Clinton: Obama Isn't Ready To Be President

Washington Post: New York Senator Hits Harder As Crucial Primaries Loom

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

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Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton launched a tough new offensive against Sen. Barack Obama on Wednesday, asserting flatly that her rival for the Democratic presidential nomination is not prepared to serve as commander in chief.

"It is time to get real -- to get real about how we actually win this election, and get real about the challenges facing America," the senator from New York told a cheering crowd at Hunter College in Manhattan.

Resounding Obama victories on Tuesday in Wisconsin and Hawaii pushed the senator from Illinois further ahead in the delegate count and have turned the Ohio and Texas primaries on March 4 into do-or-die battles for Clinton. After 10 straight defeats, she now trails Obama in overall delegates 1,351 to 1,262, according to an Associated Press tally, and faces a dwindling number of opportunities to slow her rival's pursuit of the 2,025 delegates needed to claim the party's nomination. The first chance will come Thursday night in Austin, where the two will debate.

Clinton's 17-percentage-point loss in Wisconsin was especially crushing, a sign that her criticisms of Obama -- which were most intense during the Badger State showdown -- did little to sway voters to her camp.

But instead of shifting course, Clinton redoubled her attempt to undermine his change-oriented message. "One of us is ready to be commander in chief," she told the crowd in New York. "Let's get real. Let's get real about this election, let's get real about our future, let's get real about what it is we can do together." Obama has had a "good couple of weeks," she allowed, but said his victories had come in states that he was expected to win. Clinton predicted that when voters in Ohio and Texas have the opportunity to take his measure, his run of success will end.

Obama waved off Clinton's latest broadside, declaring before a crowd of 17,000 gathered in Dallas on Wednesday afternoon: "Today, Senator Clinton told us there is a choice in this race, and I couldn't agree with her more. But contrary to what she was saying, it's not a choice between speeches and solutions. It's a choice between the politics of divisions and distractions that did not work in South Carolina, that did not work in Wisconsin and that will not work in Texas."

In a conference call with reporters Wednesday, senior Clinton advisers vowed to press Obama on his readiness for the White House, arguing that the only reason that message has not been successful so far is that Obama was able to outspend Clinton in the recent string of contests. Now, chief strategist Mark Penn said, Clinton will draw distinctions with Obama more sharply.

"She is the only person in this race who is both ready to be commander in chief and would end the Iraq war and start to bring home troops in 60 days, compared to both Senator Obama and Senator McCain," Penn said, referring to Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the likely Republican nominee. "She is the only one with a real plan for managing the economy, reining in the special interests and rebuilding the middle class."

He continued: "This is a very stark choice, and I think it's going to be reflected in the choice we have over the next few weeks: Who is better able to lead the country in the event of a crisis and beat the Republican nominee?"

Exit polls in Wisconsin suggested that Clinton's economic message -- a populist-tinged pledge to restore the policies of the 1990s boom -- may be falling flat. Obama held a big advantage over her among Wisconsin voters who rated the economy as their top concern. He edged her out among those naming health care, her signature issue, as the country's single biggest problem. And eight in 10 Democratic voters viewed trade deals such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, signed into law by President Bill Clinton, as job killers. Obama hammered his opponent on NAFTA in Wisconsin, reminding voters in rallies and campaign materials that she once praised the agreement.

Ceding ground on the economy could be disastrous for Clinton in working-class Ohio, which her advisers concede she must win, along with Texas, by commanding margins on March 4 to remain competitive in the race for delegates. The latest Associated Press tally showed Obama capturing most of the delegates in Wisconsin and Hawaii on Tuesday, winning at least 55 in the two states, with six still to be awarded. Clinton won at least 33, the AP found.

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe told reporters during a Wednesday conference call that for Clinton to catch up, she would have to win Ohio and Texas by 30-point margins, and follow that with a 40-point rout in Pennsylvania on April 22. "This is a wide, wide lead right now," he said. "The Clinton campaign keeps saying the race is essentially tied. That's just lunacy."

Even former president Clinton, pressing voters to turn out for his wife's campaign, acknowledged the stakes for her on March 4. "If she wins Texas and Ohio, I think she will be the nominee," he told supporters in Beaumont, Tex., according to ABC News. "If you don't deliver for her, I don't think she can be. It's all on you."

To win decisively in Ohio and Pennsylvania, Clinton must steer working-class voters back to her campaign, even as Obama continues to make inroads with them. He was endorsed Wednesday by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a 1.4 million-member labor union, and by the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers. That endorsement came even though Bill Clinton lobbied Teamsters President James P. Hoffa at a dinner in Washington last week.

Last week, the Obama campaign mailed two glossy fliers to Ohio voters. One targeted Clinton's health plan, noting that it would require the uninsured to buy coverage. The other showed a padlocked factory gate, noting that "only Barack Obama consistently opposed NAFTA," while asserting that Clinton had once viewed it favorably, although she is now calling for a "timeout" on trade deals to determine their impact on U.S. jobs.

