Today's Washington Post has an article exploring the dilemmas of black politicians who endorsed Hillary Clinton. Beyond the fact that their constituents have overwhelmingly supported another candidate, you'd think the endorsers would have some qualms about affiliating with a campaign that played the race card in South Carolina and whose chief Hispanic strategist informed the New Yorker that the campaign's premise was that Hispanics would be reluctant to vote for a black candidate.

Instead, the article reveals that a quartet of African-American Clinton endorsers--Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer, former Denver mayor Wellington Webb, and congresswomen Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas and Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio--are outraged that there might be political repercussions for Clinton's black supporters.

Declared Palmer,"To intimate that you may face a challenge for what you believe in, I just think that's over the top." It's"over the top" for someone to decide to challenge an incumbent because of a position that officeholder took, provided the officeholder"believe[d] in" the position?

I realize Palmer is from Trenton, and New Jersey politics doesn't enjoy a reputation for deep principles, so perhaps he might consider it unusual for a politician to take a principled position. But his argument is nothing short of absurd.

Oscar Chamberlain - 2/19/2008

I took a look at that quote. It is awkward and hard to follow. However, the quote that follows in the story leads me to think that his comment was a reaction to threats of opposition in this particular case and was not a more general comment on how incumbents should be treated.

Here is the full paragraph from the story:

"To intimate that you may face a challenge for what you believe in, I just think that's over the top," said Palmer, who was first elected in 1990 by a 300-vote margin and has been reelected fairly easily ever since. "I think my citizens pretty much understand that I am a person who stands up for what I believe in. I'm not saying that if I run again somebody won't hold that against me. That's politics."