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Go Home Hillary And Rfk's Death

MAY 23, 2008

Hillary And Rfk's Death

BY MICHAEL CROWLEY

Count me as one who very strongly doubts she was raising the specter of a possible Obama assassination. Not intentionally, at least. (It clearly would have been better to leave the thought unsaid.)

Update: A hurried and defensive Clinton statement that underscores for me this was not in any way intentional.

Hillary Clinton issued the following statement today in Brandon, SD: “Earlier today I was discussing the Democratic primary history and in the course of that discussion mentioned the campaigns that both my husband and Senator Kennedy waged in California in June 1992 and 1968 and I was referencing those to make the point that we have had nomination primary contests that go into June. That’s a historic fact. The Kennedys have been much on my mind the last days because of Senator Kennedy and I regret that if my referencing that moment of trauma for our entire nation, and particularly for the Kennedy family was in any way offensive. I certainly had no intention of that, whatsoever. My view is that we have to look to the past and to our leaders who have inspired us and give us a lot to live up to, and I’m honored to hold Senator Kennedy’s seat in the United States Senate from the state of New York and have the highest regard for the entire Kennedy family.”  Transcript from the Argus-Leader's editorial board meeting: HRC: People have been trying to push me out of this ever since Iowa. Q: Why? HRC: I don't know. I don't know. I find it curious. Because it is unprecedented in history. I don’t understand it. Between my opponent and his camp and some in the media there has been this urgency to end this. And historically, that makes no sense.  So I find it a bit of a mystery.Q: So you don't buy the party unity argument?HRC: I don’t because again I've been around long enough. 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. There's lots of speculation about why it is. Q: What is your speculation?I don't know. I find it curious. And I don't want to attribute motives or strategies to people because I don't really know, but it's a historical curiosity to me.

Hillary would have to be unbelievably stupid to think raising the whiff of violence against Obama would be helpful in any way. I know some people think she's a monster, but a complete and utter political idiot, too?

P.S. TPM has video of her comments. 

--Michael Crowley

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40 comments

She has said this before, back when people started calling for her to drop out (was that March?) I don't remember where she said it, but I either read or saw her make these exact same points (about Bill's '92 primary and RFK getting shot in June) a couple of months ago on TV or in a newspaper quote. It sent a chill down my spine at the time. And I mentioned it in a TNR post back then. It's not surprising, or necessarily even out of bounds, for her to be thinking about this possibility... why *else* could she be sticking around? But it is scare-mongering and tasteless to say it out loud.

- hemlock41

May 23, 2008 at 5:02pm

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Count me as one who can't help but believe that such a confident expression of Hillary's non-intention might best be accompanied by an explanation of why in tarnation she would drop in a reference to the RFK assassination in this particular context otherwise...

- cspencef

May 23, 2008 at 5:05pm

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Hemlock41: Just so. Very tasteless. It has now become Hillary's bitter-end, macabre campaign. Waiting in the wings, or something.

- liberal reformer

May 23, 2008 at 5:08pm

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Jeez, I would be very afraid to walk through the dank corridors of Hillary's subconscious.  Peopled by whom-- James Earl Ray, Sirhan Sirhan, and what more?

- ChanRobt

May 23, 2008 at 5:11pm

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Why did she have to mention the fact of his assassination? Couldn't she have just cited it as a still competitive race?

- epicciuto

May 23, 2008 at 5:17pm

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So the added transcript material appeared since I made my comment wondering why she would say such a thing.  It doesn't help.  Reference to clinching a nomination only by June is one thing.  But that isn't what she referenced.  She specifically referrs to RFK being assassinated in June in California.  It is bad either way; morally bad, as practically an invitation for a modern-day assassin to act, or intellectually bad, as an incredibly stupid, tasteless and slipshod thing for a president-wannabe to say.  Either way it casts grave, nearly insuperable doubts on her fitness to hold and execute the office she obviously wants--literally--in the worst way possible.

- cspencef

May 23, 2008 at 5:19pm

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Well, Michael Crowley, maybe I'm just too deeply cynical about the Clintons to be objective about this, but I think it was just as intentional as all the other insinuations she's made referencing race in this campaign. And even if it wasn't intentional, it just goes to show you what she's really thinking: "Hopefully Barack will be assassinated so I can be president." How craven is that?

And she just kissed off any chance that the African American vote goes by default to her should she win the nomination either through a convention fight or through his "assassination."

And she probably also kissed off the possibility of being Obama's VP, don't you think?

