Sister Souljah moment
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In United States politics, a Sister Souljah moment is a politician's public repudiation of an allegedly extremist person, statement, or position perceived to have some association with the politician. Whether sincere or not, such an act of repudiation can appeal to centrist voters, at the cost of alienating some of the politician's allies.
The term originates in the 1992 presidential candidacy of Bill Clinton. In an interview conducted May 13, 1992, the rapper Sister Souljah was quoted in the Washington Post as saying:
- "If black people kill black people every day, why not have a week and kill white people?"
The remark was part of a longer response to the 1992 Los Angeles riots. The quote was later reproduced without its context and widely criticized in the media (see echo chamber).
In June 1992, Clinton responded to the quote, saying:
- "If you took the words 'white' and 'black' and you reversed them, you might think David Duke was giving that speech."
Clinton thereby repudiated the "extremist" position that Souljah's quote represented.
Clinton's response was criticized by members and leaders of the Democratic Party's African-American base, such as Jesse Jackson. However, it also produced the image, in the eyes of "moderate" and "independent" voters --- particularly white voters --- of a centrist politician who was "tough on crime" and "not influenced by special interests." Since moderates and independents represent swing votes, whereas the party base will not usually leave for the other party, Clinton's condemnation probably won him more votes than he lost.
Clinton's Sister Souljah moment, whether born of political calculation or not, was consonant with his larger strategy to move the Democratic Party to a more centrist stance on many issues. Other elements of this centrist strategy included an embrace of Third Way economic policy and close relations with the Democratic Leadership Council. Clinton went on to win the presidency, and the term "Sister Souljah moment" subsequently entered the political lexicon.
External links
- Transcript of Sister Souljah's interview (http://www.linguistlist.org/issues/3/3-512.html)