In Iowa, Clinton carried herself as an authoritative front-runner advocating her "strength and experience," then shifted in New Hampshire to a quieter and more emotive candidate, chastened by defeat. When she emerged from Feb. 5 Super Tuesday contests still tied with Obama, she adopted a populist persona similar to the one employed by former rival John Edwards. In recent days, as the defeats piled up, she added ever sharper attacks on Obama's credibility.

On Monday, Clinton's campaign spokesman accused Obama of plagiarism for having borrowed lines from Massachusetts Gov. Deval L. Patrick, a close Obama friend, without attribution. And Clinton has ratcheted up questions about her rival's accomplishments and whether he has the authority to lead.

Her dismissive tone at Hunter College about Obama's winning streak reflected a mounting despair inside her campaign about whether there is anything, at this late date, that can be done to halt his rise.

Her candidacy on the line, Clinton signaled that her central "experience" argument would remain unchanged. "It is time that we moved from good words to good works, from sound bites to sound solutions," Clinton said. "This campaign is not about a campaign. This campaign is not about a personality. This campaign is about hundreds of millions of Americans who are yearning for leadership again." She repeatedly urged voters to "get real."

In an unusual acknowledgment of Obama's recent successes, Clinton predicted a hard fight ahead. "He has had a good couple of weeks and he's run a good race, and we will be squaring off in primaries in two weeks," she said. "We're going to draw the contrasts and make the comparisons and give the people of Ohio and Texas and the other states a real choice."

Harold Ickes, a senior adviser to Clinton, said that she will close the delegate gap in the weeks ahead. "Mr. Obama is the front-runner," he said. "There will be increased scrutiny on him and his qualifications to be president."

Staff writer Jonathan Weisman, traveling with Obama in Texas, and polling analyst Jennifer Agiesta in Washington contributed to this report.

[gkc99]

Their credentials appear to be about the same--short terms in the US Senate.

Although Hillary doubtless helpful around the White House, baking cookies and the like.

[bareed1226]

blah blah blah she is a desperate windbag gasping for last breaths. He is ready hi is hapening. there is a force to be reckoned with and it is not the clintons.....For those who will blindly liston to this botox faced bafoon.. I ask you to go to the library of congress and look up her record as a Senator... there is a BIG reason she has not been forthcoming of her actual accomplishments.. SH HAS very FEW.. yet with all the Hypocrisy she can muster will attempt... desperatly to persuade you to believe her.. Pathetic.. she needs to quit. the people are speaking in BIG nummers

[lorinkundert]

Hillary, you are starting to sound like a parrot. You are no more experienced than Obama, marriage to Bill doesn''t count.

[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.

[Keypinitreel1]

Yeah Hillary, I guess a Harvard Law School educated Senator that was a Constitutional Law Professor wouldnt know the first thing about Govt.

Its much better to be the wife of the person making decisions.

[Keypinitreel1]

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.


by bareed1226 at 09:15 AM : Feb 21, 2008

[gumbo1962]

Yah! Sounds like a lot of bills, "bareed1226", that he used to handed out our tax money. If I want to give to charity, I''ll do it from my own pockets and not approve of government handing it out in millions and billions.
Want to see a great example of OBAMA hand outs go to link below and it will open your eyes to his agenda and schemes.
Don''t let the so called charisma and chills of his speeches mesmerize you. Look at the facts.
This man is not to me trusted.
Don''t get me wrong, I don''t care for Hillary Billary either, but this guy has a hidden personal global agenda!
It runs in his blood!

FYI: Go to link below:

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=67551

[emj2740]

I am really getting tired of the Clinton campaign and I truly hope people in Ohio and Texas are too! Hillary please just go away.

[truthspeake2]

OBAMA 2008...RIP Hillary and the GOP!

[oleander8]

Get Real! If Obama, with his limited experience, were a woman - he would have been laughed off the podium when he announced his candidacy. We are still a sexist nation - and McCain will chew him up and spit him out. The Democrats are handing the election to the Republicans again.

Charisma does not a President make.

[liny516]

Clinton isn''t ready to be president.
She picked the wrong people for her campaign. If she can''t pick the right people to manage her campaign, she can''t pick the right people for her cabinet or other important POSITIONS.

She underestimated her opponent. If she can''t use her judgment regarding a single opponent, she can''t be trusted to use her judgment against those who are out to destroy this country.

On the other hand, Obama came from way behind. He surrounded himself with the right people. He built from square one and used his judgment to build a powerhouse of a movement with coffers to match.

It''s apparent from the recent past and the present day who is ready from day one to run the country and select cabinet members who can run what have been badly managed federal agencies.

