On April 1, 2008 Senator Barack Obama held a town-hall meeting at Wilkes-University while Senator Hilary Clinton held a similar event at the rival school, Kings College. I attempted to get into Obama’s town-hall meeting but was sadly locked out with hundreds of others. After an almost four hour wait hoping to see Senator Barack Obama as he exited the building, I decided to give up and head over to King’s College to catch Hillary Clinton’s speech. Once there I fought my way through the crowd and ended up directly in front of the stage where Senator Clinton would be speaking.
Senator Clinton walked in to what she appropriately called, “…a feisty crowd” of supporters. She was just as “feisty” as the crowd jumping into her speech and directing her focus on the people. Hillary began with an appealing statement, “This campaign is not about me, it’s about you” and went on to address Pennsylvania’s primary issue, the economy and “jobs, jobs, jobs.” She was very convincing and energetic as she continued addressing significant issues such as taxes, jobs, trade, security, and oil. I was impressed with Senator Clinton up until she slipped into her trademark mudslinging.
She immediately brought up Senator Obama, “…he thinks that this campaign could be compared to the baton death march…or that it was like a movie that had gone on too long. Well we haven’t even gotten to the part that includes Pennsylvania…some of his supporters are saying that I should quit…” On she went complaining about Senator Barack Obama rather than addressing more important issues. I wonder if she failed to realize that there were supporters of her rival in the crowd or if she was purposely trying to anger them. That opening statement about Senator Obama tainted the rest of the speech but Senator Hillary Clinton didn’t stop there.
About half-way through her rival came up again, “my opponent just started running an ad in Pennsylvania which said he ‘never took money from the oil companies’…well it’s illegal to take money from the oil companies”. By this point I began to believe that Senator Clinton’s speech was about Senator Obama rather than her own policies. To me the speech had an, “anything you can do I can do better” juvenile tone.
Senator Clinton’s negative comments have been going on since the South Carolina primaries and have now become a staple move of hers. Needless to say, these actions do not befit her. Speaking about Senator Obama in a negative tone during a town hall meeting not only takes time away from important issues but also takes the focus off of Senator Clinton and brings it back to Senator Obama.
Mudslinging is nothing new to American politics but it certainly doesn’t have to surface in every speech given to the public. Senator Obama does his own mudslinging in the American tradition, but Senator Clinton steps over the line far too often.
Heather Chulick '09
Wilkes University
Communication Studies
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