Open Thread: Double Standard?

Posted on April 25, 2008 by riverdaughter

Geoff Garin has a piece in the Washington Post today about the double standard that makes everything Clinton says a negative against Obama but Obama can say anything about her with impunity. What do you think?

This is an open thread.

Filed under: Media, Presidential Election 2008 | Tagged: , ,

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40 Responses

  1. myiq2xu, on April 25th, 2008 at 5:42 pm Said:

    The explanation is very simple:

    This is your brain. This is your brain on kool-aid. Any questions?

  2. Pat Johnson, on April 25th, 2008 at 5:56 pm Said:

    Obama is still the “black guy” in the race. His campaign, which does not mirror his slogan, had to find a way to make him viable. As a white man with such a thin resume he would have been taken to task. But instead his handlers used an opening by injecting the race card into the equation through Bill Clinton. Who has been more beloved by the black community than Bill Clinton? Those sitting on the fence found their “wedge” opportunity by turning this into Hillary’s issue. They deliberately made her the scapegoat. We have had many discussions online regarding racism and sexism. We were in basic agreement that sexism will long outlast racism as an issue.limbing aboard

    Whatever she says about her opponent is quickly translated into racism which is the harshest label to overcome. They know this. Their policy decisions are not that divergent. You have to find the wedge. Not enough votes separate them to call a clear winner. She is a better policy wonk. The only difference overall is race. By using race as a divisive issue she becomes the villain, he the oppressed. And it works.

    It works because how many of those black super delegates rushed to announce for Obama before any major states had been in play? It works because all she can do is deny. It works because a residual seed of fear still resides within is and we wish it did not. In this arena she is unable to fight back. Whatever she says, however she says it, can be disregarded for she has been painted her to their liking. It is a crying shame.

  3. bostonboomer, on April 25th, 2008 at 5:58 pm Said:

    What an excellent piece. I guess this is the only way the Clinton campaign can get any kind of fairness–bypass the talking heads and reporters and speak directly to the voters through op-eds. I’d like to see more of these.

  4. tucsonlynn, on April 25th, 2008 at 6:56 pm Said:

    I am starting to believe that the Democratic leadership does not want to ever win the Presidency.
    Bill Clinton’s two terms were a fluke and only won through his own tenacity, … Jimmy Carter was clearly a token due to the Watergate scandal.
    Can anyone explain why this might be?
    Really, they did nothing to assist John Kerry, and on election night we all thought he had won, they did less than nothing to help Al Gore who, it must be argued, did indeed win…..
    They must know that Obama will not beat McCain and I now think that was their plan all along.
    Bastards.

    BTW, I love the conspicuous silence in the Obama supporter post.

  5. gqmartinez, on April 25th, 2008 at 6:59 pm Said:

    What’s the difference between “WordPress.com” and “WordPress.org”?

  6. riverdaughter, on April 25th, 2008 at 7:06 pm Said:

    tucsonlynn: I hear that Mary Matalin was on some program this morning and said virtually the same thing. Supposedly, Dean et al are intimidated by Markos and the Big Orange Cheeto people and don’t want to alienate the creative class. Also, if they lose this year, it’s no big deal because they will have won down ticket, or so they think. Actually, I think Matalin might be ODing on her meds. If a lot of Dems stay home this year in protest, there may not BE a lot of downticket wins.
    The only thing I can think of is that Dean is a closet Republican.

  7. riverdaughter, on April 25th, 2008 at 7:08 pm Said:

    gmq: I think the answer is in the FAQ’s. I think wordpress.com is the front page for the wordpress blog community while wordpress.org is the development arm of the operation. Don’t quote me on that. It’s been awhile since I read the FAQs

  8. riverdaughter, on April 25th, 2008 at 7:16 pm Said:

    Woo-Hoo! Katiebird, your lovely face is on the frontpage of wordpress.com! Happy Birthday!

  9. katiebird, on April 25th, 2008 at 7:33 pm Said:

    Hi RD, I SAW!! Wow! And it’s been a great birthday, thanks!! (especially with your wonderful early morning post)

    gmq: WordPress.org is the support site for people who blog using the WordPress software — generally on their own sites. You can download the software from them and they have bulletin boards and support documentation. Also a huge collection of templates so people can make their blog look however they want with minimal coding. I used it for a couple of years before switching to TypePad for my blog.

    WordPress.com is the WordPress version of Blogger. And riverdaughter knows way more than me about this. Confluence is my first experience with it.

