With Friends Like This, Hillary Needs no Enemies
February 13th, 2008 at 03:08pm Mark Noonan
Open mouth, insert foot:
Gov. Ed Rendell, one of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s most visible supporters, said some white Pennsylvanians are likely to vote against her rival Barack Obama because he is black.
”You’ve got conservative whites here, and I think there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African-American candidate,” Rendell told the editorial board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in remarks that appeared in Tuesday’s paper.
To buttress his point, Rendell cited his 2006 re-election campaign, in which he defeated Republican challenger Lynn Swann, the former Pittsburgh Steelers star, by a margin of more than 60 percent to less than 40 percent.
So, what Rendell is saying is that white Democrats are racists and just as they put him into the governor’s mansion, they’ll also put Hillary over the top in Pennsylvania.
Anyone out there know of an even stupider statement in campaign ‘08?
Entry Filed under: Campaign 2008, Democrats
23 Comments
1. LiberalMind | February 13th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Deleted - off topic; the topic is actually stupid statements, not just what you want to be stupid because you are a blind partisan…
2. Concerned Citizen | February 13th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
So, do you think Obama will continue to fight Al Qaeda in Iraq or will he pull out immediately?
3. Adrian | February 13th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Anyone out there know of an even stupider statement in campaign ‘08?
Not yet, but there’s quite a way to go yet. This one will be tough to beat.
4. Darva Conger | February 13th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
I care not what idiot Rendell said. He is just one Clinton supporter. My candidate is Obama.
5. phil | February 13th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Mark,
Anybody who won’t vote for Obama because he is black is an idiot. Anybody who twists Rendell’s words “I think there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African-American candidate” into “Rendell is saying is that white Democrats are racists” is an even greater idiot.
6. Brian (Boston) | February 13th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
If you read what you quoted he says that conservatives, not Democrats, may not be ready to vote for a black person.
7. Sunny | February 13th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
You’ve got conservative whites here, and I think there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African-American candidate,
Mark - Just once, please report fairly. He did not say that white Democrats were racist and would not vote for an African-American. He said that “you’ve got CONSERVATIVE whites . . ” I guess you missed the word conservative. And I suppect he is correct about the conservative whites. You have some posters right on this board that are very disprespectful to Barack Obama, using names to describe him that are truly racist. Won’t mention the names of those posters at this time, but I’ll bet you can guess who they are.
8. John Ryan | February 13th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Mark really you have to be careful about what you say: you can’t just make up your own meanings and hope that they will not go unchallenged.
9. sleepygene | February 13th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Mike Huckabee… paraphrasing “I don’t believe in evolution.”
This is not as stupid as Rendell, but close.
10. Obama2008 | February 13th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
The stupidest statement in this campaigning season is the attack that Democrats winning would help terrorists
Mitt Romney said it when he said “In this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror.”
Well since the democrats in congress have given Bush all the money he asks for, how are they surrendering? Obama never said he would take all troops out of Iraq immediately
I guess you want McCain who want to stay there for 100 years.
11. Sara | February 13th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Rendell is just being honest. I’m originally from Pennsylvania and have most of my family still there in and around the Pittsburgh area. After years living in the world of the color blind military and in California, I was shocked at the attitudes of some in my own family when I was back there 2 years ago for a big reunion. They still talk about “those coloreds.” It is not so much in the younger generations, but there is very much an attitude in the older generations. Would they think they are racist? No, they don’t think they are. They see themselves as realistic, solid church goers, and good citizens.
Rendell knows his own state and I’m sure he knows this attitude is prevalent about “coloreds.” I think he even used that term, which is a dead give-away. My own Uncle, who died this past year and who was one of the sweetest men I’ve known, said to me about Lynn Swann, “I love the guy. He’s one of the greatest ever. I’d love to go out and have a drink with him and talk the night away. But, coloreds shouldn’t try to be politicians.” This is the attitude Rendell knows about and warns about.
12. Kahn | February 13th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
phil - I agree with you 100% Someone who wouldn’t vote for someone because he’s black is stupid.
Is voting for someone because he’s black equally as stupid? Yes.
Democrats see people as part of groups. White, black, male, female, gay, gay hater, etc.
Republicans tend to see people as individuals.
Attack it now liberals, I expect it.
13. Sara | February 13th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
#10 - Obama is sadly under informed about Iraq. Just last week he said one of the first things he’d do is get the UN to force them to get a Constitution. I guess he is totally unaware that Iraq approved their Constitution in August 2005 and accepted it by referendum in Oct 2005 along with a process to amend it. How can you trust someone that clueless?
