Chris Comments on Clinton's All-Caucasian Crowd

May 20th, 2008 9:31 PM

Even before I heard Chris Matthews mention it, it struck me too . . .

Among the visuals a big-time campaign carefully choreographs is the human backdrop when the candidate speaks—particularly when it's a matter of an important, nationally-televised speech. So it's very hard to imagine that it was coincidence that the crowd visible behind Hillary this evening as she gave her Kentucky primary victory speech . . . was comprised 100% of people of pallor. Kibitzing with co-anchor Keith Olbermann immediately after Clinton's comments, Matthews mentioned it.

CHRIS MATTHEWS: I thought a giveaway line was "who is best positioned to win in November?" That is not exactly a self-crediting commentary. When you position yourself in politics, it's a deliberate effort to try to find a space, not necessarily your own passionate position, or your real position, but to find a place, to triangulate, to try to find a place that appeals to a certain percentage of the voters that will carry you over. And to advertise yourself as the "best-positioned" is not really a statement of authenticity, it's a statement of political positioning. It's a Dick Morris phrase, if anything. It's certainly an odd way to portray it.
I think I know what she's saying, which is "I'm perhaps stronger on defense, perhaps I'm white, perhaps I'm appealing to the working class." I do think it's interesting that her entire crowd was white tonight. That was interesting. Usually they try to mix it up a bit, up near the lectern on purpose, to give it a sense of random selection. It didn't look very random there.

View video here.

So, what was the "subliminable" message Hillary was sending by the pale panorama?

Note: Don't you hope one of the MSNBC crew asks a Clinton campaign representative about this? You just know he'd deny there was any intent involved. "We're proud to have people of all races and backgrounds supporting our campaign," blah, blah, blah.

Update | 10:30 PM EDT

Even in overwhelmingly white Iowa, the Obama campaign managed to assemble a racially-diverse backdrop for his speech tonight. Surely Hillary's campaign could have done the same if it had cared to in Kentucky.