Clinton Campaign: Fire Samantha Power
The Clinton campaign gathered Congress members Nita Lowey, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Gregory Meeks on a conference call this morning to demand that Barack Obama sever his campaign's ties to senior adviser and Pulitzer-prize-winning academic Samantha Power after she called Hillary Clinton a “monster” in an interview with a Scottish newspaper.
Congresswoman Lowey of New York opened by saying, “We feel so strongly that this is a long way that we have to go in this campaign, and it's likely to go all the way to Denver. Personal attacks are not the way to go.” She went on, “We’re calling on Senator Obama to make it clear that Samantha Power should not be part of this campaign.”
Lowey later said, “This is an important test for Senator Obama….it’s really a test of character. This comment set a tone.” She then added, “I think Senator Obama has to make a public statement and separate himself from Samantha Power.”
Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida came on the line next and told reporters who were listening in, “Senator Obama set a tone for this campaign and talked about the politics of hope.” She added “those kinds of comments are not appropriate for a senior advisers.” Schultz reduced Powers’ comments to “the result of frustration and anger over his losses on Tuesday.”
Greg Meeks of New York spoke next. “Politics is a contact sport,” he said. “But the contact should be on the issues.” He called Powers’ remarks “personal character assassination” and wondered “what else are people saying off the record or behind the scenes.”
Meeks then denounced personal attacks on candidates and said, “Everything has been on the issues from our campaign.” When that assertion was a reporter challenged that assertion during the question-and-answer session, citing as an contradictory example the time that Clinton surrogate Bill Shaheen made remarks about Barack Obama’s drug use, Wolfson answered, “As you know, when Mr. Shaheen made comments along those lines he was removed from the campaign” in order “to show that that was not the kind of campaign that we were running.”
When another reporter said that the Clinton campaign “has never held [BET owner] Bob Johnson accountable for comments he made," Wolfson responded, “There have been moments in the campaign where people associated with the campaign made inappropriate comments and were separated from the campaign.” He went on, “In this instance… it’s my recollection that there was some initial sense that Bob Johnson was referring to one thing, later a sense that perhaps he was referring to something else.” He added, “Bob Johnson is a supporter of ours, but he is not a senior policy adviser…I don’t mean to minimize his importance, but he is not someone who is part of the daily campaign life.”
- Poll
- Obama (D)
- McCain(R)
- Spread
- RCP Average
- 50.1
- 42.9
- Obama +7.2
- Candidate
- Favorable
- Unfavorable
- Spread
- Obama
- 57.1
- 36.1
- +21.0
- McCain
- 49.3
- 42.3
- +7.0
Debbie Wasserman Schultz, ha ha, I could say something but I'll refrain.
Hillary is a monster, when you cut her she bleeds green, acidic blood. Obama, you need to pull out all the stops...start using Hillary's sordid history against her; the Republicans have the playbook, get it off the shelf, dust it off, and GO TO TOWN!! Show some damn spine, where is the fire in your belly? You're a sorry excuse for a Chicago politician. You think Mayer Daley, senior, would let this happen to him?
Hillary deserves to be taken down, don't let these congress people interfere with this election!!
So right!
Please, Obama, don't fall for Hillary's carrot on a stick--namely, implying she would make you her vice president. This is her devious way of influencing you to stop your agressive challenges on her "best qualified claims", and ethics.
If she did make you vice-president you would have no say , unless it was to take the blame when things go wrong. Look how they treated Gore.
What about stealing items belonging to the White House when Bill left office. When challenged, they returned $230,000 worth, but how much more did they get away with? And what about the last minute pardons to pay off friends, etc.
Her much touted "best experienced" consists of best experienced in slight-of -hand, poor judgement, opportunism,
She takes credit for meeting participation , when she has attended for a few mnutes. And what about her 35 years of experience? If my husband where a dentist, would that make me an experienced dentist.
Of course, that was before last week's Clinton Machine-influenced/staged NAFTA-gate traffic accident before the OH Primary (not to be confused with the tears before NH, or race-baiting in SC, or...). The Clinton Campaign contacted the Conservative Canadian government and told them what was then FALSELY reported by that very same Government to their "Press" to leak MISINFORMATION -- that a representative of the Obama Campaign did. Simultaneously, Hillary Clinton KNOWING this, leveraged this "opportunity" to indict Barack Obama with irresponsible communications with that same Conservative Government. After the OH and TX Primaries, that same Government has "apologized" and their "Press" has quietly published a "correctilon" assigning the real Clinton operative scenario -- Friday. Not to be left out, Republican/Conservative John McCain ALSO jumped on the bandwagon to pile on Barack Obama w/BASELESS assertions -- without solid knowledge (or maybe Hillary told him?). Hillary, not to be outdone, proffered John McCain and SHE had the foreign policy "credentials" that Barack Obama didn't -- and the BASELESS Clinton-led aforementioned scenario was what SHE/John McCain put forth as their example, to the Nation and voters in OH and TX.
