Maybe Chelsea is More Like Her Mom Than I Thought.

[Bonobo]

As I understand it, she was asked if she thought the Monica Lewinsky matter "hurt her mother's credibility".

This is not a question prying into details.

There is nothing salacious about that question at all.

A hard question, but a fair question.

When Chelsea said "It's none of your business", a strangely inappropriate answer, she showed two things:

1. She is willing to use false outrage and, well, essentially dishonest behavior to achieve her goals. In other words, think of th goal first. In this case, her goal was to not answer the question. You can see in the video that she takes the time to consider how to answer and then she chooses false outrage. But over what? Consider again the question. It didn't request any details that are "none of her business". Chelsea should simply have said "no" it did not affect her credibility. But instead she went on the attack and got personal. Like her mother. Use whatever tools at hand, no matter their appropriateness.

2. She showed the same arrogance born of entitlement that her mother shows. "Like wow, it's like none of your business." She didn't ask if her mother and father still have sex for god's sake. She asked if her mother's credibility was affected. THAT is not a question that you answer "None of your business" to. It was silly and inappropriate. Like lying about being under sniper fire.

And the funny thing is, this college student was a Hillary supporter who was looking for ammunition to defend Hillary against Her Obama supporter friends!

:rofl:

[MadBadger]

1. I think you are wrong on this one big time. It is WAY out of bounds to ask Chelsea about Monica

No matter who the questioner supports.

[theboss]

7. Why?

Chelsea is not a thirteen year old girl now.

She is an adult who has inserted herself into a political campaign.

[MadBadger]

14. Idk, common decency?

[Abacus]

39. When Chelsea steps out onto the campaign trail,

she becomes a spokeswoman for the campaign and her identity becomes largely irrelevant. However, I think whether or not the question was warranted at all is a legitimate discussion.

This is the second time I've heard about Chelsea's snarkiness in public... It seems like this would be a turn off to voters and I am surprised to see it from her.

[madmunchie]

69. The pendulum swings both ways, ESPECIALLY on the campaign trail

Chelsea is an adult now and she is out on the "stump" campaigning for her mother. She can't just always expect for people to treat her with "kid gloves" because she is the "child" of the POTUS and the person running for POTUS, she is now an adult and, after all of the attacks thrown at the Clinton's and all of the Clinton's scandals and indiscretions, she has voluntarily put herself in the line of fire, as an adult. Considering that her mother voted for the IWR and many young adults have lost their lives and are now in Iraq putting thier lives on the line, I think Chelsea can handle a few questions like that.

[Shae]

Yeah, but

she's campaigning for her mom, and with all her faults, I think Hillary has probably been a decent mom.
I hope that her Hillary gets her butt handed to her, but Chelsea was a victim in the Lewinsky matter. The question was tacky and it was an wrong to ask her about it.

[theboss]

33. If Chelsea was simply working in the private sector and doing charity work, I would agree

The minute you enter public political life, all bets are off.

If one of the Bush girls was running for office or campaigning for a Republican, would we demand nothing but softball questions for them?

At the moment, I think the Bush girls should be largely left alone because they have not entered public life in any real way. I felt the same for Chelsea until she hit the political stump.

Once JFK, Jr. started running a political magazine, he was fair game too in my opinion.

[Shae]

37. I understand what you're saying

and if this had been a question on Hillary's policies or Hillary's credibility based on a lie she told, I wouldn't object.
But this was based on an occurrence where Chelsea and Hillary were victims (and Hillary may have been an enabler, but Chelsea wasn't.)
I don't think the question is something that will traumatize Chelsea, I just think it was tacky to ask it.

The Bush girls campaigned for their father, and if I could ask them one question, I think it would be, "Why aren't you in Iraq fighting your daddy's war?" That's a policy question.

[Bonobo]

24. She didn't ask about Monica. She asked about Hillary's credibility.

[Shae]

34. Well technically.

But I don't think Chelsea would be the best judge on Monica's affect on Hillary's credibility -- can't see the forest for the trees kind of thing.
My first thought was that Chelsea should have simply said no, and moved on to the next question, but she handled it okay.

[marshall]

78. Why go out on the campaign trail if she isn't qualified to answer questions?

It would have been tacky to ask her what she thought of her father getting blowjobs from a woman just a handful of years older than her. But she was asked how the incident impacted her mother's credibility. It is her mother's credibility that she is supposed to be speaking about.
If Chelsea's opinion about her mother's credibility is "none of our business", then what of value does she have to say about her mother?
Chelsea should have just turned the question into what it focused on--her mother's credibility. Instead she chose to focus on the blowjob aspect and show false insult over it. She should have just answered about her mother's general credibility, how she kept on doing whatever it is she was doing as First Lady, got the job done, etc.

