I really wanted to talk about something other than Obama's huge win over Hillary Clinton in South Carolina....but to paraphrase Don Corleone,
"Every time I try to get out it pulls me back in."
Karen Tumulty "Obama's Win Reshapes the Race" in Time magazine stated:
[O]bama's impressive win meant all the more given the nature of politics in South Carolina, a state whose history is fraught with race and class. Some observers wondered if the state's voters were becoming more racially polarized in the final days before the primary. That speculation was fueled by one late McClatchy/MSNBC survey that suggested Obama could expect to receive no more than 10% of the white vote, half of what the same poll had shown only a week before. But Obama instead won about a quarter of the white vote overall, and around half of young white voters, on his way to a commanding 55% of the total vote (Clinton finished second with roughly 27% and Edwards came in third with 18%). The excitement around Obama's candidacy pushed turnout to record levels — a kind of surge, says Obama strategist Cornell Belcher, that "is something only Barack Obama is capable of bringing to the table."
The issue of whether Bill Clinton is a loose cannon who needs to be reigned in was discussed in the New York Times article, "Campaign tries to shift ex-president's disposition after Obama's latest win" by Patrick Healy which reported:
[Y]et some advisers expressed concern that Mr. Clinton might prove difficult to rein in, citing the latest furor over the weekend after he compared Mr. Obama’s victories to Jesse Jackson ’s in 1984 and 1988 on Saturday, though Mr. Jackson did not approach the wide margin of Mr. Obama’s win.
Advisers said Mr. Clinton’s remark was an off-the-cuff reference, but it was debated on the Sunday news shows and in the blogosphere as a possible effort by the Clinton camp to diminish Mr. Obama’s success in South Carolina as simply the result of a black candidate drawing support from a heavily black electorate.
Bill Clinton's outbursts are certainly undignified and will negatively impact his post-president legacy. But what is important right now is that his involvement in Hillary's campaign is turning off voters. Bill is reminding folks about his willingness to triangulate and bend the truth to win. Beside Bill, Hillary looks like the "little woman" standing by her irrational husband. Together Hillary and Bill look, as one listserv poster said, a "2 headed monster from the past that is not welcomed back."
Obama has gotten a strong endorsement from JFK's daughter Caroline Kennedy and endorsements from Senators Ted Kennedy and John Kerry....look to see more. After Bill's diss of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, The Black Establishment needs to re-assess its allegiance to Hillary. One need not be a fan of Jackson's or Obama's to know that Clintonville looks a little shysty...particularly since Hill was trying to get Florida and Michigan delegates included although she originally agreed with the DNC that they not be. BTW, what is the deal with Edwards? He has been left in the dust although he is speaking about a number of issues such as the outsourcing, healthcare, the income gap that impact Black Americans.
What the Clinton camp seems to underestimating is the distaste that folks have from slash and burn politics. I talked to one Black woman in Nevada who said that after this nonsense with the Hill and Bill show that if Hillary is the Democratic nominee she would cross over and vote for McCain (assuming that he's the GOP nominee). This is not the first time that I have heard this exact sentiment. For those unwilling cross party lines, they may just stay home which will aid a GOP victory.
Talk is cheap, but if this anger with the Clintons translates to action in November, the Democratic party and the Clintons will be paying a huge price in the form of a defeat.
Also Check out a hard-hitting commentary about the Clintons from Humanity Critic a blogger at Vibe.com Bill and Hillary Thanks for the Wake-Up Call.
Monday, January 28, 2008
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