Posted on 03/08/2008 9:16:20 AM PST by MNJohnnie
Democratic presidential contender Hillary Rodham Clinton tried to backpedal Friday from comments she made in October suggesting Mississippi was a backward place for women's progress.
Speaking to radio station WJZD-FM in Gulfport, Miss., the former first lady said the comments she made about the state in the run up to the Iowa caucuses "were not exactly what I said," even though they came directly from an interview she gave to the Des Moines Register in October.
Clinton was on a campaign swing through Mississippi before Tuesday's Democratic presidential primary.
The newspaper quoted the New York senator discussing Iowa and Mississippi being the only states that have never elected a woman governor or sent a woman to Congress.
"How can Iowa be ranked with Mississippi? That's not what I see. That's not the quality. That's not the communitarianism; that's not the openness I see in Iowa," Hillary Clinton told the newspaper then - a remark that prompted immediate criticism from Mississippi Republicans.
Rival Barack Obama has been running radio ads in Mississippi calling Clinton's comments insulting to the state.
Friday, Clinton tried to downplay the remarks.
"What I said is what I learned is that neither Iowa or Mississippi had ever elected a woman statewide and I referenced the fact that I was the first woman elected statewide in New York and I told the Iowans that they had a chance to try to change that and now in Mississippi giving Mississippi voters a chance to change that," Clinton said in the radio interview.
Clinton said she was surprised that "neither Iowa nor Mississippi has broken through to being able to elect a woman statewide."
"You know there's a lot of strong women from both those states, and it's time that women had a chance to have full equality in the political process. It didn't happen in Iowa, it hasn't happened in Mississippi. and it's time that it be changed," she said.
Mississippi voters have elected several women to statewide office including two lieutenant governors, but no governor or member of Congress.
And Obama is worse.
I need to microwave more popcorn. How do you like yours?
Please, go easy on the butter and salt. At this rate we are going to be eating a lot of it this year!
When the demonRATs in PA say that they are going all out, at 110%, they mean it.
WJC looks conservative compared to these two.
If only somebody would ask Hillary about Juanita. She keeps whining about being asked tough questions and first questions and wrong - what a wimp. Putin would have her in tears.
Nobody can drink that much, not even ole pickled Teddy K.
That deserves a big ole Missippy bump!
Somebody needs to post this to some Hillary blog somewhere.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evelyn_Gandy
I remember her well. She was every bit an old Mississippi “good ole boy” as any of the boys were.
I just realized how that may have sounded. It was a reference to her ability to work the political machine. Nothing more.
Hilary wrong, never...
She is always correct in the minds of idiots, often known as democrats.
What in the pluperfect heck is “communitarianism” supposed to mean?
Fascism with a smiley face stick
How interesting! I never knew that she was from my hometown! By the time I was aware of her, she was already in State office, and by the time she came back to practice law, I was married and moved away up north in NJ. Plus, she was a Democrat, and I’d registered to vote as a Republican. ;o)
*snort*
wasn’t she an old maid....Gandy?
amazing how deep preconcieved notions by some non Southerners run
they look for “facts” to suit said notions
and this time, H screwed up....but after living across the river so long you’d think she would know better
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