Feb 11, 2008
Hillary Hits Obama On Transparency, Style
Politico: Candidate Promises No New Scandals With Husband, Calls Rival's Rhetoric "Abstract"
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Play CBS Video Video Looking Ahead To Potomac Tuesday David Marks, Sr. Editor for Politico, looks ahead to Potomac Tuesday and discusses the tight race between Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama.
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Video Clinton Trails Obama's Lead Hillary Clinton's recent losses have caused her to trail Barack Obama's delegate count. Susan Roberts reports.
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Video Clinton On Campaign Shakeup "CBS News RAW": Hillary Clinton comments on the departure of her campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle. Clinton: "There really is no significant change. It's merely that we've got to get more help."
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Photo Essay Hillary Clinton A look at a life and career full of firsts.
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Photo Essay Barack Obama A look at the life and meteoric rise of the president-elect.
Senator Hillary Rodham (D-N.Y.) mocked Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) for his high-flown rhetoric, suggesting she would fight important fights when he would back down.
Clinton, speaking on WJLA Channel 7 in Washington and Politico.com, also promised there would be no new scandals involving her husband, former President Bill Clinton.
The senator was asked a question from a Politico.com reader in Santa Monica, Calif., who was seeking assurance that "no new business or personal scandal involving Bill Clinton" could erupt if she were in the White House and give fodder to Republicans.
"You know, I can assure this reader that that is not going to happen," she said. "You know, none of us can predict the future, no matter who we are and what we are running for, but I am very confident that that will not happen."
During the half-hour conversation, she said that when she hears Obama’s oratory about a more civil politics, she wonder what fights he would avoid.
“You never hear the specifics,” Clinton said. “It’s all this kind of abstract, general talk about how we all need to get along. I want to get along, and I have gotten along, in the Senate. I will work with Republicans to find common cause whenever I can. But I will also stand my ground because there are fights worth having.”
Clinton also suggested that she was getting more fair coverage from Fox News than from MSNBC, which recently ran afoul of her campaign when correspondent David Shuster said her daughter Chelsea Clinton had been “pimped” out to help with the election.
“I really am troubled by this pattern of behavior and comments that you hear,” she said.
Despite going 0-5 in recent contests, Clinton said she was winning in the big states where Democrats will need to prevail in the fall.
“I think things have gone well,” she said. “I’ve been around a long time - so, you know, sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down. I’ve been through all of that. But I feel
Clinton added: “The history-making nature of my candidacy and Senator Obama’s candidacy - it’s just thrilling to me.”
On other issues:
-About Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), she cracked: “Luckily, I agree with my party more than Senator McCain agrees with his party.”
-She said the delegates she won in Michigan and Florida should count toward the nomination, even though the Democratic National Committee said the states would be punished for moving their contests so early.
Clinton was the only major Democratic candidate on the ballot in Michigan, and she was the only candidate to fly into Florida the night of the election.
“I think that both Michigan and Florida should count, because these are two states we have to carry,” she said. “This is not about so much as the ins and outs of the Democratic National Committee as to whether the Democrats are going to win in the fall.
“In Michigan, all of us had a chance to leave our names on the ballot - I chose to do so,” she continued. “My opponents ran a very vigorous campaign to get people to vote ‘uncontested.’ There was a campaign going on - it was a campaign against me, and I still won a majority.
“I think that the Democratic Party has to be looking very realistically about what it is we’re trying to achieve here. We need to win in November. … I think that both in Michigan and in Florida, the Democratic Party should really give these people who came out and voted - they weren’t involved in the rulemaking. Give them a chance.”
- On Iraq, Clinton called the Bush administration’s plan for a “pause” in planned troop drawdowns “such a disheartening piece of news.”
“There is no military solution and it is time that the Iraqis understood that,” she said after noting that U.S. troops had done everything they have been asked to do.
-WJLA showed back-to-back interviews with Obama and Clinton. Originally, the station had offered a debate, but Obama declined. Obama has accepted one debate in Ohio and one in Texas. Clinton said she hopes he will join her in accepting many more.
“It seems kind of strange because he’s always talking about how we need to, you know, let the voters know where we stand,” she said. “I think the debate really concentrates attention.”
-Clinton said she eats hot peppers because “years ago, I was told that hot peppers would keep me healthy.”
- “Jalapenos, banana peppers - any kind of hot peppers,” she said. “I eat them raw, I eat them cooked. I don’t whether it’s for everybody, but it’s worked for me.
