<p>Respectfully, marite, this has been blown way out of proportion. I have no opinion about whether or not you are superficial; I don’t even know you!</p>
<p>Since I don’t know you, my comments were based solely on your comment:</p>
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<p>Which I interpreted as a critique of his PERSONALITY, not his character. While excluding ‘self-aggrandizing’ since nearly all politicians are self-aggrandizing, that leaves pompous and sanctimonious, both of them, in my perception, personality flaws rather than character flaws.</p>
<p>Of course character is completely different from physical characteristics. But personality quirks are not so different. I was comparing what I considered personality quirks (since so many people had criticized Gore for being boring and monotone) and you thought I was referring to character flaws.</p>
<p>Just a major misunderstanding! Of course character counts! I consider character traits to be those of honesty, integrity, perseverance, etc. not tone of voice (you said Gore put you to sleep). Also since you said you agreed with Gore on many issues, that contributed to my perception that you just didn’t like his delivery style/personality.</p>
<p>For example, if bush were actually a good commander-in-chief, we wouldn’t care about his bushisms. </p>
<p>I cannot believe how the media is now trying to twist and blow up the words Clinton said. Turning it now into a racist remark, dothey stop at nothing? For someone who has done so much for the black popoulation, who has truly been a champion for their rights, and for now them to turn his fairytale comment about how Obama looks at the war, into his chances for office are just rediculous and unfounded. I mean at what point is the media going to stop and start focusing on another candidate? I too believe that Obama’s views on ending the war is a fairytale, though it sounds wonderful, its just too idealistic.</p>
<p>"I cannot believe how the media is now trying to twist and blow up the words Clinton said. Turning it now into a racist remark, dothey stop at nothing? For someone who has done so much for the black popoulation, who has truly been a champion for their rights, and for now them to turn his fairytale comment about how Obama "</p>
<p>You make a very good point about the media. An excellent one, in fact. Is it possible for the media to cover Obama as just another candidate, or will everything that concerns his candidacy be primarily about race?</p>
<p>What specific things can you point to that you believe Clinton did for the black population?</p>
<p>I read an observation about HRC’s comments about MLK that made sense to me. She was not being racist but espousing a view of what it takes to effect change that reflects her experiences and her strength. The view is a statist one insofar as it involves legislating and implementing laws and policies. A statist perspective discounts the importance of motivating and mobilizing people to demand change. So MLK mobilized people but it took LBJ to implement change.
It goes back to the Demosthenes/Cicero contrast. Politics needs both. Words alone are not sufficient. But without words, would deeds follow? And without deeds, won’t words ring hollow?</p>
<p>What specific things can you point to that you believe Clinton did for the black population?</p>
<p>While I know he did not formally apologize to blacks while in office for slavery, he did help introduce a bill and had the state of Maryland acknowledge and do the same. This was him who prompted this. His many appointments while in office to blacks. His interest and connection to the culture of blacks. His upbringing, poor, rural, one parent household, he often connected with the poorer blacks, there is a reason he was called the “First black president”.The only white elected into the Arkansas Black hall of fame. Like it or not there was/is a connection between them. Many see her as an extension of Bill, therefore still continue to support her vs. Obama.</p>
<p>“While I know he did not formally apologize to blacks while in office for slavery, he did help introduce a bill and had the state of Maryland acknowledge and do the same”</p>
<p>I don’t think any of the things you cited actually helped blacks. Connection? Ok. Help? Not getting it.</p>
<p>Throughout his campaign he was widely recognized as perhaps the first president who was on a mission to improve the daily lives of black people through the educational system which greatly improved in impoverished areas and under Clinton educational spending in poor neighborhoods was up… Black home ownership was up substantially under Clinton, poverty spending allowances went up under Clinton, and moreover he still continues as opposed to other presidents to fight for blacks. What about his recent trips to Kenya and other areas in Africa where he has gone to champion the rights of young black poor children, so not only has he done it here, but he has taken his fight across the globe. Criticize all you want, he has done far more than any other president for the black population. Is it enough? Maybe yes, maybe no, but at least he has acted and at a time when he does not have to, has continued his plight. What have any of the last presidents in the last 40 years done to improve the lives of blacks?</p>
<p>“Clintons speech upon being inducted into the black hall of fame mentions a few of the things he did for poor blacks in Arkansas”
Thank you, but I was asking for the poster’s personal opinion. I’m always interested in perceptions.</p>
<p>I was listening to NPR yesterday, and they played some clips of an interview and (Q&A) with Andrew Young. He made some interesting comments about Barack (he’d like to see him be president, but in 2016) and about the Clintons and their relationship to blacks. The video clip is below:</p>
<p>As to the inexperienced argument, don’t forget that the peerless Dick Cheney had years of government experience behind him as he became vice-Pres.</p>
<p>I think it may backfire. It just smells of desperation. She was the one that said the campaign is about her policies, not what others have said or done. With Bill stepping up to battle for her, it also defies everything that she has said about being a strong independent woman. Why does he have to fight for her now that the polls show Obama decreasing her margin of lead? Oh wait, she doesn’t listen to polls.:rolleyes:</p>
<p>I always like Bill Clinton. Voted for him twice. But with what he and his wife are doing to Obama, I may not vote in November, if she is the nominee, and just put up with a McCain presidency.</p>
<p>Her surrogate, Bob Johnson of BET, made some disgusting comments about Obama yesterday.</p>
<p>Yep. The Clintons are unleashed and disgusting…They probably pulled Andrew Young’s strings, too…There are many people who are just too intimidated by the power they wield within the Democratic party to call them on their bad behavior…</p>
<p>"“Criticize all you want, he has done far more than any other president for the black population.”</p>
<p>Yeah, shipped jobs to China, helped kick millions of Central Americans off their land, many of whom came north to take over virtually all jobs in construction, built more prisons, and concocted the Big Lie of 1998 which eventually resulted in tens of thousands of African-Americans being shipped off to Iraq. Some friend.</p>
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