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 »  Home  »  Forum/Opinion  »  Hillary Clinton was ‘Goldwater girl’, what did Tavis Smiley really expect from Barack Obama?
Hillary Clinton was ‘Goldwater girl’, what did Tavis Smiley really expect from Barack Obama?
By Bankole Thompson | Published  02/24/2008 | Forum/Opinion | Rating:
Bankole Thompson


 
Bankole Thompson is senior editor and editorial page writer of the Michigan Chronicle directing the position of the paper on local, national and international issues. Thompson’s latest book, “A Matter of Black Transformation,” deals with Blacks, China and globalization.

 

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Hillary Clinton was ‘Goldwater girl’, what did Tavis Smiley really expect from Barack Obama?

by Bankole Thompson
For New Pittsburgh Courier

DETROIT (Real Times News Service)--Chicago Tribune columnist and Washington political journalist Robert Novak, whose recent book “The Prince of Darkness” chronicled five decades of covering politics in Washington, wrote a column in March of 2007 exposing the fallacy that the Clinton machine has a hold on Blacks.

Hillary Clinton talked about admiring Martin Luther King Jr. during her high school days and his vision during the Bloody Sunday march in Selma, Ala., last year where all the candidates tried to display their civil rights credentials.

At the first Baptist Church in Selma, Clinton said, “As a young girl (at age 16), I had the great privilege of hearing Dr. King speak in Chicago. The year was 1963. My youth minister from our church took a few of us down on a cold January night to hear King. And he called on us, he challenged us that evening to stay awake during the great revolution that the civil rights pioneers were waging on behalf of a more perfect union.”

But Novak, in his syndicated column, questioned the wisdom of Sen. Clinton’s ideological affinity with King if she declared herself a “Goldwater girl” in the failed 1964 presidential run of segregationist Barry M. Goldwater, a five term U.S. senator from Arizona. Goldwater vehemently opposed the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

“The incompatibility of those two positions of 40 years ago was noted to me by Democratic old-timers who were shocked by Sen. Clinton’s temerity in pursuing her presidential candidacy. Barry Goldwater’s opposition to the 1964 voting rights bill (Civil Rights Act) was not incidental to his run for the White House, but an integral element of conscious departure from Republican tradition that contributed to his disastrous performance,” Novak wrote. “Of course, no political candidate should have to explain inconsistencies of her high school days. What Hillary Clinton said at Selma is significant because it betrays her campaign’s panicky reaction to the unexpected rise of Sen. Obama as a serious competitor for the Democratic nomination.”

Novak wrote that Hillary Clinton answered King’s challenge “the next year as the 17-year-old class president at Maine East High School in the Chicago suburbs. She described herself in her memoirs as an ‘active Young Republican’ and ‘Goldwater girl, right down to my cowgirl outfit.’ As a politically attuned honor student, she must have known that Goldwater was one of only six Republican senators who joined Southern Democratic segregationists,” against the 1964 Civil Rights Act that was inspired by the Civil Rights Movement.

Novak further noted that Clinton headed the Young Republicans at Wellesley College as a freshman before joining the Democrats.

“But when in 1969 at age 22 she was the first Wellesley student to deliver the commencement address, she did not place civil rights first. She talked about a demonstration in Founder’s parking lot at the college that ‘protested against the rigid academic distribution requirement’ and supported ‘a pass-fail system’ and ‘a say’ in ‘academic decision making.’ That was not quite Martin Luther King’s agenda.”

Novak seemed to have described the troubles of Sen. Clinton when he concluded with these words:

“Hillary Clinton’s road to the White House is not going as planned. Instead of a steady procession to coronation at the Denver convention, she is involved in a real struggle against credible opponents led by Obama. No wonder she and her handlers were tempted to imply the existence long ago of a teenager in Chicago’s suburbs who never really existed.”

This makes you wonder how come the so-called Black leaders like Andrew Young, BET founder Bob Johnson and others never made this an issue. But they demonstrated the temerity to question Barack Obama’s childhood drug use.

What did Tavis Smiley really want?

Hillary Clinton was at Smiley’s State of the Black Union symposium last week to show how much she loves Black people. Smiley, upset about Obama’s unavailability to speak at his conference, rejected the Illinois senator’s offer to have his eloquent wife, Michelle, speak at the event.

