Is he the only one who doesn't get it? Or is he just that cynical?
Black America Feels the Sting of Ex-President's Comments
The Clinton campaign argued that it was simply quoting Obama. But in the original context, Obama was describing the dominance of Republican ideas in the 1980s and 1990s, without saying he supported them, and asserting that those ideas are of no use today.The ad marked the escalation of a bitter fight between the two Democratic front-runners that has taken on a new dimension because of the involvement of Bill Clinton, the titular leader of the party. While his wife campaigns elsewhere, the former president has been making daily appearances in South Carolina in anticipation of the state's Democratic primary on Saturday, and he has adopted the role of attacking his wife's opponent the way a vice presidential candidate traditionally does in a general election.
Black America Feels the Sting of Ex-President's Comments
For nearly two decades, Yvette Wider, an African American, adored Bill Clinton, once described by a famous black novelist as the nation's first black president.But now, after Clinton's "fairy tale" remark about Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) in New Hampshire and a statement in South Carolina that Obama had put a political "hit job" on him, Wider said she feels she hardly knows the former president. "I was surprised to hear him make a comment like that, because I thought he understood our people better," said Wider, who said she will vote for Obama in Saturday's South Carolina primary. "It made me think he's been playing us all this time."
Wider's sentiments are echoing across black America -- on blogs, Web chats and talk radio, where Clinton is being attacked as never before.
Rich Lowry on Sen. Obama (via memeorandum)
Then, he grounded his message of hope in Edwardesque stories illustrating the need for better health care, education, and wages—a lunch-bucket appeal. Near the end, there was a soaring call for national unity, echoing his famous 2004 convention speech, "I didn't see a white South Carolina or a black South Carolina, I saw South Carolina." And he framed his fight with Hillary, in another reference to the way she and her husband have fought this campaign, thusly, "It's not about black versus against white, it's the past versus the future." Ouch. And when he said the old politics was about "divisions, distractions, and drama," could there be any three words better suited to describe Clintonian attack politics?
Obama is gaining popularity without taking a bite out of Hillary. This speaks brilliantly to the peculiar lenses worn by the Clinton fan. Watching the Clintons waver between self-righteous belligerence and self-righteous victimhood, these die-hards can’t help but notice Obama’s superior character. Yet they can’t help dismissing it in favor of the familiar couple whose phony charms are as irresistible as fast food. The media may at last be nauseated, but the Clinton base is still gorging.
Don Surber (via memeorandum)
Gee, the Clintons demonize opponents. The Clintons lie. The Clintons have no scruples.
Andrew Sullivan (via memeorandum)
I don't think there can be any doubt about the Clintons' racial strategy now. The people of South Carolina just rejected that logic by voting for Obama - white and black, male and female - in a diverse coalition in the face of a deliberate attempt at racial polarization. They threw the Clintons' logic back in their faces.
Thanks a lot Bill Clinton (via memeorandum)
The spectacle of a former president getting down and dirty in the current political trenches with numerous attacks on the freshman Illinois senator may have backfired big-time.
BILL: 'MY MESSAGE' 99.9% POSITIVE (via memeorandum)
“My message has been 99.9% positive for 100% of this campaign,” Clinton said to reporters later. “I think that when I think she’s being misrepresented, I have a right to try to with factual accuracy set the record straight, which is what I’ve tried to do.”
bill clinton,
hillary clinton,
barack obama.
There was nothing whatsoever remotely racial about the "fairytale" comment. The obama campaign was considerably behind and decided it was going to play the race card to ensure the block of black voters. So they took that remark and pretended it was a racial slur. And the media being pro-obama happily played along. Blacks are all too easily manipulated by race hustlers like obama and sharpton.
Contrary to his media-driven image, obama is in fact cynical, manipulative and divisive.
Posted by: Laura at January 27, 2008 1:24 PMThe rehearsed line about Jesse Jackson was a slap at at black SC voters whom Bill thought he owned, as well as a way of positioning his wife to pitch to racially unenlightened purple state Democratic voters in the months ahead. This was as planned as Kasparov moving a pawn; that stupidity might well have cost his wife Maryland, among other states. It was an avoidable slap, which means it was deliberate until proven otherwise.
Had Bill Clinton wanted to take the high road, he would have left his comments with the "softening" compliment to Obama about his ground game. But he needed to place the slap, needed to go on record for it. He doesn't make mistakes.
Posted by: Bruce at January 27, 2008 6:14 PMWhile the obama campaign accuses others of racism, the obama campaign itself is riddled with racism and misogyny. After the Iowa victory it was said by people in his campaign that the victory was like oj simpson killing nicole. How sick are these people? Not to mention that obama's close friend jeramiah wright is a racist and antisemite. But he gets a free pass. As I said, obama is cynical, manipulative and divisive, he is in reality completely the opposite of his media-driven image.
Posted by: Laura at January 27, 2008 8:05 PMIsn't it nice to have some suspense in the campaign?
Bill copied a Labor mistake of years ago when they called the Begin supporters "riff raff." Or was it less serious?
Batya: that seems like a good analogy.
Posted by: soccer dad at January 28, 2008 11:48 PM