Today, Hillary Clinton continues to function as if the Clinton-Canadian Government scenario/setup -- is TRUE -- and is tagging Samantha Powers' interview and off-the-record comments with the same brush.
To date, neither John McCain (totally clueless) or Hillary Clinton have apologized for THEIR complicity in the aforementioned, and are leveraging it together.
Perhaps we should reconsider Ms. Powers' assertion -- circa this week. Perhaps Ms. Powers' opinions have changed, as have MANY Americans since last week, watching the spectacle and spectre of the Hillary Clinton/John McCain show.
Release the tax returns, Clinton Library donor records and White House Records -- and stop with the Machiavellian/Rovian games, machinations and wasting OUR time, Hillary. What is the SOURCE and CONNECTION between these records and the source of your newfound WEALTH?
America has already had 30 years of THIS kind of "leadership" commoditizing our interests domestically and abroad. When a foreign Nation can interfere with our Nominating Process WITH Candidates colluding, it is time to turn the page.
You've got to be kidding me?! All of these people standing up for Senator Clinton seem to have rather selective memories and arguments.
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Was it not Bill Clinton who so delicately played the race card in South Carolina while appearing not to? Was it not Bill Clinton who tried to minimize Senator Obama's win and also again delicately play the race card by stating that after all, Jesse Jackson won SC also?
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Was it not Bill Shaheen and Bob Johnson, both Clinton supporters who subtlely and not so subtlely tried to make Obama's drug use (a fact he has never shirked from!) a major campaign issue?
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And last but not least, the most repugnant of all, Howard Wolfson. Isn't it Mr. Wolfson who has compared Mr. Obama Ken Starr?
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The Clinton campaign's outrage over this in light of some of the stunts they've pulled smacks of disingenuousness to say the least.
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I totally agree that the kind of comments Ms. Power made have no place in the campaign of either candidate. In a perfect world, campaigns would be based solely on the merits of the candidate's records and goals for their tenure in the office they seek. Unfortunately that is not the case now, and it never will be. With that said, I would encourage the Clinton campaign to practice what they preach. Until Senator Clinton cleans her own house of the kind of tactics that supposedly outrage her, she should, to put it politely, put up or shut up.
Hey. I read serious bs between the lines as easy work for simple minded Clinton bird dogs. "Gotta get that smart bitch outta here asap!" Meanwhile in Obamaland, USA we say: REINSTATE SAM POWER! REINSTATE SAM POWER! REINSTATE SAM POWER! YES WE CAN! Since when does calling a spade a spade = I'm fired from my volunteer job? Is it time for a new America or what?
Hillary has class and decency. And she is a very strong debator.
Anybody who has doubts, watch the Ohio debate. If Obama and Hillary unite, they will be unstoppable.
I am sure most of these comments are made by war loving Republicans.
Why don't you take your comments to Rush Limbaugh, or some other show that can't make Nielson ratings.
With Bush's poll ratings, people respect McCain as much
as a homeless person. Go join them, and while your at it,
sign up for the war.
Do America a favor, and get lost.
The Clinton and Obama campaign need to stop focusing on the back and forth between the two campaigns' staff, and restart the dialogue of what each plans to do if elected and what makes them the better candidate. If they want to debate over their policies fine, but this he said she said they said back and forth nonsense is just getting in the way of the issues and both sides are just as guilty for doing it from the start of their campaigns. I don't want to know how popular Mr. Obama will be to the young, the movie stars or CNN for that matter or how his Preacher thinks or feels, and I don't care about how Mrs. Clinton is married to Bill or when she will release her tax returns. I want to be able to determine who is the most qualified to take the job, what it is based on-- and this is detracting from anyone being able to come to an informed opinion. Too much talk without enough substance is what we're being fed today.
This is politics, I've never known it to be any other way.
I'm sorry, I'm institutionalized and won't be voting in November due to my below average intelligence.