READING, Pa., April 21, 2008
Obama Sharpens His Tone
Washington Post: As Pennsylvania Vote Nears, Clinton Criticizes Rival's Negative Turn
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Play CBS Video Video Democrats Gear Up In Pa. Democratic presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are vying for the Keystone State's delegates. But, as Jim Axelrod reports, Clinton is facing a nearly insurmountable deficit.
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Video Pennsylvania Primary Preview The Democratic Pennsylvania primary election will be a crucial win for either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Bob Schieffer discusses this election with key political commentators.
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Video Gov., Sen. On Pa. Battleground Barack Obama supporter Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Hillary Clinton endorser Gov. Ed Rendell (D-Pa.) discuss the upcoming crucial Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania.
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Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks at a rally in Scranton, Pa., Sunday, April 20, 2008. (AP)
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Photo Essay Barack Obama A look at the life and meteoric rise of the president-elect.
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Photo Essay Hillary Clinton A look at a life and career full of firsts.
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Clinton's campaign advisers say it is now Obama who is pursuing a kitchen-sink strategy, with millions of dollars of television ads. Geoffrey Garin, the co-chief strategist of Clinton's campaign, said Obama's campaign "is throwing a ton of money and a ton of mud at us" because it fears the consequences of a Clinton victory.
Garin said that, after controversy over Obama's comments about small-town Americans being "bitter" and a debate in which he was subjected to tough questions, the stakes have been raised for Obama in Pennsylvania.
"Given how much they've thrown at us, and the all-out effort the Obama campaign has made to win, we don't believe that the margin matters that much any more -- just who comes out on top," Garin said.
Obama's advisers dispute that notion, saying that if they hold Clinton's margin down well below her 10-point win in Ohio a month ago, she will have failed to do what she needs. They also said their aggressive ads this weekend are an attempt to avoid the mistakes of earlier campaigns, when attacks from the Clinton campaign stalled Obama's progress.
"Hillary has a track record of doing a large amount of negatives in the last 72 hours of all these major state battles," noted one Obama official, who requested anonymity in order to speak candidly about strategy. "Instead of getting beat up and not pushing back, this time we are on the offensive."
Obama officials said they expect Clinton to win on Tuesday, but their goal is to prevent her from winning the kind of double-digit victory she secured in Ohio, which slowed Obama's march toward the nomination.
From start to finish, almost everything about the campaign Obama has run in Pennsylvania has been strikingly different from earlier contests.
He and his advisers came off the defeat in Ohio and the loss in the popular vote in Texas on March 4 determined to rewrite their script -- de-emphasizing huge rallies for smaller events and stepping up informal campaign stops at diners, bars, bowling alleys and ice cream shops to give the campaign a more down-to-earth feel.
Obama gained ground in the polls, but two controversies -- one involving his former pastor's incendiary, anti-American comments after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the senator's remarks about the bitterness of small-town Pennsylvanians -- raised fears that his progress might have stalled.
After Wednesday's debate, in which Obama fielded tough questions from Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos of ABC News, the senator began the final weekend seeking to regain the offensive. He drew a stark contrast with Clinton and emphasized to voters the choice they face on Tuesday.
The new language began to emerge in downtown Philadelphia Friday night before the biggest crowd of his campaign: a sea of 35,000 people, stretching across three blocks in front of Independence Hall.
In the written text of the speech, he compared his mission to reform Washington to the Founding Fathers' quest to throw off the "tyranny" of the British Empire. He drew a contrast with Clinton that was clearer and more crisp than in debate appearances or previous campaign speeches. Compared to what was coming, the language was still somewhat restrained.
"Senator Clinton is a tenacious opponent and a committed public servant," Obama said. "But her message comes down to this -- we can't really change the say-anything, do-anything, special-interest-driven game in Washington , so we might as well choose a candidate who really knows how to play it." He also depicted her as a political opportunist: "She's taken different positions at different times on issues as fundamental as trade and even war to suit the politics of the moment."
