Does Hillary often seem superior to the "working class" and if so, do you think

[Blue_Roses]

maybe she really doesn't see it? This primary has reared an ugly side of her that I've never seen before. I always knew that Hillary was once a republican. In fact, one of my favorite authors, Diane Mott Davidson, says that Hillary Clinton lived in her dorm and tried to draft her into the Young Republicans:

"...Diane gave up writing to study political science at Wellesley. There she lived across the hall from Hillary Rodham (now Clinton), who drafted her into the Young Republicans!"http://www.dianemottdavidson.com/about.html

But this doesn't really matter. Hillary left the "dark side" a long time ago and has stood strong on some prominent Democratic issues. I've always admired her for that and her tenaciousness to stand behind Bill.

However, what strikes me now, as this primary continues and her desperation to win this race increases, is something that I've see in so many over the years growing up and living in the south which is--the mentality that blacks are "worthy" and "hard-working", and even "liked", however, they're not quite as good as "them". I strongly believe it is the major factor fueling this tenacious race. Oh, many would never say it outright (unless they're Pat Buchanan) and they honestly would shudder if they--themselves--even thought there was the slightest chance they thought this way. But before now, the "status quo" has never been challenged on this level, which is why this primary has reared an ugly side of racism that is subtle and often not seen.

Sure black athletes are revered now, but I remember when Howard Cosell was reprimanded for his comment about a player when he said, "watch that monkey run." I don't think Cosell actually meant it to be an overt racist comment to ridicule, but the vile words stung and made a stance in how we approached black athletes after this. I know it still happens (Tiger Woods comes to mind) but it is quickly denounced and reprimanded. (Rush Limpball comes to mind here after Donavan McNabb comment)

So here we are at a time when a black man is running for the highest office in our country. The "bar" has shifted again and the "status quo" is being challenged again. I can hear the thoughts of those who wince at a having a black president: "A black man should not be president. They'll only 'cater' to their black folks,.." Yes, it's disgusting and sad, however, I say this because I've heard it many times growing up in the south and it all boils down to fear. Barack Obama was right when he said he "cringed" at how his grandmother was "fearful of blacks." He went on to say that she knew it was wrong, but couldn't help but feel that way. This was so telling of him and his ability to understand the plight of the black man as well as the fear of the whites. Many still feel this way, even though they don't realize it. I suspect many don't want to acknowledge their feelings, because they really don't want to feel this way. But those seeds of racism were planted at an early age and they have roots.

Which brings me back to Hillary Clinton. While I don't think Hillary Clinton is racist. Let me say it again:I DON'T think Hillary Clinton is racist, I do get a sense of entitlement that gives off the appearance of such and her words are proving this to be true. Whether that "entitlement" that she shows is due to her really believing she is "entitled", or whether there is a small part still in the back of her subconscious mind, is only for Hillary Clinton to know. But it has brought out the tones of inadvertent racism and that's what's bringing this hot topic to the center of her campaign.

Flush it out and get rid of the fear many say. But for some, it's rooted pretty deep. I strongly believe that it's the cause for many of the "hard white voters" that Hillary continues to speak of and while I don't really think she realizes how "racist" this sounds, (maybe she does, but I would like to think she doesn't) it continues to perpetuate the myth that "blacks aren't good enough," and that IS, racist thinking.

I'll be so glad when this isn't an issue any more, but I suspect it won't be in my lifetime.

[BobRossi]

1. DLC Elitist .

Always was, always will be.

[Blue_Roses]

2. but it's showing a lot more

these days. It's easy to hide behind until challenged.

[northzax]

3. you know, right

that when Hillary was at Wellesley, Democrats were the party of Segregation? it was starting to change, but this was before the Nixon Southern Strategy flipped all the assholes from the Dems to the Republicans.

[Blue_Roses]

4. but Hillary was raised a repub by her family...

the sense of "entitlement" goes back further than Wellesley and they were known for being the "money party".

[northzax]

7. her dad was a small businessman

my mother (only two years older than Hillary) was raised as a republican in the Northeast by her union, teacher parents. They were Unitarians, left a church when it condemmed homosexuality, rode freedom busses (heck, they even voted for Kennedy) but they were republicans until the 70s. but I guess you could call a nice union couple elitist, if you want.

[Blue_Roses]

8. you're missing my point...

the comments that are coming out of Hillary's mouth will not get her the black vote. I'm trying to prod at a side that maybe Hillary herself isn't aware of and explore this so we can understand it better. Maybe it is what it is...but for the sake of racist division, I'm willing to try.

It's not about "unions" "voting for the "Kennedys" but about a thought process that happens without even realizing it. I can't believe that she could be so callous to the millions of black voters who see this as simply smearing them.

[northzax]

10. let's be honest

Hillary Clinton could walk on water, provide free education, healthcare and housing to everyone, end poverty as we know it through full employment, cure cancer and give everyone a new iPod, and she still wouldn't get any more black votes. she's been successfully cast as a racist, and she knows it. she's done. there is nothing more poisonous in Democratic politics than being successfully branded as a racist.

how do you defeat a strong woman in Democratic Politics? an electorate much more friendly to women than the Republicans? get her branded as a racist. it's the only thing worse than being called a sexist.

