Conversation | 05/11/2008 11:16 am
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ShareCokie Roberts on the Chances of an Obama-Hillary Ticket
LESLEY: You know, Hillary gave an interview to USA Today last week, and people are interpreting what she said as race-baiting.
COKIE: Yeah. I think that’s wrong. I really do.
Click here to read the first part of Lesley Stahl’s interview with Cokie Roberts.
LESLEY: Well let’s tell everyone what she said. There was a suggestion that the white vote will never go to Obama. Something like that. So why don’t you think that was race-baiting?
COKIE: Well, because what she was doing was describing what her vote was. And her description was 100 percent accurate. It’s become very difficult in this country to use words like "white." I must say, through this campaign I have found it interesting and disturbing that even though we are happily at a place in our history where it is not appropriate, and considered inappropriate, to say anything negative about race, it is apparently just fine to say things negative about sex. And we certainly saw that in the course of this campaign.
I do think that she probably shouldn’t have used the word she used, but we use these words in talking about the exit polls all the time. She gets the majority of the white vote. She gets an overwhelming majority of the lower income white vote and of voters who have traditionally been up for grabs in the general election.
LESLEY: You know, it’s interesting because if you are at all sympathetic to Sen. Clinton, then you give her the benefit of the doubt. And if you’re really for Obama, you saw race-baiting. It’s interesting.
COKIE: But that’s true about everything now. I mean, it makes me nuts. The truth is that nobody gives anybody the benefit of the doubt. And part of this is the ferocity of the blogosphere — that people are all evil on the other side and they’re all doing something terrible. And that is the way our politics is these days. And Barack Obama might say constantly that he wants to get beyond that and bring people together and all that. But that certainly has not been true of his supporters.
LESLEY: No. Cokie, one last question on this: Do you think there is any chance at all that they would form a ticket together – Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton?
COKIE: I think there’s a chance. But I think it would be a really stupid thing for the Democratic Party. I mean, again, if this was the year for the generic white guy, you certainly want him as the vice president — probably a white man, preferably a gun owner, from a swing state. I mean, to have two liberal senators from states that are going to go Democratic anyway …
LESLEY: What about a Hispanic … a Catholic Hispanic governor? There is one.
COKIE: We’re talking Bill Richardson.
LESLEY: Yeah.
COKIE: Well, that could happen.
LESLEY: Yeah.
COKIE: That could happen.
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158 Reader Comments (so far…)
Thank you Lesley and Cokie for your conversation. I think what you have said is so poignant. The blogosphere is like the wild west. It is amazing to me what an odd territory it has become. No room for a differing opinion.
I guess the next question is - is the blogosphere polluting an already terribly flawed system of politics? I see so many wonderful women respond to questions about what they love reading, but when the question gets on the democratic primary - you hardly see any of those names responding - either they don’t care or they will be pounced on.
The ‘blogosphere’ is leveling the political playing field giving the people their voice back so Rove-esque Neo-Cons like Hillary can’t lie her way into the WH.
The blogosphere represents an uncomfortable DIVERSITY OF OPINION beyond the limitations of a particular group’s experiential FILTER.
Too bad….
Yes, there’s nothing FREER than the blogosphere. The whiners don’t have the chops or mettle on their own to dive in so they have to stand on the sidelines and cry, ‘unfair’ when there are no impediments AT ALL but their own weaknesses. Tough luck.
Most (younger) folks don’t a) take the blogosphere personally, b) nonor a code of some sort to keep the CONVERSATION progressing — w/out attempts to dominate/control the conversation.
Those who typically have been able to filter/dominate/control offline/traditionally for whatever reasons our culture allows them to — seek to do the same on the blogs by attacking posters personally and/or mocking (aka HRC?) those with differing opinions.
Our traditional media friends are vulnerable to angst because their careers and personal/professional VALUE depend upon screening all perspectives beyond the limitations of their own interests/experience/values and commoditization interests.
I am fascinated by traditional media veterans in NYC — many personal friends of mine — HATING the blogs and/or wanting to control them to reinsert themselves as the filter, etc. They don’t realize there is a sense of CONTROL, but a more diverse CONTROL.
The CONTROL is QUALITY…not who you know or corporate/special interests.
