Why doesn't Obama call her on her '35 years of experience' bullshit?

[nebula]

I remember during several of the debates, Hillary kept repeating the meme that she is more qualified to be POTUS because of supposedly greater 'experience.' Every time she did that, Obama just sat there like a rock and allowed these overblown claims of experience to go unchallenged. Whenever she sat there and talked about 'my 35 years of experience' with a straight face I just laughed my ass off because Hillary has only been in office since 2000. WTF?

So why didn't Obama simply point out the fact that he has at least 3-4 more years of experience in elected office than Hillary does? When someone makes a false claim and you don't challenge it, the public will naturally assume the claim to be true, whether it is or not. And that is exactly what happened. The false '35 years of experience' meme has been allowed to take root and spread as if it were accepted fact. It has grown into a full-fledged talking point that talking heads in the MSM and the Hillary campaign use over and over on a regular basis to attack Obama for his 'lack of experience.' And I'm tired of hearing it.

Obama can be a real pussy sometimes. I thought that was a major blunder that has come back to haunt him. Just plain stupid, really.

[Symarip]

1. I'm not disagreeing completely, but imagine half of the population hearing,

"When you're married, that doesn't count towards your experience in life"

It's an area where you end up losing when he has plenty of her record to attack head on, without any chance of a bad interpretation.

[nebula]

5. Say what?

I have no idea what you're talking about.

Hillary was talking about her qualifications to be POTUS.
I fail to see what the hell her married life has to do with that.

[quickesst]

18. I believe...

that those years spent as an active participant in her husbands governership, and that of his presidency does indeed qualify as experience. Compare her years in the White House with that of Bush's wife, and the obvious fallacy of the argument comes through loud and clear. I welcome the challenge to her experience by obama. Be interesting to watch his argument that he is more experienced than HRC, or perhaps there is an obvious reason that he has not chosen to do so. Thanks.
quickesst

[TexasObserver]

22. She didn't even have a security clearance.

Literally tens of thousands of military personnel know more about our foreign policy than she does.

She THINKS she has experience, and she has been able to fool a number of people in that regard, such people being the ignorant grist of her electoral mill. The less a person knows, the more likely they are to support Hillary. That's a sad fact.

[anonymous171]

2. Because she would fight to the death to keep it.

Just like how she fought to keep her NAFTA lie afloat before Ohio, she would not give up her only platform without a fight.

[cliffordu]

3. Being a pussy has nothing to do with it.

His whole thing is to stay on message. She is doing a fine job of flushing herself into the gutter all by herself....

Although, If she and her scumbags bring up the Wright thing again, I'd advise him to hammer her ass into the ground on her "35 years of experience."

But that's just me.

But ya gotta admit, he isn't doing badly for a guy who's run a remarkably clean campaign...


:patriot:

[SunsetDreams]

4. he doesn't have to

the media is doing it for him, they are the ones digging and rightfully so.

[nebula]

6. No, the media is using it AGAINST him

and its stupid to always rely on others to fight your battles for you. because they won't.

all he had to do was tell the damn TRUTH. Is that so hard?

[SunsetDreams]

7. they are not using her screw ups

against him, not sure what channel you been watching.

As for him sinking to her level, why does he have to reitterate what the Media has already said?

Kind of like beating a dead horse.

[nebula]

8. Obama claims he will fight for the people

I don't know how much of a defender of the common man
Obama will be when he can't even defend himself against
a mediocre debater like hillary.

[SunsetDreams]

10. looks like he's done just fine to me

he's ahead, in an insurmountable lead

[nebula]

12. Yeah, but he has allowed her to get this far

he could have put her away for good along time ago when he had the chance.
but here he is 2-3 months later still fending off her non-stop attacks.

I guess he is more of a pushover than a fighter.

[SunsetDreams]

16. lol

1st rule in politics: when your opponent and his/her campaign is imploding, you just stand by and let them fall on their sword.


Why fight it, when it's going down?

Barack Obama is definitely not a pushover, and come the GE, you will see that. He is fighting the right battle now, with John McCain. Why should he fight Hillary when she is no longer his opponent?

[nebula]

23. Are they having a debate or a tea party?

And the primary isn't over. Obama is not the nominee.

In a debate, you're supposed to fight back when your opponent attacks you.
She attacked him as being unqualified to be POTUS, and Obama allowed her to define him as such.

