Posted by
Andrews on Friday, March 21, 2008 11:41:55 AM
This will be a quick post, but did anyone else have Clinton flashbacks during this Wright scandal?
First we had "I did not have sex with that woman" or "I did not hear any of those sermons." Both tried to simply deny wrongdoing when it appeared.
Then we had "The meaning of 'is'" against "crazy uncle Jerry". This may not seem similar, but it is. Both were trying to change the topic. Clinton to the technicalities of definition, Obama to loyalty to his pastor (and later to racism in general).
Finally we got "It was only about sex" and "It is all about race." Both of them tried at last, when they had no options left, to say that they were really not to blame, America was. Clinton's defense amounting to "everybody is having sex and lying", Obama's is "America is racist so he is OK."
The parallels aren't precise, but the general tenor is. They both seemed to follow the same pattern when confronted with a scandal: Deny - Distract - Deflect Blame.
All of which makes the Democrats' choice even harder. They are being forced to choose between an actual Clinton and another man who behaves like a Clinton. I do not envy them that selection.