Clinton's Trump Card: Vote White

Hillary Clinton says she is in it "until there is a nominee." As Clinton tries to wrest the Democratic nomination away from Barack Obama, she has put her trump card on the table: race.

Clinton's comeback, such as it is, began in Pennsylvania. So it's fitting that she's channeling Frank Rizzo, the race-baiting mayor of Philadelphia. In 1978, Rizzo wanted to change the ~~rules~~ city charter so that he could run for a third consecutive term. He rallied support for the charter amendment by imploring his supporters to "Vote White."

Clinton told USA Today:

I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on," she said in an interview with USA Today. As evidence, Clinton cited an Associated Press article "that found how Sen. Obama's support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me."

Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson writes:

As a statement of fact, that's debatable at best. As a rationale for why Democratic Party superdelegates should pick her over Obama, it's a slap in the face to the party's most loyal constituency -- African Americans -- and a repudiation of principles the party claims to stand for. Here's what she's really saying to party leaders: There's no way that white people are going to vote for the black guy. Come November, you'll be sorry.

It bears remembering that no Democratic presidential candidate has won a majority of the white vote since President Lyndon Johnson in 1964. And neither will Obama – or Clinton.

As Jack and Jill Politics points out:

Democrats will certainly struggle to win without a substantial minority of white voters, but there's no question that they can't win without us.

So while black voters are expected to take a back seat, for Democrats, the road to the White House runs through black America.

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Reader Comments

1. I am "APAULD" by the remarks she said! Hillary is sayin, "There's no way that white people are going to vote for black guy. Come November. You'll be sorry". Donald Pain of N.J.left Hillary's campaign today and SWITCHED over to OBAMA! Just 2 days ago, Obama had 5 Superdelga.tes endorse him. What does this tell you? Obama is raising so much money now and getting a lot of Super Delegates and supporters to help him out! Hillary's camp is sayin, "Hillary has a "Strategy". Yeah right, Hillary has a "Strategy" of DROPPING OUT OF THE RACE! Her actions are an INSULT, DISGRACE, and A TRAGEDY, to the whole Democratic Party!

Hillary is desperate and is playin the RACE CARD AGAIN! Hillary is "Self-Destructing" her own self, her "REPUTATION", and the whole "DEMOCRATIC PARTY"!

HILLARY'S FAVORITE SAYIN, "I'M A FIGHTER" IS "TIRED"!
HILLARY,PEOPLE WANT FOR YOU TO MAKE YOUR "EXIT" NOW!

"OBAMA 2008"

Ms. Unique at 10:26AM on May 9th 2008

2. OBAMA IS SAYING "CHANGE" AND HAVE YOU ASKED WHAT CAN HE REALLY DO?NOTHING WITHOUT CONGRESS APPROVAL!!! HELLO,EVEN THE HOUSE SPEAKER IS CAUTIOUS BECAUSE SHE LIKES HER POWER AND SHE HAS TO PLAY THE GAME CLOSE TO HER BREAST.WHY NOW,WOULD THE WHITES BE FOR A WHITE MAN THAT WE JUST HEARD ABOUT THIS YEAR?WHEN DO YOU TRUST A PERSON? OBAMA WENT TO A CHURCH AND NOW HE HAS ABANDON ALL THE PEOPLE AFTER HE WAS ELECTED.THIS IS NOT ABOUT REV.WRIGHT.WAKE UP BLACK AMERICANS>THIS IS NOT A PIE IN THE SKY.

Ann at 12:10PM on May 9th 2008

3. DO YOU KNOW WHY THEY WANT CLINTON TO EXIT? CLINTON WANT UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE AND THE CORPORATION AND BIG WEALTHY PEOPLE DON"T!!!.SHE TRIED WHEN HER HUSBAND WAS IN OFFICE AND ONLY SUPPORT WAS TO PROTECT MOTHERS AFTER DELIVERY OF NEWBORNS.MOTHERS WERE GOING HOME AFTER FOUR HOURS AND HAVING DEPRESsiON AND SUICIDE AND DEATH.RIGHT NOW,THERE IS PEOPLE THAT ARE DENIED CANCER DRUGS TO LIVE BECAUSE OF HIGH CO_PAYMENTS>READ PEOPLE AND START ASKING QUESTIONS AND GET ANSWERS BEFORE YOU VOTE FOR A PRETTY FACE AND BE DOOMED.

