SPECIAL COMMENTARY

Speechless In Ramallah

In the simplest sense, Clinton's
illary Rodham Clinton's
Ramallah
gaffe hurt her with Jewish
senatorial campaign advis-
voters.
Jews
are 12 to 15 percent of
ers had a punch-drunk air
the
voters
in
New York, but they play
of disbelief about them
a
bigger
role.
Conventional wisdom
this week as they struggled to absorb
says
a Democrat needs two-
the fallout from their unde-
thirds
of the Jewish vote to
clared candidate's disastrous
win statewide office. That's
visit in the West Bank town
been true for a half-century.
of Ramallah last week with
Before her Middle East trip
Mrs. Yasser Arafat.
Clinton was polling just
It wasn't enough that Clin-
under half.
ton sat in polite silence while
She needs to vvin over
the Palestinian first lady
another 20 percent of the
delivered a luridly anti-Israel
Jewish vote that's
diatribe. Afterward, Clinton
wavering. That fragment,
had to go give Suha Arafat a
J.J. GOLDBERG the Jewish swing vote, is not
kiss on the cheek, while the
Special to
solidly Democratic or
cameras whirred. New York's
vomonm51mioK01.*
Republican. It picks candi-
the
Jewish
News
tabloids milked it for days,
dates in large part over
with banner headlines like
questions of Jewish safety.
"Shame on Hillary" and —
When a Palestinian accuses Israel of
in a useful bit of advice to Suha
poisoning children, those voters expect
Arafat's husband — "Muzzle Tov." It
a firm reply. "If a politician can't
made friend and foe wonder: What
defend Jews against blood libels, what
was the First Lady thinking?
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton is introduced to Suha Arafat, wife of Palestinian
are they there for?" said a senior offi-
For the record, campaign aides said
leader Yasser Arafat, in. Ramallah last week.
cial with a Jewish organization in New
it was one big non-event, an excuse
York.
for yet another round of Clinton-
by the fact that her entire campaign
Campaign staff were questioning her
Clinton already was vulnerable
bashing. Their boss, they insisted, had
staff had been left behind in New
political judgment this week. That
among Jewish swing voters because of
been genuinely distressed by Suha
York. They would have told her to hit
won't be easy to rebuild.
her 1998 endorsement of Palestinian
Arafat's unexpected rant about Israel's
back fast and hard.
From the outset, Clinton's Senate
statehood. Now that she's been cap-
supposed use of "poison gas" on Pales-
But that argument — she couldn't
candidacy
has
been
an
experiment.
No
tured kissing Suha Arafat on tape, to
tinian women and children. But as
make
an intelligent decision because
First
Lady
ever
ran
for
office
from
the
be rerun endlessly next year. Clinton is
First Lady, Clinton had to restrain
she
had
the wrong advisers — simply
White
House
before.
Nobody
knows
in real trouble.
herself so as not to undermine the
reinforces doubts about Clinton's own
what it means or how it works.
"She could theoretically make up
peace process. She waited a day before
political smarts.
Critics have warned all year that
the difference among minorities or
voicing her displeasure, and then
"There's always been a question of
mixing the two roles would set up
women," says pollster Lee Miringoff
spoke in measured, diplomatic tones.
her
political savvy," says one Democ-
impossible
conflicts,
to
the
detri-
of New York's Marist Institute for
Surely the voters will applaud her
ratic
activist with close ties to the
ment
of
both.
Clinton's
defenders
Public Opinion Research. "But right
restraint, the aides said.
Clinton
White House. "There was
insisted
she
could
pull
it
off,
because
now, she's doing badly across the
Privately, though, Clinton's advisers
Whitewater
and Travelgate. Last
she
had
the
political
instincts
and
board."
were tearing their hair out. As they
month,
there
was the issue of the cam-
skills
to
navigate
that
kind
of
obsta-
A year is a long time in politics.
studied the landscape, it became clear
paign ads she paid for with soft
cle course.
Giuliani could make a big mistake in
the damage was real. True, many vot-
money. Now this. The bottom line is,
Last week's Middle East trip was
the coming months. But few political
ers, perhaps even most, may welcome
does this woman have a political bone
the first laboratory test. The results
insiders
expect
it
—
at
least
not
on
the
Clinton's diplomatic restraint. But
in her body?"
seem clear-cut. Candidacy and First
Israel issue, Clinton's weak point right
some won't, and they could be numer-
So shaken was Clinton's image this
Ladyhood
don't
mix.
now. Hawkish Jews have been one of
ous enough to hand the election to
week
that some of her closest advisers
If
Clinton
hadn't
been
First
Lady,
Giuliani's strongest support bases since
Clinton's Republican rival, New York
were
reduced
to defending her candi-
she
wouldn't
have
had
to
meet
with
he entered electoral politics.
Mayor Rudy Giuliani. At the very
dacy on the grounds that she's a
Suha Arafat, a loose cannon who
He's still remembered for throwing
least, she's given her foes a potent
Democrat.
regularly embarrasses Palestinian
Yasser Arafat out of a United Nations'
weapon to use against her over the
"There are real differences between
leaders and feuds publicly with her
50th anniversary gala in 1995. His
coming year.
the
parties, and it makes a difference
husband.
On
the
other
hand,
if
tough-guy persona perfectly matches
"It was a great week for the Hillary-
whether
Jesse Helms or Joe Biden
Clinton
hadn't
been
a
candidate,
her
the fearful mood of Jewish swing vot-
bashers," said one senior campaign
chairs
the
Senate Foreign Relations
being
ambushed
by
Arafat
wouldn't
ers.
adviser. "But the election is still a year
Committee,"
said one well-known
have
been
nearly
as
dramatic
or
Beyond numbers, though, it's likely
away. This was a lesson. Hopefully,
Clinton
adviser
this week. "I think the
newsworthy.
A
First
Lady
can
dust
the most serious fallout from the
she'll learn it."
country as a whole has a stake in
herself off and move on. A candidate
Ramallah gaffe will be among Clin-
But maybe she won't.
that."
has to prove her mettle.
ton's own core supporters: Democratic
A strong argument if you're a
Most
important,
aides
say,
if
Clin-
loyalists and liberal activists. By letting
Democrat.
But, as another campaign
ton
hadn't
been
First
Lady
she
would-
herself get caught on stage during an
J.J. Goldberg is a national columnist
adviser
said,
"If that's the argument
n't
have
had
to
follow
the
advice
of
anti-Semitic-sounding tirade, and then
and author on Jewish issues. His column
we're
presenting
at this stage in the
White
House
national
security
aides
failing to respond for a full day, Clin-
appears monthly in the Jewish News. He
campaign,
we're
in bigger trouble than
and
refrain
from
criticizing
Arafat
to
ton damaged her reputation for politi-
can be reached via e-mail at
P1
I
thought."
her
face.
She
was
hobbled,
staffers
say,
cal
savvy.
Even
members
of
her
own
jjg@compuserve.com

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11/19
1999

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