Clinton Defends Taking Money From Oil Execs: "They're Americans" Too

By: Fernando Suarez
Topics: Hillary Clinton

(CBS)

From CBS News' Fernando Suarez:

BETHLEHEM, PA. -- During a campaign rally here today, Hillary Clinton defended taking money from people who work at oil companies saying "they're Americans" and adding that she's not alone in taking those contributions.

"There has been a lot of back and forth about oil companies in this campaign, and I've got to admit that when I first saw that ad that my opponent ran saying that he didn't take money from oil companies, I thought nobody takes money from oil companies. It's been illegal for a hundred years," Clinton said, pointing out that federal candidates aren't allowed to take corporate donations.

"Well the fact is he didn't take money from oil companies, but you can, and we do, take money from people who work for oil companies, they're Americans, they can contribute, so we both do that," Clinton admitted.

Clinton has been under fire by her opponent in this campaign as being too closely linked to special interest groups and he has attacked Clinton for taking money from lobbyists. But it took Clinton no time at all to fire back at Obama over some television advertisements that she claims misrepresent her health care plan.

"This is one of the big differences in this campaign between my opponent and me and he has consistently, and he is doing it again in Pennsylvania, he sent out mailers, he's running ads misrepresenting what I have proposed. We have called him on it, editorials said it was misleading but he persisted and I really regret that because the last thing we need is have someone who is spending as much money as he has to downgrade universal health care."

Clinton also told the crowd the decision facing voters is "really a choice of leadership." Clinton accused her opponent of going negative because of his performance in last week's debate. "You know, this week we had a debate and it showed you the choice you have. And it's no wonder that my opponent has been so negative these last few days in the campaign. Because I think you saw a big difference between us."

"We're getting to the decision day. Tuesday is the day that each and every one of you gets to decide who you want to be your next president," added Clinton, "You know where I stand, you know what I've done and you know what I'm gonna do."

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by mrtutto April 21, 2008 2:58 PM EDT: Everyone remembers when she said that John McCain could beat Obama in the general election. Now if that is not a glaring endorsement for the Republican candidate ..... what is ? People remember this and see it as another nail in her coffin.... she is so quick to respond that she must suffer from dementia, because she can''t remember what she said. To be a really good liar you have to remember everything that you say.... Hillary is not a good liar, she is just a compulsive liar.; Reply to this comment


by jjoseph1945 April 21, 2008 11:11 AM EDT: Interesting.
Obama attacks Clinton, using the tired "kitchen sink" metaphor from February, and it is Clinton''s fault.
Obama does badly in the "debate" in Philly, and it is Clinton''s fault.
Obama takes money from oil executives and runs a misleading ad, and it is Clinton''s fault.
Obama claims that Clinton gets her money from lobbyists and PACs, but he provides no names and does not note that PACs have contributed less than 1 percent to her campaign, but he gets a pass.
More than two-fifths of Obama''s cash comes from people able to give $1,000 or more, and nobody notices.
Obama has not proposed universal health care, nor has he discussed how to control premiums and costs, but he will necessarily have to penalize parents who do not insure children, and he gets away with criticizing Clinton, who proposes universal care, with a cap on premiums, and control of how health-care dollars are spent.
Obama cannot possibly win enough pledged delegates to get the nomination without sweeping the remaining contests, and the pundits only note that Clinton cannot win enough pledged delegates to do so (assuming, of course, that Florida and Michigan are not seated proportionally).
In short, Obama can say anything he wants, make any gesture he wants, and that is fine; Clinton defends herself and she is. . .attacking poor Obama, just like Stephanopoulos and Gibson.
Fascinating.; Reply to this comment


by chrisrnps April 21, 2008 6:30 AM EDT: %u201CYou know where I stand, you know what I%u2019ve done and you know what I%u2019m gonna do.%u201D

Actually, Ms. Clinton, after what you said about a nuclear "umbrella" in the Middle East and southwest Eurasia in the debate, we should all be terrified of "what you''re gonna do". Even your own military advisor, former NATO commander General Clark, seemed startled and caught off guard by that one in subsequent television appearances and interviews, and for good reason - it sounds like you''ve been a little to close with the Neocons, the world domination driven fundamentalist ''crusade'' for global power of Douglas Coe and "The Family", and Reagan / Dr. Strangelove thinking of decades past that doesn''t seem to have realized that the cold war is over, and that we can''t afford hawkish, Project for a New American Century inspired rhetoric and threats that suggest a newly escalated nuclear arms race that threatens the world once more with an "umbrella" of nuclear attacks.
For somebody running as a Democrat, Mrs. Clinton sounds dangerously like the kind of Project for a New American Century "Pax Americana" Neocon who would bring the world dangerously close to perpetual war, when she makes such suggestions as she did in ABC''s farce of a debate last week.; Reply to this comment


by chrisrnps April 21, 2008 6:30 AM EDT: %u201CYou know where I stand, you know what I%u2019ve done and you know what I%u2019m gonna do.%u201D