Ann at 12:24PM on May 9th 2008

4. BLACK PEOPLE YOU WILL BE HURT AND SHOCKED WHEN YOU REALIZE OBAMA IS A STRATEGY FOR THE REPUBLICANS FOR ANOTHER EIGHT YEARS.WE KNOW CLINTON IS WHITE,BUT DO YOU REALLY KNOW WHAT OBAMA IS.WE NEED TO STOP JUMPING ON A HAPPY WAGON WHEN WE SEE A BLACK FACE.JUST LIKE BARBARA WALTERS CAME OUT OF THE CLOSET AND TOLD OF HER AFFAIR ,JUST WAIT UNTIL OBAMA TELL HIS SUPPORT. JUST THINK, HAS JESSE JACKSON OR AL SHARPTON JUMPED ON OBAMA BANDWAGON? NO, Because they have read the SPOOK THAT SAT BY THE DOOR AND THEY DO NOT WANT TO BE CAUGHT IN A DECEPTION IN NOVEMBER.HOW MANY BLACKS HAVE OPENED THE DOOR SINCE MARTIN LUTHER KING? PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO DISTANCE THEMSELVES BY HAVING BABIES WITH EUROPEAN FEATURES AND MOVING TO THE SUBURBS AND COMING BACK HOME WHEN THEY ARE READY TO ROOST.

Ann at 12:24PM on May 9th 2008

5. I have gotten fed up with Hillary Clinton, who I once respected. It seems she initially took the African-American vote for granted, thinking she had it locked up, just like this nomination. Now that she has pretty much lost the African-American vote, she is telling superdelegates that it doesn't matter because we will vote for her anyway. Afterall, she is Hillary Clinton and she is a Democrat...yeah, right. Not if she 'steals' this nomination with backroom deals and other underhanded tricks like she's pulled before the Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana primaries.

MrsJones at 12:48PM on May 9th 2008

6. Ann,

I think you've gone off the deep end. Your representation of 'The Spook Who Sat by the Door'is inaccurate and the comment about people having babies with European features and living in the suburbs is irrelevant.

As for Sharpton and Jackson--Jackson, Jr. is an Obama co-chair and Jackson, Sr. has endorsed Obama. Sharpton is, smartly, remaining silent. His endorsement would hurt Obama in the eyse of many whites.

The health care issue is silly. Both Clinton and Obama support a system where everyone has health care. The difference is how to go about it. Clinton feels mandating health coverage (paid by citizens, not employers) is the solution, with a possible penalty for those who don't enroll. Obama doesn't think this will work, but thinks that working to get insurance companies to lower costs, along with gov't programs, is the best way to get coverage for all.

MrsJones at 12:59PM on May 9th 2008

7. apuld that obama is running for president.there,s nothing honest about him,maybe there is about his wife, after all it took her 44 years to be proud of her country.she was honest.

tony08 at 3:15PM on May 9th 2008

8. I dont understand what the fuss is all about... She's just going to be a puppet to the Illminati like every other president (except Kennedy who was killed for not coorperating).

L.A. Rawls
Wholesale Lace Wigs
http://www.wholesalelacewig.com

LA at 4:49PM on May 9th 2008

9. Ann, you obviously live on the moon because everything you said is completely ridiculous! I was torn for a long time between the two candidates, right up until she played the race card early on in the race. She was taking for granted that she had the black vote sewed up because of her whoring husband. I could no longer support a woman who thinks that blacks are so fickle, they don't have a mind of their own to read and decide for themselves. All that mess about Obama being an undercover Republican is insane. Does is bloodline automatically make him an undercover Republican? Again, insane!! He didn't abandon his church, his church didn't support him, so he moved on. We won't even get into the Rev. Wright thing..that still makes my blood boil.

