MyDD :: Eugene is pissed off

Eugene is pissed off

by hebi, Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:12:57 AM EST

UPDATED:
Now also the NYT tells it like it is.

"We endorsed Mrs. Clinton, and we know that she has a major contribution to make. But instead of discussing her strong ideas, Mrs. Clinton claimed in an interview with USA Today that she would be the better nominee because a recent poll showed that “Senator Obama’s support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again.” She added: “There’s a pattern emerging here.”
Yes, there is a pattern — a familiar and unpleasant one. It is up to Mrs. Clinton to change it if she hopes to have any shot at winning the nomination or preserving her integrity and her influence if she loses."

I hope Hillary still reads the NYT

Eugene Robbinson has been cautiously more positive about Barack Obama than about Hillary Clinton for awhile now, but now he is, in his quiet, humorous, diplomatic way, really firing all guns at Hillary. He is not amused by her comments in an AP interview yesterday.
"that found how Senator Obama's support ... among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again. I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on."
And to be absolutely clear about what she was saying, in the polls she was referring to, there was no category "hard-working Americans" defined.
It must be so difficult for a man like Eugene to heara himself being disqualified from the hard working Americans category by Hillary. Of course she is dissapointed, of course she would have liked to get a bigger share of the African American vote, but for her to so bluntly disrespect non-white voters is really hard to swallow for me, and I am white.
I can imagine that for honest hardworking blacks like Eugene, it is impossible.

This is how Eugene reads it.
"As a statement of fact, that's debatable at best. As a rationale for why Democratic Party superdelegates should pick her over Obama, it's a slap in the face to the party's most loyal constituency -- African-Americans -- and a repudiation of principles the party claims to stand for. Here's what she's really saying to party leaders: There's no way that white people are going to vote for the black guy. Come November, you'll be sorry."

If anyone believes that the AA voting block will come in line and vote for Hillary in november like meek sheep, you must be living in a different universe.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/article s/2008/05/desperate_clinton_is_danger_to .html

Poll

Votes: 19
Results : Vote Link : Polls

Tags: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, 2008 Primary, Eugene Robbinson (all tags)

Permalink :: 48 Comments :: Post a Comment

Nono. Charlie Rangel said she (2.00 / 1)

couldn't have said anything that stupid so it simply did not happen. She's marginalizing herself. It's interesting to watch.

My candidate lost fair and square. So did yours. Get over it and let's kick McSame's ass!

by RLMcCauley on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:18:06 AM EST

Re: Nono. Charlie Rangel said she (2.00 / 1)

I don't find it interesting at all. I've tried to avoid negative diaries about the candidates as best as I could, but this one is realy nasty.
And she has had more than enough time now to come back to this and explain that this came out of her mouth the wrong way, but I haven't seen her or Wolfson or one of the other guys from her campaign do it yet.

by hebi on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:26:56 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nono. Charlie Rangel said she (2.00 / 1)

Well they've been saying "he's not one of us" in one form or another for a while so I doubt they'll come out and say "she misspoke". What's interesting is that if she wasn't already doomed in a hypothetical GE matchup this year she most certainly is now so what's her game?

My candidate lost fair and square. So did yours. Get over it and let's kick McSame's ass!

by RLMcCauley on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:45:38 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nono. Charlie Rangel said she (2.00 / 1)

See, that's what puzzles me. Fairly or not, there's been a history in the campaign of the Clintons and some of their surrogates making statements that have been seen as divisive or worse by some AAs.

They've got to be aware of this perception, which makes it curious that she'd phrase it so carelessly in the first place, and doubly that they'd let it go on like this.

by Rorgg on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:46:52 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Eugene is pissed off (none / 0)

its REALLY interesting when you first post the question she was trying to answer namely

What is Your Path to the Nomination?

she gets asked that and talks about white voters? hmmm

Obama said, as Bill beamed. "Thank you, President Clinton."

by TruthMatters on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:20:02 AM EST

It was a bad answer on so many levels (none / 0)

ignoring the obvious, that voting group ISN'T a path to the nomination. It's simply insufficient in the numbers that she's been winning it. 60-40 working class white vs. well everyone else doesn't get you anywhere.

