Washington Post opinion columnist Eugene Robinson was online Tuesday, May 6 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: Hi, folks. Today we're all watching North Carolina and Indiana. Will it ever end? For reference, this morning's column was my annual assessment of "American Idol." But I'm guessing we're going to end up talking politics.

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San Francisco: You had a bizarre column this morning that lacked a point. Somehow you imply that "American Idol" ratings are waning because the Obama-Hillary showdown has replaced it as a reality show. But there is no data supporting that. And then you argue that "American Idol" "lacks sizzle" because of "exhaustion" -- exhaustion in the sense that the tired contestants constantly are performing for the show. But you're wrong! It's exhaustion in the sense that Fox airs two-hour marathons of this show every week on an annual basis and TV viewers' patience is wearing. And guess what? The same thing is happening in this primary-fatigued country. But you missed that point too. Very bizarre column, Eugene, very bizarre.

washingtonpost.com: 'Idol' Carries a Shakier Tune (Post, May 6)

Eugene Robinson: I don't think it's possible to make a "point" about "Idol," because it's inherently pointless. But as long as nearly 30 million people watch every week, I feel justified in writing about it once a year. The "Idol" phenomenon is waning, though.

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Baltimore: Mr. Robinson, any chance you will be on Keith Olbermann tonight blaming "Idol's" lower ratings on President Bush? It seems to be a theme on that show!

Eugene Robinson: I'll be doing primary-night commentary on MSNBC. Keith will be there, and I'll try to work in some kind of "Bush is killing 'Idol' " riff.

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Rolla, Mo.: Keep a close eye on Buchanan tonight, I'm worried about what a possible Obama sweep will do to him.

Eugene Robinson: I'll make sure we keep a defibrillator nearby.

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Boqueron, Puerto Rico: I see the Rev. Wright issue as the excuse that many Americans are finally using to "validate" why they won't vote for Sen. Obama. Deep down they have been looking for any excuse not to vote for the black candidate, and Rev. Wright gives them the out. I support Clinton and believe she would make a great president, but I am really upset with the exaggerated coverage and the subsequent poll results as an aftermath to the Wright-Obama "noncontroversy." The racially polarized mainstream of America is focusing on the wrong issue -- as usual -- as a means to camouflage their innate racism and bigotry.

Eugene Robinson: Imagine what the reaction would be if there were an actual skeleton in Obama's closet, instead of this faux skeleton. I mean, really -- all this drama about what the guy's former pastor said? It's pretty obvious that some people were looking for an excuse to reject Obama.

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Seattle: I like your analogy that the election is taking people's interest away from "reality TV," but I think you can take the analogy farther. Hasn't the press coverage of the election seemed like "reality TV," with clear audience favorites, loopy judges who are allowed to judge without any seeming qualification, a grueling schedule, and often a focus of attention on appearance rather than substance?

Eugene Robinson: I'll buy that, as long as you're not assigning me the "Paula" role.

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Rolla, Mo.: Don't you think that any result other than an Obama sweep tonight will continue the narrative of Hillary's "comeback" or "resiliency," or Obama's "problem" with working-class whites, no matter what the numbers actually are? Can we expect a repeat performance of the coverage of Pennsylvania, where Sen. Clinton had to win by "double digits," and with the miracle of rounding won by 10 percentage points (versus the actual 9.2)?

Eugene Robinson: If you believe the polls, which say she'll win in Indiana and he'll win in North Carolina, spinning the margin of victory will be the national pastime for the next few days. One thing that's crazy is that the margin seems to be whatever it seemed to be when everybody went to bed on the night of the primary. When it turns out the next morning that the margin was actually bigger or smaller, it doesn't seem to matter.

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Seattle: Is "American Idol" the tip of an iceberg in American media, concealing a public's huge appetite for celebritization, or is it the media's "white whale," an obsession that dominates their perspective even when other people couldn't care less?

Eugene Robinson: I'm not quite sure I understand the question, but there's no doubt about the size of the public's appetite for celebrity. If you want to sell magazines, you'd do a lot better putting Paris Hilton on the cover than Howard Dean.

