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Clinton Accepts Aid From A Divisive Figure: The Sheriff Who Blocked People Fleeing Death From Katrina
May 20, 2007
Clinton Accepts Aid From a Divisive Figure
NEW ORLEANS, May 19 — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
of New York, who has cast herself as an ally of African-Americans in
rebuilding this city, this weekend accepted fund-raising assistance
from a family friend who is controversial with many black and white
victims of Hurricane Katrina.
The friend, Sheriff Harry Lee of Jefferson Parish, has been close to former President Bill Clinton
for many years, and he is popular among some Democrats here. But
Sheriff Lee has a long history of making divisive and derogatory
remarks, sometimes aimed at residents of neighboring New Orleans, which
is predominantly black, and his relationship with many black political
leaders is turbulent.
Sheriff Lee drew notoriety shortly after the hurricane when some of
his deputies helped prevent hurricane evacuees, most of them black,
from crossing the Crescent City Connection bridge into Jefferson
Parish. Sheriff Lee defended the move, saying his office had “a duty to
protect our people.”
Sheriff Lee was a host committee member for a fund-raiser here
Friday night for Mrs. Clinton’s presidential campaign. The event, which
the senator attended, was closed to the news media. A Clinton campaign
spokeswoman declined to comment on Mrs. Clinton’s views of Sheriff
Lee’s actions in 2005 or on his fund-raising support.
Phone messages left for Sheriff Lee were not returned. A Clinton
adviser declined to discuss his role, citing the personal nature of his
relationship with both Clintons.
Mrs. Clinton is competing for black support with other rivals for the Democratic nomination, particularly Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, who is black and who has also championed hurricane recovery efforts in New Orleans.
Mrs. Clinton, who proposed a “Gulf Coast Recovery Agenda” during a
stop here Friday, unveiled more details of that plan during a
commencement speech Saturday at Dillard University, where she spoke
before several thousand African-Americans. She proposed a “Gulf Coast
Corps” of workers to complete high-priority projects; the program would
also provide financial incentives to teachers, doctors, and other
professionals who are in high demand in the region.
And for the first time, Mrs. Clinton endorsed the idea of holding one of the 2008 presidential debates here.
While Mrs. Clinton was warmly received by the Dillard audience, she
came in for harsh criticism from Senator David Vitter, Republican of
Louisiana, whom she had assailed on Friday as not doing as much as
Democrats to assist with the recovery here.
“Throughout this difficult recovery work, I’ve always strived to
focus on helping people and solving problems, not playing politics,”
Mr. Vitter said. “I think our whole delegation has. I, for one, sure
hope we keep doing that and leave the divisive partisanship and
political games to Hillary and others.”
While Mrs. Clinton was campaigning here, the early primary state of
New Hampshire saw its share of presidential politicking on Saturday:
Mr. Obama opened a vote-canvassing drive and delivered the commencement
speech at Southern New Hampshire University, while Mr. Clinton and
former President George Bush gave a joint address to graduates at the University of New Hampshire.
Mr. Obama, in his speech, described his anger and rebellion growing
up as a black man. He also described himself as someone who liked to
party, and referring to the milestones of life, cited graduation, a
first job, and “the first time you throw a party where you also serve
food.”
Mr. Obama also talked about lessons from his own life, telling the
1,000 graduates that they would have to persevere to overcome a
pettiness in society and “politics where debates over war and peace are
reduced to 60-second sound bites and 30-second attack ads.”
At the University of New Hampshire, meanwhile, the two former
presidents recalled their collaboration raising and disbursing more
than $115 million for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, and they also
reveled in their postpresidential friendship.
“I cannot tell you the selfish pleasure I get out of working with
President Clinton,” Mr. Bush said. “It’s a very selfish feeling I have
in my heart to be out there transcending politics.”
The men talked about the importance of public service and
philanthropy, with Mr. Clinton saying that Americans must take their
citizenship seriously and not simply focus on their professional goals.
Mr. Clinton also drew some laughter when he thanked the university’s
interim president, J. Bonnie Newman. “Madam President,” he said. “That
has a nice ring to it.”
More women should be in charge, Mr. Clinton added, “so George and I can spend more time playing golf.”
Katharine Q. Seelye and Katie Zezima contributed reporting from New Hampshire.
Comments (25)
Thanks for posting this. Glad I am not the only one who found the Ayers thing outrageous considering Hillary and Bill's ties to Sheriff Lee.
