OBAMA ATTACKS: Uses Republican "Trial Lawyer" Talking Points against John Edwards

[DemKR]

Everyone knows I support Hillary, but admire John Edwards and feel he is also being treated unfairly by Barack Obama's steady drip of attacks.


Obama's latest? He played the trial lawyer card.

Quoted from the Washington Post:

"I n one of his standard riffs, Obama asserts that his career choices -- community organizer, civil rights lawyer, elected official -- underscores his commitment to public service and to bringing about political and social change. He always mentions the lucrative job offers he turned down, but today he added a new line.

"That's why I didn't become a trial lawyer," Obama told the Newton audience -- a clear dig at Edwards

The politics of hope was 2004. This is an act of desperation.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2007/12/30/obamas_middle_class_appeal_1.html?hpid=news-col-blog

[ellacott]

1. So this is an attack?

Wow.

[skipos]

16. DemKR: making me hate Hillary Clinton more and more every day. nt

[ellacott]

20. I understand, things are getting ridiculous around here n/t

[indimuse]

27. why Hillary??

she didn't post this...just asking.:silly:

[annie1]

54. use the ignore button! : ). Don't hate on hil, she's a good lady..

[annie1]

55. that being said, ...

as someone who very much loves edwards, and hates when people use his being a trial lawyer against him, i'm not keen that obama did that.

[Colobo]

2. DemKR Attacks: Keeps posting negative stuff about Obama!

[DemKR]

4. The SOLE problem I have with Obama is

that he pretends he is "above" *that* kind of politics-and seems full of himself. He turns around and attacks people furiously at the same time, and the "I want republicans to win" media will do anything to nominate him.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

10. What's Ironic

What's ironic is if he wins he will win by practicing the very politics he deplores...

[DemKR]

13. exactamundo

[DemocratSinceBirth]

17. Very Cynical Campaign

See Matthew 18:6

[indimuse]

32. I agree completely..

Obama is unelectable in 2008...HE KNOWS IT!!! It's almost like a game with him...I do not get depth and honesty from him...i get hype and different...meaning a man of color who is 46 years old. A BRAND! Excuse me....I want dedication and sacrifice from my candidate! Nobody at this point (running) has more qualifications than Hillary...A pillar of strength and endurance.She brings a whole hell of a lot more fight and respect to the table than Obama...IF OBAMA LOSES THE NOMINATION HE WILL NOT RUN AGAIN....WHINEY LIL' WIMP!! THAT IS NOT A PRESIDENTIAL FIGHTER...:rant:

[DemocratSinceBirth]

42. That's Harsh

Barack Obama represented something that was good and pure and noble but he lost his way...You can't criticize your opponents for being a politicians when you're a politician yourself...

[babylonsister]

3. If you're going to act like such a total ass, at least put a link on

whatever you post. Your opinion isn't worth my time.

Edit to add, nevermind. The ignore button works with you. Bye now.

[DemKR]

6. since you asked so nicely

I'll put the link up immediately. I forgot to when I made the post.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

5. A Good Trial Lawyer Is

A good trial lawyer is the only thing that stands between a poor plaintiff and defeat at the hands of monied interests...

[DemKR]

9. right on.

[K Gardner]

7. YAWN... don't feed it.

[sniffa]

8. yummo

[TwilightGardener]

11. Since I don't much care for trial lawyers--rock on, Obama!

[DemKR]

12. go trash trial lawyers with rove n/t

[gaiilonfong]

18. Rove works for Hillary ITS name is Wolfson

Mark penn is ITS side-kick loser!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

28. What Did We Do At DU Until A Brilliant Wit Like You Showed Up?

~

[gaiilonfong]

35. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Someone who is going to vote for Hillary calling me out.
Get on your iron suit she'll be throwing you under the bus once and IF she wins Iowa!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

37. If She Throws Me Under The Bus I Know A Great Trial Lawyer

~

[gaiilonfong]

40. Knock yourself out as our country is further destroyed

By Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton.
You should be proud !

