Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Just Another Split In The Seam

I find it interesting that the "first black president" Bill Clinton is being told to lay off the criticism of Obama. Here, House Majority Whip and member of the Demcocratic Black Caucus, Jim Clyburn says the former president needs to "chill a little bit". From the article:

Bill Clinton's attacks on Obama, Clyburn said in a CNN interview, were unfair because a former president's viewpoint "carries with it extra weight."

"I think they would say in 'Gullah Geechee' country he needs to chill a little bit. I hope he understands what that means," Clyburn told CNN.

"I can understand him wanting to defend his wife's honor and his own record, and that is to be expected. But you can't do that in a way that won't engender the kind of feelings that seem to be bubbling up as a result of this."

"Gullah Geechee" refers to African-Americans who live in South Carolina's Low Country region near the Atlantic coast.

"He is revered in many sections of the African-American community, and I think he can afford to tone it down," Clyburn added.


Not fair? Obama threw his hat into the ring and said he wants to be president. Is he so thin-skinned that he cannot take criticism? If he were to get elected and his policies and proposals come under scrutiny like every last president before him, would they then cry, "not fair"?

Then, we read that the mayor of Atlanta (a black lady) said some things yesterday, as well:

Speaking at the 40th annual MLK commemorative service at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Franklin said the country is on the "cusp of turning the impossible into reality. Yes this is reality, not fantasy or fairy tales."


Could somebody direct her to You Tube, so she can hear the entire "fairy tale" statement again? If that doesn't work, try to explain it to her - one more time.

As you may guess, it's now boiled over into the debates and the intense dislike for each other has become even more evident.

Personal antipathy and pent-up anger boiled over as Democratic foes Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama accused each other of twisting the truth, in a fiery 2008 campaign debate Monday.

The two senators stared one another down, gesticulated and constantly interrupted one another, flinging accusations and counter-charges at a vital stage of their quests for the White House.


Some of this is the creative writing skills of a sensationalist reporter, wanting to make this sound like a bare-knuckled street fight. But what all this boils down to is evident. By the time, the Democrats' nominee is known, the party will be grievously split. I cannot imagine that this much animosity will ever be forgiven, by either side. The real question will then become: If Hillary wins, will the Obama camp support her or will they stay home in the General Election?

Now that the debate is over, the hacks will be out in force. The media jump starts it, the hacks spin it out of control. The longer this goes on, the more harsh things will be said. The more harsh things that are said, the deeper the divisions will go. And the deeper they get, the harder it will be to reunite them come November.




7 comments:

Flocon said...

One thing I'm not too sure is whether you're rooting for Hillary or Obama, LA???

Ah, politics... it ain't easily decipherable as seen from the outside... especially from Europe.

Anonymous said...

I think LA is making a good point, here. Politics, by its nature, has always been rancorous. In the early days of our country, when the Electoral College of the House of Representatives elected the president, there were some terrific fights between opposing parties. Today, by the time politics as usual reaches the national level, the debate can be brutal. If Mr. Obama isn’t prepared for this kind of opposition, and according to the news, it is getting much worse as I write, then he shouldn’t have tossed his hat into the political ring.

What is really telling about the democratic primaries is that pundits employ football game analogies to describe strategies used by opposing frontrunners. This tendency suggests to me that almost everyone looks upon the primary process as an entertaining sport—one in which brain power replaces brawn, and loyal fans prefer the “Hail-Mary” pass and a robust “touch down,” over a mere punt.

National politics is no place for crybabies; Obama has to realize that he’s competing with a Black Widow Spider and he will need every resource he can muster to defeat Ms. Clinton. I predicted earlier that no matter how hard Hillary has worked to incorporate the black community into her socialist utopia, black Americans will flock to Obama for no other reason than he is black. What Hillary may not understand is that every time she levels a charge (or an innuendo) against Obama, it draws the back community more tightly around him; it makes no difference whether she is speaking truthfully. There is no other way to explain how popular Sharpton is within that community, and we must not forget that Jesse Jackson’s son is Obama’s campaign co-Chair.

As for Bill, we can all understand why he would fall asleep during a sermon that he’s heard a million times before, but it still hurts Hillary’s cause and there will come a time when Bill will be forced to bow out of his wife’s campaign efforts. Indeed, the race has become racial — and we have yet to achieve a meritocracy in this country.

A.C. McCloud said...

Problem is, with the Clintons we never really know whether we're seeing actual events or choreography.
I tend to think this is real because Hillbilly (maninly the Billy part) has suddenly realized his walk back to the WH wasn't going to involve cake.

Here's another thing. With so much black vs white animosity how could Hillary, assuming she's the nominee, later pick a white (or even Latino) running mate without further damaging the party? She would almost have to pick Barack.

Anonymous said...

"Ah, politics... it ain't easily decipherable as seen from the outside... especially from Europe."

Especially if one has never travelled to the USA for example. But one can always pretend to an expert.

LA Sunset said...

//One thing I'm not too sure is whether you're rooting for Hillary or Obama, LA???//

Actually, neither. I do not agree with either candidate's ideology. Obama, if you can pin him down on an issue, is nothing more than a populist that says he wants change, but when I see the people that are backing his campaign, I have come to the conclusion that the change he will try to implement is not the kind change that will be beneficial.

Hillary is a technocrat that will spend more money than a drunken sailor to buy everything for everyone that says they need something. She has a fundamental view that government can meet most any need of the people and that people have no responsibility to meet their own needs. In short, Hillary wants to be Santa Claus (Pere Noel).

I am not sure who I will vote for. Since I am neither registered as a Republican nor a Democrat, I must wait until the two parties complete their nominating process to see who is closest to what I think my country needs at this particular point in time in our existence.

LA Sunset said...

//Especially if one has never travelled to the USA for example. But one can always pretend to an expert.//

Alright now, Rocket. I know you guys don't like each other. But please, no sniping.

Flocon said...

Regarding who's you're rooting for, I know you knew I was being ironic LA. Your man is Kucinich, isn't it?