![]() GENES RACY NEW NOVEL! Why didnt Clinton mention John Edwards? Gene Robinson has no idea: // link // print // previous // next //
THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2008 FROM OUR INFINITE NUMBER OF MONKEYS FILE: Really? Predictable work on the Times op-ed page? Well yes—and were afraid it has happened again! You know what to do—just click here. Weve taken the trouble to check this one out. And no—this isnt a reprint of a piece someone else had already published. Youve read this column a thousand times. Today, Nick Kristof gives you the chance to read it one time more. DISAPPEARED BY BEINART: Readers, its a tenet of Hard Pundit Law: What gets done by the press corps, gets disappeared by the press corps. Yesterday, we showed you Harold Meyerson eliminating his cohort from public discussion. This morning, Peter Beinart does the honors, offering this blinkered view of the current Dem primaries. Not long ago, Beinart was Washingtons Lion of Baghdad; he stood, sword in hand, at The New Republic, urging his country to march off to war. Today, he assures us—on the basis of a study, which hes carefully read—that the tone of the Obama-Clinton race is nothing for Dems to worry about. For starters, the contest between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama isnt all that nasty, he correctly says. And then, he offers this puzzling digest of campaigns that really were vile:
Weird! As everyone knows, there has been one super-nasty primary in recent years, but its absent from that account. In fact, in Beinarts account, George W. Bush is a bit of a victim—and Al Gore (groan) is once again said to have played a race card. (As always, Gore is said to have insinuated the claim Beinart puts in his mouth.) But so it goes as this Lion of Baghdad recalls our recent primary battles. And he goes on to assure the world that the Democratic nominee will not be harmed by the recent ballyhooed squabbling. But uh-oh! In doing so, Beinart disappears the likely role of his own clan, the mainstream press. We tend to agree with one thing Beinart says. If Obama emerges as nominee, he wont be hurt by what has happened. In large part, thats true for an obvious reason; within the mainstream press, Obama has been cast as the Innocent Party in the squabbles of the past few months—squabbles which have been lovingly flogged throughout the mainstream media. But a Nominee Clinton may be hurt by these overblown events. Many Dems believe that she and her husband have been playing a race card in recent months. And Beinarts colleagues have eagerly said this, as we see below. (Why, her husband even said fairy tale—an overt racial comment.) But the real problem lies in the future. Fairly obviously, these recent events have reinvigorated the press corps hatred for All Things Clinton. As E. J. Dionne even mentioned, in passing, the old, irrational Clinton hatred is alive and well in certain parts of the media. Absent-mindedly, E. J. completely forgot to say which parts of the media were so consumed. But today, the Lion of Baghdad plays even safer; he pretends that this endless, irrational hatred isnt part of the picture at all. We agree in part with brilliant boy Beinart. After all, he has read one study on this question, much as he so conscientiously did before begging his nation to march off to war. Its true: The recent squabbling has been overblown. But it is being overblown by his own mainstream press corps—and it has generated nasty themes within that gang of crackpots and losers. In our view, if Clinton ends up as the Dem nominee, these events could end up being quite harmful. But readers! What is done by the press corps, gets disappeared by the press corps! And Peter Beinart, the Lion of Baghdad, plans a career inside that group—wheres he viewed as a serious man. GENES RACY NEW NOVEL: Last night, CNNs Tom Foreman said the most racist thing weve ever heard. Hed been asked to preview Super Tuesday. When he did so, he played the race card in a way the press corps has taught us to loathe:
Disgraceful, isnt it? According to Foreman, Obama was going to look at states where there are large black populations in the south, for example—hoping he can show well there. All our analysts looked at each other. Well-trained by the mainstream press, they agreed: Foremans statement was the most racist thing they had ever heard. Of course, there was nothing racist about Foremans remark; he was making the most obvious observation in the world. Indeed, pundits have endlessly said it, for the past year; for reasons that are perfectly understandable, Obama was likely to end up doing well among African-American voters. Its as American as Boston cream pie—and theres absolutely nothing wrong with it: People of various ethnic, racial or religious groups tend to vote for one of their own at certain points in their groups ascent within American culture. In 1960, for example, We Irish stampeded off to the polls, thrilled at the chance to vote for Dear Jack. There was absolutely nothing wrong with that—and we know that, because Tim Russert described these events in Big Russ & Me. Indeed, what follows is part of the human pageant, as familiar as buffalo wings:
Just outside Boston, it had worked that way in our home too. Right from Day One, our working-class, Irish-Catholic grandmother insisted that we were going to Harvard, just the way Dear Jack and his brothers had done; one of her daughters had married a man of adequate means, and she knew that this would now be possible. (There followed an endless succession of spelling bees, designed to sharpen us up for this task.) Thus our question: Why shouldnt ten-year-old kids in South Carolina feel the same pride about Obama that ten-year-old Tim Russert felt for Dear Jack? And why shouldnt their parents feel what Russerts parents (and neighbors) felt? With his success and obvious brilliance, why shouldnt Obama be seen as an important symbol of success at a time when many [African-Americans] still feel themselves to be a step or two behind some of their fellow citizens in their pursuit of the American dream? Why shouldnt some ten-year-old kid write these words in the future: We loved him because he was young and handsome, but even more, we loved him because he was African-American? Russert tells a story thats as American as southern black cooking. And lets say it again: Every pundit has said, for the past year, that Obama would likely have an advantage in southern states where African-Americans make up a large part of the Democratic electorate. There was nothing wrong with saying that—or with what Foreman said last night. And there was absolutely nothing wrong when this prediction materialized. Which brings us around to Gene Robinsons recent unfortunate column. Robinson seems like a thoroughly decent man—as most people are. But his column starts with a nasty charge, one that shouldnt be offered up lightly. Playing the race card against Barack Obama didnt work out quite the way Bill Clinton had hoped, he said at the start of his piece. That was a very serious charge. And here was the deeply unfortunate, disingenuous way Robinson chose to defend it:
