It's no different from what the media themselves have been saying for months. It's no worse than any of the other obvious things a Clinton has said in the past six months that were immediately interpreted as a sign of unrepentant racism.
While I don't completely agree with that comparison to Barack's "typical white person" comment, I think that is a valid and important point to bring up.
You're absolutely right that the media has made this contest more divisive by using identity politics at every turn--it has made me uncomfortable that just about the first demographic they've given out of every state's exit poll is the race, white vs. black. Hell, even before the exit polls they were talking about the high percentage of African Americans in NC and what that would translate to votewise if his percentage among the African Americans held up. And every state they disect prior to voting is broken out on the magic maps by where the African American populations are.
And I also agree with your restatement of what was said on Morning Joe--apparently every single newsperson is able to disect our country by race and by income and by college-educated vs. not. But once anybody outside the talking heads provides any analysis or even simply restates the obvious that every news station has said, it's being called racist (and I have to agree that this isn't true). And that's all Hillary's statement was essentially doing--she is winning the "working class," but that's only because there's a higher percentage of whites in the "working class" voting Democrats as opposed to African Americans, so the white comment was simply breaking that working class down further as it relates to the votes.
Now, Barack's comments on the other hand were most definitely directed at characterizations and stereotypes that have nothing to do with the voting that is relevant to this election process. I guess I'm the same type of typical white person as his grandma--except that if I'm walking down NYC streets by myself late at night, I'm holding my purse tighter whether I'm coming across a black person or a white person (then again, one of my best friends growing up was African American, so I never had that instilled fear that I guess he believes so many of us "typical white people" do).
I'm as politically correct as anybody, and yet the very nature of this race and the way it's being reported, which is I guess necessary with respect to voting since there have been such clear lines drawn as to where support is coming from for each candidate, almost results in a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't atmosphere. Likewise, I have to agree that Geraldine Ferraro's take was spot on--if you have one candidate getting 90% of a demographic group making up 20%+(?) of the voting population, that's certainly an advantage. And while I'm giving the benefit of the doubt that the majority of African Americans voting for Barack have done just as much homework as the majority of women who are voting for Hillary Clinton--there is no doubt a portion of each population is voting the way they are simply because the candidate is either an African American or a woman. And therefore, I think it's absolutely true that Barack Obama would not be in the position he is if we was not African American--because anybody who looks at it honestly realizes that while the Democrats may carry 90% of African American votes in a general election, it is NOT representative of past elections that one Democratic candidate receives 90% of the African American vote in our primaries. And it does bother me that simply acknowledging what is the honest truth about this election is now suddenly racist--since when did honest simple truth become racist?
Clinton was engaging in some carefully crafted language that her camp determined could best be employed to play on some fears (among SDs?) that Obama is not running strong enough among white Democratic voters. I think she was obviously uncomfortable doing so, and in the process stepped all over her talking points.
In the end, she seemed to equate "hard working" with "white Americans," which is a disturbingly racist notion. Do I think she meant it to come out that way? No. But, it did. The fact that she was so blatantly attempting to play on racial fears or uncertainties while doing it doesn't score her any benefit of the doubt with me.
I thought that too - it was the conflation of white with hard working that leapt out at me, and the unsaid obverse that Obama's voters are lazy AAs. I have no idea how deliberate it was, but I'm not inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt as she has said similar things many times.
you made me think about it. She was uncomfortable - a good insight. She is tired, as is he. And really if we are to have a good conversation about race - we can't be so damn pc about it. But the "hard working" - I bet she was sorry she said it the moment it came out of her mouth.
Peggy Noonan said it was "vulgar" -- ewww - vulgar. from the Latin vulgaris - the common people. Isn't the Democratic Party about the common people - or is a WSJ columnist adverse to the common people?
When I first saw that comment, it was on some blog, and it seemed like she said it at a speech the way they portrayed it.
Later hearing the tape played, that wasn't her spouting some pre planned talking point. She was making the point that he wasn't winning "hard working Americans" then realized that was racist, because he was winning hard working black votes. So she qualified it with "White Americans". When she said white Americans she meant it to difuse race from the comment, not apply it.
I am an Obama supporter, and very anti-Clinton. But I was wrong here, and I think anyone who think this was a racist comment is wrong.
The irony is just after hearing the clip and comming to the conclusion I was wrong they go to a clip of her at a rally. Where she says and this is paraphrased because I cannot remember the quote exactly "It is hard for women to be the best at anything....which is why we need to put a woman into the White House." Which I found offensive, and I think I see why she cannot win younger female voters. I really believe she is a misogynist, she doesn't like women, she just finds them useful.