You can't allow your opponent define you. That's just a basic rule of any debate.

[FrenchieCat]

9. He has......just hasn't gotten much help from the media....

http://blogs.trb.com/news/politics/blog/2007/11/obama_sharpens_criticism_of_cl.html

[Muttocracy]

11. I think it's because he's focused on McCain.

McCain wins the # argument (which makes it even sillier for Hillary). Dodd or Biden would have been the Dem nominee by that standard (and that would have please me, but it's not up to me).

Obama wins on other grounds.

[thesquanderer]

29. Bingo, McCain. Also...

I think that's an excellent point. If Obama engages on her terms, the experience argument, even if he wins (maybe *especially* if he wins), he has elevated the issue to a higher level of importance, which could work against him later. Experience is a losing argument against McCain. Better to say it's not the issue. This is one reason I think Hillary would have a much tougher time against McCain than Obama would. She's spent a year telling us that experience is the key. If you believe that, it's that much harder to choose her over McCain, especially since McCain is seen by many as a bipartisan-friendly moderate and so not as far from Hillary as some other candidates would have been.

Secondarily, depending on what you look at, and how you personally weigh the significance of various things they've been a part of, you could conceivably come away thinking *either* Hillary or Obama is "ahead" in experience, it's not really cut and dried. To take on Hillary's experience claim, Obama would risk having the outcome be, essentially, "Hey, I'm *almost* as experienced as she is!" That's not a winning argument either. Certainly Obama doesn't want to let Hillary define the terms of the debate... if you're not going to be the clear victor on a point, better to stick to your strengths!

[smalll]

13. A Biden or a Richardson could call her on her resume puffery vis-a-vis experience;

Barack, having pretty much NONE AT ALL (experience, that is,) can't really say anything. Pretty simple, really. :shrug:

[nebula]

24. None at all?

8 years in the Illinois Senate, 3 years in US Senate.

Barack has more experience as an elected official than Hillary does.

[elleng]

14. Secretary of State Albright recently

"opened the floor for questions. The first was from a young man who brought us back to an early debate when Hillary & O! were asked whether or not they would meet with Ahmadinejad without pre-conditions in the first year. Albright was appreciative of Hillary's exposure to diplomatic protocols here, and went into great details, artfully explaining that a meeting with the President in such cases is generally reserved for breakthroughs, accords or major major developments. And she told the story of how North Korea presented Bill Clinton an ornate invitation to sit down & it was rebuffed & instead, she was sent. While they weren't exactly thrilled to see her, the lesson was crystal clear. And the administration retained the upper hand by doing so. The President is the trump card, she said, over & over. And you don't start by playing trump! Hillary understands this because she has been exposed to the protocols & had master teachers."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=351731&mesg_id=351731

[JohnnyLib2]

17. That's an excellent review and point. Thanks.

[jobycom]

15. Because if he makes experience an issue, he loses.

I've seen his supporters play weird games with numbers, but he's at least smarter than that. He's got no experience beyond local, and not much of that. He loses if he makes experience an issue, and he knows it. That's why he goes to the "I don't have experience, I have judgement" card.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

19. No. When your opponent is self-destructing, you leave them be.

otherwise you risk looking like you are pissing on a corpse and the corpse may gain the sympathy vote.

[Eagle_Eye]

20. Obama can't challenge Hillary's experience, because he has none himself

[nebula]

25. What experience??

Hillary has less experience as an elected official than Obama does!

[Eagle_Eye]

28. Hillary took on the Washington establishment with her original health care program.

How did Obama fare when he took on the Washington establishment?

[TexasObserver]

21. She's experienced ... at being a Walmart toadie and being a first lady

If you want to have a tea, she's the person to ask.

If you want judgment and real experience, she's not the person to ask.

Her compulsion to overstate is well known, and she does what many do who have a weak resume. She's exaggerates and conflates. That point is made often, mainly by those who examine her outrageous claims.

[Orsino]

26. I think he ought to highlight it.

In her alleged 35 years, she hasn't accomplished all that much. Besides, he's well-positioned as the candidate of youth and hope, and without being mean about it, can afford to let the older candidates make themselves look ridiculous. I just wish he'd commit himself to some really progressive action; that's the way, IMO, for him to distinguish himself.

[Vinca]

27. Every time she tells a tale she digs a deeper hole for herself.

Obama is letting her dig.