My candidate lost fair and square. So did yours. Get over it and let's kick McSame's ass!

by RLMcCauley on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:23:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: It was a bad answer on so many levels (none / 0)

60-40% of any group vs. everyone else wouldn't get anybody anywhere, but it isn't against "everyone else". Each camp has MANY strengths and weaknesses. Obama's strength is AA voters, higher income/education whites, liberals - Clinton's strengths are women, older voters, hispanics, and white working class. The reason I think Clinton has a better chance in the GE is that I feel a larger percentage of her likely supporters would find McCain appealing, as opposed to Obama's likely supporters. I am talking about demographics - not some anti-Obama, anti-Clinton revenge scheme. The number of people voting in the general will be much bigger - and I feel more moderate than the type of people who vote in the democratic primaries. I feel that Clinton could hold onto some of these people easier than Obama could. I think McCain's appeal to everyday people (alot of them who won't vote until the general) has been greatly underestimated by the democrats. Just my opinion.

by AnnC on Fri May 09, 2008 at 10:21:03 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: It was a bad answer on so many levels (2.00 / 1)

Eh. McCain is at his ceiling and no one has been campaigning against him. I think you overestimate McCain, who by the end of this, will be viewed as an older more unhinged version of GWB, and underestimate Obama's ability to organize.

My candidate lost fair and square. So did yours. Get over it and let's kick McSame's ass!

by RLMcCauley on Fri May 09, 2008 at 10:32:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Series of incidents. (2.00 / 2)

Even if you could pass off one or two or three of these weird Clinton comments as misunderstandings... which I don't believe personally but is certainly possible, then you have to understand that, throughout the history of blacks in this country, white politicians have been saying highly subtle but discriminatory things to use racism to their advantage.

Even if Clinton is being straight with us on this one, it shows a supreme misunderstanding of the mentality of black voters who have had the football pulled away at the last minute time and time again. That lack of understanding and care alone is enough, in my mind, to justify the loss of African American support for Hillary Clinton.

As a related example, look at the attorney firing scandal: Gonzales didn't recall any wrongdoing in the matter, but wrongdoing was certainly done. He was either up to his eyeballs in corruption, or so incompetant that we don't want someone like him being appointed by our president.

In this avalanche, the pebbles get to vote.

by Dracomicron on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:28:31 AM EST

Eugene has been campaigning for Obama (2.00 / 2)

all along. He is the one who five minutes after NH was declared for her, went on TV and started lying about "The Bradley Effect". MR Robinson has been elemental in the racial victim strategy Obama has been using since that night. He has helped, along with Donna Brazile and Jesse Jackson JR to paint the Clintons and anyone who votes for her as racist.
He can go eat worms. Of course the AA vote would go to Hillary if she is the nominee.
The problem the party has is with swing voters and women who registered as democrats to support Hillary. Those people have voted republican many times and will do it again.

For Obama it now becomes: Faith, hope and CHANGE! And the greatest of these is Change!

by TeresaInPa on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:48:43 AM EST

You can't take them for granted (none / 0)

Even if Clinton were to become the nominee, she cannot take the African American vote for granted as some politicians have.

Even if she hasn't been doing it on purpose, she has displayed a supreme lack of understanding or care for the black constituency. They've heard it all before, and in most of those cases you can't argue that there was a misunderstanding.

This is a valid issue, if Clinton is going to stay in the race: how is she going to retain the enthusiasm of these hardworking black Americans? They've been coming out in record numbers just like everyone else, and many form a powerful ground game that has helped Obama greatly in voter registration and local promotion. Clinton would be a fool to overlook these resources, but if they feel like she would sell them out to garner a few more white votes, there's every chance that they won't put out much effort to help her win.

What is Clinton going to do to make peace with a black community that, rightly or wrongly, sees her campaign as taking them for granted?

In this avalanche, the pebbles get to vote.

by Dracomicron on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:56:54 AM EST
[ Parent ]

If enough of them feel (2.00 / 1)

that this nomination was stolen from him because he is black (which appears to be her argument), they will not support HRC in large numbers. We will lose badly.

