Hillary Clinton Stokes False Rumors about Obama's Faith

[jefferson_dem]

Run time: 00:23 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHFREDHB-nQ   Posted on YouTube: March 03, 2008 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: March 03, 2008 By DU Member: jefferson_dem Views on DU: 4024

 
Here it is.

[BeatleBoot]

1. This is way over the top. She repeatedly said that he isn't

And he isn't.

Give it up, man.

It's unbecoming.

[jedreport]

3. as far as i know

you are wrong

[Eric J in MN]

58. "There is nothing to base that on, as far as I know" means...

...she doesn't know exactly why she's being asked that question.

She says the word "no" repeatedly in that short clip when asked if Obama is a Muslim.

[jefferson_dem]

5. Give it up yourself.

You're really a Democrat ..."As far as I know."

[BeatleBoot]

8. So Silly.

This is way out of line.

[Danger Mouse]

29. Maybe you see why 'as far as I know' makes her statement offensive.

It sows an implication of disbelief.

[IowaGirl]

35. Actually,

I think it just meant that she didn't know anything, period. Which should confirm that he is not a muslim.

[dogman]

42. Or she doesn't know if this is a Russert style gotcha moment.

This has to be the silliest complaint of this primary season.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

19. you really are being pedomorphic

[Dave_Fl_50]

22. His supporters could drive me from voting for him

if he's nominated

[jefferson_dem]

30. Really. Thanks for your concern.

As far as I know...it's heartfelt.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

33. without a doubt...Rove thanks them

[EmilyAnne]

64. Well, I am one BO supporter who doesn't see anything sinister in Hillary's comment.

[blogslut]

66. To your candidate

Yes, it is terribly unbecoming.

Now, having viewed it, it's worse than I thought.

[jedreport]

2. Holy crap.

When was this from? Tonight's 60 minutes?

Oh my god. I can't believe she added "as far as I know."

[Double T]

4. What video are YOU watching?

HRC clearly states that she does NOT believe obama "IS" a muslim; "WAS" was NOT asked.

[sniffa]

6. It was a shitty question and there was nothing wrong with her response

Shame on the media for asking it, and giving her more rope. Shame on you MSM!

[mod mom]

9. the "as far as I knows" disgusts me.

[Eric J in MN]

72. She doesn't know why the reporter is asking the question,

...and she's saying that as far as she knows, there is no basis.

I use the phrase "as far as I know," too, when I want to indicate the limits of my knowledge of a subject.

[Kahuna]

12. I agree. There is nothing wrong with her response. nt

[GOPNotForMe]

45. I agree. She seems caught off guard by such a STUPID question.

Can't blame her for that!

[CaliforniaDreaming]

48. Oh please quit lying to yourself. "As far as I know"???

What is that crap?? Everyone knows he was raised in a non-religious household. And that he found Christianity when he was 26 and is extremely devout!

[susankh4]

7. Is paranoia also part of

Obamaphilia?

Give it a break. She is very clear that she doesn't believe he is a muslim.

Over the top is right.

[krkaufman]

69. "as far as she knows" and "taking him at his word"

And Hillary's been consistent in supporting Obama's "words", right?

There is no justification for the qualifiers in her response, for a seasoned politician such as Hillary. She should have pulled a "Bill Clinton Chris Wallace whoop-ass" out of her pocket and criticized Croft(?) for asking such an ignorant question.

[Eric J in MN]

75. Being seasoned means learning to qualify one's remarks...

...and not claim more knowledge of a subject than what one has.

[krkaufman]

77. Except we're not talking about an economic forecast, here.

Though, your point can apply in matters of personal trust. For example, it might have been wise for many politicians, a decade ago, to qualify their statements in support of President Clinton in regards to alleged dalliances.

[Kahuna]

10. Is this what all the hysteria is about??? I don't see it. nt

[Double T]

15. Doesn't take much to trigger an obamamic episode.

[Kahuna]

17. I'm an Obama supporter. But I honestly don't think she tried to

throw him under the bus... THIS TIME. nt

[Double T]

21. Agreed.

Thanks for being reasonable and rational.

[tyne]

24. Agreed.

[Dave_Fl_50]

25. Exactly. They're Fox Newsish

It's in a league with the "..proud of America..." statement from M Obama.

[Yael]

11. "as far as I know"

[grantcart]

13. she was fine up to the "as far as I know"

whatever it was it wasn't presidential

[ruggerson]

49. the idiot who posted it at youtube

conveniently left out the next few lines where she says she's been the victim of this kind of rumormongering herself so she empathizes.

[grantcart]

53. but it was still kind of weird. One thing about Obama is that

he is very very careful about picking just the right words. some people here criticize him for stuttering. He's just being careful.

