On Fox News Sunday, during an interview with Chris Wallace, President Bush volunteered that Bill Clinton is not a racist. I don't know why the President made the statement except maybe to keep it part of the active campaign. I don't think that President Clinton is a racist either and the accusation is not a fair one. However, I do think that he used race-baiting as a campaign strategy. I think that most black people wanted to give Bill Clinton the benefit of the doubt after his "fairy tale" reference when speaking about Barack Obama and also after Hillary's perceived insult to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And then there was the reference Bill Clinton made comparing Jesse Jackson and Obama after Obama's win in South Carolina. Now that was the straw that broke the camel's back. It angered a lot of people, not just Black voters who have responded with a vengeance.
So I want to make it clear that a lot of Black people don't think that Bill is a racist, but are highly disappointed in his recent behavior. The use of race-baiting puts Hillary somewhat with the Republican's camp and compromises her ability to get people to believe her claim that she represents change when her campaign uses old tactics. It's a strategy designed to divide and conquer. The Republicans use it to perfection to solidify and keep their Southern base intact. And a lot of the Republicans that use the "Southern Strategy" aren't racist either. But history has shown that some Republicans and now it appears Bill Clinton also, are willing to do almost anything to win an election.
Sidebar: It remains to be seen if Bill or Hillary Clinton can recover from their tactical blunder. One is also left to ponder whether the planned coalition of White women and Latino support is considered by the Clinton Campaign to still be on course.
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