By Mike Allen
Copyright 2008 POLITICO
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See all 366 Comments********************************************
Okay, Hillary, I will tell you what fights "he would avoid." Those dirty nasty fights that the Republicans launched against you and your husband. That smarmy gutter wrestling that John McCain was subjected to in SC in 2000. Those are the "fights" that he is avoiding. He is trying to say that he will behave in a civil manner to those whom he disagrees with. He will not behave like a Jerry Springer guest.
Well, GOOD FOR HIM. It is time to get back to a little civility in this country. Where you can disagree with someone on issues without a cladestine attack on their character, their family, their faith, their patriotism, and their ethnic background.
That is civility Hillary and civility should not be confused with lack of pricipal, or lack of conviction.
I think you went to Harvard. You should have learned the meaning of civility. If not, take a lesson from Barack.
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LOL. Now that is one campaign promise that is a flat-out lie. No one on earth could guarantee that Bill will leave the ladies alone...no one. And besides, who cares.
%u2014 Posted by Steve Bolge
Found this on another comment area. Intresting isn''''t it.
Posted by jheckerman at 10:47 AM : Feb 13, 2008
Hmmm. sort of whiney--almost suggests he is being a spoilsport for not just backing off and letting Hilary be Queen bee like the DNC had planned...LOL "The best laid plans...." If Hilary cannot earn her title like most who become President, she should NOT be handed it as the heir presumptive--and she can save the promises of money for us all and she can also stop the lies--the biggest is her platform. She says Obama explains nothing--this is true--but if you listen to what she is about in her speeches--she also has a lot of pipe dreams but no clear or concise game plan for getting us there or the ramifications of her ideas being enacted.
Posted by alanrobisch2 at 11:28 AM : Feb 13, 2008
Evidently only YOU were/are naive enough not to realize Bush committed several war crimes. Enough that for 2 years (until he got it in 2006) Bush begged for immunity from war crimes retroactive to 2001 and for breaking the FISA law. A man does not ask for immunity unless there is the possibility he may be guilty of something. LOL
Posted by jheckerman at 10:45 AM : Feb 13, 2008
If Hilary wants to be judged on her own merit, she must not tout Bill''s experiences as her own and she must not depend on him in the role of Dem''s favorite son to stump for her. You can''t stand on the shoulders of a man and proclaim how tall you now are--without everyone noticing the man and proclaiming your place on his shoulders as at least partially responsible for the height. Hilary does some classic creepy stuff too--planting shills in the Iowa audience, and what about that case of her hiding donations involving Peter Paul and Stan lee? Why don''t we hear about that? or is that one of those issues (with Hilary caught on tape discussing the events) that she claims the GOP won''t surprise us with--but they plan to string her up for lying about what she knew and when she knew it?
Posted by FatalX1A at 10:57 AM : Feb 13, 2008
the message is that Hilary is running out of campaign funds and so would like the free publicity of a debate, please. LOL We can only hear her "plans" (which are still vague as they only express her wishes and hopes like Obama) and negate the how she plans to get their part. Let''s see: min wage at 9.50, universal health care, the rich pay for everything, give everyone Congressmen caliber insurance, help parents send kids to school., freeze foreclosures and protect people from losing their homes, reverse the war, give a voice to the homeless and down trodden.
The std canned Democratic speech from the time of the New deal until now--but she does not say, how she will achieve all this, on whose back it will be on and what will happen to the economy and deficit while she remakes America into her socialist dreamstate.
Posted by alanrobisch2 at 11:28 AM : Feb 13, 2008
Umm, thanks to re-tards like you, we are living in a Nazi State where our fascist president believes he is above the law -- or haven''t you been paying attention? Hmmm, does scapegoating the illegal immigrants in this country remind you of anything Hitler once did? Those who forget history (or who are too stupid to learn it) are doomed to repeat it.
Hiliary is entitled to pull every negative scheming trick out of the Clinton Playbook. Whether it be racist, sexism, inuendos, feminism, false accusations, lying, stealing from her own campaign, bribery, cajoling, planting questions, illegal contributions, personal attacks, favortism, and the beat goes on.
The DNC should allow Bill the opportunity to speak his true mind. The polictics of Personal Destruction. It has worked before for US and there is no reason that
the American People can''t be fooled again.
Never mind that Obama campaign exuberates Class, Honesty, Trust, Loyality, Considerate, Kindness, Compassion, Leadership, an a true desire to bring about the change in Washington and get Barack to doing the work of the American People.
How CAN this be?? Just follow the outline in OUR CLINTON PLAYBOOK. Where is that Transparent Sandy Berger when you need him???? Come on now Ladies, as True Feminists, Women Libers & Activists, we''re not going to stand around. Let''s show this Forum just what we''re made of. Let''s go out an Win just one for Hill Baby.
