On Sunday’s Meet the Press, Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker did her best to give Hillary Clinton the “benefit of the doubt” after she has flipped her position on a number of policy issues, most recently her sudden opposition to TPP.
Parker acknowledged that Clinton would never admit to changing her positions for “political expedience” in order to satisfy Bernie Sanders' supporters, but she stressed that you “can give her the benefit of the doubt too.”
The Post columnist continued to excuse Clinton’s extensive policy changes:
It's plausible that she has changed mind based on legitimate concerns because whatever was happening before when she was Secretary of State and representing the Obama administration may have shifted to some extent. But as she said she doesn't really know because she hasn't seen the details yet.
When pressed by moderator Chuck Todd, Parker dismissed the impact that Clinton’s wavering policy positions would have on the electorate:
For now, for this moment. I'm not really opposed to people changing their minds. I'm much more concerned with people who never change their minds no matter what new information is available.
While Parker had no qualms about defending Clinton, conservative radio show host Hugh Hewitt was much more blunt in his assessment of the Democrat and argued that her changing positions were “the least of her problems...Nominating Hillary Clinton...would be like launching a nitroglycerin juggling marathon for the Democrats. Honestly it’s a disaster for them. So I hope she keeps doing this.”
See relevant transcript below.
NBC’s Meet the Press
October 11, 2015
CHUCK TODD: Kathleen, when she gave that answer, I had asked her about TPP at the time too, and she wasn't ready to announce it but it always felt as if she was laying the ground work for this.
KATHLEEN PARKER: Well, and your question are you doing things for political expedience, of course she's not going to say "Yes, I'm just trying to win some people over from Bernie Sanders." But of course she is. But I think you can give her the benefit of the doubt too and at least it's plausible that she has changed mind based on legitimate concerns because whatever was happening before when she was Secretary of State and representing the Obama administration may have shifted to some extent. But as she said she doesn't really know because she hasn't seen the details yet. So giving her the benefit of the doubt --
TODD: Are you giving her the benefit of the doubt?
PARKER: For now, for this moment. I'm not really opposed to people changing their minds. I'm much more concerned with people who never change their minds no matter what new information is available.
TODD: Nathan Gonzalez, I had -- Peter hart described this to me as a decision about the next three months, not a decision about the next 13 months. Fair?
NATHAN GONZALEZ: Well, I mean Peter Hart’s one of the best in the business. I think the first step for Hillary Clinton is winning the nomination and Democrats are extremely confident in a general election, they believe the demographics are working in their favor, the electorate is working in their favor so if you could say this is for three months to gain the nomination, I think Secretary Clinton and her team would take that because a general election they feel very, very good.
TODD: Hugh Hewitt, isn't that familiar. Remember that was the Stewart Stevens' response, Mitt Romney’s chief strategist, every time someone said "You're hurting yourself in the general election with some of these primary positions in 2011" and lo and behold he hurt himself in the general election.
HUGH HEWITT: But I will add, it is the least of her problems. In the Washington Beacon yesterday Alanna Goodman ran a story about how Hillary and Sid Blumenthal had violated the Intelligence Identities Act of 50 USC 421. She’s now violated 18 USC 1924. Nominating Hillary Clinton would be like --
TODD: Legal code.
HEWITT: It would be like launching a nitroglycerin juggling marathon for the Democrats. Honestly it’s a disaster for them. So I hope she keeps doing this.
