Black journalists to Hillary Clinton: Are You Black Enough to Serve Black Voters?

LAS VEGAS — It probably wasn’t a question Hillary Clinton expected to face, even at a national convention of black journalists.

But CNN anchor Suzanne Malveaux, acting as moderator during Clinton’s appearance here Thursday at the National Association of Black Journalists’ annual gathering, uncorked it anyway:

“Are you black enough?” asked Malveaux, echoing a question often asked of rival Democratic candidate Barack Obama, who is biracial. “What makes you a better candidate over a black man representing issues confronting African Americans?”

Facing a room packed more than 1,000 journalists, Clinton chuckled a bit before launching into a generalized tribute to campaign diversity.

“I am thrilled to be running at a time when, on the stage, you can see an African American man, a Hispanic man and a woman,” she said, referring to Obama and fellow Democratic candidate Bill Richardson. “Democratic primary voters don’t have to be against anyone. You can be for the person you believe will do the best job as our President.”

That was the tone during much of Clinton’s 30-minute appearance, in which she answered questions from the crowd after a short speech.

Through queries about post-Hurricane Katrina rebuilding, picking an ethical attorney general and genocide in Darfur, the candidate offered responses so lengthy and generalized, some audience members wondered if she actually answered the question posed.

The exception: when talk turned to health care reform; particularly after Republican blogger Kiara Ashanti insisted Clinton’s proposals amounted to “socialized medicine.”

“I’ve never advocated socialized medicine, and I hope all the journalists hear that,” said Clinton, who then suggested Ashanti speak to her aides for more facts “if you’re interested in being educated, instead of being rhetorical.”

It was a powerful comeback — the New York Times called it an “artful diss” and “snap! moment” — which galvanized a crowd hoping for some political heat.

Clinton’s appearance capped a busy morning which included awards to CNN for diverse coverage and a critical Thumbs Down award to Black Entertainment Television for fostering negative images of black people.

NABJ also pledged to join with the Investigative Reporters and Editors organization to continue the work of Oakland Post editor Chauncey Bailey, who was gunned down last week by a young man reportedly trying to stop negative articles about an area Muslim organization.

This morning, Obama is expected to speak before the convention, which invited the top three candidates of both the Democratic and Republican parties to appear months ago. Republican candidates Rudolph Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney all declined to appear, while Democratic hopeful John Edwards couldn’t reconcile his schedule with the convention’s plans.

Still, NABJ president Bryan Monroe resisted the idea that the convention’s 3,000 attendees might offer a friendlier platform for Democrats.

“We’re a group of journalists who write credibly about all parties…and can be critical of anyone,” he said. “If some candidates can’t see that, that’s their problem.”when

Comments

[James]

How can republicans expect to get votes from black people if they do not even believe their voice exists?

[Farhan Memon]

"who was gunned down last week by a young man reportedly trying to stop negative articles about an area Muslim organization."

I think it is more accurate to refer to Yusuf Bey's organization as a Black Muslim sect in the same way that one would distinguish a religious cult from a mainstream Christian church.

[Charles C. PhD. Divinity]

Are you black enough?

Aren't blacks through begging and pandering after 100 years, yet?

I call this disgusting!

[mitzi morris]

It's a demeaning question. Hillary's response was appropriate.

No one has to be more white,black,yellow,pink, or whatever.

[Zvone]

Is she black is not a question.

Can someone who's a part of Whitewater scandall a president of USA?

i don't think so.

[Seifist]

Until every minority stops skulking around, blaming "whitee" for all the problems and complaining that nobody understands them, this country will always be racially divided. When a member of a minority group fails, it is societies fault. When a caucasian male fales, its nobody's fault but his own.

[Morel]

Sorry Zvone....the Clintons were cleared of White Water. White water was looked into by the republican-held Congress, as well as the courts. The AttorneyGate scandal going on now, in part, was an attempt to place Bush&Co. cronies in state attorney general positions as to hinder, and even tamper with the voting process and the reporting of voting irregularities. As well as bring fake indictments against Democrats 2 or 3 weeks before an elections. The Arkansas attorney general was replaced by a Karl Rove protege who had no prosecutorial experience, and who had expressed he wanted to look into White Water....AGAIN. And who is from Arkansas?

