Obama in wide-ranging press conference: Says Clinton feeling down, engaged in gamesmanship

[Tropics_Dude83]

Obama: Clinton “Feeling Down” and Engaged in “Gamesmanship”
In wide-ranging Milwaukee press conference says:
–Clinton is “business as usual” in her attitudes towards people who happen to be lobbyists. “That’s not being a part of the solutions business.”
–He would seek McCain deal on finance if he’s the nominee. “I will…make sure we abide by the same rules.”
–He hasn’t talked to Rep. Lewis about potentially supporting him, but has called to find out what he’s thinking.
– He’s not interested in a Wisconsin debate. “The debate exercise is one that has become fairly predictable.”
– Clinton launches attacks when she’s feeling down to boost appeal. “But I think these kinds of gamesmanship of are not what the American people are looking for.”

[UALRBSofL]

1. The thing about that post it's missing

the actions of Obama. So I refer you to the post referencing the dirty campaign Obama has been running.

[Tropics_Dude83]

2. Obama opening statement text

Remarks for Senator Barack Obama
Press Avail
Friday, February 15th, 2008

Before I begin today, I want to say a few words about the tragedy that occurred in DeKalb yesterday. Twenty-two men and women were shot, and six were killed, when a madman walked into a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University and opened fire.

We hear about heartbreaking, mindless acts of violence like this day after day, week after week. They come in and out of the headlines, and after awhile, most of the world goes on. But for all the loved ones who are left behind, the pain and the sorrow remain for a very, very long time. Today we offer them our prayers, but we must also offer them our determination to do whatever it takes to eradicate this violence from our streets and our schools; from our neighborhoods and our cities. That is our duty as Americans, and that is our solemn obligation as mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters, neighbors and friends.

Yesterday, the Fed Chairman, Ben Bernanke, said this economy could get worse before it gets better. He talked of sluggish growth and weak consumer confidence, as well a housing crisis that could deteriorate even more.

It’s a forecast that’s reflected in so many of the stories I’ve heard here in Wisconsin over the last week – families that can’t pay the mortgage, or their medical bills, or are worried that they won’t be able to send their children to college. All while Exxon Mobile reports record profits, and some CEOs make more in ten minutes than the average worker makes in ten months.

We are not standing on the brink of recession because of forces beyond our control. This was not an inevitable part of the business cycle. It was a failure of leadership in Washington – a Washington where George Bush hands out billions of tax cuts to the wealthiest few year after year after year. A Washington where politicians tout NAFTA as a success when they’re in the White House and then call it a mistake when they’re on the campaign trail. A Washington that’s thrown open its doors to lobbyists and special interests who’ve riddled our tax code with loopholes that let corporations avoid paying their taxes while middle-class Americans pay more.

I spoke in Janesville on Wednesday about my comprehensive agenda to help struggling homeowners and prevent foreclosures; provide a middle-class tax cut to workers and seniors; make health care and college affordable; protect families from bankruptcy and credit card debt; and create millions of new jobs by investing in renewable energy and rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure.

Yesterday, Senator Clinton unveiled her latest in a long line of slogans, which argues that she’s proposed solutions while others have not.

Now, all of us have proposed plenty of solutions in this race. On some we differ. On many, we agree. The problem we have is not a lack of good ideas. It’s that Washington today is a place where good ideas go to die. They’re the victim of petty, partisan politics, point-scoring, and special interest influence that’s out of control.

So the real question for this campaign is, who can change that? Who can break us out of the gridlock? Who can take those good ideas that will help working families in Wisconsin and across the country, build a consensus, overcome the special interests, and actually get something done?

You know, after defending Washington lobbyists as people who “represent real Americans” at a debate in August, Senator Clinton said yesterday that she would take them on as President. But in this campaign, she’s taken nearly double the amount of money from lobbyists than any Democrat or Republican running for President. That’s not being a part of the solutions business. That’s being a part of business-as-usual in Washington. And that’s what we’re trying to change so that we can finally take on the special interests, bring people together, and pass the solutions that all of us have outlined in this campaign. That’s what will make a real difference in the lives of working families who are struggling in this economy, and that’s what I intend to do as President.

[thereismore]

7. Thanks for posting this. nt

[Benhurst]

3. I think both Obama and Clinton should stick to talking about themselves

and not their opponent.

Jeez! It's going to be hard enough as it is to bring the party together after the nomination after a primary which won't produce a clear-cut winner.

[Straight Shooter]

15. I'm beginning to think Obama's campaign is 75% fueled on Hillary Hatred.

Taking advantage of the media's villification of Hillary for the last 14 years. Exactly what a Repub opponent would be doing. But of course, David Gibbs is his communications director, and so I would expect no different.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2007/02/obama_spokesman_under_scrutiny.html

"Obama clearly dipped into the slimiest corners of DC to pluck out Gibbs," Markos wrote.

