Clinton's New York Support: Trouble Brewing With Ties To Black Community

Even as she continues her longshot presidential bid, Hillary Rodham Clinton faces a political rift in New York, where black leaders say her standing has dropped due to racially charged comments by her and her husband during the campaign.

African American elected officials and clerics based in New York City say Clinton will need to defuse resentment over the campaign's racial overtones if she returns to New York as U.S. senator.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[Daisy1111]

A lot of white democrats made promises to the AA community. Only the Clintons have consistently delivered on those promises.

Bill Clinton appointed nine African Americans to cabinet posts - an historic first.

He appointed Carl Stewart, the first African-American ever appointed to the Court of Appeals serving Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

Bill appointed hispanics, Henry Cisneros, Federico Peña, Bill Richardson to caninet posts. Plus Castillo, the first Hispanic federal judge in Illinois, and Lisi and Currie the first women to serve on the federal trial benches in their states.

Maggie Williams, currently running Hillary's campaign, served as chief of staff for Hillary Clinton when she was First Lady. Maggie Williams was the first African American woman to ever hold that position.

Patti Solis Doyle, Hillary's first campaign manager, was the first female Hispanic to manage a presidential campaign. Hillary hired Addisu Demissiem, a Yale graduate of Ethiopian descent, as her Political Director in Connecticut.

Hillary also hired African American Bob Nash as her deputy campaign manager. Nash had worked as the director of White House personnel for President Bill Clinton for six years. And Minyon Moore, former CEO of the DNC and White House advisor to Bill Clinton. These are two of about a dozen of African Americans in the Clinton inner circle.

[uheardme]

Lots of tokens there. I'm impressed.

[brwnizofmine]

Umm, I'm sorry, I for one will not support them as much as I did before. Voted for Bill twice, but I will not forget how she ran her campaign and created more division than harmony. I won't forget.

[MAA18]

as a young African American who lives in New York, I have no clue what you people are talking about this subject. Once This process is over and Obama is president, clinton will have the same about of support from the the black community as she did before, we just want to see a black man in the WH

[Daisy1111]

Thanks for your reply MAA18:

I wonder how many (non-AA) people here are speaking for AA's instead of allowing you and others to speak for yourselves.

[Sali68]

'she have to go to black churches' etc are you kidding me....she has already SHOWN you who she IS... why let her come back and try to make some gesture....sure you can forgive her but should you forget HOW she ran this campaign? how she decided that your vote or allegiance didn't matter in her while she was desperately hanging on to this nomination? Noooo, there should be no going back only looking ahead...look to yourselves to represent you....white or black, navy or orange no matter what color or economic status Hill has shown she does not care about you...only HER

[adept2u]

Hillary has more than just strained her relationship with at least this Black American, but destroyed it. She reaches out by calling on her army of Appalachia to bust a cap in Obama, and rather than apologize, she tells us we don't know what the hell assasination, RFK, and June of 1968 are supposed to mean. Historical reference my ass. If that's your historical reference you are as stupid as Bush, and hell no to that.

I was one of those moveon people when it was move on and censure, and I defended his dna on another ladies dress. I had his stinking picture like I had JFK, and King. I'm actually happy not to look at his lying face again, and his wife squared.

[Truthfighter1]

Liz Trotta on Fox news says "some are reading as a suggestion that somebody knock off Osama uh uh Obama both if we could..ha ha ha"...

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/fox-news-has-to-sack-liz-trotta

spread this link, this should be on the front page Huff'

[PatrickforO]

I think Hillary's 'chickens are coming home to roost.' Possibly it made lots of African Americans in New York very angry when they found out that several precincts in Harlem posted '0' votes for Obama, you think?

[PatrickforO]

Just testing, can I post now?

[Grannysue]

She's straining the relationship with ALL AMERICANS.

[ApolloniaCreed]

You read my mind!!!

[dadele]

I would guess all her "eastern elite" comments didn't do her any good either. Isn't NY the center of "elitedom"?

[hillarysupporter]

Obama's grassroots network had divided this country by condemning anyone who isn't for Obama.
They're their own worst enemy. Their racist remarks are turning off people who might otherwise
consider Obama.

[oscartucker]

Liz Trotter's comments are purely sick,and she laughed as if she had told some joke. There are some sick people out there who just don't care. They would laugh, too. Senator Obama has a wife and two children as well as other family. All he has wanted to do is bring a change to America, as well as restore that which is great in America. How sick and sad; I wish someone could bring criminal cahrges upon her.

[DCtrain]

Agreed, Trotter should be censured

[SaddieMcCall]

Hillary's entire political career is ruined. She will never hold another political office in her life. Bill's income on speeches will now be discounted to barely cover his expenses to travel to give them. They had destroyed their legacies by their outrageous behavior in this campaign.

[rooks]

I concur. Most other candidates step down when it was apparent their bid would be not fruitful as
to avoid implosion and a complete loss of self dignity. She flushed her career down the toliet with the sink.

[RichLiberal]

It should be becoming clear by now to Hillary supporters that the Obama campaign has no plans for reconciliation in any meaningful way with Hillary and her constituency.

That being the case, the best strategy for Hillary supporters that is shaping up, if she cannot win the nomination is two-fold:

1. Vote for a strong Democratic Congress with especially strong support for those Congressmen who have supported Hillary.

2. Vote for a weak Executive branch, in particular, vote for McCain. As a caretaker President, McCain will be fairly easy to work with for a strong Democratic Congress.

This is a better strategy than just staying home and not voting, which is only taking one vote away from Obama. By voting for McCain you are actually switching two votes against Obama.