  10. katiebird, on April 25th, 2008 at 7:34 pm Said:

    My lovely face (delicate snort)

  11. DCDemocrat, on April 25th, 2008 at 8:12 pm Said:

    Superdelegates “have every right to overturn the popular vote and choose the candidate they believe would be best equipped to defeat John McCain in a general election,” DNC Chairman Howard Dean told the Financial Times.

    http://www.ft.com/cms/s/3d03a310-12f7-11dd-8d91-0000779fd2ac,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2F3d03a310-12f7-11dd-8d91-0000779fd2ac.html%3Fnclick_check%3D1&_i_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fpoliticalwire.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F04%2F25%2Fdean_says_nominee_will_be_chosen_in_last_races.html%3Fdisqus_reply%3D381803&nclick_check=1

    1 point

    Please login to rate.

    Now that Hillary is leading the popular vote, Dean pronounces it’s okay to overturn the popular will. But there was no such pronouncement when Obama was in the lead.

  12. MABlue, on April 25th, 2008 at 8:15 pm Said:

    I always get infuriated when this issue comes up, because I am actually an informed voter and an obsessive reader. (Yes, I am the one among the proletariat that is Hillary’s support.)

    Obama and his campaign has been trashing Hillary from day one and they keep being viewed as clean.

    John Dickerson from Slate was surprised by something he saw in PA :

    When he’s decrying the trivial distractions in politics, I think he may be crossing his fingers behind his back.

    As the senator’s campaign train wound from one speech where he denounced tit-for-tat politics to the next speech where he denounced tit-for-tat politics, his campaign hosted a conference call to engage in the practice the candidate was busy denouncing. I suppose it would have been an even greater act of chutzpah for the Obama campaign to host the conference call while Sen. Obama was denouncing that kind of behavior, but not much more of one.

    Let’s not forget, these are also the people who have tarred swaths of DEMOCRATS as racists, just because they refused to be blackmailed into voting for the weaker candidate. Hillary is evil for daring to run against him.

    I have I said how much these people make me sick?

  13. katiebird, on April 25th, 2008 at 8:18 pm Said:

    DCDem, I’m just too lazy to register right now…. :) Would you mind if I do it later?

    It sounds like a good story. In the, “it’s about time!” section.

  14. katiebird, on April 25th, 2008 at 8:22 pm Said:

    MABlue, that’s a good article. Thanks for sharing it. Did you see the HuffingtonPost this morning. They had a huge story about the press turning against Obama. Finally. Maybe.

  15. Davidson, on April 25th, 2008 at 8:35 pm Said:

    DCDemocrat: That’s great news, actually, because the only electable candidate left is Clinton and I’m not sure if she can hold onto the popular vote count, honestly. The supers must do what’s best for the party and the country.

  16. Ohio, on April 25th, 2008 at 8:42 pm Said:

    Funny thing about the headline at HuffPost: jumping ship from Obama to Clinton is an admission that the MSM was for Obama to start with.

    Ha ha. Damn me and my booklearnin.

    This is totally OT, but it’s an open thread.

    I watched that NCGOP ad with Rev. Wright a couple nights ago and I actually felt sick. My reaction was familiar—nobody gets to punch my little brother but me.

    Now, I don’t like the attacks on Sen. Clinton, but she can deal. I defend her policies, statements, and positions as often as I can by using a funny little thing called facts.

    But watching that one ad, I had an overwhelming desire to protect him. And this is not good for someone who wants to be president. Well, maybe president of the stamp club, but not president of the United States.

    The GOP 527s nasties will destroy him. Not just politically—they’ll do that on their way to destroying him as a human being.

    Do you remember that press conference then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton gave? After the BJ. She sat in a chair. She was wearing yellow, I think. It lasted forever and she answered all of these questions about the most humiliating experience of her life.

    Hillary Rodham Clinton had whatever it was you need to get through something like that.

    I don’t think Sen. Obama does. The GOP will eviscerate the man. And that ain’t right.

    I don’t know if there is a defense with this stuff. With Sen. Clinton everybody just shrugs and says, “Yeah, I’ve heard that insult before. You know, too, every time she smiles and angel explodes.”

    But already Sen. Obama seems to be handling setbacks and no one has even decked him yet.

    Anyway, I know some people want him to twitch—hey, I’m not above the schadenfreude. And there was a time I thought Democrats didn’t call other Dems racist to win primaries. Guess it’s true—you’re never too old to learn.

  17. katiebird, on April 25th, 2008 at 8:42 pm Said:

    Charles, maybe they couldn’t stop themselves? 527s aren’t a formal organization. The guys who are in it might have been playing around with ad ideas and when they got what they wanted done — maybe they just couldn’t make themselves hold off.

