Hillary Clinton has drawn a tremendous amount of criticism for remarks she recently made about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. During an interview on Fox News, a network that has been frozen out by Senator Barack Obama, Clinton was accused of giving President Lyndon B. Johnson more credit for advancing Civil Rights than Martin Luther King, Jr.
“I would point to the fact that Dr. King's dream began to be realized when President Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, when he was able to get through Congress something that President Kennedy was hopeful to do, the president before had not even tried, but it took a president to get it done,” she said, in response to a question about how her dismissive attitude toward Obama’s “false hopes” would have applied to the civil rights movement. “That dream became a reality, the power of that dream became real in peoples lives because we had a president who said we are going to do it, and actually got it accomplished.”
Clinton's statements were a double-whammy to comments made by her husband, Bill Clinton. Mr. Clinton referred to the Obama campaign as "The biggest fairytale I've ever seen."
Many have considered the comments by the Clintons to be degrading and reflective of the fact that the Clintons feel that black people cannot have their dreams realized without the permission of white leaders.
Rep. Jim Clyburn, the most powerful black congressional leader in America, issued a statment expressing his disappointment with Sen. Clinton's words. Also, Donna Brazile, a prominent Democratic strategist, also expressed disappointment.
"For him to go after Obama using 'fairy tale', calling him a kid, is an insult," she said. "As an African-American, I find his words and his tone very depressing."
The Clintons have been working overtime to engage in damage control, doing radio interviews, including one with Rev. Al Sharpton. But the damage appears to be done, as many have begun to question the Clinton commitment to African-Amercans.
6 comments:
Clinton focuses on economy in Presidential race Obama focuses on RACE!Obama Trinity United Church of Christ, an African-American mega-church unorthodox pastor Reverend Jeremiah Wright describing the September 11 attacks as a “wake-up call” to America for ignoring the concerns of “people of colour”, and for claiming that Americans “believe in white supremacy and black inferiority . . . more than we believe in God”. Wright travelled to meet Muammar Gadaffi, the Libyan leader, in the 1980s with Louis Farrakhan, the black supremacist leader of the Nation of Islam, and subscribes to the “Black Values System”, which preaches self-reliance but claims “middle-classness” is ensnaring blacks. Reverend Jeremiah Wright went to Tripoli to visit Colonel Gadaffi with Farrakhan., The arguement that Obama offers white voters a chance to free themselves from white guilt, is continuing to create a negative race issue..
Billionaire Clinton backer Bob Johnson, who founded Black Entertainment Television, said he’s “a little bit insulted, if you will, by Senator Obama letting his campaign imply that Hillary Clinton does not revere what Martin Luther King did for African Americans.”“I think that’s taking it way too far,” he said while campaigning with Clinton in South Carolina. “I think Barack understands clearly what the senator was saying.” “Nobody believes either Hillary Clinton or Bill Clinton would say anything that would denigrate either Barack Obama or Martin Luther King. And to me, what may happen is a backlash may occur when people see that Barack Obama is allowing his PR people to let out the notion that Hillary Clinton did not respect everything that Dr. Martin Luther King or any other person who faced the problems and the threats of being a part of the civil rights movement faced. ““And to me, Barack knows better than that.
Obama is being the adult of the two in the race. Hillary, the Clinton she is, makes a mistake and the first person she seeks to cast blame on is her enemy. What will she do if her Hillcare Health Care doesn't go as planned? Blame the Republicans! Now do a quick rewind with Obama in the White House.....imagine how much faster and how much more peaceful America will be on the road to Universal Health Care? If this poor showing of character is any indicator of how Hillary Clinton will conduct herself in the White House if she should win, the prospect of change looks dim.
Hillary Clinton doesn't care about black people. She only wants their votes.
Barack Obama's quest to be a strong American means that white america is going to dog him out for representing anything that connects to his blackness. His church in Chicago is one of the strongest black churches in america, but white people are so damn stupid that they think that every time a black institution stands up for itself, that it must be racist.
Yes, September 11 was definitely a wake up call for all the arrogance that white americans have when it comes to their policies of killing muslims all over the world. They endorse evil and satanic behavior by president Bush, and you can't do that without paying a price.
Anyone who does not think that the profit mongers in the Bush administration are not evil are probably evil themselves.
I love how the person at the top had all these facts about Obama. I bet she works for the Clinton campaign. I read that Hillary's people have idiots like this scouring the internet trying to start smear campaigns against Obama.
I am not surprised. Good comment, now go collect your paycheck from Hillary.
Ok people. Calm down and listen to reason and not hyperbole. Both Clinton's statements were misconstrued. Classic fallacy by the IGNORANT to reach a conclusion before listening and comprehending what a person is saying. Clinton did not say "nappy headed hoes" nore did she say the N-Word or that we should "lynch Obama in a back alley" which are all racially derogatory. What she said, like her husband did, was FACTUALLY ACCURATE. On June 11, 1963, President JFK discussed a dream for blacks and all non-white Americans like MLK on the federally level. He did get assasinated in November 1963. The legislation that Hillary referred to that gave blacks LEGALLY voting power, access to jobs, public accomodations, and political access was the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. I feel the same thing that happened to Will Smith (were his comments of Hitler were taken out of context is valid). The president at that time who DID NOT GET ASSASSINATED and was able to sign the legislation and enforce it for Black America was President Lyndon B. Johnson. THAT IS FACTUALLY ACCURATE. I know Willie Lynch 1712 is in effect but come on people. At least KNOW THE FACTS before you hastily draw a conclusion that the Clintons offended you. I hope you feel the same way when Racist Ron Paul (from Jackson, TX running for President on Republican ticket) states that he befriended MLK and Rosa Parks. Negro Please!
I went to Obama's church. There is nothing racist about it. The fact that he would be criticized for that shows how clearly black men have to dance to make white people happy.
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