Clintons May Pay a Price for Dissing Dr. King

The Clintons made some remarks recently which effectively marginalized the impact of the civil rights movement in the 60's and instead gave most of the credit for what progress was made to President Johnson. I knew it was a mistake at the time and it may come back to bite them in South Carolina:

Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, the highest-ranking African-American in Congress, said he was rethinking his neutral stance in his state’s presidential primary out of disappointment at comments by Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton that he saw as diminishing the historic role of civil rights activists.

Mr. Clyburn, a veteran of the civil rights movement and a power in state Democratic politics, put himself on the sidelines more than a year ago to help secure an early primary for South Carolina, saying he wanted to encourage all candidates to take part. But he said recent remarks by the Clintons that he saw as distorting civil rights history could change his mind. ...

“Dr. King’s dream began to be realized when President Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” Mrs. Clinton said in trying to make the case that her experience should mean more to voters than the uplifting words of Mr. Obama. “It took a president to get it done.” ...

Mr. Clyburn, reached for a telephone interview Wednesday during an overseas inspection of port facilities, also voiced frustration with former President Clinton, who described Mr. Obama’s campaign narrative as a fairy tale. While Mr. Clinton was not discussing civil rights at the time and seemed to be referring mainly to Mr. Obama’s stance at the Iraq war, Mr. Clyburn saw the remark as a slap at the image of a black candidate running on a theme of unity and optimism.

Hillary will probably lose big in South Carolina, but will the black vote abandon her elsewhere? Bill Clinton was hugely popular in the black community...at least until now.

UPDATE: We could have a race war brewing based on these headlines:

Racial tensions roil Democratic race

Hillary adviser: 'If you want Obama to be your imaginary hip black friend'...

Andrew Cuomo's 'shuck and jive' comment spurs controversy...

South Carolina's 'big dog' threatens to bite Hillary...

'Do the Right Thing' Factor: Many Latinos skeptical of an African-American candidate...