Here's two more comments from that New York Times blog:


"The assertion that it took President Johnson's legislative leadership to pass the Civil Rights Act is another example of top down historical analysis that devalues the impact and political agency of grass roots movements. Without the pressure exerted by student, community, labor and church activist, which ultimately exposed the hypocrisy inherent in American society, President Johnson would have moved with "all deliberate speed" to sign the Civil Rights Act. Hillary Clinton's contention that her experience and connections will allow her to deliver on her promises is exactly the type of arrogant political leadership that the electorate must reject."
— Posted by JNB

**

"Unfortunately, the Clintons' despicable Dick-Morris-triangulation strategy to inject race into the campaign and then frame and blame Obama for the very act they themselves have done is being executed today as I anticipated it would last night ("Bill Clinton Tries to Tamp Down 'Fairy Tale' Remark" Comment #236). The only surprise is that the comments of her surrogates are are no longer subtle "dog whistle" undertones but open and blantantly vile bile that all but the most obtuse Clinton supporters intentionally adopting their "see no evil, hear no evil" poses must acknowledge. They're bringing it from both directions: one anonymous surrogate ridiculing Obama's white supporters by implying that Obama's "hip black[ness]" is his only noteworthy attribute that would attract those wannabe hipsters, while trotting out their African American toady Bob Johnson, to compare Obama to Sidney Poitier, who's often unfairly criticized as a "sanitized" black person whose acceptable to white people (i.e., "not black enough") and also refer to "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" to associate Obama with the "taboo" and taint of miscegenation in case there's anyone left who doesn't know that Obama's mother was white and his father was black. All the while, Hillary claims that race and gender shouldn't be misused in this way in the campaign. Yesterday I was heartbroken by the tactics of the Clintons, for whom I had so much admiration and a deep reservoir of good will. Today, they have gone too far to ever assuage my feelings or, more importantly, have my vote, as beguiling as Bill Clinton is and no matter how much I'd like to reminisce about the good times we had back in the '90s. I can no longer bear to see them every day on the national and world stage. I'm a lifelong Democrat but if Hillary Clinton becomes the party's nominee, for the first time, a viable third-party candidate (Bloomberg? Gore? even - gasp - McCain under the right circumstances, Iraq policy and the Supreme Court be darned) would get my vote."
— Posted by Richard O.


http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/13/bet-chief-raps-obama-in-sc/