Bill Clinton Flashback: "All These Economically Insecure White People...Are Scared To Death"

As the rumination continues over Barack Obama's comments about economically-depressed small town voters, statements made by Bill Clinton on the same topic -- uttered while he was running for president in 1991 -- have now surfaced.

"The reason (George H. W. Bush's tactic) works so well now is that you have all these economically insecure white people who are scared to death," Clinton was quoted saying by the Los Angeles Times in September 1991.

A couple months later, Joe Klein, writing for the Sunday Times, reported that Clinton made the following remarks:

"You know, he [Bush] wants to divide us over race. I'm from the South. I understand this. This quota deal they're gonna pull in the next election is the same old scam they've been pulling on us for decade after decade after decade. When their economic policies fail, when the country's coming apart rather than coming together, what do they do? They find the most economically insecure white men and scare the living daylights out of them. They know if they can keep us looking at each other across a racial divide, if I can look at Bobby Rush and think, Bobby wants my job, my promotion, then neither of us can look at George Bush and say, 'What happened to everybody's job? What happened to everybody's income? What ... have ... you ... done ... to ... our ... country?'"

For comparison's sake, here is Obama's statement, reported by Mayhill Fowler for Huffington Post's OffTheBus:

Here's how it is: in a lot of these communities in big industrial states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, people have been beaten down so long, and they feel so betrayed by government, and when they hear a pitch that is premised on not being cynical about government, then a part of them just doesn't buy it. And when it's delivered by -- it's true that when it's delivered by a 46-year-old black man named Barack Obama (laugher), then that adds another layer of skepticism (laughter). [...]

But the truth is, is that, our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there's not evidence of that in their daily lives. You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. So it's not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

What do you think -- are they similar?

Update: Jason Linkins notes a statement from Harvard political scientist Theda Skocpol to Talking Points Memo, which reads in part:

I have been in meetings with the Clintons and their advisors where very clinical things were said in a very-detached tone about unwillingness of working class voters to trust government -- and Bill Clinton -- and about their unfortunate (from a Clinton perspective) proclivity to vote on life-style rather than economic issues. To see Hillary going absolutely over the top to smash Obama for making clearly more humanly sympathetic observations in this vein, is just amazing.

More here.

Comments

[samuraijack]

Keep digging!!!!! Love it!!!!!!!!! You will find the Hillary elitist statements too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[biglover]

HRC is one desperate person. Desperate people do desperate things, even at the risk of destroying her party. I used to love the Clintons. I am done with them. However, if this person somehow is our nominee I will support her and vote for her, as don't kid yourselves folks, McCain will be a bigger nightmare than Bush and that is an easy thing to do.

So please HRC and Obama supporters, keep the big picture in mind here.

[ErikW65]

I think you are overlooking an aspect of the bigger picture as well: unless there is a turnaround in the cumulative popular Democratic nomination vote tally, then in order for Hillary to be the nominee, the party itself will have already been destroyed by November. The Convention in Denver will have been tumultuous, maybe even violent, and left the Obama supporters with the bitterest of outcomes: to have won every valid metric toward victory, and left losing out to a delegate/Superdelegate swindle in a backroom deal. Despite it's name, the party will have made an un-democratic decision, and that would be the end of the party itself. A third party would need to form in that case, a progressive party.

[johngalt82]

This is so obvious - I would like for some media source to have the courage to put it out there for their readers:

Hillary's 'attack Barack' tactic is a win-win proposition. If she can create enough stir and scare the masses away from Obama she may pull out a victory for the Democratic nomination. If not, she is intentionally helping the Republicans to insure that he loses the general election so that she can come back in 2012 on a 'I tried to warn you" platform and get the nomination then.

Why should she use any other tactic? To help the Democratic Party . . . NOT her highest priority. The supers need to stop this by endorsing Obama NOW!

[FirstShirt]

If I was a democratic candidate right now I would just shut up on the bitter, disenfranchised, gun toting, religious nuts who also are voters. Think they are all republicans? Think talk and misinformation makes any difference to them? The mainstream american is smarter than many politicians give them credit. The problem is that right now we don't have a choice between democrat or republican. Scratch them both and you will not see much difference underneath.

[IntelligentDesign]

In a better world we would be open and honest, tolerant and empathetic, understanding and respectful...the politics of character assassination and fear mongering have pulled us down and away from these worthy ideals...it is up to us, the people to set the correct course for this nation, we can do this by rejecting and denouncing those who would cling to the status quo as a rung to greater individual power, those who are so tainted and cynical to believe that they can serve two masters, the Washington power grid and the people...in this election cycle those two people are John McCain and Hillary Clinton.

