WHY is it considered a good campaign strategy to use racial smears?

[Lerkfish]

I mean, this is a serious question. How does that in any way accomplish any traction for your own candidate? You're only getting bigots to agree with you.
is that the large untapped voter's block? bigots? Well, lemme clue you: bigots are going to vote republican, so again, I don't see the strategic advantage at all.

I guess I never thought DU would be the place to see such blatant racism, open, unabashed, and relentless.

[The Traveler]

1. I hope it is a piss poor strategy

It is certainly reprehensible.

[TexasObserver]

2. The idea is for the candidate to act shocked when her peeps play the race card.

But keep the beach ball of race going and in the public eye, implicitly winking at the racist voters they hope to reach.

[yeswecan08]

3. The Clinton camp is desperate to use anything - no matter how low or disgusting

[goldcanyonaz]

4. Sexist slurs are all the rage as well.

[Lerkfish]

5. not really the question, but still, what is the advantage?

its not helping your candidate at all.

[stillcool]

6. Campaigning Clinton Style...

Clinton Surrogate Compares Obama Ad to Nazi March
http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20080201/cm_thenation/45278988_1
Fri Feb 1, 2:23 PM ET

The Nation -- On a media conference call organized by the Hillary Clinton campaign today, Clinton surrogate Len Nichols compared an Obama health care ad to Nazis. The ad features a couple at a kitchen table, which some Clinton supporters said was reminiscent of "the famous insurance-industry-financed 'Harry and Louise' ads against the original Clinton plan," as The Politico reports, and Mr. Nichols said it "personally outraged" him.


Accusing political opponents of Nazism is an outrageous smear. Raising the specter of a Nazi march in response to a health care mailer that evokes the insurance industry is so absurd, it would be hard to take the attack seriously, were it not launched from a high profile national campaign conference call in this crucial stretch of the presidential race. And political observers know, of course, that the Clinton Campaign regularly arranges opportunities for surrogates to launch these kind of smears, which are later followed up with apologies. (See: Bob Johnson, Bill Shaheen, Bob Kerrey, and Francine Torge, to name the most recent offenders.) For his part, Nichols did not immediately return a call requesting further comment.
-------------------------
Len Nichols, Director of New America's Health Policy Program, stated, "For nearly 17 years I have worked tirelessly to reform our nation's struggling health system. Today my passion overwhelmed me. I chose an analogy that was wholly inappropriate. I am deeply sorry for any offense that my unfortunate comments may have caused. I made unfortunate comments that do not accurately reflect my bipartisan conviction, political philosophy, or most importantly, my opinions about Senator Obama and his historic campaign for the United States presidency."

Clinton adviser steps down after drug use comments
Earlier Thursday, Clinton personally apologized to rival Obama for Shaheen's remarks.
Obama accepted her apology, according to David Axelrod, the top political strategist for the Obama campaign.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/13/clinton.obama/index.html

January 6, 2008, 5:18 pm
Edwards: No Conscience in Clinton Campaign
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/edwards-no-conscience-in-clinton-campaign/
By Julie Bosman
KEENE, N.H. – John Edwards angrily took on Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton at two news conferences in a row on Sunday, saying that her campaign “doesn’t seem to have a conscience.”

COMPTON, Calif. (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton and her campaign tried to mend ties to black voters Thursday when a key supporter apologized to her chief rival, Barack Obama, for comments that hinted at Obama's drug use as a teenager. The candidate herself, meanwhile, praised the Rev. Martin Luther King and promised to assist with the rebirth of this troubled, largely black city.

Bob Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television, apologized for comments he made at a Clinton campaign rally in South Carolina on Sunday that hinted at Obama's use of drugs as a teenager.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-01-17-johnson-apology_N.htm?csp=34

December 10, 2007
Third Clinton Volunteer Knew Of Smear E-Mail

A third volunteer for Hillary Clinton's campaign was aware of a propaganda e-mail alleging that Barack Obama is a Muslim who plans on "destroying the U.S. from the inside out."

"Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's expected presidential Candidacy," the email reads. "Please forward to everyone you know. The Muslims have said they Plan on destroying the U.S. from the inside out, what better way to start than at The highest level."

Two Clinton volunteers, Linda Olson and Judy Rose, have already been asked to resign from the campaign for their roles in forwarding the e-mail. The AP reported yesterday that Olson, a volunteer coordinator in Iowa County, sent a version of the e-mail to 11 people, including Ben Young, a regional field director for Chris Dodd's campaign. Young passed it on to the AP.
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/02/hillary_adviser_harold_ickes_t.php

Hillary: Sorry for Any Offense Campaign (Bill) Has Caused
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB65wJ6Rcfs

Bill Clinton Asks for a Second Chance
By Liz Halloran
Posted February 11, 2008

The morning after his wife, Hillary, was routed in three state contests by Sen. Barack Obama in their dead-heat battle for the Democratic nomination, former President Bill Clinton made his case for her before a packed Sunday service at one of the largest black churches in Washington, D.C.
But first he offered an apology of sorts for racially tinged comments he made about Obama and his candidacy that have triggered a backlash in the black community and among many other Democrats.

