Signs of Bush Tactics & Hypocrisy in Another Obama Campaign Email
By Deb Cupples on April 15, 2008 at 4:44 PM in Bamboozling, Barack Obama, Democrats, Fund raising, Hillary Clinton, Lobbyists, PACs, Pharmaceutical Companies
Originally posted at the Buck Naked Politics blog.
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In March, I objected to a fund-raising email (signed by Barack Obama), which claimed that Hillary Clinton was attacking Obama’s supporters. The implication: she’s coming after you, personally, the way Darth Vader went after Luke. Fostering a bellicose, with-us-or-against-us mentality worked for President Bush after 9/11, and Obama’s use of that tactic is as factually questionable as it is divisive.
Yesterday, I found another Obama campaign email (signed by David Plouffe), a double whammy that includes: 1) a similar line about Hillary’s so-called "attacks" on Obama’s supporters; and 2) the oft-repeated — and highly hypocritical — message that Hillary and McCain have taken special-interest money, while Obama hasn’t. In part, the email states:
"We’ve built the broadest campaign of ordinary people in the history of presidential politics — and more people across this country have voted for Barack Obama than either one of them.
"And we’ve done it the right way: our campaign is funded by everyday people giving $5 or more. That’s distinctly different from Senator McCain and Senator Clinton, who both rely on money from Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs….
“The attacks from the Clinton campaign — on Barack Obama himself, and on supporters like you — can be expected to increase as her chances of winning dwindle further.
"A few weeks ago, one of her top aides tried to diminish our success by referring to the places we’ve won as "boutique" states and to our supporters as the "latte-sipping crowd."
First, Barack Obama certainly has taken special-interest-connected money, just as Hillary and McCain have. Yesterday, my co-blogger Damozel covered this very issue:
"State lobbyists and non-wage-earning spouses of lobbyists and lobbying firm employees have contributed $115,163 to Obama’s campaign through March 20, according to the center [for Responsive Politics].…
"People in the oil and gas industries have given $222,309 to Obama. He received $528,765 from the pharmaceutical and health industry, making him the largest recipient of the sector’s largesse." (Newhouse News Service citing Center for Responsive Politics)
Technically, Obama wasn’t lying: he didn’t take money directly from corporations, but neither did Hillary or McCain — because that’s illegal (see Tillman Act of 1907). Instead, candidates take money from corporate executives, employees, and PACs (which tend to be comprised of corporate employees).
Taking money from the spouses of lobbyists and corporate players is an old trick that people have used to get around donation limits. Obama seems to have used the spouses so he could take money from lobbyists without having to list lobbyists as the direct donors.
That’s smells like a bamboozling.
Furthermore, as Sourcewatch points out, Obama "used campaign donations generated by PACS and Lobbyists to bankroll the birth of his White House bid"; the donations totaled about $1 million (citing Chicago Sun-Times).
In other words, Obama was for taking lobbyist/PAC money before he was against it. If you want more details, The Hill covered Obama’s under-the-table ties to lobbyists last year — issues of which many other media outlets still seem unaware.
About the alleged "attacks": the phrase "latte-sipping crowd" is a way of saying people who can afford to pay $5 for a cup of coffee. Since when is it an insult — in this of all nations — to be referred to as having money?
That and Hillary Clinton did not claim that the states Obama won don’t count. She just recognized that the ones who had small caucuses may not be as representative of the greater population as the states that had primaries with large voter turn out.
Fact: caucuses often include far fewer voters than primaries (usually voters who are politically active and have accommodating schedules). Compare these few primary and caucus states for example:
| Delegates | #Voters | |
| Wyoming (caucus) | 12 | 8,753 |
| Georgia (primary) | 12 | 1,046,485 |
| Hawaii (caucus) | 17 | 37,247 |
| Rhode Island | 18 | 184,904 |
| Iowa (caucus) | 45 | 2,501 |
| Oklahoma (primary) | 38 | 401,230 |
Less than 50,000 people voted in caucuses to decide who got Wyoming’s, Hawaii’s and Rhode Island’s combined 74 delegates.
