Clintons face nonsensical allegations of racism

Y'all know that I'm tentatively supporting Obama over Clinton in the Democratic primary race... but... can someone please explain to me how Bill Clinton calling Barack Obama's characterization of his position on Iraq a "fairy tale" is somehow "racial"?

I'm honestly baffled. Do black people tell their children lots of fairy tales? Is "fairy" not just an anti-gay slur, but an anti-black one? I just don't understand how this is remotely related to race at all, even arguably.

Comments

[Casey]

I just wanted to say that I found this post racist.

[Alasdair]

In Britain, Fairy Liquid is used to do dishes ...

[Joe Loy]

(as usual :) ~ LOL, Casey! :]

Laird Alasdair, thanks for Dishing :> and isn't it also true that up in the Highlands & Islands it's sometimes said that the more Forgetful of the Old Ones are Awa' wi' th' Faeries? {Or, can't you Recall? :} (amnesiacal grin :)

Brendan, those of Me on This here blog who am tentatively supporting Clinton over Obama :> appreciate the (characteristic) intellectual Honesty of your public ventilation of your Honest Bafflement.

Sure, Bill was (understandably, albeit also unTactically) pissed off & rambling, not so say ranting ("Ranting" :) ~ but, Racistly so?? William Jefferson Clinton??? // I am Honestly Baffled that some rank-&-file advocates for the first Pigmentedly black president of the United States would, apparently, not Stop & Think before levelling so preposterous an allegation against his albino Predecessor, spiritual Harbinger & philosophical Soulmate.

Then of course ~ and muchmore to the Point ~ there's the rising chorus of Griping about how Hillary (the actual Candidate, let's recall :) supposedly Dissed Dr. King by noting the incontrovertible Fact that it Did take the longtime Washington Experience of the wily & calculating President Lyndon B. Johnson to begin the translation of Martin's magnificently eloquent Dream (backed up as it Was by the heroic Bodies at the Lunchcounters, in the Buses, on the Marches, at the Firehose-&-Attackdog front lines; and, in the Graves) into brasstacks societal Reality, by Ramming through the requisite Legislation in a manner concerning which, like the manufacture of good Sausage, we wouldn't necessarily want to Know everything. :>.

IOW: why is it all now cast as Change versus Experience? How is it that there's Naught to be said of the Experience Necessary to consummate the Desireable sorts of Change?

(Note: just Tactically ~ let Alone morally ~ the Barackistas need be Wary of playing this ridiculous Racial card against, of all people, The Clintons. EVEN in a bunch of Democatic Party primaries & caucuses, this sort of stupidass crap could Easily (and Justifiably) produce enough Blowback to Kill 'em on Feb. 5. )

[Brian Foster]

Well, so much for Obama's "moral high ground" in not running an overtly race-based campaign. He's played the race card now, and there's no taking it back.

Yes, I recognize the article says Obama himself is staying above the fray, but only the most hopefully Obamablind (or, as I think Derek coined the term, Obamafatuated) would fail to lay at his feet the attempts by his campaign staff and surrogates to manufacture a racial attack from these comments by the Clintons.

What a perfectly, wonderfully, strangely surreal political season this is. Here I am defending both Clintons. :)

[Brian Foster]

Having just read the transcript of Clinton's comments contained in your first link, Brendan, I think I see the twisted steps of "logic" that lead Obama's people to claim that "fairy tale" was racially laced.

It comes right after Clinton's point that "it is wrong that Senator Obama got to go through 15 debates trumpeting his superior judgment and how he had been against the war in every year" without ever being challenged on it by the media moderating the debate. He then says the whole thing is the "biggest fairy tale" he's ever seen.

Arguably, you could construe this as Bill saying Obama's campaign has enjoyed success of mythic proportions because the media refuses to call him out because he's black, and that's what makes it a "fairy tale" -- Obama is allowed by the media to get away with saying such rosy-to-blatantly-false things about himself and his record because they are giving him a free pass because of his race.

Now. I don't buy that for a second. I think it's incontrovertibly clear that Clinton is referring to Obama's own message as the "biggest fairy tale" he's ever seen. He's making two points as to why Obama's claim of superior judgment for being "always" against the war is wrong. The thing about not being challenged at the debate is ancillary to his second point that apparently Obama had said things back in 2004 inconsistent with his "always against the war" position today.

So the "fairy tale" is the one Obama's telling about his superior judgment. It's not, as Obama's people apparently want us to believe, that the media are refusing to dig in against Obama because he's black.

Anyway. That's the best I could come up with.

Wait, a Democrat played the race card?!

[Benedict]

Brian Foster got it almost exactly right at 9:18. His only error was in saying that Obama has "played the race card NOW" (emphasis mine). That card got played during the tempest over the Biden "bright, clean, articulate" comment, and has been on the table ever since.

