Hillary Loathe Fest Drives Obama Surge

Earl Ofari Hutchinson
December 18, 2007

If Hillary Clinton said that pedophiles should be barred from hanging out in front of elementary schools you can bet that some in the bash Hillary crowd would scream at her for violating the civil rights of molesters. This is not crass hyperbole. The pound Clinton obsession has gotten that silly. Any, and I mean any and every little nasty snippet of gossip, innuendo and rumor about Clinton is instant fodder for the legion of talking head commentators, analysts, pundits, professional Clinton loathers, and many progressives. They take rapturous delight in dredging up, mangling, twisting, and distorting every past and present statement, speech, and item in Clinton’s voting record to tar her as a walking political disaster.

Here are her alleged sins. Like hubby Bill, she is a business friendly politician that has taken some dubious, even contradictory positions on everything from the Iraq war to health care reform, wheels and deals with fat cat lobbyists and union top cats, and is a mainline charter member of the centrist Democratic leadership. On a personal note the knock is she is stiff, programmed, standoffish, and didn’t dump philandering Bill.

But her two greatest sins are that she’s a woman playing the White House game which traditionally has been a game for the big boys, and she plays the game better than most men. The other one is that she can win. Both explain the visceral hatred for her from right to left on the political scale.

It also explains why Barack Obama has surged. No one has benefited more from the anybody-but-Clinton loathe fest than Obama. If she wasn’t in the race and his opponents for the Democratic presidential nomination were three staid, centrist white male Democrats, Obama’s color and background would make him a curiosity item, but in the end he’d be the just another name in the pack. But the Bash Hillary mania is so deep and pernicious that it has done the unthinkable for Obama.

It has given him a momentary free pass from the media and much of the public from any of the standard negative racial stereotypes of young and not-so-young African-American males. It has shielded him from the knee jerk double standard nit pick, dirt dig, and doubting whispers about the competence and intelligence of prominent blacks. The Fox Network which has never been accused of biting its collective lip on any politician with the M (moderate) , or L (liberal) words in front of their Democrat tag to progressive publications which routinely slay politicians for their corporate pandering and shilling have applied the hands-off, kid glove treatment to Obama’s record and policy faux paus’s.

Obama quickly sniffed the stiff loathe Hillary political breeze and has picked at and niggled over every Clinton word and alleged political misdeed in the Democratic debates and on the campaign trail. He shrewdly turned the chase for the Democratic presidential nomination and the White House from a referendum on Bush’s gross failures to a referendum on Clinton. When Clinton tried to hit back she was accused of being divisive, polarizing and duplicitous. When a campaign aide rashly and wrongly played dirty political pool and dragged out Obama’s alleged use of drugs as a kid, Clinton was forced to do a mea culpa for his bumble and seek absolution from Obama. It meant nothing. She was pilloried in the press anyway. This over the top dose of media cheerleading and gloating wrapped Obama even tighter in the cloak of nobility, a man above the fray.

When Bill dared say that she is a change maker too that was sneered at as a cheap effort to snatch at Obama’s self-designated label as the authentic agent of change. Even the most cursory glance at his voting record as an Illinois state legislator and his wafer thin voting record in the Senate shows the exact same penchant for corporate and lobbyist deal making, and reliance on big donor campaign handouts that Clinton is pounded for.

There’s a method to the Hillary loathe fest. The tip off came when former Bush political massager Karl Rove dawned his best wolf in sheep’s clothing garb and pretended to give sage advice to Obama on how to beat Clinton. He did it for a reason. The GOP strategists see Obama as the softest of soft targets for whoever emerges from the GOP presidential pack. They think that in a head to head contest, Obama will bomb badly in the South and the Red State belt from Texas to Montana. That’s a potential loss of nearly 200 electoral votes for the Democrats before the first vote is even cast. And with a beaten, battered and spent Clinton out of the picture, the GOP’s big mud slinging mean machine will quickly chisel away Obama’s Teflon coat and the subtle race-tinged Obama beat down would kick in with a vengeance.

But first there’s Hillary. She has to go and Obama is the chosen one to see that she does.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His new book is The Latino Challenge to Black America: Towards a Conversation between African-Americans and Hispanics (Middle Passage Press)

From American Chronicle

:popcorn:

It's difficult to be meticulous and not "niggle".

Please remember that a man lost his job a few years ago over similar comments...

