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Clinton PAYING black people to hold her signs in Texas

dailykos.com — The Clinton campaign paid a group of people, all African-American, to hold her campaign signs on a Dallas street corner.

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  • TyroPyro, on 03/03/2008, -17/+243Since the article doesn't make it clear the Clinton campaign knew they were getting African-Americans specifically, just check out the main contact page for the group they hired: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=us ...

    Not only is it amazingly lame they had to pay people to hold their signs, it seems immoral to create the illusion of having support you really don't.
    • DRINKxREDxBULL, on 03/03/2008, -39/+5But did they hire them because they were black? I think thats a rather large assumption. Do you think maybe they hired them because they needed somebody to hold signs, since, you know, thats what their business does?

      Buried for the inaccurate piece of sensationalist garbage that it is.
      • Gerz1219, on 03/03/2008, -2/+39Did you even look at that Myspace page? There isn't a single white person in either the pictures or the top friends. The Clinton campaign couldn't have found a blacker group to hold signs if they'd contacted the NAACP, and if you buy their "Whoops we didn't realize we hired an all-black group to demonstrate against a black candidate" spin, I don't think you have the requisite critical thinking skills to vote.
        • DRINKxREDxBULL, on 03/03/2008, -19/+1Yes, I did look at their myspace page. If you are really going to this easily swayed and buy into this sensationalist crap, then you don't deserve to vote.

          Why is everything about race with liberals. Its like you don't even see them as people; you think their only role in life is to be token blacks.
          • tannerpetry, on 03/03/2008, -1/+11The argument being made is that they were hired as "token blacks" and that isn't cool. You're arguing the OP's point, you're arguing with yourself...
          • Syric, on 03/04/2008, -5/+1Fact: racism is an illiberal mindset.
      • oldhick, on 03/03/2008, -6/+6Is that some racist BS or what? The only people poor enough to hold signs are black? Is that what you're implying? Obviously they wanted the folks they got.
        • DRINKxREDxBULL, on 03/03/2008, -5/+4Who said anything about them being poor? Did you look at their myspace page? They own a business. It promotes stuff. Sometimes they hold signs to promote stuff. They were hired to hold signs to promote her campaign. End of story.
        • DRINKxREDxBULL, on 03/03/2008, -4/+6Interesting how YOU are the only one here who is equating being black with being poor. Are you sure you are not just projecting your own racism off onto other people?
        • XxERMxX, on 03/04/2008, -0/+4Seems like you were looking for racism, you didn't find it.
      • goldfishey, on 03/03/2008, -2/+3It would have been a consideration. Even if it was just a two birds with one stone thing. Yes they needed someone to hold placards. And they probably thought hiring black people to do it, might lift support where they need it.
        It was a blatently political decision, at this stage of the campaign, with the numbers how they are, how could it be anything else? And you cant really blame them for making it. Although I wonder if they made a benefit vs backlash appraisal?
      • iainc, on 03/03/2008, -5/+1Thank that's bad, check out this story:

        http://digg.com/politics/Clintons_to_face_fraud_tr ...
      • Myztry, on 03/04/2008, -1/+2Lot's of homeless people hold signs for mere change. But rather than put them to work, I think she'd rather keep herself disassociated...
    • TyroPyro, on 03/03/2008, -8/+25Looking back, I wish I wouldn't have submitted this. It's such a small and trivial thing in the big picture. Oh well, this will be over soon enough.
      • DRINKxREDxBULL, on 03/03/2008, -23/+4I'm sure it did look better in the echo chamber known as Daily Kos.

      • TheG2, on 03/03/2008, -11/+3Gladly burying for you then :)
      • toasterweasel, on 03/03/2008, -1/+3So....they got to you as well then? Stay strong.....it will be over soon....
      • stonewaljacksn, on 03/03/2008, -5/+3dailykos is evil
      • bingobongony, on 03/03/2008, -12/+3Yeah..SUUUUURE you wish you hadn't. You got exactly what you wanted out of it. A pathetic hit piece for your Obmama spam, and Daily Kos got the ad sense money that they paid you for.
      • pictureDIGGER, on 03/04/2008, -6/+2Aren't you one of the people that successfully censored everything Ron Paul on digg (bury brigade)? Now you are showing your true colors. You were afraid Ron Paul would defeat Obama, which he would. We all know Hillary isn't gonna win, but your agenda is not very well hidden. I have been seeing a lot of former Bury Brigade members in Obama threads supporting him with misleading *****. Also notice that digg user dagnabbit is Obama's only digg friend(working for the campaign?) and he was on the Ron Paul Bury Brigade, trolling in ALL Ron Paul articles. You can change your Avatar, but I have a very good memory TyroPyro. I suspect (not declaring it to be true) there is gaming of digg going on thanks to politics becoming a category for submissions. I also suspect that the Obama campaign has an active Role in the gaming. Notice all the ***** endorsements that get front paged? Notice everything is Pro Obama or Anti Hillary/McCain? Notice Obama's campaign website has hit the front page multiple times with less than a hundred diggs? Notice Ron Paul's own campaign website used to receive more diggs in the upcoming section than Barack Obama's website has received on the front page, yet RP's site has NEVER made it to the Front Page? I am not a conspiracy theorist. I just notice extreme coincidences.
        • TheG2, on 03/04/2008, -1/+4Look at you! You digg pictures! CONSPIRACY!
        • TyroPyro, on 03/04/2008, -1/+6You are giving me way too much credit, but it it sort of fun to read, in a crazy way.
        • hbeierg, on 03/04/2008, -1/+1foil hat much?
    • OwdenBowden, on 03/03/2008, -23/+2And if you believe that Clinton paid people of color to hold signs for her then I have this bridge outside my house that I will sell to you for a $1,000.
      • Frost9999, on 03/03/2008, -0/+14People of colour. Isn't that all people?
      • jsmith39, on 03/03/2008, -1/+7Hmm... well let's see some black people in TX are holding signs for the Clinton campaign, when asked they respond that they're being paid to be there. I highly doubt Obama paid them to be there so yes, I believe the Clinton campaign paid 'people of one specific color' to hold signs for them.
      • wburglett, on 03/03/2008, -0/+4Hey, what's the maintenance like on that bridge of yours? Do you even own it?
    • ThinkBox, on 03/03/2008, -5/+6Original Blog the Daily Kos took this story from was already submitted to digg.