- scire

May 23, 2008 at 5:31pm

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Also, notice that her apology is to the Kennedys, not to Obama.

- scire

May 23, 2008 at 5:35pm

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That's it. This party desperately needs a senior leader to step in here and tell this woman to knock it off.

Howard Dean, Gore, anyone: who has the balls to go to the Clintons and tell them they are disgracing the party?

Howard Dean, what do we pay you for? If you can't or won't speak up, then step aside and let someone with a spine take the DNC chair.

- teplukhin2you

May 23, 2008 at 5:37pm

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I don't get it.  Is there some historical context here that I'm supposed to bring to this statement of hers.  Like, was Bobby Kennedy in a heated political battle at the time of his death that people will be reminded of.  Otherwise the statement is miles over my head.  

- eharder2

May 23, 2008 at 5:39pm

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For a change, let me defend Clinton. The reference to RFK's assassination may be part of a generational issue. I was a college-age Democratic campaign worker in the summer of 1968, and I always associate June of that year with RFK's assassination and the California primary.

- srabin

May 23, 2008 at 5:43pm

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For a change, let me defend Clinton. The reference to RFK's assassination may be part of a generational issue. I was a college-age Democratic campaign worker in the summer of 1968, and I always associate June of that year with RFK's assassination and the California primary.

- srabin

May 23, 2008 at 5:43pm

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Crowley, you seem to be one of those people who thinks that "objectivity" means ignoring or explaining away events that make establishment-approved candidates appear to be disturbingly ghoulish and horrible. When Ron Paul is revealed to be a nutcase, you don't seem to have much trouble calling a spade a spade. But Hillary Clinton and her friends are part of the elite DC social network, so different rules apply.

This reference was not accidental. It seems quite calculated in the video. The Clintons, throughout this campaign, have demonstrated their eagerness to poison the political environment by making "gaffes" which they half-heartedly retract.

Clinton said exactly what she meant: that there's still a possibility that she'll get lucky, and that Obama will be murdered before the convention. There's no other plausible way to interpret her comment in context.

Enough lap-dog punditry, please.

- Hungarian Great Bela Tarr

May 23, 2008 at 5:49pm

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Hillary's next line: "Come to think of it, wasn't Martin Luther King killed during the height of the campaign as well, by some poor, hardworking, misunderstood white man? And didn't Bobby Kennedy bring America together with his speech? I bet I could give just such a speech too if given the chance." nudge nudge, wink wink.

I actually do agree with srabin though, no way can she be that monumentally stupid. She just didn't think it through, which is a pretty damn big problem in itself. And she wants America to suffer through 4 years of her and Bill.

- blackton

May 23, 2008 at 5:56pm

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David Gergen, who briefly served as an advisor to Bill Clinton, said it best when asked about whether Barack Obama should have Hillary be the Vice-Presidential nominee. Gergen noted that if Obama chose Hillary to be his Veep, he'd better hire a food taster.

- daveis

May 23, 2008 at 6:05pm

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Well, let's see. When she started going negative on Obama, Hillary said that the "fun" part of the campaign was beginning. More recently, she talked about how much "fun" she had as a girl learning to shoot a rifle. Then Hillary put out that mailer with the rifle flipped to point at Obama. Now she points out that the assassination of a Democratic frontrunner can completely transform the race as late as June.

I'm just thinking out loud here, but when Hillary said she was going to "throw the kitchen sink" at Obama, did anyone check to see whether there were any firearms in the kitchen sink?

But perhaps there's some upside here: After essentially predicting Obama's assassination, and implicitly staking a claim to the nomination in such an event, perhaps now if anything happens to Obama the party won't nominate Hillary after all. Knock on wood and God forbid and so forth.

- rhubarbs

May 23, 2008 at 6:14pm

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[blows whistle]

Y'all, listen up.

It's Memorial Day weekend. We are having this and our other discussions for various reasons. The alpha and omega reason is that men and women risked their lives in war to defend our right to say practically anything that comes into our pretty little heads.

Run that up the flagpole this weekend, and see who salutes it.

Okay, back to work.

[blows whistle]

- williamyard

May 23, 2008 at 6:55pm

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Has she hired anyone yet?

- dannyc

May 23, 2008 at 6:56pm

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On a side note.

Did anyone read Vanity Fair's article on Bobby? I was struck by his almost pacifist speech against Vietnam. The immorality of US troops actions over there...and so on.

He would be dismissed as a crazed anti-pro, left wing, Mooreite today, which makes him even more of a legend. It's a pity Operation Mongoose came back to end him. (New photographic evidence of key Mongoose men on site the night of the murder, provided upon request).