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/niggle

nig·gle /ˈnɪgəl/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–verb (used without object), -gled, -gling. 1. to criticize, esp. constantly or repeatedly, in a peevish or petty way; carp: to niggle about the fine points of interpretation; preferring to niggle rather than take steps to correct a situation.
2. to spend too much time and effort on inconsequential details: It's difficult to be meticulous and not niggle.
3. to work ineffectively; trifle: to niggle with an uninteresting task.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's a real word.

You guys are something else, you know that?

and we are something else. I just came from a volunteer's meeting with 20 people and there's another 20 tomorrow night.

All the NH citizens and voters are working their butts off for Hillary.

Are you doing anything besides trashing threads for your candidate?

Her poor judgment on Iraq and Iran already nixed her for me, but for many others, her gutter politics obviously sealed the deal. Her campaign is imploding.

Back in 2004, Josh Marshall stated there is an awfully distressing tendency among a minority of Dean supporters to serve up no end of lacerating comments about other candidates and then to react with a sort of stunned and outraged shock when anyone criticizes their guy. It's the flip side of seeing the race in such heroic, if not messianic dimensions.

This applies to Obama supporters this year.

Obama and Edwards, with Russert and Williams help, tore into her and the Obamatons whooped it up and cheered. Then she cam back strong in the next debate and those cheers have turned to bitchin', whinin' and moanin' about "dirty politics." I much prefer that she take it to them no matter how much the Obamaton's and M$M whine...

going into drug use more than 20 years ago when someone was a teenager is the pinnacle of dirty politics.. Its no better than what the GOP tried with Bill Clinton and hopefully it will be no more successful..

The Obama campaign and his supporters do not set the bar for political attacks. If he hits, he's going to get hit back.

Openly and viciously lying about someone, like the swift boat vets did aobut John Kerry, is the pinnacle of dirty politics. Obama was smart to get his past drug use out when he did, thus getting it behind him, thus it wont damage him. Bill Clinton did the same thing when running for his first term, admitting to "not inhaling."

but you're also running the risk that a lot people don't give a shit about it.

Both are inexcusable terms for fellow DUers.

TOOK THE FIRST PUNCH AT EDWARDS YESTERDAY....WHERE IS THE MEDIA EXTRAVAGANDA....?

Oh. Whoops. Looks like I stepped into HillaryLand again. :eyes:

Or merely behaving like something people step in?

SPOT ON!!


I'm a fan of ConcernAmerican>> From ConcernAmerican POST>>>>>> ON HUFF..
For Obama to call on Senator Kennedy "you"re getting a little old, get some spine," tells me one thing, Obama is young and full of cum. Ted Kennedy has done a lot for the disadvantage especially the poor in this country. The arrogance of Obama shows his callousness and downright stupidity. For people to call Barack Hussein Obama the new JFK or RK, he"s too FAR from the two Kennedy brothers; Obama is the TWIN BROTHER OF LOUIS FARRAKHAN!

Extremism comes out no matter how a person hides it; Obama is showing his truly color. You can also see the hatred of Obama against white people coming out from his own mouth. As far as Obama is concern, you must vote for him because he"s black, young, his words are golden.

The Kennedy family has done a lot of good for this country; Obama is NOT even fit to wipe the shoes of Ted Kennedy. There"s nothing more disgusting than a man who talks the talk but can"t walk the walk.

Obama supporters, there"s your asshole! We"ll work hard he will NEVER sit in the Oval Office!

The baggage of Obama is WORSE than Hillary; his baggage is his OWN mouth, shooting it off without checking if his brain is loaded. By telling Kennedy to get a spine showed his ignorance. Obama have just killed his future in politics, an ACORN doesn"t fall too far from the tree.

His OWN statement EXPOSED his INEXPERIENCE. He is MORE DANGEROUS than Bush.

Callous is the right word.

Let me guess, he would launch an all out, massive, blitzkrieg? Invite Martians to power share with him? Perhaps he would pull the plug at the bottom of the sea and drain the oceans?

"Extremism comes out no matter how a person hides it"

Ain't THAT the truth

She's defending herself against attacks from Obama and, until recently, Edwards.

Have some perspective for crying out loud.

shaheen did was ok, b/c i don't, i think it's disgusting. but when he put in his speeches questioning the basis of her marriage, before all this kindergarden crap went down, that was nasty.

but there is no doubt that the anti Clinton vote is breaking Obama's way.

