Bill Clinton: In Past, Obama Would Be 'Carrying Our Bags'

by Warner Todd Huston 

If Obama so desperately wants examples of racist rhetoric being cast against him, there's none better than what Bill Clinton said of him only a few short years ago.

In 2008, during that contentious Democrat primary that pitted Hillary Clinton against Barack Obama, the former president was in full sales mode to get his wife the nomination of the Democrat Party. In an effort to enlist Ted Kennedy to his cause he uttered what any journalist would immediately brand as a racist remark.
According to Ryan Lizza of The New Yorker, Clinton said, "A few years ago, this guy would have been carrying our bags."
You might recall, as does Lizza, that Bill Clinton was already being accused of acting in a racist manner by discounting Obama's primary wins that year. But the former president was even more vehement in private.
This "carrying our bags" line could easily be read as harkening back to the days when African Americans were commonly seen as porters, baggage handlers, housekeepers, and other domestic employees.
And this wasn't a rare misstep for Clinton. Former President Clinton also said, according to the famed bestseller Game Change, "A few years ago, this guy would have been getting us coffee ... the only reason you are endorsing him is because he's black. Let's just be clear."
Clinton obviously isn't too unfamiliar with throwing around racial slurs. Now, he'll put on his happy face and introduce Barack Obama as the 2012 Democratic nominee. But it's worth remember that Clinton is no Obama fan. And what's worse, he's far too comfortable with ugly racial undertones.