OpEdNews » Hillary Clinton Attacks Activists and Southern Whites & Alienates Progressives

Support OEN
With Your
Tax-Deductible Donation

Tags for This Article:

Populum Tag Cloud Control Panel
	Fine tune your search to access content

Articles	Links
Diaries	Products
Events	All

All time
Last 6 mos
Last month
Last week
Last 24 hrs

From:
Month Day Year

To:
Month Day Year

Alphabet Popularity	Count ON Count OFF
This Level	Sub-levels

Tag(s): 2008 Election Presidential Primary; Activist; Activist Base; Bitter; Hillary Clinton; Hillary Clinton; Obama-Barack; Obama-Barack; Presidential Primary Elections; Progressive Problems; (more...) Progressive Values - Issues; Progressivism; South; White House (less...)
Add to My Group

April 20, 2008 at 09:16:10

View Ratings | Rate It

Hillary Clinton Attacks Activists and Southern Whites & Alienates Progressives

by Steven Leser Page 1 of 2 page(s)

www.opednews.com

SAVE FAVORITES

VIEW FAVORITES

For several weeks, after John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich left the race, Progressives wondered if they still had a horse in the race for the Presidency. Obama had the edge in winning their votes having been against the war and because he is not seen as tied to the more conservative DLC or Democratic Leadership Council as Hillary has been. Despite that, Progressives still weren’t sure whether Obama was one of them. When Obama said that he believed that working class people in small towns were bitter because of what has happened to the country and because of decades of broken promises from politicians, it struck a chord with the Progressive community. They didn’t care that the way he phrased it was awkward, they viscerally understood what he meant.

When Hillary Clinton attacked Obama for making that statement it solidified her in the mind of most Progressives as the kind of typical politician that they have been fighting against both within and outside of the Democratic Party for years. It showed Progressives she was more interested in causing a false impression of Obama’s words to advance her candidacy than joining him in making the point that people are angry at how politicians have failed them. Progressives are angry and bitter at the state of the country. They are angry that we are mired in a war started on false pretenses and that our economy has been driven into the ground because of that war and a massive tax giveaway to the rich. Hillary’s calculated manipulation of the bitter issue was final blow to her chances of winning over a sizeable chunk of Progressives and sent them in droves to Obama.

Hillary didn’t help herself by attacking MoveOn and democratic activists in general. Even though activists are not necessarily progressives and vice versa, there is enough overlap to where this blow against the activist community constituted a second blow to her chances with Progressives. According to the Huffington Post [1] Hillary said:

"Moveon.org endorsed [Sen. Barack Obama] -- which is like a gusher of money that never seems to slow down," Clinton said to a meeting of donors. "We have been less successful in caucuses because it brings out the activist base of the Democratic Party. MoveOn didn't even want us to go into Afghanistan. I mean, that's what we're dealing with. And you know they turn out in great numbers. And they are very driven by their view of our positions, and it's primarily national security and foreign policy that drives them. I don't agree with them. They know I don't agree with them. So they flood into these caucuses and dominate them and really intimidate people who actually show up to support me."

MoveOn promptly responded in a letter to the Huffington Post:

"Senator Clinton has her facts wrong again. MoveOn never opposed the war in Afghanistan, and we set the record straight years ago when Karl Rove made the same claim. Senator Clinton's attack on our members is divisive at a time when Democrats will soon need to unify to beat Senator McCain. MoveOn is 3.2 million reliable voters and volunteers who are an important part of any winning Democratic coalition in November. They deserve better than to be dismissed using Republican talking points."

This exchange between Hillary Clinton and MoveOn is an amazing one considering that MoveOn was founded in 1998 to defend Bill Clinton against impeachment charges and get the country to “Move On” past that issue. The activist community does much of the heavy lifting in the general election for Democratic Presidential candidates making one wonder how she would expect to win the general election after attacking them. The unnecessary slaps in the face to that community by Senator Clinton are hard to understand.

Southern White Working Class Voters? “Screw ‘Em!”

It has also come out in the last week that in 1995, after Democrats lost congress and President Bill Clinton asked her advice on how to reach out to southern white working class Democrats that had voted Republican in large numbers; Hillary’s response was “Screw ‘em.” Jake Tapper from ABC News Reports[2] :

…from Sally Bedell Smith's book "For Love of Politics: Bill and Hillary Clinton: The White House Years" -- that Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, during a 1995 retreat called the "Camp David Seminar on the Future of Democracy had some interesting comments about working-class white Southerners who had left the Democratic party:

"'Screw 'em,' she said, 'you don't owe them a thing, Bill, they're doing nothing for you.' Bill rose to their defense, 'as if rehearsing an old but honorable debate he had been having with his wife for decades,'" as one attendee recalled.

