Opinion Focus

Eugene Robinson
Washington Post Columnist
Tuesday, May 27, 2008 1:00 PM

Washington Post opinion columnist Eugene Robinson was online Tuesday, May 27 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, everyone, and welcome. I'll be here for the next hour to talk about anything and everything. Today's column, for reference, was about Hillary Clinton's remarks Friday citing the RFK assassination in June 1968 as a reason for her to stay in the race. I didn't much like these remarks and thought they reflected poorly on Clinton's state of mind. To put it mildly. Okay, I did say that this argument was "ungenuine, unprincipled and insane." I suspect that some of you agree and some don't.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Eugene, upon reviewing the video (I assume you have), don't you think it's entirely plausible that Clinton was just pointing out that everyone remembers that Kennedy died in June, and that her point was he died campaigning. In other words, it seems to me, based on her delivery, she's not mentioning the assassination to indulge in fear mongering but to spur people's memories. Was it a smart, sensitive comment? Probably not, but I don't think you can listen to her and think she's trying to conjure a boogeyman.

The multitude of knee-jerk reactions pundits have to benign-but-clumsy comments like this make it harder for some (like me) to take the legitimate Clinton criticisms seriously. Shrugging off the numerous specious critiques can leave you numb when the real deal shows up. By the time of her (horrible) Bosnia gaffe, I already had trained myself to ignore most of Clinton's critics because so few of their critiques seemed legitimate. It gets harder to register the appropriate amount of outrage when you expend so much energy correcting course on the coverage. There's sort of a "kitchen sink" approach, if you will, to her coverage: Throw enough stuff at the wall and see what sticks. Finally, I'd like to add that while I have tended to see Clinton as the pragmatic choice for a Democratic candidate and had no need to hold my nose when I voted for her in the Maryland primary, I gladly will vote for Obama.

Eugene Robinson: As I wrote, I thought what Clinton said reflected some kind of "magical thinking" about how the stars might yet align for her candidacy. Her argument about the calendar doesn't hold water for me, since the caucuses and primaries started so early this year. And in any event, why mention the RFK assassination at all, if what she meant was to come up with an example of a campaign that went into June? Would that example have occurred to you?

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Washington: There have been a number of stories about open and public race-based hostility towards Obama on the main streets of America, the kinds of things that have been more behind closed doors in recent years. Bill Clinton's remarks in South Carolina trying to marginalize Obama as "the black candidate" and Hillary's self-coronation as the hope of "hard-working white Americans" seem to have legitimized these reactions and made them "okay" to say and do in public again. Will trying to destroy 40 years of race relations progress for personal political gain be the real Clinton legacy?

Eugene Robinson: I'm pretty optimistic -- at least in the long run. We've come far in this country in terms of race relations, but we still have issues. In the long run, better to get them out and deal with them.

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Buying into the Meta-Narratives: One thing that drives me nuts about the mainstream media is their tendency to construct meta-narratives that then bias every subsequent piece of information and yet not acknowledge that fact. One example is McCain and maverick, another is Clinton and ambitious. Her RFK statement wasn't some ambitious, power-hungry bigot hinting that Obama might get assassinated, but a statement that stuff happens (Gary Hart, anyone?).

Eugene Robinson: She could have used Gary Hart or a number of other examples, rather than the RFK assassination. But really, hanging around and waiting for a bolt out of the blue doesn't qualify as a plan.

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Ocala, Fla.: I am curious why Hillary Clinton has been allowed to refer to her comment as a misstep and the comment be recognized by the media and pundits as a result of fatigue whereas Barack Obama's bitter comment received harsh criticism and night and day coverage? I am tired of hearing that the media loves Barack. Furthermore, I am tired of Barack being held to a different standard.

Eugene Robinson: Since we're talking about Clinton's comment right now, I can't agree that she's been given a pass on this one.

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Washington: Mr. Robinson: How much significance will the pundits attach to the outcome of Puerto Rico's primary on Sunday, given that Puerto Ricans are not allowed to participate in the general election? Thanks.