    Because you’re right. It doesn’t make sense to release it now. It’s good for us to see the sorts of things that might be coming if BO gets the nomination.

    But, it’s sort of like Wright going on Moyers tonight — it doesn’t make sense either. Really.

  18. DCDemocrat, on April 25th, 2008 at 8:47 pm Said:

    More good news. Eleanor Clift writes:

    “I’m beginning to think Hillary Clinton might pull this off and wrestle the nomination away from Barack Obama.”

    http://www.newsweek.com/id/134012

    She been in the Obama is inevitable corner for a while

  19. DCDemocrat, on April 25th, 2008 at 8:49 pm Said:

    Katiebird: I think I have a comment that was caught in the zealous spam detector.

  20. katiebird, on April 25th, 2008 at 8:54 pm Said:

    I think I freed it, DC. And I’m off to read the story.

    I sent a fan letter to a good woman journalist (exceedingly famous) a couple of weeks ago. And she sent me a note back asking why people like BO so much. So I know there are people out there who never “drank the kool-aid” — but they’ve been pretty quiet about it. Haven’t they?

  21. WS, on April 25th, 2008 at 9:11 pm Said:

    A new ARG poll in Indiana

    Clinton: 50
    Obama: 45

  22. DCDemocrat, on April 25th, 2008 at 9:13 pm Said:

    katiebird: From the git go, I think Barry was utterly vacuous. Eleanor Clift’s article doesn’t seem particularly excited about the prospect of Hillary winning, so it has the added benefit of seeming like an unbiased perspective.

  23. katiebird, on April 25th, 2008 at 9:22 pm Said:

    (nodding) Or maybe she’s just not into swooning over anyone.

  24. riverdaughter, on April 25th, 2008 at 9:36 pm Said:

    DCD & Kbird: Hmmm, Clift is the second person I’ve read today who thinks the media is turning on Obama. How weird is that?

  25. DCDemocrat, on April 25th, 2008 at 9:39 pm Said:

    riverdaughter: Matthews last night was saying that he thinks Hillary might just pull the thing off. Clearly, Obama’s humiliating loss in Pennsylvania has been having some reverberations.

  26. William, on April 25th, 2008 at 9:41 pm Said:

    Since we have seen that the DNC has basically sold itself to Barack Obama, by tying in his fundraising to theirs, I am speculating about some new money-raising opportunities to be announced by the formerly cash-strapped body. All in complete fairness, of course; because we all know that Dean and the DNC are absolutely neutral.

    “Tours of Obama’s ‘Rezko House’ to be given throughout the month of May. DNC staffers will be on hand to serve refreshements, and answer any questions guests may have about the electoral process. All proceeds to go equally to Obama, Rezko and the DNC.”

    “A dinner with Barack Obama and the DNC. Restaurant to soon be announced. Dine with Senator Obama on a variety of dishes, while he personally tells you how he plans to create an America of hope and change. Donna Brazile will serve up her special waffles, while Howard Dean himself will contribute an ‘Obama cocktail’ which he personally created. Bring your entire family and your checkbook.”

    “Make a bet on Barack. Offshore sportsbooks are making Obama a 5-1 favorite to win the nomination. Well, we can tell you it is a lot better thah that. In fact, if you place a thousand dollar or more bet on Obama to win the nomination, and promise to give the DNC half your winnings, the DNC will be able to offer you a complete reimbursement, should Obama somehow not prevail. You can’t lose; and neither can we!”

    “The DNC is proud to announce a merger between itself and the Obama campaign. Rest assured that all of the DNC officers will remain in place, although David Plouffe and David Axelrod will oversee many DNC operations. We are pleased to tell you that Senator Obama’s well-funded campaign has promised to pay all DNCers salaries until November, at which time he is planning to take over all DNC operations himself. A joint press conference involving Senator Obama and Howard Dean will be held on May 30, at which time they will jointly announce the members of the DNC Rules Committee which will of course rule on all delegate issues.”

  27. bostonboomer, on April 25th, 2008 at 9:52 pm Said:

    William: very funny. Unfortunately, probably not far from the truth.

  28. daria g, on April 25th, 2008 at 10:17 pm Said:

    So my reasoning is this, the 527 ad is aiming at preventing Obama from sealing the nomination in the hopes that it goes to a brokered convention and if Clinton gets the nod that so offends a large portion of Obama supporters that they bolt or if Obama gets the nod he is so weakened that he loses easily.

