Democratic superdelegate and former Clinton supporter Bob Andrews came out with this today:
U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews, who supported Hillary Clinton throughout the primary season, disclosed he received a phone call shortly before the April 22 Pennsylvania primary from a top member of Clinton’s organization and that the caller explicitly discussed a strategy of winning over Jewish voters by exploiting tensions between Jews and African-Americans.
“There have been signals coming out of the Clinton campaign that have racial overtones that indeed disturb me,” Andrews said at his campaign headquarters in Cherry Hill Tuesday night after he lost his bid for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination.
“Frankly, I had a private conversation with a high-ranking person in the campaign … that used a racial line of argument that I found very disconcerting. It was extremely disconcerting given the rank of this person. It was very disturbing.”
He received the call before April 22nd???? And he still publicly supported her?
I’m having all kinds of indigestion about this guy’s statement.
One might think that if the Clinton campaign’s strategies and tactics really bothered him, he’d have — at the very least — quietly withdrawn his support… if only to maintain some kind of personal integrity.
I see 4 possibilities here:
1. He thought the strategy was politically astute, agreed with the idea, and wasn’t particularly concerned about the damage it would do to the country.
2. He deplored the strategy but thought it would work, and was willing to suspend principles or integrity in hopes that since he supported Clinton, his bid for the Senate would benefit thereby.
3. He woke up the morning after his lost election (six weeks after the fact) and was suddenly consumed with worry about the tactic.
4. He’s making it up.
Whichever option you prefer, what is he hoping to accomplish by coming out with this now? Why on earth would a Democrat try to further inflame the tensions between the Clinton and Obama supporters?
Whatever his motivations (then or now), this has weasel written all over it.