At an event on Saturday night, Hillary Clinton and New York City mayor Bill de Blasio made a lame attempt at humor which was blatantly racist.
The New York Times chose to call it a “racially charged” joke:
Racially Charged Joke by Hillary Clinton and Bill de Blasio Leaves Some CringingIn less than three minutes, a comedy routine between Hillary Clinton and Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York managed to cause a storm of controversy over a racially charged joke.It happened on Saturday night when Mrs. Clinton made a surprise visit to the Inner Circle dinner, an annual black-tie event that brings together the city’s press corps, lobbyists and lawmakers. She strode on stage with Mr. de Blasio and Leslie Odom Jr., the actor who plays Aaron Burr in the hit musical “Hamilton.”“Thanks for the endorsement, Bill,” Mrs. Clinton said to Mr. de Blasio, a former aide to Mrs. Clinton when she was a senator from New York who nonetheless dallied in supporting her. “Took you long enough.”“Sorry, Hillary,” Mr. de Blasio said. “I was running on C.P. time,” a reference to the stereotype “Colored People Time” that drew some cringes from the audience.Mr. Odom, who is black and appeared to be in on the joke, interrupted: “That’s not — I don’t like jokes like that, Bill.”Mrs. Clinton jumped in. “Cautious politician time. I’ve been there,” she said.
Here’s a video of the incident:
Newsweek decided to spin the event in a different way, suggesting that the two were doing a “parody” of an old racist joke:
Hillary Clinton, Bill de Blasio Parody an Old, Racist JokeDemocratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio engaged in an awkward back-and-forth at a comedy show put on by journalists in New York City on Saturday.Appearing onstage together, the two pols exchanged friendly jabs. “Thanks for the endorsement, Bill. Took you long enough,” Clinton said.”Sorry, Hillary. I was running on CP time,” de Blasio responded. CP Time, or CPT, is short for “Colored People’s Time “—the stereotype that black people are always running late. De Blasio may have been attempting to be self-effacing: New York’s mayor is often criticized for being tardy to press conferences and other events.”Cautious politician time,” Clinton corrected. “I’ve been there.”The joke could be interpreted as risqué, given the racial content. But it was made with the friendly participation of African-American actor and Hamilton star Leslie Odom, Jr., and no African American leaders or groups have complained—not to mention the fact that de Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray, and their children, are African American—make the joke seem more groan-inducing than controversial.
It must be nice to be a Democrat.
Nothing you say or do is racist, even when it obviously is.
Featured image via YouTube.
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