Hillary Clinton jumps the fucking shark.

[rivka]

Apparently we aren't even bothering to use codewords for race anymore:

Clinton cited an Associated Press article "that found how Sen. Obama's support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me."

"Working, hard-working Americans, white Americans." As opposed, apparently, to the shiftless welfare queens of color who support Barack Obama. That's as naked a play of the race card as anyone ever pinned on Al Sharpton. Hillary Clinton, supposedly a Democrat, is pinning the last desperate hopes of her campaign on white racists.

This is not her pastor speaking. This is not a guy in her neighborhood who did bad things forty years ago. This is not a random white guy she's tenuously connected to. This is Hillary Clinton herself taking a page out of the John Birch Society's playbook: "working, hard-working Americans, white Americans."

I've never been a Hillary Clinton fan, but at the beginning of this campaign I admired her historic candidacy and was delighted to be able to say that I'd be happy to throw my full support behind whichever Democratic candidate won the nomination. That was before Clinton refused to say, when asked, that Barack Obama was not a Muslim. That was before she justified her ridiculous bread-and-circuses pandering about a gas tax repeal by sneering that "I'm not going to put my lot in with economists," and "We've got to get out of this mind-set where somehow elite opinion is always on the side of doing things that really disadvantage the vast majority of Americans."

"Elite opinion" is a Newt Gingrich phrase. It's part of the frame that the Republicans have successfully used to marginalize Democrats for the past 14 years. It's all one piece with the race-baiting attempts to position "hard-working Americans" and African-Americans on opposite sides: both are strategies that could've come right out of the hard right wing playbook. Hillary Clinton is deliberately making use of these strategies. There is no question - none - that she doesn't know what she's doing. And by doing so, she is reinforcing themes and frames which benefit the hard right wing and hurt the Democratic Party.

Obviously no matter what happens I'm not going to vote for McCain. But if Hillary Clinton somehow manages to come out of this disgusting, ugly mess with the nomination, I won't be donating one penny to her campaign, making one phone call, or handing out one campaign flyer.

I am so. Utterly. Disgusted.

Via Atrios.

Comments

[wcg.livejournal.com]

Oddly enough, I just saw this in the NY Times online and was going to post about it when I saw your post. My first thought was that she's reminding me of George Wallace.

[browse.livejournal.com]

You are not alone in your disgust. Sheesh.

[telerib.livejournal.com]

If it wasn't for that first "working," and/or if she threw an "and" in there, I'd tend to want to say she was referring to two groups: blue collar workers and whites. I believe I've heard on the radio that she does better in those demographics than Obama. He does better with the young, the college-educated, and the black communities (or so I recall hearing).

But "working, hard-working Americans, white Americans" does kind of sound like she's running the two concepts together.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

An "and" would've made a huge difference, wouldn't it? The sentence still would've carried racist implications, but they wouldn't be nearly so overt if there had been an "and."

I wish I could think its absence was accidental.

[kate_nepveu]

The rest of the sentence, "whites in both states who had not completed college", also argues for rivka's reading.

[marnanel.livejournal.com]

I can't believe she said that. Well, I can, but I am saddened. Making racist comments is unacceptable anyway. When your only opponent is a person of colour it is beyond despicable.

I so want her to lose the primary just so I can give even the slightest amount of a damn about the election in November.

That was before Clinton refused to say, when asked, that Barack Obama was not a Muslim.

When was this?

[rivka.livejournal.com]

in March. (http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=/Culture/archive/200803/CUL20080303a.html) She waffled on the question and gave a weak denial - he's not a Muslim "...as far as I know."

[fairoriana.livejournal.com]

She actually lost me with the economists statement. I've had enough of government run by opinion untrammelled by evidence.

[supergee.livejournal.com]

There was a shark beyond the gas tax shark for her to jump.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

I'm picturing an endless row of sharks lined up from here to the convention.

...If we're lucky. I suppose she could continue campaigning against Obama right up to the general election.

