You know, there is a price to pay for playing on people’s prejudices. Maybe people are being a little too sensitive on some of these things, but this shows that the cumulative effect is getting serious.
Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, the highest-ranking African-American in Congress, said he was rethinking his neutral stance in his state’s presidential primary out of disappointment at comments by Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton that he saw as diminishing the historic role of civil rights activists.
Mr. Clyburn, a veteran of the civil rights movement and a power in state Democratic politics, put himself on the sidelines more than a year ago to help secure an early primary for South Carolina, saying he wanted to encourage all candidates to take part. But he said recent remarks by the Clintons that he saw as distorting civil rights history could change his mind.
“We have to be very, very careful about how we speak about that era in American politics,” said Mr. Clyburn, who was shaped by his searing experiences as a youth in the segregated South and his own activism in those days. “It is one thing to run a campaign and be respectful of everyone’s motives and actions, and it is something else to denigrate those. That bothered me a great deal.”
Rep. Clyburn isn’t letting the former president off the hook, either.
Mr. Clyburn, reached for a telephone interview Wednesday during an overseas inspection of port facilities, also voiced frustration with former President Clinton, who described Mr. Obama’s campaign narrative as a fairy tale. While Mr. Clinton was not discussing civil rights at the time and seemed to be referring mainly to Mr. Obama’s stance at the Iraq war, Mr. Clyburn saw the remark as a slap at the image of a black candidate running on a theme of unity and optimism.
“To call that dream a fairy tale, which Bill Clinton seemed to be doing, could very well be insulting to some of us,” said Mr. Clyburn, who said he and others took significant risks more than 40 years ago to produce such opportunities for future black Americans.
I don’t even agree with Clyburn on this one. I saw Bill make the fairy tale comment and he was talking about Obama’s position on the war. That Clyburn took offense shows just how raw people’s nerves are getting at Team Clinton knocks on Obama.
My fear is that if someone doesn’t stop this rapidly out of control freight train then we are heading toward a situation where the deafening din of arguments among Democrats about things taken out of context along with crystal ball psychobabble analysis of “subtle intents”, “dog whistles” and all the other minutiae which we so claim to loathe in our discourse is going to overtake everything else that we hope to be accomplished leading up to and well past November.
Not saying, in the least, that these kinds of things don’t happen and might not be engineered within the campaigns. But this has not been a good week for the progressive side of the ledger in my book. And there seems to be a distinctive rise in the decibel level of shrillness in the lefty blogosphere right now.
Are Democrats unconsciously building a circular firing squad here or is the discussion really generating anything meaningful? Aside from giving the Village Idiots and their buddies something to go ga-ga over about those feuding Dems, is all of this helping us or hurting us?
The sea is filled with sharks, as always. Are we just throwing chum in the water here? Or is this, in the end, going to make us stronger?
I don’t know. Just thinking out loud. I’m worried a little, that’s all. Something just doesn’t feel right.
The cynical side of me thinks that the Clintons actually welcome this fight, even though it will hurt them in the African-American community and, thus, is some critical states, particularly in the south. But, in turning Obama into the ‘Black Candidate’ they hope to turn him into Jesse Jackson…a candidate that can win some states, but that the ‘straight community’ will see as fringe.
Well, your cynicism may be well founded. If anyone can turn someone like Obama into a joined-at-the-hip, Jesse Jackson/Al Sharpton “Black Candidate”, it would be the Clinton crew. From the standpoint of a purely political calculation, it sounds like a plan which they would feel comfortable in working. A little “run it up the flagpole and see who salutes” kind of thing.
Sadly I don’t think a lot of white people would need a tremendous jolt to convince themselves to pull back from Obama. The unconscious but subtle bigotry is still there, lurking in a lot of us. And waiting to be exploited.
from my comment in orange:
Obviously, I am not directing that comment at you, but it is responsive to your point.
As a white guy who grew up in an almost lily-white community, I can attest to the truth of your statement.
If I had a nickel for every time in my life I’ve heard “there they go again” or “well, you know ,that’s just how those people are. Always the victim” when it comes to blacks reactions to perceived racism.
In so many communities it just seems like it’s in the DNA.
It’s Sister Souljah redux. But it’s not the same decade. The Clintons are so ’90s.
Good point.