[immoderate]

48. Ah, but the question was about what Chelsea thinks.

So her answer was appropriate if she doesn't want to say what she thinks. It was a stupid question, and Chelsea didn't handle it well.

--IMM

[krawhitham]

74. If she is going to campaign for her mother she needs to answer hard questions

Just like I think it is bullshit that Hillary pimps here out to win over votes but yet the press can ask no questions

You are either all in or not in at all, if you want to campaign then campaign, go the whole route. Don't pull this I'm Chelsea Clinton I'm too good to answer question from the press bullshit

[leftofcool]

2. Chelsea bad apple in the barrel post #999

[DavidDvorkin]

3. Chelsea gave the right answer. It's the one her father should have given.

[Arkansas Granny]

4. If she answered one question about Lewinsky it would open the door for more.

She was correct not to answer the question.

[grantcart]

67. this is a fair point

[rucky]

5. Understood, if she were a Vulcan...

but you can see how the "M-word" may touch a nerve with her.

[theboss]

9. Obvioulsy, it will touch a nerve

But did anyone ever shy away from asking JFK, Jr about his dad's infidelities? (I honestly don't know, but I would assume not). Chelsea will always be an awkward thirteen year old girl to a lot of people. But she is no longer that.

[0007]

6. .....or Tonya Harding vs Ann Coulter

[KingFlorez]

8. It wasn't any of that person's business

She put them in their place and they deserved it. It wasn't arrogant.

[theboss]

11. Why isn't it anyone's business?

It's the defining moment of Hillary's public life.

[KingFlorez]

18. It has nothing to do with real issues

[theboss]

22. It's the reason her mom is a senator and thus a candidate for president

I think it's a real issue.

[KingFlorez]

28. That's your opinion

I don't think most people really take it into account as a real issue, because in the long run it doesn't make a whole lot of difference.

[theboss]

30. Would Hillary be where she is today without Monica-gate?

She was viewed unsympathetically by most of the country until Bill publicly humiliated her. It turned her from Lady MacBeth into Lady Di.

[hedgehog]

16. Shwasn't asked how it affected her parents' marriage or her family life;

she was asked how it affected her mother's credibility.

[KingFlorez]

20. I still say she gave the right answer

Why bring it up at all? It has nothing to do with real issues.

[theboss]

31. The issue is, "How far will Hillary go to get what she wants?"

Is she willing to destroy the Democratic Party?
Is she willing to turn pledged delegates?
Is she willing to ignore adultery by her husband?
Is she willing to accept public humiliation?

[whatchamacallit]

10. What do you expect from product of two of the most insanely political creatures ever?

Bill and Hill are such pieces of work, some of it just had to rub off on Chelsea

[Hugabear]

12. I don't see how that question had any merit

Why would her husband's extramarital affairs hurt her credibility?

[Psychmd]

25. Why would what someone's pastor say effect one's credibility/patriotism.

After all Hillary did choose who she married and did choose to stay with him after the affair. If she can say it matters what your pastor does/says then it matters what her chosen husband did and what she choose to do in response to it. She can't have it both ways.

[still_one]

13. I won't go there and critisize Chelsea for supporting her Mother, however

I will go to trashing her Mother for using her daughter like this

That only goes to show the depths Hillary will go to for power

[undeterred]

15. I somewhat agree.

She could have said: I'm not going to talk about that or I'm not going to answer that. Its clear she had an answer in her pocket for a rude question about her father's sexual dalliances, but that wasn't exactly the question. I don't think the question was prying, and I do think its fair game- but it should probably be directed at Hillary or Bill and not at Chelsea. But at this point, I just don't care.

[TahitiNut]

47. That's my take on it as well.

If she's going to put herself out there for her mother's candidacy, she'd better be more prepared to field such questions in an appropriate manner. Her canned response was not appropirate for the specific question.

[Fredda Weinberg]

17. You can't spell your candidate's name in a language you don't understand

That just typifies your cluelessness. The Clinton campaign is running rings around you and you don't realize your head is spinning. Welcome to politics!

[Bonobo]

26. Is Hebrew your first language? I bet you're an exagerrator like your idol.

I read Hebrew. Somewhat.

I speak, read and write Japanese fluently on the other hand. I am not embarrassed to admit that.

I bet you exaggerrated your claim that it's your first language though.

[TahitiNut]

50. Why don't you offer your (valuable?) "advice" to the Obama campaign (for a fee, of course)??

It seems obvious that YOUR opinion regarding the transliteration of his name is superior to that of his campaign and ANYONE who's visited the website. Clearly, poor Obama has no access to ANYONE with the profound expertise in Hebrew that you OBVIOUSLY possess. (Why are you wasting such rare expertise here??)

