If Clinton wants to attack Obama via a 527, I say...

[DarienComp]

...GOOD! And I'm Obama supporter myself. Certainly, we can expect the Republicans and John McCain to do exactly that in the general, and I want Obama to be as well-prepared as possible.

So, imho, let the Clinton campaign do what it will. If Obama still wins (and it's almost certain, barring a major misstep, that he will), he'll have proven that he can stand up to these kind of attacks.

Am I way off base here?

[MNDemNY]

1. No, if there is any there there, let it out before the nomination.

[shraby]

3. You're not offbase, but Clinton will receive

a lot of blowback on this even tho it will be a 527, it will be tagged with the term swiftboating. Her numbers will tank even more. When will they realize that people have had their fill of negative campaigning and political vitriol?

[KittyWampus]

5. WTF? The Hillary Flying Monkey Squad will INVENT crap, like the 'plagarism & cult' bs.

This isn't about finding some valid "there".

[KittyWampus]

2. Hillary's Filthy Surrogates WILL Drive Up Obama's Negatives. If He Wins, He'll Be Weaker

because of that.

If Hillary wins because of that 527 and it's filth, it won't be because she's a better campaigner and more likely to win the GE.

[Renew Deal]

4. This is the Clyburn point of view.

It will make him tougher.

[RamboLiberal]

6. Yes - I think it's time to quit doing the Repukes work for them

Clinton's doing nothing but reinforcing their talking points and adding the kind of BS crap that MSM loves to parrot to no end. Witness Tweety's attack on what I will admit was a hapless Obama shill last night.

This crap is driving up Obama's negatives.

BTW I'm listening to Ed Schultz at the moment and he's on fire correctly calling out Clinton and her surrogates for this 527 crap. It is time for the Democratic leadership to sit the Clintons down and explain to them that the good of the Democratic party should usurp the good of the Clintons.

I've lost a ton of respect for Hillary, Bill and their surrogates during this campaign.

[DarienComp]

9. Honestly, I was more pissed at Obama's campaign

than I was at Tweety after that little dust up... I mean, we've seen Tweety do this before, numerous times. His enormous ego dictates that he be seen as this fearless reporter holding politicians feet to the fire, and whenever he gets the opportunity, he hams it up big time. I did feel for the state senator, but only because I remember what it felt like in the 3rd grade when I had to give an oral report for a book that I didn't read.

[phantom power]

7. I totally agree about one thing:

Whoever the Dem nominee is, the GOP is going to hit them far harder, and far dirtier, than anything we've seen so far.

Obama will not be immune from this. The only question is whether he has a good plan for counteracting it.

[rodeodance]

8. Why ASSume these will be attacks ads? -instead of stating her policies??

[DarienComp]

10. Wouldn't that negate the need to go through a 527?

[rodeodance]

15. Obama has used 527 $ for ads. It is money available to each candidate. These

ads can to used to outline policy positions for both.

[DarienComp]

18. that's fine with me.

The article that I read implied that Clinton's 527 would be used to attack Obama (which is also fine with me, for reasons listed above). If the article is wrong, I'll stand corrected.

[rodeodance]

25. read it more carefully--I think that was a word inserted by the writer.

[DarienComp]

27. okay.

it seems the article has toned down a bit.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/02/new-pro-clinton.html

....

ALP has developed three ads aimed at pushing the idea that Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, is a talker and not a doer -- the ads are called “If speeches could solve problems" -- and they will contrast Obama and Clinton on issues of importance to middle class voters, such as the economy, health care, and the mortgage crisis.
.....

NOTE: Some minor tweaks in diction to this post were made for accuracy about the actual ads. And the sentence about the ads not mentioning Obama by name was added.

Still, I think this is ultimately a good thing for Obama; and I didn't mean to cast aspersions on Hillary. She has every right to do what she wants with her campaign.

[rodeodance]

28. Thank you for the update. I am angry at how that first one was written. I do hope

that Hillary will use for contrasting positions.

