Truce on racial politics threatened?
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama called a truce this week in a nasty spat of racial politics in the Democratic presidential race.
But the issue won't stay completely submerged.
The Clinton camp complained today that a Spanish-language radio ad being aired by a union supporting Obama says, "Hillary Clinton does not respect our people." It references a lawsuit, filed by Democrats sympathetic to Clinton, against a plan to allow casino workers -- some of whom are Hispanic -- to caucus at casinos. A federal judge today let the plan proceed.
"Hillary Clinton is shameless," the ad says. "Hillary Clinton should not allow her friends to attack our people's right to vote this Saturday. This is unforgivable. There is no respect."
The Obama camp said it discourages third-party efforts.
Robert Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television, had fanned the flames of race as an issue on Sunday, when in an appearance with Clinton, he praised her long record on civil rights and seemingly made a reference to Obama's admitted youthful drug use. Johnson tried to explain his comments as referring to Obama's work as a community organizer, but convinced few people.
Today, he said on CNN that he had personally apologized to Obama and the Illinois senator had accepted.
"Sometimes in campaigns you get carried away in your zeal to support your candidate," Johnson said on "The Situation Room. "And you say things that are inappropriate and not proper for a campaign that should be based on the issues."
Johnson, who said he had great respect for Obama, went on to say, however, that it was not a struggle to decide to support Clinton.
"I tell my African-American friends, you have got to look at this issue, not only with your heart, but with your head," he said. "And so I look at it, I say, my heart goes out to those people who want to see a people of color, who looks like us, in the White House, great achievement, historic beyond words, but at the end of the day, this nation has to be run by a leader. And I think Hillary Clinton is the better candidate to lead this nation for the next eight years."
Perhaps you can explain to your readers how talking about a candidate's drug use has suddenly morphed into "racial politics, whereas when Bush and Gore were the subjects of these discussions, it was about "character" rather than "race".
Here we go again! Obama campaign says it does not encourage third party efforts, but he is not discouraging it either. If he against such ads, he should ask his union backers to pull the ad. Obama's campaign was complaining when outside backers of John Edwards did the same to him in Iowa. One other noteworthy thing about Obama, is that he acts like he's above the fray, and let his aides and reporters run with the MLK story. That caused some people in the black community to come to his side. Then he extols the contributions that the Clinton's did for Civil Rights, after the damage had been done. Perhaps this is what he meant about "Chicago politics" like Mayor Daly", You call that uniting America? Now its Hispanics versus White people.
As a life-long reader of the Globe, I'm struck that there is so little coverage of the events and views of interesting, informed and the ordinary good folks of Massachusetts and the other New England states on the Presidential candidates' campaigns within New England. Just because the candidates are elsewhere doesn't mean there should be an almost total news blackout on what is happening here in Massachusetts and the other New England states (New Hampshire aside) in the crucial weeks leading up to February 5. What is happening on the campuses, in our towns and cities, views of personalities, elected officials, how are the campaigns themselves organized in MA, who are running them, what are their strategies, which prominent citizens have declared for each candidate and why, what do the in-state polls show...? All of this is news-worthy for your readers here in Massachusetts and elsewhere in the region.
As a life-long reader of the Globe, I'm struck that there is so little coverage of the events and views of interesting, informed and the ordinary good folks of Massachusetts and the other New England states on the Presidential candidates' campaigns within New England. Just because the candidates are elsewhere doesn't mean there should be an almost total news blackout on what is happening here in Massachusetts and the other New England states (New Hampshire aside) in the crucial weeks leading up to February 5. What is happening on the campuses, in our towns and cities, views of personalities, elected officials, how are the campaigns themselves organized in MA, who are running them, what are their strategies, which prominent citizens have declared for each candidate and why, what do the in-state polls show...? All of this is news-worthy for your readers here in Massachusetts and elsewhere in the region.
So the Clintons are up in arms that Obama supporters are running an ad in Spanish that calls Hillary a "sinverguenza" (shameless).
In Spanish there is a phrase for the way the Clintons and their surrogates (read: trained seals)savage their opponents ...
They "throw stones and then hide their hands."
That in itself would qualify Hillary--who professes not only innocence but victimhood in nearly all instances--and her followers as "sinverguenzas" (shameless).
There is another Spanish phrase that comes to mind here ...
"The truth hurts, but it doesn't offend."
Except in the case of the Clintons, they pretend that it does.
Que sinverguenzas!!!
Martin Edwin Andersen
Churchton, Maryland
The libs are imploding on the race and gender issues. It's a joy to see the sexist wife of our first conviving black president kissing black butt as they turn on her in racist harmony. Face it, Obama would sell our security for a vote, Edwards would sell our economy for a vote and Hillary would sell anything for a vote. The Demo,
"he lied" vermin have endangered our country. It's playing politics to them and playing hardball to our enemies. Here is how the Demo primaries are playing out; racist blacks all vote for Obama, sexist females all vote for Hillary, and the economically challenged vote for Edwards.
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