Clinton invoked his "worship of a God of second chances" in pronouncing himself glad to be at the Temple of Praise, which claims nearly 15,000 members. His invocation of second chances echoed comments he made early last week at black churches in California, where he campaigned for his wife before that state's Super Tuesday primary, which she won.
http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/campaign-2008/2008/02/11/bill-clinton-asks-for-a-second-chance.html

Bill Clinton To Apologize At LA Black Churches
Once again, Bill Clinton is ready to repent.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/02/bill-clinton-to-apologize_n_84573.html
On Sunday the former president is scheduled to visit black churches in South Central Los Angeles, where he's expected to offer a mea culpa to those who "dearly loved him" when he was their president, Rep. Diane Watson (D-Calif.) says.

Watson, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus who has endorsed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), tells us she'll usher the former president to more than half a dozen churches in her district where she says he needs to "renew his relationship" with congregants who were turned off by his racially tinged comments in the days leading up to and following the South Carolina primary. (Such as when Clinton compared Sen. Barack Obama's landslide victory to Jesse Jackson's wins in 1984 and 1988.)

Source: Hillary Adviser Harold Ickes Tells Surrogates To Refer To Super-Delegates As "Automatic Delegates"
By Greg Sargent - February 12, 2008, 11:43AM

In a sign that the spin war over the significance of super-delegates is underway in earnest, Harold Ickes told assorted Hillary supporters on a private conference call yesterday that the campaign wants them to start referring to super-delegates as "automatic delegates," according to someone on the call.

The person I spoke to paraphrases Ickes, who is spearheading Hillary's super-delegate hunt, this way: "We're no longer using the phrase super delegates. It creates a wrong impression. They're called automatic delegates. Because that's what they are."

The worry appears to be that the phrase "super-delegates" implies that "they have super-powers or super influence when they don't," the source says, describing Ickes' thinking. In other words, the phrase suggests that they have greater than average clout and that they have the power to overrule the democratic process, giving it the taint of back-room power politics
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/02/hillary_adviser_harold_ickes_t.php

[OHdem10]

7. I do not believe any Campaign will use racial smears intentionally

People have a knack at calling lots of things Racist or Racism.
A clear indication we have not reached the best place on race
relations.

[Lerkfish]

8. I think you are being overly optimistic, there.

the post above you lists a litany of examples that describe a pattern that is seemingly deliberate.

[ThatPoetGuy]

9. I decided to support Obama...

but it wasn't an easy decision. What made it difficult was the sexism.

Here on DU, many Obama supporters use gender-hostile words indiscriminately; Hillary is a "bitch," some would say, and when people would call those comments sexist, other Obama supporters would say, "You Hillbots see sexism everywhere." Except I've never been a Hillary supporter. I was for Edwards, now I'm for Obama, I just don't want to buy into the gender-hostility of the hate-Hillary brigade.

Obama's own camp was out there steadily spreading this. On tv, his paid surrogates would go into interviews, and describe Hillary's weird laugh as a "cackle." I thought it was more of a "guffaw" myself. It was undeniably a weird laugh. But "cackle"? Who cackles? Oh right, witches cackle.

Obama himself went on SNL for a sketch where Hillary was called a witch repeatedly. A "scary witch." So -- was that saying she's an ugly old woman? Was it saying she has evil powers and wields them towards harm? Was it saying she should be burned at the stake?

All this is beyond sexism. Obama's campaign spread the hatred and fear of women. Most of his supporters don't care.

And I, in order to support him, have to keep looking back at his record -- it seems like he was a damn good man before this campaign began, and I'm hoping he's still a good man at the end of it.

[jackson_dem]

10. Because it won Obama SC, GA, AL, and MD

Every state that has voted on racial lines (states where at least 70% of whites and blacks voting for someone of the same color) has went to Obama. He knew what he was doing.

[emilyg]

11. Michelle knew what she was doing, too.

[jackson_dem]

12. Yup. Imagine if Bill had said "Whites wall wake up (and support Hillary almost exclusively)"

At the time she said it Obama was in the 40's with blacks in an eight candidate field. Clearly Michelle, and Barack "we need to solidify the black vote" Obama thought they should get unanimous black support. They achieved it by the ugliest method: swiftboating the Clintons on race.