Hillary Clinton On Working Class Whites In 1995: "Screw 'Em"

from HuffPost:



Sam Stein
Hillary Clinton On Working Class Whites In 1995: "Screw 'Em"
April 16, 2008 02:21 PM

Sam Stein is a Political Reporter at the Huffington Post, based in Washington, D.C. Previously he has worked for Newsweek magazine, the New York Daily News and the investigative journalism group Center for Public Integrity. He has a masters from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and is a graduate of Dartmouth College. Sam can be reached at stein@huffingtonpost.com.


During the past week, Sen. Hillary Clinton has presented herself as a working class populist, the politician in touch with small town sentiments, compared to the elitism of her opponent, Sen. Barack Obama.

But a telling anecdote from her husband's administration shows Hillary Clinton's attitudes about the "lunch-bucket Democrats" are not exactly pristine.

In January 1995, as the Clintons were licking their wounds from the 1994 congressional elections, a debate emerged at a retreat at Camp David. Should the administration make overtures to working class white southerners who had all but forsaken the Democratic Party? The then-first lady took a less than inclusive approach.

"Screw 'em," she told her husband. "You don't owe them a thing, Bill. They're doing nothing for you; you don't have to do anything for them."

The statement -- which author Benjamin Barber witnessed and wrote about in his book, "The Truth of Power: Intellectual Affairs in the Clinton White House" -- was prompted by another speaker raising the difficulties of reaching "Reagan Democrats." It stands in stark contrast to the attitude the New York Democrat has recently taken on the campaign trail, in which she has presented herself as the one who candidate who understands the working-class needs. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/16/hillary-clinton-on-workin_n_97017.html

And this is the problem. The attitude. It's all about me and what I can get others to do for me.

Don Baer, President Clinton's speech writer at the time, who had attended the same meeting. He says: "I don't remember anything along those lines, at all. And I certainly don't remember Senator Clinton saying anything like that... they have their recollections of that, that is their business. The conversation, from my perspective, was moderated in tone."

There may have been a real misunderstanding.

Why do you hate America?

It was only a matter of time...

hammered on and brought to the fore by the GOP and the mass RW media.

We have no idea how much there is left that the republicans have in their research banks ready to use.

Remember that Clinton V McCain has been expected for years now! McCain is ready for Clinton. He is not ready for Obama!!

"Screw 'em," she told her husband. "You don't owe them a thing, Bill. They're doing nothing for you; you don't have to do anything for them."

The South has been left to wander alone in the wilderness ever since. It's hard to be a Democrat here. Trust me.

Alabama infact, the simple fact that Democrats just haven't come there and asked for their votes is the most frustraiting thing for someone on the the left to swallow. Just come and tell us your ideas, even if they aren't receptive eventually they will be if you show you actually are listening, and maybe you might get some of them to swing over. The percentages in Alabama in '04 was 56-44% for Bush, thats a slim 6% both ways margin, and if Kerry had come with Edwards for the lone visit either made maybe it would have been closer. And with someone more midwestern like Obama the margin narrows even more. I know Alabama isn't a big elctoral prize, but if you peel off a few of the Southern states dominoes might just follow, just show you give a damn and the South will listen because the GOP only does a quickie tour down here ever 4 years, so the "I don't give a damn" attitude is felt from both angles it'll only take one to break the 40 year mold.

Btw I am currently in New Hampshire but will be moving to Texas in August, but lived all my life untill 6 months ago in my homeland Alabama, so I know my people.

Edwards came numerous times and had a good machine going here until he pulled out - one week before Super Tuesday.

They want our money, but don't want to come here to earn it.

n/t.

Sorry for the bad spellings, and punctuations, I was rather tired when I let the "big secret" about Southern voters out there. hehe

or just the DLC party line?

cause me to feel realllllllll bitter...real, real bitter.

Like this http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x119397

Screw 'em and then show them the light with superior governance.

It's done.

dear MSM,

Please give this the same love and devotion you gave bittergate.


xoxoxox.

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Doubtful.

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:thumbsup:

Just wow.

but unless it's on a tape recording, it won't matter.

would be interesting to see what her response is. I think you are going to see a LOT of pro-Hillary/anti-Obama questions on topics that have NOTHING to do with policy. Like:

Wright (again)
bitter
Ayers (why I have no idea)
Flag pin
Rezcko

Notice that I have highlighted that ALL THEY HAVE ARE NON_POLICY ISSUES.

The GOP probably has it on a tape recording.

For real?

Screwgate, comin up!

is this being reported on?

Unlikely that it was recorded. I absolutely believe it's true though, and knew something like this would come out eventually. Someone on Kos said she remembered hearing rumors about this years ago, so maybe it has legs.

it might gain legs. one can hope.

