Yes, they've gone there....
Mrs. Clinton’s advisers said they had spent recent days making the case to wavering superdelegates that Mr. Obama’s association with Mr. Wright would doom their party in the general election.
That argument could be Mrs. Clinton’s last hope for winning this contest.
Here comes Lanny Davis to essentially confirm the NYT Report with a few questions...
- If a white minister preached sermons to his congregation and had used the "N" word and used rhetoric and words similar to members of the KKK, would you support a Democratic presidential candidate who decided to continue to be a member of that congregation?
- Would you support that candidate if, after knowing of or hearing those sermons, he or she still appointed that minister to serve on his or her "Religious Advisory Committee" of his or her presidential campaign?
Interestingly, Question One was actually answered on Nightline Tuesday Night.
MORAN: Well, let me press you on that. If I went to a church where white supremacy was preached, what would you think of me?
OBAMA: Well, but, see, I disagree with you, though, Terry. That's not what's preached at Trinity. And that, I think, that is an easy equivalence that is not at all what is taking place there.
If you look at the sermons, even the most offensive ones that are at issue, he is condemning white racism, as he defines it, but he is not condemning the white race. He is not suggesting that blacks are superior. What he's saying is, is that this -- that white racism is endemic in the society.
Now, that's something that I disagree with and I said in this speech today. And it's reflective of, I think, an anger and bitterness that is part of the black community's experience. It is a legacy of our past that isn't going away anytime soon. But in each successive generation, it hopefully lessens its grip.
And he has, in some ways, he has reason to be angry and bitter. I mean, here's somebody who grew up in the '50s and the '60s. He's gone through things that you and I never went through.
And so I think what was revealing in this whole episode was the degree to which I think large portions of white America were shocked or surprised that a lot of black people are still really angry about slavery and Jim Crow and segregation and discrimination, absolutely.
And I pointed out in the speech, that anger isn't necessarily healthy. In fact, often times it's self-destructive. More often, it is internalized in all kinds of ways. I mean, that's part of what we see in the inner city, where that anger and bitterness is turned inward, and kids shoot each other and take drugs and end up in jail sometimes.
Sometimes it expresses itself outwardly in ways that are offensive to the larger community. You remember when, during the O.J. trial, there was a similar moment when the culture -- you know, black and white culture just had these completely opposite reactions and nobody understood it.
And, by the way, I'm somebody who was pretty clear that O.J. was guilty. And I was ashamed for my own community to respond in that way, but I also understood what was taking place, which was that reaction had more to do with a sense that somehow the criminal justice system historically had been biased so profoundly that a defeat of that justice system was somehow a victory.
Now, that is an example of how unproductive that anger is and how we have to get beyond it, but it's there. And so that's why I said during the speech, in some ways for me to completely disown Rev. Wright is for me to disown the African-American community, because he embodies all the contradictions.
You know, this is why, during the course of this campaign, there have been moments where people say, "Well, I like Barack Obama, but not Al Sharpton. I like Colin Powell, but not Jesse. I like Oprah, but," you know, those of us who are African-American don't have that luxury.
And so what I can do then is to say, "Here's what I believe. Here's what I think. Here's where I think America needs to go."
Lanny doesn't even deserve such an intelligent, honest answer to his piss ant question. Oh, and Lanny, in the off chance your punny ass reads my blog here... I have a question for you buster... how on earth is "Steven R" blogger normal on dKos more Informed than you, oh high god of Clinton Assmuching Pundits?
And as for Question Two: Obama has made is CLEAR that he was NOT in the Pew when the YouTube Offenses were aired in Church, however as Eugene Robinson Reported on MSNBC, Obama did hear "Controversial" remarks in Church, but these aren't the same as the Inflammatory ones.... But I digress, why is Lanny even asking these questions? Oh yeah, trying to score points as a hands off (Ferraro) Surrogate...
My guess is This is a Lie then...
I'm told that campaign manager Maggie Williams issued an edict to staff members and surrogates and top fundraisers, urging them to hold their tongues. That the Clinton campaign was able to keep to this discipline may turn out to be the most consequential tactial move they've made in months. If anyone associated with the campaign had waded into the Wright affair, it would have been politicized in a way that probably would have hurt Clinton and not Obama.
As for what could happen when someone like Lanny Davis and the NYT's, in the same night, confirm that the Clinton's are slinging the Wright story to the Superdelegates for an edge, try this on for size...
For those supporters of Hillary Clinton who see the story as a way of selling superdelegates on Obama's unelectability, the downside is far more dangerous. If the Clinton campaign is caught using the race card, particularly after Bill Clinton's 'cracker tour' of South Carolina, it will assure a Clinton defeat in November. Not only will blacks boycott the polls, so will many of the millions of young voters Obama has brought into the political process.
(Many liberals like myself, who would be happy to support Hillary Clinton if she earned the nomination, would abandon her if her campaign seeks to exploit the Wright controversy either in the remaining contests or with superdelegates.)
That's a quote from Former Mondale campaign manager Bob Beckel...
Time to Jump Ship Bob... I hold you to your word. The NYT has spilled the beans and Lanny Davis proves it...
The Clintons are now using Wright, as their LAST ARGUEMENT...
Michigan: Closed
Florida: Closed
Wright: Last Window of Hope
pathetic...
A Humble Theory Afterthought... Judging by the Embargo Levied by Maggie Williams and the clear breakage of said Embargo by the NYT's piece revealers and Lanny Davis directly, is it possible that the Wright Phenomenon is now rapidly coming to a close? Are they trying to blow oxygen on the dying flame of their last hope? as Noam Scheiber wrote
This is why you basically never see the Clinton campaign touch the Wright story. (I was on a Clinton conference call this weekend; I thought I heard tumbleweeds blowing when a reporter brought up Wright.) There's almost no way they can actively exploit it, particularly after Obama's speech. They just have to hope it does the job on its own--or, to put it in less cynical terms, that Democratic voters think Wright is as big a problem for Obama as the Clintonites presumably think he is.
All in all, this is still clearly pathetic, I just hope it's the Pathetic Last Gasp... one that was forced against their better initial tactical judgements on the situation.. The risk has always been there that they overplay their hand by even stepping into the debate, and after tonight, I think we can safely say that has now happened.