Posted on 01/12/2008 5:10:24 PM PST by blam
Hillary Clinton in Barack Obama race row
By Philip Sherwell in Las Vegas, Nevada
Last Updated: 9:11pm GMT 12/01/2008
Bill Clinton is scrambling to head off a potential backlash among black voters against his wife Hillary's White House campaign, after the couple were both accused of making racially demeaning comments.
Mr Clinton telephoned the nationally syndicated radio talk show of the Rev Al Sharpton, the outspoken black preacher, to deny that he had dismissed Senator Barack Obama's bid to become the first black president as "the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen".
Donna Brazile, a leading black Democrat strategist and former Clinton insider, said that many African-Americans had found his comments condescending.
"For him to go after Obama using 'fairy tale', calling him a kid, is an insult," she said. "As an African-American, I find his words and his tone very depressing."
Some black radio stations and internet blogs contained much harsher criticism and alleged the put-down was racially charged. There is also speculation, however, that the Obama camp has quietly sought to whip up a race row, while publicly saying it wished to remain above the fray - a tactic that some commentators feel could backfire on him.
Some analysts also suggest that a reason for Mr Obama's surprise defeat in the overwhelmingly-white state of New Hampshire was that some voters decided at the last minute not to support a black candidate, despite insisting to pollsters that race would not affect their vote.
Mr Clinton, who is still revered by many African-Americans from his time as president, insisted that his "fairy tale" jibe was aimed not at Mr Obama's presidential aspirations but at uncritical media coverage of his much-vaunted opposition to the Iraq war.
He even praised his wife's rival, telling Mr Sharpton: "He has put together a great campaign… He might win."
Mr Clinton's damage-limitation exercise came after his wife also provoked controversy by appearing to diminish the achievements of Martin Luther King. She said it took President Lyndon B Johnson to implement the reforms that the assassinated civil rights leader had championed.
Aides to Mrs Clinton acknowledged she had "mis-spoken" in her effort to make clear that change required action not just words - the basis for her frequent attacks on Mr Obama's campaign rhetoric of hope and optimism.
This week, the battle for the Democrat presidential candidacy moves towards primary elections in South Carolina, and a series of other states with large numbers of black voters among the party's electorate.
The Clintons have a long reputation for supporting black rights and Mr Clinton has been referred to as America's "first black president". But some Obama supporters believe that Mrs Clinton's camp is deliberately trying to damage him with criticisms that carry racial undertones.
Aisha Goodison, a black singer and blogger, accused Mrs Clinton of dishonouring Martin Luther King. She wrote: "Not you or your husband will ever reach the level of acclaim or respect King has." Bakari Sellers, an Obama supporter and South Carolina state representative, told his local paper The State that Mrs Clinton's comments showed "a lack of concern about the struggles of African-Americans".
The issue of race, always highly charged in US elections, has never been more sensitive than this year, with Mr Obama attempting to transcend racial divisions in his bid to get elected. Jonathan Martin, of Politico magazine, said: "Some African-Americans had some real concerns about what the Clintons said but there's no question that there's politics here at work, too.
"It helps Obama's campaign to… push these issues into the fore in a place like South Carolina, where about half of the Democrat voting population in the primary will be African-American. There's real concern, but also this is going to help Obama politically. So he is certainly enjoying seeing these questions raised."
ContinuedMrs Clinton recently parted company with campaign aides who circulated emails inaccurately describing her rival as a Muslim, or suggesting that he would be targeted by Republicans for alleged drug-dealing because he admits taking cocaine as a teenager.
Republicans are focusing on votes in Michigan and South Carolina this week, while the Democrat frontrunners clash next in Nevada on Saturday and in South Carolina a week later, ahead of make-or-break "super Tuesday", involving more than 20 states, on February 5.
