When “Just Words” Are All You’ve Got
By Bud White on May 30, 2008 at 4:39 PM in Appalachia, Barack Obama, Bill Ayers, Current Affairs, Electability, Electoral College, Elitism, Media, Media Bias, Popular Vote, Presidential Candidates, Small town America, White People
by Bud White and Medusa
In 2001, Gene Lyons and Joe Conason, both respected journalists of the center-left, co-authored The Hunting of the President, a frightening look at the Right’s conspiracy to destroy the Clintons. However, it is more frightening still to realize that the neo-liberals are putting to use the same tactics to destroy Hillary. The RFK assassination “issue” comes to mind as a particularly ugly example.
Ironically, Lyons and Conason exemplify the split within the Democratic Party. Conason suggests that Hillary Clinton is channeling George Wallace (an analogy used here first but accurately applied to Obama), and he “worries” about this harming Hillary’s reputation. On the other hand, Lyons chronicles how Obama encourages the press corps’ anti-Hillary biases, and he warns of a split in the Democratic coalition.
In their book, Lyons and Conason show how the Washington press corps were accomplices in the Right’s plan to destroy the Clintons. Perhaps having learned from that analysis, now Conason uses the same straw man techniques to question Hillary’s motives. For example, when Hillary stated that Obama is having trouble winning the votes of blue-collar whites, Conason interprets her comments with this broadside:
What she should not ignore, however, is the damage that her increasingly reckless behavior is inflicting on her reputation and that of her husband — especially when she starts to sound like a reincarnation of the late George Wallace.
What Conason doesn’t address is that Obama does have a problem winning the votes of blue-collar whites. Conason is using the same rhetorical trick as Keith Olbermann and Markos Moulitsas, the trick where accusations of racism are treated the same as real racism.
However, as the Times pointed out the day after Hillary trounced Obama in West Virginia, she beat him because of her economic message, not because of racism:
Nearly two-thirds of West Virginia voters said that the economy was the most important issue facing the country, and they backed Mrs. Clinton by a margin of 2 to 1. About 9 in 10 voters say they were affected by the current economic slowdown, including nearly half who said they were affected a great deal. Mrs. Clinton was supported by about three-quarters of those most affected.
Obama bloggers screamed “racism” at the incredible rejection of Obama by West Virginia voters. However, as Paul Lukasiak shows, Obama once lead Hillary among white men by 4.6% but now trails her by 12.9%. It’s not Obama’s skin color which matters; that hasn’t changed. What has changed is the information the public has received about Obama, his associates, and the way he has conducted his campaign. For instance, the Obama campaign’s suggestion that Hillary is waiting for something unthinkable to happen to Obama.
Avoiding the pathos invoked by Conason, Lyons writes that low-income whites are attracted to Hillary because of her populist, patriotic message:
Every available poll shows that economics, health care and national security motivate such voters, not bigotry. Academic leftists have daydreamed about a winning coalition of African Americans and latte-sipping idealists since forever, but it’s never worked before, and there’s no reason to believe it can work [now].
Conason continues his rhetorical tricks of smearing the Clintons by praising the Clintons’ past stands on racial issues, and then bemoaning that:
the Clintons probably understand the essential evil of racism better than most white politicians. They have certainly done more than most of today’s white politicians to combat that evil. That is why, as they contemplate the conclusion of this campaign, they deserve better from themselves than to encourage doubt about their decency and character.
Juxtaposed to Conason’s straw man argument, Lyons calls out the media for their obvious bias:
But it’s not merely patronizing for the Washington media to have taken sides, it’s dangerous. By declaring an extremely close contest over, and by repeatedly questioning the motives, even the sanity, of Clinton and her supporters, they’ve led Democrats to ignore a big chunk of political reality.
The reality of which Lyons writes is the divisions which have arisen in this primary that constitute a culture war. During the rise of the evangelical movement, the culture wars involved the strictures of Christian Right versus the secular mainstream. Similar to that culture war, the one that is dividing the Democratic Party is based on differing values: the race-baiting ideology of the neo-liberals, including accusing the Clintons of racism against all contrary evidence, accompanied by sweeping allegations of racism directed at anyone not supporting Obama, versus the more progressive positions proposed by Hillary such as advocating solutions for our economic woes, universal health care, a livable wage, and being strong on national security issues.