[malik flavors]

14. Sounds like she isn't quite sure as to whether he is or isn't. Very odd of her indeed.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

16. and pray tell ...just what in this has your panties in a wad?

[jefferson_dem]

38. Go ElsewheresDaughter!

Mysogynists for Hillary!

[ElsewheresDaughter]

52. there has to be at least one faux outrage per day to fire up the faithful.

[IowaGirl]

18. Proof Positive........

You win the prize for Spin Doctor of the week!!!! :rofl:

[sniffa]

20. I don't think Hillary cares about the award, compared to the Presidency

:shrug:

[IowaGirl]

34. ?????

[dkf]

23. This is like when Bill Clinton added his Jesse Jackson comment after SC

How many of you defended Bill then?

Oh no, what is wrong with comparing Obama to Jesse Jackson you Hillary people said.

But everyone else saw it and we got it.

[aquart]

50. Of course you did.

Comparing a half-black candidate to an all-black candidate is wrong. Right? I'm sorry, is this one of the things we're not allowed to mention? Like his middle name, his religious training, his ethnicity whatever it is, and anything else you don't like EXCEPT when you think it will get him votes?

Me, I want to know when he joined that church, and where he went to church before that. Because I'm pretty convinced his grandparents did not take him to that church in Hawaii on Sundays. If it's his wife's church, fine. Where does he admit that? His book? A mag interview? Many a man has said a prayer to please the woman he loves. And vice versa. But when, exactly, did this committed Christian commit? You all are so busy batting back the phony stories about him being a Muslim, that you don't notice how very fuzzy he is about where he does choose to worship.

Who gave the child Barry his religious training? His white grandparents? With them far behind in Hawaii, he graduated the Ivy League and went straight for an all black church? And you don't think there's an interesting journey there? What did he do on those Ivy Sundays?

But, of course, I didn't read his book and you all have. This was covered in which chapters?

[chascarrillo]

59. Holy shit!

[dkf]

76. Chapter 6

In Chapter 6 of the book, titled "Faith," Obama writes that he "was not raised in a religious household." He describes his mother, raised by non-religious parents, as detached from religion, yet "in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I have ever known." He describes his Kenyan father as "raised a Muslim," but a "confirmed atheist" by the time his parents met, and his Indonesian stepfather as "a man who saw religion as not particularly useful." The chapter details how Obama, in his twenties, while working with local churches as a community organizer, came to understand "the power of the African American religious tradition to spur social change":

It was because of these newfound understandings—that religious commitment did not require me to suspend critical thinking, disengage from the battle for economic and social justice, or otherwise retreat from the world that I knew and loved—that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity United Church of Christ one day and be baptized.<136>

He joined Trinity United Church of Christ in 1988.<137> A megachurch with 10,000 members, Trinity is the largest congregation in the United Church of Christ.<137>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama

[ElsewheresDaughter]

26. I see you've set aside this special time to humiliate yourself in public.

[jefferson_dem]

28. The humiliation is in your tagline.

I posted the video with the literal subject line from youtube.

Deal.

[Faygo Kid]

41. Thanks again for the fine photo.

I've made good use of it.

You're toast on Tuesday, by the way, and after this Hillary episode tonight, it's not soon enough.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

43. You're welcome, especially since Obama enjoys play acting so much it 's perfect.

[malik flavors]

27. : (

[MindMatter]

31. For chrissakes people, give it a rest.

She answered the question. Let it go.

[Sonnenschein]

32. Is this meant sarcastic or some Obama followers are morons?

[polmaven]

83. Apparently, the only acceptable answer

would have to have been "Absolutely not...The man who is the Second Coming of Jesus could NOT be Muslim".

[ExFreeper4Obama]

36. At first I didn't think anything was wrong with what she said, but

I started to think about it. Imagine if there were false rumors going around that Hillary was a lesbian. Chain emails going around about how she had former girlfriends. Pictures released showing her with women suggesting theres romance.

Then Obama is asked if he thinks Hillary is a lesbian and he says no, of course not as far as I know. Think about it. Its a disgusting tactic.

[Eric J in MN]

55. I'm not bothered by this video, and I wouldn't be bothered by...

...that hypothetical Obama answer.

I use the phrase "as far as I know" myself when I want to be sure I'm not claiming more knowledge of a subject than I have.

[susankh4]

85. I think that would be a fine response.

I mean, he doesn't sleep with her. How does he know *conclusively*. He knows what she says. He knows she is married to Bill. As far as he knows... she has no female lover.

This is, BTW, a persistant accusation "against" Hillary. If you want to see it as a negative that is.

