Why I switched my support

[Vattel]

The article "Race Man" in the New Republic offers evidence that the Obama campaign has shamelessly played the race card. I'm willing to be convinced that this is unfair to the Obama campaign, and I'll vote for Obama in the GE if he is the nominee (which is highly likely), but I can't stand this sort of politics. Here is some of the evidence:

(1) Obama's national co-chair, Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr., appeared on MSNBC and “analyzed” Clinton’s New Hampshire tears:

“But those tears also have to be analyzed, they have to be looked at very, very carefully in light of Katrina, in light of other things that Mrs. Clinton did not cry for, particularly as we head to South Carolina where 45 percent of African-Americans will participate in the Democratic contest ... we saw tears in response to her appearance, so that her appearance brought her to tears, but not Hurricane Katrina, not other issues." Would he have been any clearer if he had just said, “Clinton doesn’t care about poor black people?”

(2) A memo prepared by the South Carolina Obama campaign and circulated to supporters spliced together statements of Bill Clinton's to make it seem as if he had given a speech that "implied Hillary Clinton is stronger than Nelson Mandela." The same memo leveled the ridiculous charge that Bill Clinton had demeaned Obama as "a kid" because he had called Obama's account of his opposition to the war in Iraq a fanciful "fairy tale. "Obama’s campaign spokeswoman Candice Tolliver added to the nonsense: "Folks are beginning to wonder: Is this really an isolated situation or is there something bigger behind all of this?" Obama’s national co-chair, Jesse Jackson Jr., pushed it further, claiming that the "cynics" of the Clinton campaign had "resorted to distasteful and condescending language that appeals to our fears rather than our hopes. I sincerely hope that they'll turn away from such reactionary, disparaging rhetoric."

(3) In response to the Drudge Report’s suggestion that the Clinton campaign was circulating a photograph of Obama in traditional Somali clothing (even Drudges’s dispatch conceded that the alleged circulation amounted to one Clinton staffer emailng it to another, idly wondering what the press coverage would be if the picture had been of Clinton), Obama’s campaign manager, David Plouffe, described the affair as "the most shameful, offensive fear-mongering we've seen from either party in this election" and "part of a disturbing pattern." And Obama himself claimed that the Clinton campaign "was trying to circulate this as a negative" and calling it a political trick of the sort "you start seeing at the end of campaigns."

[anonymous171]

1. A few isolated incidents does not a pattern of race baiting make.

[Vattel]

28. good point

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Vattel]

7. link

www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=aa0cd21b-0ff2-4329-88a1-69c6c268b304 - 69k -

[FrenchieCat]

16. That tale is told differently here.....

This writer is known for providing serious commentary on the political scene as it happens, and I have the upmost respect for her. She's been at it for as long has Hellen Thomas as been a reporter. Here's are her observations. The article is really long, and I suggest anyone wanting to understand exactly what has happened, Obama and Clinton supporters alike, to read it. The Superdelegates will certainly be reading this piece. I guarantee it!

Here are some excerpts.

Volume 55, Number 6  April 17, 2008

Molehill Politics

By Elizabeth Drew
<>
In this fight, the Clinton camp is the more aggressive of the two, and it's adept at what might be called molehill politics: making a very big deal in the press about something that's a very small deal—such as a single word in a mailing or a slip-up by an aide. Clinton's strategists pounce on whatever opportunity presents itself to attack Obama, and try to knock him off his own message, and his stride. Clinton's approach resembles her tactics in the White House, in which her inclination was to attack (which caused a number of problems, and was one of the reasons her health care bill was defeated). The Obama camp has sometimes been slow, and even reluctant, to respond, because if he attacks her personally (which the Clinton campaign would like him to do), he's not Barack Obama anymore. Moreover, Obama takes care not to come across as the "angry black"—a stereotype he does not fit, but that could be imposed upon him by others.
<>
Shortly after that, the issue of race, which had emerged only around the margins of the Democratic contest, exploded. Some reporters felt the Clintons were making sure that Obama, who is of mixed race, was known as the black candidate. Hillary Clinton commented in a debate, "isn't it wonderful" to have a woman and an African-American in the race. (Obama could only smile gamely.) She has made similar remarks elsewhere. And there had been Bill Clinton's comments in South Carolina, such as his saying, after Obama won by a huge margin, that Jesse Jackson had won the state, too. Also noticeable was the series of Clinton allies making what could most kindly be put as racially insensitive remarks—among them Bill Shaheen, husband of the former governor of New Hampshire and co-chair of Clinton's campaign (he stepped down); BET founder Bob Johnson; and Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania.