To put it differently, in order to promote their far-left (but less progressive) agenda, Obama and his operatives participate in willful misinterpretation for the sake of accusation and slander, tools employed by the far Right and the media in the 1990s. They employ an intentional knee-jerk reaction to find fault and blame Hillary Clinton not because she’s wrong but in order to further their own agenda, primarily the acquisition of power and the expelling of blue-collar whites from the Party. Contrast this with Hillary’s supporters’ ongoing questions about Obama: we want to know who he is, what he has accomplished, and why someone would vote for him.
This is especially important because Obama has received fewer votes than Hillary and he is the weaker Democratic candidate, yet it appears that he is being forced onto Democrats even though they have soured to his candidacy. Anglachel describes the culture war in this campaign in these terms:
The actual political battle being fought this electoral year is whether or not the Democratic Party is willing to abandon its elitist politics of resentment against its own working class core and take that part of the population back from the Republicans…
If the anti-Clinton wing persists in the politics of demonization to the detriment of the party, they will be the ones left at the station as the Republicans drive off with the majority of the voters.
Conason and Lyons, once coauthors and now on opposite sides in this new culture war, epitomize this distinction: one fishes for blame and the other hunts for answers
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Nice article. Thanks. Obama did more than just encourage the press. From Texas on, he waged a non-stop character attack on Hillary that dominated the headlines. Why won’t she release her taxes? She’ll do anything to win! She’s unworthy (Bosnia). She’s divisive. She’s a liar (nafta).
My problem now is that I not only do not trust Obama, but I don’t want to be a part of a group that pushed this type of smear campaign to win.
I hate to let them call themselves Democrats, but it appears, that’s not a choice.
He won’t release his medical records. Just like Dukakis. It will work out about the same too.
I thought I saw it on Lynn Sweet that he had released his records…Good Post Bud…Obam splits the Party…the Country…Families and friends…
Not very indicative of a Unifier is it ?
And what’s disgusting about this kind of deliberate manipulation is that it works. Last weekend, I was with an old friend–well-educated, unconventional, open-minded (I thought). When I proudly declared my support for Hillary and talked about Obama’s foreign policy blunders, she yelled at me:
“SHE’S A LIAR!”
35 years of dedicated public service, and she’s reduced to “a liar,” just because they’ve been repeating it constantly. When I mentioned that Obama has plenty of lies, she got extremely defensive, and didn’t know about any of it. Another friend said, “He’s the One.”
That’s when you know it’s propaganda: the talking points aren’t even original. Just regurgitated platitudes.
Good piece Bud–keep it up.
I was sickened by Conason’s attack on Hillary. If anyone should understand how this game works, it is he, yet he even he is buying into the media spin. What a disgrace.
That being said, I still think “Hunting of the President” should be required reading for all Democrats. (Or rent the video.) You cannot believe the lengths to which the Republicans went to get the Clintons. And they will keep using these tactics until the public catches on - and the media sure won’t tell us. Obviously Axelrod knows how it works since he is using a lot of the same tricks to torpedo Hillary. However, in the GE he will be up against the Republican machine who will know what he is up to. With all the ammunition Obama has given the Republicans with his ties to radical associates, defeating him should be a cake walk, unless the media’s crush on Obama outweighs their love for the manly McCain. If I were Obama I would not count on that. Besides, they have their own network for broadcasting their propaganda. Obama is doomed.
I truly believe that as the history of this primary season is written, the unvarnished “TRUTH’ will come out. Not that we don’t already see what has happened to Sen.Clinton. Those that think that we are all in a fog, that we all see angels dancing on pin heads, that we all have giving over our free will to the “Master” on the Boob Tube had better beware…There is a day of reckoning coming and those that perpetuated this travesty will pay dearly!
I know. I’m looking forward to a well-researched book on this whole sorry state of affairs, to find out what is really going on behind the scenes.
