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For Chelsea, Silence Is Golden
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ShareJanuary 14, 2008 5:38 PM
ABC's Kate Snow reports: For weeks now, Chelsea Clinton has been seen but not heard.
Taking time off from a fast-paced job with a New York hedge fund, the younger Clinton has been tagging along with her mother and father — standing on stages, smiling broadly, greeting voters. But rarely does she ever say much more than a quick “I hope you’ll support my mom” to the voters whose hands she eagerly shakes. And she never — never ever — speaks to the press.
When this reporter asked just after the holidays a benign “How was your Christmas Chelsea?” not once but twice, she smiled politely and ignored the question.
“She doesn’t take questions,” said the aide at her side.
In Iowa, a US Congressman was enlisted to stand by Chelsea’s side (“on Chelsea duty”) and make sure no one harassed the former first daughter.
And there was the famous encounter with an intrepid reporter from the Scholastic News in Des Moines. Nine year old Sydney Rieckhoff was snubbed when she tried to ask Chelsea what she thought her dad would be like as a first spouse. (She later asked the President himself and he answered the question.)
Chelsea, by all accounts, is an enormously private person. She prefers to avoid political fights, publicity and all the tabloid attention that can inevitably follow.
Insiders in Camp Clinton say it is her choice, in consultation with her mother, to remain quietly on the sidelines.
But as the race intensifies, is Chelsea slowly coming out of her shell?
On Sunday, according to The Stanford Daily newspaper, Chelsea Clinton stood before an audience of more than 100 young women and fielded questions — on everything from healthcare to Iraq and Darfur.
And she wasn’t afraid to get specific. Speaking about healthcare, the junior Clinton offered a well-rehearsed explanation of her mother’s plan.
“[My mother] and Senator Edwards are committed to universal healthcare,” the Stanford Daily reported she said. “Senator Obama is committed to what we call ‘virtual’ universal healthcare which would make it an option for people to buy into the system. What my mother argues is that if you don’t mandate that everyone have healthcare, the healthy people may not buy into the system, which means that the average cost of insuring people is a lot higher.”
Clinton urged students to vote in California’s upcoming February 5 primary and reminisced about her days as a Stanford student.
“I’m overcome by nostalgia,” Clinton reportedly said.
Sitting around on the floor of the Pi Beta Phi sorority lounge, the setting was comfortable. There were no members of the national press present. The campus did not advertise that Chelsea would be coming, though the event was publicized to five sororities.
According to the Stanford Daily, Clinton said: “We are just trying to make my mom’s campaign more accessible to people,” she said. “We want to make sure that young people feel like the campaign is talking about issues that you care about and is delivering its plans and ideas in a way that resonates with you.”
Today in Nevada, Chelsea surprised another group of students, showing up with her father for an event at Green Valley High School in Henderson, NV
Chelsea did not speak, but President Clinton offered her up if anyone had questions specifically for her. When a student standing behind the President nearly fainted, Chelsea helped the girl off stage.
Slowly, tenatively, and without fanfare Chelsea Clinton has been getting her feet wet.
On the day before the New Hampshire primary last week, Chelsea worked the phones for her mother.
In one phone call, she took several minutes to expound on her mothers position on Iraq.
“I can certainly tell you what she has said about Iraq,” Chelsea Clinton said.
Here’s how another call went: “Oh, Louis, hi this is Chelsea Clinton calling. I was calling to talk to you about voting for my mother tomorrow. This is really Chelsea. Have you made a decision yet? It’s very hard. Do you have any questions?”
Voters are constantly gushing about how pretty and poised Chelsea is. They call her “impressive”, “beautiful”, “smart”.
Chelsea called out a car window to one young man, “Are you voting for my mom?” He answered a bit surprised, “I will now!”
“She is so cute!” said one Clinton campaign volunteer in New Hampshire. “It is fabulous seeing what a nice kids she is. They’ve done a fabulous job raising her even around all the politics. It says loads about Hillary.”
