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THEY WERE GOING for funny. Instead, a racially-tinged comedy routine between Hillary Clinton and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has prompted outrage and mockery.
The exchange took place when the Democratic presidential frontrunner on Saturday attended the Inner Circle dinner in New York, an annual black-tie gala where journalists and politicians traditionally poke fun at each other.
In the routine, Clinton gently upbraided the mayor, a former Clinton aide who was late giving her campaign support.
“Thanks for the endorsement, Bill,” she said. “Took you long enough.”
“Sorry, Hillary. I was running on CP time,” he replied, an apparent reference to ‘Coloured People Time’, a cliche stereotype about habitual tardiness.
The quip drew a “No!” from at least one audience member.
African-American actor Leslie Odom Jr., who plays Aaron Burr in the hit musical Hamilton and was also part of the skit, objected to the clearly rehearsed line.
“I don’t like jokes like that, Bill,” he said.
“Cautious politician time,” Clinton clarified, delivering the punchline.
I’ve been there.
But Odom’s staged relief hasn’t stopped criticism of the joke.
“Cringeworthy,” wrote the website Salon.
Salon.com / TwitterHillary Clinton and Bill De Blasio make a cringeworthy “colored people time” joke at New York City charity event https://t.co/pfo4rY41IT
— Salon (@Salon) April 11, 2016
The Daily News called the exchange “a big blunder when a tasteless joke — built off the stereotype that black people are chronically late — fell flat.”
New York magazine denounced it as “an amazingly unfunny, terribly executed” joke, questioning whether de Blasio’s wife Chirlane, who is African-American, knew about it.
With video of the skit prompting a flood of comments on Twitter, de Blasio appeared on CNN to calm the storm by explaining the joke was scripted and aimed at poking fun at a cliche.
New York Daily News / TwitterSTOP THE PRESSES! New page 1
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) April 12, 2016
SKIT FOR BRAINS
Hil, Blaz bashed for 'colored people time' jokehttps://t.co/XnThd3NSWk pic.twitter.com/HwsW2ZNElr
“I think people are missing the point here,” he said.
The mayor was making fun of only himself, de Blasio’s office added in a statement.
Clinton will be hoping the furor disappears quickly.
She and her Democratic rival Bernie Sanders are working hard to court African-American voters ahead of New York’s pivotal primary next week.
Clinton, who has far more support among the group, holds a major lead on the Vermont senator in state polls.
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Am I offended? I’ll ask twitter and get back to ye.
Some people just love being offended….the real reason anyone should be offended is that it isn’t particularly funny
At least she didn’t launch into a rousing rendition of the Camp Town Races.
It seem Hilary is quite adept at being offensive.
“Good morning, ma’am,” a member of the uniformed Secret Service once greeted Hillary Clinton.
“F— off,” she replied.
“When in public, Hillary smiles and acts graciously,” Kessler explains. “As soon as the cameras are gone, her angry personality, nastiness, and imperiousness become evident.”
He adds: “Hillary Clinton can make Richard Nixon look like Mahatma Gandhi.”
“Hillary was very rude to agents, and she didn’t appear to like law enforcement or the military,” former Secret Service agent Lloyd Bulman recalls. “She wouldn’t go over and meet military people or police officers, as most protectees do. She was just really rude to almost everybody. She’d act like she didn’t want you around, like you were beneath her.”
“Hillary didn’t like the military aides wearing their uniforms around the White House,” one former agent remembers. “She asked if they would wear business suits instead. The uniform’s a sign of pride, and they’re proud to wear their uniform. I know that the military was actually really offended by it.”
Former agent Jeff Crane says, “Hillary would cuss at Secret Service drivers for going over bumps.” Another former member of her detail recollects, “Hillary never talked to us . . . Most all members of first families would talk to us and smile. She never did that.”
“We spent years with her,” yet another Secret Service agent notes. “She never said thank you.”
Within the White House, Hillary had a “standing rule that no one spoke to her when she was going from one location to another,” says former FBI agent Coy Copeland. “In fact, anyone who would see her coming would just step into the first available office.”
http://nypost.com/2015/10/02/secret-service-agents-hillary-is-a-nightmare-to-work-with/
Some folk are just hypervigilant for offence….
Well Bernie is competing with Hillary for the black vote His friends in the media hyped this story up Good percentage of the black vote will go to Donald Trump however
Eh? Bernies friends in the media? I guess that’s why he’s being plastered over every single news outlet and not the other two…oh wait!
“His friends in the media” you obviously dont have a clue seeing as how mainstream American media has all but ignored Sanders campaign and has focused solely on Trump and Clinton.
