While hosting “With All Due Respect” Wednesday night, Bloomberg Politics host Mark Halperin ripped Hillary Clinton’s speech at an EMILY’s List event Tuesday night, saying he “fell asleep twice” during her “flat” address. In addition, Halperin told guest host Phil Mattingly that “if that’s the best she’s got, the country’s going to be sick of listening to her after a few months.”
MATTINGLY: Mark, does Hillary need to be more interesting than she was last night?
HALPERIN: I’m going to choose my words oh so carefully now. Yes she does. There were things she said last night that were inspirational, particularly for women who would like to see an EMILY’s List-backed candidate win, but if this e-mail candidate wasn’t going on, people would be saying after last night’s even was high-profile, home-est court advantage she could have and that was not a speech people want to hear. Part of what the presidential race comes down to is who who do you want in your living room for four years? Who do you like? Who do you want to listen to? She was flat, she was slow. At her best moments, she was not that interesting. I fell asleep twice during this speech. I was tired, but I would not fall asleep during a Bill Clinton or a George Bush speech or a Barack Obama speech. She needs to be better. I don’t know if she was distracted or what, but if that’s the best she’s got, the country’s going to be sick of listening to her after a few months.
MATTINGLY: The conventional wisdom has been that she has been testing messages in her last couple of appearances. Was there no desire to test last night? Is she settled and didn’t want to unveil?
HALPERIN: I think the message was fine. I’m talking pure performance. That crowd was ready to cheer and whoop and holler, as you said, and it was a sedate thing…I find her to be a compelling person with compelling ideas. I really do. But if that is her most compelling-est at this point, I just think unless the Republicans nominate a piece of plywood, there’s a good chance the American people will say, I would rather listen to that person for four years then someone I have listened to for a long time.