      DIGG THE SOURCE

      http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Southern_Fried_H ...
      • ngmcs8203, on 03/03/2008, -0/+5They gave their source. I think they were just getting the word out to their readers. No big deal. It's just a form of social reporting
    • TheBogie, on 03/03/2008, -2/+10Hilliary's campaign is in big trouble. They are pulling out all the stops.

      After getting her ass handed to her in the debate last week, her only chance is to bribe Obama to drop out of the race.

      If Hilliary doesn't absolutely disgust you, then you are not paying attention.
      • ccourt23, on 03/03/2008, -0/+5I live in Ohio and today i received BS robo-calls about Obama and abortion. I do not know if it is directly from the Clintons or a associated group.
        • netant, on 03/03/2008, -0/+3You don't have CALLER ID?
          Save the number, look it up on Google, and track down which campaign is associated with the telemarketer. I'm sure you could find someone on Daily Kos organize a research effort.
    • thcobbs, on 03/03/2008, -12/+3"Not only is it amazingly lame they had to pay people to hold their signs, it seems immoral to create the illusion of having support you really don't."

      Welcome to the wonderful world of Presidential Election Politics. Also as much as I dislike the woman, I imagine that they were all black really had no bearing on hiring them.
      • noahhoward, on 03/03/2008, -1/+5Really the fact that her only competition is a black man doesn't give you the slightest hint to why she would want black voters to see other black voters who are aligned against him? Really, who are you trying to fool?
        • thcobbs, on 03/03/2008, -4/+2Amazing that all the obama supporters are screaming RACIST when all the un-interested parties just see paid sign holders.
    • Peetweefish, on 03/03/2008, -1/+3She's as slippery as slick Willy. Must be a family thing. But in all seriousness, paying for advertisement is one thing, but when people are holding up your advertisements, it does imply that they are in support of whoever they are advertising for. Unfortunately, the reality is they are not on board with what Hillary stands for but are rather residing in her pocket and deceiving the public by appearing to support someone that they don't necessarily agree with.
    • mal1964, on 03/03/2008, -2/+4Hillary Clinton will be on the Daily Show on Monday
      http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Hillary_Clinton_ ...
    • mal1964, on 03/03/2008, -1/+2Huge
      http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Clinton_hammers_ ...
    • RealHyperX, on 03/03/2008, -8/+2Libtard on libtard action is not funny!

      OK, yes it is.
      • MasterGrief, on 03/03/2008, -1/+5...But bastardizing words in a weak attempt to insult actually isn't.
    • NotAChickenHawk, on 03/03/2008, -0/+2"Not only is it amazingly lame they had to pay people to hold their signs, it seems immoral to create the illusion of having support you really don't."

      Seems more immoral to me to give the illusion that you support someone that you don't. In other words, who is more immoral, the briber, or the bribee? Why are these folks allegiances for sale?
      • animal71, on 03/04/2008, -0/+3You raise an excellent point.
        In my opinion, the briber is more immoral. The bribed people most likely don't have a lot of options to earn an income. Since I enjoy a degree of comfort and security in my lifestyle, it's easy for me to say that nobody could pay me to make a show of supporting a candidate. But I don't think that these sign carriers are in such a fortunate position.
      • enigmaneo, on 03/04/2008, -0/+1I couldn't have sad it better.
    • hackbot205, on 03/04/2008, -0/+7shes paying people to tag this article as inaccurate -.-
      • pictureDIGGER, on 03/04/2008, -1/+3no that is digg. notice the "soldier throwing a puppy off a cliff" is also inaccurate, even though the video is proof enough. I feel like digg has been bought by Fox News or something.
    • tas08, on 03/04/2008, -2/+1But a Clinton wouldn't do something immoral!
    • Trollmaster, on 03/04/2008, -0/+1AHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH....... check out one of the pictures in the myspace profile of the group
      http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g112/djdreal/FRO ...
  • tvfilm, on 03/03/2008, -158/+13Obama still has no experience.
    • hippieslaugh, on 03/03/2008, -16/+67That's really not true.
    • thefirstenemy, on 03/03/2008, -1/+21http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_di ...
      http://factcheck.barackobama.com/factcheck/2008/01 ...
    • mrfreeziexp, on 03/03/2008, -3/+55And McCain has way more experience than Clinton. Clinton really shouldn't base her whole campaign on experience.
      • Freaknik, on 03/04/2008, -0/+2And McCain drank the krazy kool aid.
    • OwdenBowden, on 03/03/2008, -54/+6Obama does not have any experience and more importantly he has no clue how to run a country. Further and in his own words, he will disarm America. (http://digg.com/politics/Obama_I_will_disarm_Ameri ... ) I am not a warmonger but "HELL NO" to that and to Obama Just say NO to the O
      • MacEnvy, on 03/03/2008, -2/+38Wow, random opinions and a broken link. You've sure convinced me.
      • JulyZerg, on 03/04/2008, -2/+1Also, I would say NO to the DRUGS. What's wrong with disarming? Oh, I forgot: You enjoy throttling the economy with your trillion dollar war for gas, disguised by Bush as a war on terror. I shudder to imagine where you would be, if he were to be president until death.
        • IpecacNeat, on 03/04/2008, -0/+1Come on Zerg. I'm voting Obama, but don't EVER pretend disarming is a good thing? Imagine if we just got rid of the whole military? Use your head man, the world still wouldn't hate us any less.