More than 1.6 million people voted in primaries to give out Georgia’s, Rhode Island’s and Oklahoma’s combined 68 delegates.
The term "boutique states" certainly is not an insult or attack on the caucus states that Obama won. It’s a very pleasant way of pointing out the obvious: far fewer voters participated in most caucus states than in most primary states.
In short, Hillary Clinton has not attacked Obama’s supporters — and yet, Obama (or his campaign staff) seem obsessed with convincing their supporters that Hillary has attacked them.
Trying to make Hillary out to be a personal enemy of Obama’s supporters is not the way to promote the party unity. It’s also hypocritical, coming from a candidate who has billed himself as a "unifier."
We’ve seen this tactic before. With help from Mr. Rove and Mr. Limbaugh, President Bush managed to get many Americans getting riled — as though criticizing Bush equated to calling his supporters’ mamas ugly.
If Sen. Obama continues to craft images and make statements that clash with his actions, how will voters ever know who he really is? I’ll be happy to foward the Plouffe email to anyone who emails me.
Related BN-Politics Posts:
* Technically, Obama Didn’t Fib re: Campaign Donations
* The Audacity of … Hypocrisy?
* Obama Took Oil Money but Said He Didn’t
* Obama Took Credit for Others’ Legislative Work, Media Ignored it
This email is sick! He takes lobbyists money. THe big fat cats own him. How long he’s going to continue with this lie before someone expose him?
JoeySky,
Exposure of this issue is what I’m hoping for, and No Quarter is a damned fine start!
I was hoping someone would have written about this sooner — I have always suspected that there is a propaganda from the top (which they can easily accomplish by these emails) of misinformation and character assassination. How else could one explain such hatred coming out of these young people’s mouths? Somebody had to be feeding them that and it is the Obama campaign — especially early in the campaign he used mock and ridicule both Clintons at every rally. It is of course reinforced by the media.
This would make a good commercial.
Kind of hard for anybody to believe he gets his money from the little guys after last weekend’s billionaire fundraising publicity.
I am still always amazed at the audacity of audacity when they pretend that Michigan and Florida simply don’t exist. Poof! Off the map.
Beebop,
I’m with you on that, especially given that I’m a Floridian.
The FLA and MICH voters won’t forget though.
Actually.. it’s — “Plouffe off the map” — when referring to Obama campaigns hand in all of this.
“And we’ve done it the right way: our campaign is funded by everyday people giving $5 or more.
Uh…yeah. That’s why he was at the Getty’s manse in San Fran. They just wanted to drop a couple of 5 spots on him. Does this man think we’re all idiots out here?
Sheesh!
Fredster,
Yes. At least his campaign strategists think that we’re idiots, otherwise, they would not have advised Obama to rely on technicalities when claiming that he doesn’t take special interest $.
No, I think they knew the potential of discovery, they just figured he’s teflon.
They also figured place like NQ were irrelevant. Guess not, considering NQ got credit…um…blame for the Randi thing.
On that weekend there where 4 events he went to.
What other ones was he at?
One I saw the local news SF abc new where BO attended was hosted by a very wealthy guy who immagrated from Iran in the 80’s after the fall of the Shah. Names escapes me.
I look it up later at home.
Where else? 3 mil in a weekend was not one spent at Bernie’s place out in Montauk.
“… giving $5 or more.” In some cases, a heck of a lot more.
You bet he thinks we’re all idiots out here–and he’s right, at least insofar as his own supporters are concerned.
I’m rolling my eyes here. Go to whitehouseforsale.org and check out the lobbyists that have bundled for Obama the Liar. over 1.7 million worth and still going. Then check out his top ten contributors and understand why he gave his first “economic plan” speech on Wall Street.
