Shameful behavior

OPINION:

Sen. Barack Obama has his hands full as he runs for the Democratic Party’s nomination for president.

His chief rival has several advantages. First, Sen. Hillary Clinton has name recognition with a tested campaign team and surrogates who are willing to embarrass themselves, and afterward make insincere apologies for their unfounded accusations. Second, she has subtly crafted a well-coded message suggesting that she is the candidate with experience; and remember this began while really experienced Sen. Joe Biden and Sen. Chris Dodd were still in the race. In fact, she is claiming to be the establishment’s candidate.

Third, Mr. Obama’s rival is not just the first serious woman presidential candidate, a point which is so often repeated by accommodating pundits, but with critical rhetorical analysis; she is a white woman, enjoying the establishment’s power and cultural advantage it affords over African American Obama. And with it, she galvanized large percentages of the Democratic Party’s women’s vote in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, mostly white women. Then there is Bill.

The former president is campaigning like he is the candidate. He seems to be using his celebrity and experience to usurp union leaders, intimidate casino managers and exploit his connections with television media and editorial boards, swaying their commentary and opinions. In the recent Nevada caucus, Mr. Clinton ranted about a so-called unfair voter advantage for Mr. Obama, who won the culinary union’s endorsement, and then, Mr. Clinton claimed that the Obama campaign was behind an unsubstantiated voter suppression conspiracy. It is reported that “Bill Clinton eschewed the official union endorsement” and walked through casinos to hand-slap with rank-and-file members.

Scott Spradling, the political director of WMUR, an ABC affiliate in Manchester, New Hampshire, did not behave as a neutral debate moderator, but like a Clinton surrogate, throwing his journalist’s caution and objectivity to the wind. During the Republican debate, Mr. Spradling asked the candidates about Mr. Obama’s experience, knowing well that Mr. Obama was backstage and unable to refute their charges or redress their claims. Many have felt that he was trying to unduly manipulate undecided New Hampshire voters.

During the Democratic debate, he alleged that Mr. Obama and former Sen. John Edwards were “double teaming” Mrs. Clinton, apparently not noticing that many of the Republican candidates had double- and triple-teamed former Gov. Mitt Romney and Rep. Ron Paul. The difference: they were on the stage and able to address their competitor’s claims. Because Mrs. Clinton was not on the stage, maybe he did not notice.

Let’s not forget that Chris Matthews, a feisty MSNBC host of “Hardball,” took precious airtime to apologize for being overly critical of Mrs. Clinton’s road to the Senate seat in New York — and just in time for the Nevada showdown. No doubt he was forced to do so by his NBC bosses. Even Brian Williams, anchor of NBC “Nightly News,” interviewed Mrs. Clinton around the same time that she appeared on Tim Russert’s “Meet the Press,” another fine dress rehearsal for her debate in Nevada. You guessed it, hosted by Mr. Williams and Mr. Russert.

What do we make of the Reno Gazette video that was released to the press, where Mr. Obama seems to be making an accurate historical statement about former President Ronald Reagan’s message of optimism and its influence that it had on the American psyche? Note that Mr. Obama did not say that he endorsed the former president’s political philosophy or policies.The video was seen just in time for the Nevada caucus.

The establishment supports Mrs. Clinton’s presidential bid and at any ethical cost. Mr. Obama must accept that he is the insurgent to Washington’s power and he will get little help from pundits, journalists or a former president, who employs a rhetorical strategy — veiled with racism. After all, Mr. Obama’s foreign policy claims about the Iraq war are a “fairy tale.” One of the oldest racist tactics is to suggest that African Americans cannot think for themselves and therefore, need someone to think for them, in this case, namely, Bill or Hillary Clinton. If the Clinton campaign persists in this manner, many will feel they have a negative relationship with minorities.

Mr. Obama must know that he is running for president against Bill and not Hillary. Bill wants his third term and he will say and do whatever he must to get it. He is the accuser, accusing the accused. He is losing his reputation and clout among many Americans. If this continues, Democrats may well deserve to lose in the fall.

The Rev. Joseph Evans is pastor of Mount Carmel Baptist Church in Washington.