Chris Bowers: Is Obama preparing oppo research on major progressive blogger(s) who criticize him?

[wyldwolf]

There has been a great deal of discussion online about the Obama campaign releasing a "Fact check" oppo document on Paul Krugman...

... It is certainly disturbing that Obama is attacking a leading progressive voice in a media system where progressive opinion journalists are few are far between. What is even more disturbing is that this is not the first time the Obama campaign has considered doing this. Back during the Donnie McClurkin fiasco, it has been confirmed to me from multiple sources that the Obama campaign was preparing opposition research papers of this sort against some one of the progressive bloggers who were speaking ill of him at the time (Update: I have edited the previous sentence for the sake of clarity and accuracy. I know two separate things, and conflating them is a bit of speculation on my part. First, I know that about a year ago, someone was conducting oppo research on most major progressive bloggers, but I don't know who. After I heard about oppo being prepared against one blogger a couple months ago, I speculated that meant the earlier oppo was conducted by the Obama campaign as well. That is purely speculation on my part. Take it for what it is worth). When I heard about that, Obama temporarily dropped to last place in my personal choices on Democratic candidates. This is a campaign that appears willing to go negative against a wide range of progressive media figures should those figures step out of line and criticize Obama campaign decisions. Given that, I became personally worried that an Obama nomination would, at some point in the future, result in a public smear campaign, possibly directed by the a new White House communications department, against me and / or many of my friends and colleagues. As Jerome Armstrong wrote on Friday:

Actually, it's worse. Couple it with the quote of Obama's above the PR that says: "I want to campaign the same way I govern, which is to respond directly and forcefully with the truth -Barack Obama". It is plainly and simply an effort to call Paul Krugman a liar.

But it's also a telling quote of the way that Obama would govern as President-- by attacking those who are most outspoken in the being progressive.

That sounds about right. During an Obama presidency, progressive media figures could face regular attacks from a Democratic White House. It is a fear that I still hold, and which keeps me from getting excited about Obama's improving position in the campaign.

It isn't just about attacking progressive media figures, either. In my experience, Obama's blogosphere outreach has been far, far worse than that from the Clinton, Dodd, Edwards, and Richardson campaigns, which have all been excellent in this area. Even the Biden campaign has been slightly better in this area. Overall, the willingness to attack progressive media figures, the poor blogosphere outreach, the willingness to triangulate against left-wing strawmen, and incessant, beltway-pundit friendly talk about the need to "fix" Social Security, combine to paint a pretty stark picture of the Obama campaign's relationship with progressive media and new progressive institutions. That is to say, he doesn't like those new institutions, and is instead making friends with the more established media infrastructure.

Obama actually seems to be doing a good job in this area, as he receives significantly more positive media than any other Presidential candidate. Certainly, showing a distaste for the dirty hippies and real concern over the need to "fix" Social Security can make you a lot of friends among media figures who have the ability to sway public opinion. Obama's improvement in the polls over the past six or seven weeks must be strongly connected to the media favoring him, for some reason, about all other presidential candidates, Democratic or Republican.

http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2708

[DemocratSinceBirth]

1. Blashphemy

~

[aquart]

2. Nonsense. Rock stars are not touchy about criticism.

They have all the experience necessary to handle it just right.

[Progress And Change]

3. he is a charismatic lieberman and it is no fluke that the media is pushing him

[Clintonista2]

4. Bingo. Lieberman was his mentor in the senate

Birds of a feather...

[Botany]

5. Let me help you ....

....

now you have a straw man to attack

[wyldwolf]

6. Obama is a scarecrow?

[bunnies]

7. I dont understand why I should care about this.

He might be thinking about addressing criticisms of him? Oh the HORROR! :shrug:

[BeyondGeography]

8. Debunking here

http://tpmelectioncentral.com/2007/12/obama_campaign_denies_collecting_oppo_research_on_progressive_bloggers.php

[wyldwolf]

9. Obama denying it = debunking? LOL! Pass the kool-aid!

[BeyondGeography]

11. Nice thread while it lasted

[wyldwolf]

12. perhaps you should learn the definition of "debunking."

[BeyondGeography]

15. Back to pushing national polls and the Feb. 5 scenario, I guess

[wyldwolf]

18. still don't know the definition and proper usage of "debunking?"

[BeyondGeography]

19. ...

:cry:

[wyldwolf]

21. don't cry about it! There's dictionary.com. Look the word up.

[Progress And Change]

14. you haven't accepted obama as your lord and savior yet?

I "Hope"© you see the light soon.

[BeyondGeography]

17. I know, you haven't been the same since D-Punjab

[Progress And Change]

20. huh?

Is Punjab where the Garden of Eden was in Obamanity?

[maddiejoan]

35. Thou shalt not bear any witness

against the Lord Obama.

as it says in Oprah 3:23

--and Obama did spread his hands across the troubled land; and he did unite both blue and red; and he did touch all our souls; and he, being the one, did comfort the people.

[rinsd]

27. They whipped that Krugman response up pretty damn quick.

[Progress And Change]

28. didn't you know the lord works in mysterious ways?