"'I know these boys,' Bill said. 'I grew up with them. Hardworking poor white boys who feel left out.' He pointed out that liberal reforms had often 'come at their expense' and that the Democrats had to 'find a way to include these boys in our programs.' Hillary had no rejoinder, but during cocktails after the seminar she stood apart, 'opaque and unsmiling.'"

In the light of this exchange, Hillary’s accusations of elitism and regionalism against Obama are shown to be rank hypocrisy. Whereas Obama’s ‘bitter’ comment contained a negative connotation because of an errant sequence of words, there is no mistaking Hillary’s intent with hers. These comments against southern white working class voters would be used in a general election against her to devastating effect particularly in Virginia and Florida. As if the GOP needed any more anti-Clinton energizing to get their base out in the south against a Hillary candidacy. It had been suggested by Hillary’s surrogates that she had a better chance than Obama to win Florida. After “Screw ‘Em, you can write off any chance of Hillary winning that state. Fortunately, it looks like we won’t have to see that happen.

In addition to the challenges Hillary had a week ago with being behind Obama in pledged delegates, overall delegates, the popular vote and all the rest, now she has these additional problems. One wonders when she and her campaign will come to the conclusion that most of the rest of us came to some time ago. Her candidacy is finished. The only things her continuing in this race serve to do are to kneecap Obama and drive down her negatives to the point where any future efforts by her for higher office are impossible. Its time for her to pack it in and let Obama concentrate on winning the General Election.

----------------------------------------

[1] Celeste Fremon, Huffington Post, “Clinton Slams Democratic Activists At Private Fundraiser” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/celeste-fremon/clinton-slams-democratic_b_97484.html

1 | 2

	Contact Author
	Contact Editor
	View Other Articles by Author

Bookmark this page: (what's this?)

(More...)

4 comments

I do have writing credits in a major newspaper--long ago.
Currently, I write for online political boards with a
definite liberal bias. Proud parent, grandparent and
aspiring poet and novelist. I never stopped aspiring.
Finally managed to earn a BA degree in communications/ American lit. Love romantic fiction that also stretches
the intellectual muscles. And am mad about romantic
Russian composers. I take life seriously but tend to
look at it with a healt...

to see more of bio, click on member name
Marilyn FrithI do have writing credits in a major newspaper--long ago.
Currently, I write for online political boards with a
definite liberal bias. Proud parent, grandparent and
aspiring poet and novelist. I never stopped aspiring.
Finally managed to earn a BA degree in communications/ American lit. Love romantic fiction that also stretches
the intellectual muscles. And am mad about romantic
Russian composers. I take life seriously but tend to
look at it with a healt...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Oh, piffle; "My gaff trumps your gaff"

Won't we ever learn? Obama wants to talk serious talk; he dosen't want to sully his mind with the trivia of uh, like hmmmm Wright, Ayres, Rezko, Auchi, et al. Obama is a serious fellow with a plan:

To be president of the United States, though he doesn't know that much about stateside politics, having spent his formative years offshore. But he is learning fast how to play hard ball. And his teachers are from the old school of partisan gamesmanship...they know how to spin split hairs into gold bullion. A private conversation many years ago? And suddenly we are hanging Hillary from the old oak tree: down South that is called a lynching.

How awfully rude of her to voice the obvious; Ms. Beddle, biographer extraordinaire of all of Hillary's gaffs exposes the dirty laundry and just happens to be selling a new book and has an impeccable sense of timing. Oh, now there is a shocker. Do you suppose she is drumming up interest which translates into sales? She has been on TV recently chatting up her literary achievement with the media journalists/entertainers who are known for their fair and balanced reportage. Am I not recording it correctly?

Headlines coming from the leftist wing of the dysfunctional Democratic Party, which is giving them more credit than they deserve as they self-destructed long time ago, read: "Hillary sinks her own campaign with cruel, elitist remarks made in an unguarded moment." (That's a paraphrase but close.)