And then, along came Geraldine Ferraro, Walter Mondale's running mate in 1984, saying that Obama was "lucky" to be black, because that's how he'd gotten where he had. With Obama not running as the "black candidate," and not belonging to the civil rights generation, many people, perhaps naively, had thought that the issue of race could be avoided. But now this most painful subject in American life was squarely before the country.

Clinton, who had at first given a tepid response to Ferraro's comment, saying, "Well, I do not agree with that," and tried to equate both campaigns in "veering off" into the personal, had to go further. At a meeting on March 12 with a group of black publishers, someone brought up Bill Clinton's South Carolina remark and asked her how she could regain the trust of the African-American community. Mrs. Clinton replied that she was "sorry if anyone was offended," and then added, "We can be proud of both Jesse Jackson and Senator Obama."
<>
Hillary Clinton is employing conventional politics, while Obama is trying to create a new kind of politics. Similarly, as they respond to the country's desire for change, they have very different concepts of what "change" means: briefly, for Obama it means changing the very zeitgeist of Washington, creating a new way to get things done by building coalitions that transcend longstanding political divisions. For Clinton it means passing bills—though sometimes she has suggested that it means electing a woman president. ("I embody change," she said in a debate in New Hampshire.)

Way more......
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/21231

[emilyg]

18. Thanks.

[2008]

26. "not enough posts"

always preferable to too many posts

[mcctatas]

3. Would he have been any clearer if he had just said,

“Clinton doesn’t care about poor black people?”
Oh please...:puke:

[Skittles]

27. it is indeed transparent

pretty poor propaganda

[babylonsister]

4. Another yawn. And read all about it...

PS Where DID you come from? Who are you working for, and where do you get your facts? You're a novel disruptor, who is disrupting poorly.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5323594

[Vattel]

15. Well,

I'm glad I'm disrupting poorly.

[babylonsister]

17. Stand by, or is that your intent? Will you go back to FR and brag? nt

[Vattel]

32. Oh brother

[ecstatic]

5. So you were an Obama supporter before you read the New Republic article?

Aaah geez...


Well, we're sorry to lose you! :hi:

[Catherina]

12. The New Republic

:rofl:

[dkf]

6. If you think Obama wanted Jackson to say that stuff about Hillary

crying, then I've got a bridge to sell ya.

[Vattel]

13. I don't really know

what Obama wants. I guess I should give him the benefit of the doubt.

[Cha]

8. Yeah, please do and make sure

you send hilary some money, asap, 'cause she can't pay her bills and she's bleeding funds.

Debi (1000+ posts) Sun Mar-30-08 09:14 AM
Original message
Vendors resent Clinton's unpaid bills (Politico)
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0308/9259.html

Hillary Rodham Clinton’s cash-strapped presidential campaign has been putting off paying hundreds of bills for months — freeing up cash for critical media buys, but also earning the campaign a reputation as something of a deadbeat in some small business circles. A pair of Ohio companies owed more than $25,000 by Clinton for staging events for her campaign are warning others in the tight-knit event production community — and anyone else who will listen — to get their cash upfront when doing business with her. Her campaign, say representatives of the two companies, has stopped returning phone calls and e-mails seeking payment of outstanding invoices. One even got no response from a certified letter.

<snip>

Clinton also reported debts more than one month old to a slew of apolitical businesses and organizations, large and small, in the states through which this historically expensive Democratic primary campaign has raged.She owed Iowa’s Sioux City Art Center Board of Trustees $3,500 for catering and venue costs, New Hampshire’s Winnacunnet Cooperative School District $4,400 in event costs, Qwest $24,000 for phone service, various branches of the Iowa-based supermarket chain Hy-Vee $15,000 for food, beverages and catering and $7,700 to Ohio and Massachusetts branches of the theatrical stage employees’ union for equipment costs.

<snip>

And word is getting around that Clinton’s campaign does not promptly pay those who labor to make her events look good, said an employee of the event production company Forty Two of Youngstown, Ohio. “I feel insulted by the way that the campaign treated this company and treated us personally,” said the employee, who did not want to be named talking about a client. The Clinton campaign paid the company $16,500 to set up a stage, press riser, sound system and backdrops at a Youngstown high school last month for a raucous union rally, where an aggressive Clinton stump speech drew thunderous applause. But the Clinton campaign has yet to pay Forty Two for two other February events and the employee said the campaign has stopped returning phone calls, e-mails and didn’t respond to a certified letter.

