Clinton Goes On Offense Against Obama

Washington Post: Losing Ground In Latest Iowa Poll, Clinton Mounts Aggressive Attack

(Washingtonpost.com)  This story was written by Anne E. Kornblut.

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With a new poll showing her losing ground in the Iowa caucus race, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) mounted a new, more aggressive attack against Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on Sunday, raising direct questions about his character, challenging his integrity and forecasting a sharp debate over those subjects in the days ahead.

Clinton has hammered Obama recently over his health-care proposal, arguing that he is misleading voters because it omits millions of people and would not lower costs. But Sunday, in a dramatic shift, she made it clear that her goal is to challenge Obama not just on policy but also on one of his strongest selling points: his reputation for honesty.

"There's a big difference between our courage and our convictions, what we believe and what we're willing to fight for," Clinton told reporters here. She said voters in Iowa will have a choice "between someone who talks the talk, and somebody who's walked the walk."

Asked directly whether she intended to raise questions about Obama's character, she replied: "It's beginning to look a lot like that."

The Obama campaign quickly fought back, and the candidate himself called the new effort a sign of desperation. A new Des Moines Register poll released Sunday finds Clinton three points behind Obama, within the poll's margin of error, among likely Democratic caucusgoers.

"I think that folks from some of the other campaigns are reading the polls and starting to get stressed and issuing a whole range of outlandish accusations," Obama said. His advisers -- and some of hers -- believe that if Clinton loses the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3, her status as the front-runner nationally will evaporate.

On the Republican side, the Register's poll showed a continuing surge for former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who described his campaign as "on fire." Huckabee garnered the support of 29 percent of respondents, 17 points better than in the previous poll. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney pulled in 24 percent, a drop of five points.

The survey marked the first time Romney has slipped from the lead in the state since early summer. The result is a dramatic shift in the Republican contest, which had been shaping up as a nasty, two-man race between Romney and former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani.

As a consequence, Romney has begun to turn his attacks toward Huckabee as he faces the prospect of losing a state that he spent millions to win. That would be a devastating blow to Romney's strategy of minimizing his lackluster performance in national polls by pointing to his enduring strength in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Huckabee said on ABC's "This Week," "That's why there's an excitement about my campaign. It's just not about Mike Huckabee. It's about all those Americans out there who were told what they couldn't do, what they couldn't become."

The new Clinton strategy, acknowledged by her senior advisers as an intentional pivot, carriessignificant risks and could produce a potential backlash if voters perceive her as growing too negative. The Register's poll also found that Clinton was seen by Iowa voters as the most negative of the Democratic contenders.

Obama had the support of 28 percent of respondents, up six points from the last Register poll, in early October. Former senator John Edwards (N.C.) drew 23 percent. Clinton was in the middle at 25 percent, down four points from early October. The margin of error is 4.4 percentage points.

Clinton, campaigning across Iowa on Sunday, appeared to be spoiling for a fight with her chief Democratic rival in national polls -- even at one point describing the battle as "fun."

"I have said for months that I would much rather be attacking Republicans, and attacking the problems of our country, because ultimately that's what I want to do as president. But I have been, for months, on the receiving end of rather consistent attacks. Well, now the fun part starts. We're into the last month, and we're going to start drawing the contrasts," she said.

That drew a swift rebuke from Obama. "This presidential campaign isn't about attacking people for fun, it's about solving people's problems, like ending this war and creating a universal health care system," he said in a statement. "Washington insiders might think throwing mud is fun, but the American people are looking for leadership that can unite this country around a common purpose."

Obama advisers described the strategy as foolhardy, and reminiscent of the approach perfected by former Bush White House adviser Karl Rove: going after a front-runner on his strengths and challenging his sincerity.

The intensified back-and-forth between Clinton and Obama appeared certain to aggravate the Edwards campaign, which is combating the perception of a two-person race in Iowa when polls show that he is still very much in contention.

Clinton advisers had telegraphed her new, hard-knuckled approach before she brought it to the campaign trail herself.

On a Sunday talk show, communications director Howard Wolfson criticized the Illinois senator for using a political action committee to distribute money to candidates in local contests, some in early presidential primary states. "There's a lot that voters don't know about Barack Obama," Wolfson said on CBS's "Face the Nation."

The Clinton campaign has been steadily building what it describes as a character case against Obama for several weeks, particularly over his health-care plan. Clinton has argued that he is being disingenuous when he claims his plan would achieve universal coverage.

Obama's plan would not mandate that all people buy health insurance; instead it focuses on lowering costs. Strategists said Clinton chose health care as a target area because she believes she has a large advantage on the issue among many voters.

Sunday, however, marked the first time that Clinton raised the character question so bluntly on the campaign trail. In a question-and-answer session with reporters after her first stop, she said that "you can't get a straight answer" from Obama on health care.

Clinton advisers said they make no apology for going on the offensive after months of criticism by both Obama and Edwards. "Senator Obama is a fabulous orator, but we need more than words," Wolfson said in an interview. "We don't need someone who says one thing and does another, somebody who talks a good game but doesn't have the courage of their convictions. And on issue after issue, Senator Obama says one thing and does another."