:thumbsup:

You can tell by the reaction from the usual suspects. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

following lead of NYT.

Just as they propped up GWB and permitted no criticism of him
guess who they are propping up now.

Such snide remarks as "Is Edwards running as the WHITE Guy?"

Implying that if Edwards wins it is because Hilary permitted him.

Never giving HRC the benefit of the doubt and God help her
if she says or hints anything about their favorite.

I have no problems with people taking a stand for candidates
but to divide the country when they complain about the division
in country.

I guess, it's safe to say, Obama is Cheney's choice for the Dem nomination.

:toast:

thanks for the laugh. You guys are like a cafeteria for humor today

Clinton's fatal flaw is that she is not really a leader. She's ambitious and studious but that's not leadership.

I would just edit "Both explain the visceral hatred for her from right to left on the political scale."
The visceral hatred extends from the extremist far right and the extremist far left. The left as a whole do not hate her. The polling of Democrats verifies that.

K&Highly R...

:kick:

show NY in their profiles. I'm thinking that they are/were Tasini operatives and are simply out for their pound of flesh.

Tasini. Same smell.

and now I am mildly backing Clinton. She was far from my first choice for President but I never hated her. I thought she could use a good kick from the left from a Tasini Senate challenge. Jonathan is actually a really nice guy - I've spent time with him on several occaisions. His political agenda has a strong following in New York among Democrats, but he didn't have the ability to raise the type of funds needed to promote in during the Senate Primary. I think he still got about 18% of the votes.

Speaking of New York, if RFK Jr can back Hillary now, so can I.

Sadly, I have the same kneejerk reaction to all of Hillary's opponents.

Your post has given me a chance to pull back a bit on my hostility.:hi:

you've been mainly noncommittal and I appreciate the comment.

I've mentioned my leanings before but haven't started any threads about it. After Clark withdrew from considering running I held out for Gore, despite Clark endorsing Clinton. When he clearly didn't enter the race I toyed with Dodd, toyed with mildly supporting Biden, hovered on the fence between Biden and Clinton, and more recently have mildly supported Clinton. Here is something I posted on another thread on Sunday:


It has been a sort of liberation for me this year that I do not care greatly about any of our candidates (but will work for any of them in the General Election). That doesn't mean that I don't have feelings and preferences, just that they are significantly muted for me compared to in 2004. After, progressively, Feingold, Clark, and Gore chose not to run I considered the options left to me all flawed in ways that prevented me from becoming excited about speicifically working for any of them in the primaries.

I have involved into becomeing a mild Clinton supporter who would also be pleased if Joe Biden won the nomination. Some time soon I will likely post more on how I came to that decision, but for now my main point is that this time I am not in love with my candidate, and I feel no need to defend her on every count possible because she is not my ideal candidate. None of them are. That gives me a little more detachment this time than in 2004. In my first commment on the Des Moines Register endorsement of Clinton I actually started out by saying that I continue to have a problem with the amount of influence Newspaper endorsements wield in our society, lol. So I guess I didn't follow the mold of reactions you described, but I know that is more an indication of my greater detachment from the race this year than any thing else.

This year I've continued to say good things about Biden even though I seem to now be backing Clinton. Over the last couple of days I found myself alternating between pointing to Obama's relative weaknesses and acknowledging Obama's relative strengths. This year I rarely rise to the temptation of arguing the reasons why I think Edwards is less electable than his many supporters here view him as being. On one hand, like I said above, it is a liberation, but on the other hand it comes with sadness, because I simply don't care about the candidates quite as much this year.

But I'll take the good with the bad. I like being able to admit to aspects of the candidates that trouble me, even my own. I like never forgeting the relative joy I will feel if we elect any of our candidates President in 2008, even the ones I like the least. And I like minimizing the number of really nasty personal exchanges I get into with fellow DUers, though at this time in the political season it seems some are inevitable when I actually say what is on my mind. Now if I could find a way to hold onto the positive aspects of my current relative detachment and feel a burning passion to support one of our candidates none the less, that to me would be political blogging heaven.

I've seen enough hatred being spewed here on a regular basis and it disgusts me. No other Democratic candidate is treated with such venom, and it sickens me!!!

that the pragmatic center has been deeply wrong about.

like the Iraq war
like judicial appointments
like cabinet appointments

so next time you use "extreme left" as an epithet, take that into consideration.

