DAVID WHITESOCK — While on a campaign visit in South Dakota today, Sen. Hillary Clinton invoked the assassination of Robert Kennedy in 1968 as a justification for staying in the race. Her comments came while being interviewed by the Argus Leader editorial board. Video below the jump.
This reference is unfathomable. Obviously, this is an unique campaign with the most viable female candidate for president, ever; and the first ever viable African American candidate for the office. There are some, even Obama’s chief strategist David Axelrod, who suggest her intention was not to invoke the idea that if Sen. Obama were assasinated (in June), that she would be ‘available’ to take over the party’s nomination, were not necessarily intentional.
Okay, so this is how the Obama campaign has played things all along. They play nice. I like that about the Obama campaign.
However, Sen. Clinton is a smart woman. When speaking off the cuff, she does have a strong sense of historical context, I’ll grant her that, but this inference is historically and politically unforgivable (at least until after the Nov. election).
Her comments are insane to say the least. The problem I have with the current state of political campaigning, is with the impact the media has on the behavior of the candidates. Obviously, the candidates want to get out and speak to, or “reach,” as many potential voters as possible. Their most efficient method for attaining this goal is to “invite” the media (local and national) to every single event they have planned — even if that means a walk-trough of a local diner or (Brandon, SD) grocery store. What is happening more frequently because of this “media strategy,” is that candidates find themselves having every utterance they speak recorded and distributed to the masses in some way, shape, or form (Can you say “Macaca?”)
It’s clear that we are all human make mistakes, especially speaking mistakes — their a dime-a-dozen. The mistakes are more so when cameras and microphones are picking up everything the candidates say. They are also amplified. It makes me wonder, why is it that political strategists who work for these candidates have not yet told their clients to shut the hell up? The media isn’t going anywhere. They will cover what you have to say when you step before the microphones. And you you say something, it will get distributed throughout the country is such a fashion that if what you said was of some substance and importance, those that want to hear it, will.
Obama played the Rev. Wright issue perfectly. He didn’t step in front of a microphone for days. He took a deep breath, wrote a speech, and told the country in fell swoop what he thought. End of story. He’s not even really bothered much by that whole incident (amplified by the media, or not).
Some have suggested that Sen. Clinton’s remarkes today in Sioux Falls were possible the result of an exhausted campaigner, that she should be given the benefit of the doubt. Sorry. No benefit here. Once these candidates realize that they don’t need to make sure that every camera in the country captures every word they say, and went back to less words mean more, then politicians may get some of their credibility back, at least as campaigners.
Worthy of viewing, Keith Olbermann’s Special Comment on HRC’s remarks.
Hillary Clinton was making the point that it’s not uncommon historically for primary elections to last until June. To mention Robert Kennedy’s campaign as an example is a regrettable communication mistake. She needs to find a better stat or phrase to make that point. All candidates make mistakes. Can’t be helped since they are not perfect. Because each state is having an important say in this very close primary election, the whole world is watching and media is everywhere. Citizen journalism is everywhere. Mistakes said in small settings become national news. Apologies become national news. Regardless, voters sort out what’s relevant and what’s not and make their choice.
Related item:
To date, 39 Decorated Veterans have endorsed Hillary Clinton.
http://flags4hill.com
Clinton up to the challenge of fighting for dreams, the future
May 11, 2008
Sen. Hillary Clinton
http://www.wvgazette.com/Opinion/Op-EdCommentaries/200805100334
I was raised to believe in the promise of America. My grandfather was a factory worker, and my father served in the Navy and started a small business. My mother had a difficult childhood, but provided a loving home for our family and while she never got to attend college, she was determined that her children would. I have had every opportunity in life because of their hard work and sacrifice.
I was raised to believe in the promise of America. My grandfather was a factory worker, and my father served in the Navy and started a small business. My mother had a difficult childhood, but provided a loving home for our family and while she never got to attend college, she was determined that her children would. I have had every opportunity in life because of their hard work and sacrifice.
I carry with me not just their dreams, but the dreams of people like them all across our country: people who embrace hard work and opportunity, who never waver in the face of adversity, and who work day and night to make a better life for your children.
For the past seven years, I know so many of you have felt invisible to our president – holding your breath at the gas pump and the grocery checkout line; wondering what you’ll do when health insurance disappears when a job does; seeing your loved ones who served our country in war ill-served when they return home.
I am running for president to stand for you and fight for your dreams and your future. I am running to give every child and every family the same opportunities and blessings that I had.
With two wars abroad and an economic crisis here at home, the stakes are higher than ever before. We need a president who knows how to make this economy work for middle-class families again and who is ready on day one to be commander in chief and keep our families safe. If you give me the chance, I will be that president.
We’ve heard more than enough speeches and we’re looking for more than promises. It’s not enough to just say you’re going to solve our problems; you have to know what it takes and have what it takes to deliver solutions. And you have to get the job done. That is exactly what I’ll do as president.
I’ll deliver solutions to create good jobs. Jobs rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, 21st-century manufacturing jobs, jobs in new clean-energy industries.
I’ll deliver solutions to provide relief from high gas prices and end our dependence on foreign oil. I’m the only candidate who will provide commuters, truckers, business owners and families relief at the pump by making the big oil companies pay the gas tax instead of hardworking West Virginians.
I’ll deliver affordable, quality health care for every American, no exceptions, no excuses. I’m the only candidate with a plan that won’t leave anyone out. And I won’t hesitate to stand up to the drug companies and the insurance companies; it’s nothing I haven’t done before.
I’ll deliver solutions for our economy. I’ll end $55 billion in special breaks for the corporate special interests and give middle-class families $100 billion in tax cuts to help pay for health care and college and save for retirement. I’ll get tough on China for breaking trade rules and I’ll only sign trade agreements that are good for our workers and our economy.
Finally, I’ll end the war in Iraq and start bringing our troops home as quickly and responsibly as possible. And when our troops come home, we’ll serve them with the same devotion that they served us.
Accomplishing all of this won’t be easy. But if there is one thing you know about me, it’s this: I don’t back down from a challenge. I’ll be there for you long after the speeches are over and the cameras are gone, and I will never stop listening to your voices and standing for your families.
We know the stakes in this election are high and the challenges great. But we also know the possibilities are endless with the right leadership. It is up to us to roll up our sleeves, start solving our toughest problems, and start delivering on the promise of this great nation that we love.
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Clinton is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president.
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So what? What does that mean, other than she has the support of the military elites who are in favor or war over no war. It is their (the decorated veterans) business, or was their business, to prepare and execute war. Sorry, but anyone who argues that a presidential candidate is more worthy because the military elites side with her/him, just tells me exactly the type of pawn for imperialism that candidate is.