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Morning Joe Panel: Clinton Acted Like Nothing More Than An Ordinary Politician With Flip-Flop On Keystone

September 23, 2015

The Morning Joe panel mocked Hillary Clinton’s "flip-flop" on the Keystone XL pipeline Wednesday morning as another calculated decision, furthering her perceived inauthenticity.

"In a year when people are being attracted to outsiders, to people who don't speak to politics, who just throw out their opinions, however bizarre they are; in a year when people are increasingly attracted to outsiders and people who don't act like politicians, unfortunately, the former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, acted like nothing more than a politician," Mike Barnicle said.

As secretary of state, Clinton said she was likely to support the job-creating project, but when asked about it in 2015, the candidate repeatedly refused to say whether she supported the pipeline until Tuesday afternoon, when she finally announced her opposition to the Keystone pipeline.

The timing of Clinton’s announcement drew much attention, however. Many members of the media saw Clinton’s timing as what the campaign thought would best slide the decision under the headlines.

"She also dropped the news literally as the Pope was stepping off the plane at Joint Base Andrews there," Willie Geist said. "What do you make of that?"

Clinton ducked the issue under the guise that the Obama administration was conducting a review of the merits of the project. Her perceived calculation has led many to believe she is worried about winning the Democratic primary since the only people opposed to Keystone are "solid liberals," according to a Pew Reseach Center poll. The poll found 61 percent of Americans support the Keystone pipeline, compared to just 27 percent who oppose it.

"It plays into the narrative that the Clintons are - their calculation and their politics is just bad," panelist Michael Steel said. "They just don't get how they sound and how they're perceived, and I think Mike put it exactly right: The narrative around her is eating away and tearing asunder her campaign."