Al Sharpton comes out swinging!

[ecstatic]

:wow:

He went off on Clinton and I think it's clear now who he supports.

[Tess99]

1. And the audience was on fire!

Make no mistake, there will be a reckoning in the black community in regard to the Clintons and what they did. Make no mistake.

[Metric System]

3. Oh I get it, Hillary should have stepped aside after Iowa to make way for Saint Obama.

[Tess99]

6. No, not at all.

What she and Bill should not have done was play on racist fears as a way to keep voters aways from Obama.

[tishaLA]

9. no, that's not what he said

He challenged them on the race-based language and the effort to change the rules re: MI and FL when Obama was winning the game.

[Tess99]

19. the "reckoning" comment was mine

And yes, after all the love and support blacks gave to the Clintons, standing by him as he lied to the country, turning the other cheek when he passed bills that hurt our community, they had no right to do to our community what they did in SC. None at all. And we have a right to hold them accountable.

[Metric System]

20. I seem to recall Obama won SC by a wide margin so I fail to see how he was harmed.

[Tess99]

23. So, since playing dirty didn't work after all

black people should no longer feel betrayed by the Clintons?

[NDambi]

35. None so blind as those that can not see...and denial is not just a river in Egypt..

Pathetic...that you would simply not acknowledge the truth.

[Yurovsky]

37. If you stole $10 but I didn't notice ...

would that make it RIGHT???

I'm not sure who had the bright idea to make some of the racially insensitve comments made in SC. It might have been Penn or one of the other multi-million dollar consultants, or it might have been Bill or Hillary. It might have just been fatigue preventing the Clintons from choosing their words more carefully (in which case I would have expected some for of apology).

Does it really matter now? Well, we shall see. I think it seriously damaged the image of Bill Clinton in the black community, but winning tends to heal a lot of wounds. Come this time next year, it may well have blown over or at least minimized.

[ORDem]

61. Idjit, that's why he won by such big margins, after BC made sure

they knew what he thought of the black vote. Get a clue.

[Kahuna]

74. Well then! That makes it okay.

NOT. Fool me once...

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

75. Colbert King talks about South Carolina and other things

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4729380#4731279

[tishaLA]

He was amazing, wasn't he?

[Johnny__Motown]

12. After Wisconsin

[cd3dem]

21. this "race-card" play by Obama and his supporters is why I cannot vote for him!

He will surely take this country to the lowest levels with his smug, arrogant thinking and behavior...

that he would create such racial tension among the democrat party for his own personal gain... I really can't stand the guy when I see this sort of thing going on between the races... our country is sinking to an all time low!!!

[Tess99]

24. How has he "played the race card"?

[NDambi]

40. Guess you missed Bill Clinton's performance in SC huh..

lmaoo...what a joke..

[cd3dem]

53. actually that is where the media and the Obama campaign played the race-card!

shame on Obama for pulling that kind of campaign out of his ass.... it is one thing for the media to play games with editing text/sound bites, but for Obama to allow this sort of direction and create tension on race just to win votes is inexcusable!!!

yes, Obama is a race-card player and not presidential at all!!!

arrogant and smug!!!

[NDambi]

56. Okay..no problem..keep your vote..he's got plenty others...ugh

[ORDem]

63. You appear to be so blinded by the HRC Kool-Aid that you don't

even remember what Bill Clinton said after Obama won SC? Really?

Yea, what the other poster said, do what you want with your vote, it won't matter.

[cd3dem]

65. I do know what he said and how the media played it!

you can edit anything to make it sound the way you want! if you are looking for Bill or Hillary to say racist comments then you will see what the media is planting...

however, I know the media is untrustworthy and I know the power of editing... to take a statement out of context to create race-baiting by the media was wrong... and Obama and his people played it to their advantage...

no one thinks the Clintons are racist but yet people will attack them for statements taken out of the entire speech and say they are... Obama and his people are race-card players!!!!

if the media took a statement Obama said and cut out what he said before and afterward... they can make him say just about anything! people need to wake up and stop playing the race card!!!

tired of this crap and I am ashamed of being a democrat when these tactics are used!!!!

he is a divider not a uniter!!!!

[Rene]

80. I absolutely agree with you

[cd3dem]

86. thank-you!!!

“I really tried to never do anything I don't believe in, so I don't want to change it now. I really don't”
--Paul Wellstone

[tishaLA]

41. Yes, because our race relations heretofore have been just

fucking GREAT!

