Obama goes into the gutter with Hillary, brings up Lincoln bedroom, black sen. who said he can't win

[Herman Munster]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-02-21-clinton-obama_x.htm

The Obama campaign declined to denounce Geffen or give back any money and issued its own statement in response, criticizing Clinton.

"We aren't going to get in the middle of a disagreement between the Clintons and someone who was once one of their biggest supporters," Obama communications director Robert Gibbs said in a statement. "It is ironic that the Clintons had no problem with David Geffen when he was raising them $18 million and sleeping at their invitation in the Lincoln bedroom" in the White House.

Then Gibbs added another criticism of Clinton.

"It is also ironic that Senator Clinton lavished praise on Monday and is fully willing to accept today the support of South Carolina state Sen. Robert Ford, who said if Barack Obama were to win the nomination, he would drag down the rest of the Democratic Party because 'he's black,"' Gibbs' statement said.

[Gloria]

1. I hope they both implode.

[Dawgs]

14. I'm not happy about the comments either, but do we really need to...

attack our own?

[papau]

2. Obama's new way sounds like the GOP old way n/t

n/t

[Herman Munster]

3. very cheap shot

using right wing talking points will not make Clinton look bad...

All it does is show Obama is a phony. New politican my ass.

[me b zola]

16. Please show me the quote where Obama is using rw talking points

[Herman Munster]

20. bringing up the lincoln bedroom

isn't right wing talking points?

[tammywammy]

22. I think adding that he slept in the Lincoln bedroom

at their invitation, shows just how chummy the Clinton's were with Geffen at one point. I don't think that's a RW talking point.

[me b zola]

25. Show me the quote where Obama talks about the Lincoln bedroom

******you can't because Obama never made such a remark******

What a crap-assed, crap-filled post. :grr:

If you don't like what a Hollywood fundraiser has to say, then attack him. But to attribute his statement to Obama is exactly what a rwer would do--funny how it comes from a HRC supporter. :grr:

[marmar]

31. Umm, and Hillary saying the rest of the Dems are 'soft on terror' isn't a RW talking point?

It's as if Karl Rove sent her a script.

[oasis]

37. "Hillary saying 'the rest of the Dems are soft on terror'". Is that a direct quote

or are you providing a little extra to spice it up a little?

[marmar]

42. It's paraphrased, but it's not spiced....

Hawkish Hil, kicking it up a notch.

[papau]

43. rest of the Dems" were not mentioned in her quote - besides I read it as not letting Rove

define her - not an attack on anyone.

[mod mom]

7. Um..who supported bush's war (knowing he was a liar and many were questioning

it)? WAR IS THE GOP WAY, as is supporting corporate interest over the people.

[jefferson_dem]

13. Wrong. Obama's proven he will not roll over when the Clinton machine starts a' sliming.

She started it. He finished it. Simple.

[papau]

45. She did not refer to his truthiness in his books, nor any other Obama real or

just suggested fault.

She defended herself from Rove trying to define her - just the way DUers have been saying Kerry should have done so in 04.

He managed to look common - not the fellow on the white horse - just another politician

I think Obama made a mistake in not chastising his supporter and his staff spokesperson.

[Dawgs]

4. Get over it.

Hillary is the one that looks bad here. Did you watch Hardball tonight? That campaign manager looked like an asshole.

I realize you want to attack Obama, but it ain't gonna work. Hillary is the one that looks bad here, not him.

[Colobo]

6. Yep

And tell St. Hillary to get rid of her campaign manager.

[LuckyTheDog]

48. I totally agree

When I saw this on Hillary's Web site:

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=1344

My first reaction was: For gosh sakes, grow up. How thin-skinned can she be?

[cali]

5. Seriously, how is this more "gutterlike" than Hillary's

demand that he be held accountable for what a donor to his campaign said about her, and the mischaracterization on the part of Clinton that Geffen was part of Obama's campaign?

Hillary shouldn't have sent the outgoing flak if she didn't want to get the incoming. And sadly, she comes off looking petty and whiny. Not a good combination.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

11. Honestly, they both come off looking bad

It's just a matter of which one looks worse.

Polling shows that Americans are tired of negative campaign tactics, if only politicians would listen.

[me b zola]

29. Obama didn't attack anybody

Hillary demanded that Obama return $$ that he recieved from a fundraiser because she used to be the recipient of that fundraiser's big $$.

Obama didn't say squat about HRC, the OP is making shit up.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

33. Yes, I realize the OP was exaggerating

What I mean is that the way it's being reported is not making either of them look good. Trust me, I wasn't meaning to bash Obama in any way. I was just saying that now it's a matter of who ends up looking worse in the eyes of voters.

[me b zola]

38. You do make a good point...

...but I feel that reckless/false statements like the OP has made in the body of the thread is bad for all of us.

I apologize for all the bolding/screaming. I haven't yet chosen whom I am going to support in the primaries (Feingold isn't running :(), but I was outraged to hear someone on this board make what appears to be knowingly false statements about one of our candidates.

[papau]

39. Obama refused to chastise his supporter- and the interview w/Geffen was just

after his long sit down with Obama.

It looks bad at that point - but when Obama's staff puts out the Lincoln bedroom line - and again Obama says nothing - it just stinks to high heaven.