The republicans were trying to turn the Justice Dept. into a 3rd arm of the GOP (btw, most of those indictment have been thrown out of court). Do facts (and getting it right) not matter anymore. Watch C-SPAN man....then you don't have to believe me....you'll see it with your own eyes.

[Alice M. Wahl]

Having tip toed to this firm conclusion, I also think that Hillary is the best candidate among a roster of excellents. Finally, I see a future where I will once again be proud to be an American.

[former tampanian]

I think the question will be -- "Is she man enough?" Personally, I think she's got a set of brass ones just as big (or bigger) as all of the card carrying members of the Viagra club. I'm not sure about Mr. Obama.

[howard53545]

Oh please! The Clintons are among the most corrupt people in America. You should have asked her about Ron Brown or what really happened to Vince Foster. During her husband's presidency more blacks were incarcerated in the US, and it was Clinton who actually started the occupation of Iran with bombings in the no fly zone and the boycott which killed many children.

[Tony V]

NABJ... what a crock, 90% of this organization is in the tank for the Clintons anyway.

That question wasn't tough, they were all designed to get Hillary's talking points out.

VERY SLY ARTICLE BY THE WAY: You got to (1) Tout Clinton's gender, (2) Compliment her on a so called snap moment, and (3) air her PET TALKING POINT AT THIS TIME: That she's OSTENSIBLY above negative campaigning, which is a deft undermine of Obama's main talking point: That Hillary is a two-faced (excuse me, three-faced) politician that accepts millions of dollars from PACs and special interests and so will be no better than George W Bush.

[Richard Ray Harris]

Should poor folks ask, "Are you poor enough?" Or,(for the handicapped)"Are you disabled enough?"

We're undergoing a devaluation of our Constitution. What the journalists are really asking is for her to make promises that can be held against her later when she doesn't deliver them.

This is the definition of cynical, moronic politics but more deadly is the ignorance of the words of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy.

[Vee]

My question to Hillary would not about her being Black enough but if Blacks continue to be the pillar of the Democratic party what can they really expect in real resources for their community as they attempt to leverage their votes?

That is what elections are about--in exchange for votes what can one expect? That question is being asked in all communities. One can be Black enough and still get nothing in return. Support comes with a price--what will the returns be for Blacks?

[Vince]

Kudos to Kiara Ashanti, who asked a perfectly valid question to Ms. Clinton, a question that certainly brought out the arrogant side of Hillary, a side of her which she tries hard to repress, but is always raging under the surface of her carefully honed public persona. There are plenty of pressuppositions and assumptions that Hillary has about socialized medicine which should indeed be challenged, and you are not a mere partisan hack because you raise these issues with her.

One of the major problems with Hillary is that she will not engage in substantive debate about her plans for increasing governmental involvement in healthcare- i.e. socialized medicine- yet she wants you to believe that she's not an advocate of socialized medicine. One wonders what Mr. Ashanti could have accomplished if he had 30 minutes of questions and answers with Hillary- I suspect he could have gone a long ways towards untangling the typhoon of spin that surrounds her candidacy.

[James]

I am an African Americans who does not like Conservative ideology, but I also don't like people like Bill & Hillary Clinton who manipulate Black people with symbolism without much substance. Under the Bill Clinton administration more blacks were incarcerated than at any other time in our nation's history. The notion that Bill Clinton was the "First Black President" is a JOKE!!!

A quick comment to all the white people who offer bad advice to Black people - keep it to yourself!! We have never gotten far by listening to those who try and belittle us or manipulate us. We make advances when we listen to our own instincts about what will advance our cause in this nation. Most whites have a lot strong emotions and opinions about black people, but the vast majority know very little about our history and struggle. African Americans must define for themselves what is important and where they are going in the future - To hell with white ignorance when it comes to issues of race, equality, liberty and freedom.

