Hillary Clinton and the race card

Did she, or did she not, play the "race card?"

That's the question being hashed over in much of political Washington concerning comments Hillary Clinton made to USA Today in making her case for soldiering on in her bid to draw to an inside straight and overtake Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential race.

Here's the passage swirling the discussion:

" 'I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on,' she said in an interview with USA Today. As evidence, Clinton cited an Associated Press article 'that found how Sen. Obama's support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states (those voting in Tuesday's Indiana and North Carolina primaries) who had not completed college were supporting me.' "

"There's a pattern emerging here," she said.

Her defenders scoffed at the notion that she was sowing divisiveness, saying she was merely stating the obvious and that she resisted any mention of the almost monolithic support from blacks that has been central to Obama's successes.

Clinton herself, the article says later, "rejected any idea ...

... that her emphasis on white voters could be interpreted as racially divisive. 'These are the people you have to win if you're a Democrat in sufficient numbers to actually win the election. Everybody knows that.' ''

Detractors argued that she was taking an obvious step to casting herself as the "white" candidate.

Longtime Democratic operative Bob Shrum, who led John Kerry's unsuccessful 2004 presidential campaign, said that party leaders -- including convention superdelegates -- fear that Clinton may be adopting a strategy that unnecessarily fuels antagonisms within party ranks.

The result, he added, could be a political environment "in which Democrats lose the unlosable election."

-- Don Frederick

Comments

[Mellow_Nomah]

While Hilary may have pointed out a truth -- albeit in terribly maladroit fashion -- I find the notion that Senator Obama is unelectable insulting of my intelligence. His totals in the popular vote, the number of contests won, and, most tellingly, in his broad fund raising efforts all point to a candidate who energizes the electorate and draws voters to him in droves. His intellect and knockout speaking abilities are going to completely overwhelm Sen. McCain's rather dry presentation style, and I don't think McC can win many policy debates: the orthodox Right solutions have been tried in this administration and found wanting.

I think Senator Obama is headed for a huge mandate from the electorate, and if Hillary keeps this up, she's going to turn herself into a pariah in the party. That would be a shame: she's been a dinkum senator for New York so far. The Clintonian love of scorched earth is not serving the party well and should be abandoned. It's time for her to fold.

Just think: by this time next year, Mr. Bush and his cohort will likely be well on the way to being indicted on a wide variety of war crimes, obstruction, and miscellaneous other charges. We'll get out of this mess yet. God bless America!

[Bob]

Geraldine was right, of course.

[Richard P. McDonough]

"Her supporters scoffed..."
Typical.
She has been doing this race baiting all along. She is more like Rove than anybody in the party since Tail Gunner Joe McCarthy.

[Donna from SC]

Of course she's playing the race card, Hillary will play any card to win, which is why I (a white woman over 40 in the South) would never vote for her to be in any high position of government, let alone as President. I'd never vote for her to be VP either.

In the past, I've only voted Republican, but for the first time, if Obama is the Democratic nominee for President in the fall, then I'll vote for him over McCain. But if Hillary won the nomination then I'd have to vote for McCain, even though I don't like him, because he is the lesser of two evils between him and Hillary.

Hillary only cares about Hillary and would not do what was the best for America if she was President.

[jrldev]

Why are surprise about the Clintons? Both of them have manipulated the race issue since the 90's.
Now Hillary brings back memories of Adolf Hitler.
When all his commanders kept telling him that the war was lost his attitude was that if he goes down he will take Germany down with him.
That is what she is doing to the Democratic Party
The race card play is her last straw and the two idiots we have as Senators are not much different in gpong along with her.

[lisa]

The media is bought and sold by the Clintons-- could they be any softer on her?
DID she play the race card? Doesn't she always... after the gender card and poor victim card doesn't work.

Sick of her divisiveness-- she plays to the WORST in the American people-- and the racists people who gobble this junk up will be left behind in this country.