This is over, and her comment put the final nail in the coffin. that is why BO has taken the lead in SD's today.

by IowaMike on Fri May 09, 2008 at 10:15:12 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: If enough of them feel (none / 0)

that is not her argument...and you know it...

by jentwisl on Fri May 09, 2008 at 11:14:33 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: If enough of them feel (2.00 / 1)

my base is broader. its made up of hard working americans. white americans. Obama's been losing white americans and people who didn't go to college.

Oh, you're right! I left out the uneducated.

by IowaMike on Fri May 09, 2008 at 11:25:26 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Eugene has been campaigning for Obama (none / 0)

Wow, so now you speak for ALL women? Show us the proof teresa. Hillary NEVER received overwelming support from women. Why is that?

"In the primary you should vote with your heart, but in the general, you should vote with your head" Hillary's husband

by venician on Fri May 09, 2008 at 10:17:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Eugene has been campaigning for Obama (2.00 / 1)

Why would the AA vote got to Clinton?

My candidate lost fair and square. So did yours. Get over it and let's kick McSame's ass!

by RLMcCauley on Fri May 09, 2008 at 10:34:09 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Oh Teresa (2.00 / 1)

You are delusional. This is why blacks will not vote for Hillary because of people like you that just assume that we will. Try again. If you didn't notice, Rasmussen took a poll and found that Hillary got 48% of the black vote. Keep in mind this is before she attempts to try to steal the nomination. Your dismissal of blacks as "always going to vote dem" is offensive and ignorant.

I don't care that you were married to a black man and that thus gives you a reason to say this. You are wrong and it is to your detriment and those like yourself to honestly believe this.

by sweet potato pie on Fri May 09, 2008 at 10:41:27 AM EST
[ Parent ]

And just so you know.. (none / 0)

..there is a VERY large number of pasty white people whose shoes hit the TV set last night when it was reported she said that racially charged crap.

That comment wasn't just race-baiting, it was race-chumming. It was dumping blood into the water.

This kind of drivel is NOT lost on many white folks, and we are furious about it. It is totally understandable that AA's will desert Hillary in droves after comments like this. But do realize that anti-black racist crap offends non-whites also, and we're marching out the door beside you.

by rhetoricus on Fri May 09, 2008 at 02:44:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Eugene is pissed off (2.00 / 2)

Oh yes, Eugene Robinson, the great one who on the night of the New Hampshire primary immediately issued the talking point memo of the Obama camp...the "Bradley effect"...

Eugene, Eugene, Eugene...sad and pathetic.

by Liberty on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:49:37 AM EST

Re: Eugene is pissed off (2.00 / 1)

and Hillary's comment isn't?

Or how about the Jonestownian amount of denial going on around here?

Of these three things, which is truly more pathetic?

by IowaMike on Fri May 09, 2008 at 10:18:40 AM EST
[ Parent ]

I want him to be extremly pissed (2.00 / 2)

He has been in the tank for Barack pretending to be neutral. I do not consider him an objective journalist. He is as objective as Tweety or Ogerman.

You may not agree with What I say but don't forget I am a Democrat

by indydem99 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:56:30 AM EST

Re: Eugene is pissed off (2.00 / 1)

Why is anybody listening to anything this guy says - the same guy who, 10 minutes after Clinton won in NH, decided that it was due to the "Bradley effect" - regardless of how Clinton had been heavily favored in NH for some time. I think he actually said something like the Iowa voters voted for Obama because they voted out in the open, but when NH voters got to vote "behind closed curtains, in the dark" they voted for Clinton. I found it quite offensive.

by AnnC on Fri May 09, 2008 at 10:06:51 AM EST

Re: Eugene is pissed off (2.00 / 1)

but "hard working Americans, white Americans," isn't?

by IowaMike on Fri May 09, 2008 at 10:20:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]

I don't know (2.00 / 1)

probably about as offensive as "typical white person", maybe?

by AnnC on Fri May 09, 2008 at 10:24:24 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I don't know (none / 0)

no, not even close....especially when you put all of these comments onto context.

