Hillary Clinton, campaign bully. Al Jazeera America 1/28/16

[nc4bo]

http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2016/1/hillary-clinton-campaign-bully.html

I have always admired Hillary Clinton’s ambition. What’s distressing is how far she’s willing to go to fulfill it. As we learned in 2008, Clinton plays nice when an unlikely rival first appears out of nowhere, steadily gaining in popularity and momentum. But as soon as it’s clear that her challenger poses a real threat, she panics and whips off the gloves.

In 2008 she assured “60 Minutes” that then-Sen. Barack Obama was not a Muslim, “as far as I know.” Many interpreted the qualifying phrase as insinuating that Obama could be a Muslim. Others insisted that members of the media were reading too much into that final clause.

That remark was open to interpretation; other tactics were unambiguously dirty. It was reported in 2008 that Clinton staffers circulated a photo of Obama in African dress to fuel rumors that he was a Muslim. Her campaign’s New Hampshire co-chairman, Bill Shaheen, resigned in 2008 after raising questions about Obama’s teenage drug use, and two Iowa volunteer coordinators resigned after forwarding emails about Obama’s nonexistent Muslim identity. Mark Penn, Clinton’s chief campaign strategist early in her 2008 run, advised the campaign in a 2007 memo to emphasize Obama’s “lack of American roots.” Penn, too, ultimately resigned.

Guess what? There's even more juicy goodness at the link.

ETA: Raina Lipsitz writes about feminism, politics and pop culture. Her work has appeared in TheAtlantic.com, Kirkus Reviews, McSweeney’s, Nerve.com, Ploughshares, Salon.com and xoJane, among others.

The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera America's editorial policy.

[catnhatnh]

1. I like this:

"It is possible Clinton has a set of core principles from which she would never deviate, even in a tight race for a position she really wanted. But aside from a belief that women should not be limited by gender — a view Sanders shares — it’s not at all clear what those are."

[nc4bo]

2. That quote stuck out for me too. nt

[John Poet]

3. Examples of her sparkling 2008 campaign...

"In 2008 she assured “60 Minutes” that then-Sen. Barack Obama was not a Muslim, “as far as I know.” Many interpreted the qualifying phrase as insinuating that Obama could be a Muslim. Others insisted that members of the media were reading too much into that final clause.

"That remark was open to interpretation; other tactics were unambiguously dirty. It was reported in 2008 that Clinton staffers circulated a photo of Obama in African dress to fuel rumors that he was a Muslim. Her campaign’s New Hampshire co-chairman, Bill Shaheen, resigned in 2008 after raising questions about Obama’s teenage drug use, and two Iowa volunteer coordinators resigned after forwarding emails about Obama’s nonexistent Muslim identity. Mark Penn, Clinton’s chief campaign strategist early in her 2008 run, advised the campaign in a 2007 memo to emphasize Obama’s “lack of American roots.” Penn, too, ultimately resigned."


Ah, memories!