Via the NY Post: Hillary Raises Assassination Issue:
“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,” she said, dismissing calls to drop out.
That is quite strange and part of an increasingly bizarre set of arguments as to why she not only should stay in the race, but may yet be the nominee. One begins to wonder if she isn’t cracking up a bit before our eyes as her own internal mental gymnastics start to move from an internal dialog to an external one. Really, raising assassination is bad enough, but to suggest that Obama might be assassinated brings to fore the notion that some crazed white man might wish to kill the black candidate as well as the memory of the King assassination. Further, with Ted Kennedy facing an inoperable, malignant brain tumor, it isn’t as if bringing up Bobby’s murder was the politic thing to do.
On that last count, she did later apologize:
“I regret that if my referencing that moment of trauma for our entire nation and in particular the Kennedy family was in any way offensive. I certainly had no intention of that whatsoever,” the former first lady said.
Plus, her campaign issued the following (rather odd) statement:
Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson defended the comments to The Post, “She was talking about the length of the race and using the ’68 election as an example of how long the races in the past have gone — she used her husband’s race in the same vein.”
Well, sure: nothing makes people think about long campaigns like assassinations.
And since it always makes these things more vivid, here’s the video:
In fairness, one could say that she was noting the assassination because it happened in June and hence shows that that campaign was a long one, too, but still. A tip of the hat to TPM for the video, which also has a video clip of her attempt at clarification
Really, it isn’t much of a clarification, although it is an apology to the Kennedys.
Thanks to MSS for noting this event in the comments of a previous post, although given the play it is getting at Memeorandum, it would have been hard to miss. Here are some of those who are commenting: The Huffington Post, The Moderate Voice, Rasmussen Reports, Hot Air, Pajamas Media, The New Republic, Taylor Marsh, THE GUN TOTING LIBERAL™, The Trail, Comments from Left Field, Fox News, Donklephant, Oliver Willis, Political Byline, Political Punch, Top of the Ticket, Fausta’s blog, culturekitchen, Dartblog, Booman Tribune, Balloon Juice, Political Machine, Wonkette, Classical Values, TPMCafe, Scared Monkeys, Open Left, Pandagon, James Poulos, Wake up America, Raw Story, Brave New Films blog, Don Surber, Sister Toldjah, Slog, Swampland, The Democratic Daily and Political Radar
May 23rd, 2024 at 9:00 pm
[...] From the HEART); Jules Crittenden (Right — ADULT LANGUAGE warning); Don Surber (Right); PoliBlog (Center) Bookmark: Tags: African Americans, Arkansas, Barack Obama, Biggotry, Clintons, [...]
May 23rd, 2024 at 10:51 pm
OKAY! OKAY! I NEVER..NEVER POST ON THESE BLOGS…ALL I EVER DO IS READ, AND SMILE AT THE CHOICE WORDS FROM BLOGGERS FROM BOTH SIDES. BUT NOT THIS TIME!!!! NOT TODAY!!! I HAVE TO BREAK MY SILENCE! I AM A BARACK SUPPORTER, AND OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS, I DECIDED THAT EVEN THOUGH PUTTING HILLARY ON THE TICKET WOULD BE BAD FOR EVERYTHING BARACK STANDS FOR, I WAS SATISFIED WITH HER BEING HIS VP. BUT NOT TONIGHT! NOT ANYMORE I’D RATHER BARACK NOT BE PRESIDENT, THAN TO SEE HER AS VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I RESPECTED HER FOR HER TENACITY AND STRONG WILL TO FIGHT TO THE END…BUT TO INVOKE THE KENNEDY ASSASSINATION THIS AFTERNOON IS UNFORGIVABLE AND SICK. WHAT DOES HILLARY THINK WILL HAPPEN IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO BARACK??? DOES SHE THINK THAT SHE WILL ALL OF A SUDDEN INHERIT HIS SUPPORTERS. THIS TACTIC IS LOW AND DESPICABLE.
May 23rd, 2024 at 10:54 pm
She meant what she said. She was not so tired to not understand the ramifications of her words. She is very much aware that words are powerful. Shame on you Hillary Clinton! Shame on YOU!
May 23rd, 2024 at 11:45 pm
Well if she is always so tired she may have trouble making sense on those 3am phone calls she will be waiting for.do we really want her not the first time she confussed facts when she was tired.at least no one was shooting at her as she got off the plane this time.sorry lady you get to many facts wrong and I don’t want to hear your sorry when you cnfusse the facts on national security
May 24th, 2024 at 12:26 am
Not her first time saying this…. PLEASE READ
according to TIME
http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/05/hillarys_bizarre_rfk_comment.html
Though she has now apologized for that very strange and tasteless comment to the Argus-Leader, this was not the first time she’s said it. This from her interview with TIME Managing Editor Richard Stengel, published March 6:
TIME: Can you envision a point at which–if the race stays this close–Democratic Party elders would step in and say, “This is now hurting the party and whoever will be the nominee in the fall”?
CLINTON: No, I really can’t. I think people have short memories. Primary contests used to last a lot longer. We all remember the great tragedy of Bobby Kennedy being assassinated in June in L.A. My husband didn’t wrap up the nomination in 1992 until June. Having a primary contest go through June is nothing particularly unusual.
Her excuse now is that the Kennedys have been “much on my mind these days” with the illness of Senator Edward Kennedy, but that doesn’t explain what brought it to mind more than two months ago.
UPDATE: H/T to commenter Elvis Elvisberg, who notes that even the reference to her own husband’s campaign was wrong. Bill Clinton’s primary race was effectively over in March.
