As Hillary Clinton and her team prepare for the first Democratic primary debate and respond to the unexpected rise of fellow competitor Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the New York Times has no doubt that Clinton will wow voters with her skills.
“Mrs. Clinton does not possess the retail political skills of her husband, nor can she easily rouse a crowd with a lyrical speech like President Obama. But on the debate stage, she displays an unusual talent and focus, and appears at ease and comfortably herself,” the Times promised Friday morning.
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The report, titled “In Debate, Hillary Clinton Will Display Skills Honed Over a Lifetime,” recounts how the former secretary of state showed early in life as a “dutiful student” her supposed skill for debate.
The article, which was authored by Clinton beat reporter Amy Chozick, also declares that the first Democratic debate will give the party’s front-runner a chance to express at long last her “genuine passion for policy.”
“Over the years, Mrs. Clinton has also demonstrated a deftness that has thrown off her male political opponents, who are careful to avoid bullying the only woman onstage,” the story reads. “In one primary debate for the 2008 election, she joked that she was wearing an ‘asbestos’ pantsuit.”
Examples of Clinton’s “biggest [debate] victories” include her denying indignantly during a 2000 Senate debate that she lied when she assured Americans that her husband, former President Bill Clinton, had not had sexual relations with a young intern named Monica Lewinsky.
The report, published shortly after the Times joined with Clinton in calling for the disbanding of the House’s Select Committee on Benghazi, underscores the candidate’s debate prowess during her years at Wellesley College, when she took on two opponents in a campaign for student body president.
At the time, the school’s newspaper declared the debate a bust, writing that the candidates were “equally vague as to exactly how they would implement the change in the power structure.” The newspaper didn’t endorse anyone and Clinton won.
For the Times, this is a reminder that Clinton’s debating skills are sure to shine this month during the first Democratic debate.