    Possibly. See Rush Limbaugh – Operation Chaos. He has a big audience, of course. Part of the intent of it is to make the point that party bigwigs (superdelegates) will choose the nominee no matter what – therefore the “Democrat” party has no regard for the voters.

  29. daria g, on April 25th, 2008 at 10:23 pm Said:

    My other theory is that it sets the precedent of letting state/local/affiliated GOP groups run batshit crazy ads and get free airtime trashing the opposition even while letting McCain do his “that’s dishonorable I reject that” dance. He’s going to try to run by being as little of a Republican as possible..

  30. WS, on April 25th, 2008 at 11:29 pm Said:

    Here is the internals for the Research 2000 poll which has Obama leading by 1 and in the margin of error – 48-47%

    http://www.southbendtribune.com/assets/pdf/SB44325424.HTM

    Women: 55%
    Men: 45%

    (the women number should be higher – should be at least 57% judging by the other primaries and will probably be 58-59% on election day)

    AA: 13%
    White: 84%
    Other: 3%

    This looks about right although I’m guessing 12% AA turnout – SUSA predicts 11% AA turnout from their last poll.

    Age:

    18-29 – 22%
    30-44 – 29%
    45-59 – 28%
    60+ – 21%

    The 18-29 demographic is way too high. College Heavy Wisconsin got 17% in that demographic (with same day registration that Indiana does not have), Illinois – 15%, Ohio – 16%, Missouri – 14%, Virginia – 14%, California, – 16%, and Massachussetts – 14%.

  31. WillBFair, on April 25th, 2008 at 11:29 pm Said:

    The bottom line for me is that the media have always attacked our most knowledgeable leaders. So of course they’re supporting a puppet and a weakling.
    None of Obama’s race baiting, or lack of qualifications, or shallow rhetoric, or insults for the red States, or anti Americanism would stand for one minute without massive smoke screens from the media. Their strangling tentacles now encircle the party, and even the New Yorker is running weekly puff pieces on Obama. The smear campaign was dumber than ever, and still Obama’s worshippers swallowed it in three minutes. This is ignorance at the cellular level, and mountains of fact and reasoning have no effect.

  32. BettyB, on April 25th, 2008 at 11:40 pm Said:

    Daria, I’m with you on the Operation Chaos theory. Rush Limbaugh’s intention is to fan the flame of the race issue to cause an irreparable split in the Democratic party and to incite riots at the Denver convention. It’s been his game plan all along. No matter which one is nominated, he could get his wish. I’m supporting Hillary all the way, but I fail to see how it will work without Obama happily in the VP slot.

  33. katiebird, on April 25th, 2008 at 11:53 pm Said:

    Charles, wow — linked from the HuffingtonPost. And we were linked from Hillary Hub all day too!!

  34. twandx, on April 26th, 2008 at 8:01 am Said:

    And last night KO illustrated your theme in nearly every sentence he spoke. Praising BO and picking apart HRC’s stump speech – plus an non-apologetic apology for his remarks made previously that were intended to encourage the murder of HRC.

    Here we are, America. With MSNBC and the other cable cabals making us into a third world nation where elections are held and the winner assinated.

  35. jacilyn, on April 26th, 2008 at 8:31 am Said:

    William: too true. Depressing but funny.

  36. jacilyn, on April 26th, 2008 at 8:35 am Said:

    BettyB, our Democratic party leadership does not seem to care about whether “it will work”. If you paid people to sabotage the party, I imagine they’d behave pretty much the way Dean etc. have. Whether they’re crooked, stupid, or egotistical I cannot figure out … but there is SOMETHING wrong with these people.

  37. WS, on April 26th, 2008 at 2:36 pm Said:

    Great diary on Alice Palmer, Obama’s “mentor” (and later “won” against by striking voters off the voter rolls). She now supports Hillary.

    http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/4/26/131125/642

    He’s trying to do the same thing in this election by preventing votes from Florida and Michigan from counting either in its original contests or in revotes.

  38. WS, on April 26th, 2008 at 2:44 pm Said:

    Talk Left has a story too on Alice Palmer:

    http://www.talkleft.com/story/2008/4/26/132325/373

  39. WS, on April 26th, 2008 at 2:49 pm Said:

    Don’t let Obama stifle the voices of voters just like he did in Chicago. What’s funny is that Obama knocked four candidates off the ballot leaving him as the only choice using “the roolz” as rationale. Now, he’s complaining about his voluntary absence from the Michigan ballot as well as blocking revotes and he’s using “the roolz” to keep them from counting.

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