Bill Clinton’s stumble on race highlights risk to campaign

Former President Bill Clinton’s clash with black protestors has raised new questions about whether he could create problems for Hillary Clinton, who has so far drawn overwhelming support for her presidential campaign from African-American Democrats.

The former president’s fiery response Thursday to activists who disrupted a campaign rally in Philadelphia brought back unwelcome memories of his performance on the trail in 2008. 

{mosads}Back then, Clinton became enmeshed in a number of race-related furors as his wife battled against then-Sen. Barack Obama. Those controversies are widely thought to have helped consolidate Obama’s support among African-Americans.

But defenders say Clinton avoided the mistakes of the past by walking away from the most recent controversy, which began when protesters highlighted the 1994 crime bill that was passed during his presidency.

The protesters also objected to his wife’s use of the racially loaded term “super-predators” during the debate over the ’94 bill.

Clinton’s response was to defend his actions, even though he had already apologized to an NAACP conference for the role the crime bill played in the growth of mass incarceration. He accused the protestors of implicitly aligning themselves with the perpetrators of violence rather than its victims.

“You are defending the people who killed the lives you say matter! Tell the truth!” Clinton implored at one point.

Alicia Garza, one of the co-founders of the Black Lives Matter movement, called Clinton’s performance “shameful” in a CNN.com op-ed.

“The Clintons have simultaneously depended on black voters and thrown black voters under the bus for years now,” she asserted.

Activist and commentator Van Jones called Clinton’s remarks “horrible” on CNN, adding, “It wasn’t just the tone of what he said. The content of what he said, that ‘super-predator’ tag, was a racial dog whistle that did untold damage. He’s got to know that. He’s not a dummy.” 

The dust-up came at a bad time for the Clinton campaign. New York’s Democratic primary, in which black voters will play a pivotal role, is set for April 19. 

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Hillary Clinton’s rival for the Democratic nomination, told a crowd at Harlem’s storied Apollo Theater — again, in reference to the “super-predator” terminology — that he thought Bill Clinton “owes the American people an apology for trying to defend what is indefensible.”

The former president did give a semi-apology the day after the Philadelphia event, saying his reactions were something “I almost want to apologize for.” 

While the odd wording of that statement also fueled criticism — Jones, during his CNN appearance, complained that Clinton was “triangulating an apology” — Democratic strategists told The Hill that the former president was right to take that course, rather than risk inflaming the controversy further.

“He did the smart thing and got out of the firing line,” said New York-based Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf. “The smart thing was to avoid finding another issue that would interfere with the former first lady’s campaign, as happened in 2008 where he was drawing undue attention to himself. The smart move was to calm it down as quickly as possible.”

Robert Shrum, another Democratic strategist, agreed. 

“I don’t think there will be any long-term ramifications. He clearly went off-script, which was why he semi-apologized the next day.”

But Shrum said Bill Clinton’s irascibility would need to be kept in check to avoid any damage to the former secretary of State’s White House bid.

“The one thing Bill Clinton has is a temper,” he said. “He has always had a temper. He did not show it in public when he was president. I think he gets more aggravated by attacks on his wife, and he tends to show it.

“It doesn’t help her, and he ought not to do it.”