[BeyondGeography]

31. That was a cut-and-paste job of his past and present writings...not "oppo"

It is, however, exciting for these wonks and bloggers to think they could be at the heart of something as important as "oppo" though...

[proudmoddemo]

10. And Hillary Wouldn't Do The Same Thing?

And call it the "vast netroots conspiracy," or something?

The reality is that this signifies that some bloggers are entering the mainstream. Their views are widely read, and therefore when some take an unfavorable stance towards a candidate or office holder, people will feel the need to discredit that person--the way politicians routinely discredit columnists that they don't like.

I don't really care. I don't think anybody really cares. I think this is really just an indication that there's too much money in politics and that the campaigns are way too bloated with their hundreds of millions of dollars, and that some campaign bureaucrats in the oppo research center really have nothing better to do. This is so inside politics. Nobody cares about that. Only the columnists effected (which always defend themselves and attack back to keep the story going and keep attention on their column, which sells papers/drives hits) and the political staffers engage in this.

I don't care. Tell me again, when would Hillary remove the last soldier from Iraq? Would it really be during her presidency if she only managed to win a single term?

[wyldwolf]

13. has she?

[Progress And Change]

16. no, despite numerous attacks on her from progressives

[maximusveritas]

22. Yes, according to some reliable sources I talked to; she has

But I have no actual evidence, so it's just a secondhand rumor that I wouldn't consider writing a story about. I don't hate Hillary that much.

[wyldwolf]

23. so which one has she attacked that sets the pattern?

[maximusveritas]

24. Robert Reich

He's no Krugman, but he also launched an unfair attack on Clinton on his blog, so she responded. And I'd expect her to.

[wyldwolf]

25. when?

[maximusveritas]

29. Recently. Hillary's economic adviser wrote a response

to Reich's blog piece.

[wyldwolf]

30. so?

:shrug:

I don't see how you're equating the two.

Reich wrote a deeply personal and factually challenged piece. Sperling, without attacking and getting personal, corrected the record.

[proudmoddemo]

32. I agree so-so what?

About both. This is stupid nobody cares about this. Just like nobody cares what Obama was doing in kindergarten. This is what campaigns do to try to influence coverage. And you're telling me that when somebody writes an influential column that Hillary's people don't like that her press secretary isn't on the phone arguing with the column's author? Please. This has been going on for ages. It's part of the process. The only real thing of note here is that a few bloggers have entered the mainstream, and are felt to be read enough to be worthy of a response, which is not the way it was in 2004. Hillary responded to Robert Reich's blog; Obama may or my not respond to myDD. He'd be wise not to. But if he does, nobody will actually care.

[maximusveritas]

34. No difference there

Krugman's was also personal, accusing Obama of not being serious about health care and spouting Republican talking points. Reich's was no different.
And the Obama campaign's response don't get personal either. They pointed out a possible discrepency in Krugman's attacks. Same as Sperling.

[Jim Sagle]

38. I don't think she has.

And she's taken a LOT of heat (some of it deserved, some of it not).

It's why she's my second choice.

She's still too corporate-friendly, but she's definitely a Democrat. Obama's not.

[SaveElmer]

26. Given his willingness to use right wing sources to attack Hillary with...

It is unsurprising that he would be willing to try and dig up dirt on progressive ones for the same purpose...

[Rock_Garden]

33. K&R!

[Tellurian]

37. Yes, Obama ,"The Lamb will lay down with George the Lion!"

[Cameron27]

36. I'm getting worried,

I really am. He talks about hope and change, but I'm beginning to think he may be the most staid and centrist candidate running. From snubbing the gay community with Donnie McClurkin, to his habitual framing of secular issues in religious terms, his rhetoric on SS, attacking Clinton for her vote on Kyl-Lieberman when he sponsored almost an identical piece of legislation in March, and the worst IMO, attacking Paul Krugman, I don't see someone who trends towards the left.

[Maven]

39. Just BELIEEEEEVE in him, and he will heal you

K/R

[ClarkUSA]

40. What does pro-Clinton Bowers have to say re: the madrassa emails sent by Clinton regional directors?

*crickets*

[jefferson_dem]

41. Bowers is a paranoid Hillary tool, with serious delusions of grandeur.

Pfft.

[beachmom]

43. Bowers supports Hillary? Have a link to that? I hadn't heard of

any of the main bloggers supporting a particular candidate.

[oasis]

42. Kudos to Krugman. Blow the whistle on Obama's mountain of b.s..(eom)

[Polemicist]

44. Depends on what kind of oppo research is being done...

As to whether it's an acceptable practice within the confines of the Democratic Party. For me, opposition research is digging up personal dirt on opposition candidates, as well as researching their previous policy stands. to use at opportune times. We expect this to be done to candidates, they should know it's coming when they throw their hat in the ring. It's digging up dirt.

However, it's not acceptable to go after columnists, reporters, bloggers, party activists, and anyone who supports the overall goals of the Democratic Party. Not with personal dirt. Now if they found where a blogger had said one thing and done another, or had advocated conflicting policies, that's fine. But to expose activists to personal attacks by publicizing personal information, like divorces, illegitimate children, sexual orientation, etc, is out of bounds.

I think Bowers is talking about personal dirt when he says oppo research. I hope he's wrong. But he's usually right.