Hillary has gotten a bit of a raw deal with her RFK gaffe, but I don't care, and this is why:

[ButterflyBlood]

Because it's no worse than Obama got over the "bitter" nonsense and certainly not worse than the guilt by association attacks via Wright.

I've noticed a key difference in the reaction of the camps on this though. Obama bore the attacks, and pulled through, not always with the best response at the time, but he certainly survived, without playing any victim cards (even though there was an obvious large dose of racism involved with the Wright nonsense.) Meanwhile Hillary's (or more specifically her supporters) strategy seems to be scream about sexism and the evil media being mean to them.

Now onto point #2: This type of crap will come in the GE obviously. Now who would you rather have responding to it based on previous record?

[anonymous171]

1. Not to mention that the GOP actually enjoy victimizing women.

Backlash isn't really a factor for them. If anything, it's a plus.

[mcctatas]

2. Hell...

for some of them, it's foreplay :evilgrin:

[anigbrowl]

18. The GOP has a lot of sadistic/masochistic types in it

I used to be kinda into that and I still hang out at one website where there's a political forum - seriously I've been a member there for ~10 years, on and off...hard to give up the conversational habit. Plus it has a range of unusual people, from wall street finance mavens to backwoods fundies, maybe 50-60 regular posters. The other members can't understand why anyone would waste time talking politics on a pervy dating site and shun the forum like it's radioactive.

Since everyone came to the site because of other reasons that have nothing to do with politics it's a true mixed board. Actually if it was just a political board it could never function, as the personalities run from quite intelligent to batshit insane at both ends of the political spectrum. And given the subject matter of the site there's a LOT of psychological deconstruction that goes on. I should do a summary post on it sometime. I do crosspost from there occasionally. With a small # of posters there's a lot of longer essay-type posts and arguments.

[AtomicKitten]

3. it's karma, pure and simple

[dkf]

4. I haven't seen much strategy from Hillary on this.

They looked more shell shocked than anything to me. And they know they blew it...they are doing more of the "poor thing is exhausted" routine.

[dorktv]

5. same here but then I only get my news from the interwebz.

[dkf]

7. I saw MSNBC this morning. Pat Buchanan loves her so much that

he looks pretty ill over this incident. I think they had Peter Hart on for the Dem side this morning and he was also mouthing things along the lines of "it was so bad its hard to discuss it" and "please move on".

They both had no stomach for it, and when the moderator said they could move on, both Gents looked relieved.

[dorktv]

8. well since she brought it up before, seems kind of weird it is suddenly

such an issue but such is campaigning.

[dkf]

9. When she brought it up before, there was actually a chance she could win.

Now the only way she wins is if something bad happens to Obama. That is the difference between then and now.

Also, the awful awful news about Teddy Kennedy brings everything back home.

Its a double whammy of awfulness and she stepped right into it.

[dorktv]

12. I thought it was bad for the Senator Kennedy reason only.

Otherwise it seemed like a perfectly reasonable point to make.

[dkf]

14. I guess its reasonable when you consider we have a VP in case something happens to the President.

But its a morbid thing to bring up as a reason to stay in a race.

Its like waiting for a rich relative to die.

[dorktv]

15. yes, morbid is a good word.

[dorktv]

6. Okay her supporters react to it and you blame her?

I do believe that not a few Senator Obama supporters acted a bit perturbed by the Rev. Wright issue and the Bitter issue and yet no one blamed him since he did not do any whining.

She, as far as I know, has not whined in the press about it but since her supporters have been vocal in defending her-she is to blame?

I sense a bit of disconnect here.

[ErinBerin84]

11. I think that my impression of it

Just comes from her campaign making it clear (through Maggie Williams statement, etc) that if someone takes these remarks as being outrageous or offensive, it is THEIR problem and not really the campaign's problem. Even though Hillary Clinton issued the apology to the Kennedy family, the campaign has communicated as much that they are being treated unfairly by the media and Hillary's words are being distorted(which they probably are, but they seem to lack a basic understanding of why this was seen as tone deaf, at least to me. The damage control of her campaign has not been particularly impressive to me, but maybe this will blow over in a couple of days and there will be no need). Since Hillary Clinton has not specifically expressed her feelings on this, I can not project on her. But just in the context of her original interview (that everyone has been pushing for her to get out), I could see her expressing dismay over this in the future (and according to that NYT article that was posted tonight, she did say in a S Dakota stump speech that politics has become too "gotcha" and words were being twisted, but she did not specifically reference the RKF incident). Not saying that constitutes whining to the press, but I do think that the campaign is at a bit of a loss as to how to respond, now that the shoe is on the other foot. I personally wasn't outraged as much as I just thought that it was kind of inappropriate and tone deaf, and the apology probably could have been a bit more concise, but that is just what I based my judgement upon.

[dorktv]

13. my impression of her and of him have always had to be separated

from their supporters because often they say things that bear not the slightest resemblance to the candidates.

[ErinBerin84]

16. fair enough

That's why I tried to focus my post on her campaign, but I definitely get your point about understanding the disconnect between how crazy, isolated supporters are not neccesarily reflective of either person's campaign.

[Zhade]

10. Repeating it several times proves it was NOT a "gaffe".

NT!

[JohnnyLib]

17. Oh, my.

Rarely has a subject line been so disconcerting and so validating for me, a Clinton supporter who also thinks highly of Obama.