Will Chelsea’s efforts make any difference with younger voters? Who knows. But the campaign clearly figures it can’t hurt.
The rest of Chelsea’s events on Monday are “closed” to the press. We’re told she’ll meet with high school voters and make some “retail stops”. She will also stop by a campaign headquarters. Perhaps some Nevada voters will be getting interesting phone calls tonight.
“Yes it’s really Chelsea.”
January 14, 2008 in Bush, George W. | Permalink | User Comments (75)
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Oh, yes, Chelsea, speak. After all, you ARE a world-reknowned political analyst.
Posted by: Publius | Jan 14, 2008 6:40:22 PM
Why do we care what Chelsea says? Do you want her for president, too?
Posted by: Cat | Jan 14, 2008 7:10:22 PM
Let Chelsea speak on the Supplimental
Warfunding holding back Secured Health
Care!
Posted by: joseph | Jan 14, 2008 7:17:35 PM
Chelsea is only a few years older than I am but I have always been a fan of her...watching her grow up in the white house and now emerging as a beautiful self-made woman is really awesome.
I'd love to vote for her also, but I guess that's not in the cards. Hillary will make a great president. Her daughter turned out wonderful.
Posted by: Ryan | Jan 14, 2008 7:21:33 PM
She loves and believes in her mother and will help her and support her in any way that she can. Isn't that what a good family is supposed to do? So, why all the negative talk from bloggers? Grow up and stop beating this family to a pulp. Haven't the Republicans done enough and spent billions of tax-payer dollars trying to find something adverse about these people yet found nothing? We need to respect our leaders a little more by not promoting slander. Discussing and questioning real and legitimate issues, sure that's what we're supposed to do in a Democracy. But speculating unfounded grounds is plain and simple defamation a person's character and that is illegal.
Posted by: Maris | Jan 14, 2008 7:28:21 PM
Hillary Clinton I hope you win the Golden Global awards in Michigan, I'm sure you will keep the spirit and walk like the Queen you'll do just fine.
Posted by: Gloria | Jan 14, 2008 7:30:37 PM
Dave - "After all the mess with Monica and impeachment and recovery from a disasterous Bush-Regan deficit" ---- What recovery from a diasasterous deficit??? have all you Clinton folks been brainwashed the same way?? THE DEFICIT GOT WORSE UNDER CLINTON !!! And to Ryan who said - "I'd love to vote for her (Chelsea) also, but I guess that's not in the cards. Hillary will make a great president. Her daughter turned out wonderful" ---- Its very frightening that anyone who can actually vote is shallow enough to base their vote on how someone's daughter turned out - or say they would vote for that daughter (I assume based solely on who she is)... And people wonder why this country is in the shape it is in.... This ain't American Idol people...
Posted by: givemeabreak | Jan 14, 2008 7:40:25 PM
Right after Iowa and NH where Barack racked up insurmountable support from younger voters, Hillary decides to unleash Chelsa. So now we have Hillary, Bill, and Chelsa all campaigning for her candidacy. Why not make it a total family affair and find Roger, or is he still in jail, oh, I almost forgot, Bill pardoned him of his cocaine conviction.
Posted by: gc | Jan 14, 2008 7:45:35 PM
Where have you been? The economy was better with Bill Clinton and when he left office there was not deficit. You must be reading the wrong books. Clinton is not the only president that went out and don't forget Newt while his wife was dying he was going out.
Posted by: Mariann Pepitone | Jan 14, 2008 8:37:51 PM
so she finally learned the talking points???????She must not be to bright it took her along time. Either that or she really doesn't want mommy in the White House, and they just brainwashed,,,,I mean convinced her.
Posted by: Dennis | Jan 14, 2008 8:43:55 PM
ariann -- the question is what books have you been reading... The deficit was 5.7 trillion when Clinton left office. Up almost 2 trillion more than when he began. he (actually congress - which was in a republican majority at the time) balances the ANNUAL budget three times.. the annual surplus was used to buy back Social Security from the brink.. The Deficit got worse under Clinton ..But just like everything else.. Including the failure to get Bin Laden, the Countless scandals... the Clinton machine never sleeps in trying to rewrite history..
