Color-coded Hillary Alerts

If anyone has paid acutely painful attention to the political ministrations of Karl Rove over the past two and a half decades, it's me. And if there is anyone qualified to make comparisons between democracy's Darth Vader and Hillary Clinton, I stand at the head of that line, as well. And sadly, the similarities are so brutally obvious as to be disturbing.

First, there is this matter of her husband, a man I admired as president in spite of his teenage behavior. Sen. Barack Obama has run a campaign that has never mentioned race. In fact, ethnicity was not an issue until President William Jefferson Clinton made his comparisons of Obama in South Carolina to Jesse Jackson. We were on the verge of almost transcending such superficial nonsense until Mr. Clinton brought us back to 1968.

And presently, we have the first female vice presidential candidate ringing the bell on the same topic. Geraldine Ferraro is, of course, a part of the Hillary Clinton campaign.

Senator Clinton plays the innocent on most of this by refusing to denounce these pronunciations. When she had the opportunity on 60 Minutes to tell the world that it is nonsense for the fear mongers to suggest Obama is a Muslim, she demurred with a qualified, "as far as I know" he's not. But she does know. Sen. Clinton and Obama have attended numerous Capital Hill prayer breakfasts together. Does she think he was playing the Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, perhaps trying to see what is going on with that whole Christianity thing? Isn't any person believable when they declare their faith until they have been vetted by the Clinton campaign?

She saved her campaign in Texas by acting like George W. Bush drunk on the ideas of Karl Rove. The 3 a.m. call ad that used fear to drive voters in her direction was nothing more than a desperate politician's attempt to tell everyone not even duct tape will save them if they vote for Obama. Created by Roy Spence of Austin, the ad was first deployed in 1984 in the Mondale campaign. (His ad agency also gave us, "You are now free to move around the country," and, "Don't mess with Texas," as memorable slogans.)

As Karl Rove has proven and as Orlando Patterson pointed out in the New York Times, campaigns and their messages are often more about image than substance. Was it an oversight or a design that the children sleeping safely in that 3 a.m. ad were white? Isn't everyone in politics astute enough to know these days that everyone who needs protecting isn't white? When Bush was running for president, Rove never let him be photographed without a rainbow coalition of children. Are we supposed to believe that Hillary's minders didn't see the racism implicit in her phone call ad?

The Clinton campaign doesn't seem to understand that the depth of Obama's appeal comes from his willingness to look forward with optimism instead of over his shoulder in fear. When he says, "We need to talk to our friends, but we also need to talk to our enemies," he is speaking for every mother and father who has a son in Iraq or one who might end up toting a gun for an amorphous cause that few can any longer explain. Who doesn't want to know why we are so despised that people will strap bombs to themselves to blow us up? Oh, I forgot, they hate our freedom. That's one Sen. Clinton hasn't tried yet.

It is also obscene in the extreme for the Clinton campaign to compare Sen. Obama to Ken Starr. Many voters from the rocky coast of Maine to the sunny shores of California want to know how much money the senator and the former president are earning, to whom he is speaking for large sums, and how he paid for his library in Little Rock. Do the Clintons really want to remind us what Ken Starr was looking for? As a friend of mine has suggested, this utter lack of judgment to bring his name back into the public discourse is "breathtaking."

Clinton is unwilling to sully her own hands with these absurd references. Like Rove, she relies on surrogates to go out and fire the gun. After the targets are wounded or dead, Rove had his clients come in and call for gun control and explain how they admired the political victim. Not Senator Clinton. She does nothing to denounce the nastiness. By pretending Obama is not prepared to lead, she proves her own desperation to acquire power and she denigrates the remaining historical reputation of her husband's administration. Historians might look beyond this dust devil she has spun, but the general public won't be able to see through the dirt flying through the air.

We are all tired of this. We all have Bush-Clinton fatigue. We need a hopeful, fresh start. Hillary might have made a fine president. But she has turned into an ugly campaigner.

This is not her time.

