Clinton Rejects Carter's Claim on Racism Against Obama
You've got to give Bubba some credit. Not only did former President Clinton grant an interview to Newsmax, one of the Web's top conservative news sites, but he also took on the issue of race and President Obama, rejecting former President Carter's claim that racism drives Obama's southern opponents. In an interview, also for Newsmax TV, Chris Ruddy got Clinton to offer the Republicans advice: At some point, Clinton said, they'll need a 1994-style Contract With America to prove they have ideas other than just saying "No" to the Democrats. "I just don't think the 'just say no' strategy is enough," he said.
Ruddy is the head of Newsmax and has had a longtime professional relationship with Clinton, which is most likely one of the reasons the former president sat with him so long. Clinton was promoting his Clinton Global Initiative summit in New York this week.
As for Carter's charges, Clinton said, "I wouldn't have said what he did in the way that he did it because I believe that while it is true that some of the most extreme opponents of President Obama may also still have racial prejudice, I believe that 100 percent of those who are opposing him now would be against him if he were a white Democrat."
Reader Comments
Clinton does Obama a favor
These accusations of racism (even if true) only work against Obama by distracting from the main issue at hand. This article has a good discussion of how important it is for Obama to distance himself from these comments - http://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2009/09/22/john-tantillos-brand-winner-and-loser-fox-news-and-jimmy-carter.aspx
To chalk up the criticism to racism is to deny the very real ideological differences. More than just race divides this country.
Obama's followers are becoming too protective
Any reference or idea that can be construed as critical or negative toward Obama is fast becoming immediate fodder for claims of racist attack against the President. My book, "Hulagu's Web the Presidential Pursuit of Senator Katherine Laforge" written in "2003" but not published till November of 2008 has been attacked by some as racist because of references to a junior senator, who is groomed and promoted by a group of politicians and corporate elites to become the next president. Because the novel speaks of this as a nefarious attempt by members of congress and groups of businessmen working together to insure this junior Senator becomes President, it is assumed by some that the book is referring to President Obama. Below are 2 excerpts, which some question or find offensive:
"I know she said that this secret group is enlisting other Senators and in particular junior Senators, with one chosen to become President, but that logically couldn't happen. They would have to convince the public to vote for an inexperienced junior Senator without a power base and no amount of perception management could accomplish that. Senior statesmen would never support the election of a junior Senator. And where would they raise the money? Wall Street would not gamble on a powerless junior Senator. It is inconceivable. But then I also doubt that major contributors like Big Oil or Wall Street would embrace their nemesis, Katherine."
She took in deep breaths and said, 'He is a young junior Senator, and they want him to win. And they will make sure he does.'
These minuscule references to a junior Senator are just part of a sub plot about a junior Senator used to help create a plutocracy and has nothing to do with Obama. This character in my book is never racially described, he is simply spoken of as a junior Senator. How readers can construe this as an attack on Obama is hard for me to understand and I hope this explanation will help defuse this issue. I also hope that the public in general wakes up and realizes that it is necessary to be able to verbally disagree with the policies of this President in the same fashion as we have done with former Presidents without being labeled a racist for exercising this right. Prior Presidents have had their character and names attacked constantly, Lyndon Johnson decided not to run because of the hatred he felt from his attackers, George W. Bush was lampooned and ridiculed constantly, Reagan was often portrayed by the media as to old and senile to lead, and Carter was always a constant joke to the media with his dysfunctional family, the oil embargo, Billy beer, the Iran hostage crisis and more. So let's face reality all Presidents have been the target of ridicule, armchair quarterbacking, and prejudices - that extends from being called a redneck (Johnson & Bush), Kennedy had to contend with anti-Catholic prejudice, and many spoke of Franklin Roosevelt contemptuously as a "cripple." "Res ipsa Loquitur"
Red from Texas
The people who are opposed to health care reform do have better ideas. The problem is that people like you think that everybody who opposes it is a republican and/or a racist and shouldn't be listened to.The reason it didn't get fixed in the last eight years is because The democrats opposed everything Bush did. Do you see where this is going? Now if we have another eight years of this same person in power we will get the same result because republicans will oppose him. What we need to do is, in Obamas own words is to enact "fundimental change". Where we need to start is to send representatives to Washington who actually listen to the people who put them in office not to go there and bring home the money so they can be re-elcted. I sat through a town hall meeting for two hours and I never heard a direct answer to a direct question. As long as people in Washington continue to think that they know what is better for the people than the people do, this unfortunate trend will continue to repeat itself regardless of who is the President and regardless of your politcal affiliation it will be we the people who suffer not the politicians who enact their freedom robbing policies.
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