[NDambi]

57. Amen...

[cd3dem]

67. and this promotes more racism and mistrust!!!

[NDambi]

77. okay...billy boy..did what he did..call it what you want

[catgirl]

66. Wellstone would be for Obama

Your post is mind-boggling. Angry sour grapes.

[cd3dem]

83. Wellstone would not support attacking fellow democrats the way Obama has!

I have met Paul Wellstone, worked for Paul Wellstone, cried for Paul Wellstone!

I do not believe in Obama, nor trust him and therefore I cannot support him!

“I really tried to never do anything I don't believe in, so I don't want to change it now. I really don't”
--Paul Wellstone

[totodeinhere]

81. The people who accuse Obama of using the race card...

are often the same ones who are trying to play the sexism card against Obama.

[cd3dem]

84. calling Hillary Clinton "silly" is sexism... Obama has used sexist terms on Clinton!

only difference is Hillary does not attack him for it!

but women see it and we don't like it!

[tammywammy]

87. silly is sexist?

[cd3dem]

88. would you call a McCain "silly"? he has made many sexist comments!

[tammywammy]

89. Yes, I would call McCain silly

[NOLALady]

82. You can't be serious.

There's tension between the races that wasn't there before? And Obama is the cause of it? Right. :crazy:

[cd3dem]

85. Obama feeds it and has used it to gain advantage... making it worse!!!

[mckeown1128]

78. No she should have stepped aside after WI.

There is no way for her to win the nomination now short a huge Obama slip up...(like murdering someone on stage)

[stillcool]

79. I think maybe Hillary should....

have done a little less of this....

Clinton Surrogate Compares Obama Ad to Nazi March
http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20080201/cm_thenation/45278988_1
Fri Feb 1, 2:23 PM ET

The Nation -- On a media conference call organized by the Hillary Clinton campaign today, Clinton surrogate Len Nichols compared an Obama health care ad to Nazis.
----------
Accusing political opponents of Nazism is an outrageous smear. Raising the specter of a Nazi march in response to a health care mailer that evokes the insurance industry is so absurd, it would be hard to take the attack seriously, were it not launched from a high profile national campaign conference call in this crucial stretch of the presidential race. And political observers know, of course, that the Clinton Campaign regularly arranges opportunities for surrogates to launch these kind of smears, which are later followed up with apologies. (See: Bob Johnson, Bill Shaheen, Bob Kerrey, and Francine Torge, to name the most recent offenders.) For his part, Nichols did not immediately return a call requesting further comment.
-------------------------
Len Nichols, Director of New America's Health Policy Program, stated, "For nearly 17 years I have worked tirelessly to reform our nation's struggling health system. Today my passion overwhelmed me. I chose an analogy that was wholly inappropriate. I am deeply sorry for any offense that my unfortunate comments may have caused. I made unfortunate comments that do not accurately reflect my bipartisan conviction, political philosophy, or most importantly, my opinions about Senator Obama and his historic campaign for the United States presidency."

Clinton adviser steps down after drug use comments
Earlier Thursday, Clinton personally apologized to rival Obama for Shaheen's remarks.
Obama accepted her apology, according to David Axelrod, the top political strategist for the Obama campaign.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/13/clinton.obama/index.html

January 6, 2008, 5:18 pm
Edwards: No Conscience in Clinton Campaign
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/edwards-no-conscience-in-clinton-campaign/
By Julie Bosman
KEENE, N.H. – John Edwards angrily took on Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton at two news conferences in a row on Sunday, saying that her campaign “doesn’t seem to have a conscience.”

COMPTON, Calif. (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton and her campaign tried to mend ties to black voters Thursday when a key supporter apologized to her chief rival, Barack Obama, for comments that hinted at Obama's drug use as a teenager. The candidate herself, meanwhile, praised the Rev. Martin Luther King and promised to assist with the rebirth of this troubled, largely black city.

Bob Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television, apologized for comments he made at a Clinton campaign rally in South Carolina on Sunday that hinted at Obama's use of drugs as a teenager.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-01-17-johnson-apology_N.htm?csp=34

December 10, 2007
Third Clinton Volunteer Knew Of Smear E-Mail

A third volunteer for Hillary Clinton's campaign was aware of a propaganda e-mail alleging that Barack Obama is a Muslim who plans on "destroying the U.S. from the inside out."

"Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's expected presidential Candidacy," the email reads. "Please forward to everyone you know. The Muslims have said they Plan on destroying the U.S. from the inside out, what better way to start than at The highest level."

Two Clinton volunteers, Linda Olson and Judy Rose, have already been asked to resign from the campaign for their roles in forwarding the e-mail. The AP reported yesterday that Olson, a volunteer coordinator in Iowa County, sent a version of the e-mail to 11 people, including Ben Young, a regional field director for Chris Dodd's campaign. Young passed it on to the AP.
http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2007/12/third_clinton_v.html

Hillary: Sorry for Any Offense Campaign (Bill) Has Caused
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB65wJ6Rcfs

Bill Clinton Asks for a Second Chance
By Liz Halloran
Posted February 11, 2008

The morning after his wife, Hillary, was routed in three state contests by Sen. Barack Obama in their dead-heat battle for the Democratic nomination, former President Bill Clinton made his case for her before a packed Sunday service at one of the largest black churches in Washington, D.C.
But first he offered an apology of sorts for racially tinged comments he made about Obama and his candidacy that have triggered a backlash in the black community and among many other Democrats.

Clinton invoked his "worship of a God of second chances" in pronouncing himself glad to be at the Temple of Praise, which claims nearly 15,000 members. His invocation of second chances echoed comments he made early last week at black churches in California, where he campaigned for his wife before that state's Super Tuesday primary, which she won.
http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/campaign-2008/2008/02/11/bill-clinton-asks-for-a-second-chance.html

Bill Clinton To Apologize At LA Black Churches
Once again, Bill Clinton is ready to repent.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/02/bill-clinton-to-apologize_n_84573.html
On Sunday the former president is scheduled to visit black churches in South Central Los Angeles, where he's expected to offer a mea culpa to those who "dearly loved him" when he was their president, Rep. Diane Watson (D-Calif.) says.

Watson, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus who has endorsed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), tells us she'll usher the former president to more than half a dozen churches in her district where she says he needs to "renew his relationship" with congregants who were turned off by his racially tinged comments in the days leading up to and following the South Carolina primary. (Such as when Clinton compared Sen. Barack Obama's landslide victory to Jesse Jackson's wins in 1984 and 1988.)

[DUyellow]

2. where was this at?

[ecstatic]

5. c-span - state of the black union program

I'm a little scared for Clinton now. :scared: She's scheduled to speak soon.

[BooScout]

4. as if there ever was any doubt

:eyes:

[Tess99]

10. He got the biggest applause

when he talked about MI and Fl and superdelegates.

[jillan]

18. I know - I am rolling on the floor here.

Newflash - Sharpton supports Obama!

He has been praising him publicly since fall 2007.

[Guava Jelly]

7. shit i missed it!

link anywhere?

[democrattotheend]

8. What? I thought Sharpton was officially neutral

and I think he should stay that way.

I personally like the guy and find him entertaining, but his presence on the campaign trail for Obama would hurt Obama's ability to be more than just the black candidate. I think Sharpton knows that, and that's why he's stayed out of it so far.

[tishaLA]

13. Sen Obama will keep Rev Sharpton at arm's length....

just as he does Rev Jackson, for precisely that reason

[democrattotheend]

27. Good, he needs to

And I think Sharpton and Jackson recognize that, and I applaud them for recognizing it and staying largely on the sidelines.

[grantcart]

38. not their first rodeo lol

[Tess99]

14. He is neutral

he's simply saying that black folks have a right to hold the Clintons accountable. We will not and cannot stand by silently if Obama wins this fair and square and they try to steal it.

[ecstatic]

17. I thought so too, but this afternoon he could no longer contain himself

apparently. The xerox comments probably pushed him over the fence. :shrug: Then again, that might be exactly what Clinton was hoping for.

[VolcanoJen]

11. Deets, please!!!

C'mon, details! I missed it... what was the context, what did he say?

[catagory5]

15. is this the place

Where obama didnt go to?????



But Clinton did?

[NOLALady]

34. Yes.

Watching it now.

[ecstatic]

26. OK... I'm bad with recaps but... he slammed her for trying to seat

the delegates from Michigan and FL (changing the rules once it's clear Obama might win).

And 2, he slammed her for the SC baiting that took place.

