Live By The Race Card, Die By The Race Card

The Clinton's have always portrayed themselves as a part of the black community with the media even going so far as to label Bill Clinton "The First Black President". The funny thing is that no one asked the black community how they felt about having a guy who's as white as Richard Simmons being portrayed as an object of black affection. The Clinton's lapped it up and the black community minus the money-grubbing Revs. Sharpton and Jackson ignored them. I imagine that many blacks who know the true history of the Clinton's--especially the role of Bill's mentor William Fulbright in prolonging segregation--found the constant media-contrived connection between Clinton and the black community abhorrent.

I would further imagine that when the African-American community saw President Bush nominate Colin Powell and Condi Rice to the highest offices ever held by blacks, many (not all, but many) thought to themselves, this is important. This isn't filling a quota by sending Ron Brown over to be Commerce secretary, no this is the President's inner circle--National Security Advisor and Sec. State. These were two black people trusted to make critical decisions on a daily basis--decisions that had a major outcome on our nation.

The Clinton's have always played the race card to perfection because their party is the home for the majority of the African-American community and they could get away with it and use it to pummel the GOP, however false the reason.

Well now, the tables are turned and it's the Hillary machine answering to the charges of racism. They will finally find out just what an uncomfortable a place being called racist really is. She'll soon learn that once the race card is thrown at you, it sticks like Gorilla Glue (just ask Don Imus or Trent Lott):

A series of comments from Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, her husband, and her supporters are spurring a racial backlash and adding a divisive edge to the presidential primary as the candidates head south to heavily African-American South Carolina.

The comments, which ranged from the New York senator appearing to diminish the role of Martin Luther King Jr. in the civil rights movement — an aide later said she misspoke — to Bill Clinton dismissing Sen. Barack Obama’s image in the media as a “fairy tale” — generated outrage on black radio, black blogs and cable television. And now they've drawn the attention of prominent African-American politicians.

“A cross-section of voters are alarmed at the tenor of some of these statements,” said Obama spokeswoman Candice Tolliver, who said that Clinton would have to decide whether she owed anyone an apology.

“There’s a groundswell of reaction to these comments — and not just these latest comments but really a pattern, or a series of comments that we’ve heard for several months,” she said. “Folks are beginning to wonder: Is this really an isolated situation or is there something bigger behind all of this?”

The Obama campaign is not only twisting the knife but pouring lemon juice and salt on the wound. There's no way that Hillary can't respond to this now. Sure she's allowed Shella Jackson-Lee and other prominent African-American's to speak for her but if she doesn't come out and nip this asap, she gives a great many supporters a reason to bolt to the Obama camp. They just needed political cover and this gives it to them. Chances are very good that if Obama wins South Carolina and then regains the momentum you may see an exodus of black Hillary support.

Now no one likes to be called a racist--especially a northern white Liberal who fancy themselves as the saviors of minorities--so it will be interesting to see how Hillary responds. I'm enjoying the sweet irony of watching Hillary squirm out of this. I guess this is the response you get back when you go digging into the grade school musings of an opponent. This started this week, right after the Obama loss in New Hampshire and will now be a constant drumbeat on the trail.

Anyway, I would suspect this is but a taste of how the race card is to be used against a Republican if Obama is the nominee, especially if somehow southern boys like Huckabee or Thompson get the nomination, so I won't gloat too much as of yet, but it is fun to watch.

Update: "If you have a social need, you're with Hillary," the aide said. "If you want Obama to be your imaginary hip black friend and you're young and you have no social needs, then he's cool."