Obama responds to Bill Clinton's Jesse Jackson comments.

[madfloridian]

Run time: 02:08 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmE1VWUlOD0   Posted on YouTube: January 27, 2008 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: January 27, 2008 By DU Member: madfloridian Views on DU: 2946

 
From TPM Election Central:

Obama Responds To Bill's Reference To Jesse Jackson

Stephanopoulos said: "The implication is pretty clear: You’re the Jesse Jackson of 2008.”

To which Obama replied: “Jesse Jackson ran historic races in 1984 and 1988...that was 20 years ago, George."

And then it got interesting. Stephanopoulos asked explicitly: "You think President Clinton was engaging in racial politics there?"

Obama answered: "I think that, that's his frame of reference was the Jesse Jackson races. That's when he was active and involved and watching what was gonna take place in South Carolina. I think that a lot of South Carolinians looked at it through a different lens."

Ben Smith says that Obama appeared to be trying to defuse the idea that Bill was drawing a racially-charged comparison. It seems to me that when Obama said that voters looked at this through a "different lens," he basically meant that voters weren't putting Obama in the same "black candidate" box that Bill was slotting Obama into. Not sure if Obama is completely letting Bill off the hook here, though he was being awfully subtle about it.

[still_one]

1. In my view Obama is taking the high road here /nt

[Rageneau]

8. I agree ... and it's to his credit. I just wish the MSM would follow his example.

It's the media, not the people nor the campaigns, that is pushing this 'racial' and 'gender' story.

[still_one]

9. No question about it, the media is milking this for everything

maybe they can go back to headlining britney and lindsey, because essentially that is what the MSM has become, "entertainment weekly"

[mod mom]

12. Absolutely. I can't believe how low Bill Clinton is willing to go. It's shameful!

[polichick]

2. He's not taking the bait here...

That's good ~ I'm sure his recent tangles have taught him a few things he'll need in the general.

[skipos]

3. Obama is taking the high road

though the Clintons don't deserve it.

[GoldieAZ49]

4. classy response

and while being gracious he shows how outdated Bill Clinton is:

That's when he was active and involved and watching what was gonna take place in South Carolina.

And how much has changed since 1988:

I think that a lot of South Carolinians looked at it through a different lens."

[cooolandrew]

5. Good for Barack staying on message. Stay to the path luke use the force. =)

[thunder rising]

6. Barack makes his point without giving Stephanopoulos his...that's a good statesman and my candidate

[populistdriven]

7. K&R!! I am amazed that Bill would stoop to the levels he has to support his wifey,

Hillary and her supporters deserve better

[Tarheel_Dem]

10. Glad Obama didn't take the bait....

and a good rule of thumb for his campaign, when M$M tries to draw them into these racially divisive politics, is simply "NO COMMENT". But he handled this one beautifully.

[Writer]

11. Here's my thought: Barack isn't seeing the same malice in Bill's comments that some of us here are.

Edit to add: And I think he was trying to keep on the message of "change." I don't think he gives two shits what Bill Clinton meant by his statement. I think he's looking forward to Feb. 5th.

[Josh]

13. AGREED. Thank you!

Jesse Jackson was the last person to win South Carolina without winning the Democratic nomination. It was such an offhanded comment. The way people are putting words in Bill Clinton's mouth here is just insane. Why the fuck does anyone think the Clintons would want to inject race into this campaign? How does that help them? And how does that help Clinton's legacy with African Americans? What a joke. It was a passing comment.

[George_Bonanza]

26. No, John Edwards won SC in 2004 and lost to John Kerry

[Josh]

27. Yep, sorry I meant before 2004

Ooops. :)

But I think the point is the same.

Of course with Edwards he wound up on the ticket, which is where I'd like to see Obama one way or another. :)

[flordehinojos]

14. if, there is a similarity between obama's SC campaign and the Jesse Jackson campaigns of '84 & '88

why would it be to Obama's advantage to deny any similarities between his '08 campaign and those of Jackson's '84 and '88.

If, there were any similarities, couldn't he, rather than stuffing whatever intentions clinton had in making comparison, couldn't he have said ... well, yes... the similarities are "x", "y" and "z" however, this '08 and people's thinking about black voters has changed to the point that ...

obama cannot deny that he is a black man ... however, there is no color for a black man who sees beyond his own color and that of the chinese that surrounds him, or the white who surround him, or the whatever color surrounds him because he looks not at colors but at life and humans whose skin might be of different colors but whose quest is love/food/shelter regardless of skin color.

stuffing something, or trying to deny something, sounds, to me, so much like what the bush people do: they stuff the truth and they stuff reality in some deep dark closet and that has gotten us in a great deal of trouble. it should have gotten them into trouble too ... but they have money and they have power so people dishonestly adulate them as gods ...

if barack obama was trying to take the high road, he could have taken the high road by saying, yes there are some similarities but let me show where the differences are. he didn't do that. in my view he didn't take the high road.

[ieoeja]

16. Jesse Jackson is and was an activist for racial equality. Obama is a Senator.

There is not a great deal of similarity between them and their campaigns.

[flordehinojos]

28. Kendrick Meeks, a Representative from Miami (who happens to be black) was on MSNBC

this afternoon. He said that he was having breakfast in a South Carolina diner with Bill Clinton when Clinton was asked a question and Clinton responded with the Jesse Jackson l984 and l988 comment. Meeks said that Clinton was also being asked by the people who were at the diner and that they all hear the question the journalist asked Clinton and Clinton's response. Meeks said that no one was offended by what Clinton said. He said that the press later on took it all out of context and made the charge that is still running out there. Meeks said this question and answer happened early in the morning. Way before anyone knew the results of the South Carolina campaign and that to accuse Clinton of intending to smear Obama with it is just plain unfair.