This fundraiser happened back in May at the beginning of this campaign before things started to get ugly. Obama was not going to bring this up and start a race war so early in the game. Sheriff Lee died in Nov. and with that the story died.
I personally think it is disgusting that Clinton can even think about accusing Obama about the Ayers thing when this is lurking in the not so distant past.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSsgwajStCo&feature=related
See the footage of what Sheriff Lee did to these poor people. He had a "duty to protect our people"? No, he put his duty to protect human life on the back burner, while he protected the empty homes of the white Jefferson Parish residents who had the means to evacuate.
April 21, 2008 8:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
See the news clip where Harry Lee comes unglued and defends his actions to protect empty homes (he actually said this) over human life.
http://www.nola.com/abc26/video/content.ssf/1205glynn
April 21, 2008 9:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
It is interesting to note that Harry Lee was fighting against Karen Carter for congress. Karen Carter was the one sticking up for Human rights while Harry Lee was supporting Bill "got a butload of corrption money in the freezer" Jefferson.
April 21, 2008 12:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's amazing how Clinton gets a "free pass" on her Neanderthal supporters.
April 21, 2008 9:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
Here are some fun details on Harry Lee, the guy Bill Clinton prized a a good friend:
Voters learned that a convicted rapist named Brian Busby was allowed to wander Jefferson Parish unsupervised during the day, instead of being locked down in state prison elsewhere. Mr. Lee had granted Busby special privileges as a favor to a Parish Council member. Ten days after the disclosure, Busby was sent to the Louisiana State Peniteniary at Angola. Lee's approval rating plunged. A year later, however, after a series of Metairie robberies in which white shoppers were followed to their homes and held up at gunpoint in their driveways by African-American men, Lee made the following statement, which either almost ended or saved his career:
"If there are some young blacks driving a car late at night in a predominantly white neighborhood, they will be stopped. There's a pretty good chance they're up to no good. It's obvious two young blacks driving a rinky-dink car in a predominantly white neighborhood -- I'm not talking about on the main thoroughfare, but if they're on one of the side streets and they're cruising around -- they'll be stopped."
Another fun one:
Once Lee was accused of trying to separate the races by issuing an order erecting a barricade on a street at the line dividing majority-black New Orleans and majority-white East Jefferson. Mr. Lee turned the story - although false - into political capital. "Depending on who I'm talking to", he said, "I either take credit for the barricade or I don't." On another occasion, he defended his decision to yank deputies out of an all-black neighborhood in Avondale after residents complained about police brutality.
Nice huh? Complain about police brutality and forget it...you get no protection at all.
But Bill and Hillary Clinton didn't think it was a problem, because Harry Lee was loved by the white residents. Bill even hailed him as a great innovator using unique solutions to solving crime.
April 23, 2008 11:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
Are you kidding me? I hadn't heard this one! (Must've been asleep at the wheel.) Oh for Pete's sake, this is unbelievable. I suppose any outrage Clinton might have felt about this episode conveniently went away when the Sheriff pulled out his checkbook. She's slime. I'm sorry. I can't feel anything but disgust for someone who can talk so well out of both sides of her mouth and carry on a campaign of filth when she does crap like this.
April 21, 2008 10:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
Again, Obama will not bring this up. Because if he gets anywhere near it it turns into a race war. Hillary supporters will be like Miss Millie in The Color Purple "I've always been good to you coloreds"
They will scream from the rooftops. Hillary is not racist...look at all the good she has done.
Complete bullshit.
April 21, 2008 11:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
Obama won't bring it up because it's not going to do anything for him; the people who would be outraged by this story are already voting Obama anyway.
April 21, 2008 5:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Gulf Coast Recovery Agenda", "Nuclear Umbrella", "Department of Blogging".
She'll say anything.
April 21, 2008 10:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
I know! There is no way she can accomplish all of these things that she's promising without the help of a unified Congress that doesn't hate her and a buttload of money which we don't have. But wherever she goes, she has a solution and nobody stops to see if her solutions are actually feasible.
April 21, 2008 10:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
There's more:
I know it is wikipedia, but the links are valid
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Lee#Controversies
And here is what good old Bill Clinton had to say about his long time friend:
In 1999:
"I would like to thank Sheriff Harry Lee, who is back there, for many things -- being my friend for a long time. But you should know that he came with a group of people from Louisiana to the White House and stayed two days this week and provided good Cajun cooking for the annual congressional picnic, with all the families there. (Applause.) And the annual press picnic. And while he is a strong supporter of mine, he did not taint the food of any of the members of Congress of the other party -- (laughter) -- or any of the hostile press members. (Laughter.) He was totally generous to everybody."
