Clinton camp fires up blacks but not how they hoped

[babylonsister]

Clinton camp fires up blacks but not how they hoped

by Frank James

The fallout from comments about Sen. Barack Obama made by billionaire Robert Johnson of Black Entertainment Television fame on behalf of Sen. Hillary Clinton continues today as former President Bill Clinton put distance between himself and Johnson’s remarks as he made the rounds of black morning radio shows.

The New York Sun politics blog reported on the former president’s appearance on Roland Martin’s show on WVON-AM in Chicago. (Martin also appears frequently on CNN.)

The interviewer, Roland Martin of WVON-AM in Chicago, played Mr. Johnson's statement Sunday in which he praised the Clintons for having "been deeply and emotionally involved in black issues since Barack Obama was doing something in the neighborhood - and I won't say what he was doing, but he said it in the book…" Mr. Martin sounded incredulous about Mr. Johnson's subsequent denial, in a statement issued by the Clinton campaign, that he was referring to drug use by Mr. Obama. "When you listen to that tone and the inflection, he was not talking about community organizing. It seems to me very clear what he was implying," Mr. Martin said.

"Ironically, this is the first time I've heard it, what you just said," Mr. Clinton said. "I listened to it on the tape and I think we have to take him at his word…"

Mr. Martin insisted that Mr. Johnson's denial was implausible. "Anybody listening can know what he was talking about—he wasn't talking about community organizing," the host said. "That's something between Bob Johnson and Barack Obama," Mr. Clinton eventually said, seeming to give up on defending the remark. "I think the psychological tensions on everybody are considerable. There are a lot of people who are supporting Hillary who always wanted to vote for an African-American for president. There are a lot of people who are supporting Barack who always wanted to vote for a woman for president," he added later. "It's not surprising that these sort of things will happen….They just happen. I think it's important not to overreact to them."

A series of callers to Mr. Martin's program following Mr. Clinton's call were deeply skeptical of his explanation and harshly critical of Mr. Johnson. One even doubted the former president's statement that he hadn't heard Mr. Johnson's comments, since the words were read to him on another program earlier in the day. Mr. Martin said Mr. Clinton seemed to be saying he had not previously heard the tape of the comments. It took more than an hour to hear a caller defend Mr. Clinton, even tangentially.

Even in Obama Country, which is where the WVON audience resides, it’s surprising it took more than an hour for a caller to come to the former president’s defense since the affections of the same audience used to belong nearly completely to Clinton.

more...

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/01/clinton_camp_fires_up_blacks_b.html#more

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. and there were hints that the one supporter was a paid operative of clinton's

not merely a call-in person.

[Inuca]

2. If this continues...

(and hopefully it won't), BC will need to have something akin to a long term semi-permanent guest position on these shows.

[babylonsister]

3. Yep. I also hope he's not allergic to dramamine.

:crazy:

[cloudythescribbler]

4. My own take is that HRC's campaign saw they were going to lose the black vote anyway ....

and so decided to "make lemonade out of lemons" with a campaign of the kind of carefully constructed, plausible deniability provocative race-baiting we've seen in HRC's King/LBJ remarks, Bill Clinton on Nelson Mandela, Andrew Cuomo on 'shuck and jive' etc.
Then you'll notice that just as swarms of folk apparently have been beseiging Oprah for endorsing Obama (isn't that bizarre and unprecedented? stars routinely endorse candidates, whomever they please), and swarms of protestators on DU claiming that either (a) the whole thing is faked and cooked up by the Obama campaign and supporters OR (b) OK, they're BOTH wrong, more or less equally, and Obama supporters should be silent on the issue lest it backfire.

But in the absence of us raising and discussing these issues, the media and broad sectors of the public will and do discuss them, so that is NO solution. But addressing those swarms at some point, and clarifying the issues for those who may not be Obama supporters already, but who are honest, as well as for confused Obama supporters, is the strategy.

It seems that quite a few (nearly all) the Obama supporters, especially those posting frequently, see through the pattern both of the HRC campaign and the horse manure at this site. The question is how to reach out to the others.

At any rate, it would be REALLY important for this issue to be highlighted and documented carefully for NONblack anti-racist Democrats to be fired up about it too. I do NOT think this is impossible, though, outside of the circles of authentic progressives, it takes some effort (and media access).

