Clinton Steps Up Attacks On Obama

Washington Post: Plagiarism, Financing Accusations Come on Eve of Wisconsin Primary

(WASHINGTONPOST.COM)  This story was written by Matthew Mosk and Peter Slevin.

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Aides to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) accused Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) yesterday of plagiarizing portions of a recent speech and continued to question his vows to reform the campaign finance system as Clinton sought to drive home the idea that her Democratic rival's presidential bid is built on style more than substance.

The two-pronged attack came as Clinton attempts to slow Obama's momentum in today's contests in Wisconsin, which neighbors his home state of Illinois, and in Hawaii, where he was born.

The race in Wisconsin, where Clinton dug in over the weekend in an effort to break a string of eight straight primary and caucus defeats, has turned increasingly negative. Just days ago, Clinton aides accused Obama of breaking his pledge to accept public financing in place of private donations during the general election. Obama's aides say he did not make a firm commitment to accept public financing if he won the nomination.

Yesterday, key Clinton supporters accused Obama of "lifting" a passage of the rousing speech he delivered to a party gathering in Milwaukee on Saturday night from Massachusetts Gov. Deval L. Patrick, a longtime friend and supporter. Side-by-side YouTube videos distributed to reporters by the Clinton campaign show Obama repeating, almost verbatim, lines from a speech Patrick gave two years earlier.

"The point we're making overall is that Senator Obama's record as a senator and as a public official is thin," said Howard Wolfson, a senior Clinton adviser. "If you're asking an electorate to judge you on your promises and you break them, and on your rhetoric and you lift it, there are fundamental problems with your campaign."

Answering a reporter's question in Niles, Ohio, Obama said he does not think using Patrick's words was "too big a deal."

"Well, look, I was on the stump. He had suggested we use these lines. I thought they were good lines," Obama said when asked why he did not credit Patrick. "I'm sure I should have. Didn't this time."

Obama returned to Wolfson's assertion while speaking with reporters on his campaign plane: "The notion that using a line from one of my national campaign co-chairs . . . is somehow objectionable, somehow doesn't make sense."

Obama's aides also called Clinton's criticism of his public financing plans "curious." They noted that she was the first candidate in the 2008 field to announce plans to reject the public financing system, saying more than a year ago that she would try to use private contributions to finance a general election bid if she were the party's nominee.

"We're just not going to be lectured on this," said Obama campaign manager David Plouffe.

Obama first raised the notion of accepting public funds in the general election a year ago, when he sought a ruling from the Federal Election Commission that would preserve that option for him. He said then that if the GOP nominee entered the system -- in which the candidate accepts $85 million to fund a general election campaign and agrees to raise no other money -- he would also enter it.

Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), who is moving ever closer to accumulating the delegates he need for the GOP nomination, reaffirmed last week that he would be willing to accept that deal and urged Obama to "keep his word" on the issue.

Longtime advocates of campaign finance reform sent Obama a letter last week expressing "deep concern" that he would back away from the financing system. At the same time, several left-wing blogs urged Obama to "break the pledge," arguing that he should do nothing to cede the fundraising advantage that Democrats appear to have gained heading into the general election.

[bareed1226]

HILLARY VS. OBAMA LEGISLATIVE RECORDS:
During Obama''s first 8 years of elected service Illinois he sponsored over 820 bills - 233 regarding healthcare reform, 125 on poverty and public assistance, 112 crime fighting bills, 97 economic bills, 60 human rights and anti-discrimination bills, 21 ethics reform bills, 15 gun control, 6 veterans affairs and many others. IN ADDITION, DURING HIS FIRST YEAR IN THE U.S. SENATE, HE AUTHORED 152 BILLS AND CO-SPONSORED ANOTHER 427. THESE INCLUDED:
*The Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006
*The Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act
*The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act
*The 2007 Government Ethics Bill
*The Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill
In all, since he entered the US Senate, Obama has written 890 bills and co-sponsored another 1,096. FOR SOMEONE WHO SUPPOSEDLY "HAS NO RECORD"
HILLARY, WHO HAS SERVED FOR 6 YEARS IN THE U.S. SENATE,CLAIMS TO KNOW HOW TO GET THINGS DONE HAS MANAGED TO AUTHOR AND PASS INTO LAW ONLY 20 PIECES OF LEGISLATION, ONLY FIVE 5 OF WHICH HAVE ANY REAL SUBSTANCE:
1. Extend period of unemployment assistance to victims of 9/11.
2. Pay for city projects in response to 9/11
3. Assist landmine victims in other countries.
4. Assist family caregivers in accessing affordable respite care.
5. Designate part of the National Forest System in Puerto Rico as protected in the wilderness preservation system.

