When did it become racist to mention political history when talkin'

[BenDavid]

political history?

I saw the exact clip of President Clinton and the Jesse Jackson comment, but not the comments before and after. If some reporters ran up to Clinton and said, "Ha ha, your wife couldn't even win Carolina, what do you have to say about that, Mr. Politics?" and his reply was, "Jesse won Carolina and he's not president, so maybe winning Carolina isn't the great springboard you guys claim it is."
How is that racial? And who in Carolina doesn't know Jesse Jackson is black?

When Hillary failed to win Iowa, I wrote something like,"That's OK, Reagan and Bill lost Iowa, too." Were those racial remarks? Of course they weren't - that was just political history. Why is Clinton not allowed to talk politics in a campaign?

What nobody is mentioning is the undeniable slap at Jackson."Don't you DARE call Obama another Jesse," as though Jesse was another Willie Horton. How ashamed is the Black community of Jesse Jackson?

Dangerous Sidebar:
Without a doubt, Obama is getting votes from semi-bigots who say, "Obama's one of the good ones - you don't see him running to Louisiana to help The Jena Six, you don't see him commenting on the Duke rape case. Obama stays out of all that race nonsense, which means he's got my vote." From the semi-bigot's point of view, is Obama "one of the good ones?" Does Obama avoid taking positions on black issues to preserve his political viability?

I know, I know, I'm a racist for asking the question. :shrug:

[AX10]

1. kick

[NastyRiffraff]

2. It was clumsy of Clinton, but I don't think it was racist

Clumsy because it was irrelevant. Jesse Jackson wasn't a serious contender; in fact that's not why he ran. Obama certainly is. Bill should have stayed completely away from the idea that SC wasn't all that important; anything he would have said would have been interpreted as racist.

I know this is like asking for a unicorn, but I wish this focus on race would go away for the primary. God knows we're going to get enough of it in the general election if Obama wins the nomination. Just as we'll get sexism if Hillary wins.

Before anyone jumps in with faux outrage, I am NOT saying that's a reason not to vote for either one in the primary. Shouldn't have to say that, but lately there's a need to.

[BooScout]

3. He was too a serious contender......

In fact he was a FRONT RUNNER for much of that primary season. Another fact is that he won the SC Caucus by 54% which is a close comparison to Obama's 55% win.

[Captain Hilts]

4. Clumsy, but certainly not race-baiting as described. nt

[allinktup]

16. No, Bill is not a racist... he's just using it

he could have just as easily used john edwards as an example, and it would have been more current.

everything he says has another purpose.

[Mojorabbit]

5. I think you are being disingenuous

It was a code message. Almost everyone in the media got it as did many like me who live in the south.
It was stupid. She has so much to offer and it is a shame her campaign has resorted to gutter politics. I am hoping she regroups and runs a better more positive campaign. She would make a wonderful president though she is not my first choice.

[Clinton Crusader]

8. Would someone please explain to me

where are the gutter politics? I freely admit Im distracted, Im a cancer patient going through radiation, taking a break due to burns, and Im not fully focused, so I freely admit I may have missed these Klanlike tactics, but I don't see the gutter politics, I don't see where Bill's Jackson's comments were overtly racist and I think the MSM is over blowing this by 10,000% and the Obama campaign is milking it and using the victim card. I just dont get where it's worth ALL THIS!

[Mojorabbit]

10. An example of gutter politics

is sending out mailings that misrepresented Obama's record on womens issues.

[Mojorabbit]

11. Oh and

I am hoping you get to feeling better. Radiation is so hard on the body. Sending you good healing mojo! :hug:

[pampango]

6. It's fairly simple. If Obama transcends his race, Hillary's nomination

is endangered. If Obama is perceived to be a BLACK candidate who appeals primarily to the Black electorate, he will be no more of a threat to a white candidate than Jesse Jackson was. He could attract every Black vote in the primaries and Hillary would win the nomination.

Bill is not racist (he's probably the opposite of a racist whatever that is), but he is also a political animal who wants his wife to win. He is also a skilled, no-holds-barred campaigner who knows how to create an image that may resonate with the voters. He probably believes that whatever racial tension he created in SC would be temporary and blow over by the GE.