GO OBAMA!!!

[b-easy63]

SO According to Clinton: Obama is not ready to be President ----BUT according to the American public--only Clinton supporters want Clinton the rest DON"T want her and did not vote for her. So to get real about how the campaign is shaping up--she is not wanted and how she wins--is the fact that she ISN''T. Winning that is.

Face it Clinton supporters--no one wants Hilary or Bill again--except you --and there just are not enough of you. She loses because she is NOT wanted.

Can''t make the people want what they don''t want. Bush has been doing that for a while--that''s why Republicans have to go--we don"t need Hitlery to take up where Bush left off.

[b-easy63]

Take from the haves and give to the have not! It sounds good but it just doesn''''t work. If you don''''t believe me just ask the Russians or the Cubans just how well off they are! You must have a top tier to provide jobs for the bottom tier friends that''''s called capitalism. Our constitution itself prohibits the redistribution of wealth simply because it is Socialism! Maybe Stalin did know what he was talking about when he said "We will take the United States without firing a shot" Looks like Communism is going to take it on the backs of lazy Americans that want something for nothing!

Posted by commonsence1 at 09:31 AM : Feb 21, 2008

Sounds just like what HIlary has been proposing--with her super dee duper Universal health care, 9.50 minimum wage, maintaining troops in Iraq, forcing companies who outsource to pay higher taxes, stopping sending aid money to foreign governments, 1000.00 for each new baby born for college, freezing mortgage foreclosures and mortgage rates and promising (in Texas) that everyone should and would get to be homeowners if she was elected. Hitlery is soooo socialist, her last name should be Marx, not Clinton.

[vet_sk]

Colin Powell and a lot of others believe Obama has what it takes to be President. Does she really think hanging out in Senate cloak rooms for three extra years prepares someone to be president? I don''t get it Hillary. And Hillary you are also a way hawk. And you Hillary supporters, how do you account for her vote for Iraq and in Sept 08 for Iran? I am tired of fighting bogus wars. Vote Obama!

[b-easy63]

h6379 I can tell you must have been sleeping through your history lesson. Get a history book and check it out, you sound like a direct quote from Lenin when he convinced Russian''''s to convert to Socialism. God help us!

Posted by commonsence1 at 09:48 AM : Feb 21, 2008


Hitlery has an almost 100% guarantee of failing if she got the nomination. We, Independents would see to that. she is nothing but a party machine shill and many of her supporters nothing more than some more of her fake, planted hacks. LOL

[Razzl]

Hillary''s idea of being commander-in-chief is to revive the old imperialist philosophy of using our armed forces to project force throughout the world in order to force our policies on them. Is that the foreign policy we want? Do we want as our first female president a woman who''s so insecure that she goes out of her way to prove she can be as tough as the boys by espousing military aggression? I think not. Anyone who''s been in the Senate for a term, with time in state government before that, is ready to sit in the White House; the question is, who appears to come to the table with the right beliefs and attitudes on top of the experience? It ain''t Hillary or McCain...

[oleander8]

Obama talks pretty - but he''s going to have to depend on the establishment politicians to fill his cabinet and be his advisors - while he learns the ropes. He hasn''t been around long enough - who''s going to be whispering in his ear? Ted Kennedy? John Kerry? Oprah?

[b-easy63]

And Hillary you are also a way hawk. And you Hillary supporters, how do you account for her vote for Iraq and in Sept 08 for Iran? I am tired of fighting bogus wars. Vote Obama!

Posted by Vet_sk at 09:52 AM : Feb 21, 2008


Forget the vote in Iraq--how about her recent votes NOT to restrict any form of torture, her advocation of expansion of the new wiretapping ala FISA law and her helping telecom companies seek immunity for illegal wiretapping by refusing to vote against the bill passed by the Senate last week?

Hilary is Bush in a Blue dress--and when she says she has had 35 years preparing, no one wonder what the Children Defense fund or being on the committee trying to impeach Nixon really has to do with being President or how she can explain the relevancy. What she is really saying is she has had 35 years working in public service--by that estimation--every career government employee, from SS secretaries to Postal workers, have the "experience" to be President. LOL

[drivelphobe]

jh6379...

Some rich people don''t deserve defending because without an inheritance, they would be penniless. The rest have worked hard and long, made sacrifices, faced tough decisions and invested time, their most precious asset, into making a life for themselves.

The notion that they should be forced to share their success with losers, those who ride the entitlement train, those who refuse to educate themselves, invest and live within their means, and put out a little effort, is abhorrent.

Anyone can make a better life for themselves if they decide to and are willing to pay the price. Unfortunately, too many people are looking for jobs, with short hours, high pay, no responsibility, and time to squander on the computer, emailing hteir friends.

