains credulity, and almost guarantees the story will have fresh legs (I already am envisioning a "Saturday Night Live" skit on the subject). Why would the campaign make such a blunder? "McCain has a temper" is hardly breaking news...

Eugene Robinson: I agree. The story was filled with specific incidents involving people who were named -- many of whom commented on the record. Calling the story "fiction" was not credible.

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Scottsdale, Ariz.: I'm still baffled that, with all the brouhaha over the ABC "debate," there hasn't been more attention to Sen. Clinton's answers to a question about protecting Israel. Here's her answer: "I think that we should be looking to create an umbrella of deterrence that goes much further than just Israel," she said. "We will let the Iranians know, that, yes, an attack on Israel would trigger massive retaliation, but so would an attack on those countries that are willing to go under the security umbrella and forswear their own nuclear ambitions." Personally, I don't know if I want the U.S. getting into the middle of an Arab Persian War using "massive retaliation."

Eugene Robinson: I mentioned this in my column last Friday and talked about it last night on MSNBC. What she outlined would be an enormous step, full of portent, and I hope her proposal is the fruit of long and careful analysis -- rather than something tossed out in the middle of a campaign for political reasons. It's not a totally crazy idea, but on balance I think it's probably a bad idea. I plan to write more about this in an upcoming column. Any talk of extending the U.S. nuclear umbrella is a huge, huge deal. Yes, it should have gotten a lot more attention and comment.

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Baltimore and Taxes: Just a response to "Baltimore" -- I know conservatives like to point out how much raw dollars they pay in taxes, but the fact is that they pay a smaller percentage of their wealth than working class folks. That point consistently has been argued by no less then Warren Buffett, who says the wealthy should pay more ... and I think Mr. Buffett probably understands economics and wealth accumulation, don't you?

Eugene Robinson: Warren Buffett indeed knows a thing or two about the subject. Incidentally, he also favors inheritance taxes (which Republicans always call "the death tax" as a way of avoiding a hereditary aristocracy in this country.

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Washington: This may not be your area, but how dare The Washington Post print unfounded accusations from terrorists that we drugged them before questioning, and Page A1 none the less? Does The Washington Post understand that these people undergo media training and are told what to say and lie about when caught? The Post prints these stories -- without any fact or evidence -- and then people who don't know any better take it as fact.

Terrorists also brainwash children to say that if they strap bombs to their chest they will be rewarded in heaven. Does The Post plan on printing that as fact on page A1? Shameful pandering on untrue accusations made by people who are trained to lie ... this is what The Post has come to? The scorched earth tactic to make people hate their country so they will vote for Obama or Clinton? I can see why the business is suffering.

washingtonpost.com: Detainees Allege Being Drugged, Questioned (Post, April 22)

Eugene Robinson: The Post has printed many stories about how terrorists brainwash suicide bombers into thinking they will go to heaven as martyrs. The Post also was first to reveal that terrorist suspects were held without charges in secret CIA-run prisons where they were subjected to interrogation techniques that you or I (or the Geneva Conventions) would call torture. I believe this administration's record of arbitrary detention and torture is a great stain on the honor and integrity of this country and will be judged harshly by history.

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Irvington, N.Y.: Thank you for taking my question. In Dan Balz's excellent article today he quoted a Republican strategist as saying that, after any nomination is decided, the winner invariably gets a bump in the polls, and that McCain's first real test will be how he bounces back after the Democratic nomination is decided. I hope I'm not oversimplifying your column, but McCain's platform is essentially "Four More Years of Bush." How does he bounce back running on that platform?

washingtonpost.com: 8 Questions About The Pennsylvania Primary (Post, April 22)

Eugene Robinson: I don't think he does. But people keep telling me that John McCain is such a formidable candidate. We'll see.

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Re: The Debate: Can you stand one more question about the debate between Obama and Clinton last week? What struck me was the observation that Obama's campaign people (and perhaps Obama himself) were surprised by the reaction that he had not done well. You know, that surprised me, because his campaign advisors are very sharp, and if they couldn't see that this was not Obama's best performance, will they be able to stand up to McCain in the general election (I am assuming Obama will be the nominee)?

washingtonpost.com: Heat -- and a Little Light (Post, April 18)

Eugene Robinson: My view has always been that if Obama can beat the Clintons, he'll be ready to run against John McCain.

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Attitudes in small towns: My sister-in-law refuses to vote for Obama because of his name. I never thought she was stupid, but now I'm not so sure. How can someone really think this way?

Eugene Robinson: Don't ask me, ask your sister-in-law. I shudder to think how some people make their voting decisions.

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Berkeley, Calif.: This isn't relevant in Pennsylvania, but I'm interested in learning more about how pollsters cope with early voting in states where it's allowed. Do all these early voters escape the exit polls? Is there any way to get demographic breakdowns of these votes, or to know when they voted? It seems to me this has a bearing on all these generalizations pundits throw around about what has worked and what hasn't in terms of endorsements, ads, etc., and muddies the momentum question. Won't this make projections less reliable in the future?

Eugene Robinson: Early voting (which indeed is pretty much beyond the radar of pollsters and pundits) is just one of the things that is making predicting or analyzing elections more difficult, in my opinion. Another is the increasing number of people who only have cell phones (no land lines) and thus aren't reached by telephone surveys. Pollsters try to compensate for groups they know they are undersampling or oversampling, but it seems to get harder and harder. At this rate, pretty soon we'll reach the point where we actually have to wait until the election is over to say who has won.

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Arlington, Va.: Can you help me understand why some keep talking about Mr Obama's inability to "put Mrs. Clinton away"? This time last year he was consider a novelty ... now he has been leading in the delegate counts for weeks and everyone seems to agree that he will remain in that lead as well as the popular vote lead. It seems that no matter what, the goalposts for Sen. Obama keeps getting moved in the minds of some of your pundit colleagues.

Eugene Robinson: When people talk about "putting her away," I wonder just where they want him to put her. The fact is that she has a lot of support and he has somewhat more support.

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Washington: Last week, you downplayed Obama's elitist comments, and I half agree with you -- we want the elite to run be president because they're supposed to lead the country, after all. So for me, the problem isn't so much that he is elitist (because most politicians are) but that he was careless enough to make such a stupid mistake. You can argue that what he said was legitimate, but it was a politically stupid thing to say. Obama is obviously quite intelligent, but that event makes me question his prudence.

Eugene Robinson: So the choice is between being prudent enough to dissemble, or imprudent enough to tell the truth as you see it?

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Pittsburgh: We've been wooed by the presidential candidates for six weeks, and now that we've been used they're going to abandon us. Faithless seducers!

Eugene Robinson: Love 'em and leave 'em is standard operating procedure for those caddish candidates, I'm afraid. One of them will be back -- with flowers and sweet talk -- for the general election, though.

That's all for today, folks. Thanks for tuning in, and see you again next time.

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