The Observer, February 3, 2006
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 15
A Little to the Left: Note to Hillary Clinton: open mouth, insert foot
Watch what you say, Hillary. Yes, Mrs. Clinton, I'm talking to you. Two Mondays ago, when the nation was contemplating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., you made the most divisive, offensive, off-color political remark I've heard in years.
For the Case kids who may not have heard about this, I'll give you the story in a non-biased nutshell: On MLK Day, to a mostly black audience at a church in Harlem, Hothead Hillary brashly declared that "When you look at the way the House of Representatives has been run, it has been run like a plantation, and you know what I'm talking about." Excuse me, like a plantation, Hillary? The remark itself is offensive enough, but what really outraged me was the context in which she said it. I understand that politicians – and especially, ahem, the Clintons – are known for saying whatever they think their audience wants to hear, but come on.
Senator Hillary compared one house of our American government, her congressional colleagues mind you, to wealthy, slave-owning plantation men. Hillary made a slave-plantation analogy to a mostly black audience – how was this not a bigger story in the media? Two weeks have come and gone since she made these comments and still, no one has made a fuss over it. I wonder where all the rah-rah, über-"politically correct" liberals are hiding. Maybe they are all too busy approving the blatantly anti-abortion Alito to talk about Hillary's racist remarks.
I might have been willing to let the Democrats off the hook for ignoring Hillary's remarks only if they actually had their hands tied by trying to filibuster the Alito hearings, which we all knew would end with his confirmation. So really, why hasn't she been crucified for this? The implication of her nasty, off-the-cuff remark is that she needed to make a slavery reference to connect with a black, Harlem audience. In the greater scheme of things, Hillary suggested that slavery would be the only analogy to which this crowd could relate.
"Run like a plantation, and you know what I mean," she smirks. So, she thinks that the Harlem crowd knows what she means: that all black people automatically link anything negative in politics to slavery and plantation owners? No, Hillary, I don't know what you mean. Maybe you meant to say that you're a closet racist.
I'd have been equally outraged if this speech had been in a New York synagogue, and she'd said that the house was run like a concentration camp or if she had suggested to an Asian audience that the House was run like a WWII internment camp.
Aside from trying to gain cheap favor with the Harlem audience, what was she really trying to get at? Maybe she meant that in her opinion there is no room for dissent or disagreement in the House. Maybe she was suggesting that one half of our congress is not democratic – a gross oversight by the founding fathers (some of whom were, indeed, slave-owners).
Regardless of what she meant, I know what she said. I think that a college-educated law school graduate and a senator for the state of New York should understand that practically and philosophically the House of Representatives is inherently democratic, or "not plantation-like."
She doesn't have enough smarts to understand that while the GOP leadership can limit debate on issues, the Democrats had that same power during the 40 years they dominated the House.
Change. That's the nature of politics, Hillary honey. The majority in the House changes just like presidents and senators. And Hillary, the rules of change and courtesy in politics apply to you, too, even if you are a Clinton. So, if you're as smart as some Democrats tell me you are, you'll learn not to pull the race card and be careful about the analogies you make, especially when referring to your fellow congressmen and congresswomen.
Oh, and Hillary, like I told you earlier, watch what you say. The voters are listening and don't take too kindly to racists. Remember what happened to Trent Lott?
