Clinton On Working Class White Folks: "Screw 'em" - Story Corroboration...

[BlooInBloo]

I recall some folks here talking about how there was no evidence that she ever said this.

(Should that be taken to imply that if there WERE such evidence, there'd be a problem? If not, then why bother talking about lack of evidence in the first place?)

Well there's certainly no tape recording (waits for Clinton supporters to stop cheering), but there is corroboration of the story, from Josh Marshall's TPM (that bastion of Clinton-hatred).

From a scholar who was actually THERE:

Barber reports in his 2001 book that Hillary Clinton said "Screw 'em" about southern working class whites who did not support Bill Clinton. Two other scholar-particiants, Alan Wolfe and Harry Boyte, agree she said this. Reported demurrals (and not a clear denial) come from Clinton staffers Bruce Reed and Ken Baer, not from the independent intellectuals in attendance. But independent witnesses who keep notes trump employees any day.

I have gone back to my 1995 notes to check my recollections of the event. My notes do not have any exact words, so I am not going to try to corroborate a particular phrase from Hillary Clinton or any other speaker.

But what is clear in both in my memory and my notes is that there was extensive, hard-nosed discussion about why masses of voters did not support Clinton or trust government or base their choices on economic as opposed to what people saw as peripheral life-style concerns. Hillary Clinton was among the most cold-blooded analysts in attendance. She spoke of ordinary voters as if they were a species apart, and showed interest only in the political usefulness of their choices -- usefulness to the Clinton administration, that is.

I vividly remember at the time finding it impressive that Bill Clinton (not Hillary Clinton) showed real empathy for the ordinary people whose motives and supposedly misguided choices were under analysis. Ironically, just as Barber reported, Bill Clinton was the one who combined analysis and empathy, much as Obama himself did in his full San Francisco remarks.

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/04/17/what_she_said/

Conclude what you will.

[mamalone]

1. Interesting....

Thanks for sharing. I'll be looking forward to the responses from the Clinton enthusiasts.

[McCamy Taylor]

2. The Obama camp seems outraged that the MSM is not picking up yet another Hillary is a

Bitch story as readily as they usually do. I keep seeing this one over and over at DU. I wonder how many emails have gone from Obama staffers to MSM journalists on this story.

Don't the Obama staffers understand that without a recording of Hillary this story is going no where, because to have any effect TV pundits will have to say the words

SCREW 'EM

out loud themselves. Which will provide sound bite material for their foes and enemies until the end of time. Does Chris Matthews or KO or Brian Williams or Andrea Mitchell want legions of YouTubers out there making weird doctored videos of them saying "Screw'em" in all kinds of political contexts?

I don't think so.

Sorry guys. Unless you can find some right winger like Rush Limbaugh to trot out this story, I am afraid that it is going to remain in the print press.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

5. Katie Couric talked about it on the CBS Evening News tonight.

Now I'll grant you that probably only 10 people watched it, since it's Couric. But you prediction that it would remain in the print press is incorrect.

[flpoljunkie]

21. Indeed, she did, with chief correspondent Jeff Greenfield. Link below. Begins at 9:32 into the tape.

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/eveningnews/main3420.shtml

Click on the link to watch tonight's evening news.

[DemBones DemBones]

3. TPM is an Obama site now, not worth reading unless you

need a Kool-aid refill. Too bad, Josh used to do actual analysis.

[Arrowhead2k1]

4. Does it make you feel better to call us "Kool-aid" drinkers all the time?

I mean, doesn't that shit ever get old, even for you? Does Irony mean anything to you?

I know that's a lot of tough questions, I'm sure you'll just laugh em' off.

[Zachstar]

22. Any new insults? Kool-aid is so 20th century...

[ScarletSniper]

25. Agreed. Old and tired

[SunsetDreams]

6. It wouldn't be a big deal so much had she not

tried to hammer Obama for being an elitist for remarks that were like kid gloves compared to hers.

This will not play well! For 5-6 days Hillary pushed this story, she will reap what she sows.

[george_maniakes]

7. Its not good shes denying it...it just keeps the story alive....

and since people dont in general think of her as trustworthy they might be willing to believe three other neutral people over her.

[BlooInBloo]

8. If she did say it (and it looks like she did), there's no good way to handle it....

... Scholars are hard to "deal" with on things like that.

[george_maniakes]

17. she could do what shes doing with snipergate...

say "oops", press says not good, and thats it. Its not like obama is going to go after her on it, he just wants to get as far away from her and her politics as possible.

[cbayer]

9. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I thought this was the individual who reported it.

If so, that's not corroboration, that is iteration.

On edit, I see after reading the article that it is not the same person.

However, the author of this link specifically said that she can not corroborate the specific statement.

[BlooInBloo]

10. Consider yourself corrected.

[cbayer]

11. You are right. I should have read the article first.

Laziness on my part and I apologize. I actually edited my post before I received your reply.

However, I do put up the challenge that this writer corroborated the specific statement. She clearly says that she can not corroborate it.

[BlooInBloo]

13. That's nice. You're challenging something I never claimed. Give my regards to the windmills.

[cbayer]

14. The very title of your post is what I am challenging.

You say the author corroborates the "Screw 'em" comment. She specifically states that she can not do that:

"I have gone back to my 1995 notes to check my recollections of the event. My notes do not have any exact words, so I am not going to try to corroborate a particular phrase from Hillary Clinton or any other speaker."

Don Quixote is one of my personal heroes.

[BlooInBloo]

15. No, I simply didn't say that.

[cbayer]

18. Clinton On Working Class White Folks: "Screw 'em" - Story Corroboration...

That's your title. No question that she goes on to make the case that Hillary was harsh during this meeting, but she does not corroborate the story, as your title says.

I don't want to get into a meaningless debate. If that's not what you meant, that's not what you meant.

[BlooInBloo]

20. I'm sorry you can't tell the difference between your words and mine....

... There's little I can do about that.

[Bonobo]

12. Was there ever any doubt? That my friends, is an elitist. Can't wait to hear the excuses.

:rofl:

[Zachstar]

16. Looks like it is getting buried in pre-primary stuffs so it may not get much attantion till may.

[quantass]

19. K&R

[FrenchieCat]

23. Kick!

[catgirl]

24. "political usefulness"

that's about right.

[flpoljunkie]

26. Any of the other cable news shows cover this "screw 'em" story besides CBS's Katie Couric?