by Mike Dorning
KINGSTREE, S.C.—Even as he repeated complaints that Hillary and Bill Clinton are spreading falsehoods about his record, Barack Obama today dismissed suggestions that bad feelings from the Democratic primary campaign would hinder the party in the fall or depress turnout among African-Americans if Clinton is nominated.
“Black voters shouldn’t blame Senator Clinton for running a vigorous campaign against me,” Obama said during a press conference following a rally here. “That should be a source of pride. It means that I might win this thing.”
Obama added that he is “confident that the Democrats will rally together” for the campaign in November because the differences among the Democratic candidates “pale in comparison” to differences with Repulicans.
Several party leaders including Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) have reportedly contacted the Clintons in recent days to ask them to tone down their rhetoric against Obama lest the increasingly bitter tone of the campaign risks divisions in the party. Party leaders particularly have worried that African-American enthusiasm to vote could be dampened if Clinton is nominated through a campaign that is perceived as unfair to Obama.
Obama was peppered with questions about a radio ad his campaign is airing in South Carolina that charges Clinton is “making false attacks” and will “say anything to get elected.”
For more than a week, Bill and Hillary Clinton have seized on a remark Obama made in a newspaper interview that Republicans were “the party of ideas” during the 1990s to suggest that the Democratic presidential candidate is, in fact, an admirer of the other party’s policies.
Obama has vociferously argued that they are mischaracterizing his statement, which he made as part of a comment pointing out that both Ronald Reagan during the 1980s and congressional Republicans during the 1990s succeeded in reshaping the political debate to win passage of major policy changes.
On Wednesday, the Clinton campaign began airing a radio ad in South Carolina juxtaposing his remark with Republican positions anathema to the Democratic party faithful such as preventing an increase in the minimum wage. Obama has supported increases in the minimum wage.
At the press conference, Obama said his radio ad questioning the Clinton’s truthfulness is a “direct response to an ad by the Clinton campaign that had been discredited.”
“When you run an ad making assertions that everybody who has looked at it says are wrong, you know that they’ve said it’s wrong, and you still make it, then that would indicate that you’re not very concerned about accuracy or the truth,” Obama said.
Shortly after the press conference, Obama's wife Michelle sent out an email fundraising appeal to Obama supporters around the nation condemning the Clinton's "win-at-all costs tactics."
"We expected that Bill Clinton would tout his record from the nineties and talk about Hillary's role in his past success. That's a fair approach and a challenge we are prepared to face," she wrote in the email.
"What we didn't expect, at least not from our fellow Democrats, are the win-at-all-costs tactics we've seen recently. We didn't expect misleading accusations that willfully distort Barack's record," she continued.
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Comments
It's not black voters who the Clintons need to worry about turning off. It's people like me, whom Obama has inspired to get involved. If Clinton is nominated, i will lose faith in the process....not go vote for her.
The Clintons are "politics as usual". They are the worst of the dirty political hacks.
Posted by: jds | January 24, 2008 2:51 PM
He sees and hears what's going on out there, understands that there needs to be a voice of reason, and provides it before things spiral beyond control. I call that a leader.
Posted by: Tom | January 24, 2008 2:57 PM
Wow the Obamas are very thin skinned. They come across as being the type that can dish it out but cant take it. Stop whining already. If they think this is tough and can not handle this how can they expect to handle the Republicans in a general election. Stop crying already and deal with it. Waahhhh Bill and HIllary are not being nice to me Waaahhhh.
Posted by: Vinny | January 24, 2008 3:08 PM
One of these nights I'm gonna go to Mount Rushmore and secretly carve the face of Jimmy Carter next to Washington's, just to see the spontaneous load that Republicans drop the next morning when they find out. I bet it'll make the papers...Mark, Frank?