[Joe Martinec]

After having voted for (twice) and defended Bill Clinton (endlessly), I would prefer to believe that they are not rascists, but, if not, it is abundantly clear that they are clueless. They have worked tirelessly to remind Democratic voters that Obama is (merely) a black candidate. They have deepened the cleavage between black Democrats and Reagan Democrats at every opportunity. When anyone notes this strategic Clinton ploy, they have decried the playing of the race card by, go figure, anyone who notices what they are doing. Now Hillary tells the super-delegates, "let me please exploit this divisive issue for three more weeks. If I have not succeeded in permanently damaging the Democratic Party by then, I will give my unqualified (truly) support to Obama. Trust me." The super-delegates will clearly not be very "super" if they allow her to do this. We don't need spineless super-delegates.

[Judy]

Of course Hillary and Bill have been playing the race card ever since South Carolina--when they realized just how much they had underestimated his campaign. They probably thought that a black candidate didn't stand a chance of competing against the mighty Hillary; after all, the nomination was hers for the taking! Now she has let the American people see her true character--lying, conniving, two-faced, unprincipled, tenacious, win-at-any-cost, say-anything-to-please-the-dumb-masses. It took a really close race to bring those ugly traits out, but they are there for all to see. The gas tax was the last insult to our intelligence. Hillary, please just fade away quietly.

[Donnie]

If you want to see Senators race card. Listen to what she said in her speech In Charleston WV thursday morning. “I’m winning Catholic voters and Hispanic voters and blue collar workers and seniors, the kind of people that Sen McCain will be fighting for in the general election,” she said. “My campaign is winning swing states. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Arkansas, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, and yes, Michigan and Florida.”
In translation (white voters) and here in West Virginia race will probably br the deciding factor, she will probably win here ( my home) in wv. I personally think that race should not be an issue, but there is a lot of racism here. Maybe thats because there is only 5% of the population is black. So listen, and you will probably see the race card appear more and mor before the wv election.

[Jerry Tsai]

Impossible mathematically to win the nomination... like Huckabee.

Funding campaign using huge personal wealth... like Romney.

Pushes idiotic gas tax holiday... like McCain.

Staffs her organization, selecting people not on their competence, but for their loyalty... like Bush.

Touts that she is the candidate of "white people" only... much like Republicans do.

There's a pattern emerging here,

Clinton should have sought the Republican nomination. The majority of Democrats have chosen the only true Democrat in the Democratic race. Now that the party's over, she can now switch parties.

[alice]

Enough is enough. yes as one person said Hill is a 2 faced B- but obama is a raciest. He won only because he is black. and as a black person that sadens me that our people would vote on the color of his skin instead of what he stands for. we don't know what he stands for because he hsa been so busy saying he wants change no one ever asked "WHAT KIND OF CHANGE" not all change is good. when are people on both sides going torelize that the color of a persons skin does not make the person. My self I will for the first time not vote for a dem. why because they both make em ashamed. and more so I am ashamed of my brothers and sisters out ther that think that a person is right just because of the color of his skin, we all know that that is not true. I am also ashamed of the reps. because they are afraid to say that he won because of his color. Well I for one don't need a picture drawn out. Obama got over 90% of the black vote NO white person ever came that close. The sad part id no one knows what his plans in office are. what are your "changes"? Please people on both sides if you ever want racism to stop, quit pointing it out.

[Art]

The most important job of the superdelegates is to put the strongest candidate up for the final race. I hope they wake up out of Obama-mania (which has practically become a cult) and realize that OBAMA IS NOT ELECTABLE!! The guy has accomplished absolutely nothing other than giving speeches; as to his character, he demonstrated that he is spineless through his behavior with Wright; he has never faced a tough situation in adult life before the campaign; he proved himself a pansy in the Illinois legislature. McCain would be better at handling foreign crises than Obama, although I hate to think how badly he (McCain) will damage the federal courts.

Looks like the democrats will lose the white house again because of their mental fog.

[Judy]

Shame on you, Mrs. Clinton!

It's unfortunate that Hillary cannot back out graciously. She is showing desperation. I suppose, the only thing that she feels she has left, may be to play the 'race card.' However, she HAS been implying a racial division of voters for the past few weeks. She's just been describing it in terms of a certain class of 'workers'. Her statements and actions in her campaign are and have been offensive.

Now that her hunger for power has taken her to a new low, it's difficult to have even one iota of respect left for her. How sad and unfortunate that Hillary must stoop to the lowest possible level.

All races, in a majority of our USA population, of all skin shades; white, black, and brown; have clearly cast the majority of votes for Obama. He IS bringing the country together. Mrs. Clinton statements imply a racial division. How shameful!

