Obama National Co-Chairman critisizes Clinton over tears
Jesse Jackson Jr, Barack Obama’s national co-chair, was on MSNBC earlier criticizing Hillary Clinton over her emotional moment the other day.
The Key Excerpts via Talking Points Memo:
…there were tears that melted the Granite State. And those are tears that Mrs. Clinton cried on that day, clearly moved voters. She somehow connected with those voters.
But those tears also have to be analyzed. They have to be looked at very, very carefully in light of Katrina, in light of other things that Mrs. Clinton did not cry for, particularly as we head to South Carolina where 45% of African-Americans who participate in the Democratic contest, and they see real hope in Barack Obama.
We saw something very clever in the last week of this campaign coming out of Iowa, going into New Hampshire, we saw a sensitivity factor. Something that Mrs. Clinton has not been able to do with voters that she tried in New Hampshire.
Not in response to voters — not in response to Katrina, not in response to other issues that have devastated the American people, the war in Iraq, we saw tears in response to her appearance. So her appearance brought her to tears, but not hurricane Katrina.
As Todd from Mydd puts it, the Obama campaign is clearly trying to demean Clinton in the eyes of African American voters.
The more I think about this, the more I get what’s at work here. They know exactly what they’re doing. Notice the repeated reference to Hurricane Katrina. He’s using some odious dog-whistle politics here, trying to send the message to African Americans (in other words: South Carolina) that, to borrow a phrase, Hillary Clinton doesn’t care about black people.
Does Barack Obama even remember what the politics of hope was? He’s so far away from his “lets clean up politics” promise its not even funny. It’d be one thing if they wanted to attack Clinton on her record but demeaning her emotional moment by saying “oh she didn’t cry about Katrina therefore she doesn’t care about black people” is horribly offensive. I mean really? Where were Barack Obama’s tears over Katrina? The only time I’ve seen Barack Obama get upset is when he’s losing.
Last time I checked, the leading democrat calling attention to post Katrina recovery was Hillary Clinton not Barack Obama.The last time I checked the democrat attempting to push through major legislation to help post Katrina victims is Hillary Clinton. On the issue of Katrina, Barack Obama can’t even stand on the same stage as Hillary Clinton. And considering that Clinton proposed a 10 point plan to help Katrina victims in MAY, before anyone even brought up the idea, Obama should rethink his priorities. Why doesn’t the Obama campaign use their time and resources to help the people in New Orleans. For the most prominent African American in modern plitical history, the amount that Barack Obama has done for African Americans is embarrassing. Where was he on Jena six? Where was Obama when Clinton was taking regular trips to New Orleans?
Jesse Jackson Jr is right. Hillary Clinton didn’t cry about Katrina, she sweated while working hard to help the victims. Once again, Obama is a talker and Clinton is a do-er.
NOTE: Someone pointed this out to me earlier. Clinton doesn’t cry at all. Furthermore, the question she was responding to was about how she manages to keep going. In the middle of her anwser someone asks “who does your hair”. But nice try being sexist Jackson.
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This entry was posted on January 9, 2008 at 10:09 pm and is filed under Politics with tags barack obama, crying, Hillary Clinton, Hurricane Katrina, Jesse Jackson Jr, msnbc, Talking Points Memo. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
January 9, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Just some thoughts. I too heard the interview and the references, and as an Obama supporter, recognized the insistance of racial insensitivity by Clinton campaign, specifically Hillary. I didn’t like it, but it is JJ jr, which he is prone to focus on African-Americans issues. However, something that is being lost is, and I repeat, IS the Clinton campaign’s (in the final days of the NH primary) frequent insensativity of racial issues. 1st, Her comments on JFK and MLK, saying MLKs dream would not have been realized until LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act. Missing the true meaning behind the movement of the people, which through action forced LBJ and JFK before him to recognize the need for change. 2nd, Her lead strategist Mark Penns terrible attempt at stirring up racial hatred with older white voters in NH, by stating “Barack Obama has father 2 black girls.” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-sturdy-beggars/clinton-aide-accuses-obam_b_79773.html) Not to mention the very disrepectful way Bill Clinton spoke about Obama, calling him a “kid” saying he was a big fairytale- no respect. And I urge you to put aside you blind love for Hillary and truly look at Obama’s record and him as a man, not as your or Hillary’s opponent.- thanks for the blog and debate, take care
January 9, 2008 at 11:44 pm
Tj
Thanks for your comments.
First, I don’t blindly love any candidate. But I do dislike Barack Obama’s shallowness. (Though as I say, we have a great field of candidates and any of them is better than bush on is best day)
Second, many of the allegedly insensitive comments attributed to the Clinton’s were taken out of context. For example, the JFK/MLK/LBJ comment was in direct response to a reporter asking Clinton how she felt about Obama citing MLK in his speeches as proof that hope is important. Josh Marshall from TPM points this out:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/063023.php
Third, She’s right. Obviously I’m biased somewhat but I truly do believe in that while idealism is important for vision, it takes pragmatism to transform vision into reality. No doubt MLK helped foster a legendary movement but the truth is, and let me just say whats unpopular to say, leaders don’t pass legislation politicians do. This is not to discredit leaders of social movements or especially MLK, but lets not forget that even with this giant social movement it still took a political battle of epic proportions to get civil rights legislation passed. A battle SO big that it caused the entire bloc of southern democrats to break off and become republicans, a party realignment that STILL effects us today. Hope is amazing but pragmatic hard work is equally if not more important in some regards.