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Posted by: John E | January 24, 2008 3:24 PM
Obamas has been crying since he lost every primary since Iowa, where 17yr olds (who can’t vote in general election) and Bill Richardson supporters put him over the top, otherwise he would have lost there too. The media has told the country that SC is a racist black only vote. So why would anyone other than the only 1/2 black candidate stay there. John Edwards is wasting his time in SC per the media. I don't think that ALL SC voters are as racist and naive as the media wants to portray them. It’s an attempt to help Obama because his camp has made fools of the media. It took voters and an ex-president to bring his terrible senate record, bush/Chaney backing, republican loving, lack of good judgment and inexperience out in the open when the media tried to hide it. Frankly we are tired of obama crying! If he crashes so quickly because he’s getting caught with corrupt campaigning funds with Rezko etc… what would he do when foreign leaders come at him? Run crying too, or call Oprah for help? …Just what we cannot afford to take a chance on. Giving pre-written church speeches does not make a President. And having his wife, Michelle Obama stumping throwing out racial comments is disgusting! No one sees her as first lady material; we don’t even see her as a lady! No one was crying when obama camp was attacking Hillary? And ALL the media treating her unfairly. She has proven that she is a strong leader after all the attacks she has endured and over come. Thank God the voters are smarter than the media and obama give them credit for. DONT WASTE VOTES ON OBAMAS, WE DONT NEED A RACIST IN THE WHITE HOUSE
Posted by: Davey | January 24, 2008 3:40 PM
Friends:
Unfortunately, the Rovian tactics of the Clintons ARE fooling voters who are not paying enough attention. If you're commenting on forums such as this one, you're one of the few who are. I read these forums fairly often--and I've seen that INFORMED VOTERS KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON. The only way to stop the Billary sleaze machine is to SPREAD THE WORD. Go to the Obama website and print out the Fact Check documents. Print out John Kerry's statement about the Clinton swiftboat tactics. Print out articles such as this:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/14/AR2007081401722.html
Then make copies and post, post, post! Post them at work. Stick them inside papers and mags at the newsstand. Give them to people on the street. Leave them on the seat of the bus/subway.
Even in states like New York, where Hillary has a definite lead, it's not winner-take-all. Your vote to Obama counts because delegates are awarded proportionally. And your actions do make a difference. People, we have 2 weeks. GO!
Posted by: gracia figueroa | January 24, 2008 3:42 PM
Good luck with that, pal. Obama supporters aren't going to forget President Clinton attacking their man and Hillary supporters won't forget Obama's campaign trying to frame hers as racist.
Posted by: Jeff | January 24, 2008 3:44 PM
why would we want 4-8 more years of nothing or worse than nothing when we could do so much better ???????
answer that you clinton-lovers who still are walking mindlessly in lock step like robots and speaking like carville parrots (FYI - your numbers are dwindling by the thousands each day as people open their eyes to the clinton's truly negative nature)
BUSH/CHENEY ISN'T RUNNING IN 2008 - BUT BILL CLINTON IS AND OUR CONSTITUTION SAYS HE SHOULDN'T BE !!!
COUNTING CLINTON'S 8 YEARS, WE'VE ALREADY HAD 16 STRAIGHT YEARS OF GRIDLOCK AND DIVISIVENESS
we CANNOT vote for hilLIARy if we care about our country
we must instead
SAY NO TO DYNASTIES
SAY NO TO NAFTA
SAY NO TO UNFETTERED ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
SAY NO TO EXCESS INFLUENCE OF DRUG COMPANIES, INSURANCE COMPANIES AND OTHER MEGA COMPANIES LIKE WALMART
SAY NO TO NEPOTISM
SAY NO TO EVEN MORE OUTLANDISH SPENDING
SAY NO TO DIVISIVENESS
SAY NO TO OSAMA BIN LADEN
SAY NO TO NEGATIVE POLITICS
hilLIARy's fingerprints and DNA are all over these negatives about our country
her hubby is running to get his precious power back
just say "no" to the clintons - the clintons are by far the absolute worst choice in either party of any candidate who is ACTUALLY running - if cheney was running that probably wouldn't be true but cheney isn't running - is he ??