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St. Petersburg, Fla.: Perhaps the long-term impact of the gas tax holiday makes it a bad idea, but the Democrats campaigned in 2006 on reducing our dependence on foreign oil and thereby lowering the price of gas. To date, can you name one piece of legislation the Democrat-controlled House and Senate have passed to lower the price of gas in the short term? If not, then why do you continue to give them a free ride? At least Hillary is trying to do something!

Eugene Robinson: I can't think of any great achievements by Congress in lowering gasoline prices, but it's not true that "Hillary is trying to do something." She hasn't introduced any legislation that I know of. She knows that if she did, it wouldn't get through Congress and in any event would be vetoed. She's talking about a gas tax holiday for the summer, but anyone who thinks this could be done by Memorial Day (even if everyone wanted to do it, which isn't the case) is nuts. Clinton's gas-tax "plan" is intended to make a show of wanting to do something about high gas prices. It may be "good politics," but it certainly isn't real.

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Arlington, Va.: I know a lot of women of a certain age, the ones who grew up with the feminist revolution in the 1960s, who are as strongly pro-Clinton as African-Americans seem to be for Obama. Billie Jean King and Gloria Steinem are prime examples of people who see the election of Sen. Clinton as the crowning touch to all they have fought for. Do you think a nomination battle with two obvious symbols of a group would still have the possibility of the losers supporters coalescing around the victor?

Eugene Robinson: That's the big question. If the eventual winner is seen to have won the nomination fair and square, the Democrats will have a better chance of putting the party back together again. If not, the party is going to have a problem.

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Portland, Ore.: Of all the crazy things that have happened in this bizarre primary season, perhaps the strangest is seeing Rush Limbaugh actively campaign for Hillary Clinton -- and Rush seems to be having a big affect on the Democratic race. In Texas, Republican crossovers accounted for about 12 percent of the vote, up from the 4 percent or so that had been the norm. Indiana is sure to have an even higher crossover vote. Why isn't this getting the talk it really deserves? Why hasn't Hillary Clinton been asked to denounce and reject Rush? When Right-to-Life puts out a robocall asking conservatives to vote for Clinton something seems a little fraudulent about the final results.

Eugene Robinson: If the Republican turnout in Indiana is huge, you'll hear a lot about Limbaugh's "Operation Chaos." I don't think anyone has empirically measured the phenomenon yet to determine whether it's really having an impact or not. Hillary Clinton doesn't denounce the whole thing because politicians don't generally ask people not to vote for them.

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Baltimore: I'm spotting a trend. Last year your "Idol" column focused on Sanjaya. This year, barring the comparison to the primaries, the column focuses on Paula. In both cases you have picked the singularly defining moment of the year's episodes. "American Idol" is not going to be around much longer if all we can remember from a season are the losers and the weirdos.

Eugene Robinson: That's why I think the producers had better do a better job of casting that show and pick contestants the viewers care about.

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Sewickley, Pa.: Mrs. Bush calling out the Burmese government for bungling the aftermath of the cyclone ... well, what can I say after I'm done blowing coffee out my nose? It just makes me wonder how that hospital in Iraq she pushed for is coming along, not to mention the Lower Ninth Ward and all? Sheesh.

washingtonpost.com: First Lady Condemns Junta's Response to Storm (Post, May 6)

Eugene Robinson: I think it's good that Laura Bush has taken such an interest in Burma, and she's probably right about the junta's response. But yes, there is an irony in hearing anyone associated with the Bush administration criticizing any government for bungling the response to a natural disaster.

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Maryland: In support of your "Idol" thesis, I noticed that Oscar viewership was down this year when the primaries were very hot. Even more, I noticed that I myself, who usually enjoys the Oscars, didn't find them compelling this year and personally felt at the time that it was because the primaries were more exciting. A corollary to increased lipstick usage meaning recession? Increased TV addiction means uninspiring politics?

Eugene Robinson: I think the Oscar ratings generally have more to do with the year's crop of movies and movie stars. But there are many indicators of the public's fascination with politics this year. The presidential race really has been a bonanza for the cable news networks.

