# Bill Clinton speech in Kingstree **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 26, 2008, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clinton-speech-in-kingstree/435069 "2008-01-26T09:52:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Themenin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ee59a6/32.png) [@Themenin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Themenin)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2008, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clinton-speech-in-kingstree/435069/1 "2008-01-26T09:52:52Z")
Not sure what the right forum is for this question. I just read two articles which give a pretty different spin on a Bill Clinton speech in Kingstree. Did anybody hear the exchange ? [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/25/us/politics/25clinton.html?\_r=1&ref=politics&oref=slogin](http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/25/us/politics/25clinton.html?_r=1&ref=politics&oref=slogin) > [@](#): > > Mr. Clinton, meanwhile, has treaded onto far more combustible ground, like race. He says that people in his audiences “never” raise race, but several have. At a forum Wednesday in Kingstree, for example, a black pastor declared, “Black America is voting for Mr. Obama because he is black.” Mr. Clinton said he hoped that, for the country’s sake, that would not be the case. He also said that he thought no one would be voting against Mr. Obama or Mrs. Clinton on the base of race or sex. _Clinton hopes that blacks aren’t voting for Obama (simply) because he’s black._ [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080126/ap\_on\_el\_pr/obama\_race;\_ylt=AjgOkVx8.kkXjTiD7wOtzaBh24cA](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080126/ap_on_el_pr/obama_race;_ylt=AjgOkVx8.kkXjTiD7wOtzaBh24cA) > [@](#): > > After fielding questions from an audience of about 200, Bill Clinton called on a black man standing near the stage. The man said he was a pastor and told Clinton that “black America is voting for Obama because he’s black.” He said Democrats are in a dangerous position because if Obama wins the nomination, voters will elect a Republican in November. “They’re not ready for a black president,” he said. > Several black audience members nodded and said, “That’s right.” > “I have to tell you I hope you’re not right,” Clinton responded. _Clinton hopes that the pastor is wrong, and that the US is in fact ready for a black president._ How did two sources get such a different meaning from the same exchange ? Did some lines get edited out of the NYT version between “Black America is voting for Mr. Obama because he is black.” and “Mr. Clinton said” ? ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2008, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clinton-speech-in-kingstree/435069/2 "2008-01-26T13:57:31Z")
[QUOTE=Themenin] How did two sources get such a different meaning from the same exchange ? Did some lines get edited out of the NYT version between “Black America is voting for Mr. Obama because he is black.” and “Mr. Clinton said” ? [/QUOTE] My response is to quote: [QUOTE=Simon & Garfunkle, “The Boxer”] …still a man hears what he wants to hear And disregards the rest… [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2008, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clinton-speech-in-kingstree/435069/3 "2008-01-26T16:23:30Z")
It sounds like the New York Times edited kinda heavily.