Posted on 02/18/2007 2:50:23 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
(AP) ALBANY -- Former President Bill Clinton was one of the most popular presidents with black voters.
Now he's hoping that popularity will rub off on his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
On Sunday, the former president was slated to speak as the Senator's surrogate at the annual meeting of the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators. He remains highly popular in New York and helps his wife attract minority voters away from Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who is black.
"He's one of those individuals that has a reputation as a liberator for minority communities," said Lt. Gov. David Paterson, who is black and is backing Sen. Clinton for president. "Bill Clinton had a reputation for delivering. He does have a tremendous effect that I've observed when it comes to minority communities."
President Clinton was so popular with black voters that novelist Toni Morrison dubbed him "the first black president" in a 1998 essay.
In a Quinnipiac University poll released last week, Clinton was the choice of 47 percent of Democratic voters in New York, followed by Obama at 16 percent, former Vice President Al Gore at 11 percent and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina at 7 percent. Gore, who lost the 2000 presidential race, has said he has no plans to run for president this time around.
While Clinton "is somebody who has deep affection and respect in the minority community," both Hillary Clinton and Obama will still have to make their case to minority voters, said Donna Brazile, a longtime Democratic activist who ran Al Gore's presidential campaign in 2000.
"Nobody can take the minority voters for granted this campaign," she said.
Longtime U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel of Harlem noted that while President Clinton's popularity with black voters remains strong, he also helps attract white votes.
"Bill Clinton can help any candidate, including his wife, with minority or majority voters," he said. "He's just a terrific guy and a hell of a persuader as president and a public official."
In the early primary state of South Carolina, Obama, taking a fellow black lawmaker to task, said Saturday voters are ready to elect a black president.
"At every turn in our history, there's been somebody who said we can't," Obama told a nearly all-black audience of about 2,000 at Claflin University.
"Some people said we can't do this, we can't do that, so we shouldn't even try. If I have your support, if I have your energy and involvement and commitment and ideas, then I'm here to tell you, 'Yes we can."'
Last week South Carolina state Sen. Robert Ford said Obama winning the primary would drag down the rest of the party.
"Every Democrat on that ticket would lose, because he's black and he's the top of the ticket," said Ford, who is supporting Clinton.
Just think, if Hillary wins they will be the first interracial married couple in the White House.
the only way hilLIARy can win on her own is if Bill actually runs as her surrogate.
But if you toss in Obama, a HilLIARy/Pbama ticket is tough, expecially if the best we can do is Rudy or McCain
Gingrich/Rice 2008
or even Rice/Gingrich
and the first lesbian as well
FMCDH(BITS)
Kinda like asking a Democrat exactly which Clinton Policy gave us the economy of the 90's.
Lots of sputtering, a few of the over-played talking points, but basically, no coherent answer.
I believe that during the next Clinton presidency, all of bad effects of Bill's first 8 years will fall upon Hillary and his head. They will have no clue how to handle the Saudi-Iran war. And when we get attacked, really attacked, they will either be impeached shortly after simply tossed right out by other means.
"Bill Clinton draws minority support for his wife"
I truly hope the support his wife gets is in the minority !!!
They'll be the first interspecie couple in the White House.
Can you imagine the DNA they have shared with one another?
Makes the Duke case look like child's play.
I beg to differ. When Lenin was gunned down back in 1918, other than the expected "let's-keep-socialism-marching-towards-the-future" garbage, very little was released to public re: Lenin, his condition, the would be assassin/assassination, etc. etc.; very little. The Bolsheviks deliberately underplayed the event to convince the public that whatever happened to Lenin, they were still firmly in control.
The same would be true re: Hillary Clinton. She is the symbol of the Left, their flag, their figurehead. If, as you wrote, "we get attacked, really attacked," Hillary will be as safe in her presidency as a new born in its mother's arms. For her to "be impeached shortly after simply tossed right out by other means" would take an Act of God b/c an act of Congress wouldn't even come close.
The Left could, would never, ever allow the above to happen -- esp. if we were "really attacked". For to do so would require:
1) The Left place love of country, its citizens, and its institutions, over and above their core beliefs.
2)Admit that they (the Left) were wrong -- about Islamofacism, WOT, etc. -- and that the Conservatives were right.
Yup, he liberated Puerto Rican terrorists from prison. Quite the liberator, our slick willie.
True. To some extent that analogy applies.
When NY gets hit, as in split the atom type hit, how long will our military commanders continue to stay in line with Madame President?
I don't know about "popularity", something else more sticky came to mind first... eewwwwww...
Donna Brazile, a longtime Democratic activist who ran Al Gore's presidential campaign in 2000.
"Nobody can take the minority voters for granted this campaign," she said. <<
I'll believe it when I see less then 90% vote democratic...
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