So what do you think of this Clinton quote?

[killbotfactory]

"Dr. King's dream began to be realized when President Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act. It took a president to get it done. The power of that dream became real in people's lives because we had a president capable of action."

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0108/Clinton_and_Obama_Johnson_and_King.html
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/1/7/16619/70788/920/432332

To me, it seems like she is discounting the efforts and sacrifice of a lot of people.

Here's a link to the video: http://embeds.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/01/07/clinton-talks-tears-with-fox-news/

[AtomicKitten]

1. Not much, really.

Her attacks on Obama have devolved into pettiness and inappropriate grasping at straws. Edwards was right-on when he said they only started when Obama closed the gap.

[killbotfactory]

2. The good thing is that it looks like she's grasping at straws

And it's not flattering to her candidacy.

[AtomicKitten]

3. I've heard that referred to as Obama's political jujitsu.

It really is phenomenal.

[terisan]

10. She know the history; you apparently don't.

[MrSlayer]

4. I think there is truth to it.

The question is whether or not she is capable of being that President of action.

[Kahuna]

5. It is a statement of fact. Both men had vision and courage...

I'm black. I've always said that black people wouldn't be where we are today if not for good white people who stood with us to make it happen. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you good white folks. :pals: :loveya: :yourock:

[musicblind]

20. :)

Aww, thanks. I'll stand up any day you need it! It is worth FIGHTING for :)

[Kahuna]

22. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

:yourock:

[Azathoth]

6. A clumsy attack that reflects a strong streak of narcissism

Anyone who thinks that the artificial, triangulating, poll-driven Hillary Clinton would have been either willing or able to push through the Civil Rights Act is seriously deluded.

[terisan]

9. Her grasp of history is far better than yours if you don't know how Johnson supported

Civil Rights.

Hillary Clinton knows the history and respects it. I am sorry that you don't.

[Azathoth]

12. It's not worth arguing the details, but I'll put it this way:

1) LBJ didn't exactly *want* to push the Civil Rights Act through, and he certainly wouldn't have done so if it hadn't been for MLK and others.

2) Hillary is no LBJ. If you think for a second that the triangulating, microtrend-driven, never-take-a-position-on-anything Hillary would have pushed the Civil Rights Act through, you're deluding yourself.

[Lucinda]

7. She's not discounting anything. If you knew her history you'd know that. What she is doing

is pointing out that inspiration creates a demand for change that is cemented by the actions of the government. And in Johnsons case, it took strength to support the civil rights movement led by Dr King and others.

The lack of knowledge about Hillary here astounds me some times.

If you don't agree that she'd be a stronger leader, thats fine. But to assume that she is slamming MLK and others is incorrect.

[killbotfactory]

13. It seems to me that civil rights movement was the most important part

not the president who acted in the interests of the movement.

It's like she understand the role of president as someone who will watch over the people, and try to do right by them, but not necessarily lead them.

[Lucinda]

18. The laws enacted and the support of the President were crucial to the process.

Look at the countries that don't support the basic rights of its citizens. They are in perpetual turmoil. Human rights barely exsist. Leadership comes in many forms. As does change.

[terisan]

8. She is precisely right and civil rights leaders know it. He did it knowing he would split Dems

and turn much of the south and parts of the north and west against the democratic party. She isn't discounting anyone in the civil rights struggle.
JFK was unable to move the south and the congress to make the sweeping legislation needed. Johbson had the political will and the needed skill.

Johnson screwed up massively over the Vietnam war but in Civil Rights he shone. He got the legislation pased. He did not compromise with the right wingers.

[killbotfactory]

14. "JFK was unable to move the south and the congress to make the sweeping legislation needed."

Yeah, what ever happened to that guy?

[still_one]

23. Kennedy didn't live long enough to accomplish that, but he was going in that direction

Remember his confrontation with Wallace in Alabama?