Gerry Ferraro talked today about a group of professional women that are funding a Harvard study to investigate racism and sexism in this campaign, the the media’s lack of objective integrity, and their treatment of Hillary Clinton. That’s a study I definitely want to see.
oh they’ll be some good books written on it and i hope they tell the unvarnished truth about brazile, dean, pelosi, kennedy, kerry and the rest. we need to know just who is pretending to lead the dems. they are heading off the cliff. you don’t think the repubs are planning a return to power in the mid term elections? sure they are! and who is aiding and helping them just like they have since 06, why the democratic supposed leadership.
This is the most destructive race I have ever witnessed in my many years as a Democrat. The party has been divided and lies and smears have been openly injected into the dialogue without recourse. Few have been called out in the Obama camp for perpetuating these distortions, i.e., the Clintons are racist, because the press is so in the pocket of the Obama campaign.
Race is an issue because the Obama people knew how to play it. All they needed were a handful of the Villagers and a compliant MSM to hold their disbelief and those pretend charges became fact. Seeing the hatred spew forth on blogs friendly to Obama is disgusting. Putting this support behind an unprepared and inexperienced candidate who has so many holes in is resume as to beg an answer is deeply puzzling.
Where do you go from here,Larry, as one of his staunchest critics as it appears he will be coronated next week with the nomination? Do you turn off the spigot and find a seat on the Obama bus? I cannot stand John McCain but will cast a protest vote for him as a result of what has been done to Sen. Clinton. She does not deserve this and nothing will make me look at his candidacy again. There is no there there. And his followers and their philosophy have me spooked.
the other day on a blog there was a militant aa blogger with the whites did this and that. basically it was recitation of rev wright. no one on there would confront this dufus except me. this blogger tried in everyway possible to shame me and try and say i was racist. fortunately i am not that and have confidence in myself. so many others will huddle to the side and not say anything when insinuations like this are thrown around. they were and will be again. count on that.
tomorrows either the renewal of the DNP or its end!
If Dean and Brazile made threats to those on the commitee, then trouble will be brewing!
The lawyers who said the 50% rule must apply, are for Dean, and thus Iowa, NH and SC must follow the same suit. Anything short is voter manipulation by the DNP leaders!
IA, NH and SC got dispensation from Pope Dean to have the primaries earlier. Therefore they are not heathens, like MI and FL, whose voters the DNC has declared persona non grata.
FROM TALK LEFT;;
Via Politico, the Pew Research Center has a new report, available here, finding 49% of white women and 35% of Democratic white women now have a negative perception of Obama. Politico summarizes:
Forty-nine percent of white women view Obama unfavorably, while only 43 percent hold a favorable opinion. In February, 36 percent of these women viewed Obama unfavorably, while 56 percent had a positive perception of the likely Democratic nominee.
Over the same period, Democratic white women’s negative view of Obama increased from 21 percent to 35 percent, while their positive view decreased from 72 percent to 60 percent — roughly the same rate as white women overall.
DID I HEAR OBAMA SAY
:;UMM UHHHHHHHH UH UH I can get hillary voters but the question is -can she get my voters?
well folks -there you have it —a man with foot in the mouth disease or someone who needs to freeze his tongue off .
For months now I have believed that the GOP wanted Obama to win all along - b/c they knew that Hillary could beat McCain. People are blind. The media has lead a war on Hillary Clinton that I still can’t believe. I read an article today - written by a middle aged woman - who compared Hillary to a “spoiled school girl who can’t get into the college of her choice.” Thank goodness for your website.
Keith Doberman has a special (ed) comment about Hillary for mentioning RFKs assassination in this primary season. But has no problem with himself saying that someone needs to KILL Sen. Clinton by taking her into a back room and making sure she doesn’t ever come out.
viagrakopf - wrong head gets the woody.
I only wish that we could get articles like this into the “liberal elite” mainstream (yes, even PBS)- to help more of our citizens be able to put the mess into context. We are about to allow our nation and our national culture to be even further co-opted by these very serious psychological manipulations. Thanks for bringing this important analysis to light.
I always liked Lyons better.
Yes! But who knew Joe Conason was SUCH an ass?
yeah especially since he wrote about what the repubs did. the guy has always been arrogant.