[slick8790]

25. Easy to trash them until you need one. n/t

[TwilightGardener]

30. LOL! I did need one, to defend me, but couldn't afford it (for very long).

Spent three years defending myself in civil court, because the plaintiff was a millionaire. I ended up losing, of course, but I'm proud that I didn't settle, and I'm glad that I didn't give my money away to lawyers--the palintiff's lawyers were weaselly, dishonest, underhanded bastards, and my view of lawyers and the civil legal system is forever tarnished.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

26. Tell That To The Parents Of The Child Who Had Her Intestines Sucked Out By A Faulty Pool Cleaner

The case involved a three-year-old girl<13> who was disemboweled by the suction power of the pool drain pump when she sat on an open pool drain whose protective cover other children at the pool had removed, after the swim club had failed to install the cover properly. Despite 12 prior suits with similar claims, Sta-Rite continued to make and sell drain covers lacking warnings. Sta-Rite protested that an additional warning would have made no difference because the pool owners already knew the importance of keeping the cover secured.

In his closing arguments, Edwards spoke to the jury for an hour and a half and referenced his son, Wade, who had been killed shortly before testimony began. Mark Dayton, editor of North Carolina Lawyers Weekly, would later call it "the most impressive legal performance I have ever seen."<14> The jury awarded the family $25 million, the largest personal injury award in North Carolina history. The company settled for the $25 million while the jury was deliberating additional punitive damages, rather than risk losing an appeal. For their part in this case, Edwards and law partner David Kirby earned the Association of Trial Lawyers of America's national award for public service.<12> The family said that they hired Edwards over other attorneys because he alone had offered to accept a smaller percentage as fee unless the award was unexpectedly high, while all of the other lawyers they spoke with said they required the full one-third fee. The size of the jury award was unprecedented, and Edwards did receive the standard one-third plus expenses fee typical of contingency cases. The family was so impressed with his intelligence and commitment<11> that they volunteered for his Senate campaign the next year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Edwards

[TwilightGardener]

31. Sorry, I don't care.

edit to add--not that I don't care about the little girl or the case, but I don't care in the sense that lawyers will never be heroes to me.

[annie1]

56. well it's not a very good idea of him to feed into rw talking points...

edwards is a good man who i believe cares about helping people. and what good is it to diminish him in the same ways that repubs have?

[niceypoo]

14. Hmmmmm, and I thought only Obama supporters relied on RW talking points

[DemKR]

15. What RW talking point am I using?

[bunkerbuster1]

19. How DARE he!

Why, surely no other primary candidate has ever taken an easy shot at another primary candidate before!




Jeez, people.

[DemKR]

21. its an act of desperation n/t

[Windy]

22. You do realize that as a graduate of Harvard Law and the president of the law review

he could have picked his firm and commanded a lofty salary...

He chose a different route and that speaks highly of his character in that he chose public service. It has absolutely nothing to do with chosing to be a "trial lawyer" or not...

[annie1]

57. then maybe he should make that point and that point alone and...

leave out what other people chose to do.

[Stop Cornyn]

23. I wish Obama understood that you can't be the "candidate of hope" and the candidate who attacks.

Hillary can get away with being an attack artist because she running as "tough" and attacking isn't inconsistent, but Obama's undercuts the value of his brand identity every time he attacks (for people who have never worked on product focus groups, that's a very bad thing).

[DemocratSinceBirth]

24. See Post Ten And See My New Tag Line

The Clintons' never presented themselves as paragons of virtue and their supporters never made that claim... We realize they are flawed like the rest of us...

[DemKR]

36. obama HAS. and thats waht pissed me off about him

[DemocratSinceBirth]

41. Not Pissed , Disappointed

~

[DemKR]

33. bingo

[The River]

29. Those Who Can Do

Those who can't teach.

[DemKR]

34. :)

[ShaneGR]

38. Eh, Obama is just another politicians...

This is what politicians do when they're losing, they go on the attack.