Obama was winning the "white vote" early on, and Clinton was doing better with African Americans. It has been a series of comments and events that have shown that she has been playing the race (and sex) card. This is the bed she made, now you all can lie in it. (and yes, I mean lie)

by IowaMike on Fri May 09, 2008 at 10:30:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I don't know (none / 0)

I think if you go back and look at actual statements by Hillary Clinton, you're not going to find much in the way of racist comments - unless you're going to include the MLK comment, which was not offensive in the least. But maybe she was one of her "periodic bad days" and "feeling down". Oh wait, I forgot, only Clinton can "play the sex card".

by AnnC on Fri May 09, 2008 at 10:39:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I don't know (1.00 / 2)

sh..sh...shshhshhshsshhs.....

its okay. You are moving from denial to anger....its okay....you'll be okay......go on....let it out.....

by IowaMike on Fri May 09, 2008 at 10:41:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I don't know (2.00 / 1)

Thanks for the condescending rudeness - but back to the subject. I'm at work, so couldn't completely answer your last comment (had to do some work!). Obama has done very well with certain segments of the white population, and continues to do so, but this demographic is as much about class as race (or more so). I think it's telling that Obama does better in VT and CT with white voters, while not doing as well with white voters in OH or PA. There is a world of difference between these people. By blaming everything on race (and the media is responsible for alot of this) you take a chance of further alienating the very voters you are trying to appeal to.

by AnnC on Fri May 09, 2008 at 11:00:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I don't know (none / 0)

and whites in Iowa, Wisconsin, the midwest and western states don't count?

Who's being uppity now?

This is over. The only way she wins of if the SD's (she is behind as of today in SD's) overturn everything. If that happens, the party is fractured (hard working african americans won't show up for a stolen nominee) and we lose horribly.

You can use any convoluted logic you want, but it doesn't change the reality that this is over.

by IowaMike on Fri May 09, 2008 at 11:13:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I don't know (none / 0)

Nobody said they don't count. And I never said that Clinton was going to get the nomination. I would be shocked if she were to get it at this point - but I also think that she should stay in this race if she wants until a nominee is chosen, since neither candidate is able to secure the nomination with pledged delegates.
As far as the GE goes - it's all about electoral votes, and I don't feel that Obama has the same advantages in the states that will be in play, but that's my opinion. We won't know that until November. I am not disputing how Obama got his delegate lead, but I also don't think Utah and Wyoming are going to be much help to us in November. But I don't want to hear any whining if McCain wins by grabbing the very demographic we're arguing about.

by AnnC on Fri May 09, 2008 at 11:33:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I don't know (none / 0)

"Who's being uppity now?"

BTW, what the hell does that mean?

by AnnC on Fri May 09, 2008 at 11:36:12 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I don't know (none / 0)

I'm sure that lumping Wright, Ayers, Fahrakkan and Hamas with Obama, all in the same breath in the "debate," just had nothing to do with race-baiting whatsoever. None at all.

Oy.

by rhetoricus on Fri May 09, 2008 at 02:47:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Eugene is pissed off (1.33 / 3)

Eugene Robinson is tiresome and dull of intellect. Not the sharpest knife in the draw, has Eugene not realized that Obama is done with the race baiting phase of his campaign. Its unity all the way now that those Clintons are out of the way. Unfortunately Eugene, and that patron saint of African-American causes, Mika Brezinsinski, have benefitted so much from Clinton bashing, its hard to give up.

by superetendar on Fri May 09, 2008 at 10:18:59 AM EST

Re: Eugene is pissed off (2.00 / 1)

Assuming it was unintentional, can you at least admit that the what Hillary said, is a realy realy stupid way to say that you've got strong support with a certain demographic.

by hebi on Fri May 09, 2008 at 10:43:48 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Eugene is pissed off? Who Cares! (none / 0)

I hesitate to qualify what Hillary has said as really, really, stupid, because I'm reading the same thing being said daily by others who do not get pounced on and trashed. Particularly, it is the unfairness that I find profoundly unbearable. Eugene Robinson is stirring a pot of dynamite. People are sick of this persecution. Who is next on the list to be publicly flogged and charged with racism? Already large groups of blue collar, yes, white workers are being branded racists because they won't hand over their vote blindly to Obama. Remember, it only took one box of tea in Boston harbor to set off a revolt. This wanton and gratuitous use of race to censor and silence can only end badly. ENOUGH!