One hopeful sign -- how the Repukes pushed HARD on the immigration issue, a real flash point for tens of millions of voters of both parties, and it didn't save their sorry asses (pardon my french) in 2006. At any rate, this is where my head is at on these issues at the moment

[jaysunb]

18. excellent analogy !

good post :thumbsup:

[Rosa Luxemburg]

23. playing with fire more like it

[OHdem10]

5. Win the battle and lose the war is not exactly good news for

Democrats.

[Hello_Kitty]

6. Tell me about it.

I wish the Clintons would look beyond their petty little compulsion to crush competitors and see how their behavior might impact the general election. They may be appealing to white voters now, but those folks won't remember it when the repukes amp up the terra! theme several months from now. Then gender will be the issue, and whether or not Hillary is "tough" enough to protect us from Osama Bin Longdead. The black voters may not be so willing to forget being dissed by them and may not be eager to come out in November. We are screwn if that happens.

[AspenRose]

30. Not just the general election, but the Democratic Party from here on out

Re: "I wish the Clintons would look beyond their petty little compulsion to crush competitors and see how their behavior might impact the general election. "

I agree, it's very short-sighted.

[1corona4u]

7. For the record, she also fired up the white voters.

[jenmito]

8. In a good way?

[1corona4u]

11. Of course.

;-)

[jenmito]

13. So she fired you up to vote for her because she minimized MLK's role in the

civil rights movement in order to minimize Obama? Or was it BILL'S ludicrous denial of not having heard that comment from Johnson before and AFTER hearing it taking him at his word? :eyes:

[1corona4u]

15. I'm not voting....

for the 400th time.

[jenmito]

16. Excuse me for not keeping track of your posts.

:eyes:

[babylonsister]

9. Not this one. The whole episode has a huge stink about it. nt

[Zynx]

10. Why do so many people think whites are monolithic?

[1corona4u]

12. Not monolithic....

but there's evidence out there that people do vote along their racial lines. Google it.

[jenmito]

14. Is that why Obama won Iowa which is 98% white?

[1corona4u]

17. I'm just telling you what I read on the subject

You don't have to like it, or agree with it. I think Iowa was at a point where their disdain for Hillary had an impact on the decisions they made. Not to mention all of the college kids that showed up to vote....

I'm not going to argue this with you, or anyone else. I posted my thoughts, based on the information I found, take it or leave it.

Have fun arguing stupid shit. I have better things to do.

[jenmito]

19. So now it's "stupid shit"??? You're obviously wrong. Not only did he win in IA, he got 37% of the

vote in NH. I'm sure you DO have better things to do, 'cause you lost this argument. :hi:

[1corona4u]

27. There is no argument...

not that I saw. I'm sure there will be many variances in the states yet to come too.....

[jenmito]

28. Well, your "observation" that people vote their race is wrong. n/t

[1corona4u]

29. I guess we'll see in SC, won't we.

[jenmito]

32. We already saw in Iowa and NH, two of the whitest states in America. n/t

[tammywammy]

20. This is the best line

"One even doubted the former president's statement that he hadn't heard Mr. Johnson's comments, since the words were read to him on another program earlier in the day."


bwahahaha. :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

[Rosa Luxemburg]

21. The Clintons are walking in a 'minefield' right now

how on earth did they get themselves into this? If they were planning it then they must have been ill-advised!

[tammywammy]

22. Well, if Mark Penn's still on the staff

And I assume he is, then I'm going with ill-advised.


This is very disappointing from the Clinton campaign.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

24. comments

the ordinary voter is going to be very confused. In our library today I overheard 'those Clintons don't want a Black man as President!'

[tammywammy]

26. I know it's sad

The Clinton's aren't racist.

[goldcanyonaz]

25. The black vote is NOT monolithic, we support whomever we choose to.

I know, some here actually think we ride some big "black community" bus to vote, but we don't.

[ZinZen]

31. Good frickin Lord!

who is running in the Clinton campaign. I heard it was Hillary but Bill has been so out front and center... well I am just confused! No not really. It just confirms that Hill cannot run without Bill. Wow, now that is female empowerment. That should take us back to the 1930's.

[Anouka]

33. Maybe it is how they hoped.

Who needs blacks? They'll still have significant black support, if not predominantly black support....

and they'll add people who want to be seen as anti-PC. Obama gets straitjacketed with a race card he never played; the Clintons get to come across as victims of blacks being ignorant and angry and 'sensitive'........ while still getting to play the 'woman' card.

It's genius.

It's diabolical.

It's why the Clintons should be nowhere near the White House, ever again.

Gays and Latinos especially should look out; blacks are the canaries in the mine shaft (again).