Political Punch
Power, pop, and probings from ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper
Jake Tapper is ABC News' Senior White House Correspondent based in the network's Washington bureau. He writes about politics and popular culture and covers a range of national stories.
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Morning Zingers
January 11, 2008 8:31 AM
Some morning reading that will not please the Clintons.
First off, a zinger from Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., on Thursday (without first telling his 2004 running mate, former senator John Edwards, D-N.C.).
Talking to Las Vegas Sun columnist Jon Ralston for his newsletter, Kerry downplayed Clinton's experience and talked up Obama's.
"He produced one of the most significant ethics reform bills we passed. He has been a legislator longer than Hillary Clinton."
Of Clinton's expertise, Kerry said, "Health care didn't pass in 1994 if I recall."
Then in the NYT, we read that Donna Brazile isn't the only as-yet neutral African-American Democrat upset by the comments about Obama coming from la famille Clinton.
None of this will come as news to readers of Political Punch. . . but over the last few days, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., seemed to dis Martin Luther King Jr. while former President Bill Clinton dismissed Obama's campaign as a "fairy tale."
Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., the House Democratic Whip and the highest-ranking African-American in Congress, told the Times' Carl Hulse that he is "rethinking his neutral stance in his state's presidential primary out of disappointment at comments by Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton that he saw as diminishing the historic role of civil rights activists."
"We have to be very, very careful about how we speak about that era in American politics," said Clyburn. "It is one thing to run a campaign and be respectful of everyone's motives and actions, and it is something else to denigrate those. That bothered me a great deal . . . To call that dream a fairy tale, which Bill Clinton seemed to be doing, could very well be insulting to some of us."
Ouch.
Thoughts?
-- jpt
January 11, 2008 in Weblogs | Permalink | User Comments (7)
When will candidates learn that the most effective way to gain support is to emphasize the positive--what they are for. Making negative comments about other candidates or the other Party draws negativity to them while promoting those they badmouth. Ken, Flat Rock NC
Posted by: Ken Kinnett | Jan 13, 2008 12:42:34 PM
It's politics, ask yourself this: who benefits from all this racial stuff?
Not Team Clinton.
Posted by: Kaj | Jan 11, 2008 6:41:14 PM
I don't know why anyone would take this as racial, John Edwards said Obama was living in Never Never Land and no one said anything. Why are they bringing race into it, I don't see where this was racial. I think playing the race card is a cheap attack and way to get votes.
Posted by: Kardasia_Prime | Jan 11, 2008 11:46:56 AM
OK - now first and I am not a defender of Bill or Hilary but is not Obama playing the Race card, because the comments Billl made about Fairy tale had nothing to do with Race and they are bringing it up.
Obama is a Fairy-tale - very evil one at that, he makes Hilary look like Lincoln
If anyone would investigate him you would know too.
He is running in the Party that created the KKK after the Republicans pass the Voters right Act for Allowing Blacks to Vote!
Posted by: spock | Jan 11, 2008 9:50:43 AM
The question of the day: can the Clintons withstand the zingers being aimed squarely at them without whining or breaking into tears? The answer will be more than just a "fairy tale."
Posted by: chuck | Jan 11, 2008 9:44:59 AM
I attended Mr. Clinton's event in Hanover where the "fairytale comment was made and can assure you he was NOT speaking to Obama's central theme of "unity & optimism". The comment was specifically about Obama's voting record on the Iraq war i.e.; he doesn't know how he would have voted on the resolution but he DID vote yes on all the funding bills. It is baffling to me how these things are taken out of context and revamped to paint the Clinton's in a bad light. All you have to do is read what was actually said.
Posted by: Crandall | Jan 11, 2008 9:25:10 AM
What a zinger! wow,, why doesn't Kerry join the race himself. Sarcasim off.
Posted by: Shuy | Jan 11, 2008 8:46:36 AM
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