[Tejanocrat]

39. The REPUBLICAN PARTY unsuccessfully tried this same tactic in 2006 against Iowa Rep. Bruce Braley:

Most interesting excerpts from the post-campaign study of that election fight:

During his recent campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives in Iowa's First Congressional District, AAJ member Bruce Braley frequently found himself vilified as a "trial lawyer's trial lawyer" by the National Republican Congressional Committee and the corporate special-interest groups that spent heavily on advertising against him.

Today, however, they have to refer to Braley, the former president of the Iowa Trial Lawyers Association, by a completely different title: congressman.

Proponents of civil justice restrictions in Iowa and across the nation thought they had a magic formula to help them defeat Braley and other supporters of the civil justice system last November: Just shout "trial lawyer" from the rooftops, blame attorneys for everything from high medical costs to economic angst, and watch the votes come rolling in.

But they were in for a surprise. The voters of eastern Iowa elected Braley over Republican Jack Whalen by a 12-point margin, making him the first Democrat to hold the seat in 30 years....

Postelection polling

...

The poll showed that 84 percent of voters in Iowa's First Congressional District knew about Braley's work as a trial lawyer--a high level of recognition. Of those who said they knew the most about his profession, Braley received the support of 56 percent to Whalen's 42 percent. These respondents "were more likely than other voters to say they felt strongly that he was the best choice in the race," Garin reported.

The reason these voters were so thoroughly schooled in Braley's background undoubtedly was that Whalen spent significant resources and countless hours telling them about it. On broadcast television alone, Whalen and his supporters spent close to $700,000 on ads with titles like "Greedy Trial Lawyer" and "Can Sue, Can Do" to attack Braley's status as a trial lawyer... The poll showed that the majority of voters supported Braley over his opponent on issues that usually form the basis for attacks against trial attorneys and pro-justice candidates, such as the false allegation that soaring health care costs are attributable to "frivolous" lawsuits. ... In the 2006 elections, in the country's top 100 media markets, proponents of civil justice restrictions--the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Medical Association, and others--spent almost $11 million to attack trial lawyers running for office and other candidates who support justice. But proponents of justice overwhelmingly prevailed on Election Day.

While there were other issues at the top of voters' minds in 2006, 14 of the 18 trial lawyers who ran won, while 248 of the 306 pro-justice candidates supported by AAJ prevailed. The other side tried to convince candidates that they would lose if they supported the right of every person to hold a wrongdoer accountable. But our efforts and the success of pro-civil-justice candidates helped debunk that myth....

Not only is Obama using a right-wing talking point, but he's using a right-wing talking point that has been proven INEFFECTIVE IN IOWA!

[Stop Cornyn]

43. Excellent point!

[DemKR]

44. U go! n/t

[DemocratSinceBirth]

46. They Also Used It On Edwards In 98 To No Avail

~

[ShadesOfGrey]

47. They unsuccessfully tried in on Edwards senate run too...

backfired bigtime when the cases he fought were brought to the forefront.

[Tejanocrat]

49. Among the three Obama supporters I know, one is a trial lawyer. I'm sending him a link to this

discussion because I know he cannot stand when Republicans repeat the talking points that Obama is so comfortable with.

I suspect that this will cost Obama at least one supporter.

[Czolgosz]

53. excellent

[Bluebear]

45. Translation: Obama is hinting that John Edwards a shyster

"Trial lawyer". Lovely right wing term full of contempt for anybody who would assist a victim in seeking recompense from a corporation.

[LostinVA]

48. Exactly -- "frivilous lawsuits"

Like a little girl having her guts sucked out by a swimming pool.

[Bluebear]

50. Happy New Year, LIV

:hi:

[LostinVA]

52. You too!

Check out the thread I just started in GDP. I'll be out until late tonight, so it should be interesting reading in the morning!

[DemKR]

51. thats a republican code word for

lawsuits that might turn out to go against their 'mainstream conservative agenda :-P :-P

[avaistheone1]

58. No wonder Obama is offended.

Only a corporatist like Obama would attack a trial lawyer defending innocent peoples' lives.
Obama is showing his true colors. Watch carefully.