I don’t even know where to begin on this. I have seen white people I know, without a second thought, smear Clinton followers as racist. They didn’t know I was against Obama and assumed I was on his side. Imagine their surprise when I spoke up to stop them from continuing the race-bating.
But these people were clearly not doing their homework or paying attention closely. They heard a few talking points that got repeated by other Obama supporters and the next thing you know, everyone who is on Hillary’s side is “racist.”
These people were not paying attention closely enough, simply repeating mindlessly a talking point. If you really stop to ask MOST of these folks, “hey, do you really think blue collar workers aren’t important to look out for?” they would then see the error of their thinking.
So I don’t think it’s a case of a huge number of Obama supporters being against blue collar Dems per se, but that they are ignorant and thoughtlessly repeating talking points they didn’t put much thought into.
You are right, many of them are just repeating talking points. Their brains aren’t even engaged to what they are saying and doing. I watched four white men try to shut up a 68 yr black woman who wasn’t excited about Obama by accusing her of being a racist and an elitist. I really wanted to laugh at the stupidity of it all, but I was too mad.
I’m with PJ. I am absolutely lost if Hillary doesn’t win the nomination. I can’t abide an Obama presidency. So I guess I will work and support John McCain. I don’t see we have much choice really. Its not so much an issue of revenge, or protest. Its a genuine concern that Obama is more of a threat to this country than McCain. I may not like McCain, I have a lot of reservations about the Supreme Court nominees, and the war, but Obama is just dangerously inexperienced and inept. It really does become an issue of who is the lesser of two evils. I just don’t understand how it came to this. I don’t understand how the DNC can allow this. And how they can’t see or hear our voices. What is everyone else thinking?
I’m with PJ too. No way can I vote for Obama. I might consider Ralph Nader, or not voting at all and I can’t believe I am saying this….me, the staunch Democrat.
What is getting under my skin are friends who say I am electing McCain if I do that. Well so be it!..I am counting on a Democratic Congress to monitor things.
The Dems are like lemmings going over a cliff…I am not joining them. What is so sad is that the party can’t see that this is exactly what the GOP wanted.
Let’s have only a popular vote and public financing..and payment to superdelegates for a vote should be forbidden.
Love this website and my husband is happy I can yell here instead of at him.
tell your friends THEY are electing mccain if they support obama!
If the DNC gives the nomination to Obama, Sen. Hillary Clinton Should run as an Independent.
Thank you, Bud and Medusa, for this “right on” article. Very clear about the perceptions of the neo-liberals (Conason, accusations of Clintons’ racism, etc.) vs. what seem to be more like the “true” Democratic voices. You have accurately described the split in the party and its unfoldment. Its incredible how the neo-liberals have mischaracterized the Clintons and have blindly supported Obama and the Rovian tactics that have been used during this primary election season. All of the critical articles Conason has written about Rove over the last 8 years and he still doesn’t get it that Axelrove has used the same tactics—-attacking the character and the strengths of the opponent. I have lost respect for many journalists that I used to admire and respect their opinions during this primary season.
The blind hatred that the far-right had for the progressive and liberal community seemed so fanatical. Now the neo-liberal, far-left have become the fanatical fringe spewing hatred. It seems that the neo-liberals have taken the extremist far-right hate tactics into their playbooks and they cannot even see that they have done so—-at their own short-sighted ridiculousness and peril—especially for the future of our democracy and America.
Nancy Pelosi is up to her old tricks again. She is warning Clinton Supporters not to try to take this to the convention. While she “applauds our enthusiasn”, she cannot “allow us to try to take this to the convention”. Article is on http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl…MNQE110L6T.DTL
Anyone have that woman’s email address handy?
Pelosi email for those she represent is below:
http://www.house.gov/pelosi/contact/contact.html
or for those who do not live in her district:
http://www.speaker.gov/contact
hey thanks! i just wrote her to get a parachute as she and the rest of the lemmings were heading for a cliff.
pelosi the dictator? she “cannot allow”? who made her queen?