Err dot?- you do realise that this particular vote is between Clinton and Saunders to see who gets the nomination to run for president? and has absolutely nothing to do with Trump?
Saunders has won the 7 of the last 8 primaries including Utah, Idaho, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii and is picking up such a head of steam that the black vote in NY is becoming more vital by the day, and that iswithout media spin for Saunders as Dylan has pointed out.
Guys, Peter and Dot are regular brain-farters around these parts, I wouldn’t castigate them for their ignorance and right-wing conspiracy theories, months of Infowars and Breitbart has got to their ickle brains.
Mother – it’s Sanders, not Saunders. S A N D E R S
Entschuldigen Sie Bitte Herr Hoffman :)
Kein problem. :-)
Pot and kettle there Richard. Now now.
This PC nonsense is really getting out of control.. I can’t even say “Black Paint” anymore…I now have to ask “Ubujo, would you kindly paint the wall ?”…….
@Paddy
When can’t you say black paint? I say it all the time. Seems you’re the only one oppressing you.
Aside from her bad joke.. what a bare face ruthless b1tch .. #FeelTheBern
LOL!
Total Embarrassment factor 10.
Reminds me of the time Mary O’Rourke remarked that er were ‘working like blacks’
She got away with it too as I’m sure Hilary also will.
Democrats would forgive Satan himself as long as he was a liberal.
It’s an African-American-tie gala….
Enda Kenny once called called someone a n*gger, your move Clinton
Someone once called enda kenny a leader..
I thought that it was de Blasio who told the “joke”.
In fairness, I tend to be a bit relaxed about time. It’s because I’m Irish, I think.
I’m deeply offended but I am looking for something specific to be offended about. It is so hard to be offended without having a good excuse for it.
Yes! Another chance to be deeply offended and outraged.
*goes to Twitter*
Nearly as Funny as the time Enda told his black joke, which had the Independant scuttling to write this “headline
FG leader storm after ‘N****** ‘ joke”
Enda must have nearly poohed himself as he was forced to answer with:
Mr Kenny bowed to mounting pressure and “unreservedly” apologised for his remark saying that he had no excuses and had “failed to exemplify my own standards and the standards of a party committed to diversity”.
Now there is a grovelling apology if i ever heard one
I’m offended on behalf of coloured people everywhere. I’m offended that they couldn’t come up with a better line. Then all the Jewish comedians must have decamped to Bernie sanders campaign and left Hilary with the really crappy writers.
Nice little bit of positive stereotyping thrown in there for no reason whatsoever
A funnier joke is the black guy who voted for Trump!
Trump has a lot of support from blacks. That’s worse than Clinton’s joke
I’m black, mixed race. Only Uncle Toms would vote for Trump.
Actually, black people who find themselves at the thin edge of the employment wedge and are having to compete with illegal immigrants for jobs may vote for Trump. Im not necessarily saying it’s a good idea but it is understandable that people (regardless of race really) are drawn to a message of more well paying working class jobs for US citizens. It seems to be a patronising assumption by the Democratic Party that black people are stupid, or race traitors, or “uncle Tom’s” unless they subscribe to Progressive Liberalism.
Why wouldn’t black people vote for trump.. ‘uncle toms’? Move on
@fiona. Uncle Toms my eye. That is unbelievable thing to say. Because what you are saying is ALL black people should think alike, act alike and vote alike and if they don’t , they’re race traitors and worse. They’re Uncle Toms, and all the history that entails of slavery and degradation. You should think is little bit out the group identity box Fiona. You might open your eyes to a real education on actual human nature and the realisation that black and white are not that different and that black and white can think on their own and not be told how.
Hang on, genuinely don’t understand this one here, they were saying cautious politicians, they didn’t say anything themselves about “Coloured People”, they just said CP and everyone assumed it was something racist, if anything that highlights more racism from the people who interpreted it that way no?
Now it is a joke.too goddam sensitive. Touchy touchy! We Irish get slagged all the time but it doesn’t bother us.get over it ok!
Annoys the Phook out of me……….
She be the Antichrist, that there hilldog.
HERE! COMES! BERNIE!
People are going to great efforts to take this out of context to find something to be offended by.
The presidential election is the punch and judy show laid out for the public every 4 years. People get to pick a different clown in the same circus. I don’t like the hilderbest but trump or bernie are no better.
This debacle really shows how soft and misguided people have become. The woman should be facing a firing squad just over Libya alone. Real scandals get damn all mention but fluff of no consequence like this get headlines.
People who are upset should go to their safe space FFS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXQkXXBqj_U
Pure Shite joke
Ah ffs, is he not smart enough to at least censor himself in public ? I’m sure he’s aware how sensitive the subject of race is…
have your say