Mrs Clinton's unexpected victory on Tuesday in New Hampshire, thanks to a large female vote, has prompted a rethink in campaign planning. She had been expected to skip Nevada, where the battle is tight, and South Carolina, where Mr Obama has a comfortable opinion poll lead, to concentrate on super Tuesday, but now hopes to develop new momentum before then. She spent Wednesday at home in New York working on strategy.
advertisementAdvisers want to build on the New Hampshire success by emphasising her softer "human" side, while continuing to portray her as the candidate of experience and action. Roy Spence, the advertising guru who coined the "Don't Mess with Texas" anti-litter slogan, has come in to head her "re-branding".
Campaign workers and supporters are flooding into Nevada. Mr Obama last week secured the crucial support of the 60,000-strong Culinary Workers Union, the state's largest labour organisation, which will play a powerful role in ensuring support on caucus day, but Mrs Clinton has the backing of Nevada's political establishment.
Both candidates have launched urgent new fundraising drives, despite each bringing in record-breaking tallies of more than $100 million (£54 million) last year.
Mrs Clinton's New Hampshire triumph brought more than $6 million in cash and commitments within 24 hours. Mr Obama is also cashing in on his Iowa caucus victory, raising $1 million a day this month.
Campaign workers and supporters are flooding in to Nevada. Mr Obama last week secured the crucial support of the 60,000-strong Culinary Union, the state’s largest labour organisation, which will play a powerful role in ensuring support on caucus day, but Mrs Clinton has the backing of the state’s political establishment.
Both candidates have also launched urgent new fund-raising drives, despite each bringing in record-breaking tallies of more than $100 million last year. Mrs Clinton’s cash in hand was down to $27 million and her fund-raising was anaemic, until her New Hampshire triumph brought more than $1 million in cash and $5 million in commitments within 24 hours.
In an email plea to supporters, Mr Clinton wrote: “Hillary faces an unprecedented challenge: reaching voters in 24 states in just 25 days, and she cannot do it without your help. Every day is going to count. Every vote is going to count. And yes, every dollar is going to count.”
Mr Obama is also cashing in on his Iowa caucus victory, raising $1 million a day this month. He will break off from the hustings in Nevada to stage two lavish fundraisers in California’s Silicon Valley on Thursday. The endorsement last week of Sen John Kerry, the Democrats’ defeated 2004 presidential candidate, will gain him access to one of the party’s best-established financial networks.
[”For him to go after Obama using ‘fairy tale’, calling him a kid, is an insult,”]
What ever a white person says of a black, they can, and will be offended. It is just oh, so easy to make racist labels. Now the klintons get a dose of it. Wonderful.
...popcorn, anyone?
And some Republicans want to see Obama win why?
So we can see these headlines every time anyone is critical of him?
I dont think so.
Hillary please restrain your racsim. For the love of God, please.
Regards
I also have a bit of smugness over all of this, funny thing is, Bill clinton really did say those things.
Apparently there are some sort of “code words” that are meant to subtly racist and Bubba used them.
Popping popcorn...opening beverage...
Hey "fopaw", that was my dogs name. He had Fopaws so ....
Regards
LOL!!! Keep it up Bill, reveal your true self for all the world to see. You’re doing wonders for your legacy!
“Some analysts also suggest that a reason for Mr Obama’s surprise defeat in the overwhelmingly-white state of New Hampshire”
nothin like callin the people of NH racists without actually sayin it..
Dick Morris predicted Hillary would make this democratic contest a racial contest without overtly doing so.
One of the things that helped Obama is the absence of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.
I believe the Clintons will actually create racial conflicts simply to bring Jesse and Al into the picture more and make the Hillary/Obama contest a black/white contest. I guarantee will see more “mishaps” that will lead to more prominence of JJ and Al on television...
Dick Morris was right...
It’s going to be bumpy...
You didn’t expect them to say the wife of the first black President had problems did you? (Analysts of course)
Yummy !!!
Yeah, sure, Aisha. Wouldn't be the 75% of black society that dishonor and disrespect him, themselves, and their communities every single day. It's the culture, STUPID.
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