Fox Business is dying because the uber-Fox brand is being marginzlized in the marketplace as a joke. Newspapers and network TV is facing the same challenges on steroids — as well as their packaged “super stars.” Americans are seeking a broader perspective of opinion, fashion, lifestyle, healthcare…and POLITICS! Personalized MEDIA is on deck!
I ignore ridiculous posts — and posters — and the same in traditional media. Tune them out if they don’t add to the discourse or espouse as the last ridiculous ABCNews Democratic “debate” did — clear BIAS. Contrarian opinion has VALUE to me. Mockery, insults, etc. does not. I am my OWN filter.
Renata- “The CONTROL is QUALITY.”
Yes, and to comprehend that as it relates to blogging apparently requires a certain cognitive style, suggests a UCLA/NYU Neurocognitive study that correlates liberalism or conservatism to brain chemistry and the cognitive style of each.
Researchers found that liberal or conservative leanings may come down to cognition rather than conviction.
College students from across the political spectrum were tested on a computer monitor while an electroencephalograph recorded brain activity. Data showed that students who identified themselves as LIBERAL scored HIGHER FOR ACCURACY and were almost five times as likely to show activity in brain circuits associated with A STRONG CAPACITY FOR DEALING WITH CHANGE AND NOVELTY.
WHILE CONSERVATIVE students FAVORED STRUCTURE AND CERTAINTY.
This can explain why LIBERAL BLOGS dominate the biosphere. Technoratti tracks and rates 112 Million Blogs. Liberal political blogs top the charts.
#1 blog of the 112 Million is Huffingtonpost.com
2-9 are niche blogs unrelated to politics, mostly Internet tech
#10 is DailyKos
Among the next 40 top blogs, of the ones that are politically oriented four are liberal, one conservative. LIBERALS the UCLA/NYU study suggests, can excel in a fluid structure and whre there is conflict.
The Right-wing has dominated the radio shows like Rush-Savage-Coulter-O’Reilly…because it is the same format, passive taking in of information that is structured along known limited lines.
Suzanne: Thank you for sharing this insight.
Suzanne? Are you the man in black? See the “Princess Bride” You slay me every time I check in here. You too Renata, I gtts me some studying to do! THANK YOU BOTH , and All:-)
Ha! Suzanne will keep us on our toes! Hugs!
I love your ZUT ALORS. We should all be so inspired when we assign ourselves a name.
I’m surprised to see Cokie Roberts referring to both Obama and Clinton as liberals. Clinton may be from a liberal state but she is a bona-fide fence-sittin’ centrist, from where I stand. So it wouldn’t be such a bad ticket after all.
Tinka—
As an Obama supporter I thought earlier that a joint ticket might be pragmatic to win, even with other serious reservations about HRC, but after reading a great many sources about her race-baiting I definitely do not agree. The New York Times in it’s recent editorial “The Low Road to Victory” called for the superdelegates to step in and decide. She is hoping that with her low-ball tactics she can win in W, Va. and perhaps in other races, even though Obama has an insurmountable lead, OR with her dirty tactics can force the superdelegates into making the decision and in that case, she sent a Powerpoint Proposal to them on Friday making a case for the SDs to go to her. Her are but a few of an avalanche of pieces on Clinton’s race-baiting which is dividing the party, dividing the nation, embarrassing us in the world, and providing ammunition to the Republicans for the general election:
NY Time Editorial “The Low Road to Victory”
April 23, 2008
The Pennsylvania campaign…was even meaner, more vacuous, more desperate, and more filled with pandering than the mean, vacuous, desperate, pander-filled contests that preceded it.Voters are getting tired of it; it is demeaning the political process; and it does not work. It is past time for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to acknowledge that the negativity, for which she is mostly responsible, does nothing but harm to her, her opponent, her party and the 2008 election.
If nothing else, self interest should push her in that direction. Mrs. Clinton did not get the big win in Pennsylvania that she needed to challenge the calculus of the Democratic race.
It is getting to be time for the superdelegates to do what the Democrats had in mind when they created superdelegates: settle a bloody race that cannot be won at the ballot box. Mrs. Clinton once had a big lead among the party elders, but has been steadily losing it, in large part because of her negative campaign. If she is ever to have a hope of persuading these most loyal of Democrats to come back to her side, let alone win over the larger body of voters, she has to call off the dogs.