          And Obama isn't going to disarm us Bowden, you stupid *****. I like how people have to make ***** up about Obama to make him seem like he isn't a good candidate.
    • JoeFelice, on 03/03/2008, -5/+56Eleven years teaching Constitutional Law.
      Eleven years legislating.
      The courage to be anti-war when the war was popular.
      And the skill to take down a giant named Hillary Clinton.

      I know who I'm voting for.
    • jsmith39, on 03/03/2008, -0/+10Considering what experienced 'leaders' have to offer, I'm all for letting an amateur give it a try.
    • topgigmedia, on 03/03/2008, -1/+2"Obama still has no experience." ...cheating like a sad little ninny.
    • NathanCH, on 03/03/2008, -0/+13If Clinton has so much experience, why hasn't she changed ANYTHING in the 13 years that she's been in office.
      • MacEnvy, on 03/03/2008, -1/+3She's only been in office for 8 years. That's certainly no excuse, but accuracy is important.
    • anillop, on 03/03/2008, -0/+5Its Clinton's so called experience that makes her a ***** choice.
      • JulyZerg, on 03/04/2008, -1/+1Yeah, she's good at being a wife to an unfaithful husband.
    • pnmoore, on 03/03/2008, -2/+5And Hillary and Bill are still dishonest, wealthy, arrogant politicians that have a tremendous lack of respect for Americans, and particularly the African-American community, to try and pull something like this...I smell the desperation in the air around the Clinton camp.
    • exronin, on 03/03/2008, -2/+4Because GWB's experience brought so many great and wonderful things to this world.
    • bagelpirate, on 03/03/2008, -0/+6From Obama himself: "No one had a better resume than Dick Cheney"
    • ObeseEurotrash, on 03/03/2008, -2/+0I lol'd
      9/10
    • RhodesSkolar, on 03/03/2008, -0/+6I live in NY. The only experience she seems to exhibit is ***** us with our pants on. She promised 400,000 new jobs for NY when she became a senator. Since her promise, we've LOST 85,000 jobs.....hmmmm....
      • JulyZerg, on 03/04/2008, -0/+3It's her plan - kill the economy, and blame it on Obama!
    • Misinformant, on 03/04/2008, -1/+1The most experienced are often the most corrupt.

      Obama gets my vote.
    • hex3n, on 03/04/2008, -2/+1I don't think Hilary had any experience either, Bill got some from Lewinsky ...
    • Corrosionx, on 03/15/2008, -0/+1He's also a terrorist.
  • InfodivaMLIS, on 03/03/2008, -34/+5What the *****!!! She has also said she would not vote for him should he win the nomination.
    • Izz24703, on 03/03/2008, -1/+12Actually, that was a supporter. I'm a huge Obama fan, but the title of that digg article is inaccurate.

      However, paying people to hold your signs is pathetic!
      • LonesomeFighter, on 03/03/2008, -1/+2helps the economy by creating jobs... that's the only positive outcome i can think of.
  • SheilaNoya, on 03/03/2008, -15/+45I'll bet if they look around, they could also find some old white women in orthopedic shoes, a Mexican in a huge sombrero, a goth chick, a few emo kids, a Rabbi, a white man with an NRA cap and a shotgun, and an old bearded bum who wears a white robe to make him look like Jesus, being paid to hold signs for her too.
  • MurphyWatson, on 03/03/2008, -13/+351African-American or not, paying people to hold signs for your failing campaign is pathetic.
    • Frost9999, on 03/03/2008, -7/+8It's an election campaign... they pay to have signs all over the place. It's not any great leap to imagine paying people to hold signs.
      • Scarfy, on 03/03/2008, -0/+19Having people hold the signs implies that those people are supporters. It's not the same as just slapping your slogan on a billboard.
    • plhearn, on 03/03/2008, -18/+7Not really. Obama not only pays others to wave signs but also pays people to go door to door in primary states asking for support. Or maybe its only pathetic when Hillary does it cuz we don't liek her.
      • diggit83, on 03/03/2008, -2/+16No. Those are called Obama volunteers.....they do it because they feel he is the best candidate for president and want to do their part in making this country a better place to live.
        • FoghornLeghorn, on 03/03/2008, -3/+1So Hilary is a terrible person for offering people compensation? If you're basically doing work for her why is it a bad thing that she is willing to offer you some money. Misleading, and manipulative, maybe but if you're surprised that a candidate is willing to lie to you and attempt to manipulate you this must be your first ever encounter with a politician. All this tells me is she's smart enough to make good campaign decisions, and I'm not even a Hillary supporter.
      • noahhoward, on 03/03/2008, -0/+13Pays them? I'm signed up on his campaign letter, he asks his supporters to handle that work.
      • plhearn, on 03/03/2008, -4/+2No he pays them. Or I should say this campaign pays them. My friend got paid 8 dollars an hour to wave Obama signs when he came down to SC. He was hired by the Obama campaign through some program at USC.
    • MrObjectional, on 03/03/2008, -5/+3It's just good politicking. That's what these campaigns are all about.
      • FoghornLeghorn, on 03/03/2008, -1/+2I agree, seems like decent campaign strategy. I don't understand the backlash.
    • hologos, on 03/03/2008, -0/+1I don't think so. Marketing firms commonly employ individuals to hold signs because it avoids certain city signage regulations and because your message typically reach a larger audience using this method; folks are more likely to look at a person holding a sign than they are a sign staked into the ground.
      • julianrod, on 03/03/2008, -0/+2Wow... I guess you're not used to it there in the US. Here in Argentina, they pay people from the poor towns to go to the campaign speeches, they even pay for the buses and give them some food and cheap wine... I guess your country is becoming a banana republic like ours... I hope that Obama can change that because, trust me, you don't want to live in bananaland.
    • zertz, on 03/04/2008, -5/+0Barack Hussein Obama pays White guys to put his commercials on the air - Gasp! Horror! what kind of pathetic black politician would pay white people for advertising? Really
  • arbouler, on 03/03/2008, -24/+5i'd rather give her team the benefit of the doubt though. this accusation is not worth anyone's time...
    • aliengoods, on 03/03/2008, -1/+14I'll agree it's not worth anyones time, but Clinton is the last candidate to whom I'll give the benefit of the doubt.
  • jmk4422, on 03/03/2008, -15/+10Dugg, if only to raise awareness and possibly get confirmation from a third party that this is true.
    • ThinkBox, on 03/03/2008, -6/+6Buried, because Daily Kos cited the source blog that was already submitted and is in the cue.