Follow James Moore on Twitter: www.twitter.com/moorethink

Comments

[chordchaser]

Hillary Clinton is a known entity, as is John McCain. Corporate sponsored, government expanding, career politicians who will use whatever tactic they deem necessary to win. This, in my judgment, gives Barack Obama the best chance of defeating McCain. Whether deserving of it or not, Obama doesn't have the built-in lack of trust his opponents carry.

You can argue the merits of Clinton's so-called experience, but it doesn't matter. People don't choose candidates by analyzing issues and voting records. It's a sporting event, emotionally charged theater. Given this, the real question is can Obama's skill at raising the emotional level of the electorate with talk of hope and change outweigh McCain's skill at raising their fears about terrorism? Who presents the best drama?

It is all meaningless rhetoric, of course, but since that is what is used to decide elections you might as well look at it strategically. I wouldn't vote for any of them, I will once again use my vote to protest the absurdity of the process. In between election cycles, away from all this nonsense and any single candidate, I will try to educate my fellow citizens to see that these are, and have always been, false choices.

"The welfare of the people in particular has always been the alibi of tyrants, and it provides the further advantage of giving the servants of tyranny a good conscience­." -- Albert Camus

[electress]

Mr. Moore, thank you for your letter of introduction of Bill Clinton first, and Hillary Clinton second.
Perhaps it's your experience of 2 1/2 decades, that you rely on to present us with your knowledge.
I am hoping you have made some money from your observations, good for you on the count.
Like you Hillary has decades of exprience, not just as an observator but a participant as well.

What disturbs me Mr. Moore, is just that Mister. How many decades have men been telling
women what to say, how to say, and when to say it when it comes to politics. When in fact
the mess that we are in has mainly been created by men, & the many men still in office, those old
men like Gary Hart (with his Susan Rice scandal) who are still out in the media professing their
accumlated knowledge as to how women should be good loosers. The old guys, like Kerry,
like Kennedy, and many others that can be named who think they are winners.
Why didn't you share your great knowledge to correct the problems in the last two elections,
how is it that all you great old men, couldn't effect change, and now look where we are at.
And you want to tell Hillary how she can win? And you want to tell me, Obama is the light,
the way we will change? Good Lord, I must be brainless.

In your second paragraph, you hit two stones with one blow, first her husband, and second
Obama has run a campaign that has never mentioned race. Good Lord, I must be blind.
Let me recall the first time I heard his name, wonder what I was thinking, who, Barack Hussein
Obama? Of course, we live in a time when names are very confusing, even as to gender
and to orginal spelling, but for sure he was not John or Robert, or Michael. Don't corner me
just yet because I start this with full name (it's happened time & time again), like you I am
Americanized. In the end it's not about his name, but that was my beginning to search
him out. In that process, I found photos, I saw him on Oprah, and yes I see a bi-racial
man. I have no problem with whom he identifies, mainly black Americans. I have family who
also are biracial, black/white, hispanic/white, native/white. I understand, most of my family
live in mixed communities rather than just a white community, where the children are blended.
I have seen their struggles for acceptance.

The fact that Obama's speeches was well drenched in black history, and his style of speech
so drenched in the good old gospel, and refrences to Selma, Ala, slaves, and we
have a dream, told me he was indeed running his campaign based on his identity. Rightfully so.
You must have missed it when Jackson/Sharpton asked if Obama was black enough.
But you must have missed his statement last month, that I am your black candidate.
You must have missed his statement when he called Bill on the dance floor to prove just
how black he might be. My, my who brought us back to 1968? Regardless of what you
think about 1968, it is our history, and many of us black, white, red, brown, and women,
were a big part of some good that came of that time, not just as individual races, but
for the whole of this Country.

Isn't it Mr. Moore, men, who ring the bell, and women come running to serve them?
Breaksfast is ready, lunch is ready, dinner is served. Ring that bell Mr. Moore.