Posted by: givemeabreak | Jan 14, 2008 8:44:05 PM
Mariann -- And lets not forget that the economy WAS NOT better when clinton left office... 6 months prior to the end of his second term, the tech industry crashed... over the next 12 months (up until 9/11) the stock market dropped 4000 points and 6.8 million jobs were lost... that is on Clinton and his tax and spend policies... You will get more of the same and worse under Hillary...
Posted by: givemeabreak | Jan 14, 2008 8:48:15 PM
Mariann -- I accomplished my goals.. not that it really matters since I am not running for President. I didn't make a comment about Clinton's personal life, although I do believe he and Hillary have both made a career out of destroying anyone who dares bring up his dalliances.. look at what they did to Kathline Twilly, or Jennifer Flowers.. My comment was about the misguided belief that his presidency was a great one.. economically, it was mediocre and from an international security standpoint, it was horrible...
Posted by: givemeabreak | Jan 14, 2008 8:53:51 PM
What is so wrong about Chelsea supporting her mother? That is what families do, they support each other. President Clinton was good for the country during his tenure, I believe his wife will be just as good or better. They have made politics their career and are good at their jobs-that is something we all strive to be - good at our jobs. So what is the problem? Stop living in their past, they have moved on. Get a life, look to the future, stop dragging another person's past along with you - let the Clintons be. They have a daughter that was brought up in a loving family. We need more examples of such good parenting! Go on Clintons - you are a strong family - may God continue to bless you!!
Posted by: chubbs | Jan 14, 2008 9:11:38 PM
Chelsea was not interested in the political life. She needed privacy to pursue her own dreams. Therefore talking to the press didn't enter her picture. But Mom is running for President and she is her supporter and for the life of me I can't figure out why anyone would criticize her for that.
Posted by: Victoria | Jan 14, 2008 9:29:55 PM
hubbs --"President Clinton was good for the country during his tenure, I believe his wife will be just as good or better" ---- You are entitled to your opinion, but not everyone shares it... I happen to think the clinton's were terrible for this country and the thought that Hillary might become president seems dreadful to me... They placed us in harms way and taxed us out of the strongest economy we have had in 40 yrs and have spent the last three decades embroiled in one scandal after another.
Posted by: givemeabreak | Jan 14, 2008 9:54:26 PM
I simply can't let this last comment stand cause I'm not sure where givemeabreak was living but I've never heard one politician, economist, etc., who hasn't acknowledged that the state of the economy during the Clinton years wasn't substantially improved resulting in a budget surplus. You want to attack his personal character - be my guest but don't go there unless your equally willing to attack that of others whose is less than stellar. As for international affairs. There was an operation during the Clinton administration to get rid of Obama that came at the end of Clinton's administration. Yes it failed but you sure can't point to Bush's having had better success during his two terms as President. I would also concede that their were failures or shortcomings during the Clinton administration - there are in every presidential administration throughout history but the fact remains that if you ask the average citizen, few will not admit that they personally faired better under the Clinton administration than they did under any preceeding or have since under Bush.
Posted by: sjbj2322 | Jan 14, 2008 10:18:18 PM
WOW !!! You Clinton bashers will do anything to get your claws into Bill and Hilliary. But attacking their daughter is a new low even for you die-in-the-wool Clinton haters.
Posted by: V.Casella | Jan 14, 2008 10:27:19 PM
givemeabreak: You must have really been asleep during Clintons two terms as president. You`ll probably wake up after Bush is gone and say what a good job he did.
Posted by: V.Casella | Jan 14, 2008 10:34:00 PM
Why should we care what she thinks? Did anyone ask Michael Jordans son to step to the free throw line to take his shots for him?
Posted by: Anthony Rainier | Jan 14, 2008 11:01:33 PM
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