- The Ignorant Populist

May 23, 2008 at 7:00pm

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At least this "killed" her chance of ever, ever being his running mate.

- BHLnyc

May 23, 2008 at 9:05pm

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That explains it, she's waiting for someone to drop Obama with a .270 round. What else could explain her brainless tenacity at this stage?

- mpatrickhendri

May 23, 2008 at 9:13pm

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I think Olbermann sums it up pretty well:

www.youtube.com/watch

- GSpinks

May 23, 2008 at 10:35pm

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Of course she's a "complete and utter political idiot". Have you been paying attention?

- psantillana

May 23, 2008 at 11:14pm

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I think Keith Olberman had it about right.  Hillary's ambition was laid naked today, and it isn't a pretty thing.  Assuming as I do that her remarks were unwitting rather than planned, She has unwittingly revealed the basis of her continuing campaign - the vain hope that something will happen to so damage Obama that the superdelegates would have no choice but to go to her.  

That is bad enough as a premise, but mentioning assassination in the context of a campaign in which that very real risk has been on our minds since the fall is such a display of self-centered insensitivity that even her best friends must be embarrassed.  

Hillary should make her apologies personally to Obama and bow out as soon as possible.  She should work hard for his election.  Maybe, if he wins, people will forget her ridiculous and offensive performance over the past few weeks, but the stain of today will be with her a long time.

Neil

- purcellneil

May 23, 2008 at 11:18pm

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A lot of politics consists of manipulating voters' fantasies.  Mostly that remains utlimately within boundaries.  And a good politician in a democracy will find a way of negotiating the electric synapse between what people want and what's possible, between secret wish and unforgiving reality.

But the really scary stuff starts happening when a politician tries to suggest that the almost unspoken desire can be made real.

- ironyroad

May 24, 2008 at 2:40am

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Hillary has normalized and encouraged bigotry for months.  So inspiring, that one.

- Wandreycer1

May 24, 2008 at 8:35am

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Speaking of inspiring, did anyone else think during her apology, when she mentioned all the "inspirational" leaders of the past (while not apologizing to Obama) that she was *still* trying to link Obama (inspirational, after all) to those who get shot?

- epicciuto

May 24, 2008 at 10:39am

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You mean that non-apology, Ep?  I couldn't stomach reading the whole thing - it sounds lovely and typical.

I'm trying to remain Zen about this one, hoping this is one of the final thrashes in her gruesome self-destruction.

- Wandreycer1

May 24, 2008 at 10:53am

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Yo Iggy - I did read that Vanity Fair article and thought the same thing: no one could get away with those sentiments now.  

Although its not like anyone has really tried. Obama has more than others but he has it all ways with that.  With 70% of the country ready to get out of Iraq NOW, you'd think someone would have run hard to Obama's left, some Moveon.org sacrificial lamb just to keep Obama honest.

Obama is one lucky bastard (no offense to his lineage or anything...just re-reading "Dreams From My Father," he wonders if his parents really ever did get married).

- Wandreycer1

May 24, 2008 at 2:40pm

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Listen, I'm as anti-Clinton as the next Talkback poster, but let's come back to Earth on this one, people. Yeah, HRC is one of the most calculating and ruthless politicians of the modern age, but no one can premeditate EVERY word they say. If she had wanted to mention RFK's assassination without sounding crass she would have said "We all remember Bobby Kennedy's victory in California in June just before he was assassinated," thereby making giving his assassination secondary rather than primary position in that thought.

I think srabin's interpretation is reasonable - it's a generational thing. That moment is probably ingrained in her mind. And maybe her explanation - that the Kennedy family's tragic history has been on her mind lately - is valid.

Williamyard: nice Dr. Cox reference!

Side Note: I recently spent a couple months in London, and anytime I spoke with a Brit about U.S. politics they brought up the possibility (some characterized it as the inevitability) of Obama's assassination. In fact, many Clinton supporters cited it as one reason why they supported Clinton over Obama. Justy thought everyone should know what the rest of the world is thinking.

- ZACummings

May 24, 2008 at 3:54pm

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ZAC, as I said above I agree, however Hillary has been horrible as a campaigner and would doubtless be an even worse President. Hillary has pretty much pissed away all black support forever now, she is way too damaged goods, the fact she doesn't recognize this (and the fact that she has lost) and tone down her campaign instead of running around screaming about Michigan and Florida tells me we have to use whatever devices we can, she gave us the rope so lets hang her campaign with this.