Eugene Robinson: A good question. The main significance is that Puerto Rican Democrats do send delegates to the convention. In my view, the delegate numbers are the ones to watch. The Clinton campaign will likely seek to include the Puerto Rico vote totals in the unofficial "popular vote" count -- despite the fact that, as you point out, none of these voters can participate in the general election.

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Washington: Will the Clintons truly work tirelessly to get Obama a win in November? Or will they attempt a half-hearted effort, secretly hoping for an Obama loss, which would position her for a 2012 bid?

Eugene Robinson: Call me naive, but I don't believe the Clintons are following some kind of subtle strategy to get Hillary Clinton elected in 2012. I think they're focused solely on winning the presidency right now, which means winning the nomination right now, which means doing and saying whatever they need to do or say. I think that if she loses the nomination, the Clintons will still want to have power and influence in the Democratic Party. The only way to assure that will be to campaign for Obama in a manner that at least looks tireless and enthusiastic.

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Arlington, Va.: Hi Eugene: I must say that I am thrilled at this Presidential race. Not for the obvious, possibly history making implications, but for finally opening dialogue regarding the factions that continue to divide our society, mainly racism, sexism, classicism and entitlement. These factions have always existed and though we, as a society, have tried to act as though they were no longer prevalent, this race has proven that the issues still exist! There is still discomfort that Barack is African American, there are still men who refuse to believe a woman is more qualified for a position than a man is on the basis of gender, there are still people who have gotten rich off of special interest lobbyists and still people who feel that since they have been in Congress since Reagan, that they are entitled to the presidency. I am excited that these issues are finally being brought out of the back of the closet and discussed at the dining room table. It is only by acknowledging that these issues divide and conquer us that we learn the techniques needed to get rid of them, once and for all.

Eugene Robinson: I agree. Progress is often messy and uncomfortable. We all say we want an "honest dialog" about race and gender, but we really don't -- it's hard, it makes people uneasy. ... This campaign is making dialog unavoidable.

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Berlin, N.J.: I was so glad to read in your op-ed today your observation that Clinton's real gaffe in her most unfortunate remarks to the Argus Leader editorial board may have been in what it revealed about I believe was the underlying strategy (or lack thereof) driving her entire "campaign". It was not a campaign -- rather it was an ascendancy of her (and Bill's) vision of an entitled, inevitable outcome -- her nomination.

I believe that Friday's remarks -- and others in the past few weeks -- merely reveal what her battle-fatigue can no longer hide in her carefully orchestrated sound-bytes -- she just never bargained for even the most remote possibility that another qualified candidate could challenge her rightful assumption of the nomination.

In her every message all you can really hear is that there is no one who could possibly come close to solving our nation's challenges besides her.

If this isn't elitism, I don't know what is. This time her true colors were simply "worn on her sleeve" for hopefully all of us to see.

Eugene Robinson: Since "day one," to quote a certain candidate, I've gotten the clear sense from Clinton and her campaign that they expected to win the nomination fairly easily and did not have a Plan B. When that didn't happen, you could see the obvious frustration -- most evident from Bill Clinton. This has been the First Family of the Democratic Party for well over a decade, and what they encountered this year must have been a real shock.

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Philadelphia: Do you think Clinton's RFK comments will have any impact on a possible Obama/Clinton ticket?

Eugene Robinson: Yes, a negative impact. I never thought an Obama-Clinton ticket was likely, and I think it's less likely now.

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Holly Springs, N.C.: One caller in NPR made a perfect point about the current Obama-Clinton primary voting. He suggested that those who voted for Hillary because she a woman practiced sexism. Those who voted for Obama because he is an African-American practiced racism. However, who voted either of the candidates because of their own logical arguments practiced true democracy. Please comment.

Eugene Robinson: I guess that means anyone who votes for John McCain in the fall because he's a white man will also be guilty of either racism or sexism. We don't have a "motivations test" for voting, so we have to hope that people have the interests of the nation at heart.

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New York: Re: Puerto Rico, the only thing I find positive about Clinton staying in the race is the truly remarkable fact the upcoming Puerto Rico primary truly matters. This is a great day for democracy in the Democratic Party.