It''s not over till its over. You''ll be surprized at how much we can get by just being ourselves. NEGATIVE! Demanding, Demeaning, Intimidating, & Most of All The BLAME GAME. WE can Do It.
CACKLE CACKLE CACKLE
Should Obama NOT receive the Super Delegates vote if he wins by plurality, I will vote for the Green Party candidate and protest loudly against that obvious lack of honesty of the electoral process.
This is not about her being a woman (at least for me). It''s about a message of real hope and change, which we are desperately in need after 8 years of gross political malfeasance.
As an independent, I''ve voted GOP and DEM, based on who I thought was the best candidate. The two party system is killing our democracy.
When the Clinton campaign went negative a few months ago, they started to mirror the Bush regimen.
I think Hillary would do better if she refuted Bush and his policies, but the truth is she agreed with many of them over his last 2 terms, and therefore has no leg to stand on...
She tried to court right leaning Democrats and middle of the road Republicans since that''s always worked in the past. Push but don''t push to hard. Now she has to live with her choices, and clearly that middle of the road, safe zone approach is not resonating with the people.
Beasy I think your comments bely your name, george bush should swing for his crimes. Cut me a break. Are we living in the former soviet union.
%u2014 Posted by Steve Bolge
Found this on another comment area. Intresting isn''''t it.
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Posted by jheckerman at 10:47 AM : Feb 13, 2008
+ report abuse
Interesting but is it true?
%u201CIt seems kind of strange because he%u2019s always talking about how we need to, you know, let the voters know where we stand,%u201D she said. %u201CI think the debate really concentrates attention.%u201D"
The fact is Senator Obama has already debated Senator Clinton EIGHTEEN TIMES face to face. Hillary doesn''t have Alzheimers, she knows a debate is as good as free publicity and that she performs better against a stopwatch. That makes her a top notch debater, but "inspirational" she isn''t. I''m not really sure why Senator Clinton or McCain would want to equate "hope" with "rhetoric", either. What is that supposed to imply, that there is no hope, that Washington is a grind, that "a populist can''t make history or sway the elite in Washinton"...what''s the message, here?
%u2014 Posted by Steve Bolge
Found this on another comment area. Intresting isn''t it.
She will need Obama in order to win the general election, IF she wins the nomination. The Clinton''s have beome mean. She needs to speak against the President and his policies and having all of our rights disappear rather than speaking to Obama.
What''s up with the Obama bashing?
Hilary: "yeah, I''''m tested and I''''m ready!! so what if I can''''t manage my campaign and my core group is splintering...so what if I can''''t manage the campaign money and have to lend myself millions to survive one month? I SWEAR I''''ll do better, when it''''s the entire country and YOUR money, I get to manage--honest"
You have a point Hilary. Bush had ''''experience'''' and it showed he ran all businesses he owned into the ground and had to be bailed out (then he did it on the macro scale with the country) now you are showing that with your experience--you can''''t call a war right, don''''t know how to back off of torture, can''''t release your finances and can''''t even run or direct a Presidential campaign. We gave Bush a shot--why not you?
Why not, indeed.
Yeah..that NAFTA Bill signed sure did improve their lot...they saw their jobs go right over to India and China and Mexico (and the Philippines) followed closely in many cases by the Parent company. Democratic outsourcing and insourcing strategies--republicans gotta love ''em. LOL
Posted by l8c6 at 11:39 PM : Feb 12, 2008
Okay, you can now hear it from an Independent who voted for Bill twice, then for Gore and Kerry. We ARE tired of the hate rhetoric--not that Bush does not deserve to swing for his war crimes--but coming from a person so closely linked to aiding and abetting his policies (did Hilary oppose any?) the stand she tries to take now is disingenuous. She voted for the war, voted to expand FISA, voted to not put limits on torture--yeah--she''s looking and sounding more Bushy by the moment and WE are tired of her same mantra.
If she thinks she will rally people (besides the loyal ) around just hating Bush--then we need to underline the "uneducated, lower income part of her voter demographic. We are tired of the divisiveness--the woman is so corrosive, she could not even keep her own campaign together--and what happened to congratulating the winner for these primaries?
Posted by stephanienym at 12:09 AM : Feb 13, 2008
If Hilary is the candidate, there is a good chance Hilary will lose to McCAin--because...Independents don''t want her--or a return to the party bosses in charge and Bill--he had his shot. Twice--time to grow up and face the future. Thinking Bill will make this country right again through Hilary. Is like a 60 year old woman think she can still attract the studs like she did in 1969--by pairing up with and walking around in her wrinkles er I mean bikini...like her 20 year old daughter. LOL
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