How Hillary Clinton Courted Racists In Pennsylvania

[Better Believe It]

Counterpunch
April 25, 2008
The Bitter and the Biased
How Clinton Courted Racists in Pennsylvania
By DAVE LINDORFF

Clinton began her focus on the white vote in earnest during the South Carolina primary, when husband Bill famously equated Obama’s campaign with that of an earlier black presidential campaigner, Jesse Jackson. The linkage was immediately spotted as a clever way of labeling Obama as a “black” candidate, since Jackson has always been a lightning rod for white voters because of his active support for such touchy issues as affirmative action and fair housing laws.

She also made much during the Pennsylvania campaign of Obama’s membership in a black church in Chicago, and of his relationship with the church’s black liberation preacher, Jeremiah Wright (adding that she “would have left” such a church herself).

As I said, it was an ugly campaign, in which Clinton and her surrogates went out of their way to parse and divide the Democratic electorate, and to tear down her opponent in ways that could do lasting damage, should he win the nomination in August and have to go head to head against Republican John McCain.

In Clinton’s case, certainly most of those who voted for her did so not because she was white, but because of other reasons (not least because she is a woman—Clinton won 59 percent of the female vote). But clearly some of her support came from whites—men and women—who, as Clinton Pennsylvania mentor Gov. Ed Rendell said, “will not vote for a black candidate.”

Now clearly no candidate can be blamed if bigots simply happen to vote for them, but Clinton, in this campaign, is guilty of deliberately seeking the votes of bigots. Her use of the Rev. Wright to smear Obama, her choice of lily-white extras for her campaign ads, all speak to this obscene strategy.

Please read the entire article at:

http://www.counterpunch.org/lindorff04252008.html

[galaxy21]

1. Has Hillary realized if she does get the nomination she needs black voters?

[speedoo]

3. Evidently not.

Or maybe she thinks her husband can fix things up later on.

[galaxy21]

6. AAs are the reason Bill got two terms

and this is how she repays them?

[ej510]

7. Hillary has told us to fuck off!

Hillary despises black voters now. She clearly believes that we do not matter and every black national radio show has callers that feel the same way most are hurt but now alot of us cannot stand her or Bill anymore. I have been fighting the urge to dislike her but now I can say that I cannot stand her or Bill or any of their prick of surrogates that parade around the networks.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

8. And does she realize most of the bigots who came out for her in the primary will vote McCain in Nov?

Bank on it. These are people who have been registered as Dems for decades who have been voting repuke in presidential elections since Reagan.

[HooptieWagon]

9. She has calculated that there are more racist votes than black votes.

Hillary's Southern Strategy2.0 . Yes, I think it will horribly backfire in the GE if she gets the nomination. Racists are not a reliable Dem voting bloc... nor do we want them.

[galaxy21]

12. Mccain is courting black voters in case Hillary gets the nomination

He knows he could potentially get a lot of their voters, from resentment of Hillary is nothing else.

[smiley_glad_hands]

13. That is what is so sad about her and her tactics. eom

[galaxy21]

14. Hillary is actually unelectable because of black resentment towards her

No democrat can win without black support, and she's ensured, most will not go for her in November.


I think Penn had to be Obama's highest showing amongsy blacks. And I think part of that is, many of them are so appalled with Hillary and Bill, they voted against her, rather than for obama .


Hey, Obama might get some of the working class vote. He hasn't alienated them (and he has improved on his ohio numbers). But Hillary has made it so many AAs will not vote for her under any circumstances, her numbers have gotten worse as she goes along..

[DemVet]

22. I'm sure she does.

Does that mean she's not allowed to run against an AA?

You actually believe this story?

Who are AA's going to vote for...McCain? Yeah, he'll look out for them. :sarcasm:

Stay home? That's essentially the same thing.

[speedoo]

2. Off to the greatest page you go.

K&R.

[AtomicKitten]

4. K&R Great piece.

:thumbsup:

[knixphan]

5. K&R

[clevbot]

10. K&R

[wowimthere]

11. This is not hard to see but then again... I knew Bush lied about Iraq so what does that tell you?

People either choose to be in denial or they like staying stupid. Clinton, no matter how well intentioned they are, are racists in the purest definition because their intent is to undermine the electorate to keep their power because they don't believe the candidate they are facing deserves the white house. If you employ the tactics they are using and they are racist in nature then that only means one thing... you are a racist. No one will say that aloud but it's the truth.

[invictus]

15. K & R

[scheming daemons]

16. Hillary Clinton followed Nixon's "Southern Strategy".

...and that makes her despicable.

[galaxy21]

20. And stupid because the southern strategy can only work for a republican

[Ichingcarpenter]

23. It is a short sighted strategy that doesn't build a lasting base

or coalition. But you know, she thought it would be over on super Tuesday.

[Avalux]

17. Also used guns. Robocalls to voters telling them Obama would take away their guns.

It was effective.

[Ichingcarpenter]

18. The thing is these racist won't give her the vote in the general election

the Clinton campaign is delusional if think they will.

[galaxy21]

21. Yes, racists tend to be sexists as well

[TahitiNut]

19. She should sell "Hillary" Dog-Whistles to fund her campaign.

:puke:

[azmouse]

24. K&R

[democracy1st]

25. right from the GOP playbook

[ampad]

26. K&R (NT)