At times, the Clintons and their surrogates have skirted close to a Republican-style race-baiting campaign, with Obama portrayed as a “lucky” and “elitist” young black man who consists of “just words” cutting line in front of a hard-working, older white woman.
Stockholm Syndrome?
The Clinton campaign’s angry tone also has exposed a deep well of self-pity, with Hillary and Bill Clinton signaling that they see a media double-standard against them.
The recurring complaints about an anti-Clinton media bias also are reminiscent of the Right’s endless accusations about the “liberal media,” a form of “working the refs” to get more favorable calls.
That tactic has worked well for Republicans in getting the Washington press corps to go out of its way to “prove it’s not liberal.” It now seems to be getting some journalists to toughen their treatment of Obama.
From e-mails that I’ve received, it also appears that some Democrats, who have suffered through decades of harsh Republican tactics, may welcome how the Clintons are trying to replicate the Right’s attack apparatus, though on a much smaller scale.
These Democrats argue that the party’s only hope for victory in November is to give the Republicans a taste of their own medicine. Some laugh at Obama’s concept of a “new politics” that appeals to voters with less partisanship, comparing his thinking to the campfire song, “Kumbayah.”
Some of these Democrats even argue that it is the Clintons’ duty to destroy Obama with negative attacks before the Republicans get their chance in the fall. It may be ugly but it’s for the good of the party, these Democrats contend.
But other Democrats are aghast at what they’re watching. They see Obama as a decent fellow and an inspiring (though thinly qualified) candidate who is being dirtied up by a Clinton-ized version of Republican attack politics.
To some, it’s hard to decide if the Clintons are suffering from a form of Stockholm Syndrome, in which they now identify with the cruel tactics of their past Republican tormentors, or if the Clintons are so consumed with self-pity that they would rather smash Democratic hopes this fall than face personal political rejection now.
Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories in the 1980s for the Associated Press and Newsweek. His latest book, Neck Deep: The Disastrous Presidency of George W. Bush, was written with two of his sons, Sam and Nat, and can be ordered at neckdeepbook.com. His two previous books, Secrecy & Privilege: The Rise of the Bush Dynasty from Watergate to Iraq and Lost History: Contras, Cocaine, the Press & 'Project Truth' are also available there. Or go to Amazon.com.
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