Racial Tensions Heat Up In Dem Campaign

Clinton, Obama And Their Supporters Ratchet Up Rhetoric Ahead Of S.C. Primary

(CBS/AP)  Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama have become embroiled in racially-tinged disputes as large numbers of black voters prepare to get their first say in the Democratic presidential campaign.

The candidates and their surrogates are heating up their rhetoric, and it could prove to be combustible beyond South Carolina's Jan. 26 primary.

"If we've learned anything over the course of the first two contests of 2008, it's that voters will decide what the campaign will be about," CBSNews.com senior political editor Vaughn Ververs said. "But gender and race are undeniably a major part of the Democratic primary contest. Nobody should pretend differently." (Read more in Horserace).

Clinton, on defense over comments that she and her husband made regarding Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy and Obama's fitness for the White House, tried to turn the tables on her top primary rival. She accused his campaign of looking to score political points by distorting their words.

Hillary Clinton had said King's dream of racial equality was realized only when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, while Bill Clinton said Illinois Sen. Obama was telling a "fairy tale" about his opposition to the Iraq war. Black leaders have criticized their comments, and Obama said Sunday her comment about King was "ill-advised."

"I think it offended some folks who felt that somehow diminished King's role in bringing about the Civil Rights Act," Obama told reporters on a conference call. "She is free to explain that, but the notion that somehow this is our doing is ludicrous."

Some African-Americans took Bill Clinton's comments as an attack on Obama's entire campaign and Hillary Clinton's comments as dismissive of the civil rights movement, reports CBS News senior political correspondent Jeff Greenfield. It did not sit well with South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, the most influential Democrat in the state.

As evidence the Obama campaign had pushed the story, Clinton advisers pointed to a memo written by an Obama staffer compiling examples of comments by Clinton and her surrogates that could be construed as racially insensitive. The memo later surfaced on some political Web sites.

"This is an unfortunate story line the Obama campaign has pushed very successfully," the former first lady said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I don't think this campaign is about gender, and I sure hope it's not about race."

Clinton taped the show before appearances in South Carolina, where at least half the primary voters are expected to be black. On Monday, she planned to attend a union event honoring King's legacy in New York City.

But no sooner had Clinton said she hoped the campaign would not be about race than it got even more heated. A prominent black Clinton supporter, Black Entertainment Television founder Bob Johnson, criticized Obama and seemed to refer to his acknowledged teenage drug use while introducing Clinton at her next event.

"To me, as an African-American, I am frankly insulted the Obama campaign would imply that we are so stupid that we would think Hillary and Bill Clinton, who have been deeply and emotionally involved in black issues - when Barack Obama was doing something in the neighborhood; I won't say what he was doing, but he said it in his book - when they have been involved," Johnson said.

Obama wrote about his youthful drug use - marijuana, alcohol and sometimes cocaine - in his memoir, "Dreams from My Father."

Johnson later said in a statement released by the Clinton campaign that his comments referred to Obama's work as a community organizer in Chicago "and nothing else. Any other suggestion is simply irresponsible and incorrect."

Another Clinton campaign official, Bill Shaheen, resigned last month after suggesting Democrats should be wary of nominating Obama because his past drug use could be used against him in the campaign.

Obama, campaigning in Las Vegas, declined to respond to Johnson.

"I'm not going to spend all my time running down the other candidates, which seems to be what Senator Clinton has been obsessed with for the last month," Obama said.

His strategist, however, didn't spare Johnson or Clinton.

"I don't see why this is so much different from what Billy Shaheen did in New Hampshire," David Axelrod said. "Senator Clinton apologized for that. It's bewildering why, since she was standing there, she had nothing to say about this."

Clinton was not yet on stage when Johnson made his statements and she did not mention them when she emerged.

Meanwhile, in Atlanta, Obama's wife rose to his defense over Bill Clinton's "fairy tale" comment. Michelle Obama said some blacks might be skeptical that white America will elect her husband, but advised them to look to his win in Iowa.

"Ain't no black people in Iowa," she said during a speech at the Trumpet Awards, an event celebrating black achievement. "Something big, something new is happening. Let's build the future we all know is possible. Let's show our kids that America is ready for Barack Obama right now."

