Axelrod: "They don't really have a record to run on, and this is what politicians do..."

[jefferson_dem]

Obama Watched Palin Speech

September 04, 2008 11:57 AM

HARRISBURG, PA. -- Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, watched just a "little bit" of the speech last night, his top political strategist David Axelrod told reporters today.

"As she proved last night, she's deft at going on the attack," Axelrod said. "For someone who makes the point that she's not from Washington, she looks very much like she would fit in very well there. When you see how she brings these attacks, it all felt very familiar to Americans; we're used to this kind of thing from Washington."

When asked if it's challenging to respond to attacks from a woman, Axelrod said that they respect her, she's a skilled politician, and they are more than happy to respond to her or anyone.

"Sen. Obama is taking the whole thing in stride," Axelrod said. "To be very honest with you, I don't think he expected gingerly treatment. I think he understands they don't really have a record to run on, and this is what politicians do when they don't have a record to run on."

Axelrod said that Palin's claim last night that Obama "is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or even a reform, not even in the state senate" is false.

"Maybe that's what she was told," Axelrod said, "but she should talk to Sen. (Dick) Lugar (R-Ind.), talk to Sen. (Tom) Coburn (R-Okla.), talk to the people across the aisle in Illinois where he passed dozens of major laws to expand health care reform, welfare, reduce taxes on working families. So you know, I think that she had an assignment and she discharged it."

Axelrod called Palin's assertion a "blatant distortion on fact."

"There wasn't one thing that she said about Sen. Obama or what he's proposing that's true," he said of her description of Obama's proposals.

Axelrod downplayed the significance of how Palin and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani belittled Obama's time as a community organizer, helping citizens on the South Side of Chicago deal with the closing of a steel mill.

"I'm not concerned about that," said Axelrod. "That may seem like time poorly spent for Rudy Giuliani, who gets paid millions of dollars to keep low cost drugs from being imported into the country when he's working as an agent for (the pharmaceutical lobby) Pharma, or you know, some of the other chores he's done for corporate America. But for everyday people the notion of rebuilding communities, of helping people when plant closings happen, deal with issues like health care an education and job training – that seems like real work. It may not pay the millions of dollars that Rudy gets shilling for Pharma, but it is significant work."

Axelrod said the speech was "red meat for the base" but he doubted it would appeal to independents since the speech said little about what the McCain-Palin ticket would do if entrusted with the White House.

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http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/obama-watched-p.html

[progressivebydesign]

1. She didn't write the speech. She didn't write the speech. She didn't write the speech.

I just don't know how many times we have to say that. Even Axelrod spoke as though the words were hers.. No, they were from Bush's speechwriter.

[AuntPatsy]

4. Does not matter, the moment she spoke them she "OWNED: them...

[Zenmaster]

2. I think they are licking their chops over the Community Organizer attacks

I expect we'll start seeing some good push back about that issue in the near future.

It completely flies in the face of any "we are one of you"/"we're not elite" message they are trying to send.

[quiet.american]

3. Now that's how you answer her stupidity about working with everyday citizens.

"I'm not concerned about that," said Axelrod. "That may seem like time poorly spent for Rudy Giuliani, who gets paid millions of dollars to keep low cost drugs from being imported into the country when he's working as an agent for (the pharmaceutical lobby) Pharma, or you know, some of the other chores he's done for corporate America. But for everyday people the notion of rebuilding communities, of helping people when plant closings happen, deal with issues like health care an education and job training – that seems like real work. It may not pay the millions of dollars that Rudy gets shilling for Pharma, but it is significant work."

[Basement Beat]

5. Hah!

Verbally smacked Ghouliani.