Mano a Mano - Dems to Debate in LA
Kicking off the pre-program festivities at the Kodak Theater, the head of the California Democratic Party just compared this debate to the most important political face-offs of all time: “Lincoln-Douglas; Nixon-Kenney; and Obama-Clinton,” he said.
Most don’t expect tonight’s proceedings to enter that historic pantheon, but there is a lot of anticipation for the first head-to-head debate in the Democratic Party.
Two schools of thought: one, Obama continues to hammer away at Hillary, as he did in a speech in Denver last night and during the last debate in Myrtle Beach, SC — but without John Edwards to come to her defense, as Edwards often did in South Carolina. It’s plausible because she’s still the front-runner and the attacks could bring her down a peg, and because he seems to come off looking more presidential than she does when things get heated.
Or two, in the last debate before a massive contest on February 5th — where no matter who wins the most states, the delegate counts are likely to end up fairly close — both candidates could decide to play it safe, keeping it civil so as not to risk a disastrous misstep. If both candidates are feeling good about their standing going into Super Tuesday, we may not see the kind of fireworks that went off in the last debate.
One early indication of how things will go: some pre-debate smack-talk from Clinton spokesman Phil Singer, who asks “Which Barack Obama will show up at tonight’s Democratic debate?” — the one who Singer says once eschewed personal attacks, or the one who he says has been “personally launching or allowing his campaign to launch a series of personal negative attacks against Hillary Clinton.”
Read the full memo after the break.
To: Interested Parties
From: Phil Singer
Date: Thursday, January 31, 2008
Re: Which Barack Obama Will Show Up Tonight?
Which Barack Obama will show up at tonight’s Democratic debate?
The Barack Obama who once told the press: “I would challenge anyone to find a statement that I’ve made that has been personal as opposed to a substantive difference with a candidate.” [Associated Press, 8/20/07]
Or
The Barack Obama who is increasingly not drawing policy differences or highlighting issue contrasts – but personally launching or allowing his campaign to launch a series of personal negative attacks against Hillary Clinton.
Yesterday, Sen. Obama unleashed eleven attacks against Hillary Clinton. While some touched on substance, such as trade or foreign policy, “the thrust of his argument about Clinton was to cast her as a polarizing figure.” [Associated Press, 1/30/08] In his speech, Sen. Obama – not his campaign, not a surrogate and not a spokesperson – accused Hillary Clinton of “changing positions when the politics of the moment changed” – a charge that goes directly to character, not substance.
This was not an isolated incident. This was part of a broader, orchestrated effort by the Obama campaign to focus on character attacks:
· On January 23, Sen. Obama told the Boston Globe that Hillary Clinton’s ‘positions change with the politics of the moment.’
· On January 23, Sen. Obama told Newsday that Americans “are looking for a president they can trust. That’s not what we’re seeing out of the former president and the Clinton campaign over the last several weeks.”
· On January 25, Sen. Obama’s campaign manager issued a statement that flatly stated “Hillary Clinton will do or say anything to win an election.”
· On January 29, a paid mailer by the Obama campaign claimed that “Hillary Clinton puts Washington thinking and Washington interests firsts.”
And while Sen. Obama once told his staff “I don’t want us to be a party to these kinds of distractions because I want to make sure that we’re spending time talking about the issues,” [New York Times, 2/23/07], to date, he has not condemned any of these personal – not substantive or issue-based contrasts - against Hillary Clinton.
If Sen. Obama wants to prove that he’s ready to lead, he should practice what he once preached and stick to the issues.
Tags: barack obama, California, Debate, hillary clinton
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After reading this I am a big dismayed as a voter. Last time I checked Senator Clinton’s voting history is political and issue based and so is the fact that she is a old time politician. I would question why he isn’t bringing up the fact that she and her husband and crooks. If you recall Mr. Clinton was brough up on charges while in office as a President which most people would agree he would have been impeached for if the Democratic Party wasn’t willing to put that aside to keep a Democrat in the White House. I think that their track records, voting history while in the Senate and their tactics should come into play to some degree in this campaign. I think that Senator Clinton wanted a fight and a dirty one at that so that she could cry in the media about the big boys ganging up on a woman. Well as a woman I think it is inexcusable behavior. What will you do Mrs. Clinton when big boy “Iraq” or big boy “Vietnam” or any other nation which we deal with doesn’t do what you want them to do? Cry about it? I dont think that is a campaign tactic that this country can afford. Since you wanted a fight and to play dirty, turn about is generally fair play. In the end I hope that the issues and political history is what people remember before the go to the polls. To all women I submit to you. At what cost are we willing to pay to send a woman to the White House, frankly I dont think we can afford the damage that Hillary Clinton can do if elected the leader of our country. This is merely one woman’s humble opinion. I don’t ask that you agree with it but I hope that it makes you think about it… May your day be filled with Gratitude for what you do have!
