http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/14/obama-tries-to-stop-the-silliness/index.html?hp
Asked whether he believed either Mrs. Clinton or former President Bill Clinton had shown racial insensitivity in recent days, he said: “I don't want to rehash that. I think that Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton have historically and consistently been on the right side of civil rights issues. I think they care about the African-American community and that they care about all Americans and they want to see equal rights and justice in this country.”
Again, we see why Senator Obama stands for change in this country. He spoke up and has tried to end the divisive politics of cynicism and negativity. I think this represents a positive step for Democrats and a deeper glimpse into Obama's character. The pundits and media in general have gone to town on the bitterness that has grown between the surrogates of Obama and Hillary and hopefully this will tamper down the heat and get the conversation back to the real issues, such as who has the better policy and who will be the better leader.
3 Comments
nice try, but no
Obama’s campaign put out a not-for-attribution memo in South Carolina, which listed the Clintons’ alleged racial slights. In at least two cases I think the memo deliberately misconstrued what the Clintons were trying to say (HRC’s comment about LBJ, and Bill’s comment about Obama’s so-called consistent opposition to the war being a “fairy tale”).
Michelle Obama herself has been defending her husband as “no fairy tale,” again willfully distorting what Bill Clinton was saying. He wasn’t calling Obama a fairy tale or Obama’s campaign a fairy tale. He was pointing out the simple fact that Obama has not been leading the charge against the Iraq War since he got elected to the Senate.
Also, I never heard anyone from the Obama campaign distance themselves from Jesse Jackson Jr.’s remarks about how Hillary cried in NH but she never cried for the Katrina victims. That was an atrocious thing to say.
Obama’s campaign is clearly trying to get an edge in South Carolina by portraying the Clintons as racist or at least racially insensitive.
The Clintons need to send a stronger message to their own surrogates about being careful with their phrasing. However, Obama needs to make sure his staff and his wife stop fanning the flames on this stuff.
By the way, Michelle Obama has also been bragging about how her husband won here even though “there ain’t no black people in Iowa.” Clearly Obama did not win Iowa solely with the votes of black people, but her comments seem to negate the existence of thousands of black Iowans who did caucus for Obama.
desmoinesdem Tue 15 Jan 10:50 AM
Representative John Lewis weighs in
“It is unfortunate that people have tried to distort what Mrs. Clinton had to say about Dr. King,” “I think there has been a deliberate and systematic attempt by some people in the Obama campaign to really fan the flames about race and to really distort what Senator Clinton said. I understood and I think most right thinking people understood what she said.
“President and Senator Clinton have a record, a history, a very long history of bringing people together. No right thinking American would ever think that Senator or President Clinton would ever do anything that would use the race card”
“I must tell you…I’m trying to set the record straight…the Obama camp is doing something else, theyr’e sending out memos to the media trying to suggest that the Clintons are playing the race card.”
-Rep. John Lewis on News Hour 1/14
desmoinesdem Tue 15 Jan 4:30 PM
two good posts by Josh Marshall
takes both sides to task:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/a…
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/a…
desmoinesdem Tue 15 Jan 5:14 PM