The year? 1992. The DNC chair? Ron Brown. But first, a bit of context.
After the 7th viewing of the angry Bill Clinton clip alleging a coverup aimed at his wife, it was obvious what this week's meme would be: 'They' are going to steal the nomination....from Hillary Clinton.
The Clinton campaign is running out of narratives and starting to cycle through them at an ever more panicked pace. The 'Obama is dissing Clinton' chorus has grown louder and more strident in recent days, most notably from Salon's Joan Walsh, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman and Fantasy Island president Lanny Davis and former president Bill Clinton. Here's what they are saying:
-Obama's supporters are demonizing the Clintons. (Walsh)
-Obama's supporters are awful people and Clinton's are perfect. (Krugman)
-Obama's campaign is disrespecting Clinton. (Davis, B. Clinton)
As this primary season (FINALLY/HOPEFULLY/MAYBE) winds to a close, it might seem pointless to focus on Clinton strategy. And it is, except for the fact that the message coming out of her campaign continues to inflame Clinton supporters and make it more difficult for the party to unify around the nominee. That, perhaps, is what it is designed to do.
Bill Clinton asserted this weekend on the campaign trail that his wife was being disrespected more than any candidate he has ever seen, just for running. He also alleged a coverup was being orchestrated against his wife.
"I can’t believe it. It is just frantic the way they are trying to push and pressure and bully all these superdelegates to come out," he said at a South Dakota campaign stop Sunday, in remarks first reported by ABC News. "'Oh, this is so terrible: The people they want her. Oh, this is so terrible: She is winning the general election, and he is not. Oh my goodness, we have to cover this up.'"
The former president added that his wife had not been given the respect she deserved as a legitimate presidential candidate. "She is winning the general election today and he is not, according to all the evidence," he said. "And I have never seen anything like it. I have never seen a candidate treated so disrespectfully just for running."
An excellent diary from yesterday explored these complaints more fully.
As if on cue, earlier this week, Jill Iscol, Clinton supporter, fundraiser, lecturer, etc. posted an essay on the Huffington Post accusing Democratic Party leadership of throwing Hillary Clinton to the wolves.
We need to talk. How dare the leadership of the Democratic Party turn on Hillary Clinton! How dare they betray Bill Clinton! How dare they not speak out when Hillary is disrespected by words like bitch, whore and the "c" word! How dare they allow them both to be smeared as racists, playing the race card! Where was Howard Dean? Where was Nancy Pelosi? Where were Hillary's colleagues in the Senate when the Clintons were being so unfairly accused and denigrated? The Democratic Party has a lot to answer for.
At the risk of being called a sexist, I have to say this comes off as a bit hysterical. Dkos-er cityvitalsigns responded to Iscol quite effectively in a diary also published yesterday.
I myself wanted to remind the Clintons (as if) and their supporters that the DNC has indeed ridden to the Clintons' defense in the past, and against a fellow Democratic opponent no less. Enjoy the irony of this bit of nostalgia:
THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: Democratic Primary; BROWN IS REBUKED BY PARTY CHAIRMAN FOR HARSH ATTACKS
by GWEN IFILL
Published: March 27, 1992
The chairman of the Democratic Party issued an unusual rebuke yesterday to one of his party's two remaining candidates for President, saying Edmund G. Brown Jr. has "crossed the line in terms of inappropriate attacks" against Gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas.
In an interview, Ronald H. Brown, the party chairman, said he wanted to maintain his neutrality but was compelled to speak out against what he described as the former California Governor's "scorched-earth policy" of verbal assault on Mr. Clinton's record and character.
Sound like someone we know? There's more:
But the closing of Democratic ranks behind Mr. Clinton and against Governor Brown was most remarkable in the actions of the party chairman, who has long urged party leaders to settle on a nominee early so the candidate would have more time to prepare for a general election campaign.
So, to summarize, when the Clintons want the party to unite, we should unite because the party needs time to prepare for the fall election. But if the Clintons want to stretch out the nomination process indefinitely to delay the inevitable, then that's how we should do it and don't worry, we'll win everyone back no matter how we got the nomination.
But do understand that their tactics have consequences for all of us. We stay divided. Clinton supporters get further entrenched in their positions. Meanwhile, the election slowly slips away from us. We may already be seeing some signs of this in terms of the DNC fundraising efforts for the convention versus those of the Republican party.
Hopefully, HRC supporters will consider the fact that the Clintons' use of political rhetoric in this campaign is merely one tactic among many in a politician's arsenal. And, in the end, those supporters will be the ones to really bring this to an end, by the choices they make going forward. Ultimately, this fight is not for or about the Clintons; it is for the party, its ideals and its chance for victory in the general election.