Actually, Ms. Clinton, after what you said about a nuclear "umbrella" in the Middle East and southwest Eurasia in the debate, we should all be terrified of "what you''re gonna do". Even your own military advisor, former NATO commander General Clark, seemed startled and caught off guard by that one in subsequent television appearances and interviews, and for good reason - it sounds like you''ve been a little to close with the Neocons, the world domination driven fundamentalist ''crusade'' for global power of Douglas Coe and "The Family", and Reagan / Dr. Strangelove thinking of decades past that doesn''t seem to have realized that the cold war is over, and that we can''t afford hawkish, Project for a New American Century inspired rhetoric and threats that suggest a newly escalated nuclear arms race that threatens the world once more with an "umbrella" of nuclear attacks.
For somebody running as a Democrat, Mrs. Clinton sounds dangerously like the kind of Project for a New American Century "Pax Americana" Neocon who would bring the world dangerously close to perpetual war, when she makes such suggestions as she did in ABC''s farce of a debate last week.; Reply to this comment


by obbcbs April 21, 2008 3:19 AM EDT: She takes money from oil companies.
Why? She doesnt get any from people.
She is never going to change the way things are. She is in the pocket. Mileage standards for cars at 30 mpg in 2012. That''s really tough. Thanks Bush. Now HRC too.

A vote for HRC in Penn is a vote to keep everything just the way it has been for the past 20 years. Enough. Let''s dump the past and try a few changes. 3rd term for Billary is one too many.; Reply to this comment


by truth-hurts April 21, 2008 2:18 AM EDT: Obama has taken a lot of oil money.; Reply to this comment


by hopeful08 April 21, 2008 1:46 AM EDT: Another example of Obama''s patriotism. You decide...

1. August 2007 debate: Obama makes vocal case for striking terrorists inside Pakistan
"Let me make this clear: There are terrorists holed up in those mountains, that murdered 3,000 Americans," said Obama during the counterterrorism address. "If we have actionable intelligence about high-valued terrorist targets and if President Musharraf will not act, we will."
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3458915

2. McCain, Hillary, Dodd, Biden all critisize him saying we should not be working against Musharraf our only advocate in the region

3. December 2007: Bhutto assassinated by terrorists

4. The Washington Post reported that in late January, a CIA aircraft fired on several buildings in the Pakistani town of Mir Ali, killing a senior al-Qaida commander and several others. The paper, quoting anonymous U.S. officials, said that the action was done without seeking approval from the Pakistani government.

5. Mid February ''08, Musharraf voted out of power; US has spent $11B trying to prop. up Musharraf

6. Late February, Senator Dodd endorsed Obama

Obama''s 2002 NO-HOLDS-BARRED Iraq speech took real courage. It risked his run-for-the-Senate WHILE the wise-men/women of Congress took comfort in voting as group to support the Iraq war resolution.
http://www.digg.com/politics/Full_text_of_Barack_Obama_s_2002_Speech_Against_the_Iraq_War; Reply to this comment


by hopeful08 April 21, 2008 1:44 AM EDT: The American Freedom Pledge --
"We are Americans, and in our America we do not torture, we do not imprison people without charge or legal remedy, we do not tap people''s phones and emails without a court order, and above all we do not give any President unchecked power. I pledge to fight to protect and defend the Constitution from attack by any President."
Barrack signed it, Hillary did not.
http://www.americanfreedomcampaign.org/

"Of all the leading candidates, he [Obama] is the only one on these issues who has consistently acted like a true American" says Naomi Wolf, the author of The End of America and the co-founder of the American Freedom Campaign.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/naomi-wolf/why-barack-obama-got-my-v_b_89017.html

Barack Obama has a consistent record of condemning torture. No exceptions. Hillary Clinton, at one time, reserved the right to torture (although she has since changed position):

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0907/6050.html; Reply to this comment


by jonswift2 April 20, 2008 10:45 PM EDT: As an Obama supporter it is hard to say but Hillary is quite right in saying that what they are facing is %u201Creally a choice of leadership.%u201D That is exactly the point. It''s not about speeches, proposals, promises or so-called solutions. It''s about who do you trust to actually lead us to universal health care, out of Iraq, and forward to a sustainable Green Economy. For example, the health care plans of both candidates are quite similar. The differences on people uncovered or mandates are really a distraction. The maximum amount that each family or individual must pay will be set by Congress as part of the budget process. The actual costs to the family or individual will dictate whether they will risk penalties for not paying the premiums. In this case it comes down to a question of who do people trust to work with Congress, drug and insurance companies, to provide reasonable coverage at a price that doesn''t raise taxes or create a group of people who can''t or choose not to pay their premiums? Has Hillary learned her lesson from the 1990''s when she failed at healthcare reform as attempted without public discussion? Will she be a leader in fighting the special interests who have supported her political career? In your heart who do you trust to be cooperative and honest? The primary process and most opinion polls say that Hillary Clinton should one day soon complete that thought- "It is a choice of leadership, and people don''t chose me."; Reply to this comment


by speakthetrut April 20, 2008 9:44 PM EDT: No, we don''t know what you''re gonna do, but we can guess, and our guess is that you will continue to take money from lobbiyists and Oil CEOs, and continue to ship our jobs to other countries.; Reply to this comment