by superetendar on Fri May 09, 2008 at 01:58:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Eugene is pissed off? Who Cares! (none / 0)

What she said was that hard working Americans are white. If you don't think that's realy stupid I don't think there's much point in further discussion.

by hebi on Sun May 11, 2008 at 01:52:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Eugene is pissed off? Who Cares! (none / 0)

If you are predisposed to see racism in Hillary's comment then you will. Call it a hyper racial sensitivity. It's not my problem, but I don't think this 200 year old plus democracy should be shut down because of a few sensitive souls.

by superetendar on Sun May 11, 2008 at 05:08:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Eugene is pissed off? Who Cares! (none / 0)

Who said anything about shutting down a democracy. In an open democracy leaders that say such things are criticised and should respond to such criticism.
The tone deaf response of the Clinton campaign about just citing an AP article is a perfect example of how a democracy works. She's is at this moment losing her next re-election campaign for the senate. AA's in New York will not forget this and they will show her next election just how irrelevant their support is for Democratic candidates.

by hebi on Mon May 12, 2008 at 02:09:51 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Typical white person anyone? (none / 0)

Maibe I should have yelled, written inflamatory diaries, acted offended because Obama was saying that white people are typically racist.

I didn't,

No good deed goes unpunished.

by TaiChiMaster on Fri May 09, 2008 at 11:38:36 AM EST

Re: Typical white person anyone? (2.00 / 1)

If you've missed the storm of inflammatory diary's about that, you wasn't paying attention during that time.

And he did not say that white people are typically racist. He said that his grandmother is a typical white non-racist person as opposed to racists, who still sometimes said things, that where painfull for a boy with a black skin to hear.

by hebi on Fri May 09, 2008 at 11:46:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Typical white person anyone? (none / 0)

BOTH comments were inocuouns slip of the thong.

But Hillary is the one being hammered the most about it and that pisses me off.

by TaiChiMaster on Fri May 09, 2008 at 11:58:04 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Typical white person anyone? (none / 0)

If it's a slip of the tongue, why isn't she correcting it ???

It's starting to look like she hopes, it will help her in West-Virginia.

by hebi on Fri May 09, 2008 at 12:17:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Typical white person anyone? (none / 0)

Ok, so you are saying that she is racist then!

And since she is alligned with her, I must be too?

Ok, fine!

I know for whom to vote in the general then.

by TaiChiMaster on Fri May 09, 2008 at 12:20:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Typical white person anyone? (none / 0)

No, I'm not saying she's a racist.
I'm saying that it is beginning to look like she is trying to use race to further her goals.

But it's just possible that she is to stupidly stubborn to be able to admit she made a mistake and said something in a way that is realy offending a very large group of very loyal Democrats.

by hebi on Fri May 09, 2008 at 12:45:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Typical white person anyone? (2.00 / 1)

Then if you don't think she's a racist why should she apologize then?

What do you expect from her, something like:
"I'm not a racist but I apologise for looking like one?" Hillary won't quit and neither will she commit political suicide to accomodate you.

by TaiChiMaster on Fri May 09, 2008 at 01:08:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Typical white person anyone? (none / 0)

Am I to subtle. Don't you see that there is a difference between being racist and exploiting race for political purposes ???
So no I don't think she is a racist, but I don't exclude the possibility that she is willing to use the fact that Barack is black, to drive a wedge between him and white blue collar voters, just as she has used gender.

Is it so hard for Hillary to simply say. "Boy, that didn't come out right, of course I didn't mean to say that hard working Americans are white"

by hebi on Sun May 11, 2008 at 01:50:02 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Typical white person anyone? (none / 0)

Bye the way, I'm not into this guilt by association thing.

by hebi on Fri May 09, 2008 at 12:47:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Eugene is pissed off (none / 0)

"autiously more positive about Barack Obama than about Hillary Clinton for awhile now"

he is an all out cheeleader for BO - and a guest on KO - enough said.

"Me Fail English? That's Unpossible." Ralph Wiggum

by canadian gal on Fri May 09, 2008 at 11:52:39 AM EST

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