For a better world vote Barack Obama.

[2liveNdie]

DISBARRED, IMPEACHED, ELITISTS = B.Clinton!!!

[kay]

The New York Sun reports that as Clinton attacked Obama, "reports surfaced of similar comments made by both Clintons to explain voter concerns about issues like religion, guns, and immigration.

In an article on Time.com in November, for example, Mrs. Clinton was quoted as saying: 'During the 1990s, I cannot remember being asked about immigration. Why? Because the economy was working. And average Americans didn't have to go around looking for others to blame"

Oh, this is going to go FOR DAYS.

Why oh why is Hillary Clinton accusing working voters of "blaming" immigrants? I'm freaking OUTRAGED.

[Meggie]

Good point.
She's using old politics of fear and division.

[kay]

She wasn't "asked" about immigration during the 1990's because the Mexican economy hadn't tanked, yet, and we weren't inundated with NAFTA's traveling labor force.

It took a while for Clinton trade policies to kick in.

[MidwestMomma]

Good! I hope this discussion goes on and on and on! This is "Why we vote against our own best interest 101" in the spotlight! All leaders find ways to tell us who to blame for our sorrow it's part of their job, I guess!

The thing I find most remarkable about Obama's statements is he wasn't telling us who to blame he was telling us why we blame. WoW!

[accountability]

you find this outrageous?

I'm outraged at the ridiculous amount of time and space this taking up.
Turn off the media whores who are taking their cues from you and playing it for all it is worth, back away from cyberspace, the Obama/Clinton edition.
Find stories about the son of a bitch idiot king pResident who now says he knew that his cabinet and other high level members of the administration met and discussed torture methods, and even orchestrated what and how to use them and he APPROVED.
Where is the outrage?

right NOW we have a sitting pResident that has consistently undermined the Constitution,broken US and international laws, the laws of common human decency and dignity and is currently breaking the back of America and the hearts of Americans.

These accusations and statements flying around based on emotional crap are insane.
The MSM (which HuffPo is quite clearly part of) is salivating and rubbing its hands in glee.
They love this. If they don't see it they create it.
We are being marketed to, we are being distracted from what our job and responsibility is and it just gets worse.
Use your mind, stop the demonization and get outraged at what is happening now in the real world.

[Gasparilla]

Why are Bill Clinton's remarks suddenly controversial? The only reason is an attempt to justify what Obama said. The fact that the Republicans have used race and social issues is nothing new. It's the southern strategy and that has been discussed for years. If Obama had said something like rural voters need to be convinced we are not going to take away their guns, that would make sense. Instead he makes dismissive comments about how they "cling" to their guns because of economic stress. Good times or bad, there are lots of hunters out there, and comments like Obama's just fortify the stereotype the Republicans pin on the Democrats.

[Meggie]

The gun owners who cling to their guns because of economic stress are not necessarily hunters, and Obama did not say that they were. He didn't say they were necessarily rural, either.
Hand guns are not used for hunting, their only purpose is to kill people. You feel the need to carry one concealed because you're sure that those who have less than you are only out to get you.
I've hunted when I lived in rural America. Our family hunted large and small game to supplement our food budget. I resent Hillary lumping me in with those nut jobs who need guns to use on other Americans. Obama did not do that - Hillary did.

[jfoxx]

The point in saying they cling to guns or religion, is to say that they vote accordingly. They have become convinced that there is no hope for the economic situation, so they vote based on what little bit they feel is in their control.

You are right that there is nothing controversial about Clinton's remarks, what is surprising is how controversial Obama's have become.

[Aywaller]

Clinton's remarks aren't controversial because of their content but are so because of the hypocrisy of Hillary's campaign that it highlights. Obama is not dismissive of voters' economic concerns, and neither was the '91 version of Bill Clinton. The transparent attempt to paint Obama as elitist by the Clinton campaign is so cynical that it only serves to reinforce the negative opinion of Clinton that some of us have formed as a result. That is where the controversy lies.

[accountability]

not only that, they are not equivalent in content or intent.

Fallacious arguments meant to deflect and distract. Something the neocons have made into an art form They are thugs. We have new thug using the same Totalitarian tactics.

