Clinton Leaves Primary States For "State of the Black Union"
CINCINNATI -- With the Ohio and Texas primaries only 10 days away, one would think that both candidates would be spending most of their time between these two states. But Hillary Clinton is taking time away from campaigning in the Lone Star and Buckeye states to head to Louisiana for the annual "State of the Black Union" hosted by Tavis Smiley.
The problem is that Louisiana has already voted in the primary and gave Barack Obama a large victory. So why is Clinton taking time out of her limited campaign schedule to participate? Clinton Senior Spokesman Mo Elleithee said, "She's always been committed to dealing with the issues that are important to the African-American community." Elleithee said Clinton agreed to attending this summit weeks ago.
There's no doubt that after a series of gaffes and ill-advised comments throughout this campaign, there has been tension between the Clintons and the African-American community.
Weeks ago, Clinton was hammered for a comment she made that some suggested discredited the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. during the civil rights movement. Prior to the New Hampshire primary Bill Clinton criticized Barack Obama, suggesting his views on the Iraq war were "the biggest fairy tale" he's ever seen and later was accused of playing up the race issue prior to the South Carolina primary.
When pressed on why Clinton was spending campaign resources in a state that has already voted, Elleithee said "She's got a commitment to these issues, and is looking forward to the opportunity to discuss them."
Obama will not be attending the summit at all, causing some stir in the African-American community. In a letter sent to Smiley, Obama offered to send his wife Michelle, but Smiley declined to have her participate.
According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Obama says his campaigning in Ohio and Texas is keeping him from the event. Smiley called Obama's decision "a critical miscalculation and a missed opportunity."