The Sly, The Slick, The Wicked…..

The nomination as all but decided among Democrats. After an historic and lengthy primary season, U.S. Senator Barack Obama will be the first African-American to be nominated for President from either political party. At the present time he is 52 delegates shy of officially securing the Democratic nomination. When his victory becomes assured, it will be a benchmark in time that will be chronicled in American history. Senator Obama’s ascent onto the political landscape has been a remarkable one. He has effectively defeated a Democratic political dynasty in the Clinton name.

Hillary Clinton had the name recognition, superior fundraising capability; husband Bill Clinton as her most public surrogate and the title of inevitability. Political news pundit’s and analysts used conventional wisdom believing that she could not lose the nomination. Clinton agreed.
In a November, 2007 interview with Katie Couric on CBS, Clinton was asked if she didn’t win the nomination would she be disappointed. Clinton responded with this answer, “Well it will be me, but of course I’m ready to support the Democratic nominee whoever it is.” When pressed by Couric on having considered the possibility of losing the nomination, Clinton said, “No, I haven’t.”

But producing an honorable winner in Obama doesn’t mean that Clinton has decided to be a gracious loser. Clinton has decided to continue campaigning through the end of the remaining primary contests.

Clinton has shown that even though her ability to press on even in the face of defeat is admirable. But she has continually shown over that last couple of weeks or so that absolutely, nothing is off limits when it comes to winning the Democratic Nomination for President of the United States of America. So much so, that she has now moved to a candidacy of extreme desperation without pause or concern what it may to damage Obama’s general election campaign or the permanent damage to the Democratic Party.

In the last few weeks, Clinton has made several alarming statements in her contrast to Obama in which she justifies the continuance of her campaign. Clinton in a USA-Today interview stated,“There was an AP (Associated Press) article posted 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. I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on. There's a pattern emerging here."Clinton's blunt remarks about race came a day after primaries in Indiana and North Carolina dealt symbolic and mathematical blows to her White House ambitions.

Then she claimed that she was a victim of sexism. When interviewing with Editor and Publisher she was asked if this had been a particularly racist campaign. Her response,”I do not. I think this has been a positive, civil campaign. I think that both gender and race have been obviously a part of it because of who we are and every poll I've seen show more people would be reluctant to vote for a woman [than] to vote for an African American, which rarely gets reported on either. The manifestation of some of the sexism that has gone on in this campaign is somehow more respectable or at least more accepted. And I think there should be equal rejection of the sexism and the racism when and if it ever raises its ugly head. But it does seem as though the press at least is not as bothered by the incredible vitriol that has been engendered by comments and reactions of people who are nothing but misogynists.”

But racially motivated voting appeared to be more prevalent In West Virginia and Kentucky. Voter exit polls suggested that 2 in 10 white voters said that the race of the candidate was a factor in their vote. About 66 percent of those voters said they wouldn't support Obama in the general election against presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. This is after statements by Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell. “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.” Senator Clinton was then well behind Obama in the delegate count and needed a big win in Pennsylvania to keep her hopes alive. She never repudiated the comment by Rendell.

The pandering to the racial divide by Clinton been obvious and is hurting Democrats. David Gergen a respected political commentator and presidential advisor to Presidents Nixon, Reagan, Clinton and George H.W. Bush was so disgusted at how Clinton has deftly used and benefitted from racial politics, said, ”She’s been talking about sexism in this race and she’s complained about some in the last 24 hours. You know race is playing an increasing issue. And it also raises the issue in my judgment of whether she shouldn’t say, you know, if you want to vote against him because he’s black, I don’t want your vote. I don’t want to win that way. This has no place in this primary.”

Gergen also added, “My sense is that the race card is being played more heavily today than it was in the beginning of the campaign. And that there is somehow now an increasing sense of the culture almost legitimizing racial comments by opponents. I mean, there were things like this back in New Hampshire, but there were some ugly incidents in places like Pennsylvania. And Barack Obama didn't even campaign in Kentucky and West Virginia in part because I think he faced some of these barriers. I do think that racism is starting to rear its head in ways we haven't seen in the campaign. I think it's important to take it on. And I think it's important for the Democratic Party to take it on. You know, race has been a big issue in our politics through our whole history. And we're seeing it play out in some parts of the country. This is not a racist country. I do think these are pockets of racism, but I think it's there and it's -- if it casts a shadow over this race, it's going to be really tragic in many ways.”

This past week alone Clinton produced a back handed slap at the Democratic Party when she used a desperate attempt to compare the disputed votes from the Michigan and Florida primaries to the fraudulent elections in Zimbabwe. “It is wrong when people go through the motions of an election only to have them discarded and disregarded. We're seeing that right now in Zimbabwe," Clinton explained. "Tragically, an election was held, the president lost, they refused to abide by the will of the people, so we can never take for granted our precious right to vote.”Clinton told the crowd of senior citizens at a retirement community in south Florida. But Clinton added an additional dig to Democrats who don’t support her stance.”If Democrats send the message that we don't fully value your votes, we know Senator McCain and the Republicans will be more than happy to have them. The Republicans will make a simple and compelling argument. Why should Florida and Michigan voters trust the Democratic Party to look out for you when they won't even listen to you?”

This kind of rhetoric is indicative of what Clinton will do to win the nomination. At least I thought it was. Then she said something that I could not just believe. I just couldn’t believe my eyes. Then I just couldn’t believe my ears. Then I just couldn’t bear to see and listen to Hillary Clinton at all anymore.

Senator Clinton in a meeting with the Argus-Leader News editorial board said this about staying in the race. "My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don't understand it." This is after former Republican candidate Mike Huckabee’s comments last week about Obama ‘ducking gunfire.”

To imply that Obama may be assassinated as a reason to continue is low, disrespectful, scurrilous and despicable. Clinton apologized. And of course Obama took the high road. But there has been a whispering conversation about the safety of Obama in his quest for the White House. His secret service detail was increased after numerous death threats.

Senator Clinton as well as former president Bill Clinton has shown they have no respect for those who have stood by them in the past but have moved on to a more practical choice to lead their country. If they have no respect for African-Americans and others who have made Barack Obama their choice for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, then I’m sure that John McCain and the Republican Party will be more than happy to have them.

What's really being shown is the true nature of the Clinton's. it was all about poseesing power than being of service to the American people. If they were not many of these remarks and actions would have never have been there. They felt entitled to the White House while not being obligated to all of the people.

If I were a fly on the wall, I would love to be in the meeting on May 31st with Senator Clinton and the Democratic National Committee and hear her cock and bull story explaining how she’s going to plan to bring the party together. But remember, she said she would. She’s not going to get the nomination.

Do I believe her? No.

Do pigs fly? No.

Pass it on….

Copyright 2008 © Algernon H. Penn