Don't be fooled. This meant to distract from Obama and keep directing heat toward Clinton but it is also meant to deflect and distract from very real issues which desperately need our outrage NOW! You know, like TORTURE?
Where is the outrage?
Thousands and thousands of comments so virulent, hateful, malicious and out of proportion while a current President is admitting to his knowledge and approval of his top cabinet members, advisor's and other administration officials discussing, planning and facilitating torture is stunning.

That is OUTRAGEOUS and shows a callous disregard for the individual dignity of human beings, humanity in general, the morality of the United States, the Geneva Conventions. The fact that it is now incontrovertible that war crimes are being perpetrated in OUR name by OUR elected officials and we are yammering about politicians words and how they use them is so appalling that we actually deserve to be called ugly Americans. We are an ignorant bunch of elitist louts who believe what we say is so fucking important that we simply MUST add to the din with our outrage. We are complicit. The longer it (this administration) goes on the more complicit we are.

And Yes, I do know I am adding to the din.

[theplaintrutho1]

The funny thing about all this is, I expect Clinton to sling garbage, she's the inevitable-one that must win at all cost.

I'm completely surprised at her supporters that latch on the the most childish S*** in order to defend her.

These are so called Dem's???

Reminds me of how Chuck Schumer D-NY and the rest, fought tooth & nail to defend the blatant attack on Waco. Right or wrong did not matter to these defenders of the constitution, because a political-party.

[HumeSkeptic]

Waco folks were batshit crazy. Too bad they got killed though. They should have been rounded up and put in asylums instead.

Are you a Koresh fan?

[kay]

Janet Reno was a disaster, as I have stated many times here before.

People of good conscience can agree on that :)

Of course, that doesn't excuse Gonzales, who is a war criminal.

[echyn1980]

To answer the question of Nico Pitney, the answer is no, the two comments aren't similar. Nor is the interpretation of the Harvard scholar. Clinton was talking about how the first Bush would use the issue of quotas as a way of scaring economically hard-hit white workers into believing a Democrat would favor blacks over whites. He went on to get elected on an economic platform that embraced all Americans and addressed such fears. Obama is explaining to "San Francisco democrats" (supposedly out of sight) how economically hard-hit whites "cling to" God and guns because they are embittered by the political process. Those are his words. He has pretended that he was simply explaining why they were economically bitter or just plain bitter. He was not. He was explaining to rich people how poor white people "cling to" things that are all really masquerading their economic bitterness and that Republicans feed off of. He is right about the latter point. Republicans feed off these issues because Democrats often do not respect faith, belief in the 2nd amendment, or people's legitimate fears of the effects of free trade or of illegal immigrants being hired at lower wages. Pandering to funders often reveals people's prejudices. Obama appears to have a serious prejudice --- one that Republcans are looking forward to exploiting in the general election.

[accountability]

This is rich,

another facile hypercontextualization.

another projection of the pot calling the kettle black.

good try though.

[HumeSkeptic]

Too bad Obama is religious. Other than that, I like him.

[haboob]

i believe you called hin ignorant a bit ago. still confused ?

[HumeSkeptic]

Religious=ignorant.

Now go play outside for a while, little puppy, instead of following me around.

[jfoxx]

I'm glad you are able, in your infinite understanding, to at least forgive that one shortcoming. Maybe one day he will find the truth and free himself from religious bondage, so he can truly blossom into the free-thinker that he has the potential to become. Until then, you can look approvingly down on his accomplishments from the comfort of your high horse.

[HumeSkeptic]

Yup! That's what I'm doing.

[freeusofbushclinton]

The Clintons calling someone else an elitist is a joke. They have no idea what it's like in middle class America. These are the same people that are making millions of dollars from foriegn countries, while us in the middle class have both spouses working and sometimes one spouse working two jobs to make ends meet. She voted for the bankruptcy law to make it harder for people who work their asses off to make a living and then run into trouble to make a living to file for bankruptcy. these people are out to make a buck and they could care less what happens to anybody else.

[Meggie]

Her past history is, if you could stretch to call it middle class, quite upper middle class. She comes from a nice neighborhood and didn't see much struggle there. She also went to a top end female college that didn't give much of a poor or middle class perspective, either. Not sure where she thinks she has any middle class cred .

[bison1]

Does Hillary pay her bills? Does she balance her check book? Does she go shopping for household food? When is the last time that she has put gas in a tank? When is the last time she has driven a car? Does she do her own laundry? The Clinton Campaign is defining elitism according to their definition of is. To say that Obama is out of touch with these blue collar white people, is it also a way to say that he is a racist? It is a way to say that he is a closet black nationalist out of touch with lower middle class white people? Is it a way to say that he is really just like Rev. Wright? There is a subliminal race message lodge in the “out of touch,” elitism line. Black elitism is an absurdity at worst, and humorous at best. Lets’ get real!