      http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Southern_Fried_H ...
      • jmk4422, on 03/03/2008, -1/+3Yeah, I don't bury duplicate stories *if* the original submission(s) never gained any traction. Sometimes it takes a few entries for the community to take notice (the link you gave only ever received 80-something diggs and is over a day old; this newer submission is already up to 300+ and is on the front page). It may not be fair to the original posters but hey, it's a fact of Digg-life.
        • ThinkBox, on 03/03/2008, -1/+1I agree with you, but when I submitted that, this story was UNDER 100 Diggs. and the other was just about in the 80s.

          Supporting the source is ALWAYS the best policy. What if you noticed this, and wrote it? It would sure feel different I'm sure.

          EDIT: also, if you want some confirmation. I drive by that area all the time.
  • brokenspatula, on 03/03/2008, -51/+13Oh no! Getting paid to do work, what is the world coming to
    • turbopro, on 03/03/2008, -6/+3I agree with you but when you pick a specific race to "use" thats when it becomes an issue.
      • eir574, on 03/03/2008, -1/+3Do we even know that's what happened? Maybe the demographics of the area are such that there's a higher chance that a black person would be interested in being paid what's likely a relatively small amount of money to hold a sign for a few hours than a white person would. It's not like we're talking about a large sample size. It could be a coincidence.
      • michael43, on 03/03/2008, -2/+2If they all had been white it would not be an issue. It's a double standard.
    • schroeder, on 03/03/2008, -2/+15They are being paid to influence the election in a underhanded way. It's not like putting out an ad to influence the people when you know where it's coming from and that is is being paid for. This is directly being used to deceive people in to believing that she has more support than she does and that these people are voicing their own opinions. All this sort of campaigning undermines the real purpose of elections. Not to say this is the worst example of the problem with campaigns, it's just one of the many things that should not be tolerated in a fair election.
      • jmpeagle, on 03/03/2008, -1/+1so? It's politics. How many people do you think saw those signs and then decided right there on the spot that since black people were holding them, then maybe they should switch their vote to her? Believing it works is just as racist as her campaign doing it.
        • schroeder, on 03/03/2008, -0/+1If that wasn't the intent, why the hell would she pay people to hold the signs in the first place? I think many uninformed people follow the crowds who they feel best represent them, and there are a lot of uninformed people. It's not racist to see the intent here. I'm not saying it works, just that she thought it would.
    • thedogfatherx, on 03/03/2008, -1/+6I think you completely missed there point here. Game over. Try again.
    • jm4847, on 03/03/2008, -1/+1"what is the world coming to"
      Jessica Alba? Oh you mean... nevermind.
  • pagancollective, on 03/03/2008, -25/+15*****. Digg has been taken over by the Obama campaign bus.
    Will I be dugg down for this? Probably. I'm an Obama supporter, and I think that social news sites like Digg certainly serve as a great platform for political stories. With that said, the past month I've logged on and three of the top ten stories (sometimes valid, sometimes not-so-much) are Obama circlejerk sessions.
    Again- political stories are good. Obama is by far my favorite candidate in the running, and I realize (especially with Texas coming up) that there is going to be an increase in political stories. But I'm tired of these "Clinton likes to kick small puppies and hates children" stories.

    The irony here is that Obama doesn't use these smear campaign tactics that Digg seems only too eager to throw onto the front page. Obama is the black plague to the Ron Paul fever Digg had months ago.
    • jmpeagle, on 03/03/2008, -3/+11that's the beauty of having very passionate supporters, they will do all the mud-slinging for you and therefore you can keep your image clean. This is the internet, when has the ever been a website where anonymous members would have an honest, fair, and cordial discussion over policy? Never.
    • smotpoker, on 03/03/2008, -1/+7Most of the Obama stories making it to the front page either have to do with his policies or to refute republican and hillary-camp lies. Most of the anti-hillary stories reflect the hypocrisy of her smear tactics. I admit there are a fair amount of dupes floating around and a lot of the comments are too critical in various ways but the stories are usually relevant insofar as detailing specifics of his legislation, debunking various disinformation floating around and providing insight into the candidates themselves IMO
    • jmk4422, on 03/03/2008, -0/+2Just because a particular story happens to paint Hillary in a bad light doesn't mean it's a pro-Obama story. Why not comment on this story based on it's merits (i.e. is it okay for a campaign to pay people to pretend they support you)?
    • ZebZ, on 03/03/2008, -1/+0Why's it gotta be a *black* plague? :)
      • lickmylovepump, on 03/04/2008, -0/+1I hope that was just a funny joke. So many people these days get their panties in a bunch over the word 'black' that i'm confused.
        • ZebZ, on 03/04/2008, -0/+0Yes, it was a joke. Hence the emoticon.
    • ileftfark, on 03/03/2008, -0/+1Buried for... accuracy?
  • kiiwii, on 03/03/2008, -34/+9I see people, black and white, being paid to hold signs on street corners all the time. Especially for big sales or store closings.

