Hillary Clinton Feb. 23 accused Barack Obama of "using tactics that are straight out of Karl Rove's playbook" with two attack-mail pieces that criticize her stands on trade and health care. "This is wrong, and every Democrat ought to be outraged," she said, adding: "He is continuing to send false and discredited information."
"Senator Obama’s insistence on repeating attacks that have been demonstrated to be false by independent entities proves once and for all that his speeches about the new politics are just words. That’s not change you can believe in." —Clinton spokesman Phil Singer
Sen. Obama said the following:
And yesterday, Senator Clinton also said I’m wrong to point out that she once supported NAFTA. But the fact is, she was saying great things about NAFTA until she started running for President. This is false. Hillary criticized Sen. Obama for sending out a mailer that claimed she said NAFTA was a "boon to the economy" when she never did. Today, the University of Pennsylvania's FactCheck.org concluded "We do judge that the Obama campaign is wrong to quote Clinton as using words she never uttered, and it has produced little evidence that she ever had strong praise of any sort for NAFTA's economic benefits."
Also, Hillary has been critical of NAFTA long before she started running for President. For example, here's Hillary in March 2000:
What happened to NAFTA I think was we inherited an agreement that we didn’t get everything we should have got out of it in my opinion. I think the NAFTA agreement was flawed. The problem is we have to go back and figure out how we are going to fix that. [Working Families Party, 3/26/00] Sen. Obama touts his consistent opposition to NAFTA. But speaking in Illinois in 2004 Obama said the United States "benefited enormously" from exports under NAFTA and talked about the need to continue to pursue trade agreement like NAFTA that support "a system of free trade in this nation that allows us to move our products overseas."
If You Watch One Thing Today: In the final moments of last night’s debate, Hillary demonstrated her strength, life experience and compassion. Watch
One-on-One: Hillary’s closing remarks received a “standing ovation.” Her “last statement was the most effective moment she's had on television since the New Hampshire primary.” Hillary sounded “calm, in charge, deliberate,” “made an effective argument against John McCain” and had “very good moments on health care and the economy.”
Previewing Today: Hillary appeared on NBC’s “Today Show,” ABC’s “Good Morning America” and CBS’s “Early Show.” Hillary attends early vote events in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas and holds a town hall in Columbus and a rally in Toledo, Ohio… President Bill Clinton thanks volunteers in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Endorsement Watch: In Texas, former Reps. Chris Bell and Bob Gammage endorsed Hillary… In Ohio, State Sen. Teresa Fedor and former Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell endorsed Hillary… In Rhode Island, the Providence Democratic City Committee’s Executive Committee and Ward chairpeople endorsed Hillary.
Active in Vermont: Today, the campaign opens an office and holds a phone bank in South Burlington… Yesterday, Hillary supporters gathered for a debate watch party at the University of Vermont in Burlington... Earlier this week, the campaign announced that former Gov. Madeleine Kunin and House of Representatives Speaker Gaye Symington will co-chair state efforts.
Recapping Yesterday: In Laredo, Texas, Hillary spoke to an “enthusiastic crowd” and “earned loud applause in calling for a comprehensive solution to… the immigration problem.” One woman waited five hours at the rally site to present a rosary to Hillary… In Odessa, “they came early and stayed late to hear former President Bill Clinton.” In San Angelo, his “event attracted people of every race, gender, and creed.” When President Clinton recounted his wife’s accomplishments, “each accomplishment garner(ed) a louder cheer.”
FactCheck: Last night, Sen. Obama flip-flopped on normalizing trade relations with Cuba while his campaign distorted Hillary’s record on comprehensive immigration reform. Get the facts here and here
In Case You Missed It: “Obama once visited '60s ‘terrorists’.” Read More
Former Ohio Senator and astronaut John Glenn announced his endorsement of Hillary Clinton today.
"With all of the challenges facing Ohio and America, we need a leader who can deliver real solutions on her first day in office," Senator Glenn said.