[kightp.livejournal.com]

As I just commented in wcg's entry on the subject, I'm sorely tempted to whip up a "Hard-working White Woman for Obama" sign to put in my car window. Except that would just spur the divisiveness that's one of the reasons I'm campaigning for Obama.

I keep telling people I'll be perfectly happy to vote for Clinton if she's the nominee, but I'm feeling it less and less. In my charitable moments I think she's getting bad campaign advice from people who are too enmired in the Bad Old Ways of doing this stuff. But those moments come less and less often; instead, I'm beginning to believe those who think she's personally committed to an "anything to win" strategy.

And I've had enough of anything-to-win presidents for one lifetime, thanksverymuch.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

I'd vote for her, but it would feel like my every-six-years vote for Feinstein. I'd do it with a bit of a metallic taste in my mouth.

[ailbhe]

Yeurch. Is all I have to say.

[aloha-moira.livejournal.com]

I haven't been a huge fan of Obama's (and I'm still not getting those warm fuzzy feelings that most of his supporters seem to have... and I AM still a little sketched out by the Rev. Wright thing for a few reasons) but... I really can't support Hills in good conscience any more. I'd been giving her the benefit of the doubt re: the race card previously, but this is pretty egregious.

And the gas tax thing is almost equally unforgiveable.

[vito-excalibur.livejournal.com]

WHAT THE HELL. I fucking don't believe Hillary Clinton just managed to convince me not to support the first serious female candidate for the president of the U.S. I am so angry right now.

[chargirlgenius.livejournal.com]

She seems to be desperately grasping at straws.

There was a point in the race where I could support either one. Then, though, I just didn’t believe that she could carry the general election. While she might have had decent support, I strongly believe that she would bring the most right-wing part of the Republican party out to the polls just to vote against her.

Now, I’m less thrilled with her, her tactics, and what she says. I believe even less that she could carry the general. Were it to come down to it, I would still vote for her over McCain, but I wouldn’t feel good about it.

I’m not entirely certain that Obama can carry the general either, but I’m more willing to take the gamble than the sure loss I’m sure that Clinton would provide. I’m not sure that it’s even possible to tell, considering that McCain has been able to sit quietly on the sidelines.

I’ve heard many a news story trot out the stat that 17%-33% of Clinton supporters wouldn’t vote for Obama. I’m not sure who they interviewed – people in exit polls? People who claim to have voted for her in the primary? Registered democrats? I think there’s strong evidence to suggest that many people voting for her in the primaries have been Republicans trying to get the most unelectable candidate nominated (“Operation Chaos”). If these are the people who wouldn’t vote for Obama, who cares?

[rivka.livejournal.com]

15% of the people who voted for Clinton in Indiana said in exit polls that they wouldn't vote for HER if she was the nominee. (a href="http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1738215,00.html?xid=rss-politics-cnn">Source.)So yeah, I think there was a Limbaugh effect. I'm surprised that statistic isn't getting more play in the media.

[bosssio.livejournal.com]

she lost me at the gas tax. I just stopped listening at that point.

I agree with
I don't think she's a "racist" in the sense of someone like David Duke, but I do think she's willing to cynically manipulate racial tensions to her own advantage.

I think she is willing to cynically manipulate EVERYTHING to her own advantage. I thought it when she carpet-bagged her way into the NY Sentate, I thought it when she pulled the "stand by your man" crap as first lady.

To be honest, I was willing to let a lot slide because a. she is smart, b. she has some good ideas/good people around her and c. recent presidents have been a helluva lot worse

forgot to add

[bosssio.livejournal.com]

This is me at my most cynical, I have to say... however, in my defense, when a scion of a *president*, a multimillionaire businessman, with several failed businesses and a history of drug use and possible alcoholism, is elected president himself, based on his image of "god fearin', family values, good ole country boy" TWICE (!), the second time after sending his country to WAR, I have nothing left but my cynicism when dealing with American politics.