Well… they aren’t TECHNICALLY lying… cuz $200,000. is definitely “more than $5.00″ See how they worded that? They gave a low number and up, rather than a low number then down, (as it donations under $25.00.) That certainly is a clever way to sound much more grassroots, isn’t it?
You make a solid point!
Notice how he says $5 - OR MORE.
So technically that is true - and meaningless. It says no one gives less than $5 - you know, like fifty cents or something.
He never says how much more. Never says $25 or less. Old - very old - advertising trick designed to bamboozle people.
And his supporters fall for this? And the media???!
Some of those media personalities are sporting a crush like a 12-year-old girl.
I thought RI had a primary (which Hillary won)
Or did I read that wrong?
I guess you meant Iowa
“We have nothing to fear but fear itself”, true
we have to then tell it as it is, and we should not be afriad of being accused of being racist. Please we should learn to play their game and beat them at it.
What has suprised me about Mr. Hope is how nasty he and his operatives can be. Up is down, black is white, racism is religion, hate is hope….
Just one more crock of Obama.
I agree-the important thing is to get the message out. Great information, well packaged. Thank you.
And thank you for the kind words!
Just on a technical note:
It would be helpful to generate shorter URLs. Long lines of script sometimes paste as unusable hyperlinks when an article’s source is cross-posted.
Hope you’ve been getting lots of hits at NoQuarter. I’m out there spreading the word to the more open-minded to seek out alternate sites and I frequently link back here.
Give Bart at
http://www.bartcop.com/
a look. He’s a great guy.
I’ve been looking at Bartcop for some time now. You’re right: he’s a great guy!
Tom Hartman told his audience that Hillary should be grateful for caucuses, because if the states Obama won by 2-1 were primaries instead of caucuses, he would be ahead by more than a million votes in the popular vote.
Of course, this totally ignores the fact that Hillary has done far better in primary states, where people like teachers, nurses, truckers, seniors, and on-duty military can cast votes and aren’t excluded from the process by an undemocratic system. It assumes that Obama wins by 2-1 in a primary as in a caucus, against all evidence.
And most depressingly, it reveals that Tom Hartman, a man I used to deeply respect and whose show I greatly enjoyed, has become just another bleating Obamabot. Turn off brain, drink kool-aid, start yakking talking points. Too bad.
I never realized that Tom Hartman could be so incredibly ignorant. He’s talking total nonsense.
I mean.. I can’t even process what he is trying to say. If he means we should be grateful that the caucus states were not primary states, otherwise Obama would have sewn it all up by now, then he’s obvious drinking that crack-laced koolaid.
Did it ever occur to him that the REASON Obama wins the caucuses is because they game them? Becuase they cheat? Because caucuses are geared toward the college-aged party crowds, and the pushy politcos?
What a stupid stupid thing for him to say. NO.. Obama should feel BLESSED that those caucus states weren’t primaries, otherwise he’d be back in D.C. actually have to do the job he was elected to do and hasn’t quite shown up for yet (too busy campaigning ya know.)
Nice try though, Hartman. she’s not quitting. there’s just too much more to learn about Barry.
Obleating Obamabots?
Dobbs is beating the crap out of Obama. Still waiting for an apology to the people he insulted, he says.
Meanwhile, CNN is quoting one poll over and over again like they are neck and neck. She’s going to rip him apart in PA. The is Ohio talk all over again on CNN. They never learn.
And now………..Barack Obama is……drum roll…….wearing a Flag Pin.
really? NAW! He was of two minds again?!
CNN trying to create a story again.
Hey I heard he’s way out in front in the poll
they did at Barack Obama Campaign Headquarters.
Here’s the address if anyones is interested.
190 Marietta St NW
Atlanta, GA 30303
(404) 827-2300
Complete
News
Nonsense
I get it, took me a second but I get it.
More fun from CNN
Most surprisingly, the new LA Times/Bloomberg poll shows Obama ahead of Hillary Clinton by 5 points in Indiana (40 to 35 percent), a state with demographics that favor the New York senator and one where other recent polls have shown her with a lead.
