Sister Souljah moment

A Sister Souljah moment is a political tactic wherein a politician publicly repudiates an allegedly extremist person, statement, or position nominally having some affiliation with the politician, in order to appeal to a large centrist voting base.

The term originates from the 1992 presidential candidacy of the Democratic politician 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 Los Angeles riots of 1992. 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 as follows:

"If you took the words 'white' and 'black' and you reversed them, you might think David Duke was giving that speech."

Clinton thereby appeared to repudiate the "extremist" position that Souljah's quote represented in the minds of centrist white voters.

The move annoyed members and leaders of the Democratic Party's African-American base, such as Jesse Jackson. However, its effect was to produce the image, in the eyes of "moderate" and "independent" 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 choice was tactically effective at the time. Clinton went on to win the presidency. The term "Sister Souljah moment" subsequently entered political jargon.

See also

• Triangulation (politics)
• Third Way (politics)

External Links

• Transcript of Sister Souljah's interview]
• ABC News transcript (dated June 17, 1992) on Clinton's "Sister Souljah moment"