Posted by Jed Lewison on Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 11:13 AM Pacific

Will Hillary Clinton Denounce and Reject Ed Rendell?

Even though Ed Rendell has said some pretty awful things during this campaign, there's something endearingly off-message about him.

Unfortunately for Rendell, now that video of him has emerged sharing a platform with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, heaping praise upon NOI and one of Farrakhan's ministers, Hillary Clinton's complete embrace of the right-wing's political correctness orthodoxy will rule him out of consideration for the vice presidency.

Here is Rendell at Tindley Temple United Methodist Church on April 14, 1997 (part 2 is here):

Recall that in last week's debate, Clinton attacked Obama for having a pastor who knows Farrakhan. And in February, when Tim Russert asked Obama about his pastor's positive words about Farrakhan, Clinton went on the attack as well, saying:

I just think, we've got to be even stronger. We cannot let anyone in any way say these things because of the implications that they have, which can be so far reaching.

And now here we are, with her top public surrogate standing by Louis Farrakhan's side. It really doesn't even matter whether she denounces or rejects him. The point is that Hillary Clinton trapped by the unbearable political correctness of her campaign.

The bottom-line: she wants to play a game that she herself cannot win. She hasn't learned the right lesson: it's time to change the game.

Correction: When I initially posted this video, I wrote that the video showed "Rendell praising Farrakhan." The specific individual who Rendell praises is not Farrakhan but one of his NOI ministers, Minister Rodney Muhammad. That being said, the essential point is the same. All the ingredients are there for a Hillary Clinton-style guilty by association attack: video showing Rendell sharing a platform with Farrakhan, lavishing praise on NOI, and shaking Farrakhan's hand at the conclusion of his remarks (see part 2).

Will Hillary Clinton Denounce and Reject Ed Rendell?

Even though Ed Rendell has said some pretty awful things during this campaign, there's something endearingly off-message about him.

Unfortunately for Rendell, now that video of him has emerged sharing a platform with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, heaping praise upon NOI and one of Farrakhan's ministers, Hillary Clinton's complete embrace of the right-wing's political correctness orthodoxy will rule him out of consideration for the vice presidency.

Here is Rendell at Tindley Temple United Methodist Church on April 14, 1997 (part 2 is here):

Recall that in last week's debate, Clinton attacked Obama for having a pastor who knows Farrakhan. And in February, when Tim Russert asked Obama about his pastor's positive words about Farrakhan, Clinton went on the attack as well, saying:

I just think, we've got to be even stronger. We cannot let anyone in any way say these things because of the implications that they have, which can be so far reaching.

And now here we are, with her top public surrogate standing by Louis Farrakhan's side. It really doesn't even matter whether she denounces or rejects him. The point is that Hillary Clinton trapped by the unbearable political correctness of her campaign.

The bottom-line: she wants to play a game that she herself cannot win. She hasn't learned the right lesson: it's time to change the game.

Correction: When I initially posted this video, I wrote that the video showed "Rendell praising Farrakhan." The specific individual who Rendell praises is not Farrakhan but one of his NOI ministers, Minister Rodney Muhammad. That being said, the essential point is the same. All the ingredients are there for a Hillary Clinton-style guilty by association attack: video showing Rendell sharing a platform with Farrakhan, lavishing praise on NOI, and shaking Farrakhan's hand at the conclusion of his remarks (see part 2).

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