However, I do agree that Johnson was the actual force to make that legislation a reality, at great cost to the Democratic party, and by doing so, put the welfare of the country ahead of the party

Something that you would have NEVER seen the current administration do

[ProSense]

11. Awful, clumsy and she

could have skipped it

[killbotfactory]

15. sorry about the dupe

The board is moving a little fast lately.

[izzie]

16. I my self think the people did it.

Any President would have done it as it was what the people wanted. It is the old thinking that I do not feel so good about. People make things happen and the leader runs with it usually after the people want it. In this type govt. any how. That is the trouble with Bush, I think, he thinks he is the person that will think up stuff and do it and the people do not like it. We had that form of govt. and a good part of the world has got rid of it. Isn't that the battle that is going on in the Middle East, also?

[OHdem10]

17. All Hilary was saying is it took someone who had clout

and a whole lot of courage to be willing to lose the South
for the Democratic Party, and stand and push Civil Rights
through. Pres. Johnson knew how to get the Senate to do what
he wanted. This in no way discredits the movement. You had
right president at the right time.

[Rageneau]

19. What I think of this quote is that it's another Hillary quote that the MSM wants to nitpick.

I can hardly tell you anything that Obama or Edwards or Richrdson did today, but I've seen endless coverage -- all of it negative -- about this quote and the 'crying' nonsense and how her campaign is falling apart.

BartCop has it right: Hillary is the only candidate who has to fight the Republicans AND the Media AND her Democratic primary opponents.

[still_one]

21. Yes, it did take a lot of people, but Johnson knew the South would be lost to republicans

when he pushed the civil rights act, and that is exactly what happened. Where prior to that the South had voted primarily for Democrats, based on the results of the Civil War, and that Lincoln was a Republican, that shifted immedately after the Civil Rights Act was passed to the republicans.

It was couragous, and the right thing to do. It was even more courageous since Johnson himself was from the South, and became President in his second term because of the South.

Nixon, along with the Lee Atwater gang, where Karl Rove was spawned from, recognized this, and used the Southern Strategy to divide the South on the basis of race.

Kennedy was leading up to it, especially with his confrontation with George Wallace, and other incidents where the National Guard, and the FBI had to be called. Unfortunately, Kennedy was assasinated before he could finish that job, but to Johnson's credit, he used his power to get it passed

Of course, the marches, the protests, and the sacrifices were a major part of it, but in the end, it needed the power of law behind it, which is what Johnson accomplished

For all the Ron Paul admirers, it should be noted, that Ron Paul believes that civil rights should be determined at the state level, NOT the federal, and that is immoral

[ellacott]

24. I agree totally with your assessment

The problem that I have with Hillary's analogy is that she has discounted the fact that Obama is also a candidate. She has relegated him to be a dreamer and a poet(that's the latest spin from her camp). What her camp continues to miss and that many people see him as both inspirational and a leader. According to her analogy, if he is MLK and she is Johnson, is that many people see Obama as having both qualities.

[still_one]

29. She would serve herself better is she was specific what she was going to do

instead of all this back-handed sniping

[City Lights]

25. Here's the whole quote. You've posted the truncated version.

"I would, and I would point to the fact that that Dr. King's dream began to be realized when President Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, when he was able to get through Congress something that President Kennedy was hopeful to do, the President before had not even tried, but it took a president to get it done. That dream became a reality, the power of that dream became a real in peoples lives because we had a president who said we are going to do it, and actually got it accomplished."

Josh Marshall had the whole quote.

[sendero]

26. She's trying to say she would do great things...

.. problem is, she's been a senator for 8 years and has done nothing of note. Comparing anything she's done to Johnson's civil rights work is ludicrous.

[MethuenProgressive]

27. She knows her history. So what's your point?

Oh wait, I know...

[XemaSab]

28. Lame, lame, lame

She's comparing herself to LBJ and Obama to MLK? :snicker:

One's a hero of the people who we have a national holiday in honor of, and the other one's best remembered for escalating the war. :P

[eridani]

30. I think the point that she was trying to make was--

--that change requires both the MLK activists on the barricades and the practical political armtwisters.