The difference is... the moronic press does not back Barack into a corner insisting that he comment on it.

[MelissaB]

37. I don't see what the big deal is.

Fine print: I'm not pulling for either candidate. I'll vote for the winner.

[AtThePlaza]

39. She will do or say anything at this point.

[DrZeeLit]

40. Why does she let him ask her that question without discussing First Amend?

I mean... I don't think she's making any comments about his religion.
BUT
why not turn the tables on croft (sp) and ask him why a candidate's religion matters... or
why she should comment on a candidate's religion?

In this era, should she be standing up for the First Amendment and civil rights?

Her response isn't bad, but she still plays into allow this to continue.

[Eric J in MN]

57. If she did that...

...people would be saying: Look how angry Hillary Clinton is, she atacked a reporter for asking a simple question.

[krkaufman]

70. Agreed. A simple "Barack is a Christian; period" ...

... "Now, let's talk about your asking the question, Steve. Our Constitution states that no religious test shall ever be required for office, so -- considering the fact that '60 Minutes' could have provided their audience with the answer to the question without asking me -- what is the basis of your question, and why did you feel the need to ask it of me?"

[Bongo Prophet]

44. Rigth after this video stops, Senator Clinton says she has sympathy for Obama...

because she has been the victim of such "smears" as well.

Good for her on that point.

i think both she and Obama should sit down with Howard Dean, and discuss ways to smack back at the RW Smear Machine.
Point out the fact that they lie about stuff all the time, and plant the idea that when people hear such smears, they should IMMEDIATELY be doubted.

This is better than trying to smack down each lie individually.
It reframes the RW email stuff as the evil, and that no INTELLIGENT person should fall for it.

In that way, we can take away the power of that tactic entirely.
We need to have each other's back on this, regardless of candidate.

[susankh4]

86. Such an excellent suggestion

for Barack and Hillary to sit down with Howard and work out a plan for dealing with RWM attacks.

Wile they are at it, they should work out a plan for a combined ticket....

[mzmolly]

46. Seems she did the opposite? She said she did not believe Obama was a Muslim.

She has not reason to believe he is a Muslim etc. Not sure what more she could say? :shrug:

[krkaufman]

71. The point is that she could have said less.

There was no need for her to qualify both her answers, with "I take him at his word" and "as far as I know."

[mzmolly]

74. I'm sorry, but I think this is getting ridiculous.

I support Obama now that Edwards has dropped out, but I don't see anything remotely wrong with her remarks? :shrug:

[krkaufman]

78. It's OK that our opinions differ.

In my view, Hillary is far too seasoned a politician to say something as leading as "there's nothing to base that on, as far as I know" or "I take him on the basis of what he says." She answers the question in such a way that it is left open for debate, based on her imperfect knowledge.

By itself, the comment would be innocuous; but viewed in the context of the rest of the Clinton campaign tactics, it is difficult to view it that way.

[mzmolly]

88. I think the politician in her begs that answer? One must qualifiy everything these days.

She didn't grow up next to the Obama family and attend Church with them on Sundays. :shrug:

I agree, it's ok to disagree. I just had to share my thoughts because I honestly don't get the anger over this? It's beyond puzzling to me.

Peace Kr. :hi:

[CaliforniaDreaming]

47. I truly truly HATE her now.

She has ZERO integrity. ZERO!

[berni_mccoy]

51. "As far as I know" = her macaca moment.

[Eric J in MN]

60. She wasn't ridiculing someone like George Allen did. She was asked about someone else's faith,

...and repeatedly said "no" about whether Obama is a Muslim.

[berni_mccoy]

61. "As far as I know." - she's using people's fear of Islam. Bigotry. Period.

[Eric J in MN]

63. She meant that with regard to why the reporter was even asking the question,

...there is no reason to ask it, as far as she knows.

[berni_mccoy]

65. Um. No. Stop trying to Justify it. Prior to this, the Interviewer was clear about the context.

I saw the entire exchange. She knew exactly what she was doing.

[galadrium]

54. Who gives a shit

1. What Hillary thinks about this
2. Even if he was a Muslim

[Eric J in MN]

56. I use the phrase "as far as I know" myself...

...when I want to be sure I'm not claiming more knowledge of a subject than I have.

Hillary Clinton could have answered the question more smoothly than she did, but she didn't want to appear to be against Muslims or to imply that she can read Obama's mind.

[EmilyAnne]

62. Man, I have watched that over and over and I just don't see what the fuss is about.

I never saw it when Obama said something about Hillary being "periodically" down, either. I just don't see anything underhanded or hostile in either of these comments.

[krkaufman]

67. Why the hell does she qualify her answer both times?!?

So very done with her.

