I think it was Chris Matthews who referred to the word "assasination" as the third rail of American politics. So, the reaction to Hillary Clinton's remark that Robert Kennedy was assasinated in June was understandable, if a little overblown.
Of course, most would agree that Hillary misspoke except for those who really want to "demonize" her. Senator Clinton has been devoted to improving the lot of everyday citizens for her entire career, and any suggestion that she would want to put the nation through another trauma, just for her personal ambition, is really beyond the pale.
But beyond all the hoopla, a closer look at the role of assasination in American politics may be in order. Sometimes, it seems our best leaders, the ones who try to buck the system, are the ones who get killed. Think about Lincoln, the Kennedy's, Martin Luther King. All were strong leaders who were willing to stand up for their beliefs come what may. In this respect, Senator Obama, and his campaign to transcend partisanship, and fight vested interests, seems to be particularly vulnerable.
My hope, and we can only hope, is that the science of personal protection in the 21st century has become largely foolproof. There were no serious assasination attempts against Bill Clinton or either of the Bush presidencies, and I believe improved secret service techniques may be credited for that.
Of course, Senator Clinton was right to apologize for her statement, and she seemed genuinely contrite about the situation. Again, she is better than her campaign as many of the staff members are now trying to take the offensive and blame Obama for the controversy. Hillary should keep doing what her heart tells herself instead of listening to those clueless campaign consultants.
If she had done so from the beginning, she would have received the Democratic nomination herself. It was only at the behest of advisors on political positioning, that a woman had to appear strong to be trusted as Commander-in-Chief, that she cast that vote for the Iraq war in the first place.
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- Willy Gissen
- In 2003, Willy Gissen founded Cut-It-Out Communications, a full-service public relations agency based in Hartsdale, New York. His organization specializes in the incorporation of online activities into traditional public relations programs, primarily for business-to-business clients.
These activities include the creation of e-newsletters, the set up and maintenance of internal blogs, and the development of inbound links to maximize a client’s search engine ranking.
See his other articles at public relations instruction, and visit his other blog, New York Times Leader, for an analysis of each morning's lead story.