Article from Huff Post -- Hillary is Doing McCain's Job for Him

[Armstead]

John McCain Should Go on Vacation, Hillary Clinton is Doing His Job for Him
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/john-mccain-should-go-on_b_96577.html

Excerpt:


....Hillary Clinton (is) adopting the frames, lies, stereotypes and destructive clichés long embraced by the likes of Lee Atwater and Karl Rove. She has clearly decided that the road to victory runs through scorched earth.

The question is, if she succeeds, what kind of Party will she be left to lead? She's burning down the village to save it -- or to prove that she would make the best fire chief. But the village won't be saved; only one house will be left standing. A house with room for just two occupants. Hill and Bill.

Clinton's cynical distortion of Obama's remarks is in keeping with her campaign's modus operandi. On the foreign policy front, we've been fed a steady diet of her RNC-patented attacks: No Democrat can be trusted with national security -- except her. Obama hasn't crossed the threshold to be commander-in-chief. Etc.

Now she's turned to the domestic policy section of the RNC playbook, twisting Obama's words in a way that confirms every right-wing demagogic caricature of her own Party.

Yes, as Obama himself admits, he certainly could have chosen his words more artfully. Perhaps he should have borrowed Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign riff about "economically insecure white people who are scared to death." Maybe "scared to death" is less "elitist" than "bitter." But telling the truth, however inartfully, makes you "out of touch"? Give. Me. A. Break.

It has been an article of faith in the Democratic Party over the last twenty years that when small town, working class whites vote for Republicans they're voting against their economic self-interest. And why do they do that? Because every four years the Republican Party comes into those small towns and, to distract folks from the worsening economic situation, trots out a bunch of divisive, hot button social issues: "Let's not talk about why you don't have a job, can't afford health care, or can't send your kids to college; let's talk about gay marriage, school prayer, illegal immigration, and flag burning amendments." And Hillary is following the blueprint.

John McCain may as well take the next six months off, raise some money, maybe take a vacation -- because Hillary Clinton is out there doing his work for him....

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[Taxmyth]

1. If this is all damaging Senator Obama in the G/E should he get the nomination

then he wasn't a very strong candidate to begin with. I've seen far worse attacks thrown against Senator Clinton, and while they may not be coming from Senator Obama himself, his supporters, the MSM and the GOP faithful have been using the scorched earth policy against her for quite a while now. Still, she is moving back up in the polls because the attacks don't effect her as badly as they seem to effect Senator Obama.

[Armstead]

3. You miss an important distinction

It's one thing when the GOP are throwing crap at you.

It's quite another when a candidate in your own party is throwing the exact same crap that GOP will do.

Obama on the other hand, is not feeding red right-wing meat out there.

[Taxmyth]

5. Here's the distinction

Do you really believe anyone gives a rats patootie about the crap being thrown? EVERYONE recognizes crap for what it is. It's how the candidate RESPONDS to the crap that is important. The policy issues are easy enough to find, the stump speeches have been heard over and over. But how will a particular candidate react to adversity? Will they hem and haw and be totally unprepared for the crap that they should have been prepared for? If so, then that gives no confidence to anyone worried about how a particular candidate will respond to that mythical 3 AM phone call.

The crap being thrown at Senator Obama now is pretty solid and should bounce right off of him IF HE KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING. Later on, that crap won't be so solid, it will be with very little substance. If he can't handle the crap lobbed at him now then there is no way he handles what will be thrown at him later.

The Democratic candidate has some pretty hard core forces lined up against them every year. You only have to look at what happened to Senator Edwards to realize how strong at least one of those forces is.

[earthlover]

6. Obama handled the crap sent at him during the debate quite well....

Of course, it is hard for a candidate to focus on the issues facing America and what he/she would do when confronted for 45+ minutes with gotcha questions. Still, Obama stood up to the challenge.

If Hillary gets the nomination, we are sure to see similar attempted character assassination by the media, while giving McCain easy lobs.

Imagine the Clinton-McCain debate....

To McCain: do you like high taxes?

To Hillary: question about Monica

To McCain: are you infavor of a strong defense?

To Hillary: question about Foster's death

To McCain: Do you believe your religious faith makes you a stronger person?

To Hillary: why do you think you could do any better on health care than you did in 1990s?

To McCain: what positions have you taken that at the time were unpopular but you stood for principle?

To Hillary: same question.

The media is going to treat either Hillary or OBama like Obama was treated in last week's debate. We had better face that reality.

I think Obama did pretty well. Of course it will certainly be easier when we have a united Democratic Party behind our nominee....

[Kokonoe]

2. M$M will hold McGaits feet to the fire.

Hillary will still be a nillionare.

please move on to te next month.

[natrat]

4. clinton is an integral part of the neocon corporatist game plan-she is despicable