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Washington: Hello Mr. Robinson. Do both the Indiana and North Carolina primaries award delegates in accordance with the popular vote? That is, neither is winner-take-all? If that is true, the numbers likely will come out to be roughly 50 percent of the vote for each candidate, plus or minus a couple points. So Sen. Obama will get roughly 55 delegates and Sen. Clinton will get roughly 55 delegates. This means that Sen. Obama keeps his lead in delegates by about the same amount. Isn't the focus on who wins trivial unless they win by a huge amount?

Eugene Robinson: In a rational world, yes. Do we live in a rational world? Apparently not. Unless Clinton were to win both primaries with, like, 70 percent of the vote, the delegate math will surely look the same tomorrow as it looks today -- except that Obama will be a little closer to the magic number he needs for the nomination.

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Bellingham, Wash.: Another good column, but I think I'll leave the "American Idol" discussion to others and throw out a couple Democratic primary questions. Firstly, regarding the "Obama is elite" meme: After 11 years as First Lady of Arkansas, followed by eight years as First Lady of the United States, then seven seven years in the Senate, has anyone thought to ask Clinton when the last time was that she drove a car herself, or pumped her own gas? When was the last time she went grocery shopping or cooked a meal for herself? Second, regarding the "press loves Obama" meme: When was the last time you saw a positive story about Obama, or one where his picture wasn't juxtaposed with a picture of Rev. Wright? Six weeks now? Eight weeks maybe? Hope this isn't too long, and thanks in advance...

Eugene Robinson: On your last point, I think the "press loves Obama" thing is so dead at this point that the Clinton campaign isn't even pushing that line anymore. On the "elitist" question, it's amusing but also infuriating to see two millionaire Ivy League lawyers prove they're just "regular" folks. Obama, by any measure, is rich -- although this windfall came quite recently, from his books. Clinton, by any measure, is vastly rich -- and her windfall started a few years ago. If we choose a president on the basis of who last pumped his or her own gas, we're in worse trouble than I thought.

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Boston: Why do people need and "excuse" to not vote for Obama? Not wanting to vote for someone because they are black isn't illegal after all. Is voting for someone because they are black better than not voting for someone because they are black? A columnist who tries to paint everyone who doesn't like him as a racist just makes more people not like him. He isn't going to get elected on a guilt trip.

Eugene Robinson: You're absolutely right. People are perfectly free to vote against Obama because he's black, if that's what they want to do -- or to vote against Clinton because she's white, or because she's a woman ... I was talking about people who are less up-front about their prejudices than you seem to be.

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Falls Church, Va.: I've often thought that "American Idol" casting would end up better in the last weeks if we voted people off rather than voting to keep them around. Maybe we should do this with elections too -- I think more people would be motivated to turn out if they could vote against a particular politician. Thoughts?

Eugene Robinson: How often do you think "None of the Above" would win? We might not have a government.

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Minneapolis: Candidate George W. Bush complained about the cost of gas prices in 2000, saying he would "jawbone" OPEC into opening up the spigot. That was when gas was $1.50 a gallon. And now St. Petersburg has the gall to blame Democrats for high gas prices?

Eugene Robinson: Hillary Clinton is now saying that OPEC "can't continue to be a cartel" that sets prices. How does she hope to end OPEC? I'm hoping she's not planning to do any obliterating...

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Herndon, Va.:"American Idol" has been very outspoken about the "talent" of the current contestants, and has been quite dismissive of one of their winners -- Taylor Hicks -- and openly contemptuous of the voters who made Taylor the '05 "American Idol" winner. Do you think the attitude expressed by the producers, "judges," and other "American Idol" people has contributed to the response of people who have been watching and enjoying the show in the past?

Eugene Robinson: I do think that the producers have begun to seem somewhat contemptuous of the audience. They should take a lesson from our political candidates. Come drink shots and beers with us. Come bowl with us. Make us promises you can't keep. Oh, how we love a little pandering.

Well, that's it for today. Thanks for checking in, and I'll see you again next week.

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