A New Campaign Charge: You Supported Clinton

In Georgia, Representative John Lewis, a prominent civil rights leader, is facing primary challenges from two black candidates who have been critical of him for backing Mrs. Clinton for months before shifting to Mr. Obama. To underscore the point, one of the challengers set up his headquarters in the same building that served as Mr. Obama’s office for the primary.

So when Jesse Jackson Jr. threatened to find someone to run against him if he didn’t endorse Obama what he really meant was that he was going to find someone to run against him because he took too long to endorse Obama. Typical thuggish behavior. These folks are into command and control. Big time.
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UPDATE x2: From a friend, “It just occurred to me that today is the day that the Rezko trial is supposed to start [must check that — today IS the day, but I think it may have been delayed, also interesting]. It’s at least likely that their campaign put that out, and threw a huge tantrum to a) distract from Hillary [and her major foreign policy address today] and the issues of healthcare and trade, b) distract cables from covering Rezko. Because, you know, if it’s a slow news day, they may run a lot of Rezko. But now, the beast has been fed, and is happy.” - SusanUnPC x2

25/2008
Statement by Maggie Williams, Campaign Manager

“Enough.

“If Barack Obama’s campaign wants to suggest that a photo of him [BELOW THE FOLD] wearing traditional Somali clothing is divisive, they should be ashamed. Hillary Clinton has worn the traditional clothing of countries she has visited and had those photos published widely.

“This is nothing more than an obvious and transparent attempt to distract from the serious issues confronting our country today and to attempt to create the very divisions they claim to decry.

“We will not be distracted.”

Right on, Maggie. Do you remember this photo in the New York Times following Bhutto’s tragic assassination? And remember the reprehensible attack from Obama/Deval Patrick media/messager provider David Axelrod following Bhutto’s murder?

Obama Campaign In Disarray? Making Political Hay Out of Bhutto Assassination?
By SusanUnPC on December 27, 2007 at 4:28 PM in Clinton, Obama, Pakistan

It’s hard to believe that Barack Obama’s campaign could be in such disarray that its campaign manager, David Axelrod, would use the tragic, horrific assassination of Benazir Bhutto to take, as CNN’s anchor just said, a “swipe” at Sen. Clinton. Writes Taylor Marsh, “The Obama campaign is in a panic. Mr. Axelrod’s reprehensible statement is meant to deflect the spotlight and rescue his candidate, because as people think about the implications of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination one thing comes to mind and it isn’t the leadership experience of Barack Obama.”

Taylor quotes The Page, which reports, “David Axelrod, Barack Obama’s top strategist, told reporters after the speech that Clinton will not benefit from a renewed conversation about foreign policy in the wake of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination in Pakistan.” Clinton will not benefit? Is Axelrod so desperate he’d make a swipe like that right after Bhutto’s assassination?

In stark and relievingly somber contrast, the New York Times blog posted this new story at 1pm ET, “Mrs. Clinton and Ms. Bhutto” … READ ALL.

Then there’s what Obama goons are doing to civil rights hero John Lewis for his support of Hillary Clinton and for, so far, refusing to switch despite undue pressure: (more…)

1. Obama Co-Chair Jesse Jackson Jr. is THREATENING superdelegates (”Jesse Jackson Jr. Threatens Colleagues as Pandemonium Breaks Out Over Lewis“). Rep. Jackson is threatening to harm their own reelections!

   “Many of these guys have offered their support to Mrs. Clinton, but Obama has won their districts. So you wake up without the carpet under your feet. You might find some young primary challenger placing you in a difficult position” in the future, he added. … (A.P./Google News)

2. Obama is buying superdelegates with his “big money reach.” A comparison:

         Obama: $694,000 (40% of his superdelegates)
         Clinton: $194,000 (12% of her superdelegates)

3. Although Obama’s campaign and the MSM have pushed the story that Rep. John Lewis, the legendary Civil Rights hero, has switched from Clinton to Obama, his staff says that that is not true. But Lewis is under unbelievable pressure, and he is the victim of vicious robo-calls (and Missouri’s Rep. Cleaver is also getting nasty pressure):
   

   [Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus] says some — such as John Lewis — have become the victims of “robo-calls.” In Lewis’ case, the calls said “very, very derogatory things about him.”

   [Cleaver says] “I had a person in my district send out a newsletter, for which I know he didn’t pay, distributed primarily in the African-American community, in which he suggested that I had been paid by Sen. Clinton to support her. I don’t know if there’s anyone who [is African American] who hasn’t taken some grief for supporting Sen. Clinton.”

For more, see Taylor’s story, in which she astutely observes:

Vote for Barack Obama, or you just might “find some young primary challenger” stepping in to take your job. It’s hard to know where to start, but considering Jesse Jackson Jr. has done this sort of race baiting before for the Obama campaign, I cannot say that I’m surprised. There is, however, something so offensive about his threat that it smacks of the same type of hierarchical control African Americans, especially John Lewis, have always fought against, only this time it’s a black man in the position of power telling people how they must use their vote or else.

Here’s more from National Public Radio, via Taylor Marsh’s “Clyburn, Superdelegates and Robo-Call Threats” — and Taylor rightfully calls this “swiftboating” (particularly the last quote below):
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