Did Smiley realize what is at stake with the Obama campaign and the need for him to win Ohio and Texas? Obama graciously turned down Smiley’s invitation, explaining his intense campaign would not allow him the opportunity to do so. Obama, like any other presumptive nominee at this critical juncture of the presidential race, should not join an annual panel of conceptual and philosophical exuberance that amounts to intellectual aggrandizement, but little or no transformation in the Black community. I am looking for statistical evidence that shows improvement of the living conditions of Black people as a result of such rhetorical fiestas held annually. I’m waiting for someone to tell me that as a result of such fiestas 50,000 jobs have been created, 100,000 ex-felons have been rehabilitated and given jobs. These are some of the real issues facing Black America. Basking in intellectual glory would not solve them. People need food on their table, employment, etc.

An event that turns out to be an intellectual battleground and competition for the best Black scholars and political activists does not change the life of a Black woman who has put thirty years of service in a company and has just been told that she will lose her job. It does not make life better for a woman whose husband has just been stricken with cancer and neither one has health insurance. These bread and butter issues are not tackled with ivory tower conferences. They are resolved with hands- on solutions.

Wouldn’t it be better to have a job creation plan sponsored by those major corporations sponsoring the Smiley event? We need to hold each other accountable in the Black community. Self-appointed Black leadership has not helped the Black community.

Dr. King led a Poor People’s Campaign. When was the last time we had such television leaders and scholars use their enormous resources and contacts in mainstream America to lead campaigns in urban cities where public education, health care and unemployment are challenging the very existence of many of our people?

It is nice to sit on well furnished and beautifully made settees on national television and talk about problems of the Black community as opposed to rolling up your sleeves and getting dirty with the groups trying to make life better.

Bankole Thompson is senior editor and editorial page writer of the Michigan Chronicle directing the position of the paper on local, national and international issues. Thompson’s latest book, “A Matter of Black Transformation,” deals with Blacks, China and globalization.

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Comments
  • Comment #1 (Posted by Renee Giles)
    Rating
    Excellent article
     
  • Comment #2 (Posted by Ayanna King)
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    I love to see an article based on factual information and not emotions, I truly enjoyed this article and I hope we see more like this one.
     
  • Comment #3 (Posted by Brenda)
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    Excellent article. I, too, felt that Tavis was way off base in practically demanding that Obama participate in his forum. I listened to his commentary on the Tom Joiner morning show leading up to his event and it sounded like he was withholding his support of Obama. Shame on him. Too bad he allows his ego to get in the way to a possible historical event that could affect all minorities. I no longer hold Tavis up as the moral compass of Black people. He is pathetic.
     
  • Comment #4 (Posted by Mongezi Nkomo)
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    This article is right on the MONEY and on TIME! The co-President of 1992-2000 presided on the passing of a Federal Law that putt 100,000 policy officers on the street and the "Prison-Industrial Complex" imploded with more "victimless criminals" largely petty ones on crack etc the majority who are Black and an increasing prison population of MORE WOMEN!

    Second the Co-Presidency initiated a Third World-like anti-poor female and single mothers program known as "From Welfare to Workfare" to jobs where there were no health benefits and a living wage for working mothers!

    A disastrous foreign policy that did not pursue a progressive agenda for human rights in Rwanda and bombed some southeastern European country and mainly benefited corporations through NAFTA and a symbolic visit to Nelson Mandela’s Presidency in 1998!

    The African American community of Pittsburgh had problems with "police brutality" incidents as if the Clinton budget money for local police was for a war on people rather than on crime, drugs and criminals!

    The only economic beneficiaries were upper middle class and other elite corporate and professional careerists in the African American community, and not the working poor nor the "under-class" reserve cheap labor!

    This does not mean Barack Obama is going to eradicate American working poor problems, let alone Black problems, people in general and activist voters want the least of the THREE EVILS! That is Obama, with no EXPERIENCE!

     
  • Comment #5 (Posted by Yvonne)
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    Excellent article. Sen. Obama demonstrated a long time ago in launching his career his willingness personally go into the communities that needed organization to better their conditions. What, indeed, is being accomplished by Mr. Smiley's annual conferences?
     
