In an opportunistic visit with a largely African American church in South Carolina today, the always earnest Hillary Clinton took the opportunity to suggest how *cute* it is that Barack Obama, as a black man, has his own campaign and everything. Moments before comparing herself, and the struggle for women’s rights, to the civil rights marches in the 60’s.
I quote:
I am so proud of my party, I am so proud of my country and I am so proud of Sen. Barack Obama, because together we have presented our cases to the people.
I am standing here, Senator Obama stands before you as a result of the generations of men and women who protested and picketed, faced dogs and tear gas. Who were beaten and jailed who had night sticks crush their skulls. Some who lost their very lives. They risked their lives because they looked into the eyes of their children and saw the promise of a better future. We stand here today because of their sacrifice.
Dogs and tear gas? Listen, I respect and support the suffrage of women as much as anyone, but to so blatantly conflate her own position as a rich, white politician with the violent Civil Rights struggles in the Old South, survivors of which are still living, and may have even been in that audience–that’s just wrong. That’s playing politics with an entire people’s culture.
There was a simple message here, and that message was “You don’t need to vote for the black man just because he’s black–I pretty much come from the same place!” It’s insulting to voters, many of whom who identify with Obama because of his cultural experiences; and it’s just as insulting to Obama, because it suggests that the only reason people might vote for him is because he’s black.
This was shortly after she did an interview on “Meet the Press” where she took every possible opportunity to attack the Obama campaign, mind you.
I’m just so glad that she’s finally found her “voice.”
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