Clinton Apologizes to Black Voters for Racial Comments
WASHINGTON — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton did something Wednesday night that she almost never does. She apologized. And once she started, she didn’t seem able to stop.
The New York senator, who is in a tight race with Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination, struck several sorry notes at an evening forum sponsored by the National Newspaper Publishers Association, a group of more than 200 black community newspapers across the country.
Her biggest apology came in response to a question about comments by her husband, Bill Clinton, after the South Carolina primary, which Obama won handily. Bill Clinton said Jesse Jackson also won South Carolina when he ran for president in 1984 and 1988, a comment many viewed as belittling Obama’s success.
“I want to put that in context. You know I am sorry if anyone was offended. It was certainly not meant in any way to be offensive,” Hillary Clinton said. “We can be proud of both Jesse Jackson and Senator Obama.”
“Anyone who has followed my husband’s public life or my public life know very well where we have stood and what we have stood for and who we have stood with,” she said, acknowledging that whoever wins the nomination will have to heal the wounds of a bruising, historic contest.
“Once one of us has the nomination there will be a great effort to unify the Democratic party and we will do so, because, remember I have a lot of supporters who have voted for me in very large numbers and I would expect them to support Senator Obama if he were the nominee,” she said.
The Clintons long have enjoyed overwhelming support from black voters, but that has been eclipsed during the primaries and caucuses by enthusiasm and support for Obama, who has pulled huge margins among black voters. Arguments over the role of race and gender have flared up repeatedly throughout the contest between Obama, who would be the nation’s first black president, and Clinton, who would be its first female one.
Earlier in the day, Hillary Clinton supporter and fundraiser Geraldine Ferraro gave up her honorary position with Clinton’s campaign after she said in an interview last week that Obama would not have made it this far if he were white. Obama said Ferraro’s remarks were “ridiculous” and “wrong-headed.”
Of Ferraro’s comment, Hillary Clinton told her audience: “I certainly do repudiate it and I regret deeply that it was said. Obviously she doesn’t speak for the campaign, she doesn’t speak for any of my positions, and she has resigned from being a member of my very large finance committee.”
As first lady and senator, Clinton rarely cedes an inch to her critics. On the issue of her vote to authorize the Iraq war, for instance, she steadfastly has refused to apologize, coming close by saying she regrets it, despite calls from many anti-war voters in the party to make a more explicit mea culpa.
Her third conciliatory statement of the evening was more in keeping with that fighting stance.
Asked about the government’s efforts in the Gulf States after Hurricane Katrina, Hillary Clinton turned an apology into a criticism of President Bush, who happened to be speaking at a Republican event in another room at the same hotel.
“I’ve said it publicly, and I say it privately: I apologize, and I am embarrassed that our government so mistreated our fellow citizens … It was a national disgrace,” she said.
An old hag still trying to get into the national spotlight, Gerry has really tripped up again. She’s known as a white supremist in many circles, I’m told, and Billery should have known better than to let her out of her cage. Your “very large” finance committee, Billery …is still yours.
I don’t agree one bit that what Geraldine Ferrara said is true. I think it was an arrogant dismissal of a real fact that Barack Obama is impressive. Neither Hillary or Geraldine can face the real truth - a black man communicates and connects with America better than they have. And it is a huge misjudgement to dismiss it as a color phenomenon. It is the person - Barack Obama that has run a better campaign then Hillary - that is a fact, and has a stable marriage, and says things the public wants to hear.
There have been other black candidates - good ones too like Alan Keyes, but Barack is different. He has hit a chord. He gets it in a way that Hillary can only fake.
I am a professional, college educated, middle-aged white conservative female. I just call it as I see it. I don’t know if I will vote for Barack over John McCain, but I sure do respect him. You go Barack. Don’t let the Hillary Haters get you down.
HELLOOO, why is Hillary having to apologize for other’s comments. I don’t hear Obama having to apologize for his Foreign Advisor or his pastor or anyone else from his campaign. He does in this campaign the same as he’s done as a US Senator, nothing. Everything with him is a non-issue, but everything done by the Clinton campaign requires an apology. I’m not a Hillary supporter. I’m republican, but I agree that the bias slinging hounds have been quite previlent in this campaign. Do many black people vote for Obama because he’s black? Of course…. Are there women voting for Hillary because she’s female? Of course…. Facts are the facts. The fact is Affirmative Action got both candidates where they are today, and neither candidate would be covered under Affirmative Action or the Civil Rights Act if they weren’t a minority. No apology is necessary on anyone’s part.
Hillary, stop apologizing for things said by others. Keep your message on the differences between you and Obama (which is very little). Keep people questioning Obama’s lack of experience (like it or not folk, it is an viable question).
And to those of you who are sick of the way the dem campaigns are going (the racist accusations, whining, and lack of real substance), then cross over and vote republican.
She had no reason to apologize…she did nothing wrong, neither did Geraldine Ferraro..read the entire script…obama and follers are just whinners, he crys like a little girl
To bad that you have to apologize for someone who tells the truth!