_____________________
NY TIMES:
“South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, one of the most influential black leaders in Congress, and a superdelegate, said the Clinton’s racially charged comments over the course of the presidential campaign have “incensed” the black community. and almost unanimously believe the Clintons “are committed to doing everything they possibly can to damage Obama to a point that he could never win.”
_____________________________________
From Capitol Hill Blue, the paper of Capitol Hill
Hillary Clinton’s racist appeal
April 25, 2008 -
By DOUG THOMPSON
One expects racism from Republicans. The party of the elephant could merge with the just about any white supremacy group and not miss a beat. Hell, most people wouldn’t see any difference.
But overt racism from a Democrat is something else, although it should not surprise anyone that Hillary Rodham Clinton would use racism in her anything goes quest for the Democratic Presidential nomination.
Hillary Clinton won Pennsylvania because she pandered to the overt racism that exists among blue collar whites…She won because the bulk of her appeal comes from the less-educated, the less-tolerant and the less-intelligent among us. If you’re a stupid, illiterate, gun-totin’ white hick you probably voted for Hillary. And so did your ignorant, baby-popping, big-haired wife as well as that bleached-blond bar maid that you’re seeing on the side.
__________________________________________
Eugene Robinson- Prominent Washington Post Writer’s Group reporter
“….Clintons took it as a sign of African-Americans’ unconditional fealty, they were mistaken. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows that black Democrats nationwide now support Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton for the presidential nomination by nearly 2 to …It’s surprising that the Clinton campaign has been so aggressive in keeping the race issue alive.”
Keith Olbermann called Clinton’s actions “unacceptable” and “unbelievable.” Newsweek writer Howard Finneman, appearing on Olbermann’s show, said Clinton has clearly “broadened her kitchen sink” attack strategy to play the RACE CARD and has escalated the level of nastiness in an already dirty campaign..
My generation of black voters is politically savvy and well educated. We couldn’t care less about outdated notions of party loyalty. We are not our grandmothers, and no amount of candidate appearances at black churches is going to influence how we vote. We will certainly not sit back and allow Democratic candidates to engage in Willie Horton-style tactics, even if the tactics are Willie Horton lite.
Marjorie Valbrun, Washington Post
_________________________________
From the Black Star News
The Black Star News excoriated Senator Clinton for her ugly tactics for months. “Senator Hillary Clinton and her husband Bill Clinton have used the most despicable, reprehensible, crude, ugly and dishonest tactics: The Clintons used race-baiting, by appealing to some white peoples’ fears about Black people, to tarnish Senator Barack Obama” Black Star News: ”2,025 delegates are required for nomination and Senator Clinton can’t surpass Obama’s insurmontable lead in delegates of 1,681 to 1,544. We haveadvice for Senator Clinton, Pack it up.”
…and, HRCs tactics will NOT go over well with the Millenials — the future of the Democratic Party and America, herself. The ARMY of Millenials Barack has called to action to honor their CIVIC DUTY — is and will continue to repudiate this kind of Campaign. There is NO FUTURE in it, and the fact HRC cannot/will not SEE this — despite evidence to the contrary — is more reason for her NOT to become President. The “Super-Delegates” KNOW this — and she can send all the PPTs she wants, asking them to overturn the will of the voters — to no avail. The ship left the dock and in her bubble — she doesn’t know it and nobody has been kind/gentle enough to validate her effort and ask her to stop…leaving her as a SPECTACLE, sadly.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/opinion/13herbert.html
Here Come the Millenials - NYT.com - 5/13/08
Tinka—It would be a TERRIBLE ticket. It ISN’T going to happen. Obama is the future. Clinton isn’t a centrist—she is a corporatist representing Monsanto-WalMart. She takes more money from lobbyist than any other candidate and even her fellow Wellesley alum are against her:
Check out this eye opening chart:
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/select.php
And this open letter re her VERY DIRTY DEALINGS WITH MONSANTO:
http://www.celsias.com/2008/02/19/an-open-letter-to-hillary-clinton-from…