From my point of view ... Obama surely knew that Clinton made no racial slur against him, underhanded or otherwise. Yet he said nothing. and he let the media run with it. And not only did he let the media run with it. He let Ted Kennedy endorse him because, "Obama is a leader who can fight the fight without demonizing those who hold a different view" ...and in my view Obama helped himself to Ted Kennedy and, "had" him. There are many ways to skin a cat, or of demonizing others with a different view, or of demonizing an opponent. Keeping silent about what you know is a lie, is one of them. Obama did just that. And only after the media ran with the story, and he was asked a point-blank question, did Obama offer a very meek answer in which he, "appeared" to give Bill Clinton a pass for the racial comment he made. Obama's technique is indeed underhanded.

[madfloridian]

15. Jackson's remark very classy as well.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/28/jackson-not-upset-by-clinton-remarks/?hp

"The Rev. Jesse Jackson said late Sunday that he was not offended by comments on Saturday by former President Bill Clinton, who brought up Mr. Jackson’s name in response to a question about Senator Barack Obama.

Mr. Clinton had noted that Mr. Jackson had won South Carolina in the Democratic contests in 1984 and 1988. Pundits and many in the blogosphere interpreted Mr. Clinton’s mention of Mr. Jackson as an attempt to diminish Mr. Obama — and what would turn out to be his landslide victory Saturday in South Carolina over Senator Hillary Clinton — because Mr. Jackson had not gone on to win the Democratic nomination.

But Mr. Jackson said he did not see it that way.
“I don’t read anything negative into Clinton’s observation,” Mr. Jackson said in a phone conversation late Sunday night from India, where he is taking part in a commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi."

[NOLALady]

18. I also thought the comment

could have been meant as a compliment as well as a complaint. Depends on your viewpoint.

[Gonnuts]

17. Out of your God-damn minds ...

Once again democratic party will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Neither Obama nor H Clinton will defeat any republicon. And that's even if we have an election. But that's a subject for another post.

If anyone thinks that H Clinton wouldn't be the one person to get republicaons anger up enough to go to the polls and vote for ANY of the republicons who happen to get their nod or that given the ingrained amount of racism we have in this country that Obama could possibly win I have a Timeshare to sell you in beautiful downtown Baghdad.

[bushisdirt]

20. You are absolutely right. A Hillary Clinton nomination will

cause Republicans to vote en mass against her. The Independents like me will vote against her 3 to 1. 1/8 to 1/4 of the Democrats will vote against her, depending on whether the Republicans run McCaine (a Rino) or Romney. The Democrats rarely win anything anymore; this will me one more example of that. Why in the hell would anyone want the Clintons in the White House again?

[NeedleCast]

21. Nothing Like the Ongoing "We Can't Win!" Meme

Funny from someone making a statement about snatching defeats from the jaws of victory.

[Gonnuts]

25. One thing we can't defeat - I don't care the who candidate is ...

Diebold

Eight-years after the 2000 farce of an election and there are 3rd World countries that put our election process to shame. And there's a damn good reason for that - we have a government that is a democratic/republic in name only. We have a criminal organization posing as a government. The powers-that-be behind the curtain, corporations, media mongrels, families both rich and/or royal that have been shoveling us the same-old-shit long before any of us were born and have now got their game down to a fine science.

What more proof do you need than the last election that we're being played for fools? After listening to all the promises that were immediately ignored once these hypocrites took their lying oath to office we're lining-up, bending over to take it "one more time".

Last week Pelosi mentioned the extent of petitions she is receiving for impeachment and the number of impeachment pins she sees on lapels as she passes through airports - and then she LAUGHED!!! The bitch LAUGHED! Then she went onto explain why she knows more than the people she's suppose to represent. Some representation ... this is what you hung your hopes on. Have fun doing it again.

If you want to have an impact in petitioning your so-called representative may I suggest you forgo writing letters, phone calling, e-mailing but instead write your name on a brick and aim it their God-damn head!

[debbierlus]

23. Obama is just as much of a powder keg

As Hillary....

[McCamy Taylor]

19. Someone please tell me, since when did being Jesse Jackson become a bad thing?

I am offended at George S.'s tone. Jackson is a great Democratic leader. George "Gore is a Liar" Stephanopolous acted like being compared to Jackson was a great insult. Gimme a break. Obama is a politician. Jackson is a civil rights leader. If Clinton wants to compare Obama to a civil rights leader, then Obama should be flattered.

This is not the general election, in which it will be possible to make some voters fear a Black candidate as too "scary" or "divisive" or "angry".

This is the Democratic primary. Democratic candidates can not be outspoken enough this campaign season, with King George II and Darth Cheney in the WH, and IMO the one thing that has been holding Obama back is remarks like his "Reagan change" bs. If he gets out there and embraces the traditional Democratic Party ethic of not being afraid to mess it up a little---with the corporate classes (not with other Dems)--I think that it will attract more Democratic followers heading into the primary.

He can go back to the "Reagan change" middle of the road nonthreatening persona for the general election.

I'm betting that George Stephanapolous wanted to see Obama criticize Jackson, in order to set up a light skinned Black versus darker skinned Black conflict. That would be just the kind of Divide and Conquer that would get George S. lots of brownie points from his corporate masters. Obama handled it well.

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

22. I thought Senator Obama

could have at least taken this interview OUT of the church.

[Baby Snooks]

24. The "Fairy Tale" of the Clintons...

http://www.slate.com/id/2182938/

Draw your own conclusions. But the reality of the Clintons is really a little bit different from the "fairy tale" they've spun, and had spun for them, through the years.