THE RACE CARD: DID CLINTON JUST PLAY IT?
May 9th, 2008, 12:09 pm · 1 Comment · posted by Dan Lehr
Listen to what she said this week to USA Today:
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Yes, she played the race card: Several critics from around the political spectrum - from the New York Times’ editorial page to the Wall Street Journal’s Peggy Noonan - say she did unnecessarily inject race into the campaign, as a last-ditch effort to derail Obama’s likelihood of being the nominee.
No, she didn’t play the race card: The counterargument is she’s merely reading from an AP story that (correctly) outlined how Clinton did vastly better than Obama in winning over white Democratic voters.
We tend toward the former. Although it’s entirely likely she wasn’t deliberately intending to make this point, there is a better-than-average chance that this is part of her subconscious belief it’s why she can win. This campaign has already created several scabs on the racial front that aren’t worth picking.
Other thing, too — imagine either Obama or McCain bragging about how they can bring members of their own race to their side. Unthinkable.
What do you think? Please weigh in by posting a comment!
May 9th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
I thought Hillary’s comments were absolutely deliberate, she’s pulling out all the stops to try and discredit obama’s “electability.” I am positive that all political moves that the candidates make at this point are strategized. In my opinion, the whole comment was a purposeful cheap shot at Obama’s race. She is saying in the most diplomatic way possible, that Obama cannot get poorer, less- educated whites to vote, for him. And why is that, Hillary? If we’re gonna be real, then let’s be real. Just as General MacArthur was quoted in a previous post, these backhanded comments are simply TOO LATE. Maybe there was a doubt that Obama would not get white support early in the election process, but as the trials of the election have proven, this is not overwhelmingly the case. Winning almost all of the Republican South, in a sweeping fashion, over Hilary speaks volumes on this assumption.
Maybe Obama should release a statement saying that he will be able to reach more of the male vote in some very general and unspecific terms. He wouldn’t do that because a) hopefully he has a little more class than to try to appeal for votes based on his race or gender, and b) He’s not LOSING