[Meggie]

But it works with the people that Hil is pandering to. Those will be the same people who wind up voting for McCain in the general, because, when push comes to shove, they will not vote for a black, and they will not vote for a woman - especially a Clinton woman to be president of the USA. She doesn't care about that tho - she only wants their vote in the primary and she knows exactly how to do it. She doesn't care about how these groups of middle-lower middle-poor people get along after the election. In fact, the divisions will work in her favor as they have worked for the republicans for years.

[VSamuels]

The Clinton campaign recognizes that its strongest hand against Obama is to remind the predominately remaining white voters in this contest that Obama is the 'them' in the us v. them framework. If Ed Rendell or Bob Casey had said this, or Bill Clinton for that matter, the item would not have the potential of being exploited---out of the context of a black man criticizing a whole bunch of white folks. Clinton simply wants the voters to believe, not that this issue is or isn't true, that the motivation of Obama's words stems from his blackness and she wants those 'us(es)' to be upset.

[zmyst1958]

Hillary made it quite clear last night on the compassion forum 'who' the true elitist is, HER. During the discussion last night on economics she made a comment referring to the lower income class as 'the least of us'. These people are NOT the 'least of us'. The are not lower in consideration, importance or position than the rest of us. They just happen to make make less money than many of us, they may live in housing that is substandard to many of us, they may not have the financial advantages of many of us.....BUT they are NOT a lesser person or of lesser importance than any of us. She floored me when she made this statement. Now I'm sure (well, let me rephrase, I hope) she did not mean it as it sounded.

[xrayman]

What Clinton said is not wrong, what Obama said is. When people are economically insecure they get scared. He didn't say they cling to guns, religion, hatred for others and anti-immigration sentiments. Obama lumped those things together.

[HumeSkeptic]

Yes. Obama was wrong about guns. Other than that he was right. As for guns, people cling to those because they are nuts.

[haboob]

better get to your gunshop quick
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-lauria/the-coming-war-with-iran_b_96428.html

[kay]

Sadly, for Senator Clinton, a SENATOR Clinton quote has just surfaced where she "lumps" voter's economic insecurity with anti-immigration feelings.

You knew this was coming, right? The remarkable part is, SHE didn't see it coming.

[HumeSkeptic]

LOL

It keeps getting better.

[lvdragonlady]

I do not understand what all the uproar is about. Obama stated a truth, WTH is the matter with that. I for one agree with what he said. The government has let 'the little people' down in favor of helping out BIG business and lining their pockets. Clinton's statement in '91 is saying the same thing BUT it was said by a white man instead of a black man, that is the ONLY difference.

[kay]

The uproar is about the fact that Hillary Clinton needs some BS issue to distract voters prior to a primary.

Like in Ohio. She (of course) enthusiastically promoted NAFTA, and then had to employ the Rovian "switch" of claiming her OPPONENT supported NAFTA, to cover that FACT.

I knew it was coming.

She only wins if she pulls Obama's numbers down. Her own numbers haven't budged, basically, since she announced.

It's a lousy way to win, but it's all she's got.

[accountability]

"The uproar is about the fact that Hillary Clinton needs some BS issue to distract voters prior to a primary."

The FACT?

No, the uproar is what you and all these other self righteous idiots on both sides are making it into.
my god, thousands upon thousands of comments on this inane garbage while we have a President intent on starting another war before he leaves office, refusing to end a war he started for highly suspect reasonswith highly suspect evidence and who now admits to knowing and approving of his administration's complete complicity in torture.

huh?

Damn if this doesn't show the world who we really are and what we believe is important.

At the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago "The whole world is watching" was born. It was a far different context. People were being beaten and arrested for protesting. Almost 600 arrested and thousands injured.
Today we yammer about what was said by who in what context and shout how demonic a politician is who picked it up in its political context and used it.
The whole world is watching again and shaking their heads about what idiots behaving like 2 year olds we have become.

[VSamuels]

Correct.

The other problem of course, is the 'acceptance' of pandering rather than dealing with the reality of Americans. The truth is often painful and difficult to deal with, an observation that the 24 hour news cycle can't convey. Hillary wants to say or do whatever she feels makes folks vote for her, however there are numerous realities that the next president will need to personally understand and build strategies to resolve.

