Obama Release on Clinton’s Mississippi Comments
OBAMA CAMPAIGN CALLS ON SEN. CLINTON TO EXPLAIN HER DEROGATORY STATEMENTS ABOUT MISSISSIPPI
Jackson, MS – Today, the Obama campaign in Mississippi held a press conference calling on Senator Hillary Clinton to explain derogatory statements made about Mississippi.
In October, Senator Hillary Clinton told the Des Moines Register newspaper that “I was shocked when I learned Iowa and Mississippi have never elected a woman governor, senator or member of Congress. There has got to be something at work here…when you look at the numbers, how can Iowa be ranked with Mississippi? That’s not what I see. That’s not the quality. That’s not the communitarianism. That’s not the openness I see in Iowa.”
At a press conference at the Obama campaign’s Jackson Headquarters, Former Governor and Obama Campaign Mississippi Vice Chair Ray Mabus said, “Throughout this campaign, Senator Clinton has shown a disturbing pattern of writing off and criticizing states that she’s lost or that she doesn’t expect to do well in, including small states and southern states. Back in Iowa, Senator Clinton said: “How can Iowa be ranked with Mississippi? That’s not the quality. That’s not the communitarianism, that’s not the openness I see in Iowa.”
“Now, we certainly need to elect more women to office in this state, and have more women in leadership roles like Reecy Dickson, who has taken the helm of the Legislative Black Caucus. We want to work to grow our party so we can get more excellent women into office. But Senator Clinton’s derogatory comments are exactly the wrong way to go about that. “
Mayor of Hattiesburg Johnny DuPree added, ““It’s that kind of dismissive attitude towards the south that has lead Democrats, Independents and Republicans in the south who are opposed to the Iraq war, or who agree that we should cut taxes for working families, to feel unwelcome in the Democratic Party. The last thing Mississippi Democrats need is to be told that once again, our state won’t matter in a general election. Mississippi is the next primary, and she owes voters here an explanation for her comments.”
Clinton’s Comments
CLINTON: How can Iowa be ranked with Mississippi? “‘I was shocked when I learned Iowa and Mississippi have never elected a woman governor, senator or member of Congress. There has got to be something at work here,’ she said. ‘How can Iowa be ranked with Mississippi?’ she asked, suggesting that Iowa is too good for that. ‘That’s not the quality. That’s not the communitarianism, that’s not the openness I see in Iowa.’” [ Chicago Tribune, 10/23/07]
Clinton Supporter Calls Red State Democrats Second Class. “‘Superdelegates are not second-class delegates,’ says Joel Ferguson, who will be a superdelegate if Michigan is seated. ‘The real second-class delegates are the delegates that are picked in red-state caucuses that are never going to vote Democratic.’” [Politico, 2/18/2008]
Mark Penn Minimized Obama Wins In Red States. “Sen. Obama, in contrast, won with large margins in Alabama and Georgia, two states that have been in the Republican column in the last two elections. He also won with large margins in a string of caucus states with comparatively fewer voters - Alaska, Idaho, Utah, and Kansas - and have also been in the Republican column. Of course, he won his home state.” [Mark Penn memo, 2/6/08]
Harold Ickes said Idaho, Nebraska and Kansas will not vote for a Democratic president. “In response to a question from NBC’s Andrea Mitchell, Ickes acknowledged Obama has done well in some smaller contests like Idaho, Nebraska and Kansas, but said those Republican strongholds will never flip in November. ‘I agree he’s done well in those caucus states – we didn’t make as much of an effort as we probably should have,’ Ickes said. ‘But those states simply are not going to vote this year for a Democratic president, Andrea.’” [Politico, 2/16/08]
