Democracy Has Prevailed.

May 26, 2008

The Clinton Thing - A Local Roundup

First the source material. Here's Senator Clinton stepping right in it:

Let me just say that I can't believe (won't believe) that Senator Clinton meant anything other than what she said she meant:
I made clear that I was - and that I thought the urgency to end the 2008 primary process was unprecedented. I pointed out, as I have before, that both my husband's primary campaign, and Sen. Robert Kennedy's, had continued into June.
Although, as Keith Olbermann pointed out in Friday'sspecial comment, Senator Clinton has previously used the "A-word.
She said, in an off-camera interview with Time on March 6, "Primary contests used to last a lot longer. We all remember the great tragedy of Bobby Kennedy being assassinated in June in L.A. My husband didn't wrap up the nomination in 1992 until June, also in California. Having a primary contest go through June is nothing particularly unusual. We will see how it unfolds as we go forward over the next three to four months."
In any case, whether it was calculated or inadvertant or taken out of context, it's simply a huge huge gaffe - probably a campaign-ending gaffe. A week or so after Senator Ted Kennedy is diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor a week or so before the anniversary of Senator Robert Kennedy's assassination why on earth would anyone bring it up?

Anyone with a brain bigger than Mark Madden's (which is most of the human race) of course. Here's what The Mouth said recently about Senator Ted:

"I'm very disappointed to hear that Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts is near death because of a brain tumor. I always hoped Senator Kennedy would live long enough to be assassinated.

"I wonder if he got a card from the Kopechnes."

But I digress.

The Macyapper, while giving Senator Clinton less of the benefit of the doubt than I do nevertheless wrote:
Hillary should get out of the race. Because even if you buy the notion that she meant no harm and was simply drawing awkward but semi-valid historical comparisons of some sort, she's still completely full of shit.
Language, language Johnny-boy. You're writing a blog not scripting Dick Cheney's ad-libbed insults.

The Burgher is just "done forgiving" Senator Clinton.

Kyle E. Moore (over at Comments from Left Field) has "had enough."

DAYS after Senator Ted Kennedy was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, knowing full well the personal safety implications that her opponent faces being a black man running for president in a country where white supremicist hate groups still assemble, Senator Hillary Clinton references the assassination of Bobby Kennedy as one of the reasons SHE is still in this race.

Fuck it. She’s done. Eject this foul thing from our party, that is the only acceptable measure left for the Democratic establishment.

Again. Language, people, language! What is it with bloggers and foul language?

These days, however, Senator Clinton is actually blaming the controversy on (now wait for it) the Obama campaign:

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign accused Sen. Barack Obama's campaign of fanning a controversy over her describing the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy late in the 1968 Democratic primary as one reason she is continuing to run for the presidency.

"The Obama campaign ... tried to take these words out of context," Clinton campaign chairman Terence R. McAuliffe said on "Fox News Sunday." "She was making a point merely about the time line."

The issue is particularly sensitive given longstanding concerns about Obama's safety as a presidential candidate. (He first received Secret Service protection last May.) The Obama campaign called Clinton's words unfortunate and circulated a TV commentary criticizing them, although Obama himself said Saturday that he took Clinton at her word that she meant no harm.
This, by the way, is Terry McCauliffe.


Consider the source.

17 comments:

Bram Reichbaum said...

I would also categorize that as "big gaffe" and leave it at that. Best piece I've read about it is here at Politico:

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=203F9A7D-3048-5C12-00F893045DC51923

Reading it, I couldn't help but be reminded of Penguins Bannergate.

Anonymous said...

There was absolutely no gaffe, she was simply making a time reference. Can't she do that without everyone making the worst possible conclusion? She should not have made an apology. There is no reason to give disingenuous righteous indignation any credibility at all.

Anonymous said...

Retired Millhunk-
There you go picking on poor Hilliary again. Can't you tell she was making a time reference. Plus she was really really tired hell she's been getting up everyday at 3 AM. protecting you and dodging sniper fire on top of that. I'm surprised they don't call her Honest Abe II. By the way I got a bridge I can sell you real cheap.PS Go Pens!!!

Anonymous said...

I think this is a horrible recipe whether or not she intends it to be. (For the record, I think there wasn't malicious intent behind her initial remark; I object to her actions since the remark was made...apparently Hillary Clinton, like her friend George W. Bush, is incapable of apologizing when she doe something wrong.)

Anonymous said...

John K. says: This is funny. You want Sen. Clinton to drop out before all the votes have been couted. To include MI and FL. Typical bunch of liberals. Voting only works when the count goes in your favor. Can we say voter fraud. LMAO

Anonymous said...

Remember, the Democratic Party is the party of poll taxes and segregation.

Electoral shenaningans are in the instruction book when you register Dem.

Anonymous said...

You guys are off the wall. Hilary is just saying it is stupid to quit, or be forced out before the end of the race. Look at the Kentucky Derby looser. Nobody wanted him to quit before the end did they. Everybody stays! there could be an airplane crash, or an earthquake. Let it ride. Stop turning it into something that it is not. Your starting sound a little desparate.