See http://store.barackobama.com/product_p/st26745-50.htm



It's a shame you have such difficulty ascribing the responsibility for the design of that campaign item ... indulging yourself in personal attack after personal attack to members of THIS community ... even to the point of wasting one of your precious 3 daily threads in a broad brush smear.

In other words, get a fucking life. :eyes:

[dionysus]

57. delusion must be pretty fun...

have you ever heard of thorazine?

[Shae]

19. I think Chelsea's answer was fine.

Chelsea was the most innocent of victims in the Clinton/Lewinsky affair, and it was in very bad taste to ask that question.

edited for typo

[ShortnFiery]

63. Chelsea is an adult, not a child needing protection now.

Besides I don't rule out that Mark Penn could have very well "staged this question" in order to draw fire away from HRC's LIES about "ducking fire in Bosnia."

I'm not saying that Chelsea was a willing participant, only that she was instructed to say EXACTLY what she said.

I hold nothing, no low dirty trick past The Clinton Campaign.

[CTyankee]

21. If she was asked "what she thought" then it really wasn't the questioner's business.

What Chelsea thought or didn't think about the way her mother handled the Lewinsky episode is irrelevant to this campaign and asking it WAS prying.

[goclark]

23. I have to agree my answer would have been, " Of course not,

that that does not destroy us makes us stronger."

I would have then talked about my mother's wisdom in staying in the marriage and how strong a role model she has been to me.

Instead, she slammed the questioner. Just like her mother would have done.

[LanternWaste]

27. projecting their own Victorian-era sexual prudishness onto the campaign...

I imagine many people have been/are/will be projecting their own Victorian-era sexual prudishness onto the campaign to make points...

[Independent-Voter]

36. That whole perjury and impeachment thingy notwithstanding, of course

[LanternWaste]

53. Yeah. I think an acquaintance of mine...

Yeah. I think an acquaintance of mine told me Limbaugh says the same thing...

[oldgrowth]

29. I'm a Obama supporter this post sucks stop taking us into the gutter

[Bonobo]

32. Again. It was not ABOUT LEWINSKY. It was about Hillary's credibility. No details were referred to.

[cd3dem]

35. Chelsea gave the same respect back to the person who asked the question!

[Alter Ego]

38. No.

I'm an Obama guy through and through but even I think it was bullshit of that guy to ask her that question. It's not Chelsea's responsibility to answer for her father's infidelity--it should be Bill's.

[fadedrose]

40. She's sticking up for her dad.....whom she no doubt loves....

I don't see this as anything to do with Hillary. Totally insensitive question for the girl.

[Bonobo]

42. It's hypocritical to send Chelsea out to campaign and still maintain this "hands off" attitude.

The point is that the question merely referenced the events of Lewinsky-gate. It did not pry into details that would justify a "None of your business" response.

It shows either disconnectedness to reality, or it shows willingness to use emotion to manipulate others.

[hiphopnation]

49. a question that would have justified her answer

would have been more like "How did your father's affair make you feel?"

the question was legit and thoughtful and i thought was deserving of a more substantive answer than she gave. she came off as needlessly defensive. she's smarter than that.

[hiphopnation]

41. This was my immediate thought exactly.

Such an inappropriate dodge of an answer. Weak. :thumbsdown:

[ElsewheresDaughter]

43. and you're a child

[donheld]

44. Chelsea's answer was nicer than I'd have given.

[book_worm]

45. It was an inappropriate question and why would the Monica thing hurt HRC's credibility?

it wasn't she who was having oral sex with Lewinsky.

[tabasco]

46. I thought she gave a good answer

and I'm a big Obama supporter.

[stubertmcfly]

51. Actually...

...that is the answer Bill should have given back when this "story" broke.

[tinrobot]

52. False outrage ?

Real outrage.

I don't think Chelsea ever needs to be dragged into the Lewinsky quagmire. She was still a kid when it happened. Not a fair question at all.

[Cheap_Trick]

54. she also backed up mommy's lie about the bosnian snipers

sad

[genie_weenie]

55. Can we ask Chelsea Why she isn't in IRAQ?

Maybe because it's more important for her to support Mom and make money... http://journals.democraticunderground.com/genie_weenie/103">Maybe we should ask Hillary?

[lumberjack_jeff]

66. You could, I suppose.

Then again, there are other sites which allow you to post crap to attack democrats via their kids. And you don't have to be a donor there either.

