During last nights Democratic debate, Hillary Clinton ended up having a disastrous night. Her worst gaffe was her reversal that occurred in a period of two minutes, when she flipped her position over giving licenses to illegal immigrants on national television:
McKinney said Clinton grew testy when pressed on whether she agrees with a proposal her home state governor has to give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. She first expressed support for the idea. But when Dodd objected, Clinton grew defensive and said she wasn't saying it should be done, although she recognizes why the governor is trying to do it even though she doesn't think it's "the best thing for any governor to do."
Edwards pounced. "Unless I missed something, Senator Clinton said two different things in the course of about two minutes," he said. "America is looking for a president who will say the same thing, who will be consistent, who will be straight with them."
Obama piled on. "I can't tell whether she was for it or against it," he said. He said he supports the idea.
Her answer made her look pandering, unsure and, even worse, indecisive. How many voters look for indecisiveness in their presidential hopefuls? It's the same thing John Kerry had to deal with in 2004 after his "I was for the $87 billion before I was against it" remark. And Mrs. Clinton had to know the issue would come up in the debate. Governor Eliot Spitzer's approval rating has plummeted thanks to policies like this. Immigration has been on the front burner of politics since last summer, so why she wasn't prepared for this is beyond me.
According to a clip over on Matt Drudge, the Clinton campaign is blaming Tim Russert for being "unfair" and "bordered on the unprofessional." He's a debate moderator! These guys, whether its Russert, Chris Wallace, or Chris Matthews, are suppose to be tough on the candidates. The only person Clinton has to blame is herself for boggling her answer. You can bet this will move to the center of the Republican critique of Hillary, and probably will gain traction among her Democratic rivals also.
When you watch the video (see below), Clinton tries to shift the blame on (who else?) George W. Bush. Recall, however, the Bush supported her side on immigration reform. She created a straw man to deflect her bad answer. This has been disastrous for Hillary Clinton, and she will live with it for the next year.
UPDATE: A couple additional observations. For one, Dodd has the best answer that licenses are a privilege, not a right. He also notes the bureaucratic mess that the three-level New York plan would introduce (different classes of driver's licenses: one gets you on an airplane, another is a "regular" drivers license, and another ID's illegal immigrants.). Clinton has always struck me as more politically savvy than this. Amazing.
Recent Comments