Donna Brazile offers Hillary Clinton a reminder about Rev. Wright

Donna Brazile -- an uncommitted superdelegate of the Democratic National Convention and one of television's few black, female political pundits -- interjected an intriguing observation this afternoon into a discussion on CNN about Hillary Clinton's stiff-arming of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

In short, Brazile provided a pointed reminder that some voters (African Americans, in particular, we would think) might recall that Wright did not turn on Clinton's husband during an hour of need for him.

Clinton, for the first time since the fury over Barack Obama's tart-tongued former minister erupted more than a week ago, today rebuked her rival in the Democratic presidential race for his link to the pastor. Responding to question during a sit-down with a Pittsburgh newspaper -- and then later reiterating her position to other reporters in Pennsylvania -- Clinton said she would not have been a member of a church headed by someone, like Wright, who indulged in racially tinged invective.

Her comments assured another burst of attention on the Obama-Wright connection -- something her campaign didn't have to do during the white-hot heat of the controversy. And it took part of the media spotlight away from her faulty memory (or, less kindly, utter fabrication) about her visit to Bosnia when she was first lady.

Clinton could have contented herself with decrying Wright's messages without saying, in essence, that no way would she tolerate an association with the likes of him.

That's what Brazile picked up on, making a reference to Wright's willingness to join dozens of other religious figures in attending an annual White House prayer breakfast just as the Starr report on Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky -- in all its lurid detail -- was about to come out. No doubt ...

... those at the event -- at least the vast majority of them -- highly disapproved of Clinton's behavior. But they were not willing to shun him.

Brazile's none-too-subtle point: There's a potential downside to turning away, with nary a forgiving nod, from those who once stood by you.

Wright, by the way, remains out of the public eye. He had been invited to preach tonight, Wednesday and Thursday at a church in Tampa, but his appearance was canceled because of security concerns.

-- Don Frederick

 

Comments

[Pat Taylor]

Does Hillary have a pastor?

[Lhar]

Looks like Hillary and Obama have done the impossible. They have made McCain the president. Good job guys! Only two clowns like you could have ruined a golden opportunity to bring the White House back to the Democrats after 8 miserable years of George W. Thanks so much!

[Ivodo]

Clinton is playing a race card. This is disgracing the Democratic Party.

[BG]

There's been no race baiting,

Can African-Americans ever undertake any endeavor, or suffer the normal life challenges we all face, without blaming every single thing on racism?

[VoiceofReason]

Most Obama supporters (as he's currently holding the popular vote) are averse to racism against any one, and view prejudice as an unscientific, and not well thought out philosophy. It's frustrating when Obama supporters are so radical: they have the potential of turning off potential supporters. Obama has a great reputation in Illinois, across the aisle. He is not a racist in his actions, in the fruits of his labor. The whole point of an African American Caucasian president shouldn't be lost on us it should bring us together. That's patriotism.

[Mr. Unite Us]

Clinton would still be lying Bosnia if the video,
had not turned up. After a few days of trying to explain,
she said she mispoke. No she made up a lie and told it repeatedly. She lied to the American people.

Wright's sermon in Context.
He was actually quoting a white Republican ambassador.
ABC should be boycotted for it's misleading editing and splicing of the video tape.

http://baldeagle08.wordpress.com/2008/03/21/cnn-msnbc-cbs-abc-fox-news-lied-about-pastor-jeremiah-wright-see-911-sermon-in-context/

[Jack]

Obama's got serious problems with ethnic white males, Hispanics, Jews, and older white females....

How can this guy be the nominee??

HILLARY can beat John McCain, not a guy who hangs out with people who hate America and resent white people

[ross]

We the people, count our Popular Vote, whoever wins, wins!

Remember the delegate problem in Bush vs. Gore 2000.
The system is broken, and conventions are a waste of taxpayer and donor finances. Let's finish it!

We the people, count our Popular Vote, whoever wins, wins!

[musafir]

The comments by Obamamania make me wonder if the author is a saboteur for McCain or HC. They are playing dirty pool and anything goes.

Those who are involved in the Obama-HC dog fight, think of the last eight years. McCain has recast himself as a Bush clone. Expect him to be no different than the current incumbent of the White House. There is one area where McCain stands above Bush -- he speaks better English. Is that enough?

A former John Edwards backer, I'm for Obama. But I'll support the Democratic candidate if HC happens to succeed in winning the nimination.

[WylieD]

90% of black voters are going with Obama, and Donna Brazile accuses Clinton of disloyalty.

[Bill Balack]

I notice that every 2 or 3 posts on this story is by the same individual, using a different name, trying to portray the stereotype characterless victim. Since we all know that such a victim does not exist in the world, let us not take these comments seriously. They are made by an impoverished Republican silly boy who is acting out for us.

Applause to silly boy, I hope you learn more about the issues that face our nation some day. Until then, the rest of us will write from our hearts, not pretend to be stupid.

[cdl]

Obama's pastor wouldn't be mine either. The way you Obama-mites protest over nothing, is short of hilarious.
You're the biggest comedians out there.
I can see where this country is headed if he is elected. We'll have the Obama Righteous Patrol listening to our every conversation. Talk about Big Brother.

[LeavinLA]

And Hillary chooses to be a right wing fundamentalist thanks to her association with Santorum's and Brownbacks' DC fellowship. She's pathetic.

[LT]

Why is it acceptable to Donna Brazile that Obama campaign should circulate photos of Bill and Wright in an attempt to draw Clintons in this, but it is not acceptable at all that Clinton speaks about Wright. People will do themselves and voters a favor if they stoped pretending and come clean whom they support.