[yourstruly]

It was Donna Rice, not Susan, who was linked with Gary Hart. Susan Rice is an Obama consultant, so I wonder who you are to be planting these subliminal suggestions.

[electress]

Thank you for the correction, that was error on my part, and not intended to plant anything.
Just goes to show you when you that when someone does make a mistake be it
name, spelling, the result shows how mistrusting the Obama camp has become.

[dwt]

I'm a white male, baby boomer, latte sipping liberal from New York. As a white male, identity politics do not come into play for me in the contest between HRC and BHO for Democratic nominee for President.

In both 2000 and 2006, I voted for HRC as U.S. Senator. She was the most qualified candidate. Race and gender were both irrelevant.

I now support BHO for President. He is the most qualified candidate. Race and gender are still irrelevant.

End of story.

[Gerald36]

Notwithstanding your anger and frustration let me remind you that there’s no difference whatsoever between Hillary and Barack; they’re both insane shooting the works for The Job. On the other hand, leaving their insanity aside, they’re both caring for America and our future. They’re both very able and reasonably intelligent in spite of shooting for The Job.
Sadly regardless who gets The Job; he/she won’t be able to change much of anything. In case if you’ve forgotten, let me remind you that our fascist government is probably the most corrupt on the planet and neither will be able to come through with their promises.
Good luck to all of us.

[englishprof]

Hillary helped enable the Iraq invasion. Mr. Obama knew it was a dumb enterprise from the start. That's all you need to know about the difference between them.

[wildstarchild]

Obama IS NOT a Corporate candidate. 90% of his money comes from small individual donations of less than $100. He is NOT supported by lobbyists and PACS (unlike Hillary who has taken more $$ from Lobbyists than all the other candidates, Dem & Republican combined!) He owes nothing to Corporations, that's why Corporate Media and Right-wingnuts are scarred shitless of him.
Lather, Rinse and repeat often. These 2 candidates could not be anymore strikingly different. As a 35 yr. old White woman my support of Obama has absolutely NOTHING to do with race or gender.

[kimbari]

let me remind you that our fascist government is probably the most corrupt on the planet and neither will be able to come through with their promises.
__________­__________­__________­_____

Then we need to tear it down and build a new one. Are you willing to do that?


I thought not.

[StanQ]

The first thing President Obana should do is to order the U.S. Marshalls to round up all of the Kennedys, Clintons, Bushes, and McClains, plus Mitt Romney and the Angel Monroni, and ship them off on a slow boat to nowhere.

[Nevervotesrepublican]

Not Ted Kennedy...

He is the best Senator that you will see in this lifetime!!!

He is also a big Obama supporter.

[texjunkie]

Here Here !!!! How about Karl Rove

[blastocyst]

Except those with the foresight to endorse the lad? Teddy Bear too?

[mayahbird]

The only thing that I would disagree with is the fact that Hillary won Texas. The votes are still being counted and so far Obama is ahead on delegates. Delegates is what we used to use to elect a president. That is according to MSNBC. Now that Queen Hillary is running, I guess it is open to debate.

[speakingout]

In the last 17 primaries, Obama won 14, Clinton only won 3. And she won Texas and Ohio by very thin margins. People are voting for Obama because he is the better candidate, but Clinton can't seem to get it! She's desperate and it shows in her petty attacks and her cohorts using the race card. Hillary always has been a Republican at heart. EVERY black, white, brown or whatever citizen should be supporting Obama as the Clintons have so much dirt that the McCain camp will dig up, the Dems would never win the whitehouse with Hillary. And her trying to settle disputes with the Muslim community isn't going to work as in their eyes women shouldn't have a voice, so our relations will only get worse under her "watch".
Where did the Clintons get their money? Why did Bill restrict his presidential papers from being released from the archives until 2012? What did the Clintons REALLY kow about Vince Fosters death? What happened to the $250 million that Foster had in his possession for the Childrens Defense Fund that Hillary was connected to? Not enough answers in my book for Hillary to even run for president! I'd say, if you want to win the Whitehouse, vote Obama. Overall, more people are voting Democrat than Republican, by a margin of 3-1. Watch the totals in the races. Oh and by the way, I'm a white, 54 yr old woman.- ex- republican.