You get what you deserve in life for the most part. Bad things can and do happen to good people, but if you''re not "rich'', it''s your own fault. Don''t think every rich person just got lucky. They educated themselves, worked like dogs, took risks, and fought the battle every day. They deserve the fruits of their labor and they shouldn''t have to give any of it away to losers unless they want to.

You are pitiful. You want handouts from the Hildebeast. Never happen! Go to school and get a better job.

[kamuranglenn]

And exactly why is Clinton qualified to be president?!

[b-easy63]

; the question is, who appears to come to the table with the right beliefs and attitudes on top of the experience? It ain''''t Hillary or McCain...

Posted by razzl at 09:53 AM : Feb 21, 2008


In a microcosm: who appears to be able to run a campaign sucessfully without putting it into the red or causing division and their own staff? Who has had defections and already has to do the Bush replace the appointed shuffle?

A--Hitlery can''t even run her own candidacy successfully--she is grasping and gasping and hopes the public will help her--because she is incapable of helping herself. She ran the equivalent of the Laurel and Hardy campaign, replete with planting questioners in Iowa, to promising money to each voter if they picked her to promising stuff that no President can deliver. Not only desperate--amateurish and it appears her techniques are frozen in the practice of 1940-1970''s politicking. She''s really done--hope she loses her Senate seat when NY finally wakes up too.

[b-easy63]

b-easy63 I agree with you completely on what you say about Hillary! Both Hillary and Obama are preaching Socialism!

Posted by commonsence1 at 09:55 AM : Feb 21, 2008


Right! and though neither one is really thinking of where all that money will come from as more Americans lose their jobs and homes and need government checks even to shop (rebates) at least if Obama shuts the war down, he''ll have about 500 MIllion dollars per day more to redirect to our infrastructure whereas Clinton is sooo stupid, she thinks she can do anything she wants and we can just pick up her tab full of promises. As for McCAin--he''s right--he really knows nothing about the economy. The last thing anyone who is losing their job and has high inflation needs is a 500 million dollar a day war of choice. That is not rocket science--it is just commone sense.

[briannorwood]

All this talk about 35 years of experience. Baloney. Can anyone tell me of one accomplishment Hillary has had in the Senate in six years?

I sure as heck can''t!

[b-easy63]

And exactly why is Clinton qualified to be president?!

Posted by kamuranglenn at 10:00 AM : Feb 21, 2008


Because she has done stuff for Children for 35 years and because she is a feminist and because she stuck with Bill through years and years of philandering while he was AR governor and later, President. Hitlery deserves it--because after being humiliated and sticking with him no matter what--both she and all women who are doormats feel she has earned it--if not by knowing the issue--then by being the brunt of Bill''s "issues". LOL That is pretty much it in a nutshell. How this will help her to deal with foreign governments and a messed up economy remains to be seen--but we already know she has big plans for our money--spend it delivering a bunch of stuff the majority do not agree with, cuz she wants to ''take care of us'' and smother the hell out of us.

[b-easy63]

Obama talks pretty - but he''''s going to have to depend on the establishment politicians to fill his cabinet and be his advisors - while he learns the ropes. He hasn''''t been around long enough - who''''s going to be whispering in his ear? Ted Kennedy? John Kerry? Oprah?

Posted by oleander8 at 09:57 AM : Feb 21, 2008


You must have missed one of the early debates that indicated Obama picked up nearly all of Bill''s former advisors and they have been with him almost from the start. So he is already sitting pretty. But gotta wonder--not why Obama selected certain former Clinton cronies--but why they chose to throw their lot in with him and not with Billary, who was supposed to be the ''sure win"

Guess in the end--they are proving to us who the real brains of the Clinton machine were--and it wasn''t the two Tweedle dums and dee of Bill and Hitlery.

[Keypinitreel1]

The top 2% in this nation do not need us nor help from the government.

-------------------------------------Posted by jh6379 at 10:04 AM : Feb 21, 2008

===================================================

I agree with you on that...Go Obama...
Sad thing is ..so many poor and middle class conservatives will go to bat for the top 2 % and not even really be able to say why.

CNN interviewed some Texans last night to ask who they would vote for... they said McCain... the reporter asked why... they said because he''s a republican... then the reporter asked..what stance on what position do they like most about McCain... they couldnt say. Nor could they say why they didnt like Barack and Hillary in comparison (In terms of how it related to them)

I am a Texan now.. from Chicago... 11 yrs in the Army, Iraq Vet. I am sad to say...after going all over.. that Texas conservatives may be the most uninformed and politically unsound group of people to be found. Its frightening that they are allowed to vote... they should have to take a test or something. They will shoot themselves in the belly to protect people that that dont benefit them and they dont even know why.

Thats how Bush came out of this state.

[rowdytexan2]

Go Hillary! Keep up the good fight! It''s not over till it''s over!

