Transcript of a politics chat with Foon Rhee
Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor for The Boston Globe, discussed Hillary Clinton's healthcare plan, Mitt Romney's website, the candidates' children, and other Campaign 2008 news.
Foon Rhee: Hello again everyone and welcome to the weekly politics chat. I'll start answering questions now.
mittman: When is Joe Biden going to pick it up? He's the only one that has a chance of beating Mitt come general time when Romney goes into over drive.
Foon Rhee: Biden certainly tried to capitalize on his position in the Senate and the testimony last week by General David Petraeus. But you're right, it doesn't seem like he is picking up much ground on Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards, the three leading Democratic candidates. One theory is that he has run before and many voters have already decided he is not presidential material.
Carter: what impact do you think web video will have on the campaign?
Foon Rhee: Web videos could have a huge impact. Just ask George Allen, the former Virginia senator whose presidential hopes were torpedoed by the "Macaca" moment. It's more likely that an embarrassing situation would have impact. It's clear that the campaigns realize the potential of web videos. They are creating their own to try to put the best face on the candidate.
martyjoe: why can't anybody be for the people and not for the money
Foon Rhee: I'm not sure exactly how to answer that one, but I think some candidates (John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich, to name just two) would argue that they are basing their candidacies on that premise.
Dana: Hello - It seems to me that the Democratic presidential candidates' healthcare proposals are very similar. Do you know of any drastic differences between Clinton's and Obama's plans? Are her rivals criticizing her because her plan is so similar to theirs?
Foon Rhee: Yes, the plans are very similar, as we pointed out in our story this morning on Hillary Clinton's proposals. The major difference between Clinton's and Obama's is that she would require people to obtain health insurance -- the so-called individual mandate -- while Obama would not. He argues that it's not fair when many families could not afford it, so his plan emphasizes cutting costs and providing subsidies. Clinton's plan would also help poorer families pay for coverage.
jesse: In the Globe Magazine there was a story about how a growing percentage of the population in the US and abroad does not believe in God or have a religious affiliation. Do you think any of the candidates would dare to appeal to that population?
Foon Rhee: Religion is a very sensitive issue in the presidential campaign. While many candidates don't necessarily wear their faith on their sleeve, it would certainly be a risky departure for a candidate to explicitly appeal to agnostics or atheists.
Tommy: Where's Chelsea?!? We've seen Bill and plenty of Hill, but I miss the third Clinton...
Foon Rhee: Chelsea is busy with her own life. I believe she's involved in high finance in New York, and she sometimes appears in the boldface society columns. That said, I would be shocked if she does not accompany her mother at some campaign appearances closer to the primaries, and definitely during the general election campaign should Hillary win the nomination. Whatever people say about the Clintons' marriage, it would be a hard-hearted person who would argue they didn't do a good job raising their daughter.
may: I think Mitt can beat Clinton, but can he beat Obama?
Foon Rhee: The most recent polls I've seen on hypothetical general election matchups (and at this early stage, they are really hypothetical) suggest that both Clinton and Obama would beat Romney. Their matchups with Giuliani and Thompson would be closer. All three -- Clinton, Obama, and Romney -- would have to make history to win: Clinton as the first woman to become president, Obama as the first African-American, and Romney as the first Mormon.
may: in your opinion which candidate has the best web site
Foon Rhee: All the major candidates have pretty good ones, because they realize the importance of the Internet this time around. In terms of offering different features, Mitt Romney's might be a little ahead. It has access to his TV and radio ads, as well as the usual policy pronouncements. He's also using his website for a contest to create a campaign TV spot.
JT: Yeah - I was wondering about Chelsea, too. You see Mitt flaunting his five boys all over the place. Edwards wheels out his cute kids and grown-up daughter all the time. And even Fred Thompson, who obviously has a may-december marriage going on, had his kids on stage in Tennessee recently. Wow - a lot of kids in this campaign.
Foon Rhee: In part, there's a generational shift going on. Some of the presidential candidates are younger Baby Boomers who have young children.
Foon Rhee: I believe our colleagues at our sister paper, the New York Times, did an interesting piece recently about how the candidates try to balance child-rearing and campaigning.
DMoney: any thoughts on the student being tasered at the Kerry forum?
Foon Rhee: I haven't read the full accounts of the incident yet, but it does seem rather extreme. I believe the student went over his time and wouldn't sit down, but it's not like he was threatening Senator Kerry. I suspect an apology from the police is in the offing, and if not that a lawsuit.