think about it from a logical perspective. you cannot win a democratic primary, especially in the South, by stirring up white racism. the numbers simply don't work. there simply aren't enough white democrats to counter a unified black electorate in the Party in the South. There is no incentive. none. South Carolina, where this all was supposed to have started, has a Democratic electorate that is 45% black. with three candidates in the race, the one that wins that electorate overwhelmingly (especially if you get 90% of it) is going to win the state. you would have to get every single white person to vote for you. the Clinton are southerners, remember, they know this. in Arkansas the democratic electorate if 40% black. You cannot win by being racist. you may be able to win the general election, and you can certainly win the GOP primaries (As we've seen) but you cannot win the Democratic ones. THe whole thing started because Bill Clinton, in an attempt to lower expectations before South Carolina said the perfectly logical thing (that turned out to be perfectly true, by the way, no one mentions that) that black voters in the South have, the all too two times they have been given the chance, voted overwhelmingly for the black candidate. Jesse Jackson won South Carolina twice, using 90+% of the black vote to do so. So Bill pointed out that Obama was going to win South Carolina because his floor, based on history and polling, was 40%. in a three way race, a floor of 40% is almost guaranteed to win. But that was considered racist to point out, and the meme started. Remember the 'skin-darkening' flap? the Mickey Kantor flap? once the meme starts, you can't stop it and people start to look at everything and anything to find more 'evidence' to support their idea and convince others. and once it's started, you can't disprove it, right? how do you disprove that you are a racist? Does anyone honestly think that Hillary Clinton is racist? given the sum total of knowledge you may have about her? Saying that Obama is having trouble winning the white working class is not racism, ir's fact. He knows it. saying that 95% of blacks are voting for Obama isn't racist, it's the fact. but the meme is out there. I know she was done when the case was made that Bill was playing the race card in South Carolina (but since I firmly believe she would make a better president at this point, I stuck with her)

yes, there are times she has run a poor campaign. yes, she was overcondfident at the start. yes, the palpable excitement that surrounds Obama is remarkable (if, honestly, hard for me to join in on) what disturbs me is that the accusations of racism that have stuck have made it perfectly acceptable in polite company for good democrats to act like Freepers towards Hillary. the language and tone is identical to the worst of the mouth-breathers in the late nineties. (not that I am saying this about you, I have no reason to link you to it, save the racism meme) the only way to describe it is "hate" people HATE hillary, and are egged on in hating her by other Democrats. Imagine that, Democrats actively engaged in passionate hatred against the strongest female politician of our time. We don't do this. This isn't our schitck; hatred of strong women is the GOP's schtick. that doesn't scare you at all? active, passionate hatred against a Democrat, by Democrats, encouraged, at least tacitly, by a Democratic Campaign? This is next generation post partisan politics? this is what we have to look forward to? What will the mob (and by the mob I am referring to the active haters) do when Obama disappoints them (as he invariably will, he's a politician)?

do people love Obama, or are they do wrapped up in hating Hillary that this is all they care about? I see very little attention paid on this board to Obama's positive points (and he has many). go to GPD (I just did, in another window) and see how many threads are positive about Obama. I count ONE, saying he could have a million volunteers on election day. There are two anti-Obama threads. Three pro-Hillary threads. one thanking Hillary from an Obama supporter. one about McCain. the remainder are virulently anti-Hillary. This is what we are down to. Hating Hillary Clinton. Spend a day, if you have the stomach, reading Freeper threads on Hillary and a day reading GDP threads on Hillary. the only major difference is that every now and then someone posts something nice about her here without being tombstoned. The rest of the threads could basically be interchanged.

so in answer to your question. there is no 'healing the racial divide' a large number of primarily white bloggers and internet whackjobs have fed the racist line to the primarily white media and they lapped it up. you can't come back from it, it's like being accused of being a child molester, even if false, the taint never leaves. In their urge to destroy Hillary, fed by passionate hatred, a racial line was created, mostly out of thin air, and that is going to be very hard to fix in the years to come. I hope they think it was worth it.

[Blue_Roses]

11. First off, I do read the "anti-Hillary" threads as well

as many others. In fact, I spend way too much time here when I should pick my ass up out of this chair and do something more positive. But DU has been a guilty pleasure of mine for too long now.

Secondly, I respect your support of Hillary Clinton and I have to say before this primary, I had much respect for her too. I still try to give her the benefit of the doubt when she says things that sting like she did yesterday.

I lived in Arkansas too and Hillary was NOT from Arkansas. She really didn't want to be there, but that's beside the point. People seem to think that since Hillary lived in Arkansas she has the inside track to knowing the "southern pull" but each southern state has his own history and demographics. Another--that's beside the point.

We could hash this subject around all night and still get nowhere. Bottom line, if Hillary knows the south then she would known the issues that reach to the spine of racism and that's usually something along the lines of saying what she did yesterday. Even Charlie Rangal, one of her supporters, who is black, said she knew better than to say such a stupid thing.

[TBF]

5. She's playing the race card but I don't think she's a bigot. I do think she is extremely

narcissistic and absolutely appalled that Obama had "the nerve" to run against her. She has decided it is "her turn", and it doesn't matter who runs against her - she will turn her venom on him/her. Obama happens to be black so she is using those particular weapons. If he were white she'd find something else - he'd be elitist, mysogynist, etc... It's just all about Hillary. She wants to be president so she is going to "obliterate" anything in her way.

[Kokonoe]

6. I think she is laying the boundaries of America that will

..belong to her. her block of voters that belong to her, and will follow her.

The only reason to build that base after she lost, will not be for a gracious gift to Obama,

but to use after the primary.

look forward to more republican pandering, fear mongering,

admonishing and denouncing of the democratic party from Hillary.

[Beregond2]

9. Yup.

And that is exactly why all this talk of acknowledging Hillary as some kind of great Democrat, giving her props for being a "fighter" and so on just makes me sick. If anyone thinks she is going to be a good loser and support the Obama presidency, they have rocks in their heads. She and Bill will be doing everything they can to undermine him and Dean and this whole new Democratic popular movement. We aren't "their people."