Chelsea faces tougher questions in PA
Posted: Friday, April 18, 2008 5:02 PM by Domenico Montanaro
From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
PHILADELPHIA -- During an event billed as a discussion on the high costs of higher education yesterday afternoon, Chelsea Clinton faced difficult questions from Drexel University law students and faculty. Clinton called on those in attendance to call ABC with their complaints about last night's debate, tied her mother's work with children and women to the current situation with the Texas sect, and poked fun at a conservative first-year law student in the audience.
THE DEBATE: UNFAIR TO OBAMA?
One of the questions Clinton fielded came from a university administrator who asked her about her mom's actions during Tuesday night's debate. "Frankly, I was disappointed in her that she didn't have a stronger reaction to some of the inane questions that were asked that last night and that were really insulting to us and the candidates," Leslie Friedman said to Clinton.
"I agree," Clinton said. "My mom's been talking about the issues ... from public school reform to higher education affordability to equal pay to expanding Family Medical Leave. ... That's what she talks about. I wish that was what the media covered. I wish that was what they had asked about from the beginning last night."
But Friedman, who supports Obama, was not satisfied with this answer, firing back: "I think it's important though for a leader also to step up and say, 'You know, these kinds of questions are inappropriate, and I am insulted when you ask me or my opponent those questions.' And I wish that your mom would stand up and say that."
"And she has so frequently," Chelsea responded. "I am certainly proud at how she has been standing up and talking about the issues, and I wish that is what was focused on. I wish that was what the two moderators at the debate had started the debate last night. I also, as someone who has been a member of the family that has been on the receiving end quite a bit of Republican fire understand that some of what came up in the debate last night in the first part of the debate is unfortunately what will come up in the general election for whomever is running. ... I know that that type of attack will often be more subtle than what was raised in the debate last night and certainly will be pushed forward as trying to carve out what is at stake in this election."
"I wish that was what the debate was focused on last night," Clinton continued, saying her mother would have rather had issue-based questions. "And I hope that you'll write to ABC and you'll tell them that. I'm serous though. ... I hope that you will try to again reestablish those issues of being the focal point of not only this debate but of our politics. I wish that were true. I'm so proud that that is what my mom is always fighting to do."
After Clinton finished her reply, a male student said he wants to "see her mother slap down the moderator."
"She has done that in previous debates. That hasn't always worked out for her," Clinton said to laughter, "but she has quite a record of standing up and trying to always make this election really more than this election."
First Read caught up with Friedman after the event, when the Obama supporter reiterated her dissatisfaction with Senator Clinton last night during the debate. "She could have held the moderators far more accountable. She allowed herself to be co-opted by the questions. It was disappointing for someone like her who is so strong."
Friedman said she was satisfied with Chelsea Clinton's answer, however.
SENATOR CLINTON'S WORK AS A LAWYER
A young woman asked Chelsea, as a child of two lawyers, how lawyers can help make the world a better place. Chelsea responded by saying her father stopped practicing law before she was born and her mother stopped in 1992, so she couldn't exactly answer that question as a daughter of two lawyers.
"I would not be so presumptive to talk about all lawyers or any other lawyer but certainly I find both of my parents' lives incredibly inspiring, and also intimidating, but incredibly inspiring," she told the law students before touting her mother's legal career helping women and children.
Clinton tied her mom's work with the recent events with the compound in Texas. "It is unfortunately very relevant these days as we think about what happened down in El Dorado, Texas with the women and children who were in the sect that was recently disassembled," she said. "So I find a lot of that really inspiring, that so much of what my mom has been working on in this campaign is rooted in the work she did as a young lawyer at the Children's Defense Fund in Arkansas but also as a First Lady and now as a senator."
POKING FUN AT REPUBLICANS
A Republican-leaning law student outed his political tendencies in a room full of Democrats during the event. The former first daughter treated the law student with respect but used him for several laugh lines.
When Chris Miller commented that taxes would have to be raised in order to fully fund universal healthcare, Chelsea correctly guessed he and she were on different sides of the political aisle, and they agreed to disagree. Throughout the rest of the event, Clinton poked fun at Miller whenever she drew a comparison between Democrats and Republicans or discussed issues that affect people on both sides.
Miller told First Read he classifies himself as "socially liberal and fiscally conservative." While he is not supporting any candidate right now, he is leaning toward McCain. He came to the law school event today to hear Chelsea's "first-hand perspective on her mother's campaign" because he feels "Senator Clinton hasn't been portrayed in the debates as well as she should be" with "juvenile" questions.
Miller said he enjoyed the banter and preferred the one-on-one nature of Clinton's Q&A sessions because he could see "the lighter side" to the campaign. Before heading out, he did reveal to First Read his main interest in attending the event: "Before we know the Democratic nominee, to know where they each stand, so I can do some research."