[ProgressIn2008]

17. I think 75% is a conservative estimate.

[rodeodance]

19. AND leader Obama leads the way.

[SIMPLYB1980]

27. More like 90%.

[OzarkDem]

4. Is Obama clairvoyant?

What a smarmy, childish comment. What a little man Obama is.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

6. Which comment do you take issue with?

[OzarkDem]

10. He knows how she feels?

and what her attitudes are? What a presumptuous person, attributing thoughts and feelings to her when he knows nothing about her. He's certainly an odd person, a very strange bird.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

11. What's the exact quote?

The OP said Obama said something like that, but didn't provide any quote.

[emilyg]

21. That he is.

[demokatgurrl]

5. How the fuck does he know what she's feeling? n/t

[tabatha]

8. Many of the headlines yesterday said

that Clinton has decided to go negative to stop Obama.

Anyone who feels they have to stop Obama by going negative must be feeling down.

[rodeodance]

18. Good for Hillary--she has taken the shit put out by Obama too long.

[DUyellow]

28. Is that what he said, or what this OP says he said.

[Captain Hilts]

9. He can read minds too - isn't he amazing! nt

[autorank]

12. Hubris.

That last comment, psychoanalyzing Clinton, is Obama's blind spot. He doesn't need to comment on
this subprocess. He should be ignoring her altogether, which would make sense...interesitng.

[frazzled]

13. "Washington today is a place where good ideas go to die"

That's the damned truth. I can't believe how much time we spend here nitpicking over the minor (and premature) differences in the candidates' various policy plans. There are plenty of good policy plans, which are mostly similar, sometimes with a difference. They are all better than any Republican plan. But we've had great plans for decades and decades, both from candidates and in our platforms. Fabulous policy ideas. But they rarely materialize in legislation.

Democrats tend to make this mistake every single election cycle. We let our candidates tear each other apart based on policy outlines that are going to shift anyway (prediction: if Hillary Clinton becomes the next president, she will not submit a health-insurance plan that includes mandates to Congress; I'd bet my lunch money on that). Democratic voters think they are smart cookies because they scrutinize policy issues up and down, thinking they can adjudicate the "best."

It doesn't matter what the policies are if they're going to go to Washington to die. So the question becomes this. Do they die because no one is working hard enough to get them to pass? Or do they die because the leadership can't build the public consensus to overcome insider and Republican opposition?

That is the question to ask yourself in determining your vote. I'm not saying I have the answer, but I've leaned toward the argument that hard work alone will not get the job done. That this time, we need something more: something that can shift the fundamental public dynamic on these issues. I don't expect everyone to make the same assessment. But it really does boil down to this ... not to a bunch of "specifics" given by a candidate on a website or in a town-hall discussion.

On edit: On the lighter side, I know where Obama got this phrase about Washington being the place "where good ideas go to die." As a former faculty member at the intellectually rigorous University of Chicago, he knows that the unofficial (and jokingly self-deprecating) motto of the school is: "University of Chicago: the place where fun goes to die." Honest, they even sell t-shirts that say that.

[rodeodance]

16. odd statement to me since he is taking his 'movement" there.

[frazzled]

22. So they won't die

That is the whole point. Perhaps you didn't read the entire text quoted in one of the posts above? Maybe I wasn't clear enough in stating the fundamental dilemma here?

[blm]

24. Wow - that's a quote Teresa has used for years re environment and healthcare

And why solutions have to be real and attained by someone who is NOT too busy fighting old personal battles and rivalries.

[rodeodance]

14. Some Wisconsin folks are not going to take kindly to this dissing Hillary. Just saying.

[Independent-Voter]

20. He needs to completely ignore that she exists, stay on message, and kick her ass (again) in WI

[tabatha]

23. She is dissing him big time.

[Pirate Smile]

25. She and Bill can diss him all the time but he isn't supposed to respond.

You can see that is how this is supposed to work if your read through the comments to this thread.

[stillcool]

26. some Wisconsin folk...

aren't going to take kindly to this either
..... "I'm sorry"

Clinton Surrogate Compares Obama Ad to Nazi March
http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20080201/cm_thenation/45278988_1
Fri Feb 1, 2:23 PM ET

The Nation -- On a media conference call organized by the Hillary Clinton campaign today, Clinton surrogate Len Nichols compared an Obama health care ad to Nazis. The ad features a couple at a kitchen table, which some Clinton supporters said was reminiscent of "the famous insurance-industry-financed 'Harry and Louise' ads against the original Clinton plan," as The Politico reports, and Mr. Nichols said it "personally outraged" him.

Accusing political opponents of Nazism is an outrageous smear. Raising the specter of a Nazi march in response to a health care mailer that evokes the insurance industry is so absurd, it would be hard to take the attack seriously, were it not launched from a high profile national campaign conference call in this crucial stretch of the presidential race. And political observers know, of course, that the Clinton Campaign regularly arranges opportunities for surrogates to launch these kind of smears, which are later followed up with apologies. (See: Bob Johnson, Bill Shaheen, Bob Kerrey, and Francine Torge, to name the most recent offenders.) For his part, Nichols did not immediately return a call requesting further comment.
-------------------------
Len Nichols, Director of New America's Health Policy Program, stated, "For nearly 17 years I have worked tirelessly to reform our nation's struggling health system. Today my passion overwhelmed me. I chose an analogy that was wholly inappropriate. I am deeply sorry for any offense that my unfortunate comments may have caused. I made unfortunate comments that do not accurately reflect my bipartisan conviction, political philosophy, or most importantly, my opinions about Senator Obama and his historic campaign for the United States presidency."