I’ve wondered over the last few months if what we’re seeing is simply the flip side of extremists [this time to the left], pushing a weak candidate for ideological ends. The really frightening part is George Bush had more governing experience when he took office [fairly or unfairly] than Barack Obama does right now. But the circle of advisors and associates seem all too familiar–push the unknown quantity, promote the new guy as a “breath of fresh air, the new, the change candidate” [in this case, the post-racial candidate though I never understood exactly what that meant]. Meanwhile, the promoters, senior party leaders, financiers and backers have the poltical agenda all in place–do it our way or you’re done, out of the loop of power and influence. Even the media echo chamber is weirdly familiar.
Karl Rove might be trying to rehabilitate his favorability factor right now, the astute, jolly elf on Fox News. But this whole campaign feels like it came out of the same game book.
Deja vu all over again! Sickening. As a Democrat, I’m left with no other choice but leave the Party I’ve supported my entire life.
I’ll never forgive them for that.
King George had more campigning experience….In Texas the Govenor has little legislative Power….that is the Lt. Govenor who heads the State Legislature….
I guess Obama can’t get Hillary’s supportors I am going to vote McCain if she does not get the nomination or if she is a third choice. I have already become a Republician.
bud white -
to my mind
this is first rate thinking
and first rate writing.
i’m better informed for this essay of yours.
thanks
Thank you!
Fascinating diary. Excellent analysis. “Just Words” is really all they have.
This is almost funny. McCain shows up Obama by denouncing the way Obama’s pastors have spoken about Hillary.
“I have known Senator Clinton for long time. I have always treated her with respect,” McCain said during a press conference Friday. “I respect her and I think that kind of language and that kind of treatment of Senator Clinton is unwarranted, uncalled for and disgraceful.”
McCain is smart, he knows half the Dems are furious. He knows women are furious. He’s positioning himself to capture those voters who Obama has tossed under the bus.
And Obama is so full of himself and his hubris, he thinks it’s beneath him to have to woo voters. Just watch McCain transform himself into a charming, Hillary-respecting candidate, who loves women. (yeah, like beer heiresses, blond lobbyists…)
yttik, am sure we can expect some pandering on mccain’s part. doesn’t matter to me. my vote for mccain has nothing to do with mccain.
my vote for mccain is solely for the purpose of doing what little bit i can to ensure that obama loses. i’m hoping his landslide loss makes mcgovern look like a winner. only then will our party be forced to mend its ways. and i think obama is dangerous.
hillary or mccain. no other option.
it is ironic don’t you think that the arrogance and cocky attitude obama got from trinity will be a large part of what does him in thank goodness.
I dislike Obama (it wasn’t that way in February) and should he be the nominee, the party that embraces him. I’ve been a registered Democrat who has volunteered for and has donated (what I can) to Democratic candidates. I’m ready to bolt out, register as an independent and vote for McCain in protest if Obama is the nominee.
Wonderful article. The signs are all over the place as to what will happen. Only those in denial can ignore the obvious. I just wish there were more accurate polls. I’ve only seen one so far, but those are used by the GOP and they’re not spreading this info around. All swing states will go to McCain and Obama only leads by 1% in NY. The entire map will go red with Obama as the nominee.
I was really surprised to read the comments by Conason. President Clinton considers him a personal friend and has taken him to many of the foundation trips to other countries. Conason has been a Hillary supporter from day one……someone must have spiked his drink with Obama kool aide.
I live in upstate rural CNY. I dont think he can win this area. Very close to Fort Drum, and they like Senator Clinton.
scott in jupiter | 2008-05-30 19:55:55
Keith Doberman has a special (ed) comment about Hillary for mentioning RFKs assassination in this primary season. But has no problem with himself saying that someone needs to KILL Sen. Clinton by taking her into a back room and making sure she doesn’t ever come out.
===================
Well put, scott!
Thanks, bud and medusa for this excellent article.
Excellent article…I would also like to add that Citizen’s United made a so called documentary…that the FCC ruled is electioneering propaganda made for the sole purpose of destroying the chances of Hillary Clintons nomination. The FCC ruled that this movie could not be advertised without disclosing the financial donors…so Dick Morris went on H&C and promoted this movie..and assisted the distribution of the movie at Obama rallies…Democrats destroying democrats..one reason the youth have been taught to hate the Clinton’s…shameful..
the really sad part is the way the young people are being introduced to politics - they are learning that politics is just a game, to be won at all costs and by any means, and that the good of the country and basic human decency are irrelevant.
am pushing 60, so may not be here for the full consequences of this disaster, but i fear for the future of those who will be here. if this continues, the country and the world are in grave danger. and, of course, civil liberties will be gone forever.
so very, very sad.
dickhead morris looks to me like he has to have a couple of heavy drinks before he shuffles on fox to make a fool out of himself.