this stupid/insane "let's go ahead and pinch our noses and vote for the clintons anyway just because we like them more than bush" makes no sense at all - bush isn't running - and the democrats have more than one legit candidate (and hilLIARy isn't one of them)
no - no - no - willie doesn't get a do-over
move aside and let someone else get the job done
go away hilLIARy - you've betrayed your country , your gender and your party - just go away
from little t - tom - the true independent
FACT: voting for the clintons is a hate crime against america
Posted by: tom | January 24, 2008 3:46 PM
NO, the party is NOT going to unite behind Hillary if she gets the nomination. I, for one, a lifelong Democrat, will vote Republican for the first time in my long life if she is the nominee, and I think there are a lot of other Democratics who feel the same way about her. And a lot of independents. As for Hillary's attempt to get the female vote based on her gender, I ponder how any true, principled feminist can run on her husband's record, or allow herself to be aligned with his welfare policy, which has made life so much harder now for women in need of help. Or accept without conscience Bill's sexual harassment of so many of her sisters. Unlike some of our voters, I have been around long enough to have seen the dirty politics of the Clintons from the beginning, and I am fed up with their self-perceuved entilement and their "win at any cost" morality. And I am really fed up with the Clinton soap opera in the White House, which will and always has detracted from the problems in our nation that have to be solved. If Hillary is the nominee, I am hoping that John McCain will win the Republican nomination, even though I have serious misgivings about his stand on the war. If she is the party nominee, I will vote for any candidate the Republicans nominate.
Posted by: FemaleOfHiillary'sGeneration | January 24, 2008 5:58 PM
If Senator Obama plans on re-uniting the Democratic Party when the primary is over and if Hillary is the nominee, then he might try letting his supporters know...because if you listen or read them, Obama's supporters are the most angry, nasty, name calling and divisive supporters in the whole primary season, including among the Republicans...they boo fellow Democrats and basically if you read their comments they all say they won't vote for Hillary if she is the nominee…so much for the unity, civility and hope Senator Obama is preaching...so if that is how they feel about the Democratic Party...who needs them? they sound like George Bush...'it's their way or no way'...the Democratic Party be damned
Posted by: S | January 24, 2008 7:03 PM
Hillary is doing all she can to win in south Carolina. She has played her "ace of spades". Bill Clinton is in South Carolina running for president. He is the only one who has the chance to beat Obama.
The sad commentary on the Clintons and their coronation turned campaign, is that they have confirmed to be true what those who liked them didn't want to believe- they are pathological politicians who will do anything for power, including employing the politics of personal destruction and playing the race card.
Posted by: Sean | January 24, 2008 7:40 PM
Have the people of the USA FORGOT about the big "lie" the Bill Clinton told on national TV......"I did not have sexual relations with that woman" Well I think now we all know by now that was not a true statement. Obama is the man of change and what this country needs.
Posted by: Ed | January 24, 2008 7:40 PM
Hillary will be great for this country. The party will unite. Those who feel a Republican offers them more can vote accordingly. It's your vote, not a cult.
Posted by: bonn | January 24, 2008 7:53 PM
Hillary will be great for this country. The party will unite. Those who feel a Republican offers them more can vote accordingly. It's your vote, not a cult.
Posted by: bonn | January 24, 2008 7:53 PM
Obama or Hillary will be great for this country. Bonn's right it's not a cult. Vote Democrat.
Posted by: Jim Jones | January 24, 2008 10:13 PM
Barack Obama will be a great President. No question about it for me.
Absent T voter. CA.
Posted by: Nancy Lawrence | January 24, 2008 11:41 PM
Slick Willie and his spin doctors will do anything for their White House Revenge Game.
Sometimes I am convinced that all America has amnesia.
Billary was a disgrace in the White House. They threw bombs around Afganistan on the original day of the impeachment vote. Congress paused then impeached him anyway.
Furthermore, Osama Bin Laden is on the rampage today, because our leadership was so distracted with their personal life - disfunctional family drama. The Rawanda massacre of 800,000 people got away from them too.
Why, Bill shouldn't ever be able to take the quarter tour of the White House, much less ever live their again. What's wrong with you people?
So-called Feminists, like Gloria Steinem, treat his female victims like they are invisible, hum?
Yes, Gloria, we want to see a woman President - but not that woman.
If Hillary wins, lets take up a petition to insist that Bill move down the street in an apartment, we do not want his filth in Our House !
Posted by: J Hearn | January 25, 2008 12:22 PM
Obama will not unite the Party . I have campaigned for every democratic candidate since McGovern, even though I couldn't vote yet! I will NEVER EVER vote for Barack Obama.
If a life long Dem feels like this I predict he will lose by a landslide!
Posted by: maureen | February 26, 2008 7:21 PM