Sen. Clinton Chided for Praising 'White Suburbs'

Newsmax.com ^ | 8-7-03 | Carl Limbacher

[Paul Atreides]

Sen. Hillary Clinton's recent praise for the "white suburbs" of her youth is drawing fire from two prominent civil rights groups, with leaders of both organizations agreeing that a Republican senator who made the same remark would be deluged with calls for his resignation.

"Where's the outcry from the mainstream media and Democrats about Hillary Clinton's statements?" complained the Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, head of the Los Angeles-based Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny[BOND].

"These people were all over Trent Lott calling him a racist and accusing him of being nostalgic about the Jim Crow era," Peterson told NewsMax. "This is a double standard."

Congress of Racial Equality [CORE] spokesman Niger Innis agreed that Hillary is getting a pass.

"People like Hillary and [the Rev. Al] Sharpton never have to pay for 'slips' of the tongue when others do," Innis told NewsMax.

While noting that Sen. Clinton's slip was "fairly innocent," he observed, "If it had been a Republican, they'd be crucified!"

In comments otherwise ignored by the press, the Democrat's most popular presidential prospect told the American Constitution Society on Friday that Republicans wanted to take America "back to the 1950s white suburbs for family life, which I grew up in and write about in my book – and am very grateful for."

Rev. Peterson said Sen. Clinton needs to explain why she's "very grateful" for growing up in an all-white neighborhood.

"I thought she loved black people," he told NewsMax. "Did she mean she was happy to live in an era of segregation and Jim Crow?"

If not, says Peterson, "Hillary owes black Americans an explanation about what she meant when she said she was 'very grateful' to have grown up in 'the 1950s white suburbs.'"

[mabelkitty]

Doh!

Al Sharpton should pound her one.

[Lancey Howard]

I bet there are plenty of Democrats who are grateful that they grew up in a filthy, crime-ridden parasite nest (city). At least there must be - - they keep voting Democrat.

[aShepard]

Yup!

She'd ride her bike around the neighborhood wearing her Yankee's baseball cap, while her mother baked the matzaballs, wondering about Ike's tax cuts, while trying to run over the cat's tail.

It's all in her book!

[Ruth A.]

A good editor would have just deleted "white." Realisticaly speaking, in the 1950's that's what the suburbs were, so it is redundant. IF Hillary really wrote this, it is an intriguing insight to her view of race.

Yes, the Demos are always getting a pass at this kind of stuff. Point it out as often as possible. Maybe, just maybe, the media will learn to shut up to piddling complaints.

[joesnuffy]

Peterson was being sarcastic and pointing out the double standard of the media and civil rights groups
He is one of the good guys

[RS]

Still sounds like something Hillery might think....