[Tom Rinaldo]

16. He was flat out wrong on one point

He talked about not changing the rules in mid stream in regards to seating delegates from Florida and Michigan - and that is a cogent argument, but then he threw courting Super Delegates to win as part of "changing the rules in mid stream". He is wrong about that. The rules have always allowed Super Delegates to vote their conscience. Either set of rules may be right or wrong, but there is no denying that it would be a change in the rules to make Super Delegates mirror their votes according to some other criteria.

[MadBadger]

28. He probably should have left the superdelegate thing out.

[asjr]

22. I remember when the African-Americans

loved Bill and Hillary. Guess those days are over.

[goldcanyonaz]

25. Not in my community. We haven't thrown them under the bus.

[NDambi]

44. That's good but the love affair is over..as evidenced by the voting bloc...

[Tess99]

33. Baby, I don't love anyone but Jesus and my family and friends

Contrary to what white liberal think, the Clintons don't own African Americans.

[goldcanyonaz]

42. Own? pathetic.

[NOLALady]

46. Many still love the Clintons.

The Clintons left the community. The community has not left the Clintons.

You can love and respect the Clintons while disagreeing with their positions.

[loveangelc]

29. I SAW IT!!! I don't like Al Sharpton usually but he spoke the truth!!!!!!!!!!!

[Metric System]

45. This comment says it all. Obamabots will like anyone as long as they're praising Obama. No wonder

I've seen them also praising Peggy Noonan and a bunch of other RW freaks.

[loveangelc]

50. Whatever you say, because Hillary supporters don't use whatever they can. right.

[Quixote1818]

30. Sharpton should stay out of this. nt

[workinclasszero]

31. Go Rev AL!!!

:applause::applause::applause::applause:

[NDambi]

32. He spoke his peace that's for sure...loved it!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

36. If You Are Going To Call Someone A Racist You Should Have Clean Hands

Crown Heights Riot
For more details on this topic, see Crown Heights Riot.
The Crown Heights Riot began on August 19, 1991, after a car driven by a Jewish man, and part of a procession led by an unmarked police car, went through an intersection and was struck by another vehicle causing it to veer onto the sidewalk where it accidentally struck and killed a seven-year-old Guyanese boy named Gavin Cato and severely injured his cousin Angela. Witnesses could not agree upon the speed and could did not agree whether the light was yellow or red. One of the factors that sparked the riot was the arrival of a private ambulance which, on the orders of a police officer worried for the Jewish driver's safety, removed the uninjured driver from the scene while Cato lay pinned under his car.<34> Cato and his cousin were treated soon after by a city ambulance. Caribbean-American and African-American residents of the neighborhood rioted for four consecutive days fueled by rumors that the private ambulance had refused to treat Cato.<34><35> During the riot blacks looted stores,<34> beat Jews in the street,<34> and clashed with groups of Jews, hurling rocks and bottles at one another <36> after Yankel Rosenbaum, a visiting student from Australia, was stabbed and killed by a member of a mob shouting "Kill the Jew."<37> Sharpton, who arranged a rally in Crown Heights after Cato's death,<34> has been seen by some commentators as inflaming tensions by making remarks that included "If the Jews want to get it on, tell them to pin their yarmulkes back and come over to my house"<38> and referring to Jews as "diamond merchants."<39>

Sharpton marched through Crown Heights and in front of "770", shortly after the riot, with about 400 protesters (who chanted "Whose streets? Our streets!" and "No justice, no peace!"), in spite of Mayor David Dinkins' attempts to keep the march from happening.<40>


Freddie's Fashion Mart
In 1995, Sharpton led a protest in Harlem against the plans of a black Pentecostal Church, the United House of Prayer, which owned the retail property on 125th Street to ask Fred Harari, the Jewish tenant who operated Freddie's Fashion Mart to evict his longtime subtenant, a black record store, The Record Shack.<41><42><43> Sharpton told the protesters, "We will not stand by and allow them to move this brother so that some white interloper can expand his business."<44> On 1995-12-08, Roland J. Smith Jr., one of the protesters, entered the store with a gun and flammable liquid, shot several customers and set the store on fire. The gunman fatally shot himself, and seven store employees died of smoke inhalation.<45><46> Fire Department officials discovered that the store's sprinkler had been shut down, in violation of the local fire code.<47> Sharpton claimed that the perpetrator was an open critic of himself and his nonviolent tactics. Sharpton later expressed regret for making the racial remark, "white interloper," and denied responsibility for inflaming or provoking the violence.<12><48>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Sharpton#_note-27

[tishaLA]

43. except he didn't call her, or anyone, a racist.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

49. I Am Going On The Accounts I Heard Here

And the accounts suggests he said the Clintons' were playing the race card...