May 24th, 2024 at 4:26 am
I wouldn’t be surprised if Mrs. Clinton was actually hoping for some nutcase to follow up on her outrageous statement and perform the deed… In fact, I have been suspecting this for some time!
She reminds me more of Lady Macbeth the longer her futile campaign drags on!
People, Clinton has repeatedly dropped her mask. Let’s all get together and tell her we will no longer accept her denigrating the Democratic Party, the image of American women and that of the United States of America in the world!
This is totally unacceptable – Maybe she should consider running on a new nightmare ticket: Huckebee/Hill… At least the sick mind is the same!
SHAME ON YOU, HILLARY CLINTON
May 24th, 2024 at 7:01 am
And all of us who were trying so hard to do the math and simply couldn’t figure out why she continued to stay in the race finally see the light! While we were busy using arithmetic to compute conceivable delegate counts, she was doing simple subtraction all along! To wit: two minus one equals ME!
Go figure!
Real gravitas here, puts her right up there with Jefferson, Lincoln and the rest- a truly Presidential character right to the depths of her soul. Don’t you agree?
May 24th, 2024 at 11:28 am
Hi to all, please lend me yours. Im an ardent supporter of Sen Hillary and I apologise on her behalf for such a reckless remarks. I don’t know what was in her mind when she made such comments. I know it’s not a decent thing to say or even think in our wildest dream of such thnig. I don’t dislike Obama but I supported Hillary because Iam a woman and I thought that we have finally got an opportunity to put a woman in the WH and I have always admired her intillegence and courage in her support for her husband during the Monika Lewinsky affair. I have very vehemently supported her during the course of her presidency. I have even thought she would make the great president of our great Nation. She had made many slip ups in the course of the campaign but I have put up with that as she is only human and I have resented those who have put up great resistance towards her. I also have great admiration for Bill for his past services to this great Nation during his tenure of office. Im Sixty Four years today and Im a white retired woman served in the Clinton administration for many good years and hence, Im grateful to the Clintons. BUT today, when I heard of Hillary’s remark about RFK assaisnation in June 1968 and her reasoning for staying in the race until June, my heart nearly stopped. No right thinking person will ever support her after this sort of reasoning for her to stay in the presidential race. Im really sick of such talk. Please Hillary, I plead with you to stop this race and leave the scence without hurting yoursrlf further. I will always support you as a person and wish you and Bill all the best.
Posted by: Pearl S Nathan | May 24, 2024 11:27:21 AM
May 24th, 2024 at 12:03 pm
What Hillary Clinton seems to forget is that this is a Nomination process of a political party. It is not a government election. The rules are set by the Party. And she doesn’t want to respect those rules.
All this talk about “one person one vote” is irrelevant. Each Party, be it Democratic, Republican, Green, Socialist or whatever, sets its own rules.
In the general election, it’s an entirely different matter. That election is to choose Electors. And, as in 2024, the popular vote is irrelevant. We can change the Constitution and do away with the Electoral College. But only the political parties can change their own rules. Not the people. The Party.
And may I add that I am speechless at the callousness of Hillary Clinton. She should get some rest.
May 24th, 2024 at 1:52 pm
Apology not accepted.
Senator Clinton’s true colors…what an inappropriate thing to say…a hurtful reminder of 40 years past.
Think before you speak…if that’s possible.
May 24th, 2024 at 4:40 pm
After your thirty five years of experience, I don’t believe that you are so naive that you didn’t know what you were saying. I think you just assumed that you could get away with it. Your reference to Bill’s campaign is irrelevant because he had the nomination rapped up by March. California was just icing on the cake that year. Also, Iowa and New Hampshire happened two months later that year than this year. Your reminder that Bobby died in June–and therefore that is your reason for staying in the race–is nothing short of despicable.
And if per chance you were so tired that your lack of discipline was showing—then what are we to think about the thoughts that go through your mind when you’re too tired to hide them?
Gore Vidal told the London Times last week that he had always rather liked you, “But this long campaign, this daily search for the grail, has driven her crazy.” He also said, “I think her strategy is more or less insane.” I think maybe Gore Vidal was right. Your need rest dear. Go home.
May 24th, 2024 at 9:33 pm
Wow. People can sure get riled up over this sort of thing.
As far as the idea of Hillary being VP on the Obama ticket? You’re kidding, right? That was NEVER an option for Obama and never will be. Do you honestly think that a single-term senator-elected-president could have his own administration with a former-president-turned-first-husband hanging around in the White House? That would be like trying to swim the English Channel with a Cadillac tied to your foot. Not to mention the enormous personality clashes and differences in stated policy goals.
As for the rest of the comments – not sure why this kind of comment is surprising to anyone who has followed Hillary Clinton’s career. She and the former president think very, very highly of themselves, and very poorly of everyone else. I’d bet my last dollar that both are clinically narcissistic. Nothing is out of bounds for such a person.
Nor is anything out of bounds when it comes to electoral rhetoric in general. If you think this is bad, just wait until September, when the poo really starts flying. The things that will be said in this campaign will make this assassination verbage look tame.
Mark my words. If I’m wrong, I’ll put mustard on my shoe and eat it. And I hate mustard.
May 25th, 2024 at 2:16 am
The argument that “in previous years, under different rules, with the primary season starting months later than this year, sometimes there hasn’t been a nominee chosen until June” makes no sense.
May 25th, 2024 at 1:32 pm
[...] from the weirdness of the Bobby Kennedy assassination reference, there is the real issue of whether Clinton’s references to Junes past (those of 1968 and [...]