The Ballot Box

Chelsea Clinton has been stumping for her mother on numerous college campuses. According to the Associated Press, at least three times in the last two weeks she has been asked about how the Monica Lewinsky scandal could impact Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign for president.

The first time it came up, Chelsea replied “I do not think that it is any of your business” (and for emphasis pursed her lips and nodded her head several times). Since then, the AP says she her  responses have been “less blunt” — she says it’s a “personal matter” and that she doesn’t think the issue is germane to the election.

But is it purely a personal matter? Is the question out of bounds?

I suppose it depends on how it is asked. Surely, asking the daughter about her father’s horndog reputation, or about her parents’ marriage, is tacky and indeed personal. But  Ms. Clinton went on national TV to infamously ascribe the allegation that the president had had an extramarital dalliance in the White House with an intern as the product of a “vast right-wing conspiracy” and said “this is not going to be proven true.”

Is it not fair to ask whether her public performance during the Lewinsky scandal says something about her judgment and how she would respond in a crisis? After all, the scandal and subsequent impeachment were signature events in Bill Clinton’s presidency. The sordid details are not relevant, but how the White House operated during those times is, especially since Hillary has said her experience not just as first lady, but as adviser to the president, make her qualified for the Oval Office.

Chelsea’s not a child anymore (she’s 28). And she’s voluntarily entered the political arena by hitting the campaign trail and opening herself up for questions. I think the issue can be addressed in a respectful and substantive way.

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