A Flashback and a warning: 2008 Hillary campaign use of Obama in a turban photo

[Bonobo]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/feb/25/barackobama.hillaryclinton



Barack Obama's campaign team today accused Hillary Clinton's beleaguered staff of mounting a desperate dirty tricks operation by circulating a picture of him in African dress, feeding into false claims on US websites that he is a Muslim.

Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe, described it as "the most shameful, offensive fear-mongering we've seen from either party in this election". Obama has had to spend much of the campaign stressing he is a Christian not a Muslim and did not study at a madrassa.

Maggie Williams, campaign manager for Clinton, played down the significance of the picture. "If Barack Obama's campaign wants to suggest that a photo of him wearing traditional Somali clothing is divisive, they should be ashamed. Hillary Clinton has worn the traditional clothing of countries she has visited and had those photos published widely."

[Cali_Democrat]

1. Flashback: Obama nominates Hillary Clinton to be his Sectrery of State

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/dec/01/barack-obama-nominates-hillary-clinton

[Bonobo]

3. That is a stunningly weak response.

You think for even a moment that that is somehow relevant?

[Cali_Democrat]

8. My post stunned you? Awwwww.......thanks!

[Bonobo]

9. No, in this case the adjective, "stunning" is modifying the noun, "response".

Has nothing to do with stunning me.

[Cali_Democrat]

10. Point taken....

I suppose if Hillary really was such an evil racist who portrayed Obama as a terrorist, I'm not sure Obama would have picked her.

[Bonobo]

12. Politicians, smart ones that is, do not let stuff like that stop them from making smart decisions.

Hillary was a smart appointment because it means he could remove a potential 2012 competitor for one thing.

Besides, he won, so why should he have held a grudge?

[Cali_Democrat]

13. Hillary never wanted Obama to be primaried in 2012. You're thinking of the other guy:

Bernie Sanders Says It Would Be A ‘Good Idea’ To Primary President Obama
by Zaid Jilani Jul 22, 2011 5:50pm

SANDERS: Brian, believe me, I wish I had the answer to your question. Let me just suggest this. I think there are millions of Americans who are deeply disappointed in the president; who believe that, with regard to Social Security and a number of other issues, he said one thing as a candidate and is doing something very much else as a president; who cannot believe how weak he has been, for whatever reason, in negotiating with Republicans and there’s deep disappointment. So my suggestion is, I think one of the reasons the president has been able to move so far to the right is that there is no primary opposition to him and I think it would do this country a good deal of service if people started thinking about candidates out there to begin contrasting what is a progressive agenda as opposed to what Obama is doing. […] So I would say to Ryan [sic] discouragement is not an option. I think it would be a good idea if President Obama faced some primary opposition.

http://thinkprogress.org/special/2011/07/22/277124/bernie-sanders-primary-obama/

[Bonobo]

14. Sure, she was SOS. It would have been crazy for her to want him primaried!

Thus underscoring the merit of my claim that she was given the position in part to avoid such an event.

[Cali_Democrat]

16. And yet Bernie is the one who actually called for Obama to face primary opposition. nt

[Bonobo]

19. What on earth is wrong with primarying a president?

I have no idea why you think that is somehow to be ashamed about.

[senz]

22. Bernie NEVER "called" for Obama to be primaried.

You are propagating an untruth -- and I'm sure you don't want to do that.

[senz]

11. Beautiful response, Bonobo.

Hope it was understood.

[Fawke Em]

4. Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.

[PoliticAverse]

15. That's the type of guy Obama is, another reason why he was the better choice in 2008. n/t

[Cali_Democrat]

18. I do think he was the better choice in 2008

That's why I picked him over Hillary.

[cherokeeprogressive]

2. Coming up: Bernie Sanders in a Dashiki shirt and sandals... from the 70s.

And someone will photoshop the trees in the background so if you look real close you'll see a hammer and sickle.

[beam me up scottie]

21. Hillary supporters have questioned what Bernie was REALLY doing in Israel.

He said he was at a kibbutz but they don't believe him, maybe they'll try to tie that in.

[Doctor_J]

5. This explains why people like cha and Steven leser believed her unfit to be president

And one more reason I won't be voting for her

[Bonobo]

6. Ive never seen sleazier behavior on the Dem side than that. Have you? nt

[StevieM]

24. Well than you can take comfort in the fact that it never happened. (eom)

[Bonobo]

25. I would be very interested to hear if that is the case.

But in denying that the photo was released for negative purposes, it seems that a tacit admission was made that they did in fact release it.

[StevieM]

26. Well that's certainly how Clinton-haters portrayed it.

I responded to that point below. Here is a link to my post.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=1087563

[WillyT]

7. HUGE K & R !!! - Thank You !!!

[EndElectoral]

20. Maggie Williams response is why the Clinton campaign doesn't get it.

[StevieM]

23. This event never actually happened.

Clinton's campaign made it clear that they did not disseminate the photo. Even Obama, who wasn't giving Clinton the benefit of the doubt about anything, said at a debate that he accepted that she did nothing wrong.

The only basis for the accusation is that Clinton's campaign manager, Maggie Williams, instinctively responded by wondering why the photos would possibly be considered scandalous. Clinton-haters capitalized by making up a ridiculous example of her somehow doing something wrong and treating this befuddled response as a confession.

[Bonobo]

27. The Drudge Report said it was sent by Clinton staffers AND

The Clinton camp even "declined to deny that it came from them". See link.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1579833/Barack-Obama-tribal-photo-sent-to-Drudge-Report-by-Hillary-Clinton-staff.html

"The photograph of the Illinois senator, which was taken in 2006 during an official trip to Wajir, a majority ethnic Somali area in Kenya, appeared on the front page of the Drudge Report, where rival campaigns typically try to place damaging material. Mrs. Clinton's campaign team declined to deny that it had sent the photo to Drudge, whose report said the campaign was responsible for circulating the email."

[840high]

28. ..+1

[StevieM]

29. Drudge is a liar and his word is worth nothing.

Clinton did deny on several occasions, once in the presence of Barack Obama, that her campaign sent the email.

When they were first asked about it nobody knew what they were talking about. So they did some research and confirmed that nobody associated with the campaign was behind it. Clinton said at a debate that if anyone associated with her had sent it out they would be fired.

Clinton-haters took advantage of the fact that her campaign investigated, to confirm that Drudge was lying, to act as if they were not denying it.

The story is pure fiction. There is not one truthful word to it.