“We worked very hard to put together these events on a moment’s notice and do absolutely everything to a ‘t’ to make it look perfect on television for her and for her campaign,” said the employee. “Sen. Clinton talks about helping working families, people in unions and small businesses. But when it comes down to actually doing something that shows that she can back up her words with action, she fails.” Forty Two also has done events for Obama’s campaign, which has paid its bills promptly, according to the employee. FEC records show Obama’s campaign paid the company $18,500.
<snip>

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5314777

And she needs money to combat all these revelations about her lying too..

[dkf]

19. OMG, that cartoon is hilarious!

:rofl:

[babylonsister]

9. And some asshole rec'd this. 'Splain yourself. Oye. nt

[anonymous171]

10. Sean Wilentz is an EXTREME Clinton shill who's out looking for a job with their administration.

lrn2wikipedia

[Catherina]

11. Let me guess

Friend of Zerostar's?

"

cynics" of the Clinton campaign had "resorted to distasteful and condescending language that appeals to our fears rather than our hopes. I sincerely hope that they'll turn away from such reactionary, disparaging rhetoric."

Well I can't argue with that. Please invest in a different model of kitchen sink, the transparent model isn't working too well.

[phrigndumass]

14. Thank you for your opinion, but I already voted. nt

[tishaLA]

20. Do you actually BELIEVE there is something known as

"the race card"? Are you blissfully unaware that, in the American political system, race has been used by all politicians, black and white, both consciously and unconsciously, to achieve electoral goals? So it'd be incorrect to say that there is an origin to "the race card," if such a thing were to exist, because its origin, if that thing existed, would have been, as Obama correctly said in his Philadelphia address, in the founding documents and what he called the "original sin" of the Constitution that declared African Americans 3/5 of a person.

[Vattel]

23. that really wasn't the correct term

what bothers me is unfairly suggesting that the Clintons are racists or that they have attempted to pander to racists in order to win.

[tishaLA]

29. a few extremists have said the Clintons are racist

but you can find a few extremists who will say virtually anything--in fact, you can find extremists who say that Sen Obama was the first to play "the race card." But I don't think the charges of Clintonian racism were widespread. A more mainstream opinion is that the Clintons have used racially coded language to solidify their core constituency (working class white voters without a college degree). I think that's accurate. I think it's also accurate to say that Sen Obama--really Michelle and other surrogates rather than Barack himself--has used coded language to increase the African American vote.

That's something all politicians do. We don't have to like it, but it's useful to remember, in our Utopian dreams, that Utopia means "no place."

[Vattel]

34. I don't like it,

but it won't keep me from voting for the democratic candidate. I think Obama would do a lot to restore our constitutional rights, improve our standing in the world, and keep us out of another stupid war in Iran. Not to mention picking way better supreme court justices than McCain would. I could go on and on. I hope Clinton supporters will given their support to Obama in the GE if he wins the nomination. (Btw, I'd be shocked if he didn't win.)

[Cant trust em]

21. The first one you're right about

I felt that bringing Katrina into this wasn't really appropriate.

The second one I never understood from the jump. Bill Clinton's says that Obama's experience is a fairy tale is racial? I don't get it and am totally open to someone explaining it to me.

The third one I felt was not Obama's fault. There was a story that Clinton played the race card and Obama commented on it. That's not him playing the card. The card was played on him (by Clinton or not) and he commented.

[Vattel]

24. Thanks for the serious reply

I'm not an Obama hater. In a heated campaign, I can see how Obama might assume the worst (and hopefully regret it later).

[Cant trust em]

35. That's what I did

My first reaction was total outrage. "She did WHAT?!?!?!?"

Then I remembered that Drudge is a proven liar.

[anamandujano]

38. One thing you might consider is that when the MSM ran with the story

that the Clintons were race baiting, Obama did nothing to step in and speak against it, show magnanimity like he did for Wright, a true racist.

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Vattel]

25. ?

[maximusveritas]

30. There have been way more incidents of Hillary supporters playing the race card

From Shaheen to Bob Johnson to Ferarro to Bill Clinton himself. And most of those happened before any of the incidents mentioned above.

I don't think the candidates themselves were involved in any of it, so it would not make sense to change who you're voting for based on that.

By the way, you've said your most important issue was the Military Commissions Act. Well, then you just need to look at the Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007 that was introduced by Senator Dodd. Obama co-sponsored it while Clinton did not. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:SN00576:@@@P

[Vattel]

36. One of the reasons I supported Obama

was his support for Dodd's bill and his strong support for habeas corpus. And again, I'll gladly vote for him in the GE.

[DerekJ]

31. Ahem...

[Vattel]

37. looking in a mirror are we

[Asgaya Dihi]

33. Self delete

Not worth getting into it