"Hillary Clinton will immediately go to work turning around our economy and rebuilding the middle class. She has the strength and experience to take on the Republicans in November and win Ohio and the White House."
Sen. Glenn was the third American to fly in space aboard the Friendship 7 in 1962, and received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1978. After retiring from NASA, Sen. Glenn served the people of Ohio in the United States Senate from 1974 to 1999, the longest tenure of any Ohio Senator in history.
He began his career as a Marine Corps and Air Force pilot, flying combat missions during World War II and later Korea.
"I am deeply honored to have the support of Senator Glenn, a true American hero," Clinton said. "With his help, we'll bring our message of change across Ohio."
Hillary issued the following statement after winning New Mexico, including 27 of New Mexico's 33 counties, and 14 of the state's 26 delegates:
"I am so proud to have earned the support of New Mexicans from across the state. From strengthening the economy to providing health care for every American to jumpstarting a clean energy future, New Mexicans want real solutions to our nation's challenges. As president, I will continue to stand up for New Mexico and will hit the ground running on day one to bring about real change."
If John McCain becomes the Republican nominee, Hillary is the Democrat who can beat him -- because she has the strength and experience a president needs to get America on the right course and to defend it against future threats. She is the hands-on leader that America needs as we slip into a worsening economic crisis. Her ability to be both a strong commander-in-chief and steward of the economy are what make her the favorite against Sen. McCain.
Sen. Obama has been telling voters that he is the one to beat Sen. McCain because he gave a speech against the war in 2002 and because he is currently attracting independent voters. But those arguments don't hold up to current polling, to history or to what is likely to happen in a general election.
First, there is no support to Sen. Obama's assertion that his 2002 speech makes him a stronger choice in a general election. Recent history shows that voters look to who they believe can end a war and protect us against future wars. If Hillary had been president she would not have started the war. In fact, Hillary is backed by prominent anti-war leaders because they believe she is uniquely able to end the war responsibly.
Based on recent polls, there is nothing to support Sen. Obama's arguments about his prospective performance against Sen. McCain - both Sen. Obama and Hillary start off within the margin of error against Sen. McCain. Yesterday's Fox poll showed both in a statistical tie with Sen. McCain. And Hillary's negatives are fully factored in, whereas the same cannot be said of Sen. Obama because he is - by his own admission - not as well known.
Sen. Obama's support among independents comes from Democratic-leaning independents, voters who are likely to back the eventual Democratic nominee. He has no overall advantage in the polls against Sen. McCain. But such voters have very little information about Sen. Obama. And once the Republican machine begins to methodically attack him, he will lose independent support.
So in a head to head against Sen. McCain, Sen. Obama has no advantage with swing voters. The 2004 election was determined by two key groups - women concerned about security and Latinos - and against Sen. McCain those groups could again prove decisive. President Bush won 40 percent of the Latino vote in 2004 and Sen. McCain, unlike other Republicans, has been supportive of immigration reform. These are two groups that enthusiastically support Hillary.
As voters look to the future, they will be looking at who can put the country on the right path and who can defend it against future threats. While Hillary is seen as strong on defense and has served on the Armed Services Committee, Sen. Obama has limited experience on these national security issues that would again be front and center.
So if Sen. McCain is the nominee, Hillary is the one well-positioned to beat him. Already well vetted, she is ready to stand up to Sen. McCain on national security and put together a winning coalition of voters that will take back the White House.
From HillBlog,by Mark Penn,posted here by Randy...Rcalypso
Americans in the twenty-two states that voted on Super Tuesday strongly reaffirmed their desire for a serious, substantive candidate who hears their voices and will deliver solutions to the challenges facing the country, especially the deteriorating economy and the healthcare crisis. It is Hillary Clinton who is seen as being both ready to be commander in chief on day one and is ready to deal with the big challenges we face as a nation.
