From The Road
February 23, 2008 1:04 PM

Clinton: "Shame on You, Barack Obama"

By
Fernando Suarez
Topics
Hillary Clinton
(CBS)
From CBS News' Fernando Suarez:

CINCINNATI -- Today, Hillary Clinton aggressively went after Barack Obama, criticizing him for playing similar political games to Karl Rove and at one point saying, "Shame on you, Barack Obama."

Speaking to reporters following a rally at a community college here, Clinton slammed Obama and his campaign for distributing mailings to Ohio voters attacking Clinton's universal health care plan and her position on NAFTA.

"Today in the crowd I was given two mailings that Senator Obama's campaign is sending and I have to express my deep disappointment that he is continuing to send false and discredited mailings with information that is not true to the voters of Ohio. He says one thing in speeches and then he turns around does this," Clinton said waiving the two mailings at the cameras.

"Just because Senator Obama chose not to present a universal health care plan does not give him the right to attack me because I did. So let's have a real campaign. Enough with the speeches and the big rallies and then using tactics that are right out of Karl Rove's playbook, this is wrong and every Democrat should be outraged."

"Everything in those mailers is completely accurate," Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement. "We look forward to having a debate this Tuesday on the facts, and the facts are that Senator Clinton was a supporter of NAFTA and the China permanent trade treaties until this campaign began. And she herself has said that under the Clinton health care plan, she would consider 'going after the wages' of Americans who don't purchase health insurance, whether they can afford it or not," Burton continued.

Clinton's tough tone and sharp words are a stark difference from her tone and appearance on a debate in Austin, Texas two days ago.

When asked about her new tone Clinton skirted the question going back to the mailings and attacking the Obama campaign for funding them.

"This election is about misleading, false and discredited attacks that interfere with voters being able to make an informed judgment," she said.

"I am not going to stand here and see this campaign polluted by the kind of misleading, discredited and false attacks. We deserve better than that. He's been called out on it, he has been contradicted on it, he knows better and here it is 'Paid for by the Obama for America Campaign.'"

"So, shame on you Barack Obama. It is time you ran a campaign consistent with your messages in public, that's what I expect from you. Meet me in Ohio and let's have a debate about your tactics and your behavior in this campaign."

Earlier at the rally, she slammed President Bush, saying that under his presidency "the American people got shafted."

She also suggested a parallel between Bush and her opponent Barack Obama, saying that talking "about change" doesn't necessarily translate into a successful presidency.

"You know people talk a lot about change in this election," Clinton said.

"We have lived through some of the worst change anybody could imagine over the last 7 years. Do you think people voting in 2000 knew what they were getting? I don't. People thought they were getting a compassionate conservative; and it turns out we got neither and we have lived with the consequences of those mistakes year after year after year."

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!" she added.

"Now more than ever we need a president we can count on, a president who's in it for you," said Clinton.

Clinton will hold another event in Ohio today before heading to Louisiana and Texas later this evening.

Add a Comment See all 61 Comments
by athy4 February 24, 2008 9:03 PM EST
Hillary owes it to the voters to challenge Sen. Obama when he may not be telling the truth.
See
www.cjr.org/campaign_desk/obamas_lobbyist_line.php
"Obama''s Lobbyist Line" Columbia Journalism Review 2/25/08 by Trudy Lieberman and
www.capitaleye.org/inside.asp?ID=336 "Seeking Super Delegates" By Lindsay Renick Mayer (Capital Eye Center For Responsive Politics).
Obama has misled public.How much support he is really getting from lobbyists? Also,it is Clinton who should be concerned about possible inappropriate influences by the Obama camp when it comes to Super Delegate votes. Sen Obama claims that Sen Clinton voted for the war in Iraq. She (and other members of Congress) did no such thing.When Congress approved the Authorization for the use of Military Force in Iraq Pres. Bush, VP Cheney, Colin POwell, and others in the Bush administration LIED to Congress. Congress approved what they were told was a bill to allow inspections to t ake place in Iraq for weapons of mass destruction. Sen obama thinks he can stand up better to McCain because he (Obama) opposed the war from the start? What form did your opposition take Sen Obama? The only ''early stage ''Obama opposition'' on public record is a statement you made during an anti-war rally held in Chicago. Why were you so weak in your opposition to the war when your voice needed to be heard when it mattered?
Reply to this comment
by katefranklin February 24, 2008 5:37 PM EST
%u201CNow more than ever we need a president we can count on, a president who%u2019s in it for you.%u201D Hillary, try invoking the word "we" a little more, and "I" a little less, if you want to convince us that you''re the candidate of the folks. It is no secret that Hillary''s entire campaign is driven toward a coveted bullet point on her own pompous self-important resume.
Reply to this comment
by darrren12000 February 24, 2008 10:26 AM EST
it would have helped if instead of just pointing out her tone - you actually took the time to show that the malings have been discredited. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g-qGLDs-gAnZiUXD2NU51ry3j3dwD8V0KN6O0
Reply to this comment
by dittoga February 24, 2008 5:53 AM EST
Obama thinks he can do it without mandates because he''s done it before in Illinois, where he created a working, affordable health care plan in Illinois, that covers 70,000 kids and 84,000 adults, where all kids qualify for $40 per child.

