Talking Points Memo Watch

ROPE-A-DOPE
TPM Reader ML on the fracas ...

I think that the Clintons' anti-Obama strategy is more subtle than commentators are realizing. It is in the nature of a "provokatsiia", as the Russians say. Cuomo didn't utter the phrase "shuck and jive"without forethought; nor did Clinton bring up LBJ and MLK on the spur of the moment. Both are experienced street-fighting politicians who don't say that kind of thing to the press without thinking it through. Such comments are a provocation, waving a red cloak in front of the Obama people. When they respond angrily with charges of racism, suddenly they look like Jessie Jackson redux...just the kind of angry, militant black folks who scare white people (btw I think black anger and militancy are completely understandable...this is just a point about how much of the white public reads such charges of racism). Then the Clintons deny responsibility.
The whole point was to get the Obama people to respond angrily, which they did. Clintons win.

--Josh Marshall

So let me get this straight. Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton ( I guess ) are purposely putting out a whisper campaign against Barack Obama to scare the liberal white voter and to create the image of an angry black man candidate. And how do the Obama people know this? Well, they know everything about the Clinton's motives, doesn't everybody know ? The Clintons are media savvy, masters of campaigning, and bent on taking over the world. Well if they were that good then wouldn't they have a few more supporters than what they have right now? In actuality, every liberal site I have visited since the historic surprise in Iowa has been favorable, if not stampeding to Barack Obama's defense. How did Barack achieve this narrative? The savior who dare not be mistreated or questioned.

When Bill Clinton called his speeches on the Iraq War a "fairytale" he was right. Obama, to his credit, really only has one major difference with Clinton on the war vote and that was he voted against it in 2002. All votes since have been identical to Sen. Clinton's. He voted to fund the war 300 billion dollars and voted YES the Patriot Act. Yet still, every liberal site is behind him and have all lined-up together to make sure that everyone knows what the "truth" is behind the Clintons. And this kind of "truth" is not hard to come by these days especially when so many people would rather have preconceived notions justified: Robotic-heartless woman = Sen. Clinton.