Clinton adviser steps down after drug use comments
Earlier Thursday, Clinton personally apologized to rival Obama for Shaheen's remarks.
Obama accepted her apology, according to David Axelrod, the top political strategist for the Obama campaign.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/13/clinton.obama/index.html

January 6, 2008, 5:18 pm
Edwards: No Conscience in Clinton Campaign
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/edwards-no-conscience-in-clinton-campaign/
By Julie Bosman
KEENE, N.H. – John Edwards angrily took on Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton at two news conferences in a row on Sunday, saying that her campaign “doesn’t seem to have a conscience.”

COMPTON, Calif. (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton and her campaign tried to mend ties to black voters Thursday when a key supporter apologized to her chief rival, Barack Obama, for comments that hinted at Obama's drug use as a teenager. The candidate herself, meanwhile, praised the Rev. Martin Luther King and promised to assist with the rebirth of this troubled, largely black city.

Bob Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television, apologized for comments he made at a Clinton campaign rally in South Carolina on Sunday that hinted at Obama's use of drugs as a teenager.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-01-17-johnson-apology_N.htm?csp=34

Hillary: Sorry for Any Offense Campaign (Bill) Has Caused
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB65wJ6Rcfs

Bill Clinton Asks for a Second Chance
By Liz Halloran
Posted February 11, 2008

The morning after his wife, Hillary, was routed in three state contests by Sen. Barack Obama in their dead-heat battle for the Democratic nomination, former President Bill Clinton made his case for her before a packed Sunday service at one of the largest black churches in Washington, D.C.
But first he offered an apology of sorts for racially tinged comments he made about Obama and his candidacy that have triggered a backlash in the black community and among many other Democrats.

Clinton invoked his "worship of a God of second chances" in pronouncing himself glad to be at the Temple of Praise, which claims nearly 15,000 members. His invocation of second chances echoed comments he made early last week at black churches in California, where he campaigned for his wife before that state's Super Tuesday primary, which she won.
http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/campaign-2008/2008/02/11/bill-clinton-asks-for-a-second-chance.html

Bill Clinton To Apologize At LA Black Churches
Once again, Bill Clinton is ready to repent.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/02/bill-clinton-to-apologize_n_84573.html
On Sunday the former president is scheduled to visit black churches in South Central Los Angeles, where he's expected to offer a mea culpa to those who "dearly loved him" when he was their president, Rep. Diane Watson (D-Calif.) says.

Watson, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus who has endorsed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), tells us she'll usher the former president to more than half a dozen churches in her district where she says he needs to "renew his relationship" with congregants who were turned off by his racially tinged comments in the days leading up to and following the South Carolina primary. (Such as when Clinton compared Sen. Barack Obama's landslide victory to Jesse Jackson's wins in 1984 and 1988.)

..........Or This......

Clintons' InfoUSA Ties Scrutinized
by Peter Overby

Last year, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton took the unusual step of renting out some of her lists. The transaction once again highlights the Clintons' connections to a businessman who now faces questions from the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Reports from Clinton's campaign show that on Dec. 3, it collected payment for renting out three mailing lists, the sale of which netted them $8,225.
It was an unusual transaction, according to Roger Craver, a liberal guru of the political direct-mail industry.
...

According to one direct-mail professional, $800,000 would have seemed like a more plausible price for a quality list...

Vin Gupta has a long history of giving and raising campaign money for the Clintons, and gave $1 million for the 2000 Millennium Celebration, a New Year's Party thrown by the Clintons.

December 10, 2007
Third Clinton Volunteer Knew Of Smear E-Mail
A third volunteer for Hillary Clinton's campaign was aware of a propaganda e-mail alleging that Barack Obama is a Muslim who plans on "destroying the U.S. from the inside out."

"Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's expected presidential Candidacy," the email reads. "Please forward to everyone you know. The Muslims have said they Plan on destroying the U.S. from the inside out, what better way to start than at The highest level."

Two Clinton volunteers, Linda Olson and Judy Rose, have already been asked to resign from the campaign for their roles in forwarding the e-mail. The AP reported yesterday that Olson, a volunteer coordinator in Iowa County, sent a version of the e-mail to 11 people, including Ben Young, a regional field director for Chris Dodd's campaign. Young passed it on to the AP.
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/02/hillary_adviser_harold_ickes_t.php

A $750 million public company,
over 4 million customers.
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eTail 2008

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----------------------------
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[DUyellow]

29. did he say that? where is the transcript... link... something...