Obama 2/5/2008
14. phil | February 13th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Kahn,
At least as it relates to the Bush Administration and the dear departed Republican Congressional Majority I can agree with your statement on Republicans as long as you complete your sentence as follows: “Republicans tend to see people as individuals to be exploited”
And since we liberals are so eager to put people into groups, which group are you in? My guess is that you are in the group that loves stem cells (except for the gay ones), or perhaps the group that endorses the Bush energy policy of giving Exxon Mobil a $2 billion tax cut in a year that they generated a $40 Billion profit while the rest of us get screwed. Am I close?
15. Casper | February 13th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Kahn,
“I agree with you 100% Someone who wouldn’t vote for someone because he’s black is stupid.
Is voting for someone because he’s black equally as stupid? Yes.”
I agree that voting or not voting for someone because of race or is equally stupid.
16. Casper | February 13th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
“Anyone out there know of an even stupider statement in campaign ‘08?”
I’d have to say it makes the top ten so far.
17. Fmr Marine | February 13th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
WOO HOO
The beer and popcorn are out!
The democrat slugfest is just beginning, wait until the black voters, find they were hoodwinked by the “first black president” , this is going to golden.
I actually hope Obama is the nominee, any body but klinton seems to be the choice.
Hell I may have a few beers in nov and vote for mcLame!
18. Mark Noonan | February 13th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
John,
What is stupid about it is saying it at all - and this is still the primary season and Pennsylvania’s primary is still to come…his statement can only be in reference to the upcoming primary, not the general election; ergo, Obama’s problem, per Rendell, is conservative, white Democrats who might not vote for him because he’s black. But still - just to say it is stupid.
There were 10,000 other things Rendell could have said, but he had to pull out the one idiot thing which will actually harm his chosen candidate…
19. Ricorun | February 13th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Mark: his statement can only be in reference to the upcoming primary, not the general election
Then explain his reference to his run against Lynn Swann, which was a general election. That, plus the fact that he also referred to “conservative whites”, indicates that he was referring to the general election. However, like you said, his comment it isn’t likely to help Clinton in the primary.
20. phnx | February 13th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Sara is correct, Rendell’s comments may offend, but they are true. Anyone who thinks otherwise is being naive. The statement applies to republicans, democrats, and independents.
Sunny chimes in:
“You have some posters right on this board that are very disprespectful to Barack Obama, using names to describe him that are truly racist.”
An interesting comment given the fact that politicians on both sides of the isle are routinely excoriated in the most graphic and obscene ways bloggers on BFV of all political persuasions.
President Bush has been routinely referred to as Hitler, Chimpie, Shrubya, Frat boy, stupid, a drunk, a coke head, etc.
Will equal treatment of Obama ibe viewed as racist?
Sunny’s comment begs the question: “Will criticism of Obama be automatically considered racist, by the African American community?”
As has been said before “politics is a contact sport”. Criticism can be brutal, unvarnished and unfair. Does this mean that Obama will or should be exempt?
Unless Obama supporters are willing to accept the same level of abuse for their candidate, without raising the spectre of racism, they risk splitting the country along racial lines, even more than it already is.
21. Christian Wright | February 13th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
I cannot disagree with you on that one.
He is claiming that a segment of his population is racist.
It is one thing to know that every state has racists, but to advertise it as a reason Obama should not be the nominee. What he did was not just racist, but racist with a political agenda.
BTW: Saying McCain is too old to run is age discrimination.
22. js | February 14th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Obama’s church (trinity united church of Christ) adheres to a black values system.
This is what this values system is if I replace black with white;
Commitment to God
Commitment to the White Community
Commitment to the White Family
Dedication to the Pursuit of Education
Dedication to the Pursuit of Excellence
Adherence to the White Work Ethic
Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect
Disavowal of the Pursuit of “Middleclassness”
Pledge to make the fruits of all developing
and acquired skills available to the White Community
Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting White Institutions
Pledge allegiance to all White leadership who espouse and embrace the White Value System
Personal commitment to embracement of
the White Value System.
Sound familiar? These “values” could have been core elements of White Supremacy, or the KKK. This is the Christianity that Obama represents.
Is this who should be elected as President of the United States?
I dont think so.
23. Fmr Marine | February 14th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Im for obama & OJ as VP
Oj has YEARS of experience in the legal system. He is an avid golfer. He has aver ten years of investigative experiance, looking for killers.
…AND he doesnt have to worry about joining obamas (black only )church!
He kinda handled that little matter of having a white wife, so all is well.
Thats IT BO & OJ