Last evening, I was trying to figure out exactly why Bob Kerrey was being so damned stupid.
I mean, it's one thing to engage in dog-whistle racist politics; it's another thing entirely to announce you're engaging in dog-whistle racist politics by using the term "madrassa." The whole point of a dog-whistle is that the people aren't supposed to hear it. Anyone with ten political brain cells to rub together could figure out that when he describes Obama's time in a "madrassa" while "complimenting" him, he's probably not appealing to the better angels of voters' natures.
So why the hell was Bob Kerrey being so damned obvious?
Then it hit me: I know how Hillary Clinton's going to try to win this thing.
Here it is: Bob Kerrey's remarks weren't intended for closet racists. They weren't intended as a dog-whistle for people who hate Muslims or hate black people. Hillary Clinton knows those people wouldn't vote for anyone with a D after their name anyway. She's smarter than that.
No, Kerrey's remarks - and Shaheen's before him - were intended for a different audience. An audience that thinks they're onto this shit. An audience that thinks they're racially aware, that they pick up on encoded racism, that they've got a lot of things figured out.
The coded racist messages of the Clinton campaign were aimed not at racists, but at people who think the people in the next county over are racists. That's why they were so poorly encoded. That's why they flubbed. That's why they were so utterly weak. Not because they didn't work, but because they worked exactly as planned. The code was designed to be intercepted.
See, the intended audience was supposed to think "the Republicans will say things just like that, and the people in the next county over are going to eat this up." And instead of voting for the Black man with charisma and a lifetime of experience working for the voiceless, the one who could turn this nation around, the one with a progressive record to back up his rhetoric, they're supposed to vote for someone else out of fear.
And right now, Hillary doesn't care if it turns people off to her. It doesn't matter to her who else they vote for - particularly in Iowa. She thinks any vote not going to Barack Obama there is a vote for her. She's confident - and I think rightly so - that she can use her resources to squash any candidate not named Barack Obama on February 5. Just as long as you vote for anyone else, thinking "my neighbors would never vote for a guy whose middle name is Hussein even if I'm smart enough to see through their bigotry," you're doing exactly what Hillary Clinton wants.
Quite frankly, as a follower of politics, I think this strategy is nothing short of brilliant. Play off people's beliefs in their own goodness and in their neighbors' bigotry; make them feel good about themselves, make them feel smart, make them feel superior to their neighbors. It's pure tactical and political genius.
As a Democrat, though, I also see that it's cynical and utterly amoral. It displays a complete willingness to abandon any principles, to throw out any written or unwritten rules of good faith, decency, and honor, in order to win an election. It disgusts me on a level I can't even describe. It's completely unworthy of our great Party and the legacy we've built on civil rights. It's quite possibly the most racially-divisive thing any Democrat has done since Jim Crow. And I say this not only as an Obama supporter, but as a human being.
So... what do we do? I'll address each candidate's supporters in order:
First, Edwards supporters: I have a soft spot for you folks. I really do. You have a candidate you believe in, a candidate who's saying things that make your hearts sing, a candidate who seems ready to fight the progressive fight. I don't begrudge you your support of him in any way. However, you must realize that his campaign is betting the farm on Iowa; if he doesn't win big there, he doesn't stand a chance going into the other early states and February 5. So, all I ask of you is this: if on January 4 Edwards hasn't won the Iowa caucus, come over to our team. We'll work for a progressive America together.
Second, Clinton supporters: The way Hillary Clinton is conducting this campaign is amoral on every level. It's absolutely unworthy of the Party we're working so hard to rebuild. I don't care if you support Obama; I just care that you stop defending the indefensible. If you have a shred of dignity left, please denounce these attacks in the most vocal way possible and demand she change course or lose your support. We should be better than this. The right thing is the right thing, period.
Third, Obama supporters: Keep fighting the good fight. The campaign is reacting the right way to this; they're keeping their cool, staying focused, and not letting anything distract them from the business of winning over voters. Let's mirror them and let this stuff roll off our backs.