[alburbooks]

This is a beautiful history about old politicians...
http://www.nytimes.com/2
008/02/21/us/politics/21mccain.html?page
wanted=4&hp

[vmcneal2]

I know it''s hard for some people to believe that Obama has 10 straight wins. Well..get used to him because he''s going to be around for awhile. People just seem to like this guy. After an Obama speech people feel good. After a McCain speech, if your''re still awake, you wanna slit your throat. McCain is just more of the past 7 years. The Republican party is DOA for 08. You can thank Bush for killing the party.

[pensacola88]

If Rush Limbaugh or Lou Dobbs doesn''t like you, then you must be doing something right!!!

[libra127]

Posted by abnerm at 03:05 PM : Feb 20, 2008

Yes, I saw that interview on CNN last night. There was an official spokesperson from the Obama campaign and one from the Clinton campaign. Chris Matthews asked the Obama spokeman to identify just ONE accomplishment of Obama and the guy was absolutely stunned into silence. He was given plenty of time to think, regain his composure, etc., and he WAS UNABLE TO COME up with ANYTHING. Not even a feeble attempt. It was shocking!!

[tibu987]

Vitriol, that stuff Hillary and her staff toss about so easily has a way, like lies, to come back and bite you in the ***. The Republicans plan to use vitriol on Obama will have the same effect, it will strengthen the Obama campaign.
Innuendoes, insinuations, and mud slinging, become more and more prevalent when one is being cornered, i.e., defeated.
"People who live in glass houses should not throw stones".
I forgot who the author was; please don''t accuse me of plagiarism.

[erasmus6]

"Be careful of your thoughts,
For your thoughts become your words;
Be careful of your words,
For your words become your deeds;
Be careful of your deeds,
For your deeds become your habits;
Be careful of your habits,
For your habits become your character;
Be careful of your character,
For your character becomes your destiny."
posted by user168

Are those your words? Or did you also commit plagiarism?

[lorinkundert]

Hillary can only attack since she has absolutely no substance to her campaign, that''s what happens when you think the nomination is yours from day one.

Hint: Negativity sends voters in the other direction.

[fibonacci_]

Dear former Ron Paul spammer (Prophet),

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

fibonacci_

[jheckerman]

Sorry but this is the truth. Barrark mis-leads his followers. He did not show up for the Iraq vote. He did not vote against the war... which he leads people to believe. It was a political postioning. DUH!
He is a puppet- He does not represent the poor or the struggling. He represents the educated elite. He travels in high educational circles. Sweet talkin orator that likes to lead a bunch of sheep. Educate yourself and really read Obamas voting record and read Hillarys. I don''t mind you supporting your candidate-please get your facts strait. Picking Obama would be like having open heart surgery- pick the guy with the new ideas and no experience. Not the seasoned veteran. Obama is not bad- I just don''t want him learning on the job like Bush.

[jack3213]

IT''s so pathetic that Clinton says she is exactly where she thought she would be when only months ago she said she is the inevitable winner- PURE LIES all over agin! Enough with these peopple and enough with the lies of DEMOCRATS..much worse than a Republican -by far! The Dem''s are NOT QUALIFIED! Neither is Congress who promised you all change.

[user168-2009]

Hillary was so frustrated that she couldn''t come up with any THOUGHT for good speeches: "There''s a difference between speeches and solutions, between talk and action."

Well, I can tell you, Hillary, while words, solutions, and action start with THOUGHT, there''s a forever distance between NO THOUGHT and solution, between NO THOUGHT and action.

"Be careful of your thoughts,
For your thoughts become your words;
Be careful of your words,
For your words become your deeds;
Be careful of your deeds,
For your deeds become your habits;
Be careful of your habits,
For your habits become your character;
Be careful of your character,
For your character becomes your destiny."

When you Hillary has NO THOUGHT for WORDS, you have NO THOUGHT for SOLUTIONS and ACTION.

[libra127]

"Hitlery also refused to vote last week on the infamous spending bill that gave immunity to telecom companies for helping Bush break FISA."
Posted by b-easy63 at 11:01 PM : Feb 19, 2008

She didn''t "refuse" to vote on the bill. Neither she NOR OBAMA voted on the bill because both were out of town campaigning. You just can''t seem to avoid stretching the truth (putting it kindly) in order to bash Hillary. If the truth doesn''t serve your cause, you''ve got the wrong cause.

[erasmus6]

"Obama frightens me. I think he might have 666 printed on his body somewhere." posted by barbaraf4

I get bad vibes from him also.