[toldyaso]

"And her trying to settle disputes with the Muslim community isn't going to work as in their eyes women shouldn't have a voice, so our relations will only get worse under her "watch"."

Not a Clinton supporter, but this isn't true. I've had a female Commander when dealing with Muslim military officers during joint operations. They would always look for a man to talk to, but they knew who was making the decisions and they respected that. Not all Muslims are irrational, mysogynist, suicide bombers.

[Fabienne]

CNN announced last night that Obama won the Texas caucuses and was ahead a delegate or so.

[saami]

Excellent post. Nothing more needs to be said.

[kvass]

Hillary seems to be in danger of burning her bridges where mending the fences might be in order. Sorry for the cliches.

[frolveda]

Hillary is like the infamous priest who poisoned people with holy wafers!

[anotherbozo]

What does one say when one reads one's thoughts better said than one could say them? Ans: Bravo.

[ElizabethMadrigal]

Obviously I have given Hillary Clinton too much credit in the past. I assumed she would rise above these disgusting Rovish tactics we are now witnessing as she attempts to win 'at any cost'. I voted for imperfect Bill Clinton twice in spite of his roguish behavior, but I too suffer from Clinton-Bush fatigue. Hillary, however, has stepped over the line. If she and Bill are responsible for McCain getting into office and continuing the travesty in the middle east, I will never forgive them. Nor will history. Sadly, the two of them are obviously so power-crazed they are like too pitbulls with their teeth embedded in the collective neck of the American people. Where's animal control when you need them?

[nevergiveup]

Bravo, James Moore!

I once thought I would be willing to vote for whomever the Democratic presidential candidate might be. Now, I'm not so sure anymore. Hillary has insulted my intelligence, my belief that a better America is possible and imminent. She has dashed my faith in the ability of some women to lead effectively. She has become BUSH IN A DRESS.

I cannot vote for someone I despise. I'm a lifelong Democrat who gave lots of money to her husband's campaign in 1992. But her behavior is intolerable. I hope she understands that she is the LOSER in the this race to the White House. And she is taking the Democratic Party down with her.

[GBecker]

More like BUSH IN A PANTSUIT!

[jbgnyc]

I am tired, tired, tired of reading this post whose authors, as they demonize Hillary Clinton play right into the Republicans hands. One poster describes Clinton as "evil." Come on.

I am a (small) local party official and I have bounced back and forth between Obama and Clinton but always in terms of who ALL of America (Dem and Rep and Indie) will support. I am not yet convinced Obama is ready and tested to be a national leader--but I would be more willing to listen if all you pro-Obama writers wouldn't make your case by denouncing Cinton as a monster, a villain, the devil. She's done good things for NYC (especially for 9/11 survivors). She could do more. But we don't expect perfection.

So far, she's running a tough campaign. Yes, she's taken a playbook from LBJ and Reagan and even Rove. They all ran winning campaigns. I'm tired of backing wonderful Democratic candidates who go all limp when it comes to standing up and being aggressive. I worked so hard for Kerry and found his campaign totally weak. l This is why many voters see us as soft on defense. As for race. Give me a break.

Read Romensko's latest column where he notes every single national Black columnist is not only openly supporting Obama, but writing press releases for him in the guise of commentary. That is not racist?? All the pundits have noted that lots of women vote for Hillary, but if a Clinton supporter notes as Ferraro did that lots (let's face it, almost all) Black voters are supporting Obama, they are called racists. We Democrats are divided along race and gender and income. And we will LOSE if we don't work together to get either Clinton and Obama supporters to take a breath and look for how close in ideas both candidates are. Whoever wins will be better than the last 8 years. STOP THE ATTACKS ON ONE OF YOUR OWN!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!

