Daily Kos: Clinton Campaign Paying Black Sign Holders in Texas?

[nomorewhopper]

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3/2/201352/0048/265/467565

"I stopped at the intersection of Lovers Lane and Greenville this afternoon, and immediately noticed people standing on each corner (and on a couple of the medians) holding Hillary Clinton signs. Another thing immediately apparent, especially because of the race and gender issues in this presidential election, was that each person holding a sign was black.

I rolled down the window to ask one of the men what group the sign-holders belonged to, and he told me Southern Fried Marketing. I asked if they supported Hillary Clinton for president, and he replied: "Paid for."

I work in marketing, so I know how crass an industry it can be, but when we are talking about the election of the president of the United States of America, I have some morals. I would hope that Hillary Clinton's campaign would have some, too, but the way things are going that might be asking a bit much.

Reading this blog post brought to a head something that I've been thinking about the last week or so. Which is that many privileged, liberal white women seem to be very willing to turn a blind eye to issues of race and equality as long as it suits their agenda. And I say this as a privileged, liberal white woman.

I find so many woman I talk to still so enthralled by Hillary Clinton, so in awe of her. I decided to support Barack Obama quite a while ago, yet I have still been able to have reasonable conversations with these woman, friends all, about the primary. But lately I just find myself repulsed that many of these same white women don't seem at all concerned about or aware of issues of racism. About issues of global womanhood. About class. About issues of civil rights and civil liberties. About rising above micro identity politics to demand the best of everyone, instead of falling into the fatal trap of making excuses and pointing fingers.

To me, the idea that Hillary Clinton and the supporters who donate to her campaign are paying black people to hold signs for her, when she's facing the first serious black candidate for president, is simply horrifying.

[Tarc]

1. So let me get this straight. The Clinton campaign cannot hire black people

to work the get out the vote effort, because Obama is black?

[JackORoses]

6. why does she have to hire Black people to pretend that they support her?

Doesn't she have any real live Black supporters?

[elixir]

15. Why does Obama have to hire young white men to support him? Doesn't he have any real WM supporters?

[Hutzpa]

38. Now, you are being

completely ignorant in asking a dumb question to support another dumb question, the point is,

she does not have volunteers, people are not voluntarily supporting her, the reason why this

crowd can be seen holding her sign cards is because she is paying them.

The difference with Obama and Hillary is that, with Obama, people are willingly coming

forward, where as with Hillary, she pays people so they can be seen to be supporting her.

Thats the difference and point the OP was making. Hope this helps.

[11 Bravo]

27. So all salaried white Obama advisors are "white people paid to pretend they support him"?

Do you know how small this makes you look?

[JackORoses]

41. there is a huge difference between paid advisors, and volunteers holding up signs

Do you know how small this makes your brain look?

Hillary didn't have any volunteers, so she bought some.

[11 Bravo]

46. If Obama's supporters were 1/1000th as attractive as their candidate ..

this thing would be over.

Wow, my small brain came up with that all by itself!

[JackORoses]

47. This thing is over. It may take you a little while to realize and adapt.

[Tarc]

28. Yes she does, but they're kinda busy defending themselves at the moment

http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics/story/510737.html

[Dinger]

49. Weird, Huh? (nt)

[liberalnurse]

2. So what...

:shrug: Obama has been bring in paid operatives, including visibility sign holders and canvas ground-workers by the busloads....thousands of paid, yes paid, workers...I bet a few are black.The cost of food, housing and wages must be in the millions of dollars..

[Catherina]

4. Link please n/t

.

[papau]

7. the link is your daily paper and the Obama expense reports

[Catherina]

48. Got it.

In other words more fluff from the Clinton HQs that everyone's supposed to believe on your word.

This is one time where Hillary's quote from last night could work well "No. No, there is nothing to base that on. As far as I know."

:*

[elixir]

20. Hey, LN. Can you point me in the direction of this paid worker info. Thanks for th epost.!!

:yourock: :hi:

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

3. Nice satire... I hope.

[keep_it_real]

5. This does not suprise me; is they way they play the game.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

17. The Clintons have been helping provide employment to black people for decades... how dare they!

[AtomicKitten]

8. I agree, but the tactic is not surprising. Hillary is all about subterfuge and bullshit.

To me, the idea that Hillary Clinton and the supporters who donate to her campaign are paying black people to hold signs for her, when she's facing the first serious black candidate for president, is simply horrifying.

:thumbsup:

[DemocratSinceBirth]

10. Very Sad That You Would Remove Any Sense Of Agency From The African Americans Who Are Holding Up The

Signs...

Very paternalistic of you... I would use another word but I don't want to blow up the board just now...

[AtomicKitten]

13. They KNOW why they are there and said so -- they were paid.

Spin that into whatever "ism" you think you can gain leverage on, but it is what it is. Clearly Hillary can't take on Barack head-on so she conjures up all kinds of magic tricks and subterfuge and bullshit to distract and dissuade.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

19. Can't You See How You're Infantalizing Them

I wouldn't hold up a sign for Great Grand Pa McCain no matter how much you paid me...