- blackton

May 24, 2008 at 5:53pm

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Are you people nuts?  Nobody remembers dates of elections, but they often remember even minute details   surrounding assassinations.  They are one of the most conspicuous landmarks looking back in time.  Hillary remembered RFK was assassinated in June and that he was still campaigning.  That was her hook to a whole host of details of 40 years ago.  That's it.  Judging by all these far-fetched theories regarding her nefarious intentions, it seems your antagonism to her has distorted your senses of reality.

- mpace14

May 25, 2008 at 4:10am

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mpace: we are nuts? I am sorry, but she is the one who is running for President, she has to know that every statement will be scrutinized to the smallest detail. Obama made one gaffe at a closed fund raiser with no visible mics wherein someone recorded what he said (the cling to) and Hillary pounced like a dog on read meat for weeks. Hillary has time and again made gaffe after gaffe, comparing Fl and MI to Zimababwe (I guess Howard Dean is Robert Mugabe then) said white hardworking americans support her (contrasted to lazy blacks for Obama) and of course, she dodged bullets in Tuzla. And Obama has been more than gracious to her. She and her campaign is a train wreck. Don't you understand, people should not have to explain what the hell she meant over and over.

What is it with Hillary supporters and their neverending fixation on her? She lost, get over it. Mitt Romney looked at the calendar and said "I lost" and withdrew. Huckabee stuck around but ran a pleasant campaign. Hillary has done neither. She is holding the Democratic party hostage to her vanity and insecurities. There are worse things in life than not being President. If Obama loses, he loses, so be it. But not so for Hillary and her supporters. She lost, admit it and do the right thing.

- blackton

May 25, 2008 at 5:23pm

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The Clintons have a penchant for claiming that they are victims of problems of their own making. At first blush it is not at all clear what Hillary Clinton was trying to say when she said that she should stay in the election because, afterall, Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in June. Her efforts to clean up her statement make sense, but it is noticeable that, in typical baby boomer fashion, Hillary Clinton expects the public to be more lenient with her awkward phrasings than she has been with others.

When John Kerry made the botched joke about Bush getting "stuck in Iraq" because he didn't study back when he was in college, Hillary Clinton did not waste any time to figure out what he really meant; she just piled right on him like all of the rest of the yapping dogs.

And when Obama made the sociologically sound point that people embrace the cultural attributes that give them familiarity and comfort when they see no prospect for relief from economic conditions, using the unfortunate phrase "cling to guns and religion," Hillary did not ask that we understand the context and nuances of what Obama was saying; she just piled right on.

But now Hillary demands special privileges and special consideration; just as she has done by expecting the superdelegates to hand her the election after failing to win the popular vote of legitimate primaries and the failing to win the majority of delegates during the primary/caucus season.

The Clintons never want the same rules applied to them that they gleefully apply to everyone else for purposes of political gain. Oh, the advantages of power and privilege. Do we want that mentality to return to the White House?

- matthawk

May 25, 2008 at 10:21pm

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roidubouloi  has it right, she wants to stir up controversy to provoke a party-rending fight.

- Gavriel Meir-Levi

May 26, 2008 at 6:13pm

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I think they're just going to end up rending her, not the party. She's alienated everyone but the crazies now.

- psantillana

May 26, 2008 at 8:57pm

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matthawk, you recycle your garbage! You put that nonsense comment already on another thread. Hey, there are some threads left, dump your rubbish there too.

- sleepyavl

May 26, 2008 at 9:40pm

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What is the endgame for HRC?, the awkward phrasing of the RFK rationale, does she actually think if something catastrpophic were to happy that the party would come back to her after her comments.

She is still tied today to Vince Foster, just imagine if her view that history could repeat itself came to fruition.

Sure Hil you basically put out an open casting call for all the crazies to relive th 60's and take out a charismatic party leader, you should be our nominee.  Her only shot was to be a gracious loser.

- gregstolhand

May 26, 2008 at 9:59pm

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It's curious that the argument Senator Clinton is being accused of making - that she should remain in the campaign in the event that her opponent is assassinated - is rational, while the argument she was actually making - that this year is like 1968, when the first primaries were in March - is not.

- kpidcoc

May 27, 2008 at 9:12am

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It is completely unnecessary for her to continue to campaign against the eventuality of a disaster to Obama.  Undermining him makes it less likely, not more likely, that the party would turn to her in such a case.  She is undermining him to undermine him, in the hope that he will lose the general and just for spite.

- roidubouloi

May 27, 2008 at 12:25pm

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