Either he is going to run a clean campaign - or he is not and he is all talk and no action.

So far it is the latter.

[earthlover]

8. sorry

I dunno....why did hillary accept money from a racist attacker of Obama and then her campaign insists on a gag on Obama's supporters? OK...I get it .... we cannot ever ever ever ever EVER criticise Hillary...much like Bush, much like Bush, Much Like Bush....but Hillary can lambast her critics, lambast her critics, lambast her critics at will at will at will, much like Bush...and so can her supporters.

If I liked double standards, I would like Bush. Sorry, Hillary. No more Bush-like power hounds.

[Dawgs]

9. Uh, 1) Obama didn't say it, and...

2) Even if he did, why do you have a problem with it? Do you disagree with it?

I notice you didn't add the comments made by the Clinton campaign. I guess it wasn't convenient for you.

[papau]

41. What wasa the comment made by the Clinton campaign that you're refering to? n/t

n/t

[benddem]

10. this is disgusting

and why the campaigns starting this early is going to have me pulling out my hair. I hate this.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

12. Step right up! The election campaign circus is starting with the usual display of dignity.

Same shit every 4 years.

"Now, the man on the stand he wants my vote,
He's a-runnin' for office on the ballot note.
He's out there preachin' in front of the steeple,
Tellin' me he loves all kinds-a people.
(He's eatin' bagels
He's eatin' pizza
He's eatin' chitlins
He's eatin' bullshit!)"

Bob Dylan

[sandnsea]

15. "going into the gutter" right wing talking point

Already heard Republican consulants using this on Tweety's show. It's bullshit, but what a great way for the right to dirty up someone who hasn't been touched yet. I hope we don't help Hillary ruin our entire field.

[Colobo]

17. Hannity had a field day today

I heard a bit of his show... he was elated.

[jefferson_dem]

19. If that fucker was elated it was because he thought Hillary came off looking bad.

He's got a really bad case of "Ihatehillaryitis."

[me b zola]

24. Thank you, you echo my thoughts...

""going into the gutter" right wing talking point"

Yep, I'm worried that HRC's campaign will be much like Sherman's march into the south.

[ecstatic]

18. Well at least they aren't just staying silent like Kerry did when he was swiftboated nt

[MethuenProgressive]

21. The Righties are really enjoying all this. Happy now?

The Democratic swiftboat is going full speed ahead...

[Bucky]

27. This isn't quite swiftboating. It's just two inevitable nominees doing the inevitable

If you watch the Discovery Channel you'll see the hooting and braying of alpha herd leaders trying to spook each other into submission all the time. This is just noise. By next week, it'll be something else.

Yawning in Texas.

[Guaranteed]

23. Al Gore 2008. nt

[dogindia]

30. yes, Gore 08. There is no one else.

And this little fight today shows how fragile these folks are. Fragile and not so smart.

[mod mom]

36. re-elect AL GORE '08!

[Hidden Stillness]

26. I Think Obama has Handled This Situation Well

I have actually been impressed with Barack Obama lately, after I had considered Obama a kind of an intellectual lightweight before (from C-SPAN Senate floor speeches, and Committee hearings and questioning). The Presidential announcement speech in Illinois, with its grand cultural sweep and historical references, was wonderful and exhilerating, and the recent great response to the attack from the Australian Prime Minister was smart and timely. The main issue with this overblown flap here, seems to be that Hillary and the Clintons generally are losing the big-money fundraising, and glamor, of the Hollywood Democrats, who have largely moved to Obama.

The Hillary Clinton campaign immediately moved to attack mode after the Geffen quote, which has been buried just so the corporate media can pit two Democrats against each other. It was a criticism of Bill Clinton. Instantly, the Clinton campaign called the remarks "vicious," (rather overstated), and demanded that Obama fire Geffen and return the money! Very weird. At the Democratic Candidates Forum today, Hillary Clinton accused Obama of practicing "the politics of personal destruction," a bizarrely overstated and Republican-like ready-made slur.

Hillary Clinton is way too corporate for me--please do not forget that her "health care plan" when with the Clinton Administration was to move everybody from traditional coverage to HMOs--and I am wary of her. I have been impressed with Obama but still have to get more information.

[mod mom]

28. Look, Mr Munster, with all due respect,

Do we really need a president that is this divisive? This is a Democratic board and she gets these comments. Go check out a board that allows both sides to post. There is no (legitimate-as we learned from *) way that a candidate who riles the left and right in such a way can ever win. My 2 cents, of course, but really...what do you see in her?

[kurth]

32. They both ought to declare a truce and shut up

[Zhade]

47. I fail to see why Obama has any reason to shut up.

He's not my guy, but he did nothing wrong here.

[mnhtnbb]

34. If they keep this up, Edwards will be laughing all the way to the White House

[oasis]

40. In 2004, Kerry was the beneficiary of Dean and Gephardt's dustup. (eom)

[mnhtnbb]

44. After Gore endorsed Dean, Kerry, Edwards, Gephardt were all taking pot-shots at him

[spanone]

35. Yea, I hate this shit going on when we're trying to fight bushco at the same time.

[Zhade]

46. Geffen didn't insult her. So much for "I can take what they dish out".

She's weak.