On Saturday, during his whistle-stop train tour, Obama steadily toughened his script. "She seems to have a habit of saying whatever it is that folks want to hear," Obama told a crowd in Paoli. "I try to talk honestly about how we're going to solve problems."
In Downington, he said, "The fact of the matter is, Senator Clinton essentially buys into the kind of politics that we've become accustomed to in Washington. . . . She's got the kitchen sink flying, the china flying, the buffet is coming at me."
By Harrisburg, he had added this line: "Senator Clinton would be vastly different than George Bush would be, but that's a very low bar."
By Dan Balz and Shailagh Murray
© 2008 The Washington Post Company
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Add a Comment See all 308 Comments
- Obama thinks that his Rev Wright connections to Louis Farakhan (Nation of Islam) will bring all the Gary Indiana black votes. But, Hillary will carry the white voters who dont want a Ayers,Wright,Farakhan, white hating Democract in the White House. Go Grl you will make a great president of everyone.
- Reply to this comment
- Have you noticed that Effendi Snob-oma''''s voice has raised an octave? Hillary knows how to squeeze. You go girl!
Posted by mudrose at 09:11 AM : Apr 22, 2008
Yeah, you go girl, because Obama''s going to win the nomination, not you. - Reply to this comment
- he is a nut job.
Posted by Obama8years at 09:31 AM : Apr 22, 20
Better watch it! I hear John has a temper! - Reply to this comment
- Hillary hails from Pennsylvania. So I believe you when you say they can spot BS a mile away. So can she.
Posted by mudrose
She must be looking in the mirror.
Posted by vmcneal2 at 10:33 AM : Apr 22, 2008
It doesn''t get any better than this! Ha!Ha!Ha! - Reply to this comment
- Have you noticed that Effendi Snob-oma''''s voice has raised an octave? Hillary knows how to squeeze. You go girl!
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Posted by mudrose at 09:11 AM
Forget Obama, maybe if Hillary put the "squeeze" on Bill more they would not have had the little intern BJ problem. - Reply to this comment
- lol, A little sniper fire and ***, doesn''''t slam dunk a total anti-American agenda, totally lying and misrepresenting yourself as above politics as usual, lying about lobbyists and special interests money, and just plain old incompetence.
Rock on HIllary! Fight like a tiger!
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Posted by RowdyTexan2 at 09:23 AM : Apr 22, 2008
It says alot about you if you''re Ok with the President of the United States getting BJs from a young intern in the White House Oval Office. On top of that there were those perverted cigar tricks. - Reply to this comment
- Hillary hails from Pennsylvania. So I believe you when you say they can spot BS a mile away. So can she.
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Posted by mudrose
She must be looking in the mirror. - Reply to this comment
- Hillary''''s numbers went down in Pa. because people got to know her. People in small town Pa may be bitter but they are not stupid, they can spot BS a mile away.
Posted by vmcneal2
Hillary hails from Pennsylvania. So I believe you when you say they can spot BS a mile away. So can she. - Reply to this comment
- youtube.com/watch?v= waz57ce_hl0
Not only is Obama have Hamas ties but from his own words wants to destroy our military strength.
youtube.com/watch?v= waz57ce_hl0
VIDEO IS OF OBAMA SPEAKING....he is a nut job. - Reply to this comment
- Posted by vmcneal2 at 08:34 AM : Apr 22, 2008
lol, A little sniper fire and ***, doesn''t slam dunk a total anti-American agenda, totally lying and misrepresenting yourself as above politics as usual, lying about lobbyists and special interests money, and just plain old incompetence.
Rock on HIllary! Fight like a tiger! - Reply to this comment
- Not only does Obama have ties to Ayers.
Remember the article of Hamas in the church bulletin, that was Obama church.
Obama and Wright have involvement in the ISM
canadafreepress.com/index.php/ article/2462 - Reply to this comment
- Have you noticed that Effendi Snob-oma''s voice has raised an octave? Hillary knows how to squeeze. You go girl!