Eugene Robinson: I didn't mean to diss Puerto Rico. It's an injustice that Puerto Ricans are disenfranchised. I was just stating the fact.

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Bethesda, Md.: Why did you use sexist language -- "maybe some strapping woodsman will come along and save me" -- in an otherwise fine and thoughtful piece?

I am not one of Hillary's admirers but find it hard to believe that you would ever use such Little Red Riding Hood imagery to describe the supposed internal dialogue of a male candidate. A 32-year old Black American woman, I am in the minority who believes that Clinton is not the best candidate (I initially supported John Edwards) and that she has been a target of sexism throughout the campaign.

Eugene Robinson: I said Clinton was guilty of "magical thinking" of the kind found in myths and fairy tales. I then gave two examples. One, about a sudden storm scattering the enemy's ships, came vaguely from Homer, to illustrate myth. The other, about the woodsman, came from the fairy tale you cite. I think it was legit.

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Knoxville, Tenn.: Good afternoon. It seems that Obama has developed an efficient national 'on the ground' campaign presence in a relatively short period of time. How has he managed this? I compare this to the "Clinton Machine" which has been almost left for dead on the side of the road.

What does this say about the prospects of a national campaign for Obama vs. the GOP and McCain campaign?

Eugene Robinson: One of the most underreported stories of the whole campaign, in my view, is the Obama campaign organization. He and his people put together a revolutionary fundraising machine and a hugely effective on-the-ground presence in such short order that no one saw it coming. Whether he wins or loses, this will be the subject of Ph.D theses in years to come. If you talk to Republicans, they'll tell you that they are worried at the prospect of taking on this new machine in the fall. They're worried about either Democrat, though.

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Washington: Eugene said "I didn't mean to diss Puerto Rico. It's an injustice that Puerto Ricans are disenfranchised. I was just stating the fact."

Disenfranchised? They pay no taxes but they should have the right to vote? That doesn't make sense now, does it Gene?

Eugene Robinson: I really, really didn't mean to diss Washington -- where, yes, residents can vote for president, but still have no voting representation in Congress.

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Bowie, Md.: It seems 2008 is shaping up to be a year in which Democrats gain seats in both the House and Senate, and after eight years of GOP control, also win the White House. Do you think America is finally ready for its first black president, who happens to be a Democrat? And if Obama is defeated in the general election, will that destroy the notion of black voting power? I think your answer to these questions may expose any personal bias you have...

Eugene Robinson: My biases are always showing -- it comes with the real estate. I've always said the question of whether the country is "ready" for its first black or woman president is unanswerable. "Firsts" happen when they happen, and by definition they've never happened before. What "notion of black voting power" are you talking about? African Americans are about 13 percent of the population. Somewhat short of a hegemonic majority.

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Re: Campaign Hysteria: One thing that amuses me (and reinforces my dismal impression of MSM) is the "it's destroying the party" line that keeps being said before primary. Afterwards, it turns out that more people voted for Obama and Hilary than voted for Kerry in the general election and that both campaigns signed up hundreds and thousands of new voters. Now, unless thousands of Republicans who support McCain are showing up to vote against a candidate, how is this destroying the party? Won't the real destruction occur if Sen. Clinton decides to run as a third-party or some equally-implausible occurrence happens?

Eugene Robinson: Very good points. This is why I said the Republicans are fundamentally worried about running against either Democrat, and even more worried about losses they might suffer in the House and Senate. From the GOP point of view, this could get ugly.

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Lexington, Mass.: I always enjoy your comments and insights when I happen to see you on MSNBC. My question is about Bill Clinton. He has been shooting off all sorts of nonsense and inaccurate statements in South Dakota. recently, after his earlier campaigning problems. Do you think he will be able to resume the speaking engagement circuit and foundation work without any problem after the campaign is over?

Eugene Robinson: Don't doubt it for a moment. He's the Comeback Kid.

My time is up, everybody. Thanks for participating, and I'll see you again next week.

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