    How is this any different? It's all advertising.
    • dxgg, on 03/03/2008, -2/+25It's the illusion of having the support of people you really don't.
      • tightscrummy, on 03/03/2008, -2/+3That's sort of how advertising works. Do you really think some sports star drives a ***** Buick?
        • pintomp3, on 03/03/2008, -1/+3that's how advertising works, not how elections should work. it's a little bit more important than selling cars.
          • tightscrummy, on 03/04/2008, -0/+1Of course it's not how they should work but anyone who thinks Americans put more thought into political elections than American Idol or something is just kidding themself.
    • jsmith39, on 03/03/2008, -0/+2Do you really not see the difference between some guy holding a sign saying 20% used condoms at Rubbers R Us and some guy getting paid to stand in a group holding up 'vote for me' signs?
    • Hypermarkalan, on 03/03/2008, -0/+11Yeah, because the campaign for President of the United States and the mattress sale at the local strip mall are the exact same ***** thing.
      You suck at life.
      • JigoroKano, on 03/03/2008, -0/+2Apparently choosing a president is nothing more than choosing Coke over Pepsi.
  • weeeezzll, on 03/03/2008, -6/+15That is just silly! hahahahaa!
  • Dyar, on 03/03/2008, -14/+30I just want to be clear on the problem here? Is the problem the fact that she has to pay these people or the fact that they are black?

    Candidates raise money and they will be spending it on marketing. What is so shocking that she paid for her marketing? What else is the money suppose to be used for? What are other candidates doing with their donated money which is any different than this?

    If the issue is with race, would it be better if the people were white? Should she have hired 4 different ethnic people for each corner of the intersection?
    • CrackyJSquirrel, on 03/03/2008, -4/+4There is a huge difference between holding a campaign sign and holding a going out of business sign. People (unfortunately) can be artificially swayed. Its possible it can covey false support from an ethnic group. Personally, the way I feel, if your political view is altered because some random people are holding signs, then you probably are going to have a nervous breakdown when you get to your respective polling place. But regardless of sheeple psychology, a campaign sign implies support, a going out of business sign implies someone needs easy cash.
      • fbomb, on 03/03/2008, -2/+4How is that different than paying black or Hispanic actors to be in a campaign commercial?
        • CrackyJSquirrel, on 03/03/2008, -1/+2Think about that reply for a couple seconds.......... yeah...
        • sleepwalkers, on 03/04/2008, -0/+1a) It's a commercial.
          b) These actors are actually black or hispanic (whereas sign-holders are not always supporters).
      • BobSconce, on 03/03/2008, -0/+0It might convey that. But isn't that the same thing when Barak Obama pays white people to hold his signs? This sort of thing has been going on in politics since the birth of the nation. Trying to enforce honesty in political advertising is a lost cause.
    • HanSolo69, on 03/03/2008, -2/+4The problem is that she is paying people. It just so happens that someone is her campaign was stupid enough to hire this Southern Fried Marketing company to do it.
    • likesoy, on 03/03/2008, -1/+10I'll assume you're being sincere in your questions and answer them straight-forward: Both.
      She paid people to do what is assumed to be volunteer work, meaning that the people who see these people holding signs assume they genuinely support HRC. Now, with that in mind, throw in the fact that she deliberately sought out black people for this disingenuous acting job.
    • NSResponder, on 03/03/2008, -1/+5The pathetic thing is paying people to pretend to be supporters. It's ***** when Hillary does it, it was ***** when Al Sharpton did it, and it will be ***** when any future candidate does it.