That word has caused controversey before when spoken in reference to an African American. "Nit-picked" is a far more common usage. The fact that the author harps so much on the fact that Obama is black in this article tells me that the word's usage was not accidental.

This is a nasty article that is 4 parts whining and 1 part sour grapes. Bird-cage liner, in other words, and unadulterated mewling from a failing camapaign.

you have GOT to be kidding me!

the use of "niggled" is an attack on Obama?

wow. just wow.

You do know Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an African American right?

Even the etymology is completely different.

complaining about that is the same as complaining about saying he "lacks" experience because it sounds like "blacks". Sensitivity is one thing, but worrying about a very accurate and appropriate word choice because of an accident of phonetics is quite another.

I'm more than willing to concede the difference between Chris Rock saying "n****r" and David Duke saying it. This however is not one of those situations. This is far more closely akin to "niggardly" and again has absolutely no connections to race or pejorative usage based on race in either meaning or origin or historical usage.

Ignorance or just willful ignorance?

It seems as though the Obama folks simply hate and detest Hillary..and that is not enough to sustain a campaign.
My Objection to Obams is based on his lack of experience..
He may very well make a good candidate one day..but not yet.
We have just lived through 8 years of having someone in the White House who was inexperienced and the MSM said it wouldn't matter.
Look what it brought us..
Is Hillary ideal? No..
I would vote for Biden or richardson with much more excitement..
but unfortunatly...the choice right now seems to be between Hill and Obama..

I think it's a good chunk of the supporters of Edwards, Biden, Richardson, etc. as well.

For a huge percentage of us, she is just not likable, and I say this as a woman who would LOVE to enthusiastically get behind a woman candidate for prez.

"But her two greatest sins are that she’s a woman playing the White House game which traditionally has been a game for the big boys, and she plays the game better than most men. The other one is that she can win. Both explain the visceral hatred for her from right to left on the political scale."

--

Hills two biggest sins:

Voting yes to Iraq and yes to Iran!

is absolutely shameful!

Anytime she is attacked they roll out the 'you're anti woman' flag... its nearly as bad as his shrubness calling folks unpatriotic for attacking him; don't worry about the content of the attack the mere fact you'll challenge me means there is something wrong with you..

The obama surge is not that strong, in fact it is far less than the losses that Hillary is undergoing. What is really going is buyers remorse and celebrity fatigue. The people being polled (you really can't even call them voters) are getting tired of the Hillary v. Obama story since when you listen to the debates one can hardly tell their positions apart.

The fire doesn't justify the amount of smoke being generated over it and neither candidate has positions that are very moving and neither of them are saying anything very exciting or inspiring to the vast majority of Americans.

Consequently more people are moving towards Edwards and the second tier.

bullshit hysteria doesn't make for a cogent comment.

and the very epitome of bullshit hysteria. In my opinion.

Yeah, I can see why you'd find that hysterical. I do myself, LOL.

Say it with me! Over and over!
HUSSEIN! COCAINE!
HUSSEIN! COCAINE!
HUSSEIN! COCAINE!
HUSSEIN! COCAINE!

Obama Osama Obama Osama Obama Osama Obama Osama Obama Osama Obama Osama Obama Osama Obama Osama Obama Osama Obama Osama Obama Osama Obama Osama! :o

:D

Oahu wa, Oahu wa
Punahou, our Punahou;
Mau a Mau, oh! mau a mau,
Punahou, our Punahou.
Throughout the years we've shown our light,
We glory in Oahu's might;
The Buff and Blue's a glorious sight,
Punahou, our Punahou.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punahou_School

Jesus people.

From your link:

Damn. I always miss out on the good stuff.

There’s a method to the Hillary loathe fest. The tip off came when former Bush political massager Karl Rove dawned his best wolf in sheep’s clothing garb and pretended to give sage advice to Obama on how to beat Clinton. He did it for a reason. The GOP strategists see Obama as the softest of soft targets for whoever emerges from the GOP presidential pack. They think that in a head to head contest, Obama will bomb badly in the South and the Red State belt from Texas to Montana. That’s a potential loss of nearly 200 electoral votes for the Democrats before the first vote is even cast. And with a beaten, battered and spent Clinton out of the picture, the GOP’s big mud slinging mean machine will quickly chisel away Obama’s Teflon coat and the subtle race-tinged Obama beat down would kick in with a vengeance.

