When Q & A Sessions Go Bad....

Let me preface this by saying that I don't consider myself a Republican or Democrat. In fact, I am very critical of the whole two party system (I think it works in theory, but not in practice. But that's a separate argument for another entry). As a general rule I'm willing to discuss politics, but I'm not willing to argue about politics. It's been my experience that, in the history of these such arguments, nobody has ever, EVER changed their mind. I've never once seen or heard of somebody saying, "You know what, you're right. I will vote for that candidate." Along with that, most people that want to argue about politics are far more impassioned about it than I am, so it's not personally worth getting all riled up over.

As it stands right now, I like McCain, I like Obama, but I don't like Hillary. Never have. It has nothing to do with the fact that she's a woman (on the contrary, I think the prospect of having a black or female President is wonderful, as long as they're qualified), there's just something about her that I find exceptionally unlikable. I don't think it's a prerequisite that the President should be somebody you'd want to go out and grab a drink with, but I really do feel that if Hillary Clinton was somebody who existed in my day-to-day personal life, she'd be somebody I'd have a tremendous dislike towards.

On Tuesday, a student at Butler University asked Chelsea Clinton (who was kinda sorta campaigning for her mom, but not totally) to respond to the criticism regarding Hillary's reaction to the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Chelsea responded by saying, in a rather snarky tone, "Wow, you're the first person actually that's ever asked me that question in the, I don't know maybe, 70 college campuses I've now been to, and I do not think that is any of your business."

Don't get me wrong, I can completely understand how personally and emotionally painful that question must be, but the fact of the matter is that this issue IS our business. The President of the United States is a public figure and the measure of a candidate's character is a very significant factor for many individuals when trying to determine who they are going to support. For many people (I'm sure women in particular), standing by a man who cheated on you and lied under oath about it is a sign of weakness. There are also some people who perceive that she stayed with Bill for her own political aspirations. If that's the case, she comes off as ingenuine and manipulative. This event was a huge hot button issue for quite some time (hell, it almost led to the President being impeached), and while Bill was the perpetrator of what happened, Hillary's reaction played a major role as well. While I can sympathize with the difficulty of having to respond to this matter, I think it's insulting for Chelsea to tell somebody "it's none of your business" when they ask a legitimate question regarding the way she handled a nationally publicized event.

What made matters worse was the manner in which she refused to answer the question. She could have said something like "that's a very personal question which I do not feel completely comfortable answering" and then tacked on "I can only imagine how difficult this was for my mother, but I feel that she handled it with dignity and grace." If the person who asked the question pestered any further -- which he wouldn't have, since he's gone on record as stating he's a Hillary supporter -- then HE would have come across as the bad guy, not her. To be honest, she should have been fully prepared to answer this question. If what she says is true, I'm absolutely shocked that this is the first time she's heard that question after making 70 college campus appearances.

Also, the reason I say that Chelsea Clinton is only "kinda sorta" campaigning for her mother is because she evidently refuses to talk to the press, going as far as to demanding that they shut off their cameras in front of her. In my eyes, this does more harm than good. Why not just make one appearance for the press saying "I fully support my mother's bid to become the next President of the United States. However, this campaign is about her and the issues that she stands for, so I have opted not to participate in the campaign trail" or something to that effect, so that her lack of participation won't be misinterpretted as any lack of support?

Demonizing the media -- the means by which the vast majority of people receive their political data -- surely isn't doing her mom any favors. One of the panelists on The Early Show made a great point when she asked why people are pandering to her demands. Why has the press just folded? When she demands that they shut off their cameras, why don't they just say "no"?

It'll be interesting to see if Hillary receives the backlash that Obama did over the comments made by his pastor.