[Nooneyouknow]

Hillary hasn't done much at all for NYC; she's spent her first term as senator mostly positioning herself to run for the presidency, as was her original purpose.
She's not running a "tough" or "aggressive" campaign -- she's running a sleazy, win-at-all-costs campaign in which she's endorsed the Republican over her fellow Democrat, smeared Obama constantly, and tried to win off Americans' worst instincts, like racism and xenophobia.
Why is it racist for black commentators, even "every single one," to support Obama? Maybe they prefer him to Hillary based on who he is as a person and politician rather than his skin color. There are a whole lot of people who aren't black who support him for those reasons.
Ferraro didn't say that "almost all" black voters are supporting Obama; she said that if Obama was white, he wouldn't be a presidential candidate; it's only his race that makes him special. That's a racist statement.
And finally, if you don't think Hillary's evil, do a little research into why she testified at the Iran-Contra hearings. She shouldn't be a candidate, she should be in prison.

[RStar]

Really? You'd make your decision based on someone's supporters? The supporters aren't going to be running the country, Obama or Clinton will. I'm an Obama supporter and I've heard illogical and vile arguments put forward by both sets of supporters. However, whatever a Hillary supporter says, I'm not basing my opinion on her on what some numskull says in blog comments or at a bar. I'm basing my decision on what the candidate and his/her surrogates are saying. That's the message that the candidates control. The monster comment led to a removal from the Obama campaign. If you're so caught up into the wrongness of name-calling, why aren't you so worked up about Clinton's tactics?

Hillary's campain (not her supporters) is the side that is splitting the party. You're worried about Obama supporters splitting the party, but don't see how Hillary's divisive campaign as soon as she started losing is the catalyst for much of this division? The campaign has personally offended me on several occassions as of late. What has the Obama campaign (again, not his supporters) done to offend you as of late? Sure, you may argue that he's not ready, which is your perogative. But what has come out of his campaign, that he hasn't acted on, that has offended? Advisors have told him to go dirty, but he told them that he will not "kneecap" her. At least someone realizes that there is a line that shouldn't be crossed for the sake of winning. You may call it naive or soft, but I call it the backbone of a campaign that is now beating the presumptive nominee in pledged delegates, popular vote, and states won. That's not so shabby for a non-kneecapping campaign, no? People just don't want to see that crap anymore. That road leads to just more division, more gridlock, and more power going to political extremists. This isn't a conflict that we have to "fight" out of as Hillary suggests. It's a conflict that we need to think and cooperate our way out of, which is something that I think many don't fundamentally understand.

On to your discusssion of racism. You clearly don't get racism. First, I doubt you are keeping tabs on every single black national columnist. Second, even if they all supported him, that's not racist. It may approach that area if the reason they are supporting him is based solely on the color of his skin, rather than on his ideas and campaign. I doubt that you've discussed this with them. Ferraro didn't say that lots of Black people are supporting are supporting Obama because he's Black. She said he's lucky that he's black (of all the luck in the world, I know that white people just wish they were lucky enough to be black -- to get all the advantages that blackness has to offer: better access to education and healthcare, connections at jobs, inferences of competence, people wanting to sell them homes, cab drivers fighting to pick them up, assumptions that every good thing they do is because of affirmative action). As if people are sooo illogical that regardless of what the man says, they'd vote for him based on the color of his skin. Well newsflash: Many black people supported Clinton at the beginning. Unfortunately, her content couldn't hold them. If someone said that women are blindly voting for clinton because she's a woman, that would be both sexist and degrading to a woman's intellect. Do some women act like that? Sure. Are some blacks acting like that? Sure. Does that require us to make the leap that all blacks/women. or even a significant number, who support a candidate of a similar persuasion are doing that? I think not.

It's pretty scary that you are a local party official anywhere.