Yesterday's results confirmed Hillary's strengths as a candidate and signaled that she made inroads with a number of key groups and demographics. As we look through the returns and the exits, there are a number of myth-busters that stand out:
a) Hillary can and does do well in rural areas. In Missouri, for example, she won 110 of 115 counties, including a string of rural areas.
b) Hillary can win the youth vote. Hillary swept the youth vote in California and Massachusetts, two states that can be a bellwether for how young people will vote in the general election.
c) Hillary had the momentum on the last day. After the largest national town hall in presidential history, voters who went into the polls undecided chose Hillary, breaking the momentum of Obama's new establishment campaign. Details here.
d) The Gallup tracking showed a national upturn going into Tuesday, suggesting that it is not that Sen. Obama keeps closing in the polls but that he has bursts of momentum that fade when voters compare the two candidates on who is ready and able to make the changes we need starting on day one.
As we saw in New Hampshire, Sen. Obama was unable to close the deal with voters. After a week of wall-to-wall coverage of the Obama campaign's big endorsements, money, and Superbowl ads, Hillary Clinton scored strong wins in big states throughout the country and is winning the popular vote. The margins in these big states were strong - Massachusetts by 15, California by 10, New York by 17, NJ by 10, Oklahoma 24, Tennessee 13. Polls predicting losses or close races turned out to be wrong when the actual votes were counted in these states.
Sen. Obama, in contrast, won with large margins in Alabama and Georgia, two states that have been in the Republican column in the last two elections. He also won with large margins in a string of caucus states with comparatively fewer voters - Alaska, Idaho, Utah, and Kansas - and have also been in the Republican column. Of course, he won his home state.
If the Democratic Party used a "winner-take-all" system, Hillary Clinton would be en route to being the nominee given the pattern of her victories. But the proportional delegate system keeps this contest going with two candidates who have significant support.
We predicted we would be ahead in delegates overall and we are ahead in delegates overall.
As super-delegates consider which candidate to support, they will be looking at which one candidate has a base and can win the big states, including the crucial swing constituencies. We believe the impressive wins in NY, CA, MA, MI, FL, NJ, AZ suggest that Hillary is the one who can motivate a strong turnout in November. Several civil rights activists have recently written to Howard Dean to ask him to work out a solution to count the votes cast in FL and MI before the convention. More people voted in the Florida Democratic presidential primary (1.7 million) than voted in any other Florida presidential primary in history -- about the same number who voted in New York.
In 2004, the Republicans peeled off close to 40% of the Latinos and many women concerned about national security - two groups that were pivotal in the 2004 general election. Catholics were another group Hillary swept that Democrats lost in 2004. The states and her strong diverse coalition of support presents a powerful case to the superdelegates looking at who can beat John McCain.
The clock is also running out on Sen. Obama's venue of choice - the caucus. There are only five remaining caucuses, the last one in early March. Hillary, on the other hand, has excelled in the large state primaries - the states that will have the most impact come November. Although the remaining February map will favor Obama, the remaining three large primary states -- Ohio, Texas, and Pennsylvania -- are states with a lot of delegates, strong support from elected officials there (governors of Ohio and PA), and who see Hillary as the candidate with the solutions to the problems they face.
Rather than accept the debate challenge we have made to talk about the issues, Sen. Obama last night launched attacks. We hope he will abandon that approach and instead sit down and discuss the issues with Senator Clinton in a civil and agreeable way as they did in California last week.
by Mark Penn, Chief Strategistin News HILLBLOG 2/6/2008 2:07.Posted here by Randy...Rclaypso
A post by an Anonymous European girl in the 'Dignity' thread shared a link to this video in the comments of that thread.I thought it should be brought to the forefront.A GREAT VIDEO,THANK YOU!
February Fact Check: Hillary and Sen. Obama on Diplomacy (02/03/08) Fact Check: Sen. Obama and Guns (02/02/08) False Smear Against Clinton Campaign (02/01/08) Factcheck: Sen. Obama falsely compares Hillary to George Bush on economic stimulus (02/01/08) Clinton Campaign on Health Care Conference Call (02/01/08) Hillary on the Levin Amendment (02/01/08) The Obama Campaign's Negative Mail: Harry and Louise Redux (02/01/08)