The American "media" will pounce on any morsel to get our attention; the 'Party" should know better; when did they throw the country under the bus in a transparent attempt to sucker voters into buying Obama? Some say it was long before Howard and company got together to hammer out rules and strategy for 2008. Some say it was already decided to toss Senator Clinton and embrace Obama because Americans are still a regressive and paternalistic society harking back to its primal roots.

I say it is a combination of gender jealousy and dislike for Bill Clinton, who was president, unlike Kennedy and Kerry, who never quite made it.

A blogger from another board had taken note of the DNC meeting in 2006 where Dean was overseeing rules for the coming primaries. There was a general sense that they were anticipating Obama's entry into the field and allowed more delegates to be named from heavily-black precincts in Ohio; the rationale forwarded by the committee was that it rewarded their loyalty to Kerry in the 2004 election. This was aired on CSPAN not too long ago. This blogger also observed that Hillary's name had been left off of the Party's mass mailing list repeatedly. This is not happenstance; this is flagrant partisanship within the ranks of Party leadership.

So much for nonsense about purity of spirit and slogans of hope.

With that thought in mind, it is easy to see how the Obama phenomenon unfolded so smoothly. What you see playing out is not grass roots revolution but the same good old boys network manipulating the gullible electorate into believing, yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus and his name be Barack. Behold, unto you this day a giver is born.

Enough to take your breath away or turn your stomach, whichever comes first. Bitter? No, just cynical.

by Marilyn Frith (6 articles, 0 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 191 comments) on Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 11:18:23 AM

Steven Leser specializes in Politics, Science & Health, and Entertainment topics. He has held positions within the Democratic Party including District Chair and Public Relations Chair within county organizations.

Steven Leser writes for www.opednews.com, an internet only media site that has grown to become one of the highest traffic news sites in America, reaching more traffic, according to alexa.com, than all but the thirty largest daily newspapers in the US. Mr. Leser is one of t...

to see more of bio, click on member name
Steven LeserSteven Leser specializes in Politics, Science & Health, and Entertainment topics. He has held positions within the Democratic Party including District Chair and Public Relations Chair within county organizations.

Steven Leser writes for www.opednews.com, an internet only media site that has grown to become one of the highest traffic news sites in America, reaching more traffic, according to alexa.com, than all but the thirty largest daily newspapers in the US. Mr. Leser is one of t...

to see more of bio, click on member name

A lot of wind for basically two thoughts.

Your points are

#1 - Politics is a bloodsport

#2 - Obama shouldnt be complaining about that and should be prepared to deal with that.

The problem is, here we are over 80% of the primaries behind us and Hillary is losing to Obama. Doesnt that mean that Obama is doing just fine?

I think you need another line of reasoning.

by Steven Leser (228 articles, 49 quicklinks, 34 diaries, 1647 comments) on Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 11:40:35 AM

The world we create is the world we live in.
Thomas RichardsThe world we create is the world we live in.

Role Model for Children – Obama

A few days ago Obama gave the 'finger' to Hillary on national television and smugly laughed about it with his audience. Is this type of malicious immaturity what you want your children to learn: lack of tolerance, vengeance and the bully mentality? After that one event, besides the mindless and uneducated, how could anyone seriously consider this Obama for any office?

Also, Obama's state-senate candidacy was launched at Weather Underground bombers Ayers house in 1995. Ayers who advocate the violent destruction of America may have much more to do with promoting Obama than we know. The organization MoveOn has aggressively intimidated delegates to vote for Obama and to shun Hillary and is likely closely connected with Ayers. Ayers finally got his bomb – Obama.

Obama also rigged his election to become senator by unfairly disqualifying his opponents. He did this by meticulously finding fault with each of the other candidates signed petitions until each of the contenders had to drop out, Obama was the last on standing, there was no election. This was another finger gesture towards the American public by Obama.

If this isn't enough, look at Obama's affiliations:
Wright
Meeks
Ayers
Abongo "Roy" Obama
Rashid Khalidi
Robert Malley
Hamas
McPeaks
Rezko
Auchi

And the list goes on...

This may be the time of the Anti-Christ, but do you want to be on the list of people who voted for him?

by Thomas Richards (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 8 comments) on Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 12:07:32 PM

Every item you brought up has been thoroughly debunked...

but you knew that. Thanks for showing everyone how Hillary and her supporters have a kitchen sink throw everything at Obama you can type of candidacy.

by Steven Leser (228 articles, 49 quicklinks, 34 diaries, 1647 comments) on Monday, April 21, 2008 at 11:15:48 PM