Hillary Clinton’s ‘All Lives Matter’ Remark Stirs Backlash

[lostinblue 1,989]

Hillary Rodham Clinton is facing backlash for saying that “all lives matter” in an African-American church in Missouri on Tuesday, offending some who feel that she is missing the point of the “black lives matter” mantra.

Mrs. Clinton’s remarks at Christ the King United Church of Christ in Florissant, Mo. — only a few miles north of Ferguson, where a black teenager was shot by a white police officer last August — came during a broader discussion of civil rights in America.

She was talking about how a disproportionate number of young people of color are out of school and out of work and, explaining that everyone needs a “chance and a champion,” she recalled how her mother was abandoned as a teenager and went on to work as a maid.

“What kept you going?” Mrs. Clinton remembered asking her mother. “Her answer was very simple. Kindness along the way from someone who believed she mattered. All lives matter.”

The remark caused a stir on social media, with some African-Americans on Twitter suggesting that Mrs. Clinton had lost their votes.

The Rev. Renita Lamkin, who was in the audience at the event, told NPR that Mrs. Clinton’s comment did not go unnoticed.

“That blew a lot of support that she may have been able to engender here,” she said.

The phrase “black lives matter” has become a rallying cry in the last year for demonstrators amid a spate of episodes around the country, including the 18-year-old Michael Brown’s death in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, where white police officers have been accused of using excessive force against black suspects.

Judith Butler, a professor at University of California, Berkley, summed up the frustration with the use of “all lives matter” in The Times in January.

“When some people rejoin with ‘All Lives Matter’ they misunderstand the problem, but not because their message is untrue,” she wrote. “It is true that all lives matter, but it is equally true that not all lives are understood to matter which is precisely why it is most important to name the lives that have not mattered, and are struggling to matter in the way they deserve.”

Mrs. Clinton has not been opposed to using the phrase in the past, declaring that “yes, black lives matter” at a gala in New York last year.

The controversy comes as Mrs. Clinton has sought to address racial issues in a more direct manner than she was able to in 2007, when she was running against someone who would go on to become the first black president.

Donna Brazile, a Democratic strategist who is black, defended Mrs. Clinton and said that her remarks on Tuesday should be taken in the context that she was discussing her mother.

http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/06/24/hillary-clintons-all-lives-matter-remark-stirs-backlash/?_r=0

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I see you're warming up to your next President.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/president/

[decocker 7,198]

the idiocy of three words and a hash tag causing "outrage" smh.

but kudos for losing votes hillary !

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

the idiocy of three words and a hash tag causing "outrage" smh.

but kudos for losing votes hillary !

You really think Hillary lost a single vote over this? They're gonna vote for Ted instead?

[decocker 7,198]

You really think Hillary lost a single vote over this? They're gonna vote for Ted instead?

probably just not vote.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

You really think Hillary lost a single vote over this? They're gonna vote for Ted instead?

No but if she vowed to cut back on gumbernment handouts and free phones she would be in deep do do with her base

[Janelle2002 3,865]

No but if she vowed to cut back on gumbernment handouts and free phones she would be in deep do do with her base

I'm black. Please show me the proof that I receive "gumbernment handouts and a free phone." I still haven't received anything free for being black as of yet. Can you please ask them to send me something? I've been waiting 30+ years and I'm tired of waiting for my free stuff.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

I'm black. Please show me the proof that I receive "gumbernment handouts and a free phone." I still haven't received anything free for being black as of yet. Can you please ask them to send me something? I've been waiting 30+ years and I'm tired of waiting for my free stuff.

What does being black have to do with it.

[decocker 7,198]

What does being black have to do with it.

this is the democratic base, correct? that's what i've been reading for years around here anyway..

[JohnR! 5,495]

I think Marv has been getting your Obama swag bags... :rofl: :rofl:

I'm black. Please show me the proof that I receive "gumbernment handouts and a free phone." I still haven't received anything free for being black as of yet. Can you please ask them to send me something? I've been waiting 30+ years and I'm tired of waiting for my free stuff.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

I'm black. Please show me the proof that I receive "gumbernment handouts and a free phone." I still haven't received anything free for being black as of yet. Can you please ask them to send me something? I've been waiting 30+ years and I'm tired of waiting for my free stuff.

I right there with you J. I'm still waiting for this abundance of free stuff that I was supposed to receive when I voted for Obama, and I voted about 8 times!

I think Marv has been getting your Obama swag bags... :rofl: :rofl:

Heck no, maybe they sending my stuff to the wrong address. They got me listed as still living in Illinois...

[Janelle2002 3,865]

What does being black have to do with it.

I think we all know what you were implying....

I think Marv has been getting your Obama swag bags... :rofl: :rofl:

Glad someone knows. I have been calling the "hook a black person up line" for the longest and no one could tell me where my shipment went.

I right there with you J. I'm still waiting for this abundance of free stuff that I was supposed to receive when I voted for Obama, and I voted about 8 times!

Heck no, maybe they sending my stuff to the wrong address. They got me listed as still living in Illinois...

Hey, when you get your stuff, please send me half. I want half of your free stuff and I want my own free stuff. This is how we roll.

[Darnell 8,478]

Hillary is a 'tardo... <EOM>