That Clinton Boy Defends His Wife and Raises Eyebrows

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT: That Clinton Boy Defends His Wife and Raises Eyebrows
By PATRICK HEALY
Published: November 13, 2007

It’s a Southern thing, not a gender thing.

That was the explanation from Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign for a new remark by former President Bill Clinton, who had this to say yesterday about his wife’s (all-male) presidential rivals: “Those boys have been getting tough on her lately.”

The gender dynamic of the Democratic nomination contest has come into sharp relief since an Oct. 30 televised debate, where several rivals and one of the moderators pounced on Mrs. Clinton, saying she was giving vague or contradictory answers. In the aftermath, some allies of Mrs. Clinton pointed out that the men were going after the woman. Mrs. Clinton at one point referred to the presidency as an “all-boys club,” but also argued that she was a target because she was the front-runner, not because she is a woman.

While some Clinton advisers say they would like to move on from the discussion of the candidate’s sex, Mr. Clinton’s use of the word “boys” caught the attention of the Republican National Committee, which alerted reporters to it, and of the campaigns of Senator Barack Obama and John Edwards. Operatives in all three camps argued that the Clintons were keeping a “boys vs. girl” story line alive to try to stoke sympathy for Mrs. Clinton — something Clinton advisers emphatically deny....

***

With regard to the “boys” remark, which Mr. Clinton made while campaigning for his wife in South Carolina, Clinton advisers said it was simply Southern vernacular from an Arkansas native....

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/13/us/politics/13clinton.html

(NOTE: Growing up in the South, I did hear men referred to as "boys," as in "good ol' boys.")

[XemaSab]

1. How is that not broadly understood as vernacular?

:shrug:

[DeepModem Mom]

3. I've posted two articles today already that I hesitated to post --

but my posting philosophy is generally "I post, you decide." I also support another candidate, but Hillary is taking a sustained beating in the press right now (also, I think, valuable for both her supporters and her detractors to know) -- and I can't help but agree with Pat Buchanan (!) yesterday on MSNBC: the press needs a Democratic contest; they were afraid Clinton was running away with it; they need to stop her.

[XemaSab]

5. I'm not a Hillary fan, and I think all the candidates' spouses need to shuddit,

but this seems like a really innocuous comment. :shrug:

[Bitwit1234]

6. More power to Bill he supports his wife could you guys be jealous

but but but don't Mitchell Obama go on the campaign trail and bash and spew AGAINST Hillary...give the Clintons credit they don't bash...can't say that for the Obama's...but then the DU Obama groupies absolutely mess their underwear when she SUPPORTS HER HUSBAND.

But Bill can'T support his wife...DON'T THE BULLSHIT STINK.

[riqster]

2. Hell, we talk like that in SE Ohio too

What's the big deal?

[glowing]

4. Because everything in politics is planned as much as possible..

Mr. Clinton is very good at being a good ole' boy... its how he got away with being a womanizer and people apologized for it. He knows what he's doing. He's a very smart, seasoned politician... he knows what calling the other candidates them boy's does... it puts them down a notch and makes them look like a bunch of school children...

[JohnnyLib2]

7. As a non-native Kentuckian,

I heard his remark only as Southern-talk. Around here, it would be more common to hear "them boys....." :(

[DeepModem Mom]

8. I hear ya! nt

[emilyg]

10. In Georgia, too.

[JohnnyLib2]

9. Damn it, Limbaugh is "amplifying" this right now.

--casting the comment in the worst possible light

Lowlife.