And Bill's statement at his funeral:
"He was a true original, a man whose love for celebration was trumped only by his heartfelt devotion to duty and steadfast regard for the safety and security of his fellow citizens," former President Bill Clinton said in a statement read on his behalf during Lee's memorial.
http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=7176520
April 21, 2008 11:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
Let's do the six degrees of separation shall we?
Bill Clinton Praises his longtime friend Harry Lee.
At that same even he praises Bill Jefferson trying to get him elected.
https://www.clintonfoundation.org/legacy/092799-speech-by-president-at-dinner-for-congressman-jefferson.htm
Harry Lee is also trying to get Bill Jefferson elected
http://www.nola.com/abc26/video/content.ssf/1205glynn
Bill Jefferson gets elected, then he is indicted on corruption with a butload of money in his freezer. See all of the torrid details from the TPM archives:
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/cats/william_jefferson/
Oh no, a Hillary presidency won't be filled with corrupt officials right?
April 21, 2008 11:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
Let's do some connecting the dots here. Bill and HW Bush doing charity work for Hurricane Katrina.
Bill does do a lot of philanthropic work. Especially with Daddy Bush:
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/PersonOfWeek/story?id=1446477
Clinton and the elder Bush, rivals in the 1992 presidential election, have grown chummy in recent years, often traveling and appearing at public events together. In 2005, they started a charity to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.
They are happy together
http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/11/13/100701.shtml
Bill even said his old friend would help hillary get elected - though I am sure HW was a little pissed at his buddy Bill for announcing it to the world, which prompted a cry out from the RNC.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/12/18/bill-clinton-george-hw-bush-will-help-president-hillary/
So I ask you. WHO IS GOING TO HOLD DUBYA ACCOUNTABLE FOR WAR CRIMES?????????
It would be kind of hard to indict your best friends son, wouldn't it. I smell obstruction of investigations and pardons on the horizon.
April 21, 2008 12:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
More reasons to hate her. That asshole should be publicly executed. I will never forget watching that bullshit happen. He is a terrorist and a criminal.
April 21, 2008 5:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Too late. He died from cancer in Nov. Bill sent a nice message to be read at the funeral though (see upthread)
April 21, 2008 5:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for the update. I might look up his grave if Im driving through Louisiana and need to hit a rest stop to urinate.
Bill Clinton supporting racist terrorists. SMH
April 21, 2008 7:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh My God! Look At this Story!!!!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/21/ed-rendell-clinton-surrog_n_97784.html
April 21, 2008 8:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here's the Story:
GOV RENDELL, CLINTON SURROGATE, PASSIONATELY PRAISED FARRAKHAN IN 1997
At last Tuesday's Democratic debate, Sen. Hillary Clinton drew out her objections to Sen. Barack Obama's relationship with his former pastor Reverend Jeremiah Wright, saying that what troubled her was not just Wright's incendiary language, but his past praise for Louis Farrakhan, the controversial head of the Nation of Islam.
"It is clear that, as leaders, we have a choice who we associate with and who we apparently give some kind of seal of approval to," said Clinton. "And I think that it wasn't only the specific remarks but some of the relationships with Reverend Farrakhan, with giving the church bulletin over to the leader of Hamas, to put a message in."
But if an association to Farrakhan troubles Clinton, she may need to focus her attention and criticisms on one of her most prominent Pennsylvania supporters.
In April 1997, Ed Rendell -- then the mayor of Philadelphia and currently the governor of Pennsylvania and a major Clinton surrogate -- delivered a passion-filled speech lauding the work of Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam.
"I would like to thank the Nation of Islam here in Philadelphia," Rendell said to the crowd, as Farrakhan looked on approvingly. "To thank you for what you stand for and what you stand for all the good it does to so many people in Philadelphia. And if there is anybody out here... who doesn't know, this is a faith that has as its principles, the family. This is a faith that doesn't just talk about family values, it lives family values. This is a faith where men respect their women and children and they manifest that faith by staying in the home with them. This is a faith that doesn't just talk about being against drugs but is out there every single day and night fighting against drugs. This is a faith that just doesn't talk about the value of education, it imbues in their children and schools that education is the way to opportunity."