Staff writer Michael D. Shear in Washington contributed to this report.

[gunownerdan]

We need to put Obama and Clinton in a room and have them fight to the death.
The winner can suck on Ron Paul''s balls.

[prinzowhales]

Hillary is Bush in a dress...if you want that, you can vote for the cross-dressing Giuliani...he probably looks better in one.

[mudrose-2009]

Yeah anyone attacking a candidates kindergarten record seems to me to be a bit desperate. You go Hil.

[gunownerdan]

Clinton and Obama are both members of the CFR(Council on Foreign Relations) just like Bush, Cheney, Giuliani, Romney, and tons of other warmongering neocons.

[realpatriot1]

Xlib,

Bush isn''t running again but his failed policies are.
Every Republican candidate except for Ron Paul is embracing all aspects of the Bush record, so it''s entirely apprpriate for voters to examine how miserably those policies have turned out.

My take on Bubba''s level of class is that he''s a piece of *** husband, and a sexual pig/predator. But at least he didn''t grab the German Chancellor.

His Presidency is something all rational people look back fondly upon after the past 7 years.

[xlib]

mjlewis6-First, Bush isn''t running again. Your side continues to ignore that fact. Second, funny you should bring up his National Guard experience and totally ignore the fact that mr clinton "ran off" to Oxford and protested against his country. I can''t help but wonder how your side continues to ignore that fact. It is very relevent as your party wants to have the happy couple in the WH again. I can only think we would have the two-for again.
So, what''s your take on bubba''s lack of class

[pepperp1]

"There''s a big difference between our courage and our convictions, what we believe and what we''re willing to fight for," Clinton told reporters here.


Looks like the if I would have shown up to vote, or if I would have been in another office I would have voted is finally being called on what appears to be the politics of political convenience if some one else dose the hard work first and its not tested to be controversial then Obama is for it, scratch the surface not sure there is substance under that grin and we just had 7 years of terror under a similar compassionate, ahhh hopeful slogan resume.

[formrusmcsgt]

I used to adore Hilary Clinton; but her lack of proper rest has really brought out the white witch of her character.

Posted by Agnim at 06:21 PM : Dec 03, 2007

Her false "schmooze" character isn''t working, so we''re seeing the true "catty" nature of her character coming out.

I have to laugh at her reference some months back to the Repubs and their penchant for personal attacks.

I haven''t decided as yet for whom I shall vote, but Obama is certainly showing more class than Hillary at this point, by a long shot.

[glaswolf]

I thinks Edwards is the consumate electable Democrat for President. Edwards needs to ignore the scrap as Obama and Clinton get into a ladies'' cat fight on an internet international stage. Clinton will most likely go personal viciously which was characteristic of university leftists short of logic(NeoCons are leftist too) and Obama will pull his race card characteristic of church blacks as IQ''s clash. If Edwards remembers the first few lines in any response must have some rudiments of a solution approach to a meaningful national problem, avoiding redundancy so we get a holistic view of his problem solving thought processes over time, he will ultimately win the nomination and the Presidency, as Obama and Clinton undermine each other. Those who hear Senator Edwards "think reflectively" before a camera are impressed by his pragmatism and sincere demeanor. Candidate Edwards should remain relaxed about attention, letting people compare him with others themselves. The World would be augmented with a President Edwards, he would significantly reduce tensions because he is real, transparent and a thoughtful correlating problem solver. President Edwards sounds right to me.

[rph0714]

I believe it''s onething when you are comparing one''s ideas to another to give a sense of difference, but it''s another when you attacks someone''s character. For Hillary I know that she was trying to steer clear of attacking her opponents because of her already unlikeability standing with voters. What we see now is who she is (I am not a Hillary Basher) - like it''s been said, she will do anything to become President. I look at all the candidates personalities and approaches. I personally would not vote for Hillary, yes she has experience - they all have experience, but I believe, how one runs their campaign is how they will run the White House.

[samthetvcat]

There seems to be a pattern emerging with the comments in support of Hillary . . . like they all seem to be from angry women who don''t feel respected by men and who don''t feel like they are being heard (?) Like maybe they identify with her since Bill wasn''t very respectful towards her in the sense that he cheated on her so many times . . .

So I''m curious to see whether Oprah''s campaigning will make some of her supporters feel like even though they identify with some of Hillary''s life experiences, that Obama has platforms that move them to want to support the causes he supports. Like Oprah''s not just a ''celebrity endorsement'' or someone with the power to pick books that will push them onto the best-seller list . . . she makes people feel heard and gives people hope and challenges people to strive for more. Obama''s running on a platform of improving education and healthcare, and paying down debt and trying new ideas . . . it''ll be easy for Oprah to get on stage and say that all the inspiration she''s been sharing with people on her show all these years (all the Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Suze Orman, Rachel Ray stuff) Obama will try to implement if he becomes president. This''ll be interesting to watch!

