Three panelists on ABC's This Week on Sunday all agreed that the latest development in Hillary Clinton's e-mail scandal will impact her campaign negatively. Matthew Dowd asserted that the FBI's release of their interview notes was "really damaging...the majority of the country doesn't trust her; and this only adds to that problem." Steve Inskeep acknowledged that the issue is "a thing that people can grab onto." L.Z. Granderson bluntly contended that "the e-mail thing is just...terrible — especially when you start looking at the rationale....it only makes you look silly."
Fill-anchor Martha Raddatz first turned to Dowd and asked, "I want to start with Clinton's FBI interview that was released this week. You heard Tim Kaine basically say...nothing to see; she's made a mistake; let's move on. Is it damaging? Is this week any more damaging than it has been in the past?" The guest replied with his "really damaging" label, and underlined that the issue "feeds two problems that she has. The first problem...is that the majority of the country doesn't trust her; and this only adds to that...The second problem is it looks like it's just typical Washington, D.C. status quo corruption."
Raddatz followed-up by pointing out that "this document dump was Friday — the old, typical Washington Friday afternoon before a holiday." She directed her next question to Inskeep: "So do you think it will really resonate with voters?" The NPR host responded by spotlighting how "the Clinton campaign is very frustrated that we in the media talk about it about so much; but it is a thing that people can grab onto."
Later in the segment, the ABC journalist zeroed in on the Trump and Clinton's low favorability among Americans: "Our polls show that Clinton's favorability rating is at an all-time low among registered voters — now on par with Donald Trump at 59 and 60 percent respectively." She asked Granderson, "Is the [Clinton] campaign doing enough to try to solve that problem?" The liberal pundit answered, in part, with his "just terrible" phrase about the e-mail scandal. Raddatz replied to this by touting how "she's been at this for decades and decades, as a senator on the Armed Services Committee and other things."
Dowd also contended that Mrs. Clinton is "judged, a little bit, on a Ginger Rogers standard — which is, is that the bar is so low for him. I mean, Ginger Rogers...she did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in heels. The bar is so low for Donald Trump that you let it pass that his foundation mistakenly...[made a contribution to the attorney general in Florida...in the end, she dropped the suit against him on his university. Both of them have problems."
The transcript of the relevant portion of the panel discussion segment on the September 5, 2016 edition of ABC's This Week:
MARTHA RADDATZ: I want to start with Clinton's FBI interview that was released this week. You heard Tim Kaine basically say — you know, nothing to see; she's — she's made a mistake; let's move on. Is it damaging? Is this week any more damaging than it has been in the past?
[ABC News Graphic: "FBI Releases Notes from Clinton Interview on Emails"]
MATTHEW DOWD: First, a shout-out to Saint Mother Teresa — a great day (panelists laugh); and just an example of humble-servant leadership that we'd love to see in the course of this campaign. I think it's really damaging, because it feeds two problems that she has. The first problem, as you noted in the earlier segments, is that the majority of the country doesn't trust her; and this only adds to that problem in this. The second problem is it looks like it's just typical Washington, D.C. status quo corruption — they only do it for themselves; in it for themselves; they're not transparent — and both of those things aren't helpful in a race that, though she has a lead, is fundamentally going to be very close until the end.
RADDATZ: And — and Steve, I want to ask you, this — this document dump was Friday — the old, typical Washington Friday afternoon before a holiday. So do you think it will really resonate with voters?
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST, 'NPR MORNING EDITION': Well, it's resonated over time; and, of course, the Clinton campaign is very frustrated that we in the media talk about it about so much; but it is a thing that people can grab onto.
In your interview with Kellyanne Conway, the Trump campaign manager, she made a very perceptive point. She said Clinton's people want everyone to be thinking about Trump; and then, change to try to talk about Clinton. This is an election where each campaign seems to prefer that voters go into the voting booth thinking about the other guy — and that's a very strange place.
RADDATZ: And Julie, just one more thing on — on the e-mails: the State Department is going to release Secretary Clinton's schedule — and that will put a focus on the Clinton Foundation, and if anything was going on between the Clinton Foundation and the State Department — getting special access. What — what do you expect from that? Do you know anything about what that will show?
[ABC News Graphic: "State Dept to Release Clinton Schedules Before Election"]
JULIE PACE, AP CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it's important to note that the State Department — State Department is doing this under pressure from the Associated Press and other news organizations. This isn't something that they have been willingly putting out there into the public. Right now, we have about half of her detailed schedules. This will be another fairly substantial period. If you look at the information that we do have, it does show some overlap between the meetings that she had that she had most discretion over and Clinton Foundation toners. You likely to see something similar, to some extent, in these other schedules.
RADDATZ: And L.Z., let's move to this unfavorability — because it's such a big topic, because they both have such high ratings. Our polls show that Clinton's favorability rating is at an all-time low among registered voters — now on par with Donald Trump at 59 and 60 percent respectively. You — you heard Tim Kaine. Is the campaign doing enough to try to solve that problem?
[ABC News Graphic: "Clinton, Trump Face Record High Unfavorable Ratings"]
LZ GRANDERSON, ABC NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, they think what they're doing now is not adding to the problem. And I speak with people who are inside her circle. And one of the reasons why they don't like her in large groups or to do press conferences is because she doesn't play well there. She's not comfortable in that position. That's only going to make her look more staged, more strategic, and less authentic. And so, it's a purposeful strategy — why she's not doing press conferences — because that would only add to [her] unfavorabilities.
Look, the e-mail thing is just — in my opinion, is terrible — especially when you start looking at the rationale. You know, Matthew and I were joking. She thought the 'C' was to help her put things in alphabetical order — but there's no 'A;' there's no 'B;' and there's no 'D' (panelists laugh). So, it only makes you look silly—
RADDATZ: And — and she's been at this for decades and decades, as a senator on the Armed Services Committee and other things. Matthew?
DOWD: But she is judged — she is judged a little bit, I have to say — when all of the controversy surrounding her, and they're both — Donald Trump and her — she's a little — she is judged, a little bit, on a Ginger Rogers standard — which is, is that the bar is so low for him. I mean, Ginger Rogers, the famous — like, she did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in heels. The bar is so low for Donald Trump that you let it pass that his foundation mistakenly — or did whatever — a contribution to the attorney general in Florida, that actually — in the end, she dropped the suit against him on his university. Both of them have problems.
Here's — Martha, I want to make one point in this: do they each need to solve their likability problems and their trust problems in this election? Yes. But more importantly, I think they need to solve them — if Hillary Clinton gets elected in this election with a majority of the country not trusting her and like her — liking her, it's going to be very difficult for her to govern as president of the United States.
RADDATZ: Either one of them—
DOWD: Either one of them—
RADDATZ: When you look forward four years, that's — that's our next story. We'll wait 'til after the Election Day on that (Granderson laughs).