FrankDLT: Why didn't Kerry stand up for that shocked students rights to free speech? Why didn't he come out against the heavy handed tactics?
Foon Rhee: I'm not sure I can address that one since I haven't read or seen exactly and all what happened.
FrankDLT: can John McCain make a comeback?
Foon Rhee: He's certainly trying his best. He did get a bump in the polls from the New Hampshire debate a couple of weeks ago. And after the Petraeus report to Congress last week, Senator McCain is trying to make his firm and longstanding support for the so-called surge in Iraq into a positive by arguing that he has been right all along. There is certainly enough time for him to make a comeback. And if he were to win in Iowa and/or New Hampshire, he could be the front-runner once again for the nomination.
be my guest: when does the nasty stuff start
Foon Rhee: Well, I guess it depends what you would consider nasty. There are certainly negative ads and attacks on rival candidates already. We can expect the level of the vitriol to rise closer to the primaries, and in the general election. Speaking of which, the back and forth last week about the MoveOn.org ad between the front-runners for the nominations -- Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani -- might have been a preview of the really tough campaign they would wage against each other.
FrankDLT: How can Mitt run the country when he couldn't fix the Mass Turnpike? He didn't have the political skills neccessary to resolve the Pike, how will he be able to deal internationally? Do you think his track record as Gov will help or hurt his chances?
Foon Rhee: I would make a couple of points. Romney is in good company when it comes to not being able to fix the turnpike. Both Democrats and Republicans have failed. Overall, I think his record as governor is a net plus. He is arguing that, unlike rivals serving in the Senate, has been a chief executive and has been the final decision-maker. Of course, Rudy Giuliani is making the same case as a former New York mayor. One interesting point about Romney's record as governor: As a story in today's Globe pointed out again, he is in some ways retreating from his major accomplishment as governor -- the universal health care plan -- or at least trying to smooth the edges of it for his Republican primary audience.
FrankDLT: What ARE Bush's chances of getting impeached, and hey, didn't you attend Yale as a member of Skull & Bones?
Foon Rhee: There is no chance of President Bush being impeached, unless something totally surprising happens or is revealed. Even when the legislature and town meetings in Vermont voted to have their representatives in Congress introduce an impeachment resolution, the members of Congress demurred. On the other query, while I applied to Yale, I didn't get in. I graduated from Duke.
Win08: How are voters responding to Fred Thompson now that he has officially announced? Where is he positioning himself relative to the other candidates? (Right wing? moderate?)
Foon Rhee: From the early reports from the campaign trail, it seems voters are reacting pretty well. But Thompson has already made some missteps, for instance having to explain two or three times how important he believes it is to capture Osama bin Laden. Thompson is portraying himself as the true conservative in the race, the heir to Ronald Reagan's legacy.
Elvis: Where do you think Guiliani is vulnerable? I head that if you take a close look at his record as mayor of New York you'll discover he didn't do much.
Foon Rhee: In the Republican primaries, his greatest vulnerabilities are his positions on abortion, gun control, and other issues that are at odds with the GOP conservative base. His record as New York mayor is probably a net plus. While one can argue how much what he did led to the dramatic drop in crime and improvement in the economy, he can argue that he led the nation's largest city and led it well. His major claim to fame, of course, is what he did after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But even that legacy is a little mixed. He has been attacked by firefighters and others for taking too much credit. Not to plug the Times too much, but it pointed out recently that he did not spend that much time at Ground Zero. And then Slate followed up with a piece that showed he spent more time at Yankee Stadium during the playoffs.
FrankDLT: (the Skull&Bones reference was about the kid in Florida : )
Foon Rhee: Sorry, misunderstood that one.
Win08: Do you think Michael Moore will be prominent at the Democratic convention this time and to what impact?
Foon Rhee: I would be surprised if he is given as prominent a presence this time around. Since 2004, his documentary methods have come under question and he has become a more divisive figure. While he is a hero of the left wing of the Democratic Party, the shine is off among moderates. The conventions have become extended ads for the parties as they try to appeal to the general election electorate, so Democrats will likely want to avoid anything or anyone that would scare away the moderate middle.
Foon Rhee: Well, that seems to be it for questions, so signing off now. Thanks to everyone who participated for the interesting questions. One last plug: go to boston.com/politics to keep abreast of our presidential campaign coverage, including updates during the day on our Political Intelligence blog. 