Why did Clinton bring up those earlier contests? Well, heres a painfully obvious answer: He was saying that a major African-American candidate has an advantage in South Carolina, due to its large black electorate! Indeed, thats what Foreman said last night—and everyone had offered some variant of this obvious statement over the previous year. Everyone had mentioned the fact that Obama had an edge in the Palmetto State. Why, a certain Post pundit had even said it, fairly often—and his name was Gene Robinson! Last July, for example, Robinson wondered if blacks might fail to warm to Obama due to fears that a black candidate just couldnt possibly win:
"Black folks have known the Clintons for a long time. Obama said, perfectly sensibly—explaining away the fact that Hillary Clinton still led him in polls of black voters. Duh. According to Robinson, Obamas campaign thought he should win the Palmetto State—due to its large black electorate. And they said that such a win would resonate through other southern states, where there were lots of black voters. Indeed, thats what Foreman said last night. But now, lets get back to Bill Clinton: In Tuesdays column, Robinson was simply stumped about what Clinton had said. The fair-minded pundit just couldnt imagine why Clinton had mentioned Jesse Jacksons wins, instead of John Edwards win in 2004. This, of course, was completely absurd; presumably, Robinson was simply playing dumb here, the way his cohort so loves doing. Obviously, Clinton was in part stating the obvious—major black candidates have an edge in South Carolina, as Robinson himself noted back in July. The John Edwards win was irrelevant. But when your mainstream press corps attacks, theyre willing to treat you like perfect rubes. There is no charge that is so serious that theyll handle it with care. As Robinsons rumination continued, he made a ludicrous statement:
The only possible reason! In this passage, Robinson does what his colleagues so often do when they start to type preferred novels. He imagines the least flattering explanation for someones behavior—and then dim-wittedly tells his readers that no other possible explanation exists. Bill Clinton was playing the race card, he said—stooping to racial politics. It was the only possible reason. No other theory exists. In part, Robinsons account is correct; almost surely, Bill Clinton was trying to devalue Obamas victory in South Carolina by saying what he did. But campaigns do that all the time—its as American as trashing Al Gore, one of Robinsons favorite pastimes in June 1999 (see THE DAILY HOWLER, 8/14/07, with links to previous work). Yep! Campaigns routinely explain away their own defeats and try to devalue their opponents victories; its what the Obama campaign did this week in the wake of the Florida voting. (Theres nothing wrong with it.) For the Clinton campaign, it would be perfectly obvious to explain South Carolina by noting Obamas advantage in the state—an advantage that Robinson had cited, several times, during the previous year. Obama did have an edge in the state. Theres nothing wrong with saying so. Here at THE HOWLER, we said that Bill Clinton was very dumb to make that reference to Jesse Jackson, He was dumb because Washington pundits were looking for ways to call him a racist (in much the way Peter Beinart dusts up Gore again this morning). Why, Bill Clinton had already said fairy tale! It was the most racist thing weve ever heard, many pundits were prepared to pretend. For that reason, Clintons statement was, at the least, very dumb. In making the statement, he took the bait; he gave them the club they were after. It was dumb for Clinton to say what he said. But was it also meant as a racial attack? Was it fair to say that he played a race card—that he had stooped to racial politics? Robinson made a very serious charge—and then, he said there was no other possible way to interpret what Clinton had said. That was perfect bull-roar, of course—but thats how this cohort has long played its cards. Thats how they played their liar card against Gore. And its how theyre playing this new, pleasing card against the vile racist Bill Clinton. Darlings, Bill Clinton said hit job! Its the most racist thing ever said! By the way: This is why the recent squabbling could badly damage a Nominee Clinton. And this again shows us the D-minus way your press corps hands you your world. As a general matter, Gene Robinson seems like a very nice person. But hes part of a nasty and stupid gang which has long made a joke of your discourse. In this, as in so many past matters, they can picture no possible story but the story they want to tell. Theyll simply tell you the story they like—and theyll be too lazy and corrupt to argue for their case. Theyll make the most serious possible charge—and over these justifications. But then, that old irrational Clinton hatred is alive and well, Dionne said. Absent-mindedly, he forgot to say just who he had in mind. By the way: Did Bill Clinton stoop to racial politics? We dont know—and neither does Robinson. But nothing derails this gangs preferred novels. Robinson made our most serious possible charge—and argued as if in a sand-box. Why didnt Clinton mention John Edwards? Robinson had no idea.
A LETTER FROM HOUSTON: In todays New York Times, a writer from Houston makes similar points. You know what to do—just click here. |