  • Comment #6 (Posted by Annette)
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    Excellent article:Perhaps Mr.Smiley is jealous because Barack gained his popularity so fast and is well known by rich/poor,black/white and the name Tavis Smiley is not known by all especially in some of our black communities. Come on Tavis reach out and touch our brother Barack's hand. Make this world a better place if you can by remembering no Man Is An Island
    Some one had to reach out and give you a hand to get to where you are in your walk of life. Barack you have my vote!!!!
     
  • Comment #7 (Posted by Anthony)
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    This is the kind of article that gives meaning to the Black Press today. Bold, intelligent and courageous editors like Mr. Thompson can help change a lot in our Black communities. We need more Black journalists to be bold and don't let our communities to be taken for a ride.
     
  • Comment #8 (Posted by pelegg2001@yahoo.com)
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    Wonderful, where do I sign up ... ? Lets do it!
     
  • Comment #9 (Posted by Sue Chen)
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    This article is so loaded and ill prepared that it makes me wonder if people actually take the time to research information or if they just obey it. And whether or not the author himself spends his time trying to be more persuasive than substantive

    First off, unlike popular belief the party most in favor of the civil right act during the time were Republicans."The Congressional Quarterly of June 26, 1964 recorded that in the Senate, only 69 percent of Democrats voted for the Civil Rights Act as compared to 82 percent of Republicans. All southern Democratic senators voted against the act."

    Secondly, Goldwater actually had a rich background in support of civil rights which makes me think the author is not only ignorant about Goldwater’s career, but he also didn’t do his homework and research the man before he sat down and wrote a word. First off, Goldwater didn’t sign the bill because he didn’t agree with title II due to his own political issues with law trying to trump ethics, remarking, "You can't legislate morality." Goldwater, however had supported both previous attempts to pass Civil Rights legislation in 1957 and 1960. The reason for the opposition to the 1964 act was Title 2, which he viewed as a violation of individual liberty which is such granted in the U.S. Bill of Rights. He saw the civil rights act as an imposition to a frameworks of the Bill of Rights which has more power over the law, and the civil rights act title II as trying to trump it. I mean if we you acutally took a look at title II ( you can find it on the us department of justice.org) doesn't this represent the core foundation of the bill of rights…liberty. So I can understand Goldwater's position however, I am by no means going to agree with the fact that everyone during that time was afforded that such freedom.

    Thirdly,
    So, to name a few things Goldwater did (he was also known as a Libertarian by the way, and he did support gay marriage and abortion, which was rare in the 60’s) the truth is that Goldwater had a rich history of championing civil rights, including his success in desegregating the Arizona National Guard before President Truman did. In the Senate, he strongly supported both the 1957 and 1960 Civil Rights Acts. He eventually regretted his vote in opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 but it was based strictly on political ideological grounds.He believed that two of its sections, Title II and Title VII, overextended the role of the federal government. And for with the win... Barry Goldwater as a city councilman in Phoenix became a founding member of the Arizona NAACP, and he remained a proud member until his death.

    So, it’s not surprising to me that Hillary got on board with Goldwater and republicans. I already knew that she was part of the republican party at Wellesley and am quiet amazed that the author of the article would try to “enlighten” readers with this information- since it’s been out there for a while- and not to mention his comparison of Hillary’s invitation to speak at commencement implies that every 22 year old who is the first to be asked to speak at commencement should somehow always have a political agenda that brings the works of MLK to the forefront and ignore his or her own student bodies needs thus, Hillary should not have spoken in Founder’s lot about academic distributions requirements. I mean come on… that is was great leaders do… they represent the people! I'm sure the academic climate at Wellesley is something that most Wellesley students can testify to and have some serious qualms about the constraints pushed upon them.

    These are just some of my thoughts for those who seem to think the author of the article is just soo profound and factual when he’s really NOT.


     
  • Comment #10 (Posted by Caha)
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    Wonderful, well written article. In her autobiography, Hillary agreed that Goldwater was a conservative whose views were at odds with the teachings of MLK. She wrote that she supported Goldwater out of loyalty to her father, who thought that MLK was a rabble-rouser and trouble-maker. Yet, she has never denounced Goldwater, as she has called on Obama to do regarding Reverend Wright. Instead, she pretends that the past never happened, and in Selma for example, she conveniently forgot to mention her days spent as a "Goldwater Girl" who recruited whites who were against the Civil Rights Act. Tavis should be ashamed for jumping on the wron band wagon, and behaving like a bucket dwelling crab.
     
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