      -jcr
    • bonhoeffer, on 03/03/2008, -6/+0Agree with Dyer. Advertising is the biggest expense of campaigning - nothing unusual here. Fact is, if the sign holders weren't being paid, critics would be decrying "slavery."
    • hmcook87, on 03/03/2008, -1/+4Sure advertising is fine, but people don't assume that someone on a street corner holding up a campaign sign is advertising. they assume these people are doing it of their own accord because they support the candidate, not because they're getting paid. it's not outright lying, but it is dishonest. Like paying people to do endorsements in infomercials.
    • JulyZerg, on 03/04/2008, -1/+2If she paid four different ethnic groups to stand on four different corners of an intersection, she'd be called out for racism.
  • schroeder, on 03/03/2008, -11/+13They are being paid to influence the election in a underhanded way. It's not like putting out an ad to influence the people when you know where it's coming from and that is is being paid for. This is directly being used to deceive people in to believing that she has more support than she does and that these people are voicing their own opinions. All this sort of campaigning undermines the real purpose of elections. Not to say this is the worst example of the problem with campaigns, it's just one of the many things that should not be tolerated in a fair election.
    • bonhoeffer, on 03/03/2008, -1/+0Not at all. Since it has Clinton's name on it, we know where it is coming from, and there is no reason to believe the sign holders do not support her.
  • doctechnical, on 03/03/2008, -8/+25Giving out "a little walking around money" at election time is a time-honored Democratic tradition.
    • HanSolo69, on 03/03/2008, -2/+6Yea, it's no different than "here's the money to buy a yacht" or "here's that pardon on your murdering rapist cousin" that the republicans like to pass out.
      • doctechnical, on 03/03/2008, -0/+2Nonsense, there's a huge difference - in the former case you're currying votes, in the later favor.
      • homanh, on 03/04/2008, -0/+1mark down
    • homanh, on 03/04/2008, -0/+1Cheney is that you? gtfo here
  • suzywang3000, on 03/03/2008, -16/+6What's wrong with that? I don't get it...
    • jmk4422, on 03/03/2008, -0/+2The problem? These people weren't paid to put up signs that advocated a particular candidate. That would be fine. But these people were paid (allegedly) to stand on street corners holding those signs, implying that they are genuine supporters of that candidate, willing to stand at a street corner to demonstrate their support by voluntarily doing so. To find out otherwise-- that in fact, they are paid to be there-- is disillusioning. What if you found out tomorrow that all the people showing up at Obama's rallies were paid to be there? Ditto for Hillary, and McCain? The democratic process would suddenly look like a huge farce, wouldn't it?
  • TyroPyro, on 03/03/2008, -19/+7As the submitter of this story, I encourage people to bury it for being retarded and petty. Sorry, don't know what I was thinking.
    • HanSolo69, on 03/03/2008, -0/+4It's not retarded or petty, well, not the story. The fact that Clinton is doing this is retarded and petty. It would just be better if the story came fro ma more reputable source.
  • VaporBro, on 03/03/2008, -14/+37I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE!
    • frostbyt, on 03/03/2008, -7/+3Your just going to have to. Come to think of it. It does not really matter who wins cause we are gonna be the losers.
      • jecruzs, on 03/03/2008, -1/+7you're
      • VaporBro, on 03/03/2008, -0/+2"Come to think of it" is not a complete sentence. "Cause" should be because and gonna should be "going to". Looks like Grammar school done did get gotted the best of you.
        • Kyan, on 03/04/2008, -1/+1Stream of consciousness. FWIW. I really wish Shakespeare could show up and trounce all the grammar nazi's. Oh wait, isn't he the dude who MADE UP WORDS?

          Spelling nazi's, OTOH, are da bomb.
    • Tyorant, on 03/03/2008, -0/+13Yeah...Go internet man, Go!
    • HanSolo69, on 03/03/2008, -4/+2What city do you live in? I want to know what news station to tune into to get the first breaking news when you got a shooting rampage.
    • MasterGrief, on 03/03/2008, -1/+6AND WE'RE GOING TO SOUTH DAKOTA AND OREGON AND WASHINGTON AND MICHIGAN
    • kutateli, on 03/04/2008, -0/+2the man wants his stapler back.
  • julianwan, on 03/03/2008, -8/+2can you digg it warriors? i smell pathetic!
  • ToMZiLLA, on 03/03/2008, -11/+6i hate Hillary as much as the next guy but why is the guy being black being made into an issue? she didn't pay HIM, she paid the company.
  • michael43, on 03/03/2008, -12/+3So what? At least she put a few people to work.
    • HanSolo69, on 03/03/2008, -1/+3Well if you read the story, she was paying a company to provide a service. They had jobs already.
      • michael43, on 03/03/2008, -1/+1Well, If you weren't an idiot, you'd realize that without customers, the company would go out of business and they wouldn't have a job.
  • harriman714, on 03/03/2008, -2/+23street corners = marketplace for sex, drugs, and politics
    • shulkman, on 03/04/2008, -0/+1And now, thanks to Hillary, Money for Politics = Money for sex + drugs!
  • damndj, on 03/03/2008, -6/+8I guess all those paid supporters will have a souvenir of a failed presidential campaign here in a few days.
    • MasterGrief, on 03/03/2008, -0/+2I wonder if a loss of the nomination will make her cry again?
      • duckpdx, on 03/04/2008, -0/+0It sure will make you cry shortly after that happens - you may just not know it right now. :)
  • GasClown, on 03/03/2008, -31/+4Hold a sign and get free fried chicken and watermelon!
  • keram1, on 03/03/2008, -12/+11Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures. Nice Try Mrs. Clinton.
    • david468, on 03/03/2008, -1/+2Well Said, My Friend, Well Said.
    • MasterGrief, on 03/03/2008, -1/+4I Don't Mean To Be Rude, But People Tend To Make Fun Of You When You Use Capitalization At The Beginning Of Every Word.
    • Chrispyc1211, on 03/04/2008, -0/+3Seriously. It's worse than caps locking. At least then you just look angry, where as this way you come off like someone putting on an obnoxiously fake British accent.

      If you want to be sophisticated, save those coveted capital letters for the beginning of sentences and proper nouns :D
  • Jerimee, on 03/03/2008, -12/+3What does them being black have to do with anything?
    • likesoy, on 03/03/2008, -0/+5She sought out black people. You'd be correct if it were just incidental.
    • pintomp3, on 03/03/2008, -0/+1she's trying to create illusion of support from a certain demographic.
  • Abominous, on 03/03/2008, -8/+11There was a bunch of whithery old ladies holding up signs here in San Antonio.