[ceruleanst.livejournal.com]

She has also been going around saying that the best way to deport Mexicans is with "no legal process". Just pick 'em up and ship 'em out. Um, how do you know they're illegals, then? Oh, right, because they're brown.

[kiya]

Apropos of very little, I greatly appreciate your icon.

[txobserver.livejournal.com]

Gallup has just released a poll showing that as of today Obama has the same share of the white vote as Kerry did, and this is May. (http://www.gallup.com/poll/107110/Obamas-Support-Similar-Kerrys-2004.aspx) Given his higher numbers among young voters and AA voters, his ability to organize a ground game and improve his numbers when he campaigns, I really don't understand how people can claim he is unelectable

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

And, unless the superdelegates who have gone for Obama leave him for Hillary, she can't win at this point. He's too far ahead. She could win all of the rest of the nominations and the rest of the superdelegates, and Obama would still have more delegates. She should stop now.

[iko.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, I get the impression that she needs to run despite the odds until the convention. To save face because she's told her supporters that she's determined to continue. It's awful and until she finds a way to bow out that makes her not look like a loser, she's not going to stop.

[solarbird]

She did the same thing to queers a few weeks ago, predictably as clockwork, participating in a rant against "San Francisco Democrats" which is a longstanding "faggot" codephrase dating back to Reagan. She'd already lost almost any chance of this dyke voting for her in November, and that pretty much sealed the deal. And yeah, I do think she knows what she's doing.

it isn't everything...

[acceberskoorb.livejournal.com]

A year ago I was SO excited about the opportunity to vote for a candidate whose campaign wasn't all about whose dick was bigger (and less "elite"). My best guess was that Hillary would be a good bet on that one. Boy do I feel dumb.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

This breaks my heart and informs my vote. Thank you for posting this.

[cos]

No need to worry. Hillary lost any realistic chance of getting the nomination on March 4. It's only now that the media is starting to catch on, but Obama has been the presumptive nominee for two months.

[baranduin.livejournal.com]

Here from rubynye's LJ. Thank you for saying this so well. Am pimping on my LJ.

[cookiefleck.livejournal.com]

The wording is atrocious, I agree. Although I am going to give her the benefit of the doubt and point out that she was apparently attempting to quote some poll information that supported her. I certainly don't think that she meant to imply Black persons are not hard-working, etc.

I do not believe that the Clintons are racist. Tempers are running high these days and the Clintons have lost some good will among the Black community as the campaigning grows testy. But they have had the respect and admiration of that community for many, many years. Just yesterday, in fact, I read an article in Ebony entitled, "Does Black America Owe a Debt to the Clintons? Or is it Obama's time?" (The article didn't take sides.)

(Since you don't know me, I'll just add that I am on the fence re Clinton/Obama, leaning very slightly toward Hillary, but ready to support whoever gets the nomination.)

[piratesorka.livejournal.com]

I am right there with you. I started out supporting Hilary. I had liked Bill and I thought Hilary had a lot going for her...plus, what a rush to even consider a woman as Prez! Wooohoo!

But I have gotten increasingly disappointed, disenchanted, disegaged and totally disgusted with her and her campaign. All she seems to be doing now is heaping stuff on Obama that the Republicans will just turn around and use for themselves against him. Way to go Hil.

There is a time to stay and a time to go. After three days fish starts to stink. Its been more than a few days and Hilary has stunk up the process.

[mcduff.livejournal.com]

The biggest revelation about US politics I've had has been thanks to the Clinton campaign. And that revelation is, simply, that vast swathes of the political and media elite simply do not think the last 8 years have been all that bad. To some extent, they realise that it has been simply the end result of business as usual in the US of A, that a massive mil-ind complex and pointless foreign resource wars, anti-intellectualism and the funnelling of wealth to the wealthy is very much business as usual. But where they disconnect with, I think, "regular people" is that they don't see anything wrong with that. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I don't know enough regular people. But I dearly dearly wish for some people in any kind of semblance of power who would stop playing the "let's you and him fight" game.