In announcing the suspension of his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, John Edwards said,“it's time for me to step aside so that history can blaze its path.”
The historical significance of last night’s Democratic debate was obvious the moment Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama walked on stage. Even Stevie Wonder could see that history was being made. But apart from the visual images, race and gender were largely kept out of the conversation.
When race did come up in the question about “the negative economic impact of [illegal] immigration on the African American community,” Obama weaved and bobbed. He lumped “black, white, Hispanic, Asian” together. It seemed as if he was afraid to focus on African Americans lest he draw attention to his race.
By contrast, Clinton addressed the issue head-on:
I believe that in many parts of our country, because of employers who exploit undocumented workers and drive down wages, there are job losses. And I think we should be honest about that.
There are people who have been pushed out of jobs and factories and meat processing plants, and all kinds of settings. And I meet them.
I was in Atlanta last night, and an African-American man said to me: “I used to have a lot of construction jobs, and now it just seems like the only people who get them anymore are people who are here without documentation.” So, I know that what we have to do is to bring our country together to have a comprehensive immigration reform solution.
Mind you, I strongly disagree with Clinton’s solution. “Comprehensive immigration reform” is amnesty by another name. But at least she acknowledged the disparate racial impact of illegal immigration.
Frankly, there was nothing trailblazing in either Clinton’s or Obama’s performance. But Clinton seems to have found her voice (again) after the rough patch in South Carolina. Indeed, girlfriend scored points when she said:
You know, it did take a Clinton to clean after the first Bush and I think it might take another one to clean up after the second Bush.
Clinton showed her mettle when she slipped in a plug for her national town hall meeting. She asked viewers to “log on, turn on.” After last night, she may have turned on some undecided voters.