It amazes me that WE are so forgiving and accepting of white people we feel are going to throw us a hand out. She's standing there basically saying, Whites should support only Whites and yet you still think her butt don't stink. That 'ole slave mentality..."she gone get us some free medical care". Yeah right! Nothing in life is free...trust me somebody's got to pay for it.

TO THE MOON ALICE!!

Irish at 5:43PM on May 9th 2008

10. Obamas not nothing but a pawn, and thats it. I,ll be glad when this mess is over and you Obama lovers will shut - up. He is going to lose, and thats the bottom line.

wilson at 6:05PM on May 9th 2008

11. you guys are idots. this a sad day in america when you people. won't even give the man a chance. all of then will tell you what you want to hear to get what they want. but is still so sad when america won't give a black man a chance. yeah clinton probaly would have made an ok pres. but her time is up its just not meant to be.america is just sad.

april james at 6:24PM on May 9th 2008

12. People you need to see the full pictue of whats going on Clinton will not get out, and she is losing to a black man that is better than she for Pres, hurts the hold system for justice for all,

John W. Carter at 8:51PM on May 9th 2008

13. Race will always be at the core, no matter what. Always has been, and will continue to be so. Look at the beatings in Philly. Brought back to mind the Rodney King incident. The racial profiling of trooper pull-overs in N.Y.It happens other places just as frequently and as overtly. I'm trying to figure out why N.Y. keeps getting the notoriety for it all. Theoutcome of the Sean Bell case...All sad, but so very true. It is, what it is...I do so want to believe, that one day race will not be a factor. However, I don't think that day will come for a very, very, very long time. By the way, the word is "appalled".

ChinaMartinique at 9:38PM on May 9th 2008

14. To Ann #2, ain't nobody up on here trying to her your RACISM REMARKS ON HERE AND "THAT'S THE TRUTH"! It seems that you are feelin some type of way by using all CAPS in all your WORDS. Ann, was it NECESSARY for you to get your IGNORANT, FALSE FACTS, RACIST REMARKS on her 3 times? I am "OFENDED" by all your comments of black people! People like you, try to bring a good person down and can't ACCEPT the fact that he will be PRESIDENT! I am so tired of Hillary and Bill of their lies! It something when you bring up Rev. Wright. Was it when Bill had that affair, the Clintons consulted Rev. Wright? Why didn't Hillary leave Bill then? She had a plan to get back at him to put her in the White House. She is an Insult, a Disgrace to the American People and the Democratic Party! That's all the Clintons are good for is to play the RACE CARD when they are loosing because they are so DESPERATE!

You said; "PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO DISTANCE THEMSELVES BY HAVING BABIES WITH EUROPEAN FEATURES AND MOVING TO THE SUBURBS AND COMING BACK HOME WHEN THEY ARE READY TO ROOST".

People can marry who the hell they want to marry! People don't have to stick to just their race! They love each other regardless of their skin color! It seems like you are having a hard time in ACCEPTING that! You need to stop these HATEFUL FEELINGS towards Black people. YOU HAVE ISSUES! What in the hell does this have to do with anything, everything that you are sayin is "IRELEVANT"! YOU ARE THE ONE THAT IS ON THE DEEP END! YOU HAVE LOST YOUR MIND!

Get over it Ann, and MOVE ON!
"OBAMA 2008", Ann remember that!

Ms. Unique at 10:13PM on May 9th 2008

15. HILLARY NEEDSSSSSSSSSSS TO GOOOOOOOOOOOOO AWAYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!! JUST IN CASE HILLARY HAPPENS TO READ THIS. ME AND ALL MY WHITE FRIENDS VOTED FOR BARACK OBAMA AND WE'RE ALL COLLEGE EDUCATED.

CLAUDIA at 11:24PM on May 9th 2008

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