If you are white and relate to African Americans with GOODWILL in your heart - then you will get a good response. If you come with hatred, hostility and ignorance then you can go to hell.

[bikergirl]

I'm sorry but I dont believe the Clinton Administration forced any black people to commit crimes so that they could incarcerate them and then be labeled as the Administration that incarcerated the most blacks. Get over yourselves! Do you even hear how stupid that sounds.

[mike]

Wow. First we have Morel, who has the nerve to ask if facts matter - right after he claims that Bush was trying to plant his buddies in state AG offices! Earth to Morel, attorney generals are LAWYERS who are elected at the state level. My God, dude, take the foil hat off your head and come out in the sunshine! Then you have James, a typical black man who is concerned that too many blacks are locked up. He's not concerned that blacks are commiting so many crimes, just that evil whitey is conspiring to lock up all the brothers. Give me a break. Finally, the circus that is any race-based gathering of this sort. I'm glad Republicans have enough sense and dignity to stay away from a farcical whinefest, where supposedly distinguished journalists ask questions like "are you black enough?" What's black enough? Wesley Snipes pretty much disappears at night. Is that black enough? Does that mean that ice-t isn't black enough (much lighter than wesley)? What are the qualifications for blackness? Welfare dependency? Prison time? Poor academic performance? That question is really a validation of the whole notion that you're acting white by succeeding. What a joke!

[party-of-one]

Morel, you are technically correct, the Clintons we not indited in Whitewater, in part because Susan McDougal decided to do jail time rather than tell what she knew. But, many many many questions remain about Whitewater, the Rose Law Firm, Bills' "bimbo eruptions" and heavy-handed efforts to address them, and on and on. The simple fact, fair or not, is that the Clintons have a HUGE amount of personal and political baggage that was sent to storage. Do we really want it back in the spotlight as a debate topic for a presidential campaign, or worse, moved back into the White House for another four contentious years? Are there candiates equally or better qualified than Hillary Clinton to be president? Of course there are. Then why bring the Clintons back? Please spare the nation that.

[socks]

My primary interests are weither or not Hillary or any other candidate plans to continue along her husbands disasterous Globalization policy and fast track trading that has swept America almost clean of good jobs.

Futhermore I'd like to hear some of these candidates speak on the new swing that states are adopting. The policy of privatization of all our infrastructure so that private people can make money off of it, instead of our states. After all, most of the infrastructure was bought and paid for from our tax dollars. If money can be made off of it, why sell/lease it to Japan or Australia? Our highways and bridges and ports are some of our 1st defences in times of trouble and they need to remain in our own hands.

I am also far more troubled about how insanely expensive it is to get a higher education, these days. I think it was Jefferson that built America's 1st college, and made it free of charge.

Seems to me that we Americans that don't have silver spoons in our mouths when we are born need to demand some better questions of these candidates. Before its vote time, and stop all the squabbeling.

[thatcanuckchick]

Nice one, siefee. Guess what? I'm a member of a visible minority, and unlike you, I can spell. But I actually think the fact that you can't IS society's fault, not yours.

[Juanito]

Hillary will say anything to get elected, she is two-faced. Just last week, she was attacking Barack Obama for saying in his foreign policy speech that if the US had actionable intelligence on Bin Laden and other Al Qaeda leaders inside Pakistan's mountains, and the Pakistanis refuse to act, then we will. Now it's being revealed in the press that she said the exact same thing the SAME DAY at a fundraiser when a reporter posed the question to her (this was before she heard about Obama's speech).
Also, she has been attacking Obama for saying that using nuclear weapons to strike Al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan was "off the table". Hillary's criticism was that "no president should discuss the use or non-use of nuclear weapons." Ok..but now CNN and the Associated Press have reported than last year, she said "I would certainly take nuclear weapons off the table.." when discussing Iran.

This woman is two faced and I'm glad that finally the media has woken up from it's love affair with Hillary and is now reporting the truth.