[genie_weenie]

75. Asking Chelsea why she isn't in Iraq is to "attack democrats via their kids"?

I think it's attacking Chelsea for her political support to a Warmonger without ever giving a thought to service.

I'm sorry I forgot the children of the ruling class are too important to have their tits blown off by IEDs when they could be making 180,000 a year getting a job in New York all on their own and with no help from her family name.

[Arkansas Granny]

72. I assume you are referring to Senator Clinton's IWR vote. Since when do we hold

children responsible for their parents' actions?

[genie_weenie]

76. When she campaigns for a Warmonger

She becomes fair game. But, hey she's a child of the ruling class, (jenna and no-jenna bush) no need for them to sully their minds and souls with the pleasantries of combat.

No different than blasting Romney for his 5 for not fighting sons. http://journals.democraticunderground.com/genie_weenie/119

[Shakespeare]

56. Chelsea has the right not to answer, but the question was absolutely fair game.

Why? Because Chelsea, an adult, is now out actively campaigning for her mother. All campaign surrogates are subject to tough, if unpleasant (or even tacky), questions.

[tpsbmam]

58. The question was out of line....

and so is the post. Bill's very public and humiliating affairs are not something anyone should be asking his daughter about, period. Put yourself in her shoes and have a little compassion for goodness sakes. I thought she handled it just fine -- I think she's an awesome young woman and her parents should be proud of the parenting job they did. I haven't honestly paid much attention to Chelsea's campaigning -- if and when she starts mirroring her mother's scorched earth tactics, then she should be open to criticism IMO. But she was absolutely right here -- good for her.

[Skinner]

59. This really isn't fair to Chelsea.

It's easy for us to dissect the relationship between Bill and Hillary Clinton, and criticize how each of them handled the Lewinsky affair, and wonder what the political ramifications might be.

But for cryingoutloud: Chelsea's dad cheated on her mom. Her dad humiliated her mother in public. Chelsea was still just a teenager. Can anyone here on DU possibly imagine what it was like to be Chelsea Clinton during the Lewinsky affair? It doesn't matter who the questioner supports in the primary -- the question itself was totally inappropriate.

[Lilith Velkor]

64. Thank you

Your italicized question was the first thing I thought of when I read the OP.

"False outrage" my ass. WTF is wrong with some people?

[Apollo11]

60. I haven't heard the original question that Chelsea was asked

Here on DU there is disagreement on whether the questioner was male or female.

But in any case it would have been very difficult for Chelsea to address the question directly.

What else could Chelsea have said? "I have known my mom and dad for longer than I can remember, and if you ask me I would have to say that my mom has lots of credibility. Gallons of the stuff." :eyes:

[polichick]

61. I agree with you that her use of false outrage was very telling...

...but it wasn't kind of that supporter to ask her about this.

[ShortnFiery]

62. Maybe Chelsea should go into politics and marry George P. Bush.

She could be the second woman President of The United Corporate Bush-Clinton States of America?

Ladies and Gentleman, Chelsea Clinton Bush. :wow: :crazy:

What? Didn't you get the memo that Jebbie will be McCain's running mate?

[lumberjack_jeff]

65. Remind me again how it's Hillary supporters who are poisoning the well.

Ludicrous, inexcusable, and out of line.

If I were an Obama supporter, I'd brag about having you on my ignore list. But I'm a grownup - I don't have an ignore list, because crap like this needs to be discredited.

How can you, with a straight face, complain about how Hillary is destroying the party?

She only screwed up to the extent that "It's none of your business" should have been "It's none of your fucking business." Only a maladapted moron would think it "a fair question" to ask a stranger about her father's uniquely publicized affair in the context of how that reflects on her mom.

[EFerrari]

68. I just saw that clip.

It was a stupid not a malicious question and Chelsea'S response wasn't much better.

She's not a child any more and should have long ago accepted that parents are not perfect peoople. She reminded me of Hillary, too. If she can't deal with the public, why is she stumping?

[nadinbrzezinski]

70. You are wrong on this one, this question belongs in the private

sphere... and that is partly what is wrong with the country

[skooooo]

71. Right...."none of your business" was not appropriate.

Granted, that must have put Chelsea on the spot, but she's a big girl now and could have come up with another innocuous answer without sounding snippy.

[LaurenG]

73. I think Chelsea said the right thing

leave the sex out of it, whatever went on it was sure to screw up Chelsea's young head. Who wants to think of their own father having affairs to start with. x(

[Sparkly]

77. Her answer was perfectly appropriate, as I see it.

The question was about her mother's reactions to her father's infidelity, after public humiliation and ridicule. It's not an appropriate question to ask her, and she doesn't need to answer it if she doesn't want to. (And I don't blame her for not wanting to.)