I think the evidence suggests he has been racist in the past as well as playing the race card...

That being said none of us are perfect and that's why a person should be slow to judge lest that person be judged...

The little morality tale with the Clintons' being agents of darkness and the Reverend Sharpton being an agent of light is too clever by half...

[tishaLA]

52. He also didn't say anything about a "race card"

I have never heard anyone involved in civil rights using a term like "race card," which was an invention of the media during the OJ Simpson trial when his lawyers pointed out what we have always known: that African Americans face a different kind of justice than white Americans. I won't buy into that terminology, which is, I think, rooted in white privilege.

But you can continue to misattribute phrases to Rev Sharpton as much as you please. I witnessed the exchange; I didn't just read about it on the internets.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

54. I Was Relying On The Veracity Of My Fellow DUers

And they suggested that the Reverend Sharpton said the Clintons' injected race into the campaign... A man who said "If the Jews want to get it on, tell them to pin their yarmulkes back and come over to my house", referred to Jews as "diamond merchants" and said "We will not stand by and allow them to move this brother so that some white interloper can expand his business." should be circumspect whenever discussing race...

[tishaLA]

55. yes, he said they used racially charged language

into the campaign and that she had to answer for that. That is not "playing the race card" or calling someone racist.

As a Jew, I am more than aware of Rev Sharpton's past digressions, for which he has apologized. I also tend not to get too bogged down in tu quoque fallacies, so asking for her to address those concerns, which have been expressed throughout the black community, cannot be mitigated by what Rev Sharpton did over a decade ago.

[goldcanyonaz]

47. Al Sharpton is a bigoted hypocrite, he is a vile man. He does NOT represent me.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

51. You Are Willing To Go Further Than Me

I'm reluctant to judge folks by their worst moment because I wouldn't want to be judged by my worst moment...

All of us have displayed a disrespect for the other at one time or another...That's just human nature...

In six or so years I never mentioned Sharpton's past...It just irked me the way he is getting free reign to criticize Hillary on this issue...

The Reverend Sharpton should heed the admonition that "Before you accuse me take a look at yourself...

[NDambi]

58. Agreed..Al Sharpton no more represents me than Hillary Clinton does..but

he was on point about SC and the MI and Fl delegates..

[jlake]

39. When wasn't it clear?

[Tom Rinaldo]

48. So what are the odds anyone will be ridiculing Dick Gregory

for his "hysterics" and shrill outburst? Not me.

[kennetha]

59. I see a Sistah Souljah moment coming.

I hope it doesn't happen. It would be a truly distasteful way to drive down Obama's support among working class whites. ANd I say this as I diehard Hillary supporter.

[NDambi]

60. huh? explain

[Ichingcarpenter]

62. Dick Gregory is up now.... One of my favorites

I met him a long time ago.

He is ripping the right wing and giving a great rant.

[Forkboy]

64. Ahh, now there's someone worth listening to.

Always a good speech.

[Ichingcarpenter]

68. He didn't get enough air time,

Hillary is coming up within the next 5 min. they said.

[still_one]

69. Sharpton only speaks for Sharpton. I am not a Sharpton fan, but I AM A HUGE OBAMA FAN /NT

[NOLALady]

70. HRC up next.

[calico1]

71. One sure way for Obama to alienate a lot of

Independents is for Al Sharpton to have a prominent role in his campaign. If Sharpton really wants to help him he should keep a very low profile.

[NOLALady]

72. There are some who think Michelle should also keep

a low profile.

The people who have a problem with Rev Sharpton are the some of the same who have a problem with Michelle's "gaffes".

[calico1]

73. Like it or not Sharpton is a very polarizing figure.

I think he often speaks the truth but outside of ardent Democrats a lot of people think he's a nut and a trouble maker. It does Obama no good for him to be prominent in his campaign.

As for Michelle, yes she had a gaffe. But she is in no way comparable to Sharpton as far as being polarizing.

[tishaLA]

76. Rev Sharpton has nothing to do with the Obama campaign

So there is no need to worry about him alienating independents.