CB Phillips said...

This has been blown out of proportion and KO's special comment on Friday was just way over the top.

That said, why does her campaign go running to Fox to complain? Yeah, yeah, Obama made his Fox stop as well, which was a mistake, but I can pretty much guarantee they would never go on Fox to complain about the other campaign. Like school on Saturday, man: no class.

Anonymous said...

John K. says: Can you liberals post the Obama Memorial Day Speech. Do you liberals have any idea of why they have Memorial Day at all? This Hussein Obama guy doesn't.

Anonymous said...

Sadly, KO has become a joke. The guy has issues up the ying-yang and could use some mental health assistance.

His on-going fixation with Brittany Spears has been creeping me out for a long time. Keith, get some help.

Anonymous said...

First thing's first - her comment.

Was it a gaffe? Yes. Was it intentional? Doubtful, but clearly the argument was that anything could happen.

Frankly, she should have been called out a lot sooner for this statement, which she has repeated several times since March.

The fact that past races have lasted into June and that RFK was assasinated in June do not correlate. Those statements do not support each other.

Let's just do some simple logic, using her comments -

1. Some Democratic nominating contests last until June.

2. Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June 1968.

3. Therefore, the 1968 Democratic nominating contest lasted until June.

Not a perfect syllogism, but the logic of the Clinton camp's argument simply doesn't hold up to any scrutiny.

Perhaps it was a slip of the tongue, repeatedly, but she still owes people an apology because that is a fear of many people. And, frankly, it is in very poor taste to mention these sort of things in politics, especially when you're making an argument for staying in a race that you have lost.

If she was making a time reference, there are numerous examples she could have chosen, none of them inolving a tragic political assassination - 1980, 1984 are just two and both would have made far more sense and led to a far more credible argument on her part.

My second point: the fundamental dynamics of this race have not changed since Wisconsin on 2/19. The only difference is that Obama's delegate lead is about 30-40 more than he had then. We've reached a point now where it is unlikely that even MI/FL can save her campaign.

But the Democratic is NOT the party of poll taxes and segregation. Those Democrats joined the Republican party in the 50's, 60's and 70's. It was Civil Rights Democrats who paid a huge political price for standing up for people's rights; the Republican party reaped the benefits of that action, though I must say that Civil Rights legislation would not have been possible without Republicans like Sen. Everett Dirkson.

What any of this has to do with Obama speaking on Memorial Day is unclear to me. My understanding is that Obama and Sen. Webb and the Democratic Party are eager to increase and improve the benefits that our men and women in the Armed Forces receive. Standing in the way was John McCain, who should know better.

The simple fact is that John McCain isn't half the man his father and grandfather were, both who served this country with distinction and honor and without getting captured. I respect John McCain for his service and the ordeals he went through, but I hardly see how crashing your plane repeatedly and getting captured gives him an special insight into what today's veterans and active duty members of the military need.

Perhaps McCain is satisfied with allowing our men and women of the armed forces to live on welfare; I am not and neither is Obama, Webb or the Democratic party.

Of course, this is typical of the treatment our veterans have received from Republicans - they want them to do their dirty work but don't want to deal with the consequences when they come.

They're afraid of the new GI Bill because they think it will decrease re-enlistment but analysis by the independent Congressional Budget Office has indicated that any drop in re-enlistment would be offset by increases in first time enlistment.

So, again, what are the Republicans so afraid of?

They're afraid of talking; they're afraid of ideas; they're even afraid of doing the right thing by taking care of our veterans.

They're so right they're wrong.

Anonymous said...

Standing in the way was John McCain, who should know better.

Why McKane says NO! Our all volunteer army is full of kids who signed up to get the financial benefts. Hey, I'm getting some pretty good money now thanks to sghning up for a few weeks a month but "oh my god! they really want me to go out there and do some duty? Like,you know, leave my lttle comfortable world and actually get down and dirty with those Terrorsts?

Do we really need to keep paying for that kind of chicken-shit kids to go to school? How many of you fit this profile?

Anonymous said...

Retired Millhunk-
There's proof positive right there. You don't need education.

Anonymous said...

Wow, that's pretty much beyond the pale...

Chicken shits? You(anon) just called people who have put their lives on the line for a war that has become the right's crusade chicken shits...from behind the safety of your keyboard...that's rich.

Only a conservative could put a price one life..."You're life's worth this much, but definitely not that much."

Typical.

cathcatz said...

oh, btw... mark madden was suspended for those lovely comments he made about teddy kennedy.

he's blowhard douchebag.

good riddance.

Anonymous said...

Retired Millhunk-
Madden was fired, no longer on ESPN. I wouldn't be afraid to say Madden will be on KDKA within a month. He's a perfect fit for that station.

Anonymous said...

Yes, KDKA will pick him up. They have sure turned the "first" into the "last Hick town radio show"
Well,Not all, I think Marty has been shocked into some sence ....after he helped out on that preacher's suicide.
Hons-no-man won't stop 'till somebody shoots Obama or at least one of his spirtual advisers.