Obama sponsored and passed this legislation, working with Rod R. Blagojevich(IL Gov.)

See All Kids http://www.allkids.com/

It is a model for a workable, affordable national health care.
Reply to this comment
by dittoga February 24, 2008 5:49 AM EST
Hillary says Obama can''t criticize her on her mandate? That''s unfair?

Yet she can attack his plan for not having mandates? That is fair?

Is Hillary ok? It''s sad to see her do this.

But, she''s been doing worse. In January, she attacked Obama''s purported Kindergarten essay that her campaign claims to have unearthed from Obama''s kindergarten teacher in Indonesia about why Obama wanted to be president.

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1690519,00.html
Reply to this comment
by PulSamsara February 24, 2008 5:42 AM EST
Wow... I actually voted for Hillary once.
She has become a sad figure in American politics.
Reply to this comment
by dittoga February 24, 2008 5:31 AM EST
From Hillary''s own mouth taken work for work from (note: I added the emphasis):
http://facts.hillaryhub.com/ posted on 2.23.08

"Hillary has consistently said she would consider a range of ideas to ensure everyone was covered, including automatically enrolling people who use hospitals and other government services, and working with employers to enroll uninsured employees and ***GO AFTER A SMALL PORTION OF THEIR WAGES*** to cover the cost of healthcare. This is similar to the withholding structure that many employees use for their 401(k)s."


Taken from:

http://www.ohiodailyblog.com/content/obama-mailer-slams-clinton-nafta#comment-1285
Reply to this comment
by dittoga February 24, 2008 5:29 AM EST
Bloomberg News'' "Clinton Breaks With Husband''s Legacy on Nafta Pact, China Trade" (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=atUKcP4eSEvY&refer=p...).

But the Bloomberg "Clinton Breaks With Husband''s Legacy" review insists on giving us not simply the new tactic, but also a little Hillary history. Some excerpts:

"Clinton promoted her husband''s trade agenda for years, and friends say that she''s a free-trader at heart. ''The simple fact is, nations with free-market systems do better,'' she said in a 1997 speech to the Corporate Council on Africa. ''Look around the globe: Those nations which have lowered trade barriers are prospering more than those that have not.''

And:

"Praise for Nafta"

"At the 1998 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, she praised corporations for mounting ''a very effective business effort in the U.S. on behalf of Nafta.'' She added: ''It is certainly clear that we have not by any means finished the job that has begun''."

And:

"In her interview with Bloomberg, Clinton was careful to describe Nafta as having been negotiated by the administration of President George H.W. Bush ''and then pushed through Congress in the Clinton administration'',"


Taken from:
http://www.ohiodailyblog.com/content/obama-mailer-slams-clinton-nafta#comment-1190
Reply to this comment
by wooha3 February 24, 2008 5:25 AM EST
Why does anyone pay attention to Hillary Clinton? She just keeps making attacks against Obama. Everything in the mailer is true! Unlike the mailers she has sent out in every primary state so far, with false information against him. What a witch!
Reply to this comment
by dittoga February 24, 2008 5:13 AM EST
http://www.ohiodailyblog.com/content/obama-mailer-slams-clinton-nafta#comment-1285

Health Care Withholdings
Submitted by bamazook on Sat, 02/23/2008 - 10:57pm.

You should understand your candidate''s own position before reworking it to make her sound good...

From Hillary''s own mouth taken work for work from (note: I added the emphasis):
http://facts.hillaryhub.com/ posted on 2.23.08

"Hillary has consistently said she would consider a range of ideas to ensure everyone was covered, including automatically enrolling people who use hospitals and other government services, and working with employers to enroll uninsured employees and ***GO AFTER A SMALL PORTION OF THEIR WAGES*** to cover the cost of healthcare. This is similar to the withholding structure that many employees use for their 401(k)s."


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