I’m listening to the debate right now. Do Clinton and Obama think Americans are idiots. Why should have the government regulated the lending market? Banks gave bad loans, people took bad loans. However, the lending market has been relatively efficient for the last 75 years. In the same breath, Clinton says the government needs to provide relief to people who are in foreclosure, but mandate every american to buy into the gov’t health care plan…. Sounds like they think the government is smarter then the american people.
im sorry but clinton is killing obama in this debate
Iraq is not an enemy….and Vietnam has nothing to do with this election. Hillary didn’t cry because the boys were ganging up on her, check again. I’m not saying that she should or should not be president. But why doesn’t the American public stop basing their opinions on the spoon-feeding of the media (which is here to get ratings and make money) and instead search intelligently for the truth about the presidential candidates? Remember libraries and .edu and .gov sites????? We Americans, are supposed to be the big power on earth, but most of our voters are influenced by whatever the t.v. or newspaper tell them that they should do or think. And yes…your “enemy” countries know about this and they laugh. Do yourself a favor, for a few minutes tomorrow - turn the tube off, turn the radio off and go to an unbiased source on these candidates and find something REAL to base your vote on.
what like john mccain another bush?lol
WHAT DEBATE WAS YOU WACTHING? HIS MESSAGE WAS TO THE YOUNGER GENERATION. NOT YOU PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT YOUR OWN PERSONEL GAINS. OLD VERSES NEW. HE SAID IT WOULD HARD. THESE OLD PEOPLE WOULD RATHER DIE THAN TOO LET HOPE, DREAMS, AND SOME NEW AMERICAN ………………YES WE CAN…………..THINK ABOUT IT. IF YOU CAN THINK ABOUT SOMETHING GREATER THAN YOURSELF, BUT WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF THAT…. WOMAN VOTEING FOR HER SIMPLY BECUASE SHE A WOMAN………… NOW THATS STUPID.
im a guy and im voting for hillary thats the same argument you can do for obama almost all the black plp are voting for him cause hes black. so why not women vote for hillary obama is not special.
I think Phil Singer summed up Obama perfectly in this article…That’s why Obama was basically kissing Hillary’s ass tonight…She schooled him tonight on everything/
I watched the debate and I was impressed! Clinton led at first, but not in th end…
Obama is a class act. Highly intelligent, truly insightful, witty, charming, gracious, and DIGNIFIED! He seems to exist in a state of relaxed intensity. You see the wheels churning in that mind of his, he takes his jabs, and he maintains an almost absolutely steely resolve. This man is no pussy cat, but he is a gentleman!
While Hillary Clinton was very polished and slick, as always, she struck me as cold, insincere, and untrustworthy. She spoke with authority about healthcare, immigration, and the poor, but used divisive/misleading scapegoating techniques to make her case. Also, she claimed to want to run “on her own merits”, but constantly tried to make the case for her husband’s administration and invoked his name to make the biggest “zinger” of the night, the now-infamous comment about a Clinton needed to clean up after a Bush.
What I mostly see/hear from Hillary Clinton is opportunism, greed, and hunger for power/influence. Of course, she can do a better job than Bush, but that’s setting the bar too low. She wants to restore “The Clinton Dynasty” at a time when it is more important than ever to LOOK FORWARD and not look back through rose-colored lenses and long for the “way we were.”
Although she is the more slick/polished candidate, she lacks Obama’s sincerity and likeability, clear-cut superior stance on Iraq, and ability to inspire and unify the country. McCain and the Republicans, once united, will destroy her (she will be THEIR uniting force). Barack keeps improving and he is the only one who can defeat the moderate and soon-to-be very popular McCain! The Republican base may not love him now - but let him face off against Hillary - and that party will snap right back together in an “enemy of my enemy is my friend” sort of way like we’ve never seen before! EVERY Democrat better recognize that, or they will be in for another rude awakening, with no one to blame but themselves!
NOW THATS JUST NOT TRUE….COME ON… WE ALL KNOW BLACK PEOPLE ARE THE LAST PEOPLE ON EARTH TO VOTE FOR SOMEONE SIMPLY BECUASE OF COLOR…. JESSE JACKSON FOUND OUT THE HARD WAY ALSO……UNFORTUNETLY BLACK PEOPLE VOTE 90% DEMOCRATIC, WHY? I DONT KNOW. BUT IT’S FUNNY. YOU WOMEN VOTE FOR A WOMAN THEY KNOW IS A SNAKE, BLACK PEOPLE VOTE FOR SOMEONE WHO IS HONESTLY NOT WITH THE FIRE HOSE GENERATION AND WHITE PEOPLE ACT LIKE OH OH OH YOU SEE HE’S BLACK, YOU CANT VOTE FOR HIM. YOU HAVE TO VOTE FOR WHO WE TELL YOU TO VOTE FOR, WE KNOW WHATS BEST FOR YOU. WHITE PEOPLE IN CHARGE OF THE DEMS FROM HOWARD DEAN ON DOWN. NOT A ONE BLACK PERSON IN A HIGH POSITION IN THE DEMS HOUSE. BUT YOU TALK CRAP ABOUT BUSH WHO HAS MORE BLACK PEOPLE AROUND HIM THAN ANY FORMER PRESIDENT, THE SURGEON GENERAL POSITION DOES’NT COUNT BY THE WAY. THATS WHY MY YOUNG GENERATION 1970, WILL SEE THAT THE DEMS HATE THEM… COME TO THE REPLUBLICANS. YOUR VOTE COUNTS HERE
Why you guys think the dream ticket is Obama-clinton or clinton-obama. The true dream ticket is Clinton-McCain or Obama-McCain. They would get votes from all demo, moderate, centrist and some liberal republican.
He’s trying to sell you something thats gonna cure all ills, aches and diseases. It can make the blind see, it can make the wheelchair ridden walk, it can cure the common cold.
When it’s only just castor oil.
But it gave you HOPE.
It gave you CHANGE, castor oil causes bowel movements.
It made you shout YES WE CAN, but you really can’t.
JUST WORDS just to make a sale to a sucker.