Bill Clinton Slams Media, Obama Campaign

[William769]

CBS) Former President Bill Clinton made it clear he's had it with complaints that his wife's campaign is playing a dirty game of racial division, CBS News anchor Katie Couric reports.

"This is crazy. This rhetoric is getting a little carried away here," Clinton said.

"She did not play the race card, but they did," he said.

According to reports, a South Carolina Democratic official who supports Barack Obama claimed the Clintons were borrowing a page from the Republican playbook: injecting race into the campaign.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/23/eveningnews/main3746235.shtml

The video along with the article is great!

[Rock_Garden]

1. I enjoyed reading the news blurb with no spin attached.

[rodeodance]

10. Bill at his best---and putting blame on the media regarding their making this campaign a

race issue over and over

[Rock_Garden]

12. That was my admittedly biased opinion.

[jefferson_dem]

2. Red-faced, finger-wagging Bill is back in full bloom...

[William769]

5. And it's great!

[Blarch]

14. Ya..

If a lying scumbag gets you off.

[William769]

15. And I bet your proud of that comment?

Let me guess still in diapers at the time?

[babylonsister]

3. False outrage considering he was salivating for this. Get a life, or at

least go away, Bill. :eyes:

[ProSense]

4. Here:

Bill Clinton gets upset with CNN reporter

Bill Clinton Accuses Obama Camp of Stirring Race Issue

"Two against one" in Clintons' vs Obama campaign

Obama has rattled the Clinton machine, throwing even Bill Clinton for a loop

[groovedaddy]

6. How about something substantive, say ISSUES!?! n/t

[William769]

7. Thats Hillary's Job.

For those not drinking the Koo-aid, she's the one running for President.

[rodeodance]

8. Obama waited days before saying Hill’s comments re: MLK were NOT racial. He

had the opportunity to stop the MLK rhetoric in its tracks but instead, he let is stew.

[William769]

9. And he knew what he was doing.

It will backfire with him with so many groups but one, and ge got just what he deserved.

[cali]

11. Clinton never repudiated Cuomo's racial language

and she waited days until repudiating Johnson's smear. Her co-chair in NH had to step down. Penn is still on the job.

[robbedvoter]

24. Cuomo was talking about primaries in small states at the time - nothing about Obama.

The context eventually even made it on DU. he was talking about ALL candidates - from BOTH parties - having to campaign retail politics as opposed to vis media.
I myself accused Coumo when I read (I can't stand him), but once I read the question - and answer - I realize this was just more Sharptonizing from the campaign memo.

[Adelante]

13. Clinton had six months to let her backers know

What was unacceptable in campaigning on her behalf.

Unacceptable:

Obama is not black enough.

Obama is hardly even American.

Bill is blacker than Obama.

Bill's probably slept with more black women than Obama.

White people will never vote for a black man.

Obama was educated in a madrassa.

And so on.

And this was months before the speculation that Obama could have been a drug dealer, back when the MLK references went more like, "Don't vote for him, the white folks will lynch that boy!"

Clinton only stepped in once the white surrogates started in and it went more widely public. Had she sent word to her backers in the black community back when, that this was not how she wanted herself represented, I would worry more about MLK rhetoric and whether or not Obama acted promptly enough.

The Clintons let this play out because it worked for them and not Obama. It was never in Obama's interest for his campaign to be about race. He would never have been first to play the race card. It could only hurt him. But sooner or later, you have to combat what is out there whether it's what you want to be doing or not. Once activated, race politics has to be played and not ignored. It's how it is. That's life. But anyone who thinks Obama is politically suicidal enough to hurt his own chances for the white vote is nuts.

[rodeodance]

16. guess Obama should have 'sent word' to his groups also.

[robbedvoter]

25. And his surrogates are still promoting the memo points - in spite the "truce"

[MethuenProgressive]

17. "Media *and* Obama Campaign"? There's a difference between two?

"Media and Obama Campaign"?
Maybe that's a typo:
"Media aka Obama Campaign"...

[krabigirl]

19. Exactly!

[robbedvoter]

22. BINGO! They all carry water for him - because he's their designated loser to GOP in GE

Like karl was wearing the Dean T-sirt in 2004.

[desi]

18. Please President Clinton

I BEG of you

[William769]

20. I sent you a PM.

[robbedvoter]

21. As usual - right to the point. Why is this "web only" and not on TV?

"

"They're feeding you this because this is what you want to cover; this is what you live for, but this hurts the people of South Carolina," he told a reporter. "What you care about is this and the Obama people know that, so they spin you up on this and you happily go along."

[BenDavid]

23. LETS BE HONEST OBAMA PEOPLE....DO YOU REALLY,

HONESTLY AND TRULY BELIEVE THAT BILL CLINTON IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM CAN BE COMPARED TO LEE ATWATER THAT REPREHENSIBLE REPUBLICAN RACIST REDNECK?