- Reply to this comment
- If that is the title Bush has earned, it is a title that will quickly be lost if either of these Democrats get into office.
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Posted by texanow at 08:35 AM
Jerry Springer could do a better job than Prick Cheney and his puppet Bush. - Reply to this comment
- Hillary''s numbers went down in Pa. because people got to know her. People in small town Pa may be bitter but they are not stupid, they can spot BS a mile away.
- Reply to this comment
- Bush will be remembered as the worst president in US history, and Iraq as one of the worst policy decisions in US history. ----------------------------------------
If that is the title Bush has earned, it is a title that will quickly be lost if either of these Democrats get into office. - Reply to this comment
- Obama has gotten to be a slick politiiton. And he''''s got no style.... his clothes are BORING! Besides that, his resume is still too short and I wowry about how much more dirt the Republicans will get to throw at him via Rezko and other matters. And what about Rev. Wright who only resigned if the first quater of THIS YEAR. Senator Obama acts as if Rev. Wright retired years ago, although Obama has given Reverend Wright the "brush off." Vote for Hillary Clinton. She wants to serve our country. It would be much easier for her to go home and do nothing. And yet, she is fighting for the issues and values she believes are important. I wish had had her stamina!
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Posted by ERoosevelt08 at 06:53 AM
First, Hillary''s husband while he was President of the United States was getting BJs in the White House from a young intern. So much for "values" Do we want this low life back in the White House? Second "Sniper Fire" Hillary will do and say ANYTHING to get elected. These are two of the sleeziest people ever to run for public office.Hillary can''t even manage her campaign money which makes me ask what will she do with our tax dollars. - Reply to this comment
- Obama has gotten to be a slick politiiton. And he''s got no style.... his clothes are BORING! Besides that, his resume is still too short and I wowry about how much more dirt the Republicans will get to throw at him via Rezko and other matters. And what about Rev. Wright who only resigned if the first quater of THIS YEAR. Senator Obama acts as if Rev. Wright retired years ago, although Obama has given Reverend Wright the "brush off." Vote for Hillary Clinton. She wants to serve our country. It would be much easier for her to go home and do nothing. And yet, she is fighting for the issues and values she believes are important. I wish had had her stamina!
- Reply to this comment
- Clinton is getting the huge lead she had two month earlier in Pa, erased, thinned to one digit of percentage and he could maybe win. Wait till tomorrow around 8 pm...
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Posted by trishab4 at 10:55 PM : Apr 21, 2008
Still holding a two-digit lead last time I looked at the poll that''s predicted the most of them right.
C''mon Pennsylvania, vote, vote, vote!
Go Hillary ''08! - Reply to this comment
- Clinton is getting the huge lead she had two month earlier in Pa, erased, thinned to one digit of percentage and he could maybe win. Wait till tomorrow around 8 pm...
- Reply to this comment
- Sorry that you are too young to see the whole picture militarily, but you have been fed these Liberal talking points of "no right to attack them..No threat to us..." etc. You don''''t know what you are talking about and have been brainwashed by Michael Moore types.
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Posted by JoeCoolSwat at 06:16 PM : Apr 21, 2008
+ report abuse
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Hmmm...I would bet that I am a lot older than you, which allowed me to hear the same drivel during Viet Nam. Anyone that has done the most minor amount of research knows that Iraq was no threat to us. None. We have fooled around there for over five years, have lost over 4,000 wonderful American soldiers, have dropped the ball in Afghanistan, have alienated most of our allies, have spent all of the good-will that the world had for us as a result of 9/11, and have wasted trillions of dollars that will paid for by our children and grandchildren.
"You can fool some of the people all of the time, you can fool all of the people some of the time, but you can''t fool all of the people all of the time."
Bush will be remembered as the worst president in US history, and Iraq as one of the worst policy decisions in US history. - Reply to this comment