Interesting. To the “thought-less” rhetoric from the individual with who said every black person uses the word “yo” and the “terling” definition of it removing one from being “responsible”……I present you George Walker Bush…..
“Protecting our country from the terrors of terrorists”…….
The stench of your errata (and others who can’t seem to spell Geraldine Ferraro’s name right) F-E-R-R-A-R-O ….. not “Farrara”
Lear the individual in reference 1st.
And Barak Obama has not aligned witth Farakhan, he denouced his comments….did u watch the debate on National TV three weeks ago with he and Clinton? It appears not……but don’t worry….you keep voting with your dire fascination for Slick Willie’s wife in Oval Office….
I did not vote for Ms Ferraro and would not vote for her for any office. However Ms Ferraro is absolutley right. No white politician would ever have advanced this far with so little experience and substance. It is also disturbing how quickly HRC was willing to throw Ms Ferraro under the bus in the search of votes. The Democrat choice appears to be between “No substance” and “No backbone”. This campaign is showing that this country and in particlar the press and the black community is not ready for a black president. If you cannot criticize or state the obvious without being called a racist, the democratic process can not be fostered.
I think that Bill Clinton raised a valid point when he commented on the fact that Jesse Jackson won in South Carolina. Senator Obama is a well spoken, articulate, intelligent man. He has a large group of supporters that include both black and white voters. That being said, I think that it is a legitimate discussion point that blacks are overwhelmingly voting for Obama, not because he is an intelligent choice–which he is, but because he is black.
Why do I believe that? Jesse Jackson is not well spoken. Nor is he articulate. He doesn’t come across to be me as being particularly intelligent. That’s only my opinion, but I don’t live in a vacuum. Jesse Jackson won South Carolina because he is black.
The same thing is true of Geraldine Ferraro’s comment about Obama–it is a valid point. Obama is where he is at because he is black. If Obama was white, the black vote would be much more divided but I believe Hilary would have the edge because the Clinton’s have gained a lot of support in the black community. If Obama was white, Hilary would already have won.
Why are these topics taboo? When we are choosing the next leader of our country, all issues should be open for discussion.
When it comes time to vote in November, I will vote for Obama if he is the nominee. I very much like his message, and for me his lack of experience is a good thing–he hasn’t been a Washington insider for years and he can bring a fresh perspective to Washington politics.
I will vote for Hilary if she is the nominee. Her status as a Washington insider is a drawback for me; but she has experience and she has the right ideas.
We live in a nation that is trying to change, but still plagued by racial issues. The way to come to terms with those issues is through measured discussion–not through silence and denial.
It is so easy to appologize after the damage is done. This is a normal abuser tactic, hit and then appologize. Maybe the public is gullable enough to buy it, but I am not. Nor am I gullible enough to buy the fact that Foxnews is running an Obama bashing article (about his pastor) right under this one about poor, pityful, sorry Hillary. Nor am I gullible enough to buy that the Gov. Spitzer story conveintly broke when Hillary needed the sympathy of the public in order to maybe pull out another primary. “Awwwh, Hillary stood buy her man, too!” “Think of all the misery and heartache she has had to endure over her cheating loser husband.” Please, stop with the gross need to control the public with twisted or conventiely timed stories. I understand why Foxnews is bashing Obama, he is the only one who can beat your candidate McCain, which is who I will vote for if Obama doesn’t win the nomination. What I do not understand is why the Dems are so opposed to Obama. It really makes my head hurt. It is just an embarrassment that we would consider a crooked manipulator over a qualified man who just happens to be an african american with a taboo middle name. The racial profiling has failed, as has the bullying from a redneck husband, sympathy may work…God knows the crocodile tears did.
FYI I am a white women, 38 years old, I know his platform (get honest, so does everyone), and I am not opposed to a little inspiration, this country could definately use some.
I don’t think Hillary or Ferraro should have apologized for a remark that could arguably be correct. (High percentage of African American are voting for Obama). After all isn’t equality in America what we have been fighting for all these years? And if so isn’t it an equal America where if you can criticize and joke about whites, you should be able to criticize and joke about blacks, without being called a racist. Quoting someone else from these comments “It seems to me that in America we rather be politically correct than to be right”. I’ve seen American culture changing, it seems to me that we are voting for whom wealthy celebrities (Oprah) and the media are telling us to vote and not for who will make a significant difference on our everyday lives. After all what does the average American have in common with wealthy celebrities? And shouldn’t the media be reporting facts instead of giving us their own opinion? (For opinions I usually chat with my friends who have more in common with me). The media has gone as far as calling Obama a rock star, but does this qualify him to be our next President? Young people seem to think that Obama is “Cool” and this perhaps learned from the media. They want to support him because of his slogan “Change”. When I’ve asked Obama supporters what is this Change?, no one seems to be able to define it. Someone went as far as using the word “change” 4 times in one sentence, still not being able to give a clear answer. This is what I have to say about change, from having Bill Clinton as a president in the 90’s and then voting for Bush as our next president we voted for change, and look where that has taken us. Unless Obama can be more specific about what this change is, change could be for the worst.