The Clinton Myth(s) on Race in America

[pallas_m]

It was not too long ago that the Clintons had the strong support of African Americans. At an awards dinner of the Black Congressional Caucus in 2001, Bill Clinton was hailed as "the first black president".

http://www.cnsnews.com/viewnation.asp?Pa...1001e.html

This label was first given him by Nobel Prize winning black author Toni Morrison in an article in the New Yorker in 1998 (BTW she now endorses Obama).

Cut to 2008.

In rapid fire succession, the Clintons have all but lost the black vote because of the campaign they ran against a black candidate. Was it Bill's patronizing comparison of Obama's early wins to Jesse Jackson's campaign? Was it Hillary's playing up of fear and distrust of the black man with a Muslim middle name (3 am ad?, Somali head dress shot, rejecting Wright while seeming to forget that he was at Bills post Lewinsky scandal prayer breakfast). Is it Hillary's overconfidence that the Blacks will vote democrat in the general election (translated: they got no place else to go, working class whites could go GOP in the fall, but blacks will fall in line).


Myth #1: Bill Clinton was never America's "First Black President". Run the Clinton Political Brand against a black man and they become clearly and unmistakably one thing: white.

That being said I, what kind of white ARE they (please bear with me, I don't make up these labels, the political pundits do. I just read them and muse)? That brings me to Myth #2:

Myth #2: The Clintons are deeply in support of the issues concerning "hard-working", "working class" whites.

The Clintons passed NAFTA that cannon balled the jobs of "working class", factory-employed whites in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, etc. Those same years (1992-2000) found the Clintons entertaining Hollywood actors and producers in the White House. These were the Clintons that shut down Tipper Gore's "family values" campaign against the rock n' roll lyrics because it was not in line with their new Hollywood persona. Then there's their participation in the elite exclusive sets of the Martha's Vineyard, Bilderberg Group, Billionaires, and then Dubai. The Clinton's best friends are actors (Steenbergen, Danson).

So then they might argue, that despite their wealth and elite friends they both were raised in Midwestern working class white families and understand the demographic in a deep and fundamental way.

It is an odd turn of fate for race in America: so was Obama.

Enough on race, back to the issues:

War, Economy, Ethics reform in Government.

[Taopoet]

pallas_m Wrote:The Clintons passed NAFTA that was that cannon-balled the jobs of "working class," factory-employed whites in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, etc.

To me, this statement truly underscores one of the current problems with the media and this election: "Education" has become a dirty word. Obama is attacked for being supported by "educated" Americans, which Clinton is lauded for being supported by the "working class," many of whom haven't set foot in a classroom since high school.

Since when is it a bad thing to be educated? Well, I guess since critical thinking (that's the stuff they really teach in college -- the content is just specialization and example) became taboo to the electable. Education is important: not only does it qualify individuals for higher-paying jobs and give America the opportunity to compete in world markets, but it also allows ordinary citizens to pay attention to more than sound-bites and think about the bare-faced ridiculousness of the very point pallas_m raises above.

Do you have to be college-educated to be a critical thinker? Absolutely not. But it certainly helps you get there. I'm highly impressed by folks I meet who have very little education and an amazing propensity for critical thought and logical argumentation, and I always wonder how high they may have risen -- and really changed the world -- if only they'd had the opportunity to be exposed to environments of higher education.

[pallas_m]

Finally, a few steps from the MSM someone dares to deconstruct the Clinton "victories" among "working class whites".

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/194870.php

HRC has been crowned Queen of the Appalachias. Whatever. Her only qualification to represent the Appalachias is that she is the only remaining national candidate among the Dems who is white.

Even in this instance, 7% of the West Virginians voted for a certain "son of a mill worker". I wish Edwards would get off the sidelines and see what he could do to unify the Democrats.

16 years of Obama and Edwards adminstrations could create the generational shift we need to get US back on track.