Hillary Clinton gave her worst answer yet on the Keystone XL pipeline Tuesday, saying she wouldn't comment because the decision was up to President Obama and she didn't want to "second-guess" him. Then she added
this:
“If it’s undecided when I become president, I will answer your question,” she said.
For real? I'll tell you after you elect me? This is a completely misguided strategy by the Clinton campaign and it will deeply undermine her credibility with the progressive base even as she
rolls out her climate change policies. On its face, it looks like a total equivocation. Worse yet, it follows news last week that the Clinton campaign
has now hired Democratic strategist Jeff Berman, who also happens to be a former lobbyist for TransCanada—the company that's pushing Keystone XL.
The newest hire for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign is a longtime strategist who played a key role in her 2008 primary defeat while working for then-Sen. Barack Obama.
He’s also a Washington lobbyist who lobbied the State Department -- led, at the time, by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton -- on behalf of the company seeking to build the controversial Keystone XL pipeline.
Hillary Clinton has made some smart moves on many progressive issues thus far. She's gone aggressively
pro-immigration, quickly backed the new LGBT "
Equality Act," and introduced decisive policy prescriptions that will
increase wages for
American workers, provide
Paid Family Leave, ensure
voting rights for every American,
reform the nation's gun laws, and more. Many of Clinton's initiatives have been substantive and solidly progressive.
Head below the fold for more on this story.
Her biggest weak points have been her failure to get specific about a federal minimum wage and to take a stand on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Until now. The Clinton campaign is deeply underestimating the grassroots appetite for shutting down the Keystone XL. Her hedge today is punctuated by the presence of Berman in her campaign. If she wants to maintain her integrity on Keystone, she must do one of two things:
1) Dismiss Berman so that her policy approach isn't unduly influenced by his presence;
2) Actually say what she would do as president about Keystone—then voters can judge for themselves.
Hillary Clinton's team may not recall the 2011 Keystone protests that drew thousands to Washington for arrestable actions and thousands more to form a human chain several-people deep around the White House. But if she thinks climate change activists are going to be any easier to dodge than Dreamers or Black Lives Matter activists, she is mistaken.
Clinton's response today goes straight to the heart of her credibility with the progressive base, not to mention her trustworthiness with Democratic voters more broadly. I'll tell you if you elect me, is no answer at all.