didn't do so because they thought Bill Clinton was a racist.

And the people in Iowa didn't vote for him because they thought Bill Clinton was a racist.

And I didn't nor did anyone I know vote for Obama because they were sure that Bill Clinton was a racist. No one I know even reads the internet like this. You could mention south carolina race memo to them and their eyes would glaze over. You could try to tell them but they would get bored. People I know listened to his speeches and maybe even read a couple. They might have looked at his website or picked up one of his books. They made their decision.

Painting all or most of Clinton's 18 million supporters as racists is wrong. Clinton had a great deal to offer as a candidate. But so did Obama. Seeing one another as racists vs. race-baiters is just going to, ironically, allow the real racists and race-baiters in Washington to win this year and if things continue in this way, maybe again in 2012. Aka do you have proof that Axelrod deliberately spread false rumors? How would people know with Republicans also participating in "operation chaos." Wasn't that also about smearing anyone who seemed to be on top? The worst Clinton offenders and insulters haven't stayed around for other discussions--but I see no reason to believe they were working for Obama. It is McCain offering money for people to spread his talking points, and I'm really considering it if I need extra income.

And Karen22 I would like to think your point is true about it being Obama's job to bring the party together, except that there's more to it than this. Obama isn't the one who stands the chance of losing his mortgage or losing one of his daughters in the war in Iraq. Either supporters of both candidates find a way to see one another's good intentions, despite the crazies among us, or we're really in trouble....

p.s. on the bright side, at least we know from this election that white people won't abandon a black candidate just because black people are voting for him. I really wanted to lie down and close my eyes for a week or two when all the media pundits kept saying that over and over--not only after South Carolina but throughout the primary season. I'm glad that some of the stuff those pundits get paid so much to know was bs.

You created a lot of straw and redherring distractions in your recent post to me. Of course the memo was poorly written. It was supposed to look like it came from lower level staffers.

If the "leak" looked like the Obama campaign wasn't in control, it was still worth creating and leaking the memo in order to get the Clintons as racists meme out there.

You don't have a single bit of evidence that the memo was what they said it was that doesn't come from the Obama campaign.

You have nothing.

One can only assume your version is true if one assumes that the Obama campaign wouldn't lie.

Good luck with that fairy tale.

Do you or do you not know what astroturfing is?

Dolores, the memo came from the Obama campaign. The Obama campaign never denied that. Just denied that it was part of campaign planning.

Dolores, do you know for sure that Bill Clinton was trying to racialize the campaign when he mentioned Jesse Jackson?

Where is your proof?

No the word Clintons my title should have an apostrophe because it is a plural and not a possessive.

do you think that I am, that lategain, fester, TRenee, little lord baltimore, others, are astro-turfers, all?

Axelrod's secret minions?

What you're painting as a great evil seems like standard operating procedure to me.

If a black candidate runs, if people say things that are "racial" or "racially charged" or "racist" you draw attention to it in order to elicit sympathy for your candidate. You want people to identify with someone who is being unfairly targeted for something that they can't help...

If a woman candidate runs, and people say things that are sexist or belittling because of her gender you want to draw attention to it to elicit sympathy for her because she is being unfairly targeted.

campaign strategy 101.

On Salon we read many many articles talking about the subtle nuances of sexism. Obama was called a sexist by some Clinton supporters (many).

On salon we read many, many articles discussing the subtle nuances of race. We heard Clinton called a racist by some (many) Obama supporters.

How could it be any other way with the first serious white woman and a black male candidate? I don't see why there can be a double standard where the subtle nuances of sexism are fair play for progressives while racism is a yes/no issue that cannot have any subltly or discussion because it's evil and wrong to suggest anyone might ever be less than a pure non-racist?

And maybe we're all tense, because I never watched Hillary Clinton give Obama that pass on sexism, as in "he's not a sexist" that so many seem to believe Bill Clinton was owed on racism. In fact, I saw Clinton with my own eyes play up small slights, as lateagain mentioned, with her "snub". People can reach different conclusions about many small events--I saw her as trying to use a non-snub as an opportunity for sympathy.

If this is how politics works--how and why the double standard? Why is axelrod bad while mark penn gets a pass? all of those guys make crappy deals on the side. But people i know who voted for Obama voted "for" him--not against Clinton. That's what I think so many Democrats are having a hard time seeing. (And the other way around as well...that many weren't voting against Obama--but for Clinton. I get that.)

Astroturfing in American English is a neologism for formal public relations campaigns in politics and advertising which seek to create the impression of being spontaneous "grassroots" behavior, hence the reference to the artificial grass, AstroTurf.

The goal of such a campaign is to disguise the efforts of a political or commercial entity as an independent public reaction to some political entity—a politician, political group, product, service or event. Astroturfers attempt to orchestrate the actions of apparently diverse and geographically distributed individuals, by both overt ("outreach", "awareness", etc.) and covert (disinformation)means . Astroturfing may be undertaken by an individual pushing a personal agenda or highly organized professional groups with financial backing from large corporations, non-profits, or activist organizations. Very often the efforts are conducted by political consultants who also specialize in opposition research.

I am the one who added the bold to emphasize the nature of Astroturfing.