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Senator Clinton, knock it off!
By Lauren | February 26, 2008
Since I began writing The Business Ethics Blog, I’ve made an active effort to stay away from partisan politics. Good ethics are not the exclusive property of any political party, nor are occasional mistakes that call for apologies the foibles of either the Left or the Right. I have tremendous respect for political leaders on both sides of the aisle, and sincerely believe that bi-partisanship is the best way to run this country.
However, for the past months I’ve grown increasingly uncomfortable with the dis-ingenuousness of Senator Hillary Clinton’s campaign tactics. For some reason, this brilliant, capable, professional woman apparently feels compelled to present herself to American voters as a delicate damsel in whose dainty mouth butter would absolutely, positively, never ever melt. When she acted in that ridiculous “Sopranos” take-off on YouTube, I chalked it up to bad campaign advice. When she posed prettily on the cover of Newsweek under the caption “I Found My Own Voice,” I resisted the temptation to ask, “really, Senator? Wherever had you left it?”
But this time, it appears that the Clinton campaign has simply gone too far.
You may remember that, a mere two months ago, two Clinton campaign staffers resigned after circulating a hoax e-mail that falsely described Senator Barack Obama as a closet Muslim with a possible secret plan to destroy the United States. Today, The Drudge Report posted a photograph that it said was being circulated by “Clinton staffers.” The photo showed Senator Obama on a trip to Kenya, wearing a white turban and traditional Kenyan robe that he received as a gift on the trip.
Kenya is not Iraq (although the recent violence there is certainly cause for sorrow), the Kenyan elders who gave Senator Obama the turban and robes were certainly not members of al-Qaida, and the photo simply depicts a U.S. leader graciously accepting a gift from foreign leaders – which, by the way, is something that U.S. leaders frequently do. However, AOL ran the photo just this evening and its comment line is already chock full of nasty, badly-spelled accusations from various ill-informed people who are just sure that this picture proves Senator Obama to be a secret terrorist. Apparently these folks can’t recognize what they’re seeing, so they’re assuming the worst. It’s appallingly bigoted and, sadly, all too predictable.
And the Clinton campaign’s response? To quote her campaign manager, Maggie Williams, “If the Barack Obama campaign wants to suggest that a photo of him wearing traditional Somali clothing is divisive, they should be ashamed.” Sorry, Maggie – if your campaign strategy is to pander to Americans’ worst fears and prejudices while denying any intent to do so, the shame is yours.
Like many Americans, I have waited my entire life to vote a woman into the Presidency. Senator Clinton boasts an Ivy-League education, eight years of observing the challenges of the Presidency as First Lady, and a relatively short but apparently successful record as a U.S. Senator. I would dearly love to believe that she’s a better candidate and a better person than her campaign’s escapades suggest. If you want to be President so badly, Senator Clinton, please – start acting Presidential. These ugly tactics are truly beneath you.
Topics: Personal Ethics |
February 26th, 2008 at 2:18 am
[...] The Business Ethics Blog wrote an interesting post today on Senator Clinton, knock it off!Here’s a quick excerptYou may remember that, a mere two months ago, two Clinton campaign staffers resigned after circulating a hoax e-mail that falsely described Senator Barack Obama a… … f the Barack Obama campaign wants to suggest that a photo of him wearing traditional Somali clothing is divisive, they should be ashamed…. [...]