Those words strike a similar tone to the compliments that Wright himself bestowed upon Farrakhan in a Trumpet Magazine article in November and December of 2007.
"When Minister Farrakhan speaks, Black America listens," said the Reverend. "Everybody may not agree with him, but they listen ... His depth on analysis when it comes to the racial ills of this nation is astounding and eye opening. He brings a perspective that is helpful and honest... Minister Farrakhan will be remembered as one of the 20th and 21st century giants of the African American religious experience."
Of course, Clinton's issue with Farrakhan is not merely that the Nation of Islam leader has a relationship to Obama's old pastor and church. It's that Farrakhan himself has publicly praised the Illinois Democrat. But when Clinton held this over Obama's head during a late February Democratic debate, she again used words and phrasing that could very well apply to Rendell.
"There's a difference between denouncing and rejecting," she said. "And I think when it comes to this sort of, you know, inflammatory -- I have no doubt that everything that Barack just said is absolutely sincere. But I just think, we've got to be even stronger. We cannot let anyone in any way say these things because of the implications that they have, which can be so far reaching."
At issue is Farrakhan past remarks which have been widely criticized as anti-Semitic, including calling Judaism a "gutter religion." Obama has both "denounced and rejected" Farrakhan's praise for his candidacy. While, in contrast, Rendell, back in 1997, touted the need to reach out to the Nation of Islam so as to bridge the cultural and racial divides within cities.
"There were many people," Rendell proclaimed, "who [said] we were running a great risk by sharing this platform with the National of Islam. But you know, I know and everyone here knows the terrible toll that racism has taken in our city. And we know that the real risk is not being able to talk about our differences and try and make progress. And if everyone cares about ending racism and I believe they do, if anyone cares they should have been here. They should have been ready to talk and they should have been read to listen."
By Sam Stein
The Huffington Post
April 21, 2008 9:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXum_-8I1TA
April 21, 2008 9:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
And just think, we thought only the neo-cons could put out such lies and spin.
She is a disgrace to the Democratic party. I wrote a letter to the DNC, taking all of the "what we stand for" lines from their front page and pointed out how she broke each and every one.
April 21, 2008 9:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
No smart politician is gonna say a bad word about the dead guy. Even if he deserved every bad word in the book.
April 21, 2008 11:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
True. But true Democrats and the blogosphere might be so inclined. If just to point out that what Hillary says and what she believes are two different things. Sound like another president we know?
April 21, 2008 11:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
someone posts that Hilary got a donation from a guy that did something enraging near the end of his life. No one here has made a mistake though. Point being (2x) - this guy could have been a huge jerk; OR, he made the wrong decision in an attempt to protect the property of his friends? Relatives? Or maybe he was just a jerk. But we don't know. At least *I* don't know, but I do know I'd hate to be judged soley on a few of the "out of character" things I've done.
Other point is - really? No...really? He donated to Hilary? I realize this is more of a "ah-ha! I can post one more crappy thing about Hilary and we can all rip on her!" post, but I've been so embarrased the last few months.
I can't stand to even look at, let alone listen to, Hilary any longer. However, I guess I'm one of the few here that thinks Obama's just as full of it. NOTE - I'm voting for whichever one is running! Cause the repubs are so much worse. But damn people, what has obama DONE (voted, etc.), NOT SAID, that makes you believe so much? Or maybe I'm wrong, and you just hate Hilary and don't like Obama either. I dislike either, they're both frauds.
However, and this is important to note. Know who reminds me of Hilary circa 1994? M Obama. "Finally proud of America"..."Ain't no Tammy 'stand by your man'...", etc. See, Hilary got beat down, and its terrible to see. But lets see what Obama & his wife sound like 10 years from now. Not that its *unavoidable*, just that so few do avoid it. And I don't think he has what it takes.
Go Democrats, only cause Repubs scare me and are dummies. Oh, and this - best strategy to both enrage and beat the Repubs - just make fun of them constantly.
Please people, ripping on Hilary like the repubs makes ya look kinda nutty.
April 22, 2008 1:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
Reaaly? Check out this thread on the front page of election central.
Hillary just vowed to obliterate Iran in the next 10 years!
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/04/clinton_we_will_totally_oblite.php
April 22, 2008 2:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
And this guy has been saying deragotory remarks his whole life. And he is a Sheriff whom Bill Clinton praised for his ideas.
April 23, 2008 11:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
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