John Edwards, a third candidate in the Democratic primary, waded into the dispute Sunday.

"I must say I was troubled recently to see a suggestion that real change came not through the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King but through a Washington politician. I fundamentally disagree with that," Edwards told more than 200 people gathered at a predominantly black Baptist church in Sumter, S.C.

[gunownerdan]

Obama, Clinton, and the KKK agree:

They all believe law-abiding black citizens should not be trusted to own guns.

www.a-human-right.com

[sgtrds]

This whole supposed race problem between Obama and the Clintons is a whole lot of media driven BS. Much ado about nothing.

[jack3213]

Hillary will say or do anything to get the nomination even if it is lie, cheat, steal, manipulate, insult, degrade, connive, destroy, humiliate, condecend, disrespect, or eliminate. Being tough is one thing, being an embarressment is another. The Clintons do not deserve or have earned the right to be back in the White House, They did no justice to our country by being there before, regardless of what minor things were accomplished, Hillary is not experianced by association nor is she able to lead a country that needs more of a credible human being. Too many people dislike her already, this is not a wise choice to make.

[jjp735i]

All the other news media are saying Clinton and Obama have called for a truce because they know they have gone over board on this issue. So which one is it? A truce or tensions are heating up?

Both have been wrong on this and both need to get a grip and the media needs to stop blowing it out of proportion.

[jedi08]

Adiant? Do you really think that most of the nation is stupid enough to blame Obama for Hillary saying something stupid. You can play your political game all you want, but Clinton is the one playing the gender card, talking about women this and women that. Obama doesn''t even bring up race, she is the one who brought it up.

The Clintons messed up, and did what they always do, blame everyone else for their mistakes. "Its the Obama camp distorting our words." Whatever that means, they played what you said over and over on fox, cbs and msnbc. Those are the people who you should be blamming if you think your words are being distorted. Plus all they are doing is showing the clip of what she and Bill said. Blame the Obama camp, or the vast right wing Conspiracy.

Whatever Billary, the jig is up. Being first lady doesn''t count for squat.

Obama08

[adiant-2009]

Well, well! The race card got Simpson an undeserved aquittal. Now Obama wants the race card hands him an undeserved candidacy. We have had enough of that kind of bull. Simpson got away with murder. I''ll do my best to do what is right. Obama is not better than Clinton, not even based on the color of the skin of each one of them. I''ll definitely vote for Clinton. Obama and other racist blacks are wrong. The Clintons have shown for many long years how they feel regarding this divide, certainly not with words but with action. If Obama thinks that he is going to benefit from this unfairness against Ms. Clinton, I think he is showing what he really is. And, believe me, it wouldn''t be good for a nation that was, is and will be racist for centuries to come.

[brianbwb-2009]

Posted by radiob

I just learned that another person I produced, Denise Minenfield, has one of my pieces up on her my space, called Paradise.

[brianbwb-2009]

Posted by jedi08

BET is now owned by Viacom. Robert Johnson sold it (among other things he has sold) had been kissing up to his money lenders since he started in the business. I don''t blame him for doing what he feels he must, but I also don''t trust him, as the general tenor of his magazine publications has always been to try to promote a "Black" upper crust resembling his perception of the "White" one, when economic class division is just another stumbling block for us to overcome.

[jedi08]

Anyone who doesn''t see how the Clintons operate by now are blinded by love of the past.

They have been behaving terribly.
Shame on Bill and Hillary.
Now they are trying to disinfranchise voters in Nevada and trying to look people square in the eye and say that they beleive the owner of BET when he said he wasn''t talking about drug use."

The Clintons should just purposely make this race about race and trash Obama''s record and past drug use. At least then they would only be seen as nasty instead of how they are being perceived now, which is Nasty, dishonest and or just plain dumb.