[Segi]

I find Hilary and her husband pandering to black people very distasful and demeaning. When asked why she drops her 'g's when in speaks in the South (particularly with black audience) Hilary's response was "I lived all thos years in Arkansas and, I, you know,I'm in this interracial couple..' Preposterous. The last line was about Bill Clinton being called by self-serving black literatis and comedians the first 'black president'. Hilary has become a one trick pony. The press is ga ga about her.

[Christina]

Why is it okay for African-American (and others) to ask if Obama is black enough? Black enough for what? For whom? As to Hillary, she gave an answer that elicited a stunned response from the audience, but it happens.African-Americans are not interested in "blaming whitey" for their issues. What we are interested in is seeing that fair is fair. Fair isn't always equal. And yes it is society's fault if a black person (or white for that matter) fails. It's socieity's fault because if someone uses their free will to do wrong, it means that the temptations that are associated with illicit behavior are far more appealing and desirable than righteous behavior. That is by glorifying the criminal element in ALL communities and races. We are coming to a point in our society when all that is bad seems far more appealing to younger people than that which is good and as they grow older, that is what they will strive for.

[Lucy Akech]

Black people as a community are the only group whose votes rarely amount anything. They are required to vote en mass without expecting anything in return. The people running for offices are able get the black votes with small gratuities given to the so called black elites which includes congressional black caucus members, the black clergies and other well known black elites who feel they control black opinions and voices.
The points are:-(a) the genocide in Rwanda took place during President Clinton's era (b) the blocking of Haitian refugees from entering USA during which some of these people perished in Atlantic Ocean and other sent to camps in Guatanamo Bay, Cuba occured during Bill Clinton's presidency. At that time, other ethnic groups were allowed passes to USA unhindered (c) many brilliant poor black college students are being victimized by predatory college loans thieves to the point that their futures are doomed with high interest rates because of the debt ratios. I have not heard one the elected black official voice a concern on that subject. Yet support for Hillary by these same black elites is over the board!!
Black people, despite our diversity, must speak with one voice on those issues affecting the voiceless. Those whose voices can be heard need not only think about their pocket books by directly or indirectly participanting in the assault of its people own by multinational corporations or those who are influenced by them like Hillary Clinton.
There is no way an elected official can take campaign contribution from a corporation whose agender is to distroy that same official own family (the people he/she represents)!!!!

[mike]

I see little hope for blacks in America. When your community is destroyed by criminals, and you support politicians who oppose locking them up, you get what you pay for. When 5 generations of welfare dependency has gotten you nothing but more poverty, and you support politicians who promise more of the same, you get what you pay for. After 50 years of voting for democrats who all promise the same thing, blacks are worse off. They've gotten nowhere fast, and they're still voting for the same people. Blacks seem unwilling to give up the holy victim status that holds them down, and democrats are all too willing to pander to and prolong that status. As long as democrats remain unwilling to say grow up and take care of your business, and blacks remain unwilling to listen to that message, there's no hope. You want to see hope in the black community? Vote for people who lock up the thugs on your corner. Vote for people who think you deserve a paycheck and some dignity, instead of an extra $30 on your welfare check. Vote for people who think it's better to hold your schools accountable than to give you 10 bonus points on your college application. Just grow up!! Stop blaming and making excuses and waiting for a handout! Do something!!! The other option is to vote for yet another democrat, and spend another 4 years whining about the same old crap.

[Eric Deggans]

Mike, you need to stop spouting stereotypes and open your eyes. It is easy to blame the disproportionate jailing of black people on those in jail. But when possesion of powder cocaine -- usually found on white people -- gets you a much lighter sentence than possession of crack cocaine -- often consumed by black people -- what is the practical result of that policy?

Much as i wished we were in a world where class, culture and race don't matter, we are not. And working hard to erase those problems from our eucational and penal systems do not make people apologists for criminals.

i'm sure what I've written won't counter the preconcpetions which have been pounded into your head by the Rush Limbaughs and Bill O'Reilly's of the world. But I know a few of the people you want to write off, and their troubles are not solely thir own responsibility.

We all have a duty to reach back and help. too bad you're too busy demonizing people to realize this....

