Postman on Politics

Chief political reporter David Postman explores state, regional and national politics.

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April 17, 2008 7:48 AM

Clinton's new-found populism

I wrote the other day about Hillary Clinton's new-found optimism in the United States. Well, it turns out that her love of regular folk may be something new, too. This is from the Huffington Post:

In January 1995, as the Clintons were licking their wounds from the 1994 congressional elections, a debate emerged at a retreat at Camp David. Should the administration make overtures to working class white southerners who had all but forsaken the Democratic Party? The then-first lady took a less than inclusive approach.
"Screw 'em," she told her husband. "You don't owe them a thing, Bill. They're doing nothing for you; you don't have to do anything for them."

The statement -- which author Benjamin Barber witnessed and wrote about in his book, "The Truth of Power: Intellectual Affairs in the Clinton White House" -- was prompted by another speaker raising the difficulties of reaching "Reagan Democrats." It stands in stark contrast to the attitude the New York Democrat has recently taken on the campaign trail, in which she has presented herself as the one candidate who understands the working-class needs.

The Clinton campaign says the quote was taken out of context.

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Posted by Bothsides

8:08 AM, Apr 17, 2008

She's just so darn smooth...........

I loved how she portrayed her "sniper fire" debacle last night in the debate, saying that she just mispoke, now how do you just accidentally say you were under sniper fire...

Mr. Postman, I don't see anything about Dino Rossi's transportation plan, I think it deserves some coverage and would bring stimulating debate...

Posted by Methow Ken

9:29 AM, Apr 17, 2008

Nothing illustrates the night-and-day difference between the public statements and private perspective of the Clintonistas in general and Hillary herself, than your above ''screw 'em'' quote (I could almost start to like the Huffington Post).

And the response of the Clinton campaign is SO in-character; i.e.:
1... It was taken out of context.
2... Question the reliability of the sources (3, now).
3... That's no what she really said / did / believes.

I stand by my prior comment in the previous incarnation of this thread:
I'm shocked. . . . SHOCKED; to hear that Hillary would say something like this.

Posted by upchuck

9:42 AM, Apr 17, 2008

good grief -- last night's debate was a joke!

i hope no one really believes that was the "liberal media" on display last night.

the moderators for 45 min talk about priests, spun comments, mis-spoken campaign embellishments, what you're wearing on your lapel, and who's cozier with the weather underground...

forget healthcare, what's going on in iraq, nafta trade problems, climate and environment issues, the economy and the mortgage crisis, and forget about corporate corruption.

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