It is clear that the Obama campaign is, to paraphrase the prince of one of current Democrat dynasties (Andrew Cuomo), the same old race-baiting "shuck and jive." And as for Obama's high-falutin' "post-racial" rhetoric? As my mama used to say, "I can't hear what you SAY because what you DO speaks too loud." And what Obama and his supporters are doing is stirring the same-old pot of warmed over identity politics.

[Mad Max, Esquire]

Brendan-

I agree 100%. Al Sharpton had to find some nonsensical way to jump into this thing, and this was his opening. If anyone listened to Bill Clinton's comments it is obvious he was talking about Obama's accounts of his position on the war in Iraq. This should be expected from Sharpton. But it is shameful for the media to run with it. (And I am an Obama supporter).

[Joe Loy]

Benedict, both morally & politically Obama needs to do NOW ~ in fact, needs to do YESTERDAY ~ exactly what he did with regard to the Joe Biden kerfuffle (which actually resulted from Joe's vastly Poorer choice-of-Words than any of these recently uttered by Hillary or Bill). In the Iowa debate, when the moderator went after Biden for his past Racially Insensitive remarks, Obama came promptly & unambiguously to his defense, saying in Effect: I know Joe Biden, I've served with Joe Biden, Joe Biden is a Friend of Civil Rights, and Senator, you are No Damn Racist. / It is high time ~ Past time ~ that he say the same of Senator Clinton (and her husband), whose Records are clear and whose Words have given Zero legitimate excuse for the Insensitivity Interpretation (whereas Biden's characteristically Haphazard diction gave Some).

Brian Foster, I think that your excellent analysis (a) is On Target but (b) misses the Point. To wit ~

So the "fairy tale" is the one Obama's telling about his superior judgment. It's not, as Obama's people apparently want us to believe, that the media are refusing to dig in against Obama because he's black.

Right ~ except that the fairytale of Racist motivation for Bill's allegation of a Media Free Ride isn't necessarily what, or All, that Obama's people [those among them who are Free Riding this Brothers Grimm story "issue", that is] apparently want us to Believe. No, with or without the Media part of it, Bill's factual rebuttal to the basis for Barack's claim of superior judgement is In Itself an impermissible Dissing of Barack. It is the Criticism of Obama's claims ~ whether or not you also Throw in the Media ~ that is Racially Insensitive (at Best).

Now (from Brendan's 2nd link) here is Candidate Clinton's statement regarding Dr. King & LBJ, emphases added:

“I would point to the fact that Dr. King's dream began to be realized when President Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, when he was able to get through Congress something that President Kennedy was hopeful to do, the president before had not even tried, but it took a president to get it done,” she said, in response to a question about how her dismissive attitude toward Obama’s “false hopes” would have applied to the civil rights movement. “That dream became a reality, the power of that dream became real in people's lives because we had a president who said we are going to do it and actually got it accomplished.”

An aide later said Clinton didn’t intend to diminish King, and later that day she went out of her way to stress his accomplishment and courage in leading a movement.

So the foregoing historically-incontrovertible statement, obviously making the argument that it's a Good thing to have a tough, seasoned, experienced President who is Wise in the Ways of Washington even if she's Not the world's great Orator ~ needs now to be defended against the charge that: it Disses Dr. King.

But come to Think of it, IMO it DOES, implicitly, insult Dr. King. It insults him Not by in any way Diminishing his crucial role in our nation's History; but rather by (implicitly, as I say) putting a man who is Arguably the country's greatest Moral leader, bravest Freedom crusader, and most cherished Martyr, into the same league with: Barack Obama.

* * * * * * * * * * * *
Look. The racebaiting faction of the Obalmies :> aren't just playing Cards, here. They are playing with Fire. Barack needs to Clamp down hard on these particular Barackistas right quick. If he doesn't Rein them in they are Probably going to cost him the Nomination (with or without Johnny Edwards still in the fight, btw; hi Brendan) ~ and if Not the nomination, then the Election for sure. / If a Nominee Obama has long-since let himself get Defined as Indulgent of, let alone Beholden to, the Sharpton/Jackson caucus, he would get Eaten Alive by Mike Huckabee ~ let Alone by McCain or Giuliani or Romney ~ in November. (Now by Fred Thompson, he'd get Liquified in the Blender & just plain Chugged. :)

[Sean]

Obama is Kwaku Anansi?

(That has been today's incredibly obscure joke. Thank you.)

[Joe Loy]

Well, maybe. / There IS something sort of Arachnic about him, come to think of it. / God send he'll be more Spidermanly than Shelobian as our President :}.

OKOK: it was very Credibly obscure to Mee, there, o thou Folklorical Tarbaby of the Newington Libertarians :}, so of course I Googled it. :> (Let the record show, however, that my incredibly erudite Wife knew Anansesem instantly when I Mentioned it to her. :)

but Wait, wait: does this mean that Mistress Michelle is actually Aso and/or Shi Maria? :]