To suggest that someone would do something they don't want to do removes any sense of agency from them.

What part of that don't you understand?

Would you hold up a sign for Hillary Clinton?

I suspect you wouldn't...

So why would you acribe the power of agency to yourself while stripping it from the African Americans who held up the signs?

Do you have the power of agency and they do not?

[AtomicKitten]

26. It's all a make-believe exercise pretending she has more than 6% of AA support.

And contrary to your misplaced finger-wagging, that is infantile from start to finish. She, just like the GOP, is banking on the stupidity of the masses, so she creates an image that is false. The truth is 86% of AAs support Barack, and she's not having any of that!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

29. Even If Every African American In The Nation Votes For Senator Obama

Those African Americans who held up the signs have agency...

Unless you think they are child like or mentally defective...


It's not about Hillary but about granting agency to all people...

[AtomicKitten]

31. Oh, stop pretending they did it for anything else than being paid -- just like they said.

Get over yourself. Hillary has virtually nonexistent AA support and Hillary is trying to give the impression that that factoid isn't true. Just like you.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

39. I Didn't Say They Did It Out Of Conviction

They did it for pecuniary gain...Making decisions like that is part of having agency whether paternalistic folks like it or not...

[rinsd]

12. Perhaps you shoudl check out the ad agency before making such statements

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=141002824

[AtomicKitten]

14. perhaps you should stop making excuses for her cheesy tactics

[rinsd]

16. What is wrong with paying some sign holders?

:shrug:

[AtomicKitten]

18. it's an illusion to pretend she has more than 6% of AA support

[rinsd]

25. She does have more than 6%.

[bellasgrams]

34. I really doubt they had a blacks only hiring. Get real. The people

wanted to do a day's work for a day's pay. If there were no blacks someone would have yelled unfair hiring practices.

[bellasgrams]

35. dupe

[AtomicKitten]

36. The "blacks" they hired are props - pure and simple.

[rinsd]

42. Did you check out the marketing firm the sign holders were contracted with?

Perhaps you can tell them how racist they are for using people as props.

:eyes:

[bellasgrams]

22. So you would be happy to take the money away from the

blacks that are working and give the jobs to whites? Good God you people are absolutely crazy. Why don't you ask the people working to quit. Maybe give up the money that was going to feed their family this week so a white family can have the money. Talk about racist. I feel like that little thing that bangs it's head on the wall, that some of you use.

[AtomicKitten]

32. No, I'd be happy with the truth, a rare commodity in the Clinton camp.

She's PRETENDING AAs support her. They do not.

[elixir]

23. Oh, AK, relax. "Subterfuge and BS"..it sounds like you guys are digging in the mud

and flinging whatever you can find. This is a non issue as your candidate does the same thing in spades.

Relax and focus on your candidate.

[AtomicKitten]

33. And Hillary is pretending to have AA support because she can't beat Barack head-on.

Like I said, her entire campaign is hubris and bullshit.

[sybylla]

40. Not subterfuge and bullshit - poor organization

If she had a ground game, she wouldn't have to pay people to stand on street corners and do visibility for her. That's a waste of prime campaign cash.

If she had a ground game, there'd be great long lines of volunteers (even black volunteers) ready to go out and do it for free.

It all reeks of poor campaign strategy. If she can't manage this effectively, how can she manage the presidency?

[Adelante]

9. I don't see why this a bad thing

It gives people some work who may need it. I also read where the Clinton camp had paid phone banks going on, which was a new one on me. But unless you are running an all grassroots all the time campaign, this doesn't seem out of order to me.

[rinsd]

11. Here is Southern Fried Marketing's myspace page.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=141002824

OMG they're using black people there too! :sarcasm:

This is yet another lame ass attempt by Obama nation to call Hillary racist.

[woolldog]

21. So what?

It's good that she's giving people jobs. I don't have a problem with it.

[joeybee12]

24. More lies from Kos...

...I swear, that site is making Free Republic look rational.

[MethuenProgressive]

30. Welcome to DU. You Hate Hillary, eh?

22.

[shaniqua6392]

37. Oh the nerve of that woman knows no bounds!!!!

Now she is giving jobs to African Americans? That is just horrible. Next we will find out that Obama has hired white people. :sarcasm:

[rateyes]

43. What's wrong with that?

She'd have to pay me to hold one for her. (And, I don't come cheap!) :rofl:

[TexasObserver]

44. When you have to PAY people to hold signs, you're DONE.

[democrat_nanny]

45. All campaigns end up with "paid volunteers"

That's what they call them. It's what they called them in the Kerry Campaign and every other major campaign I know of. I always thought it was a silly term but...it's certainly not like the Clinton campaign has pioneered this technique. Heck, in 2004, I met a group of AA voters who told me they were paid to VOTE for Kerry.

[BenDavid]

50. yeah and this silly sombitch did not mind taking HRC's money

and now he and that site has back stabbed a friend....Seems a lot of that going around in democratic circles these days.....but then agin it is the same old dems that back stabbed President Clinton....How did I ever get into this party?