Here's Mickey Kantor, on video, in 1992: "Look at Indiana - 42-40. It doesn't matter if we win; those people are shit. How would you like to be a worthless white ni***r?"
He's speaking to James Carville and George Stephanopoulos, and clearly knows he's being taped. He even lowers his voice to say "white n***er" indicating he knows dang well he shouldn't be saying it, but he's going to anyway. The contempt cup runneth over with the Dems. I've always said that Republicans' distinct advantage in running campaigns is that fewer of them have to pretend to like normal Americans than on the Dem side.
Michelle Malkin:
It’s 16 years old and Kantor plays a nominal advisor role in the Hillary ‘08 campaign. But hey, whomever’s behind it and however old it is, it’s an always welcome reminder that both Democrat presidential candidates’ camps share cynical contempt for the bitter, clingy, God-fearing, gun-toting voters in flyover country. Not news to the rest of us.Ed Morrissey:
This isn’t quite as bad as Obama’s comments in San Francisco in a couple of respects. Hillary isn’t saying this, and it was 16 years ago, not six weeks ago. However, the disgust for the white working class comes through much more clearly in this video, and the fact that it comes from a former Clinton Cabinet official and current adviser makes it all the more compelling.
Oh, and before anyone says this was a long time ago, it was only a few years before Obama went to Ayers' home - same decade - so it's just as relevant. Also, imagine had an Obama adviser made these comments? It would be a media firestorm. This is also relevant since Hillary continues to associate with this man for 13 years following his offensive remarks. What's that say about her character? (Personally, I'd have left that church a long time ago.) Not to mention, I'm not sure what the statute of limitations in politics is for using the N-word. The Indiana primary is Tuesday.It's less revealing about Hillary than Obama's comment about rural Americans, which came from the candidate's own mouth, but it is rather distasteful to hire on as an adviser someone who doesn't mind using the n-word, even while he knows he's on camera. Moral considerations aside, I wouldn't want that guy advising me on anything.
Update: So says Ben Smith, who talked to the "War Room" documentary director, which is the film from which this looks to have come.
I just spoke to D.A. Pennebaker, the director of "The War Room," who said his film had been doctored to produce a widely-viewed YouTube clip.
In a clip from his film on the 1992 Clinton campaign, posted to YouTube today, Clinton advisor Mickey Kantor is -- according to subtitles -- seen referring to Indianans with an expletive and to his colleague George Stephanopolous with a racial slur.
"He does not say that. He does not say that," said Pennebaker, after viewing the clip.
He said the initial expletive referred to the anticipated reaction in the Bush White House to the fact that Ross Perot's polling numbers were holding strong.
"What he says is he’s surprised Perot’s numbers are holding," said Pennebaker in a brief phone interview. "He says they must be shi**ing in the White House."
The second expletive, he said, appeared to have been entirely fabricated, with new audio dubbed onto the original movie.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member