Obama is clearly ahead in the popular vote and in the number of delegates. Hillary is in denial. She just cannot accept that the country does not want her in the White House. I suspect that she'll not give up even after Obama is declared the nominee at the Democrat convention.

Judy

[Az]

Calling Obama supporters idiots is a bit silly. Considering how popular he is, that is an awful lot of people... Also, yes, I am sure people know what smurfs are. Just because a few college students support him does not mean we are all young, and naive.

[CT Yankee]

Hillary Clinton has spent the last two months claiming that Obama is "unelectable". Why has no one ever asked her to explain what she means by that comment?

The person who is very close to getting the Dem nomination, ie., beating Hillary in the popular vote as well as everything else - she calls "unelectable".

But people ARE actually helping to elect Obama - he does have much more of the popular vote than she does. So what does Clinton mean?

The answer she made pretty clear today is this: she does not think that people in this country will vote for a man whose skin color is a little darker than hers.

That is called racism and she is a bigot. Sadly, I would not be surprised if she has a Michael Richards meltdown when it finally sinks in that she lost.

[Jim]

It is about time .Most of BO supporters are Black and they will tell you they vote that way because he is black. But if a white person says they are voting for Hillary because she is white . it is race baiting, race card, or plan racist.
There is a 100lb Gorrila in the room during this whole election and no one is willing to acknowledge it because of the fear of offending anyone.
It's about time we call a spade a spade

[Rashaad Abdur-Rahman]

she is not playing the "race card"! That's just her "Arkansas" showing.

[Please ! ! !]

Hillary Clinton might pause and remember that "white" people are not the only ones on this planet. Other ethnicities also have rights and is smart enough to exercise these rights in these 2008. This was a very hard fought contest and she should end it with dignity and pride. We are all part of these United States of America (and in those words I do not see, Black, African America, White, Hispanic, etc.)... I believe she deliberately played the race card to remind everyone, especial "white people" that Obama is Black and she is White, as if we did not know this already. She should get over herself... She lost, move on....

[carmen]

Obama supporters are stupid because 1. they don't understand that Obama is not as much of a political insider as Clinton, and therefore less likely to uphold the status quo. 2. Clinton too is a very good attorney 3. They are gay

[Brett]

Let's see... yes, he's half black so poor, dumb white folks don't particularly like him. But... Hillary is disliked (although I would typically choose a stronger version of the word) so strongly by so many audiences I just can't see how folks think she's electable. It was on (I seem to remember) a Time cover: Hillary: Love her or Hate her. That pretty much sums it up and unfortunately the Hates overwhelm the Loves by more than a small margin. I personally don't know what she stands for and she's politically motivated enough to completely overlook the fact her president husband was getting hummers from a 20 year old 300 feet away from her. That's not love, that's political motivation. Ewww...

[Minneapolis]

Hillary's line about "working, hardworking Americans, white Americans" is spectacularly offensive. This is either a monumental gaffe on her part or a nasty race-baiting ploy. Either way, she has some apologizing to do.

Obama won a big swath of Midwestern and Mountain states, some of which have a very small Black population (like 1.04% for North Dakota or 4.4% for Minnesota). He won these states by transcending race, not pandering to it.

[rarelyhome]

the democrats having been in the spot light with really no press for republicans for the past several months. Do you think for one moment the jessie jacksons and the al sharptons arent going to scream bloody murder when in fact there is no way kn the final role call for obama to win.

the democrats lost this election by whom they selected to represent them, not on the issues. if it were a matter of issues only they would win hands down

[Hilarysgirl]

HELOOOOO 9/10 blacks vote Obama.

WAKE UP HOUSTON

HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM.

[BJ]

Is the media tryng to put words in her mouth again? She was just quoting what you, the media have been reporting!

She's right, she does have a broader spectrum of voters! Obama has blacks/elitists/young college kids! That's pretty narrow.

NO, we will NOT ACCEPT an Obama/Clinton ticket!

Hillary or McCain '08

[huxley]

Senator Clinton is not racist ....She looks down on everyone.
I dont know if it'sbecause Im not american but she is obviously in-sincere to me. Lets face it she only stuck with Bill to keep her own political ambitions alive.