    They were really annoying, standing on bus benches and shouting "CLINTON" at cars. My roommate stuck his head out of the car and shouter "OBAMA" at one of them and she threw a fit.
  • barackoblogger, on 03/03/2008, -4/+6She did the same thing at the Nevada caucus where I was volunteering.
  • ike6116, on 03/03/2008, -9/+67AFFIRMATIVE ACTION ROBBED ME OF A JOB AGAIN!
    • frostbyt, on 03/03/2008, -15/+3Where do I apply to be a sign holder? I already gots my black face paint. So's I am ret to go.
      • gypsi, on 03/03/2008, -2/+7i think you want the republican national convention
      • desuexmachina, on 03/03/2008, -8/+2You know, if the Confederacy had won that danged war we wouldn't have had to pay them at all.
        /evil
      • 33PercentGod, on 03/04/2008, -1/+1Blackface is ALWAYS hilarious.
      • Trollmaster, on 03/04/2008, -0/+1LOL
    • mynameisjonas, on 03/04/2008, -0/+4They took our jobs!
  • liuite, on 03/03/2008, -11/+6if you read it on a blog or on the internet, then it must be true
    • Chrispyc1211, on 03/04/2008, -0/+1Eh, it seems relatively reputable. If it's merely the report of a conversation concerning people hired for cash, there's not a much more reliable source we can go to.
  • SirBrittanicus, on 03/03/2008, -8/+14Sillary Hillary, still thinks she has a chance. :D
    • Vanhalenite, on 03/03/2008, -2/+1EPIC FAIL
      She will lose, though. OBAMA!
    • licoricewhip, on 03/03/2008, -1/+1Good luck with that. The Clintons are anything but graceful losers.
  • rowlodge, on 03/03/2008, -6/+4you got to hand it to the american marketing system, not only this but movies commercials you name it ,the token black guy is always there.
  • nittanylion06, on 03/03/2008, -13/+5Clinton still has a few good things going for her -- for example, digg still hates her. Digg popularity is the kiss of death (See Ron Paul)
    • Railz, on 03/03/2008, -1/+5Obviously one thing failing because of digg means we've set a precedent.

      Idiot.
    • senatorpjt, on 03/03/2008, -0/+1Yeah, if it weren't for Digg, Ron Paul would be president.
  • FredFredrickson, on 03/03/2008, -14/+8I'm an Obama supporter, but this grassroots smearing doesn't sit any better with me than when it's done by the big boys. Buried for inaccuracy.

    As long as we don't have another Republican president, I'll be happy.
    • frostbyt, on 03/03/2008, -6/+4I hope we do. Not because I vote republican, but because you said you don't want one.
    • SuperMoses, on 03/03/2008, -1/+4Umm, paying people to hold up your signs does not qualify as a "grassroots" movement
      • FredFredrickson, on 03/03/2008, -0/+1I'm talking about this ridiculous "paying black people" anti-Hillary garbage that's promoted on Digg.
  • scoottie, on 03/03/2008, -2/+100well she said she would create jobs .....
  • cheezintern, on 03/03/2008, -6/+5Being that were talking about a Clinton, Hillary specifically, I can't honestly say I'm shocked. Still is pretty absurd though.
  • SavageBlackCat, on 03/03/2008, -8/+40She's providing jobs already - go Hillary!
    • frostbyt, on 03/03/2008, -4/+1Amen, Yes we can! Yes WE can!
    • flashingcurser, on 03/03/2008, -0/+7Minority jobs program?

      Thats terrible, digg me down.
  • o0joshua0o, on 03/03/2008, -4/+5Should she only be allowed to hire white people to advertise her campaign? No, that would be racist.
    • likesoy, on 03/03/2008, -1/+2Oh, come on ... really?
      She went out of her way to hire black people to pretend they support her. Why are some people not getting that this is wrong?
  • dudeguy1234, on 03/03/2008, -2/+19Holy. *****. *****. People say the Clinton's play hardball politics; this is more like Dirtball.
  • CrackyJSquirrel, on 03/03/2008, -2/+6Even though this is more non-issue stupid attention diverting news.. Its still sad to think her campaign would have to pay people to show support. Says a lot when she doesn't have VOLUNTEERS available for the said work. Either she doesn't have the support, or her supporters are to lazy and or don't care enough to stand on a corner and help.
  • nbg8888, on 03/03/2008, -2/+3i LOOOOOOVe hearing about garbage like this, always gives me a little more hope...word
  • fsjenkins2000, on 03/03/2008, -12/+6Hillary is my *****..Just Kidding Fuc* that Bit*h
    • johnsonjoeb, on 03/03/2008, -2/+1I logged in just to say how funny that sh*t is. :)
  • IHUsol, on 03/03/2008, -11/+7See and all you Obama people thought she couldn't create new jobs. Go Hillary! Way to boost the economy! At least she is giving more than just hopes and dreams. Obama should follow her lead and do something constructive. Can't pay your mortgage with hopes and dreams now can you?
  • frostbyt, on 03/03/2008, -15/+1At least they are not out stealing TVs.

    For a mere $____, you can influence my vote directly and be assured of my support. I look forward to doing business with you.
  • Railoc, on 03/03/2008, -10/+23Ok, I'm voting for Obama, and I'm not a huge fan of Clinton, but the hate that the internet has for her is starting to get out of hand. This is a normal campaign practice - yes, people get paid to campaign for a candidate, especially when there's a critcal ethnic group they're trying to sway. It happens. That's what the money is there for. Want to bet Obama's campaign has, at some point, paid groups of white women to hold signs? Of course, that won't be Dugg because no one really cares.
    • Railz, on 03/03/2008, -0/+2Well this is normal tactics sure.
      But there is another underlying issue with this election that really hasn't been seen before. The young crowd, tech savvie, have for once gotten truly involved in an election. What happens when people with the masses listening to their blogs is you create hype. The Internet has been the best source of hype since pony express.
      I'd get used to this kind of 'out of hand' stuff from the Internet because if politics remain popular, eyes will be on every candidate 24/7.
      • kingUssop, on 03/03/2008, -0/+2The internet hype is usually worthless to be honest.

        Snakes On A Plane?

        Ron Paul?

