Ugh. I had a sneaking suspicion that I wouldn't get to enjoy for long my schadenfreude at how badly the media got bludgeoned after New Hampshire because, Clintons being Clintons, they would turn a hard-earned victory into an opportunity to showcase the worst fault lines in the Democratic party. From making inexplicably stupid remarks about MLK and the civil rights movement (yes, as a practical matter both men were necessary but not sufficient in bringing formal equality to African-Americans, but why on earth diminish MLK in order to make a cheap point?) to using proxies at every turn to bring up the drug use issue to making it clear that they plan to exploit tensions between the Hispanic and African-American communities, the Clinton campaign appears to be channeling the spirit of Karl Rove. "Change" at all costs, eh?
If my feelings on this are any kind of weathervane, then I suspect that these tactics will repel the women voters who turned New Hampshire around for her. Or at least they should. Obama has played a remarkably clean game so far, and it redounds a great deal to his credit that he has stayed more or less above the fray and seems committed to not engaging in destructive racial politics in order to beat her back. One good thing--if he survives and wins the nomination, no one can say he isn't ready to face the Republicans.
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