[Adelante]

24. When was this?

I haven't seen 527 ads for Obama. There is a California group who was doing voter registration, but I didn't know they did ads. It's not only a 527, but a regular PAC, which is the entity running voter reg.

[rodeodance]

26. It does not matter. it is outside money going to candidates. Both have used them

[Adelante]

29. "Obama has used 527 $ for ads."

Please back up your statement.

[monktonman]

12. why hire someone else to do it then????? n/t

[rodeodance]

17. ask Obama the same--

[UALRBSofL]

13. rodeodance is right

Is it not fair for Hillary supporters to set up 527 funding but when Obama has 527 funding for California, Texas, NV then it's ok? BTW, why did the OP say a Hillary 527 was used for attack when Obama's 527 wasn't. I think many Obama supporters aren't informed as much as they should be about either candidate. And, it appears there are quite a few newbies when it comes to politics and campaigning. It seems they have no insight into how the campaign's are run.

[DarienComp]

16. I think you missed my point.

I'm saying that I have absolutely NO PROBLEM with Sen. Clinton setting up a 527, and in the original post I listed the reasons for why I think so.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

22. Maybe because they say they are going to do them?

...Two Democrats said that the 527 plans to run television ads and send pro-Clinton literature in all three states. One of the Democrats said that the ads will also include contrast messages against Obama.

http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/02/proclinton_527_prepares_for_oh.php

[TwilightGardener]

11. You're off-base. The Repubs never damaged each other the way

Hillary is damaging Obama. They called each other "liberal" during the campaign, they didn't call each other plagiarists and cult messiahs and frauds and naive and empty. McCain is relatively unscathed, because the GOPers didn't attack his character, only his "liberal" views, which will actually be a plus in the general. Hillary needs to cut out the negative character-attack shit NOW--the theory of that which does not kill makes you stronger is not always correct. Sometimes damaging definitions and memes stick like napalm in the public sphere. She's pushing it already.

[DarienComp]

14. I'd agree with you if his victories were razor-thin, but they're landslides.

So how much damage is Hillary really causing Obama?

I also don't think McCain is unscathed, just because he won early... I remember those guys being merciless with each other, each accusing the other of lying, flip-flopping, etc... he still has massive issues with the repub base, with Limbaugh, Dobson and the rest trashing him on a daily basis.

You're right about memes though; it's a danger.

[progdog]

19. If she doesn't win the nom,

could she want McCain to win the GE so she can run again in four years? Don't flame me , it's an honest question.

[DarienComp]

20. running in 4 years after this massive flame-out

seems a bit unrealistic to me.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

23. You are so right

The "flip flop" meme that plagued Kerry was first used against him by Gephart in the primary.

[surfermaw]

21. I think we should be worried more about McCain. I think Obama realized the fact , after listening to

speech, I say he handled McCains smart mouth well.

[Tom Rinaldo]

30. You are absolutely right

No matter how harsh the Clinton camp may or may not get, the Republicans will be far harsher. It is almost like getting a flu shot to come up against a weaker form of an attack now to build up anti-bodies against it. That is the real beauty of having both Clinton and Obama go through this prolonged campaign. Whoever comes out on top will be stronger because of it. It is foolish to think that the Clinton people can come up with an attack line against Obama that the Republicans themselves won't be hammering on within weeks of his being assured of the nomination if not before.

Take all that stuff about Obama using parts of Patrick's speechs. The Republican Party ran a candidate AGAINST Patrick in 2006. They damn well know what tactics Patrick used to win. They know who Patrick's campaign manager was then and they know who Obama's campaign manager is now. They have already devoted thousands of hours to studying how Axelrod runs campaigns since they know there is an excellent chance he will be managing one agaist McCain. Anyone who thinks the Clinton campaign having helped call attention to a possible plagerism charge against Obama was giving amunition to the enemy is extremely naive, foolish, or both. It is much better for Obama for this stuff to come out now rather than have it sprung on him in the stretch run of a Presidential election. Let him get his chops in order defending himself before the finals start.