The Clintons Campaign Strategy: "We're White Like You...He's Not" by David Zephyr, April 25, 2008
Let's not tiptoe around the elephant in the living room anymore. Too many of us within the Democratic Party are acting as if we suffer from collective amnesia as we understandably recoil from facing the ugly truth that now confronts us: Bill and Hillary Clinton chose to employ the theme of race against Senator Obama as a key component of their national strategy.
When even the corporate media shills admit that they are embarrassed by the continued race-baiting coming either directly from the Clintons themselves or indirectly through their campaign sock-puppets, you know that the proverbial cat is long out of the bag: The Clintons apparently have no problem with reminding voters in state after state that they are white and Senator Obama is not. In fact, they seem down right cozy doing so now.
The signs had always been there, I'd just ignored them. Bill Clinton, when pushed to the wall, always could quickly play the race card if it would help him out politically: You might ask Sister Souljah or Joycelyn Elders, or Ricky Ray Rector...well, you can't exactly ask poor old Ricky Ray because he is dead. You see, Bill flew back to Arkansas from a campaign event to execute him to show he wasn't soft on crime. No sir, Bill's just hard on a mentally impaired men.
So here we are in 2008, with a prominent Democrat couple, not Republicans, who never seem to miss an opportunity to interject race back into the public forum when it might help them.
And in spite of the fact the Clintons have changed their campaign message more times than David Duke changes sheets, the one single constant here is that the Clintons do play the race card.
Let's review just a few of facts in this sordid history, shall we?
It began early on in Iowa where Hillary's campaign under Mark Penn was caught several times e-mailing voters that Obama was a Muslim. A black Muslim.
New Hampshire followed with the Clinton's state chair, Bill Shaheen, who resigned only after he wickedly suggested that Barack was not only a drug user, but perhaps a drug dealer. A black drug dealer.
On to Nevada where the Clintons got caught working this line: "Latinos won't vote for a black man". When asked about it, Hillary replied, "It's a fact."
Clinton supporter, New Yorker Andrew Cuomo, warned Barack Obama not to "shuck and jive" to the American people.
And then came South Carolina, where the racist language and innuendo from the Clinton camp directed to white voters there was culminated with Bill Clinton's gratuitous and jaw-dropping racial comparison that "Jesse Jackson had won this state."
By the time Ohio rolled around, stoking up old fears among white voters, became their trump card. And as Pennsylvania loomed, Clinton's top campaign figure there, Ed Rendell, lost no time in stating that "white voters in Pennsylvania will never vote for a black man."
Who can ever forget Hillary's calculated response to a most bewildered Steve Kroft of CBS's "60 Minutes" program when he asked her if she actually believed that Barack was a Muslim since her campaign was suggesting it to be so: "No. No. Why would I?" she said. "No, there is nothing to base that on, as far as I know." How many of you cringed with me upon hearing her utter those words?
And the Clinton operatives seemed to never miss a step to remind voters: 'she's white and he's black.' It has been the single constant mantra of every spokesperson for the Clintons from Mark Penn, James Carville, Howard Wolfson, Lannie Davis, and of course, that grand old bigot, Geraldine Ferraro.
I've lived long enough to just about have seen it all:
I've now seen one Democratic southern white governor who stirred the racist pot for years only later to repent and speak out against the evils of racism. He ended his career on a higher note railing against racism, be it overt or covert. That would be former Governor George Corely Wallace.
And I've now seen another Democratic southern white governor who with his charming sophistry claimed to be the friend to those of color, but who has now ended his career on a very, very low note and proving to the American people that he has a real talent for stirring that old racist pot. That would be former Governor William Jefferson Clinton.
It's funny, but I had always thought that his middle name of "Jefferson" suggested President Thomas Jefferson. Sadly, now upon reflection, it only conjurs up someone else: President Jefferson Davis.
I remember also, a remark made by Jeremiah White during one his "sermons" regarding Senator Clinton, he stated "Hillary ain't never been called a N_gger", after which his comments received thunderous applause. Is this not also, in fact, the same thing as what is being described about Clinton in this article: "We're White Like You...he's Not"? Are these words not saying basically the same thing to people? That, Hillary isn't black like them, but Obama is.
by
Jaynie K (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 2 comments)
on Saturday, April 26, 2008 at 8:09:50 PM
Dr. Wright was pointing out that Clinton has never had the experience of being black in America.
The Clintons are doing something entirely different. They are warning America that a black man is about to win the Democratic nomination. As if that is a bad thing.
Dr. Wright was using that example to inspire empathy and thought. The Clintons' are using race to inspire fear and reaction.
In fact, if the strategy the Clintons are using was impossible, Dr. Wright's work would unnecessary.
by
Elizabeth Ferrari (18 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 72 comments)
on Saturday, April 26, 2008 at 8:28:21 PM
Will someone please tell Hillary that it's over????
