Chelsea Asked About Monica
By anniepa
@anniepa (27955)
United States
March 26, 2008 4:43pm CST
From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
Campaigning in Indianapolis for her mother, Chelsea Clinton had a quick retort when asked a question she had never had before. When a male student asked her if her mother's credibility had been hurt during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Clinton quickly responded.
"Wow, you're the first person actually that's ever asked me that question, in the, maybe 70 college campuses that I've been to," Clinton bitterly said at Butler University. "And I don't think that's any of your business."
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/03/25/807581.aspx
I saw the clip on TV several times since last night and I must say I believe Chelsea handled it very well and with class. Apparently the majority of the students gathered to see her agreed as they erupted into applause. The student who asked the question, Evan Strange, is a Clinton supported who says he was surprised by the rebuke. "I'm a supporter of Hillary. I love Hillary," Strange said Wednesday on CBS' "The Early Show." "He said he asked the question because his friends 'always bring up that scandal. It's not something I asked to cause trouble but to show those people what makes Hillary so strong.' He said that by brushing him off, Chelsea Clinton missed an opportunity to show her mother's strength.
" 'I was very surprised' at the rebuke, Strange said. 'I can see where she'd get a little defensive because of the question and hearing Lewinsky over and over again, but I would like to hear her say something about Hillary rather than dismissing the question.'"
What do you think? Should Chelsea have answered the question or do you understand how this is probably a touchy subject for her and respect her wishes to not talk about it?
Annie
3 people like this
7 responses
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
27 Mar 08
It was a stupid question for anyone to ask a daughter, anniepa. Furthermore, how Hillary handled that scandal has no bearing whatsoever on her campaign. I think that some people just get a rise out of dredging up the past when there is something that is embarassing there. If this young man "loved" Hillary as much as he claimed he would not have subjected her daughter to such a thoughtless question.
2 people like this
@asuniqueasyou (354)
• United States
27 Mar 08
I think she handled it well. she was not rude just very clear that the subject was a no no. the way he asked the question I think came out not the way he intended. Maybe if he would have asked did dealing with the Lewinksy situation make your mom stronger instead of asking if her credibility was hurt would have made a difference. I would have reacted the way she did to the way the question was asked.
2 people like this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
27 Mar 08
You're right. Why would he even ask if her credibility was hurt, that makes no sense to me. To those here who criticize Hillary for staying in her marriage, I say nobody can know what goes on in another person's mind or heart. Everyone deals with personal difficulties in their own way and while for many people divorce is the only answer for others it's not that simple. Whatever either of their reasons were for staying married, I don't believe that has any bearing on Hillary's being capable of being a good President.
Annie
1 person likes this
@MntlWard (878)
• United States
27 Mar 08
She indicated in her retort that she's tired of being asked about the subject. She may have been more rude than she absolutely needed to be, but sometimes when you get tired of hearing the same thing over and over, that inside voice comes out.
1 person likes this
@agfarm (930)
• United States
27 Mar 08
Hi there Annie....I have already made my Vote , But that Doesn't diminish my Great respect for Hillary and her Family.
Regardless of how the press treats her , and all of the Mud slinging going on in the Media.
This was a private matter , which the reporter tried to Capitalize on.
It really was a cheap shot. Good job Chelsea.
@sweetcake1369 (210)
• United States
27 Mar 08
I am going to have to disagree with most of you. I do not think she handeled it at all. Yesterday on the news they had the student that asked that question. He is a Hillary supporter and said that he gets asked that question by his friends because he supports her. Yes, its sucks that the daughter has to be asked that question about her parents, but she is campaining for her mother and had to expect something of that sort. I think she should have already had something prepared for that. I think she could have used the opportunity to use it for her mothers advantage. Instead she just blew it off.
1 person likes this
@clrumfelt (5597)
• Tennessee Ridge, Tennessee
27 Mar 08
I agree. It was bound to come up sooner or later. Might as well have been prepared for it.
@clrumfelt (5597)
• Tennessee Ridge, Tennessee
27 Mar 08
....and I might add, emotional scars often go with people well into adulthood, and I'm sure it was not easy for Chelsea seeing her dad dragged through the mud on national television.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
27 Mar 08
I know she handled it better than I would have. I probably wouldn't have been so polite. No matter what anyone's political opinions are, I think we have to show the children of politicians with respect. Chelsea is an adult now, yes, but she was a young teen at the time all that was going on and it doesn't matter if she lived in the White House or anywhere else in the world, that's a tough thing for a kid to go through.
Annie
1 person likes this
@rodney850 (2145)
• United States
27 Mar 08
Annie,You are absolutely right, it was an extremely hard thing for a kid to go through but...
You are also right about another thing; she is an adult now and doing very adult things like campaigning for her mother. As far as her retort about that being none of his business, on the contrary, when Bill Clinton decided he would use the oval office as an adult "romper room" he made it every American's business! You, me, and every other American citizen owns that office and when he was elected as president we gave him temporary use of it and expected him to respect it which quite obviously he did not!
When Richard Nixon came under scrutiny about the segment of tape that was erased from the oval office recorder was it anyone's business? The democrats sure thought so! Heck, don't you think tricky D*ck had needs too? He might have been doing the same thing as slick Willie and thought it was nobody's business!!
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
27 Mar 08
You're actually comparing the erased tape to the Monica affair? Talk about apples and oranges! Back to Chelsea, she is an adult and therefore has a right to answer or not answer any question asked of her. I have a lot more of a problem with the things Bush has been doing in the Oval Office and elsewhere throughout his Presidency which has shown no respect to the American people.
Annie
1 person likes this
@rodney850 (2145)
• United States
28 Mar 08
Does someone have to die before what a president does while under contract with the American people in a government building and in a office used to conduct government business is a disgrace? I am a government employee and if I had done what Slick did I would no longer be one, yet HE got to keep his job, amazing!
Secondly, if president Bush lied to the American people the liberal democrats did too! They read the SAME reports as the president and nothing you or anybody else says can change that! It was the intelligence they had to go by at the time! Besides, even Slick Willie said there were still WMDs in Iraq not too long before Bush took over! Saddam was NOT that ignorant to defy America when he had nothing to hide! I don't know what is so hard to understand about that! He had them, we waited too long to go after him and he hid them, period! What's really scary is someday, and I believe sooner than later, we will have to deal with these WMDs again because SOMEONE knows where they are and will use them when the time is right for their purposes!
1 person likes this