[Jack Rabbit]

68. There are people who spend too much time in GD: Primaries

It's not a healthy environment to develop skills for rational discourse.

Senator Clinton could have been a little more incredulous about the Obama-is-a-Muslim meme coming from the GOP noise machine, but she was clear in saying that it's a lot of nonsense.

If she desired to get me to change my allegiance from Senator Obama to her, she failed.

If by putting such a title on this thread the poster desired to get me to switch my allegiance, then he failed, too.

[FlyingSquirrel]

73. ****** Watch The FULL Video ******

Here, people... don't just take a 23-second clip and draw your conclusions from that. Why not watch the whole thing.

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3897988n

You might end up with the same feeling, but at least you haven't made it based on a 23-second video cut exactly where the person who entitled it "Stokes False Rumors" wanted to cut it.

The part about the Muslim "smears" starts around about 9:32 into the video.

P.S. Here's what she said AFTER the cut:

“It's just scurrilous…?” Kroft inquired.

“Look, I have been the target of so many ridiculous rumors, that I have a great deal of sympathy for anybody who gets, you know, smeared with the kind of rumors that go on all the time,” Clinton said.

[Apollo11]

79. A very clear answer from Hillary. I cannot believe Obamites are whining about this.

Hillary's answer is very clear and absolutely straight.

The problem with this whole discussion is that it confirms and underlines the widely-held prejudice that there is something wrong with being a Muslim. As if being a Muslim would somehow make a person "less American" than a Christian or a Jew or an Agnostic or an Atheist/Humanist/Rationalist.

I wish Hillary would have said: "As far as I know, he isn't a Muslim. Not that there's anything wrong with that!" B-)

[shayes51]

82. Thank you. Exactly!

[susankh4]

87. What an excellent response that would have been!

[Apollo11]

80. SHAME ON YOU, Steve Kroft, for asking Hillary about Obama's religion!

AND SHAME ON YOU, Obama supporters, for accusing Hillary of trying to gain some kind of political advantage by supposedly encouraging voters to be fearful of the possibility that Obama might be a Muslim.

PLUS PROPS to Hillary for dealing with this question with clarity and truthfulness! B-)


Hillary Clinton on CBS - 60 Minutes - March 2nd, 2008 (my transcript)

KROFT: You don't believe that Senator Obama's a Muslim?

HILLARY: Of course not. I mean that's, you know, there is no basis for that. You know, I take him on the basis of what he says. And, you know, there isn't any reason to doubt that.

KROFT: You said you take Senator Obama at his word that he's not a Muslim.

HILLARY: Right. Right.

KROFT: You don't believe that he's a Muslim?

HILLARY: No. No. Why would I? There's no ... No. There's nothing to base that on - as far as I know.

KROFT: It's just scurillous ...

HILLARY: Look, I have been the target of so many ridiculous rumours. I have a great deal of sympathy for anyone who gets, you know, smeared by the kind of rumours that go on all the time.


You can see the whole video here:
www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3897988n

The part about Obama's religion is all in the final 3 minutes.

Hillary's answer is very clear and absolutely truthful.

[indimuse]

81. this IS the most desperate yet...

j_d paaleeeeeze...

[berni_mccoy]

84. This Video Is Going VIRAL. Over 15,000 views in less than 12 hours.

[VagabondWarrior]

89. Hillary is amazing.

She's not a lesbian, there's nothing to base that on, as far as I know.

[polmaven]

90. Acceptable response....

to the question "Is Hillary Clinton a lesbian?".

[complain jane]

92. Is that supposed to be offensive?

Because I don't see how it would be. And I don't mean the term lesbian, I mean no matter what adjective you used, I'm sorry, but it's not offensive.

WTF?

[complain jane]

91. Mass hysteria over THIS?!

Jesus fucking Christ she said she took him at his word and said "of course not" when asked if she thought he was a muslim, what more do you want?

Now you're hysterical because she didn't use terminology you wanted? Why not just hand her an Obama ass-kissing script from here on out so she can bow down to him the way you want and not offend your delicate senses anymore by having the audacity to be a politician, obviously it's putting some here right over the edge, and obviously Hillary Clinton is (for some reason) not allowed to behave the same way every other candidate has ever behaved without people foaming at the mouth over it.

This title "Stokes False Rumors"... you MUST be kidding. She "stokes false rumors" about Obama by denying the rumors?

Are you guys losing it or what?

[berni_mccoy]

93. This video has gotten over 31,000 VIEWS in under a DAY! This will have an impact.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

94. She said he wasn't. I'm an Obama fan and I'm okay with that.

It's really sad tho that religion matters. I think everyone should be atheist, really. It would be healthier on Mother Earth.