Every other poll shows her with the lead and they report this.
And you can bet they know this, too, since they were much more open to a caucus in Fla. and Michigan, much more refusing a primary.
Will all you f*ckin hillbillies and small town bitter gun totin bible thumpin aholes quit making up stories about Obama!
He is a uniter,
put thru more bills than Clintonbat,
has more experience that Clintonbat,
has less money than Clintonbat does,
was brought up by a single mother and
a grandma who he still helps to the bus every once in a while,
is a nice guy,
is a person able to cross party lines,
Don’t you f*ckin hillbillies and small town bitter gun totin bible thumpin aholes know you are feedin the GOP with attack things to use against Obama?
Don’t you f*ckin hillbillies and small town bitter gun totin bible thumpin aholes know you are ruinin Obama’s chances with Obama-goil?
Don’t you f*ckin hillbillies and small town bitter gun totin bible thumpin aholes know you are going to get Obama in REALLY big trouble with Michelle? (and you know she can be a bigger byatch than Hillary)
So can’t we all just get along and leave Obama be and everyone join together and give Obama the keys to the f*cking Whitehouse because he deserves it GD it!
………………oh f*ck headache attack, kool aide wearin offffffffffffff
Mel,
You are toooo funny!
Mel, you give yourself “ayers”, come on down to Tara and stay awhile.
I just emailed Geoff Garin at Hillary’s campaign, asking them to do something about this.
The campaign is asking for comments/ideas. Please contact them.
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/action/ideas/?sc=1774&utm_source=1774&utm_medium=e
Good idea!
Here’s a YouTube video that put’s Obama’s elitist SF comments into perspective:
Barack’s Bitter Bigots
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHhd1inexmk
washingtonpost.com’s Politics Blog
Chris Cillizza
Posted at 05:00 PM ET, 04/15/2008
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/04/obama_responds_sort_of.html
Obama Responds (Sort Of) to “Bitter” Controversy
…”As we’ve seen across the state, Pennsylvanians are rejecting the say-and-do anything tactics they’ve seen from the Clinton campaign over the last few days,” said Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan. “They want leadership that gets past the politics of division and distraction, and focuses on solutions to the challenges our families face, and that’s what this ad and Barack Obama’s campaign speak to.”
The footage that opens the Obama commercial is taken from Clinton’s appearance at an Alliance for American Manufacturing forum in Pittsburgh. Clinton’s remark (”I know that many of you, like me, were disappointed by remarks he made”) was greeted with some catcalls and booing — a sign, the Obama ad argues, that average voters think Clinton is playing politics and are sick of it.
(AAM executive director Scott Paul released a statement a few hours ago insisting that the coverage of Clinton being booed misrepresented the tenor of the gathering. “The crowd reacted strongly throughout both candidates’ remarks, voicing agreement or disagreement, cheering and applauding in response to both Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama,” Paul said).”…”That is, he may have chosen his words poorly in calling small town residents “bitter,” but nearly all the negative political response is an example of the of the politics as usual that his candidacy is aiming to end. “….
[…] Signs of Bush Tactics & Hypocrisy in Another Obama Campaign Email (by D. Cupples at No Quarter) In March, I objected to a fund-raising email (signed by Barack Obama), which claimed that Hillary Clinton was attacking Obama’s supporters. The implication: she’s coming after you, personally, the way Darth Vader went after Luke. Fostering a bellicose, with-us-or-against-us mentality worked for President Bush after 9/11, and Obama’s use of that tactic is as factually questionable as it is divisive. Yesterday, I found another Obama campaign email (signed by David Plouffe), a double whammy that includes: 1) a similar line about Hillary’s so-called “attacks” on Obama’s supporters; and 2) the oft-repeated — and highly hypocritical — message that Hillary and McCain have taken special-interest money, while Obama hasn’t. As MakeThemAccountable readers know, Obama does take donations from friends and family of special interests. […]