[hip323773]

what a shame Barack raps hope and and ethics, while throwing mud since the last 3 months, breaking PAC rules, preaching no lobbyist funding while taking money from lobbyist during senate campaigns...offering money to early primary state campaigns...looking up old clinton videos to attack hillary while preaching to steer away from old politics.....WHAT A PHONY.....NOT WHAT AMERICA NEEDS COS ITS BEGINING TO SOUND TO ME LIKE A ONE-TIME TEXAS GOV. that promised change in washington but turned out to be the biggest Joke of all time....What the country needs is a tested group of smart people that will fight for America as always..

[rowdytexan2]

I think most everybody just hears the part about forcing everyone to get insurance because that''s all they want to hear.

You''re not listening to the part where she said she will make sure they''re regulated, so that they can''t drop you in the middle of coverage, provide less coverage, and so that it is affordable for all.

I think a sliding scale insurance plan would insure that everybody pays something.

I see to many young ones driving around in brand new cars, buying new clothes, carrying one or two cell phones, and yacking their head off while they drive down the road. Plus $50-$60 hair do''s every other week and a child on each hip with a different baby daddy for each who contributes NOTHING to their care.

All these kids are on food stamps, housing assistance, electric bill assistance, and NONE of them are applying for the Pale (sp?) Grants to get into a junior college and learn a skilled trade. It''s FREE!

I believe in giving them a helping hand...but there needs to be a limit on it.

[rowdytexan2]

Posted by mjlewis6 at 02:33 PM : Dec 03, 2007

Yep, that''s the one I remember too!

Plus, I remember he wrecked the state education tax system while he was down here. Gave everybody an exemption on state property tax, which meant the average homeowner got a $100 exemption and his buddies in their mansions got thousands. He was praised as a hero for this until everyone realized that local property tax would have to go up to cover it. This meant lots of small farmers and ranchers had to sell their properties to the developers.

Isn''t it strange how these guys can be lauded as heroes when in fact they''re nothing but shysters.

The teachers and state employees flat out told him he would not go to Washington unless they got a raise that year. So he gave them one, which was a pittance, like 2% or something, which they were already 15% behind salarywise. They hadn''t had a raise in about 10-15 years. They thought he was some kinda hero too. The fact was that in all those 10-15 years, I never missed a step in raises, because I always made sure that my work contribution deserved a merit raise. Everybody just thinks it should be handed to them.

That''s what apathy will let happen to you. When you don''t care enough to watch what they''re doing, you just get whatever scam they want to throw your way.

[agnim]

I used to adore Hilary Clinton; but her lack of proper rest has really brought out the white witch of her character.

Now we are getting more of a hint as to why Bill Clinton sought blow jobs elsewhere away from his bi-tch: His really fat cow is enduring endless hot flashes.

[denn034]

From the story: "character, challenging his integrity." Hillary doesn''t have mirrors I see.

[gheemaster38]

Hillary''''s health "plan" is to force everyone to buy insurance?? Why is she running as a Democrat??


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Posted by HenNoGaijin at


I was wondering the same thing. How do you force someone making 8 bucks an hour and barely paying rent to buy medical insurance? What is the penalty if they cant afford it and drop it. Lose of driving priviledges? Prison? I was interested in what she had to say until that foolishness came forth from her mouth. SO I waited on a genious plan to come out and it never did. SOOOO, I drew an X through her name because that tells me she is out of touch with reality. Thompsons is a good actor but, would be lousy President-X through his name- Obama Maybe in 2016 or sometime in the future when he has garnered more experience. Not crossing him out yet though-Ron Paul_Still listening to him also.. Guilani I cant spell his name.. sooo *** him out.. Besides all I can remember him doing is taking great pictures during 911 Nothing else.

[samthetvcat]

"2. He is a total hypocrite on lobbyists. His efforts in support of Illinois lobbyists have cost US taxpayers $12 million (so far)."
Posted by VastR-WCon

The true question is whether he did this out of self-interest or because it furthered the interests of the public at large. He only got $1,100 worth of sponsorship wee AFTER the fact from only ONE of the two companies. He got nothing from the other.

According to another ''expose'' at www.townhall.com (from the right!), they found:

"But while in the state legislature, Obama was a relatively small fish when it came to Illinois political money. He usually got donations of a few hundred dollars or maybe $1,000 in a state where interest groups routinely give key officials tens of thousands of dollars at a time."

"Obama helped pass two of the toughest ethics laws in Illinois history, and both of them attempted to reduce the influence of lobbyists. Obama also co-sponsored a 2003 law that, among other things, barred lobbyists from serving on government boards and commissions and further tightened the restrictions on gifts to legislators.

"After his election to the U.S. Senate, Obama was a leader in the successful effort to strengthen federal ethics laws. Lawmakers now have to disclose the names of lobbyists who raise money for them by "bundling" donations from many people. They also have to disclose special projects they try to add to the budget."

[shanev137]

She''s a spousal doormat and coattail rider with too much baggage, who''s never been in charge of anything big in her entire life.

[tbweb]

"Clinton Goes On Offense Against Obama"

When has Clinton not been on the offense?