Thoughts on John F. Harris's "Bill Clinton's Advice to Barack Obama"

[wyldwolf]

I have a nuanced agreement with most of the writer's points - specifically these two:

5. Spend more time speaking to your opponents.

Most Democrats, Clinton believes, spend too much time enjoying the cheers of the home crowd—and not enough trying to persuade people who do not already agree with them.

One of his favorite rhetorical tactics is to appear to be describing an opponent’s ideas in ways that sound perfectly fair and reasonable—as a prelude to why the opponent is dead wrong.

Clinton does this masterfully, yet at times it gives some on the left the shits - not fully aware of the trap Clinton has set.

8. And while you are it, give me an apology.

The meeting in Harlem was friendly, and Obama could have hardly hoped for a more lavish endorsement than he got from Clinton at the Democratic convention in Denver.

But he errs if he thinks the former president does not still have resentments toward Obama, and that those resentments might not surface at unwelcome times, in the view of many former aides.

Simply put, Clinton will never be fully at peace with Obama until the Democratic nominee makes clear—in emphatic words, in public—that Clinton is not in any way racist, and did not try to “play the race card” during the Democratic nomination contest, as some commentators have suggested.

There’s no question that Clinton was impolitic in comparing Obama’s victory in South Carolina to Jesse Jackson’s victory 20 years earlier. But Clinton is understandably outraged that people would argue this remark negated a career-long commitment to racial equality—and that Obama stood by mute while such charges were made.

Clinton swallowed his medicine with his speech for Obama in Denver. Obama has still not fully swallowed his by making a public defense of Clinton on race.

I wouldn't have used the term "apology" in my analysis. I might have said, "We both have things to atone for."

However, the premise is spot on, in my opinion. Branding someone a racist (or standing by as it happens when you know better) when that person clearly is NOT a racist is a terrible thing.

Anyway, here's the full piece:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13394.html

[blm]

1. Obama didn't brand Clinton a racist. Clinton let himself open to the charge from others for his own

choice to phrase his point using impolitic references. Why should Obama apologize when Bill is the one who erred? Which is it, anyway, Clinton knows EXACTLY what he's doing politically at all times because he's a genius, or Clinton made a political mistake and is now blaming others for their reaction to his mistake?

No one SAID Clinton was a racist himself, anyway - they said he appealed to the racism in others by making his impolitic remarks.

Further - Clinton NEVER went in front of ONE NATIONAL AUDIENCE throughout his entire summer2004 book tour without praising, supporting and even DEFENDING Bush from the criticisms Kerry and the left were launching against him at the time. Clinton was in many high profile interviews then and always sided WITH Bush defending him vigorously while completely ignoring Kerry's positions and solutions on terroriam and Iraq war.

Harris has become Clinton's stenographer since he wrote that book slamming Gore and Kerry and used McAuliffe and Clinton's snarky criticisms to do so.

[wyldwolf]

2. As always, in your religious zeal to knock Clinton, you simply don't read posts carefully enough

Obama didn't brand Clinton a racist.

Which is not said or implied in my post or the original source, making your tirade based on your misrepresentation moot.

[blm]

3. Harris thinks Obama should apologize for something he didn't do. My 'zeal' is to bring down BFEE

and the Dems who protected them are fair game - accountability matters.

[wyldwolf]

4. Obama did exactly what Harris said he did

:shrug:

Can you point out any time Obama said Clinton was not a racist?

[blm]

5. Can Harris point out one time Obama said Clinton WAS a racist?

BTW - can you point out ANY time when Clinton sided with open government accountable to the people whenever matters of GHWBush's illegal operations came up throughout the 90s?

Your devotion to the protectors of closed government has never been inspiring.

[wyldwolf]

7. Harris didn't say Obama said Clinton was a racist. You seem to be missing that point

:shrug:

[blm]

8. Harris is wrong for saying Obama SHOULD defend Clinton on that when it was Clinton's mistake to

correct. Period. Obama doesn't have to swallow Clinton's mistake for him.

Clinton should swallow his medicine and apologize to ME and every other Democrat and citizen of this nation for closing BCCI matters that should have put Bush and his cronies in jail instead of back in the WH in 2001, and for protecting BushInc throughout the 90s, and for defending Bush2 throughout his summer 2004 book tour. But then, you sided with Clinton's vigorous support and defense of Bush, didn't you?

[wyldwolf]

9. the third time you've altered your point and the second time you've tried to change the subject

:rofl:

[blm]

10. Another obtuse reply from an entrenched Clinton apologist who sides with closed government.

.

[wyldwolf]

11. make that the THIRD time you've tried to change the subject!

[jbnow]

6. Agree in part. The apology couldn't be what

is suggested exactly.

I think he could apologize for bringing up Clinton along with Nixon as not being transformational in his Nevada interview. It was an intentional dig I think...and a way of getting back at Bill for things he had said.

"Obama has still not fully swallowed his by making a public defense of Clinton on race."
Obama has publicly defended them on race many times. He did not leap to do it but any time he was asked (often) if something they said or did was racist he would say no and do a brief defense of them.
He might have thought they were playing the race card some but he never said or implied it...and again even more he denied it. He talked about their long work in civil rights many times.

The media tended to play and replay the things that would show controversy and not the things that would quell it. There were people who did imply or state some racial component...but most were people Obama couldn't tell what to do like pundits or people not affiliated like James Clyburn.
They were saying some pretty bad things about him that he didn't deserve. I'm not sure Obama should have gone much further than defending them when he was asked but it was important he answered that way. The racial issue didn't help Obama in any way. It might have gained a few black votes but it was bound to lose more white votes.

So offering regrets might be a better way to put it than apologize on the race part. I am not sure what he'd apologize for.