Clinton Campaign Paying Black Sign Holders in Texas?

I found this blog entry today and my jaw literally dropped reading it. With everything going on in this campaign, that's saying something.

The entry is from a blog called Back Talk Lakewood/East Texas. The entry is from Keri Mitchell, who says:

"I stopped at the intersection of Lovers Lane and Greenville this afternoon, and immediately noticed people standing on each corner (and on a couple of the medians) holding Hillary Clinton signs. Another thing immediately apparent, especially because of the race and gender issues in this presidential election, was that each person holding a sign was black.

I rolled down the window to ask one of the men what group the sign-holders belonged to, and he told me Southern Fried Marketing. I asked if they supported Hillary Clinton for president, and he replied: "Paid for."

You can read the entry and the comments for yourself here.

• avava's diary :: ::
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I work in marketing, so I know how crass an industry it can be, but when we are talking about the election of the president of the United States of America, I have some morals. I would hope that Hillary Clinton's campaign would have some, too, but the way things are going that might be asking a bit much.

Reading this blog post brought to a head something that I've been thinking about the last week or so. Which is that many privileged, liberal white women seem to be very willing to turn a blind eye to issues of race and equality as long as it suits their agenda. And I say this as a privileged, liberal white woman.

I find so many woman I talk to still so enthralled by Hillary Clinton, so in awe of her. I decided to support Barack Obama quite a while ago, yet I have still been able to have reasonable conversations with these woman, friends all, about the primary. But lately I just find myself repulsed that many of these same white women don't seem at all concerned about or aware of issues of racism. About issues of global womanhood. About class. About issues of civil rights and civil liberties. About rising above micro identity politics to demand the best of everyone, instead of falling into the fatal trap of making excuses and pointing fingers.

To me, the idea that Hillary Clinton and the supporters who donate to her campaign are paying black people to hold signs for her, when she's facing the first serious black candidate for president, is simply horrifying.

I look forward to supporting a candidate for president that happens to be female. But never, ever like that.

Update:

The blog is affiliated with a magazine called Advocate. I don't live in Texas, so I don't read it, but here is how it is described on their site:

"Beginning with our Lakewood/ East Dallas publication in 1991, we've been distributing our magazines in four Dallas neighborhoods for 15 years. With a compelling mix of friendly features and hard-hitting news stories, our publications are the best way for our 200,000-plus readers in Preston Hollow, Far North Dallas , Lake Highlands and Lakewood/ East Dallas to find out what's going on in their neighborhoods each month."

The blog is called Back Talk blog, and it's the Lake Highlands edition.

The company that the sign holder mentions is called Southern Fried Marketing. I looked them up, but the most extensive profile of them seems to be their myspace page. They describe themselves on that page as:

"Southern Fried Marketing (S.F. Marketing) is the premiere frontline marketing company for the Southwest region. Our mission is embedded in the very fabric of our company. S.F. Marketing prides itself on providing innovative guerilla marketing opportunities for today's professional that desires a competitive marketing edge."

Original here