Great piece.
We cannot go into the future with one foot stuck in the past. The Clintons are the past in so many ways, including the very worst way (injecting ethnic hatred into the presidential campaign).
Thank you for this contribution.
Hopefully, someone will tell Hillary that Barack is already the Democratic Nominee.
by
John Martin (8 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 6 comments)
on Saturday, April 26, 2008 at 9:29:34 PM
How abysmal has it become that the Queen is not only playing the race card but also engaging in the standard 9/11 demagogy. It is obvious that the Clintons have learned very well the benefits of demonizing the 'n*ggers' as demonstrated by iron fisted Republican fascist rule on a party platform of anti-American elitism kept in place by the hatred of the brown skinned devils by those bitter gun totin' bible thumpers.
As for the Reverend Wright comments just give it a rest, the man was 100 percent correct in everything that he said and God damn us all for continuing to fall for these games.
Just my two cents
EE
by
Ed Encho (7 articles, 14 quicklinks, 56 diaries, 391 comments)
on Sunday, April 27, 2008 at 9:09:08 AM
And I've also been telling you, for a lot longer than The New York Times or The Washington Post have been willing to admit it, that Mrs Clinton's campaign strategy has been to persuade the super-delegates that they have to vote for her because Mr Obama cannot win the general election. The Clintons can't come right out and say it -- that's just way too politically incorrect -- but everybody knows what they mean.
Thing is, they're right. To win the presidential election, the Democratic nominee will have to carry every 2004 blue state, and at least one big, or several smaller, 2004 red states. If Barack Hussein Obama is the 2008 Democratic presidential nominee, which one of those red states will he carry? The answer, absent a huge economic collapse between now and November, is: none of them, and some of the blue states -- Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Hampshire and Maine -- will wind up in play for John McCain.
Y'all are facing the perfect storm: if Mr Obama is the nominee, it's very difficult to see him winning in November. But if the superdoopers push him to the back of the bus and nominate Hillary Clinton, black voters and newly registered voters may stay home in unexpected numbers, and not only will Mrs Clinton not win, but the repercussions for "down-ticket" Democrats could be serious, because in seriously contested districts with anything other than a miniscule black population, Democrats don't win without the black vote.
In 2004, John Kerry won 90% of the black vote, and 56% of the Hispanic vote -- but George Bush won 60% of the white vote. Without black votes, Democrats are not competitive. Sorry if you don't like it, but it's true.
The super-delegates are very much aware of that, and, given that most of them are elected officials themselves, the last thing that they want to do is depress black turnout, and hurt their own re-election chances. That's why you'll see the super-delegates give Mr Obama the nomination.
Don't get me wrong: I hope that y'all do nominate Mr Obama, not only because I believe he'd be easier to beat in November, but because if the Democratic nominee does win the general election, we wicked Republicans could at least tolerate Mr Obama, but we'd absolutely loathe another Clinton in office.
If it were a choice between Hillary Clinton and Satan, I'd have to give the devil his due.
by
Dana Pico (5 articles, 0 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 142 comments)
on Sunday, April 27, 2008 at 2:48:42 PM
Anyone willing to run on a whites only basis is not worthy of the presidency. Anyone willing to subvert the welfare of the country to her own desire for high office is not worthy of the presidency. Anyone willing to unconditionally support one antagonist in the Middle East to the detriment of countless others and to the detriment of her own country is not worthy of the presidency.
by
Archie (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1087 comments)
on Sunday, April 27, 2008 at 3:04:01 PM
At the end of the day its the end of the day for the US.
What Iraq and now this election campaign has shown is that scratch most Americans and not far below the surface is a white supremisist who believes they have a god given right to use the world as a plaything for their own pleasure.
Tell Iraqis that you had and have their best interests at heart (70% want you to leave). Tell Europeans you care about them (You punished them for not bowing to your Iraq adventure by shutting them out of access to Iraqi oil and selling them worthless paper).
You may have nukes but behind your back much of the rest of the world is questioning if you are really as good as you constantly say you are.
At the end of the day the US = the Titanic.
by
kwalsh (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 6 diaries, 202 comments)
on Sunday, April 27, 2008 at 5:38:30 PM
I also beg to disagree, add to the comment I posted, some of the other remarks Wright made, such as accusing Whites of things like, inventing AIDS to wipe out Black people, building prisons, or how rich "white" romans "lynched" "black" jesus, etc. . I see those as statements meant to instill, not only fear, but a hatred or loathing of white people. Those, along with the first remark mentioned in my previous post, I think, in fact, makes it the exact same thing.
by
Jaynie K (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 2 comments)
on Sunday, April 27, 2008 at 5:53:25 PM
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