[brianbwb-2009]

Posted by brianbwb at 01:12 AM
Any place I can hear your work? Your own compositions or adaptations of material?
Posted by radiob

I think one of the ladies I produced put some of the songs on her site, google "Umi Yushida" and you get a result from Singapore, thats it. I wrote and played all the instruments, but primarily I am a bassist. I haven''t yet posted my own personal music, because it will cause brain damage if exposed too much (just kidding, I am very busy lately, and haven''t yet gotten around to designing my own site),

[radiob-2009]

Posted by brianbwb at 01:12 AM

Any place I can hear your work? Your own compositions or adaptations of material?

[brianbwb-2009]

"Until we have a candidate that is willing to place some teeth in the trade agreements (none of the current group are) we will continue to have more of the same." Posted by radiob

I am of the opinion that any "trade agreement" is an attempt to distort natural market forces, and as such are not necessary, just grow, manufacture, and sell. The only regulation I would see is a true human protectionist one, importers should be made to pay tariffs if they import goods produced by slave labor, or underpaid labor, until the shelf price is higher than non slave produced goods.

[brianbwb-2009]

Posted by brianbwb at 01:04 AM
Shame I would have loved to have seen or heard a reunion with perhaps Foley on bass.
Posted by radiob

...or me...; )

[brianbwb-2009]

"The people have been dumbed down. If going to college the message has been, ignore history and the liberal arts" Posted by l8c6

I''ll go you one better, funding for music and arts was virtually eliminated from k-12, and history was always nothing more than eurocentric propaganda, which was not only untrue for the most part, but was useless in society, because as I often say, "if you don''t know where you come from, you cannot know where you are going".

Music alone is a multi billion dollar industry in the US, and multi trillion worldwide, so we saw the contention that it was worthless as BS when they were announcing the cutbacks of the music programs in the schools.

[radiob-2009]

Posted by brianbwb at 01:04 AM

Shame I would have loved to have seen or heard a reunion with perhaps Foley on bass.

[l8c6]

has been going on for over 30 years and at the blessing of both political partys. Meanwhile the US slips closer and closer to a third world nation with under reported unemployment data along with under reported inflation data and the vast majority of America just go along for the ride, trapped in their own worlds and apathetic to the whole of America.

Posted by radiob


Lieberman is proof the democratic party has been corrupted. He is not alone. Time won''t come overnight. The only hope will be a new generation becoming engaged and staying engaged. The culprits are not inheriting the earth. The trolls will die off and the youth must look at the mess and decide a course of action or continue down the hobbit hole.

later.

[l8c6]

good night all. Beware the dirty republican tricks. They are serious flip floppers.

[radiob-2009]

Posted by l8c6 at 12:56 AM

Until we have a candidate that is willing to place some teeth in the trade agreements (none of the current group are) we will continue to have more of the same. There are multiple alternatives to energy that could be manufactured in mass in the US that would end our dependence on foreign oil yet no candidate is supporting giving the companys corporate tax breaks to mass manufacture in the US bringing high paying jobs back to the US. Outsourcing has been going on for over 30 years and at the blessing of both political partys. Meanwhile the US slips closer and closer to a third world nation with under reported unemployment data along with under reported inflation data and the vast majority of America just go along for the ride, trapped in their own worlds and apathetic to the whole of America.

[brianbwb-2009]

I get a sense that there was some bad blood there somewhere, it almost inevitably happens with such huge talents and egos.

Word is that John, wanted Billy and Jan to follow his journey into Buddhism, but the other two didn''t care to go. I do know that Billy had been wanting for a long time to get a little more "commercial", which he did with his own solo works, and with George Duke.

[l8c6]

it is the diviseness of all colors, religions,politics and economics that prevent us from uniting as one and challenging the system which is currently designed for the elite and not everyone as it should be. The high paying jobs have been outsourced and we have become a nation that is primarily concern with our own survival instead of being unified and concerned with the betterment of all.

Posted by radiob


And the people must rise up, take notice. The people have been dumbed down. If going to college the message has been, ignore history and the liberal arts. The right wing says, they don''t make money and don''t advance the corporate business idolatry. The right wing private corporations target funding for the business college, they take tax payer funded research from universities and privatize it for private profit.

Right wing baby boomers deserve to have their graves spit on for what their selfishness and lack of vision for the posterity of their children and their grandchildren has left behind.