But first there’s Hillary. She has to go and Obama is the chosen one to see that she does.

Yep, the Republican machine will chew him up and spit him out like yesterday's steak. But heck, let's all drink the Kool Aid and jump in the bandwagon. It'll be so much "fun" to lose 3 elections in a row!!!

you think Hillary's going to take Texas? Montana? Utah? Anywhere south of the Mason-Dixon line? :shrug:

I mean really now...

I'm saying every one of our candidates has an uphill battle. As always, it's going to be down to the swing states, no matter who our candidate is.

yeah, I loathe Hillary because she's a woman and because she can win.

Oddly, the author actually nailed the reason many of us do not want to see her as president.

"Like hubby Bill, she is a business friendly politician that has taken some dubious, even contradictory positions on everything from the Iraq war to health care reform, wheels and deals with fat cat lobbyists and union top cats, and is a mainline charter member of the centrist Democratic leadership..."

That's why -- even though I kind of like Hillary -- I do not believe she should become the standard-berarer for the Democratic Party and for the country.

I admire her.

I don't support her, though. I don't think she represents the most progressive policies and I don't think she can win the general.

I don't loathe her, but I get the feeling that many supporters equate non-support with "hate" or "loathing".

I bet you can't find a Hillary supporter here who won't support the eventual nominee.

All over this place people say they'll never vote for her in the general.

I and every HillStar I know, supports the democratic nominee and will work for whomever that nominee is.

I very much dislike Obama, and have since his Senate campaign, but if he gets the nomination, I'll vote for him without question, and hope he wins.

If someone says that, then it's just blowing hot air. In the end, they will support the Democrat. The alternative is to vote for a third party and say it is "voting your conscience" which is also saying, "I'm gazing at my navel".

I think that the crazy, primary rhetoric is fully inflated right now. Everyone thinks her candidate is the best, by God, and no one else comes close. At the end of the day when all of our candidates come out in support of the eventual nominee, then we all will support the eventual nominee. Otherwise, we are self righteous fools - don't you think?

for example, you made in clear you don't support her. that's non-support. but so many posts here are nothing but negative towards her, constantly calling her slimy, karl&rove, racist, etc, etc. all the crap here from some obama people.

Exactly. Non-support is one thing, hate is another.

on the "because she is a woman" excuse. I am not a fan of Clinton and it has nothing to do with her being a woman. If it was Barbara Boxer running, I would be throwing in everything I have to help her win.

It is just that her positions are not mine and she is not what I am looking for in a leader.

For some people.

Thank you Mr. Hutchinson!

i'm not sure i would say Obama himself is really a part of it. I could be wrong.

I know it's what Hillary supporters want to believe, but it's not true.

The folks supporting Obama are for the most part supporting him because they are for Obama, not because they are against Hillary.

This is just more sour grapes and negative spin from the Clinton camp. Old news.

Most of the Obama supporters I know, including dear friends and my wife, started the year looking for anyone but Hillary. My wife hates her with a passion. Why? Think Monica.

Most of this hatred cannot be explained as easy as my usually intelligent wife. Most of them sound exactly like my Republican friends. Same hatred same non-reason.

Anybody but Hillary. Remind you of Anyone but Dean? Or like most of DU, do you have a short memory?

My experience is completely different. Many were Clinton supporters and still like her, but they just like Obama better is all.

and I already know you are.

The "Hillary Loathe" runs far and wide and to focusing on Obama supporters is missing the point entirely.

Or maybe he does get it, and that's why he's trying to paint Obama supporters as something most of are not. It's all politics, just like Hillary talking in a quiet, conversational, almost reverent voice today in Iowa about how she can appeal to the common interests of both democrats and republicans- bring us together, if you will. I'm not sure what happened to her "I'm the only one who knows how to fight the republicans" meme, but it was an interesting transformation. Unfortunately, that sort of transparent and shameless pandering makes me trust her sincerity even less than I did before.

The only bright spot is that there is no question about which candidate's supporters Hillary was trying to tap in to today. That certainly bodes well for Senator Obama.

is that she's a woman playing a man's game. Uh huh.

so yes I suppose you could say that I dislike Hillary.