Nothing to Be Afraid of but Fear Itself

Discussing the newest depth to which the Clinton campaign has stooped has become so irritatingly repetitive, at some point I will have to just stop mentioning them. And there are real news stories of major importance this week, such as the implosion of Zimbabwe and the inexplicable posture that the president of South Africa has taken toward it. But surely yesterday's Clinton ugliness surely deserves comment nevertheless.

In the final lead-up to the vote in Pennsylvania, the Clinton campaign filled that state's air waves with a new TV ad which managed to mention Osama bin Laden, the stock market crash of 1929, the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Hurricane Katrina. Apparently the Clinton camp was so pleased with the results of her "3am phone call" ad in Texas that a decision was made to end Pennsylvania just going whole hog on the fear mongering.

At the same time, Bill Clinton told radio station WHYY in Philadelphia that Barack Obama had "played the race card on me." Clinton told the interviewer that "you have to really go some to play the race card on me," adding that he has an "office in Harlem, and Harlem voted for Hillary, by the way," and "I have 1.4 Million people around the world, mostly people of color... on the world's least expensive AIDS drugs...." At the very end of the interview, thinking his mic was no longer live, he added, "I don't think I should take any shit from anybody on that, do you?"

If Billary manages to stay in the race, the campaign will be hard pressed to come up with an ad that would top the one they recently ran. But just in case they are listening, I have a suggestion: to the list of America's "big fear" moments when the country desperately needed wise political leadership, add the moment when an ex-President and his wife went off the deep end and became the ugliest force in American politics.

Comments

[Cutebunion]

I hope the American people are perceptive enough to recognize that Senator Obama's solid judgment, decency, and restraint are a sign of strength. He will never hesitate to use military force where necessary, but effective diplomacy will pre-empt some of the need for using military force. By contrast, Hillary Clinton's answer to every problem-- whether it's the Mideast crisis, or the Obama campaign-- is always "obliterate them!" I think we've already had a president with that philosophy, and his name is George W. Bush.

[RedDogBear]

Great column. President Clinton had more than his share of flaws but until recently I looked back fondly on his presidency and loved it when he would occasionally pop up to lash out at some right wing tool like Chris Wallace. Now I just look at him and Senator Clinton and shake my head. I hope the stories about Obama considering going negative aren't true. He has done a great job of showing that it is still possible for someone to have a decent campaign for president and win. Senator Clinton won't quit until just about every influential Democrat tells her to, maybe not even then. But its clear that Obama will win the nomination eventually. Senator Clinton has made herself irrelevant. Obama should just ignore her from now on and focus on campaigning against McCain. I hope that when Senator Clinton is up for re-election to the senate a Ned Lamont style challenger defeats her in the democratic primary and puts an end to her pathetic political career.

[harriscrl3]

I have never seen such manipulation of the media as the Clintons are doing against Obama. How can the media for a second believe this man is weak when he has to fend off attacks on 4 different fronts. Hilary and her husband EX president Bill Clinton, GOP and their dirty tricks, McCain straight talking LIAR who is passing out mailers tieing Obama to Hamas not to mention Tabolid media like ABC who is asking about association with a radical person when Obama 8 YEARS OLD.

They've convince the media and voters that he can't stand it when they are ALL coming at him. I can't say I expect better in Coroporate Control Media no wonder i give them about as much respect as I do the National Enquirer.

Good Journalism is DEAD in this country.

Carol

[EspritDeVoltaire]

Clinton '08 - George Bush Forever!

[Countess]

Any democrat that does not want to continue and expand the war In Iraq and beyond must not give license to this latest neocon movement that Hillary Clinton has built within the democratic party. Her intention is to push the party so far to the right that the republicans will look like the party of peace when she is done. Clinton is a dangerous person who is not just damaging the democratic party but is a threat to the entire world.

[Titonwan]

Couldn't agree more! If Obama had the time to tour Europe (PR) and rest up for McCain, the media would be forced to actually report the world news. Go Mr. (soon to be President) Obama!

[Citizenofreality]

I've worked long and hard for this party, even though much of the time I haven't cared for the triangulating and for the ever rightward shift towards the middle of the road. I defended the Clintons during the nineties and did so willingly. Now, as this campaign continues toward the summer months I have to ask myself if the Clintons care about anyone but themselves. Given the nasty tone of her rhetoric, and her recent meeting with Richard Mellon Scaiffe, my conclusion is, they care only about winning, no matter the costs, no matter who they damage. That's terribly sad.

[DavidK08]

There is nothing American in overturning the will of the people. Nothing, for any reason. Even if you did think he couldn't win in nov. For no reason.

[DavidK08]

Secretly, the SDs must be just as ticked off with the Clintons as is most of the country. The only states they count are ones that favor them. Of course Obama isn't going to win them all. 2/3s is pretty good.

Obama didn't have every thing in his favor for PA like HRC will say he did. The best brand name in politics is...oh, you guessed it, Clinton. You could make a Mastercard commercial with this stuff. She has the entire establishment and the last name to win. Not to hold a 20+% lead though. There is only one reason she was out spent. That is her inability to raise enough money. INABILITY.

[justobserve]

Her inability and her untrusworthiness and her negativity ratings all point to her UNELECTABILITY. It 's amazing that the Clintons still are able to spin to the superdelegates to let them prolong their losing race. They only care for themselves, no one else, especially now they dig into little people's pocket after having eshausted the special interests' and lobbists'. That's a waste with no result in sight. If superdelegates will not overturn people's votes at the end, they have to suport Obama now so he can work with a suitable VP to win in November.

[ldvisavis]

Honestly Bob, I think the biggest advantage the Clintons have is the fatigue over their scandals, moral equivocacies, illegal and questionable nest-feathering, outlandish lies, duplicitous mistatements, the whiplash of personas and strategies, and the twisty-turny accusations flipping their own sins on their rival.

It really is so "irritatingly repetitive" we all want to stop thinking about it. But I hope the remaining superdelgates and voters remember long enough to vote them away once and for all.

[cla62]

Their has to be some reason Democrats keep voting for Clintons. Are their memories that screwed up. Obamas can't finish the job against political hacks, that's sad commentary for the DNC

[katefranklin]

We can only guess what the Clintons will crudely try to exploit before the Indiana primary. Perhaps clips of the WTC collapsing? Maybe she'll dust off those images of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City? I wouldn't put anything past these people.

[GDliberal]

I liked the Queen hillary ad from yesterday so much I "tweaked" it a little for them
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p3zLjSaMYY

[ldvisavis]

BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL. I will be sharing this one GD!

[DoTheMath]

Good call. You left out the best part of the "race card" story, though, the part when Clinton denied having said it the very next morning. It's a vast technological conspiracy. Now that it's easy to record everything and replay it over the internet, lying just ain't what it used to be.

[JillQ]

With Sen. Obama being more liberal than Sen. Clinton, I'm waiting for the Clintons next victimized accusation against the "vast LEFT-wing conspiracy."