[b-easy63]

You get what you deserve in life for the most part. Bad things can and do happen to good people, but if you''''re not "rich'''', it''''s your own fault.

Posted by drivelphobe at 09:59 AM : Feb 21, 2008


Fvck the "rich people" complex a lot of Democrats have. My husband and I make less than 250K AGI and we have NEVER gotten a rebate under any President--but we still are in one of the highest tax brackets, and will have the dubious pleasure of footing the bill for not only the Spring handouts, but also will foot the bill for the recovery, and face higher taxes under the Democrats (and probably under lying McCAin too) the fact is, the truly "rich" do not suffer as they have the vehicles and acumen to hide or shelter their wealth. It is the upper middle class that will carry the burden--but don''t worry--we are foundering too--and soon the less than 5% who are not rich or wealthy but well off will be in just as deep ******* and under just as much strain as everyone else.

The fact is--the idea that government can spend all the money that comes in on just anything and it is a free ride on the public dime is bs--we are imploding--because we seem to have forgotten the intimate connection between work and money--so we farm out our work (or hire illegals) then we wonder why Americans are not spending? Can we say NAFTA, outsourcing, insourcing, disproportionate competition? Can we say policies Bill and Hilary championed and Bill signed into being?

[boatdocster]

It will be interesting to see how Hillary (ie Ms Negative) does in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas, states that have lost a lot of jobs to NAFTA (passed by Bill and Hillary, remember the old "2 for 1" slogan??)

Of course, she was for it then but is against it now. Sure it will all Bill''s fault this year.

She needs to wake up and realize people are no longer concerned about her Obama opinions, that they want to know about her. Personally I do not think she can change - 35 years of politics make her like every other politician.

W - WORST EVER!

[b-easy63]

In Iowa, Clinton carried herself as an authoritative front-runner advocating her "strength and experience," then shifted in New Hampshire to a quieter and more emotive candidate, chastened by defeat. When she emerged from Feb. 5 Super Tuesday contests still tied with Obama, she adopted a populist persona similar to the one employed by former rival John Edwards. In recent days, as the defeats piled up, she added ever sharper attacks on Obama''s credibility."

In other words, Clinton is a phony. She planted questioners in Iowa and tried to do it not once but twice--out of the over 200 people vyying for questions--she just "happened" to pick the 4 that her team had briefed and given rehearsed questions to--she went downhill from there--employing tears in NH which won over soft hearted women but after that new tears fell flat. From the beginning Hitlery had been insulting--from offering 1000.00 to each parent who had a child (for their college education) to claiming she would "take care of us" with Universal mandated health care, higher minimum wages and freezing foreclosures for irresponsible consumers--finally perhaps reaching their peak when she spoke in a super fake southern accent and even tried a fake black one "I don''t feeeeeeel no waaaaaays tarred....." to her claiming to be a daughter of Hawaii since she visited the state 5 times since 1993. What she is saying is that she thinks schtick and lies work--because she thinks the avg voter is too stupid to see through it.

[marcuswatson]

When Clinton and McCain say Obama is not experienced enough, I hope it''s clear to everyone that when they say "experience," they mean "Washington." And by "Washington," they mean a certain kind of politics in which your skill set involves an ability to deceive, destroy your opponents, look straight in the face of your citizens and lie, and divide people in order to do something. Politicians who can do this are considered clever. They''ve mastered the game.

With Obama, this immoral game that gets us nowhere will come to an end precisely because his experiences were not ones that taught him those values. He wasn''t the spouse of a powerful person; nor did he sit on corporate boards representing wealthy, exploitative businesses. Most importantly, he could have taken that route but chose not to. He helped organize poor Chicago communities hands-on. He struggled alongside ordinary people for a better shake, and learned the values of spirituality, straight talk, honest fights, and "do unto others what you would have done unto you."

There''s a real choice--it''s between politics as usual and a politics we can finally believe in, a White House of deception versus a White House of integrity. Leave the garbage media stories behind and think open-mindedly about Obama.

[b-easy63]

You are ''''well to do''''.
Why would you expect a rebate when you''''re bringing in $250k? Posted by jh6379 at 10:24 AM : Feb 21, 2008


Wrong. The income does not determine the status--the cost of living does. In a town where the corporate relocations place one in housing markets 500 to 600% higher than where one lived previously (like going from a 100K home to a 500 to 750K home) to even be close in a commute to work, to paying for public schools where the cost per child is about 1200.00 per year not counting band, or anything extracurricular, to property taxes approaching 6 to 10K per year--it is all relative. But I DON''t expect a rebate. And my point is NO ONE should expect one. It is stupid to give the public money to hope they spend it to bail out businesses. it would make better sense to just give the money directly to the businesses. The fact that anyone is having their hand out wanting money back when they already pay little to no taxes or why anyone who has used poor judgment and secured high interest loans or defaulted expects to get their mortgage frozen is WHY some people are not in a better financial position. The real question is--why would anyone want a rebate? Better to help yourself than wait for the handouts.