[soflindie]

I can no longer support The Clintons - I had blinders on for too many years . Through out EVERY scandal and there were many , I defended. Now , I see that I was wrong. I am sorry to all of those who tried to warn me that they would turn against me, my party and my country.
I started getting a glimpse back when I worked for an HIV/AIDS charity and could not get a Clinton to even notice us without the right amount of cash. We were able to get bigger celebrities for free.
Now, I see that glimpse has turned into a huge WAKE-UP ALL. Vote for a Clinton ? Not Now , Not Ever !

[gina]

It is too bad that the "holier than thou" attitude of Mrs. Clinton brushes over the Whitewater scandal which involved close friends...brushes over the pardons then president Clinton gave to friends and supporters, brushes over her bad recollections of all her executive experiences which now turn out to be at best exaggerations or at worst fabrications....she is being called on her recollections of Ireland...David Trimbell had this to say about Hillary’s role in the peace process: “Hillary Clinton had no direct role in bringing peace to Northern Ireland and is a "wee bit silly" for exaggerating the part she played.
Lawmakers say she played no role in the writing of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP which she is saying in her campaign speeches "she helped start....and at least one attendee at a NAFTA rally has stated that it is "ludicrous" to suggest that Hillary Clinton was a half-hearter backer of a deal that has cost the United States hundreds of thousands of unionized jobs. She herself wrote in her book that Nafta is a big success...it's there...in writing. Sometimes she "mispeaks" somtimes she "misremembers" . Today she forgot that in his desperation to divert attention from hiis 'misspeaking" about the Lewinsky issue, her husband used whatever means were at his disposal including embracing a church minister which she now denounces.

[Larkin G. Mead]

To Obamamania - I am white and proud of my whiteness and my heritage. I am proud to be an American and I defended my country during the Vietnam era. I am not a racist nor a bigot. I believe with all my heart in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, "to not judge a person by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character"!

I do not judge Barack Obama nor Rev. Wright by the color of their skin. I do not subscribe to the rantings and defamation of our nation by Rev. Wright and I too would never sit in a church pew and tolerate a minister, priest or rabbi using such foul and inflammatory rhetoric.

I am a typical white American and I am Republican and I am voting for Senator John McCain. This does not make me a racist, but your generalization that a "typical white American is racist" reeks of racism. So now who is the rascist?

[Mark Amato]

Reparations? That is insanity. There would be civil war before reparrations. Blacks are only 12% and they better remember that before talking so stupid about reparations.

[windu]

We should all be ashamed of ourselves. Petty, selfish, hate-filled crabs, the lot of us.

[Jamie]

The African American community abandoned teh Clintons at lightening speed absolutely forgetting who stood by them not only for the 8 White House years but with activism before that. Is that becuase they are white and a black person came along? That seems racist to me. I have actually been very disappointed in the bias of Ms Brazile, thought she'd be above it but then I thought Richardson would follow the vote of his constituents like he staed supers should. Things that make you go hmmmmmm They are making the Clintons look better daily -- go Hillary!

[bruce becker]

SAY IT: Hilary Clinton lied about her role in Bosnia and lied about the circumstances. There were no bullets flying. There was a bouquet of flowers. I have lived where bullets were flying and I went to bed to the sound of machine gun fire. You don't forget that sound. You can't forget that sound.

She did not "misspeak." She lied.

She tried to keep her 'first lady papers' and the lies they would reveal, hidden until after the primary season, and only provided them during the furor over Rev Wright, hoping her lies would go unnoticed.

Now it is time for her to publish her earmark gifts to her region and her tax returns which will show us how she came up with the $5 Million she loaned her campaign.

[SB]

Obamamania is either ignorant or likes to ignore the facts. Fact #1: Obama is proud of America, not damning it. Fact #2: Most of the rascist hate speech seen today is from blacks (like Obamamania and Rev Wright) - not whites. Fact #3: Blacks and Muslims were (and still are) willing participants in slavery. Whites generally didn't trek into Africa to capture slaves. Other blacks captured the slaves, then sold them to Muslim and white traders. Fact #4: Slavery is still practiced today - primarily in Africa. Fact #5: Practically everybody living today is descended from slaves, since most societies kept slaves at one time or another. Some of us have managed to get over it. Fact #6: Many white Americans' ancestors emigrated here after the Civil War and never participated in black slavery. Fact #7: The Civil War was fought over the issue of slavery. Over 360,000 Union soldiers died helping to free the slaves. Yes, there have been injustices in the past, but there has been enormous progress made since slavery ended. Today blacks are as empowered as whites. If a black person chooses to educate and apply himself or herself, that person can become a Secretary of State, a Supreme Court Justice, a member of Congress, a Governor, a Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a candidate for President. If a black person chooses to wallow in victimhood instead, that's their choice. Just accept responsibility for it and stop blaming the whites.

[bruce becker]

DId the CIA train bin Laudin? Yes.
DId the CIA support and train his entire cadre of murderers? Yes
Bin Laudin and his murderers are the direct product of US tax dollars at work.

Bin Laudin's suicide bombers were indeed just some of the chickens that came home to roost. The US, your tax dollars at work, the CIA, all earned that karma.

Dont blame the messenger.

[Bill L]

Obamamania I don't really think your an Obama supporter or your really stupid to think what you said would help him get elected. Cheap shots like that are so imuture

[strick]

yulle, you must be uneducated and stupid. You stated blacks are voting for Obama because we think we are getting a free check up the road. Can you tell me why whites are voting for him? ignorant ass