Hillary lucked out with the sexism thing. The emotional moment happened the day before the election. There was no time for women to “howl in protest” about sexism and have the backlash from it (which I think would have happened). The election happened the next day and was interpreted as a powerful statement against sexism rather than a powerless howl.
she may use the tearful moment, again.
“Mother Jones” brings us
America’s Guide to Crying
(requires Macromedia’s Flash Player)
not gonna work. can’t turn Obama into a Jesse Jackson, Jr or Sr.
Obama is not an angry black man. The Clintons see this and that’s why they’re prepared to use the race card, the sexist card, the tears and fears card to claw their way back to the White House.
BTW, Why is Bill Clinton running for a 3rd term?
I don’t think it would work either. But that won’t stop them from trying like hell to try and stick a little Jessie or Al onto him in the minds of the most susceptible if they think they can. Some people WANT to pigeonhole Obama. Creating perception is sometimes as effective as proving actual truth. That’s what they want, perception. It’s a lot easier for them to create by proxy.
Clinton is also distorting Obama’s record. Today in Nevada she accused him of being a part-time senator. In Illinois, all are part-time senators and their paid as part-time senators allowing them to work at their professions.
here’s how it’s playing within Afro-American blogs.
Clinton has adopted the Rove playbook.
(the hinted code is Uppity, wait your turn.)
more here
Clintons trashes Obama and takes the nomination. Exactly what the GOP wants an easy win against the Clintons.
I bet should it appear that it’ll be Clinton heading the Dem ticket, Bloomberg will jump in. The Nader effect.
The race is tightening, the day of decision is approaching. I can’t envisage the contest going beyond February 5. Nerves get frayed, inevitably. It looks as if half the Democratic Party is going to be very disappointed and will need to keep its nerve, the other half will be jubilant and need to avoid triumphalism. Contingency plans seem prudent. Maybe Rep. Clyburn is just looking for an excuse to endorse Obama: negativity about race forced me to do it. I grant him any necessary cover. It will be impossible to turn Obama in to any one else. The Clintons have long lived in the bubble of power and privilege, the social sphere once referred to as the establishment. That was in the time of plastic people. Where have they all gone?
My biggest concern is that there will not be a price to pay. The worst thing for Obama imo is for Clyburn to slap the hands of the Clintons like this and then do nothing else.
But hasn’t been the Democrat’s modus operandi on everything over the last year.
A tantrum followed by………………..(crickets)?????
over the past week we’ve been served a mighty helping of code:l”
“lynch him in a back alley” as the only way to beat Tiger Woods
“kid” that’s how Billy boy described Obama
“pickup basketball at Harvard” again from Billy boy…one of the few areas where black excel. Hmm. Now how on earth did Obama make it into Harvard?
“it took a president to get it done” says Hillary when alluding that Martin Luther King Jr, accomplished nothing.
“shuck and jive” from Andrew Coumo, a Clinton surrogate. Is that code for Do you want a rapper in the White House?
and the fallout is at over flow as Bill, the elder statesman and Hillary, former first lady set the tone.
In the last few days, I’ve heard on shortwave radio that “Obama’s a Muslim. His campaign is financed by the jihadists in the Middle East.”
“Raw Nerves”
We’ve endured much more than insults during our sojurn. We’re long on suffering and we’ve lived by hope. Something the Clintons will never understand.
We’re proud that we’ve come a long way, Enough, that Obama, is running for the presidency. And, “We shall overcome some day.”
Obama has made history in Iowa and even with his narrow loss in NH. Ironic, 20 some states will hold primaries on Feb. 5th. February is black History month. Whatever the outcome, we’ve added another page.
Note to the Clintons: I’ll be taking the month off doing what I can to get your betrayal registered where it counts.
Andrew Young may come to regret his early endorsement.
BTW, Why is Bill Clinton running for a 3rd term?
I just called HRC’s campaign office and requested that she apologize to the country for the litany of recent racially charged comments uttered by her and her surrogates, beginning with Bill Shaheen’s outrageous “drug dealer” comments back in December.
I’m not going to hold my breath waiting for her to do the right thing…..
all signs point to no
Boos got it right, though it is not so much turning Obama into Al Sharpon/Jessie Jackson, because I would be shocked if Obama takes the bait. Rather it is to get old line black activists/pols to spring a few quotes that alienate enough white voters.
Hillary’s greatest threat is that for most Americans they do see him as a black man, just a inspirational leader.
To be fair, it is hard to pull her experience card without it being seen as a race card, but I doubt she cares if it helps her win.