[realpatriot1]

Dear Hillary,

You''ve lost 25 of 36 states. It''s yoou who'' not ready to be President.

Stop the madness! Do it for the children!

[b-easy63]

We never had a rebate, don''t want one BUT we also do not want to pay for others to get one nor do we want the added interest and debt that we ALL will pay to borrow this money to make this fake, pathetic public handout stunt. The one poster is right--you work hard, make money, sacrifice, maneuver, keep working hard--and it eventually pays off--you whine, point fingers, covet and just hope others can give to you--and you stand still. Many people (not all) are living the lives that are a product of self fulfilling prophecy--those who realized it was all up to them and humped--have more and pay more--those who think the "rich" should help them--have less and usually stay at the bottom, waiting for more crumbs to fall down to their level. It''s all about perspective. Where I live, anyone making less than 400K/year is not well to do, it is just barely upper middle class. It all depends on where you live, what your expenses are--all relative.

[hipster44]

GIVE UP HILLARY!

USA IS NOT IDIOTS!! YOU HAVE A LOSER HEALTH PLAN BASED ON USA LOSER MEDICAL RIP-OFF INDUSTRY, JUST LIKE GW BUSH DRUG PLAN!

HILLARY HAS NEVER DONE ANYTHING BUT GET KICKBACKS FOR SUPPORT OF LOSER BILLS. BILL CLINTON GAVE OUR COUNTRY AWAY IN NAFTA: BOOM THEN BUST FOR THE NEXT GREAT DEPRESSION! THANKS BILL CLINTON FOR TAKING OUR LIFE SAVINGS!!

HILLARY, STOP THE CLICHES, QUITE TRASH TALKING LIES, SIT DOWN, AND SHUT UP. YOU ARE MAKING AN IDIOT OUT OF YOURSELF, AND YOU ALREADY HAVE STOLE FROM REPUBLICAN KICKBACKS AND YOUR CAMPAIGN FUND: LOAN $5M TO YOUR CAMPAIGN FUND.

LOL, LETS SEE YOUR FINANCIAL RECORDS TO LEND $5M, LIAR, THIEF, AND GROTESQUE PERSON.

[hipster44]

GIVE UP HILLARY!

USA IS NOT IDIOTS!! YOU HAVE A LOSER HEALTH PLAN BASED ON USA LOSER MEDICAL RIP-OFF INDUSTRY, JUST LIKE GW BUSH DRUG PLAN!

HILLARY HAS NEVER DONE ANYTHING BUT GET KICKBACKS FOR SUPPORT OF LOSER BILLS. BILL CLINTON GAVE OUR COUNTRY AWAY IN NAFTA: BOOM THEN BUST FOR THE NEXT GREAT DEPRESSION! THANKS BILL CLINTON FOR TAKING OUR LIFE SAVINGS!!

HILLARY, STOP THE CLICHES, QUITE TRASH TALKING LIES, SIT DOWN, AND SHUT UP. YOU ARE MAKING AN IDIOT OUT OF YOURSELF, AND YOU ALREADY HAVE STOLE FROM REPUBLICAN KICKBACKS AND YOUR CAMPAIGN FUND: LOAN $5M TO YOUR CAMPAIGN FUND.

LOL, LETS SEE YOUR FINANCIAL RECORDS TO LEND $5M, LIAR, THIEF, AND GROTESQUE PERSON.

[b-easy63]

Right. You''''re so used to making $250k a year that now you feel sorry for yourself.

Try making $60k a year and paying $1,200 a month in child daycare, very modest house (less than 1300 sq ft), buying $3.00 a gallon gas, $275 a month for health coverage for family, 10K yearly property tax, etc.

You''''re *** right I want a hand out. Folks like me will take anything they can get!

Posted by jh6379 at 10:48 AM : Feb 21, 2008

Been there, the gas was cheaper, but I remember bring home 425.00 per month in San Diego and my rent was 420.00/mo and I had childcare of 60.00/week, and I walked 4 miles one way to work on University ave, and I always was in the red, and used to stop at McDonalds at night, because they would give me the left over food.