[RaleighNCDUer]

12. Gee, you said that so well.

Somehow I am not able to say the same thing without a liberal double-handfulls of obscenities. You think that may be why nobody listens to me?

Not a racist, not a racist statement, but very cynically framing it as a racial issue. Just sublte enough to be deniable.

No wonder the repukes hate him - he is a fearsome opponant. But here he's turning it on fucking DEMS.
(shit. see what I mean?)

[neutron]

18. Obama was pushing race hard in SC

Even in his victory speech.
If Clinton had said what he said about a white guy it would be nothing.
The fact is that the country still isn't healed and probably never will
be fully healed (especially with idiots like Imus popping off).
And Corporate owned media is always eager to find something to take
out of context if it will keep a Cllinton out of the whitehouse.

Fairy Tale Gate will go down as the most blown out of proportion
nothing in the history of elections.

[RaleighNCDUer]

21. Aw, us poor white guys have it so hard.

:eyes:

[neutron]

22. try getting a teaching job in the UC system

[pampango]

24. Thanks. Bill is, indeed, a fearsome campaigner. Great when he's on your side. n/t

[jackson_dem]

25. Jesse Jackson was once the front runner and won over 1,000 delegates and a dozen states

Including the whitest state in the country along with very white Alaska.

[benddem]

7. you are n/t

[RaleighNCDUer]

9. Without a doubt...

You mean, the way Jackson did?

THAT is fucking racist. Don't pretend it isn't.

As for the Iowa comment - that referred to winners who failed to take the prize. Clinton was referring to some who DID take the prize, as a previous black loser did. If you don't see the difference, maybe you ARE a racist.

How is it that all the Clintonistas keep decrying the injection of race - while injecting race into the conversation?

Fuck off.

[Bluerthanblue]

13. the act of asking a question doesn't make you a racist- But the

meaning and intent behind the question could give pretty good evidence that you are.

Bill is a Rhodes Scholar- He didn't get to be president, and survive the impeachment crap without being a pretty shrewd, and often talented showman.

There is no doubt in my mind that he intended connections be made- subtle but not subtle enough.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

15. Jesse Jackson said no harm no foul. And Bill Clinton isn't clumsy in his words.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

14. When Obama decided to let his surrogates play the race card

[robbedvoter]

17. It's called Sharptonizing" - and words your oppponent uses can be interpreted

and twisted any way you want - it's easy when MSM lends a hand.
"fairy tale" "jesse ran a good campaign" "Johnson helped make MLK's dream come true"
- truncate, wash, rinse, repeat.
Gore invented the internet, right?

[jasmine621]

19. You make some really good points.

We are in a sad, sad state of affairs.

[rucky]

20. You had me until the dangerous sidebar...

I don't think he's avoiding those issues, but he does run the risk of being labeled/marginalized as "the Black candidate" which is why Bill's JJ comment set off so many Obama supporters, regardless of the context.

Yes, it's an issue Obamites are sensitive to, but Obama has NOT shown insensitivity to Black issues - not even close.

[NMMNG]

23. I'm going to give you some advice

And I say this as a woman who couldn't get much whiter.

If a black person says something is racist, you take them at their word. It doesn't matter what you think about it. It's not up to white people to determine what black people should define as racism.

A number of LGBTs here on DU are sick and tired of others trying to tell us what we can and cannot consider homophobic/transphobic. And I'll certainly not be telling black people what they can or cannot consider offensive. The same goes for other groups.

Would you like it if somebody told you what you could or could not consider anti-Semitic?

[XemaSab]

26. Jackson's sort of an asshole

Anyone who uses the word "Hymietown" is not going to get my vote.

[RaleighNCDUer]

27. Jackson is not running.

Nice job of conflating Obama with Jackson's slur.

Very...Clintonesque.

[XemaSab]

28. Um.... that was my argument why comparing Obama to Jackson's sort of a dis

:shrug:

[RaleighNCDUer]

29. My apologies. I read that as a flat statement, not as a reply to the OP

and missed the context - it having wandered off on several tangents through the thread.

[H2O Man]

30. clown