One of the editors of New Republic was there and vouched for the other two witnesses.

I am inclined to believe that she really did spew this shit.

So I suppose it is possible a recording exists. That would be priceless.

But after reading Bill's response to what she said, I suspect her comment was a lay-up so he could put it in the hoop. Not to say she didn't mean what she said, but I am thinking it was a set up for him, so he demonstrate what a compassionate, understanding guy he is, without considering the consequences of how her comment could have a negative impact on her, years later when they make the run for Bill's third term.

Take the high road.

ABC, MSNBC....

He's going to finish her off tonight. I can FEEL IT.

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:evilgrin:

Contact the media!


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seriously

Here's wikipedia's bio on Benjamin Barber, the man who witnessed, recorded and wrote about Ms. Clinton saying "Screw 'em": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Barber

Highlights:
~~ He was an advisor to the Clintons and was Howard Dean's foreign policy advisor in the 2004 campaign.
~~ He's perhaps best known for his 1996 bestseller, Jihad vs. McWorld.
~~ He has been a Senior Fellow at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy since 2005.
~~ And he's won a Guggenheim, Fulbright.

So if it's true that he's the source of this info, it sounds like he's credible. This probably won't go over well at Camp Hillary. Imagine her hearing this breaking over ABC as she preps for tonights debate...

there was an article on the board last nite citing an editor for the New Republic who vouched for the veracity of Barber (and another, "Brown" I think) who reported this. He heard her say this too.

goes unnoticed.

What does she mean... "You don't owe them a thing, Bill"

We are United States citizens and he is the President of the United States of America. We owe him a fucking $200,000.00 a year salary that we pay whether we like it or not, and a "First Lady" gets to tell him who he should and who he shouldn't owe anything to? This isn't a who owes who game. This is the Presidency of the United States of America and there are 300 million of us.

Geeze! The gall, the GD gall.

Bring on the Supers this has gone on too far. I am afraid we may start seeing a major shift back to Regan Democrats. She has absolutely no idea how many hard working Democrats she insulted with this latest uncovered nugget, no idea whatsoever.

This is not going to politically "whither on the vine"!

The M$M needs to pick this up. The words may be old but it reflects a Clinton mindset that frankly is nothing less than appalling.

Time for some more boilermakers.

Ouch.

You'd think DUers would be happy to learn that.

Let's see her wiggle her way out of this one.

No low that this woman could stoop to could possibly shock me anymore.

Rec'd.

But more to the fact that it is just being exposed now. Had it been known before then this whole bittergate BS would not have happened.

Oh well

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Maybe she was specifically thinking about rednecks in Red States -- people with strong right-wing and/or racist attitudes.

In which case, I think she might have had a good point! B-)

But let's not forget this was a private discussion 13 years ago.

SHAME ON YOU Benjamin Barber for "leaking" this quote! (whether it is accurate we don't know).

that followed Hillary's. Read Bill's statement again. What a hot mess.

It's in a book that I think is a few years old at this point. And he is supported by at least two others with liberal street cred to the effect that she really did say it. Dunno who dragged this out, but Mr. Barber is not the one pressing this, although his name is linked because of authorship.

Are we not supposed to relate anything unflattering our pols say? Just get in line and praise the glorious capitalist empire?

This place has become Russia.

When Obama brings up the legitimate point that the GOP manipulates working-class whites into voting against their interest by using wedge issues like guns and gay marriage, he's an "elitist."

When Hillary says "Screw 'em" in reference to this exact same voting demographic, she has "a good point."

Thanks for clearing that up.

Your description of what Obama meant to say in SF does not correspond with the audio recording of what he actually said.

than what Obama said, without catching ANY crap for it the way Obama has.

UNELECTABLE! PATRONIZING! CONDESCENDING! I really wanted to win, but now she obviously can't. Wait, I never wanted her to win.

Gobama!

like an unspoken rule.

I never heard that before. You think it would have gotten more airplay when it happened.

what hogwash

she was talking about a super narrow demographic slice of confederate flag wavers

she was not generalizing

such a bs article

and of course huffington, like du, is totally anti hillary

But really, why the vitriol? As Red Green says, "We're all in this together." I just don't get all the hatred between Dems. I'm an Obama supporter, and don't think Clinton stands where I want on some issues; but if push comes to shove, I'm voting Dem no matter what. So let's start hating the REAL enemy: McSame. At least electing Hillary or Barack won't bring about Armageddon...

She was also quoted as calling someone a, "fucking Jew bastard" in another book.

You've got to look at the motives these people have.

http://archive.salon.com/politics/feature/2000/07/17/trail_mix/