In S.C, Clinton doesn't rebuke Ford for saying Obama would bring down Dems in '08 because he's black

NYT: February 19, 2007
Clinton Woos Black Voters
By Patrick Healy

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton signalled to black voters this morning that they could think of the 2008 presidential contest as a barrier-breaking election even if they voted for her instead of one of their own, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, who is competing with Mrs. Clinton for the Democratic nomination.

Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama are aggressively courting black voters; she made her first visit to South Carolina today as a presidential candidate, appearing before a predominantly black audience of about 2,500 people at historically black Allen University, while Mr. Obama was in the state this past weekend.

At her town hall forum at Allen, Mrs. Clinton also put her own gentle spin on a controversy that erupted last week when one of her most prominent black supporters (and a paid consultant to her campaign) in South Carolina, state Senator Robert Ford, said Mr. Obama would be a political disaster as the nominee.

“Every Democrat running on that ticket next year would lose, because he’s black and he’s top of the ticket,” Mr. Ford said. “We’d lose the House and the Senate and the governors and everything.” The quote has been a big deal in South Carolina, and Mr. Ford has apologized for it....

***

Mrs. Clinton did not refer to Mr. Obama by name, nor did she rebuke Mr. Ford; indeed, he was in the audience, and she thanked him for his support.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/02/19/clinton-woos-black-voters/

Any more than she stand up for anyone else.

I don't think we will hear much from * She's such a sleaze

But to keep things fair, Obama was willing to shell out $5,000 per month, and Edwards; $20,000 per month....so seems like she's right there in the middle somewhere.

But she couldn't rebuke what the guy said......or else she'd be doing an advertisment for Obama. Part of what she's running on I guess is that a Woman can win, but not a Black man. Kinda of sad....

Biden stood there and tacitly agreed with this fatalist notion prediction based on race

that erupted last week when one of her most prominent black supporters (and a paid consultant to her campaign) in South Carolina, state Senator Robert Ford, said Mr. Obama would be a political disaster as the nominee."

for the record, the gentle spin you ignored is: She also won a standing ovation by saying, “I believe one of the great things about America is, anyone can be president, and what it depends upon is the individual. I’m proud to be a woman.”


selective quotes indeed.

Msongs
www.msongs.com

the 4 allowed paragraphs (plus one line) I thought most relevant to the headline. I also added the parenthetical information that Ford was on Senator Clinton's payroll.

I'm an Obama supporter, but I'm not a Hillary basher. I like her, and you won't find one post here where I've bashed, or even criticized, her. In fact, you'll find quite a few articles favorable to her that I've posted.

I'd be happy to see her as our first woman President. I have no problem with the Clinton campaign's employing Ford -- I know that's how it's done by all. But I don't like what he said, and I wish she would have distanced herself from it. I think she's wrong on this one, and IMO her statement that anyone can be President was unresponsive to the controversy Ford started with his statement that a black man would bring down the Democratic ticket from the Statehouses to the White House.

ON EDIT: Sorry, I realize I sound a little angered -- and my anger is not for you, but out of a growing feeling that the discussion of Obama and race, of whether he's black enough, etc., I think is getting close to a point where it shouldn't be. Senator Biden remarks on Obama being "clean," for goodness sake, and now there's this outrage from Ford. I just don't want this racism to go any further.