If some become more excited about the expression of the words used to talk about these 'problems' than the 'problems' themselves, it will be unlikely we get anywhere as a nation.

Just another example of a out of control MSM using this issue to create conflict, rather than sending out its reporters to these same small towns to see if there is in fact 'bitterness' and 'clinging' out in rural America. The MSM isn't about the truth, it is about ratings and profit.

[IRIE]

This may backfire on the both Clinton and McCain...

[Meggie]

It's clear that Hillary is twisting this to try to appeal to the most ignorant in America.
"There are no athiests in a foxhole." is exactly the same as "People cling to their religion when things get tough." Hillary's inability and reluctance to dish her own religious credentials shows that she is not in touch with the people she expects to vote for her. It was Bill who clung to religion after he screwed Monica with a cigar and got blow jobs from someone young enough to be his daughter, not Hillary. Remember the parade of clergymen into the white house?
I've listened to the gun comments. Hillary is really expecting the American public to be ignorant on this one. Obama said nothing about hunting. He was talking about guns like the one used on that Japanese foreign exchange student in Louisianna during Halloween a few years ago. Now, Hillary can tie that white, murdering nut job in with hunters, but as a hunter myself I'm awfully disgusted and pissed off at her for connecting me and other hunters in with those types of people. Hillary made that connection - not Obama!
Pay no attention to that liar behind the curtain at your own peril.

[HumeSkeptic]

"There are no athiests in a foxhole."
-------
Really? Just ignorant people in foxholes? Interesting.

[ElIngeniero]

Ever been in a foxhole? with live bullets popping around your head?

Rationality goes out the window, all you have is training and habit to keep you going.

Don't demean the power of fear.

[Meggie]

you're the one using the word ignorant. I don't have a problem with people believing in God or uniting in religion. I do have a problem with deliberately twisting what Obama said.
If you think that families in this country aren't scared and angry at the current conditions that keep them teetering on the edge of being homeless with their families and powerless to do anything about it, then you are demeaning their fear. If religion helps them deal with their circumstances then I'm glad religion can be used for good and not just a tool to start wars or attempt to win elections.

[SoulSistah]

Very well said. You may have to teach others how to hunt and garden. The price of food is rising so fast that many can no longer afford to buy food. The cost of gas has doubled over the past two years. Many of us are sitting in homes where the value is upside down. Our wages are stagnant. No wonder many are Americans feel bitter about politics as usual.

HRC (a closet right-wing Republican) will continue supporting the interest of big business over the interest of U.S. citizens.

............................................................................
no more bush, clinton, bush, clinton elitist

[memoryaid]

"If [Republicans] could cut funding for Medicare, Medicaid, education, and the environment, middle-class Americans would see fewer benefits from their tax dollars, feel more resentful paying taxes, and become even more receptive to their appeals for tax cuts and their strategy of waging campaigns on divisive social and cultural issues like abortion, gay rights, and guns."

-- Bill Clinton, in his 2004 memoirs, My Life, making the same argument as Sen. Barack Obama.

[CraigMM]

You can keep reposting the same thing, but it doesn't make it so. The comments by Bill Clinton are NOT the same as the racially insulting comments of Obama.

HuffPo and the Obama-surrogates are trying very hard to make this go away and turn it into yet another anti-Clinton issue, but that is just not the case.

Obama's own words were insulting. He made a big mistake, wouldn't apologize for it, and then when it still wouldn't go away he said that he was sorry if anyone was offended by what he said. That is not an apology. That is not the same thing as saying you are sorry for what you said.

This insensitive remark was totally uncalled for and his resistance to apologize for it it telling about his character and it will hurt him in the GE if he gets the nod.

[kay]

Senator Clinton said workers "blame" immigrants when they feel economic insecurity.

I know you're OUTRAGED by her INSENSITIVITY

[VSamuels]

There was nothing racial about these comments. However, this is of course the route Clinton's faux outrage is meant to expose; that these comments come from Obama's blackness rather than his humanity. Hillary is desperate and the fact that this news item was spoke nearly a week before it was pushed by the Clinton campaign, shows how desperately they are combing every thing Obama is saying to find something, anything they can use to throw at Obama.

The worse part is that Maggie Williams, an ardent ally of Hillary Clinton, is an AA female who will become as relevant as Clarence Thomas, but who is still willing to play the point person for this nasty dirty campaign. There are many ironies of the Clintons, but none so much as having an AA devising tactics to undermine the first legitimate campaign of an AA.