Bill Clinton returned to his alma mater, Georgetown University, to deliver an inspirational speech to a new generation of Hoyas nearly 50 years after his graduation. While most of his speech was hard to argue with, it was ironic coming from the Clinton name.
The vast majority of Clinton’s speech centered on overcoming partisan divides and engaging in heavy political debates. This is something that has been championed by those on both sides of the aisle since before the 2016 election, and increasingly so from free speech advocates on college campuses. The former president praised his successor, George W. Bush, for his constant willingness to debate.
“Are you just as guilty of only talking to people who agree with you?” Clinton challenged students.
His emphasis on civility and cooperation didn’t stop him from criticizing current political opponents — namely, Republicans and President Trump.
“I don’t believe your ability to badmouth someone else is evidence of authenticity,” he proclaimed — and the audience roared.
I found myself agreeing with most of what the former president had been arguing, but nevertheless, I found it extremely ironic in light of the political missteps made by Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Bill Clinton insisted that “we should be able to treat each other as human beings without assuming the worst,” just 14 months after Hillary coined the idea of Trump’s “deplorables.”
What I thought was most inconsistent with the Clinton family track record was the emphasis placed on being altruistic in politics. It makes sense coming from Georgetown, an institution that stresses being “men and women for others” as one of its core Jesuit values, but, to be blunt, it isn’t synonymous with the Clinton name.
The entire keynote event opened with a promotional video of Georgetown alums who worked with Clinton discussing Georgetown values and how the former president embodied that with his work. Clinton emphasized at several points in his speech how politics should be an opportunity to be a part of something bigger than oneself. He recounted how he was inspired in part by a professor who told him that he “had a personal responsibility to make the future better.”
“Never forget the people. Never forget that talking is important, but doing matters more,” he advised.
All of that is a great message. It’s exactly what a former president, a beloved alumnus, should be telling students, many of whom will be future policymakers.
It’s just that Hillary Clinton and her 2016 presidential campaign should have heard this advice. The controversy around the Uranium One deal — when the Clinton Foundation was paid by Russia around the same time a Russian energy company acquired American mines — recently resurfaced. After the news broke about revelations in Donna Brazile’s new book, the Clinton campaign has been dragged back into the fray and accused of rigging the Democratic primary.
How is that being a selfless public servant?
While the former president’s close connection to dubious and self-promotional politics made me skeptical, it doesn’t diminish the importance of his message. We can disagree all we want, but at some point there needs to something that still unifies us. His warning is true — that if we give in to constant, vicious, and divisive attacks rather than productive debates, “America won’t be America anymore.”
Gabriella Muñoz is a commentary desk intern with the Washington Examiner and a student at Georgetown University.