[jbgnyc]

RSTAR. I worked on David Dinkins campaign for mayor against Rudy Guiliani long and hard and I saw plenty of racism up close. None of those who've responded here has yet to respond to my main concern: the name calling that I decry. if Sen. Obama wins the nomination, i will support him. But I don't have to run all over Clinton to do it. All of you are making things easier for John McCain and you don't see it. You know nothing of my Democratic Party work and your last remark is not only without foundation but in keeping with the meaningless name calling against people you disagree with. Shame on you.

[Sylvarose]

I don't think Sen. Clinton is evil or a monster. I don't the way she's run her campaign and she lost my support for her Presidential bid before she got it started. Why?

Because I had faith in her..I believed in her..and I thought once she was in the senate she would be the leader...b­ring the FIGHT I thought she had...but she didn't. She voted for this war...she voted for the bankruptcy bill...she voted the Border Fence...sh­e voted for extending the Bush tax cuts...she voted for Kyl- Lieberman.

Where was her fight then? Where was her leadership then? I watched...­i waited...a­nd I was so disappointed. Now her campaign disappoints me. When is she doing to "reject and denounce" Ferraro's comments?

Sen. Obama did not start out with the African-American vote. As Eugen Robinson pointed out last night..it was only a few months ago when people were wondering if Sen. Obama could get the African-American votes. There was real concern in the community was he "black enough." He had to "earn" the vote and he did.

As to name calling...­I never realized that when Sen. Edwards dropped out of the race and I shifted my support to Sen. Obama I would be subjected to be called and "idiot," "kool aid drinker" or a "cultist." I never realized I'd be accused of having found a new "messiah."

sr

[Fabienne]

I don't think you read Ferraro's statements very deeply. She said Obama was "lucky" to be a black man at this time and if he hadn't been a black man, he wouldn't be where he was. She also said, when Obama's campaign countered this as being patently absurd, that they were only attacking her because she was white. If you can't see the idiocy of this, I'm not surprised you're supporting Senator Clinton.

[dabrigadier]

The media is surgesting that only Black voters are voting for Obama so they can get more drama out of the news. This is very irresposisible & dangerious­...are they so quick to forget Maine , Vermont & Wyomme how many Black people live there? He won those states by hugh margins. Last night CNN said there is one word to sum up Obama's win in Mississippi 'RACE' are they smoking crack. You dam right African Americans better vote for him, of course we will when has a brother ever gotten this far in a Presidential race, we would be the biggest hippocrites on the earth if we didn't do it. If Hillary wins most likely we will support her too, we have been supporting whites for ever & we dont complain, so why is CNN making RACE an issue. Maybe if they would interview some African Americans they would see that we feel proud to vote for Obama, besides he's damn good! He is a basically unknown politician who is beating the super power machine called the Clintons..­. This is amazing. So enough of the race bating let's not forget he is half WHITE too. He is the best representation of America to me. God bless America!
USMC Sergeant

[texjunkie]

What the heck is Nancy Pelosi, Howard Dean, Dodd, Richardson, perhaps John Edwards busying themselves with ? The movers and shakers of our party really need to intervene at this point, and right the ship, before we sink. This political season was promising in the beginning, and to see this party falling apart because of Clinton morphing into Hillary Rove is just sickening. I am putting away my checkbook until this party comes together quickly and resolves the fear mongering regarding race, religion, and experience issues.

[pheepher]

The press has to make the race about "black v white" otherwise the Clintons will cry "they are picking on her".

[Fabienne]

Obama only won 25% of the white vote in South Carolina and the newscasters said this was wonderful and proved he could crossover; now, all of a sudden, it proves that he divides people by race. This is the SOUTH, what does one expect? 25% of white voters in the South is reasonable. Obama won Wisconsin (my state) by 17 points, which is under 10% African American. This is all so silly.

[karmafriend]

this chan lowe cartoon says it all for me

http://images.ucomics.com/comics/tmclo/2008/tmclo080310.gif

is there anyone out there who is good at animation? would you please morph a pic of ferraro into hillary into ferraro into hillary...

sure to be a youtube hit.