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Saturday, Nov 7, 2009
It's Saturday morning and I'm watching you on MSNBC's Morning Joe on the morning of the SC Primary. I sense that you are solidly in Clinton camp, and that is fine.
But Joan, I cannot believe you are that myopic that you cannot see how the Clintons have deftly manipulated the discussion of Barack Obama's candidacy towards race. You spoke of African Americans being "over-sensitive" about the race cards being played by the Clintons. In particular, you spoke about how you, David Schuster and Mika Brzenzski spoke on the morning after NH and the 3 of you "didn't get" that black Americans would see Hillary's comments as "dissing" MLK. You probably didn't get the subtle dig about Obama's candidacy either. You want to believe Bill Clinton's "fairy tale" meant Iraq, when his "This whole thing..." comment was clearly about the whole Obama phenomenom. You are so quick to believe the most consummate liars in America. The willingness to ignore the obvious is almost painful to watch.
Let me suggest that if the panels of pundits you sit on were more racially diverse with African Americans who are not afraid of speaking their minds directly, you would get it. Far too many white Americans believe that the way to resolve the racial divide in the country is to avoid talking about it. You pretend you didn't hear what is so clearly audible.
Let me say it directly: The Clintons have manipulated and nutured a racially tinged storyline which speaks to "skittish" whites in SC (and across the country). In their efforts to bolster Hillary, they have played to their natural base: not African Americans, but conservative white Democrats.
The Clintons do employ a "say anything, win at any cost" strategy. And if winning means playing the race card, they are most happy to do it, even if they pull it from the bottom of a marked deck.
Perhaps spending more time with some African Americans might broaden your view, Joan.
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