Dick Morris is an embarrassment to flaming bitter vitriolic queens everywhere no matter how much he spends on his designer suits for his tv appearances.
I wonder when the MSM will admit any of this.
When history looks back on this primary race, unless we live in the glorious commune of Obamatopia forever, they will recognize that the candidate that was claiming the other was decietful, untrustworthy, and willing to do anything to win at any cost, even if it meant destroying the party and the political careers of those that did not fall in line with the new Democratgestapo was the candidate that actually did all those things….Barack Obama.
Now If John McCain is smart he won’t pick a VP till after Barack announces his VP choice and will then float the story that he (McCain) talked with Hillary about being his VP.
Now in this absolutely bizzaro land of american politics that we have been subjected to where shitforbrains asstards like Kieth “fuckface” Oberman are actually considered political analysts/commentators, and race-baiting and threats of racism are as commonplace as nutjob pastors and cheap speaches about hope and change, if McCain were able to pull off getting Hillary on his ticket, that would be the kind of change that would obliterate Obama, the DNC and all preconceptions of what partisan politics are about.
I mean can you imagine?
i would not just vote for a mccain/clinton ticket. i would pray for it, and for its success. sadly, i know that she’s too loyal a dem to accept even if he offered, despite the fact that the dems have treated her and bill like shit.
agree that mccain should hold off until obambi commits himself to some loser who’s willing to associate himself or herself with obambi. then mccain can pick someone better (shouldn’t be hard, because anyone who’d sign on with obambi is obviously an idiot).
odds are obambi will try to get a token female, some idiot like mccaskill, to try to con hillary’s supporters. obambi thinks we’re female so we’re stupid and we won’t care which female he uses - wrong! or maybe he’ll try the same bullshit with someone like richardson - obambi thinks hispanics are fungible - little does he know that richardson is pretty much despised by most hispanics.
i’d like to see mccain pick hillary (dream), else maybe j.c. watts, anyway someone who’ll offset obambi’s pandering bullshit. anyway, i don’t really care. all i care about is the defeat of obambi.
hillary or mccain. no other option.
I want to thank you for this post and for this whole site keeping me sane. If I didn’t have you and TM these past months I would have wondered if I’d wandered thru the Looking Glass.
I’m a Berkeley grad from the days when we were worrying about all our friends’ lottery numbers and protesting the war (Vietnam) and watching Watergate on tv. And I’ve been an active Dem all my life.
My husband and I are disgusted and like many of you will change our registration to Decline-to-State and vote McCain as a protest vote IF HILLARY IS NOT THE NOMINEE. He could win in California because the Governator will campaign for him and Hispanics could leave Hillary for McCain. Hey, Nancy, that should keep you up at night!
I too am a Berkeley grad, but one of a very different generation. I still object to Obama’s expulsion of the 1960s and any and all vestiges of political modernism from the Democratic Party. How did politics become so vapid?
remember the lottery number anxiety days oh too well. the youngsters voting for obambi might be concerned about the direction of the country if they had such real concerns.
hope you’re right that mccain can take california - that would be the icing on the cake of an obambi landslide loss, one of my fondest dreams.
share your gratitude for this site. am also grateful for savagepolitics.com - if you haven’t checked them out, they have some terrific articles. not as many as here, but very good.
do not share your view on tm, however - too much of the vote for whoever the dem nominee is philosophy there. completely disagree with that.
so with you on this site helping maintain sanity. before i found this one and savagepolitics, was looking at msm tv and msm sites and becoming so angry and sad i thought i’d lose it.
thanks, I’ll check out the site. And you’re right about TM, it is changing, but there are some great (and funny) peeps there. And really devoted Hill fans who have worked hard and raised some cash for her. And we haven’t given up!