[libra127]

"Hitlery then proceeded to support NO restrictions on torture"
Posted by b-easy63 at 11:00 PM : Feb 19, 2008

This is a lie, b-easy63. Hillary did no such thing.

[libra127]

"A little lesson in integrity 101 for you and the rest of Hitleryites."
Posted by b-easy63 at 11:00 PM : Feb 19, 2008

How arrogant you are, b-easy! I''m not impressed by your little list of "promises" allegedly broken by Hillary. 1) She has a right to challenge the DNC decision about disenfranchisizing FL and MI voters. She agreed not to campaign there and she didn''t (Obama did). The decision on what to do belongs to the DNC, not her. No "promise" has been broken.

2) As for promises to Hispanic voters - if they are voters, they are NOT illegal immigrants. If they are illegal immigrants, they are not voters. You are talking about 2 different groups of people. No promise broken.

3) She wants to end the war and bring the troops home ASAP. This does not sound like support of Bush''s policies to me! You have not described a "broken promise" here, sorry.

[libra127]

"Bitter pill, slinging mud, angry, lying, back stabbing, he said this, he said that, negative, negative, negative, etc etc. Is this really the type of person we want as a candidate? She seems obsessive compulsive with a touch of paranoia!"
Posted by boatdocster at 11:48 PM : Feb 19, 2008

Back stabbing? Slinging mud? Where do you get this ? You must be watching a different campaign than I am. Or just making it up as you go along. This is a political campaign, for god''s sake. Both Dem. candidates are doing what polititians do - they try to point out their own strengths and their opponent''s weaknesses. I don''t see that it has fallen to the level of "mud slinging" OR that Clinton has been any more negative than Obama. I think YOU are the only one who is mud slinging!!!

[boatdocster]

The wonderful thing about a campaign is you can really get to know someone.

When HRC was ahead, is was sugar and spice, everyone is nice, not one cross word about Obama. But wait, now she is getting her clock cleaned and now we get to see the real HRC (as opposed to the "Hillary I know" on her web site).

Bitter pill, slinging mud, angry, lying, back stabbing, he said this, he said that, negative, negative, negative, etc etc. Is this really the type of person we want as a candidate? She seems obsessive compulsive with a touch of paranoia!

Hillary, here''s a tip - if you are so ready for day 1 and have all the "managerial experience" you are touting, start by reviving the "flat line" campaign sitting on your desk!

Mud slinging started today by "In Iraq for the next 100 years" McCain, rambling about his veteran status and how his years on the hill make him better than Obama. Wonder if he still feels the George W. Bush love from South Carolina, 2000????

[b-easy63]

Vote Clinton. . Look at the conditions the U.S was in with Bill Clinton. The same will stand with Hillary Clinton, maybe even better.
Posted by ndjam at 11:27 PM : Feb 19, 2008


Know why no one CARES about that? Because most of us have an IQ over 40. This means we know Clinton may have presided over good economic times--but he did not create them nor was he responsible for them.

1. TAx cuts by Bush Sr put revenue in the government

2.Budget cuts enacted by a Republican majority Congress, added to the Revenue

3. Enactment of the Gramm Rudman law made a balanced budget a priority

4. the Congress cut military as well as domestic programs

5. The Dot com industry supplied the mega energy to the economy

6. NAFTA began the slow drain and back stabbing of companies in search of short term gain and profits over mfg stability and growing a dependable consumer/workforce.

Bill Clinton signed the NAFTA agreement and is considered the father of that. That fact and the results of it--will haunt him and Hilary until they are both dead--then it will haunt the history books.

Hilary has a lot of plans to spend--but surprisingly, she does not talk about fiscal responsibility, or balancing the budget or getting inflation under control--she just talks about how she can pretend to help us ALL by using more of our money to spend on us. She''s a loser. Obama might be a loser too--but he is a NEW loser--and if we are going to lose anyway--might as well try something new.

[b-easy63]

I think the established party elite in BOTH major parties underestimate how sick, tired and contemptuous the average voter is of politics as usual. From the shills and lobbyists to special interests, back room deals and spending our tax dollars like crazy, while we face lay offs and they give themselves a raise--we have HAD it. Not just to the detriment of Republicans--we are tired of the lies and whining while going along with the program of Democrats also. Obama represents more than himself--he represents us saying --"we are mad as hell and we aren''''t going to take it anymore" and even if he turns out to be a dud--we don''''t care--better to go to hell while taking a detour than end up there just the same--taking the known rode and riding the same old tired, corrupted horse. When Dems are finally up for elections --they may find it another challenges them--that they are drummed out of office for failure to even stand up to Bush--right along side all the reviled Republicans.