And with your perspective and attitude--you will probably have that sentiment and be needing to do that for the rest of your life. What you do not understand is that many so called wealthy people have been at the bottom--on Welfare, some even homeless--but they nixed the pepsi and fast food, stayed up late taking one class at a time or holding down 2, maybe even three jobs--they put in grueling hours and paid taxes and did what it takes--you begrudge them or are jealous of them making 250K per year (let me make you even angrier--we make a lot more than 250 per year--the AGI means adjust gross income after deductions) next post

[b-easy63]

The fact is--many have been poor and had to struggle--but life is about decisions and sacrifice--I have been on public assistance (briefly) been without a home, had less than 25.00 in the bank--then I started making hard decisions, made choices--some bad and some good (bad like taking out and using lots of credit cards--good like going back to school and getting my degree as a single mom--and worked 2 jobs while doing it) Everyone gets choices everyone either profits from their choice or suffers for it--how we see life and pursue choice is based on many factors--environment, home raising, schooling, etc--but from using drugs to deciding to not buy the fun stuff right now--we all decide and reap the benefits of choice. Many people are not wealthy by birth or racial advantage--but through hard work. I recognized early on the trap of Welfare--where a woman was forced to not own over 1500.00 in personal property, not have a car worth more than 900.00 and if she tried to get a job, she would lose all benefits--such a system only allows enslavement and feeds on itself. It keeps people poor and needy to justify a poor and needy program.

[b-easy63]

ONe of the best things the GOP ever pursued was getting people off the public dole. It forced them to make choices and it hurt--but in the end--they are better off than waiting for a check. Just as in the end, people who save and have a downpayment for a home with a DECENT and fair loan, who put money aside and give up a few things, who opt for that second job instead of leisure time--may be in a better state than the person who is angry and looking forward to a rebate check that they still will have to pay for about 100 times over and pay interest on for the next 40 years. And one of the worst traps that many poor people fall into is blaming their lot on life, bad luck and the rich or skewed system and waste time being jealous and envying instead of finding out where those rich people came from, what they did and how they did it--and how you also can do it. I''ve been where you are--but the difference is--I never wasted time envying or being jealous and putting down those with wealth--I just plugged away--and made great steps forward--then lost it all, because I had the wrong perspective. Got it again, lost part of it again, worked hard again....and so it goes. But it starts with the right attitude and it is not one of entitlement and expecting bailouts--if you wait for the government to make life fair--you become a pawn to the system--which was never set up to help people--but to justify itself and the money it takes to run it.

[Keypinitreel1]

To be frank... If someone is making 250K a yr or in that ballpark and they are feeling a crunch...then its probably a crunch that was chosen.

The crunch that people making 50K or less feel is the kind of crunch that if you dont push back hard enough will crunch you into the streets homeless, or into bed hungry. These are the people that need the rebate /break.

A lot of the problems we have today are due to "Gotcha Capitalism", usury and borderline profiteering , the politics of yesterday will not address it. This is why we need new blood in office... our govt is getting stale but the issues we face as a nation are evolving.

We need new blood... we need the Obamas, Edwards and Bidens. We need the Huckabees and Ron Pauls. Time to step away from the Bush''s, Clintons, McCains and same old people playing the same old games... keyword OLD.

The experience angle WILL NOT FLY this yr.

[sjbj2322]

Why is Bambi busting his tail to get Texans to vote now. Because he knows he''ll lose his tail in the debate tonight. He''s real good on giving speeches as long as the issues he raises aren''t questioned but when push comes to shove he can''t hack it.

[b-easy63]

nd that''''s why I don''''t like you.
Cry Cry Cry...

Move I say. Anyone who complains when making $250k a year should be struck down.
Sit back and look at what you''''ve written...
You are living the ''''American Dream'''' and you can''''t even enjoy it.
Do you know how many hard working families would love to trade places with you?

Posted by jh6379 at 10:51 AM : Feb 21, 2008


You are a very angry and covetous person. Jealous to the bone. Don''t like me? Why waste time disliking someone you don''t even know? SAves you from disliking the true fault of your own predicament--yourself? Why should we move? We make plenty of money--have a good job and we are not the ones wanting the rest of the country to give us handouts and complaining about what others have while we don''t--you are the whiner and you have a class problem--which will probably ensure you stay at the bottom--being jealous and "disliking" anyone and everyone that does better than you--and yet--I am voting for Obama and do not mind paying my taxes, or helping others out...and you? lol--your fear and envy of others is pathetic and debilitating.

I don''t dislike you. I''m not that petty. I truly just feel sorry for you. Good luck with life and your attitude--you must be a true joy to be around. NOT (negativity attracts negativity and failure feeds upon negativity)

[infidel_us]

Clinton: Obama Isn''t Ready To Be President

Don''t worry Hill.....he won''t be. When he wins the nomination, McCain will monkey stomp his brains back to IL.

[aldon61]

Neither Senator Obama nor Senator Clinton nor Senator McCain has ever run our country. For any one of these candidates to suggest that they''re better positioned than the others is ludicrous. All of these candidates possess the desire and the ability to become our president, and each will be able to perform the duties required. Sometimes, a seemingly "lack of experience" is a good thing. We all know where we''ve been for these past 8 years, and most of us want "change" going forward; this is the type of change Senator Obama is eluding too.....no more Bush type administration. Senator McCain wants to pursue the same tactics in Iraq that Presient Bush has done, Senator Clinton wants to "look" at the effects NAFTA has had on our unemployment. Senator Obama wants NAFTA rescinded and he wants the majority of our troops withdrawn from Iraq ASAP. These are changes! Stick to the issues and stop the badmouthing. All candiates being equal, and able to perform the duties, I still support Senator Obama.