        You're talking about a bunch of 18-25 yr olds trying to tell everyone what to think, what to hype, which isn't even as a substantial accomplishment as they think, because they piss on all the critical debate until it's just people who love something.
        • Kautylia, on 03/04/2008, -0/+1And it's actually interesting what this election has shown about the internet. You'd think with it being so damn big, the opinions would be varied. But politicians have become another venue for internet band wagons. From lol-cats to Obama, there isn't much variety on the boundless internet.
    • likesoy, on 03/03/2008, -0/+2He hasn't because he hasn't had to.
    • Barbosa, on 03/03/2008, -0/+6Find proof that Obama has paid a group of (specifically) White women to hold up signs (when many will do so of their own free will) and I'll digg the story.
      Good Luck
      • JosefK88, on 03/03/2008, -0/+0Well...if you think that blog entries and second hand discussions from people calling out to each other as they drive by constitutes hard proof then I could direct you to plenty of sources. I could even post a blog entry of my own and I'm sure plenty of people would eat it up, regardless of its accuracy. btw...I support Obama
    • senatorpjt, on 03/03/2008, -0/+2I have an excuse - I live in NY. I've hated her since she showed up here 8 years ago to kill time until she could run for president.
  • kompar, on 03/03/2008, -6/+4Hiring blacks to hold signs... pathetic. Might makes right = the end of democracy. She obviously hasn't won on her ideas, so now we're seeing Plan B.
    • bonhoeffer, on 03/03/2008, -1/+1What if she paid an ad agency to create a TV spot using black actors? I mean, isn't that the purpose of advertising, to appeal to some demographic - the aged, youth, Hispanics, Blacks? The griping is just sour grapes.
  • ozymandias2012, on 03/03/2008, -5/+3Like anyone is ever influenced by someone standing on a corner holding a sign.
  • RedSaber, on 03/03/2008, -4/+8As a communication, public relations professionnal and entrepreneur, I have to admit that I'm ***** tired to see how sickening this art has become.
    It should be an art to better mankind, not to serve corrupted selfish career paths. Using it to falsely convince anyone that something bad is good for you is evil.
    Purely evil.

    Hiring people to make believe that you're cool and try to corrupt the people's vote goes into the same bag. Luckily, humans aren't that stupid and will vote for change.. for real change.
    • Railz, on 03/03/2008, -0/+2Professional and Entrepreneur eh.
      • malman4, on 03/03/2008, -1/+0Yeah, hope he doesn't give up the day job.
    • LoveYouSomeEric, on 03/03/2008, -0/+1"humans aren't that stupid"? seriously, have you yet to meet one?
    • senatorpjt, on 03/03/2008, -0/+1"Using it to falsely convince anyone that something bad is good for you is evil. "

      You picked the wrong line of work then, that's what PR -IS-. You don't need a PR guy to convince anyone that something good is good. Bill Hicks would have just told you to kill yourself.
      • RedSaber, on 03/04/2008, -0/+1Well ***** Bill Hicks, I don't give a crap about him.

        I don't think you understand clearly what I meant. It is not because my line of work is CORRUPTED and BAD that I have to give it up and put a bullet in my head. Instead, I will try to do my best to change the way it's been for the last 50-60 years. PR does NOT have to be what it is NOW. In fact, if you would be just a bit informed about all the movements that have been going on for years in that domain, you'd realize that there is resistance and rebellions amongst the troops.

        But then again, why do I bother telling all this to you? The only profound argument you have is tell me to go kill myself. The idiocracy is real.
  • simple001, on 03/03/2008, -6/+11Gotta remember that this is a multimillion dollar election and you have the best of the best analyzing every little thing so I'd have to say this was deliberate. People are falling to Obama because Hillary tries anything and everything to get votes. Crying included. Obama has been attacked (even for not wearing a flag pin) and is still calm and collected. Hillary just keeps complaining. Do we really want to take pride in having someone who bitches and moans as our leader. Her only demographic are people who bitch and moan and don't know anything about the issues. Well off, middle aged white women.
  • pnunn, on 03/03/2008, -8/+9Record companies do this all the time... That's really all I have to say.... After the past two weeks it's pretty clear that Mrs. Clinton will do just about ANYTHING once the pressure is on. Surprised? No. Indignant- usually... but this, this is just more of the same... Might be a blip on my radar if I wasn't so jaded. Might be a nice way to vacation in Texas if I was black... That'll be the spin-

    REPORTER: "Ms. Clinton, do you have any response to allegations you paid black people to hold signs for you?"
    CLINTON: "Uh, yeah.... how about-'I am creating job opportunities for black people in Texas- and I'm not even president'- I don't see Obama doing that... Now please excuse me, I have to go to a meeting on repairing my image."
    • NumNutz, on 03/03/2008, -1/+3mr obama, did your staff discuss nafta with canada and told them that you are lying to the american people?

      mr obama, how come you arent telling the truth about mr rezko and the land he bought next to your house and gave to you with money funneled in from a mideastern felon?

      mr obama, how come you talk about fighting homophobia but yet you got on a stage with the gay hater mcckurkin and took their money for your campaign.
      • pnunn, on 03/03/2008, -0/+0Dear God- I forgot I was on Digg and criticizing one means vouching for the other. NumNutz- I want you to understand that if I wanted to debate on Obama's behalf I might A) get my ass up to Washington D.C. and seize my own glory B) Have talked about something other than an imaginary skit in which Clinton takes up for herself and finally C) Have gone ANYWHERE other than DIGG and spoken about it with ANYONE other than you.

        However, if you are going to go to the trouble of imitating my comment style or whatever I would like to encourage that you try using little things like punctuation and spell check. The little things make all the difference when it comes to mockery. You receive an "F" for the day.
        Anyways, I am sure you have lots of satirical television to get pissy about so I'll let you get back to it- and remember, every little thing on the internet is worth getting worked up about- really.
  • phatmatt626, on 03/03/2008, -0/+1Will she ever give up???

    http://digg.com/politics/Hillary_Clinton_s_Snicker ...
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