[mike]

You're exactly what I'm talking about, Eric. I don't care what the penalty is for powder cocaine, and you shouldn't either. There are no thugs selling crack on my corner. They're selling crack on your corner! But instead of being upset about that, you're upset that some statistical white guy might get a lighter sentence! Grow up!!!! What does the black community gain by letting that crack dealer out early? You're so obsessed with playing the victim, that you cut your nose off to spite your face. Congratulations, you got Rodney the crack dealer out of prison early. Now you have to worry about your kids being hit by a stray bullet, but at least that damn whitey didn't manage to lock old Rodney up. What have you gained? What has the democratic welfare state done for blacks except prolong dependency and poverty? What have democrats done for blacks? Fifty years of voting for entitlement-happy politicians has gotten blacks nothing but a complete breakdown of the family and absurdly high rates of poverty, incarceration, and failure. How many generations have to grow up with no work ethic because dad is MIA and mom gets a magical paycheck from the government? How many kids have to die because we allow criminals back on the street again and again and again? You're fooling yourself if you think this is just the ramblings of some lily white psuedo-racist. I've lived in a mostly black nieghborhood, and worked in a big-city plasma center (where the mostly poor donate plasma for a small fee). I've dealt with the whole spectrum of races and socio-economic backgrounds. And the only thing I'm left with is grow up and get a clue! America offers the world to anyone willing to grab it. If you have to work harder than the white guy, too bad. Life isn't fair, and no socialist government policy is going to make it fair. If you really believe in Hillary's "it takes a village" spiel, then support the village. End welfare programs that encourage illegitimate births and get the dads back in the village. Support mandatory sentencing and get the criminals out of the village. Support school accountability and make sure the village is educating the kids. It's all up to you. Pie in the sky promises will get you more of the same. You can choose that, or you can choose to make a change. Say it with me, Eric - I will not believe the decades old false promises of my party. I will not look to government to solve my problems. I will not be a victim. I will take responsibility for my actions, and demand that others do the same. Admitting your addiction to victimhood is the first step to recovery. Then you'll realize that your so-called friends are really just your enablers, and the democratic party is your dealer - smoke this; it'll make you dependent and eventually kill you, but it'll feel good for a little while.

[Eric Deggans]

If you've really dealt with people from all walks of life and have these kinds of prejudices in your heart, Mike, then you just weren't paying attention.

The point of differing sentences isn't about dealers, and you know it. The nation's prisons aren't clogged with people who were dealing large amounts of crack, they are clogged with users who have received huge sentences under mandatory sentencing guidelines that offer no hope for treatment or alternative punishment. But users of powder cocaine get lighter sentences and can cut better deals -- especially because the prison overcrowding has encouraged law enforcement to make deals with the people who they can keep out of jail.

Making no distinction between people who might turn their lives around and hardcore criminals helps no one. It just feeds this breakdown of family and society you've been complaining about.

We've had nearly eight years of Republican rule in Washington, in which the GOP has controlled every braanch of government, and we've seen things get worse for those at the bottom of society's ladder in every way.

If you really want to help people caught in joblessness, addiction and poverty, you better get past the stereotypes and start seeing them as people. Otherwise, you're just peddling another form crack -- the heady drug of prejudice, which allows you to solve every problem with the sweep of an insulting generalization.

[former tampanian]

mike wrote: "Support mandatory sentencing and get the criminals out of the village. Support school accountability and make sure the village is educating the kids." In the same post mike wrote: "I will not look to government to solve my problems." Which is it mike? You sound like a hypocrite!

[Gina]

Before Obama became a candidate, the black voting block loved the Clintons. If Obama wasn't on the ticket, the 90% of blacks voting for him would all be voting for Hillary. But, as soon as a black candidate was actually in sight of the nomination, it was time for blacks to throw the Clintons under the bus, and play the race card. These latter comments by black leaders putting the blame on Bill Clinton, are extremely disengenuous, and are merely attempts at damage control, as well as attempts at solidarity for the black candidate, at the expense of the Clintons.