Furthermore, I’m voting for a president, a commandar-in-chief if you will, not a social movement leader. I’ve seen too many hope filled ideas fall short because we didn’t have someone with the political savy to get things done. And also, accuse me of playing the terrorism/fear card if you will, but I want a president who knows how to deal with people who want to kill Americans. I’m not saying Obama can’t, he has a great team of advisors, but Clinton runs circles around him in this area. It’s like Apollo Creed said to Rocky “You fight great but I’m a great fighter” Clinton is a great fighter
Fourth, Last time I checked fairy tale and kid weren’t some racial code words. If we’re to assume these words were intended to attack anything, it’s Obama’s youthful exuberence for his “hope movement”
January 10, 2008 at 6:24 am
..but even more troubling, in that TPM post that you linked to – was the way Hillary gave LBJ credit for the Civil Rights movement – which was pretty insulting. Then you have Bill suggesting that Hillary is tougher than Nelson Mandela(http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/01/bill-hillarys-t.html) As for her experience, what good did that do America war when she voted for the Iraq authorization, claiming that she never thought Bush would actually go to war – what silliness.
January 10, 2008 at 7:01 am
HC
Thanks for coming to my blog, but seriously, Learn to read. Clinton doesn’t say anything about LBJ being soly responsble for the civil rights movement. She says that it took LBJ passing the civil rights act for the civil rights movement to have their goals realized. And as I said before, duh. Social movements don’t pass laws, politicians do.
And i’m so tired of Obama supporters citing the war as a representation of all of Obama’s experience and judgement. If Obama has such good judgement then why did he vote to support the war he was so adamantly opposed to?
January 10, 2008 at 7:02 am
By the way HC
Are you unable to defend Jackson’s statement?
January 10, 2008 at 7:41 am
..but the mere fact that Hilary’s reference to LBJ when answering the question about Barack invoking Martin Luther King, she lessoned the role millions of african american’s played in the civil rights movement. As for the funding of the war, I’d imagine that he voted for the funding the same reasons Hillary did – so the troops wouldn’t be without. That being said, if it were up to him – we wouldn’t be involved in this war in the first place. As for Jackson, I can’t defend what he said – just like how you can’t defend Kindergate or Mark Penn evoking the word “cocaine” on “Hardball”.
January 10, 2008 at 7:43 am
By the way.
Do you defend Bill’s notion that Hillary is tougher than Nelson Mandela?
January 10, 2008 at 8:18 am
HC
Your assertions are ludacris. One person is not responsible for the ENTIRE civil rights movement. If I talk about Jesse Jackson’s role in the civil rights movement does that diminish King’s role? No. Furthermore she didn’t say King was some random guy who had nothing to do with the civil rights movement. IN FACT, she credits it as being King’s dream. She just said it took Johnson to pass the legislation. DUH. King’s not a politician. Social movements are at their very core movements to get legislation passed. But social movements are not enough. They’re not legislators.
Will you tell me why its racist, or whatever you’re calling it, for Clinton to point this out?
I posted more about this in a new entry.
With Mark Penn, cocacine,etc. If you write about doing drugs in your memoir don’t be appauled when people bring up the fact that Republicans, who lied about a war hero, might bring it up. Obama did do drugs, which shouldn’t disqualify him from being president, but pointing out what YOU, Obama, said is fair game.
And finally, you’re completely over hyping what Clinton said regarding Mandela. As the first commentor in the thread, someone who doesn’t like Clinton, he’s just hyping up his wife like anyone would do or does. Its called hyperbole. It’s like when I say “today was the worst day ever”. Its not an absolute its just rhetoric.
It seems to me that you have a strong disposition against Clinton, or for Obama, and you’re taking anything you can find and finding ways to make it anti Clinton. I might be a Clinton supporter but I still base my interpretation on facts, analysis and warrants, rather than biased speculation
January 11, 2008 at 2:57 am
The true winner at NH had in fact never been Hillary Clinton but the Republican hopeful who will ultimately emerge from the caucuses. All republican hopefuls are praying God every night and every day to have Hillary as the democratic nominee so as to have their dream come true. For, they know in advance that the torrent of tears will never save her. Heir lachrymal or tear glands will prove to the world how very long ago they have dried out. Obama had never aggressed Hillary, he had all along the campaign remained positive, correct and gentle. While the Clinton couple had engaged political campaigns that are long on sleaze and short on substance. The People of the USA are not as stupid as the Clinton imagine, They cannot be duped indefinitely. OBAMA WILL UTIMATELY PREVAIL
January 11, 2008 at 3:56 am
TETEDAKU
I think it’s time to adjust your tin foil hat…