[b-easy63]

Posted by jh6379 at 10:51 AM : Feb 21, 2008


You must be extremely young, naive and childish--and simplistic. Anyone who wishes to "tradeplaces" with anyone else based on money is shallow and superficial indeed. I lost my husband and became a single mother (again) when my kids were all toddlers. We lived from hand to mouth. Prior to his death, we went from a salary of 80K to less than 15K per year. WE could not get insurance for his health. In the past 3 years, I have lost over 8 family members including my mother and father and lost also many friends. WE have moved over 12 times in 10 years. We have faced corporate downsizings, cancers of many kinds, several murders in or around our families, etc. Want to trade places and we are living the American dream? Perhaps your idea of a dream and real life need adjusting. Money is not everything YOu don''t know what you are talking about--you are a person ruled by greed, insensitivity and jealousy and as such--you have tunnel vision, which only makes you dislike people who have more and negate the real important things in life--as for moving--why should we? LIke most Americans we live where the jobs are, not where we want. and now, I am through talking to you--you are pathetic and like I said before--more than likely doomed to remain so due to the huge jealous, chip on your shoulder and your own propensity to whine and simply envy others. Stop the class warfare stuff--it only shows why you are your own worst enemy.

[b-easy63]

b-easy63,
Oh I''''ve got the degree and the fortune 500 company job...
Not every top management position is available.

Posted by jh6379 at 11:02 AM : Feb 21, 2008


My point is--the grass always looks greener from the other side. Not every Fortune 500 company pays their employees well (lots of mid level mgmt would LOVE to make your 60K a year) and opportunities are few and far between . But don''t worry, those who make our kind of salary have little sympathy for those who make 400K and just KNOW we could live better if we had their money and they probably are looking at the next tier and the next and so on--good way to distract isn''t it--have us fighting about who has the right to get help, who doesn''t and who never has the right to complain, because some other person is worse off--it cuts both ways. I have friends who make less than 30K a year--no doubt to hear your complaint would just make them want to strangle you--after all--at least you can afford to buy a home, something many of them wonder if they ever will be able to do. All relative. And as for paying 6 to 10K a year in taxes (what we pay with our home) if you pay that on a 60K salary--maybe you should take your own advice and move.

[mikeant50]

Desperation is so unbecoming of the Clintons. One year ago, they had already planned their move back to 1600 Penn Ave. Hillary has ran the worst campaign in history. It remains me of the Townsend campaign in Maryland a few years back. When will they learn that we are tired of the same of politics and attacks. What makes Hillary think that she is ready to be president? 8 years as first lady and one term in the Senate, or is it that 35 years of experience that no one can seem to define. Is it me, or do the Clinton supporters have a sense of entitlement about the presidency. They feel that no other Democrat, but a Clinton can be president. Last time I checked, this was the Democratic Party, not the Clinton Party. She will go negative from the outset tonight in the debate. I hope Obama doesn''t sink to her level.

[salty1954]

Hillary is as fascist as Bush.

Do you know over 40 people who committed suicide?
The Clintons sure do!:

http://predicto.blogspot.com/2007/11/clinton-history-lesson.html

Check it out!

[notblue]

It is very painful to say bit Hillary is right. I will still hold out hope the Dems are stupid enough to chose Obama for their candidate in the general election.

[b-easy63]

The crunch that people making 50K or less feel is the kind of crunch that if you dont push back hard enough will crunch you into the streets homeless, or into bed hungry. Posted by keypinitreel at 11:05 AM : Feb 21, 2008

I agree. But the rebate is a reprieve not a true help. More like a feel good, popularity move. Better to rebuild our mfg base and give jobs that pay at least 3000.00/month than a one time check of 300 to 1200.00. Better to provide disincentives for companies to outsource and tax them to make domestic businesses more competitive than give a one time check. But consider that those who make more are still Americans and still have bought into the idea of living above their means. You many not feel sorry for them--but they will feel the crunch just the same, they will be laid off due to downsizing just the same and they will not be able to help foot the bill for rebates when they are laid off just the same. the more money---the more choices or at least the more expensive the choices and many are people''s fault.

When I made 12K in 1986. (yep that''s right) I had a similar attitude--lamenting how I had no money and it was hard--then somebody pointed out to me, how if I stopped eating fast food and buying pepsi--it would make a difference. They challenged me to do that for 6 months. I was shocked to discover I had an extra 350.00 to spend when I made different choices.