'Other Woman' Shadows Chelsea Clinton

kinggovernor · 04-10-2008, 12:10 AM

'Other Woman' Shadows Chelsea Clinton

Apr 9 09:35 AM US/Eastern
By TOM DAVIES
Associated Press Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Chelsea Clinton is spending long days on the campaign trail telling college crowds about her mother's positions on everything from health care and student-loan costs to the Darfur crisis and gay rights.
But there is one subject she will not discuss—"The Other Woman."

At least three times in the past two weeks, the former and possible future first daughter has been asked about the Monica Lewinsky scandal's influence on the presidential campaign of her mother, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The answer has evolved each time.

When a student at Butler University in Indianapolis first asked the question on March 25, she drew applause and gave a short response that ended with: "I do not think that is any of your business."

Clinton, 28, since has been less blunt, though the message is much the same.

"I think that is something that is personal to my family, I'm sure there are things that are personal to your family that you don't think are anyone else's business, either," she said last week when asked during a visit to North Carolina State University in Raleigh. "But also on a larger point, I don't think you should vote for or against my mother because of my father."

Many in the crowd at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., booed Monday when a question about the impeachment proceedings against President Clinton came up. Chelsea Clinton quickly summed up her position: "If that's what you want to vote on, that's what you should vote on. But I think there are other people (who are) going to vote on things like health care and economics," she said.

Amanda Morris, president of Purdue's Students for Hillary chapter, said Tuesday that she approved of the audience reaction and how Clinton is responding. She also expects the question might keep coming up.

"I really think it has gotten to the point where it is the attention thing," said Morris, a sophomore from Kokomo, Ind. "At first, maybe that student really wanted to know what she thought about it. But by now it's 'Oh, that person got attention for it, I'm going to keep asking.'"

Philippe Reines, a Clinton campaign spokesman, said Chelsea Clinton has made 99 campus appearances through Tuesday, and typically has taken 10 to 20 questions at each stop. He said the Lewinsky matter was not a burning issue among the people who have attended.

"She has been asked less than a handful of times, and she has been clear on where her lines of privacy are," Reines said. "She has the right as everyone does to define their own zone of privacy."

Reines said her campaign stops would continue unchanged. She does not take questions from reporters, but devotes all but the first few minutes of her appearances to questions from the audience.

Strict in her ban on reporters' questions, Chelsea Clinton even rebuffed a 9-year-old "kid reporter" for Scholastic News, who tried to question her last December in Iowa.

"Do you think your dad would be a good 'first man' in the White House?" asked Sydney Rieckhoff.

"I'm sorry, I don't talk to the press and that applies to you, unfortunately. Even though I think you're cute," Clinton told the pint-sized journalist.

On Tuesday, Chelsea Clinton visited three more college campuses in Indiana, where her mother and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama are actively campaigning to win the May 6 presidential primary. She was wrapping up her second campaign swing across the state.

"She really has gotten more questions on whether or not her mother believes the U.S. dollar should be tied to the gold standard," Reines said. "That's a question she's gotten probably 10 times."

Morris, the Purdue student, said she doesn't think Chelsea Clinton should have to face Lewinsky questions.

"That is something that has to do with their family life," Morris said. "I don't think it is something that we as a nation need to know how they handled as a family."

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Chelsea was what 11-13 when the Monica stuff happened, do people have no respect at all? This is the type of stuff the persuades me to not get involved in politics, it is just so caustic.

JaJae · 04-10-2008, 12:24 AM

Here's my take on it all. First, it's a completely valid question to ask of Clinton or her staff about Hillary's "right wing conspiracy" tirade regarding Lewinsky. However, asking her daughter this question is off limits, even if she's campaigning for them. All they're doing is looking for a scandal and a way to twist whatever answer she may give.

kinggovernor · 04-10-2008, 12:30 AM

Originally Posted by JaJae

Here's my take on it all. First, it's a completely valid question to ask of Clinton or her staff about Hillary's "right wing conspiracy" tirade regarding Lewinsky. However, asking her daughter this question is off limits, even if she's campaigning for them. All they're doing is looking for a scandal and a way to twist whatever answer she may give.

Hillary should have to own up for it, but she is her own person.

maybe because the college students that are questioning her were in 1-2 grade when it happened, they think that somehow Chelsea should have to answer for it. But that is completely out of bounds, IMO

7960 · 04-10-2008, 01:21 AM

Originally Posted by JaJae

Here's my take on it all. First, it's a completely valid question to ask of Clinton or her staff about Hillary's "right wing conspiracy" tirade regarding Lewinsky. However, asking her daughter this question is off limits, even if she's campaigning for them. All they're doing is looking for a scandal and a way to twist whatever answer she may give.

when chelsea got on the stage to stump for her mother it became a fair question for her.

why should we expect her to be able to answer questions about her mother's policies and ideas and shit, but we can't expect her to answer that question?

kinggovernor · 04-10-2008, 01:47 AM

Originally Posted by 7960

when chelsea got on the stage to stump for her mother it became a fair question for her.

why should we expect her to be able to answer questions about her mother's policies and ideas and shit, but we can't expect her to answer that question?

do you expect to answer in public for everything your parent's did when you were a child?

lew · 04-10-2008, 09:02 AM

Originally Posted by kinggovernor

do you expect to answer in public for everything your parent's did when you were a child?

The question wasn't "Did your dad cheat on your mother?", it was "How has the Lewinsky affair affected your mother's campaign?"

It was a relevant question regarding this campaign.

lew · 04-10-2008, 09:04 AM

Also, since the Clintons want to impose government upon our private lives (in the case of drugs, healthcare, education, and a million other things), I think it's perfectly acceptable for us, the people, to ask them any question we want.

7960 · 04-10-2008, 10:34 AM

Originally Posted by kinggovernor

do you expect to answer in public for everything your parent's did when you were a child?

if my mother was running for office and my father had cheated on her, I would not think it unfair for someone to ask me how it will affect my mother's campaign, no.

RMNIXON · 04-10-2008, 06:27 PM

Originally Posted by JaJae

Here's my take on it all. First, it's a completely valid question to ask of Clinton or her staff about Hillary's "right wing conspiracy" tirade regarding Lewinsky. However, asking her daughter this question is off limits, even if she's campaigning for them. All they're doing is looking for a scandal and a way to twist whatever answer she may give.

Well, the guy who started it was a Clinton supporter. So I don't buy the conspiracy angle. But I do think it is an inapropriate question for Chelsea. I also think the media is not acting dignified when they go chasing this story everytime somebody asks her. They don't need to report it as news either.