Bottom line: if the Obama campaign doesn't want Hillary's supporters, then let's dump Obama and put McCain in the White House with a strong Democratic Congress.

[neocon666]

If by "reconciliation" you mean rolling over and letting Hillary take ALL of the delegates from MI and FL, state primaries where Obama didn't campaign (he wasn't even on the ballot in MI) because the primaries in those states WEREN'T SUPPOSE TO COUNT, you're right.

[RichLiberal]

No, that's got nothing to do with it. Hillary's supporters, myself included, are primarily economically driven. I am in favor of a President who will represent my economic interests, which has been done in my adult life only by Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.

Obama's economic statements have been alien to those interests. And, in addition, he has been contemptuous of Hillary's constituents. Whether directly himself or thru his campaign makes no difference, they are one and the same as is Hillary's.

The bottom line is that my read is that Obama would rather attract cross-over Republicans looking to vacate their sinking ship, rather than work with the core Democratic Base of voters. This is painted quite clearly on the election map and the demographis percentages.

As a result, I have come to view Obama as an alien presence in the Democratic Party, and that it is more in the interests of the Democratic Base to strengthen to Congress, while at the same time stopping Obama from becoming President.

[gapanther]

Name one "reconciliation" Hill supporters would accept other than giving her the nomination?

A democrat voting for McBush is a sign of thought impedement.

[Johnnn]

You want me to vote for Obama instead of war hero McCain? Then I want a Hillary supporter on the ticket. Half that ticket is ours. Can't let the Obama puppies have the whole thing.

[MJD615]

I am starting to realize that Obama supporters are like a cult. When it comes to the Pied Pieper Obama, you cannot reason with them.

They scream racist, race traitor and other demeaning remarks at anyone who does not support the Pied Piper, Obama.

[benwha]

I am starting to realize that Clinton supporters are like a cult. When it comes to the Pied Pieper Clinton, you cannot reason with them.

They scream sexist, kool-aid and other demeaning remarks at anyone who does not support the Pied Piper Clinton.

Do you get my drift?

[Syco]

things like that are why the two groups don't get along

[Syco]

so basically you want to lose if she doesn't win?
thats stupid

[Timebomb]

I'm not going to say that RichLiberal's comment is stupid, but, rather, blind with some kind of sick hero worship. The Obama campaign hasn't conducted itself in a manner that warrants them making affirmative steps to reconcile with "cult Clintonian". While it is Obama's desire to unite the party, he certainly shouldn't bend over backwards and give concessions to a snake like Hillary.

Obama should make a good faith effort to unite both constituencies against McCain and that shouldn't include granting Hillary the VP or Senate Majority Leader post. Those spots should be reserved for those, in the Party, who have already bought into the vision and positions of the nominee. Sabotuers and others who make remarks about one's assassination have no business in his inner circle.

Besides, with Barr's nomination of the Libertarian Party, Hillary supporters become less valuable

[EuroPreacher]

The real people who care about Cuba and cubans have endorsed Senetor Obama's foreign policy against McCain's irrisponsible way of approching the matter: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7418941.stm

Go Obama'08!

[johnwinner]

Clinton's argument for her nomination:
"Black politicians can't get elected."
"Black idealists get killed.
"Back politicians don't represent white people."
"Black men are standing in the way of the advancement of white women."
Where is the positive policy statement in any of this? Dead on arrival at the ABC News debate.
Note: racism is a vote against someone for their color, not any vote for someone. The only people voting against Hillary this year because of her gender are the Limbaugh dittoheads she relied on in Indiana - they will vote against her in the general election.
This whole thing is a mess and Clinton has gone off the deep-end. The superdelegates need to step in before this farce becomes tragedy.

[RichLiberal]

It is imbecilic statements like this from many in the heart of the Obama constituency that make it imperative for Clinton supporters and constituents put together an organized strategy to stop Obama from becoming President. This can be done in conjunction with building a strong Democratic Congress, and holding our nose while we take what is increasingly becoming the necessary step of voting for a weak executive McCain.

I've never voted for a Republican for President in my life, and this is the first time that it evens makes sense to take a look at the alternative, however the Obama campaign has made it clear that they are hostile to Hillary's constituency and therefore Obama must be stopped.

[devadasi]

As usual RICHLIBERAL, your comments are repulsive and weak.

[neocon666]

I understand: you'd rather put your foot through the bottom of the boat and sink with it rather than let anyone but your person sail it to the other side -impeccable logic.

What exactly has Barack Obama done besides be a more popular candidate than Hillary Clinton at this point in time? His campaign has been in constant contact with the officials from MI and FL -it has been the Hillary camp that has been immovable, which will blow up in their faces on May 30th. You say "he must be stopped", as if it were HIS policies that have thrust this country's economy into recession (some say worse is comming, and I don't doubt it) and a seemingly endless and costly war in both military and human terms. That is "what must be stopped"; we must toss out every republican and democrat that supported George W. Bush's administration. To attempt to stir up a pseudo-army to fight a civil war within the democratic party because one candidate cannot fathom the concept of defeat is beyond detrimental, since this country may not be able to avoid it's own collapse if another politician of the same ilke is allowed to call himself president of the United States in 2009.

[NorVaGal]

I have nothing but contempt for your statements. The Obama campaign HAS NOT made it clear that they are hostile to Hillary's constituency. THAT IS AN OUT AND OUT LIE.

It is imbecilic statements like your own that make no that undermine any sense of credibility you pretend to have. Hold your nose, jump in the lake, or off a building. Take your pick.

[XME]

I'm sorry, but anyone who won't vote for a candidate because that candidates supporters said "mean things" to them clearly doesn't have grasp on what's important about the right to vote.