Barack Obama Criticizes the Other Clinton
[Guest post by DRJ]
In an interesting twist, Barack Obama is criticizing the other Clinton:
“Sen. Barack Obama says he’s ready to confront former President Bill Clinton, calling his advocacy on behalf of his wife’s presidential campaign, “troubling.” In an exclusive interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts to air Monday on “Good Morning America,” Obama, D-Ill., directly engages Bill Clinton on a series of issues.
“You know the former president, who I think all of us have a lot of regard for, has taken his advocacy on behalf of his wife to a level that I think is pretty troubling,” Obama said. “He continues to make statements that are not supported by the facts — whether it’s about my record of opposition to the war in Iraq or our approach to organizing in Las Vegas.
“This has become a habit, and one of the things that we’re going to have to do is to directly confront Bill Clinton when he’s making statements that are not factually accurate,” Obama said.”
Hillary Clinton benefited from support from women in New Hampshire and Nevada, and Obama’s criticism of Hillary may have triggered feminist sympathy and votes. Criticizing Bill lets Obama attack Hillary by proxy and (perhaps) avoid a feminine backlash.
In other words, Obama may be using Bill to avoid the pitfall of gender politics. Ironic, isn’t it?
H/T Instapundit.
— DRJ
I’m not sure how this is going to work out, DRJ. Yes, WJC has been shooting his mouth off and losing his temper, I think trying to pull a Trumanesque defense of a family member. But I personally believe that he really and truly doesn’t want his wife to be President, because she will be compared to him.
So we’ll see. Obama seems pretty smooth but I am deeply concerned about all manner of his policies, ranging from economic to foreign.
Eric Blair (839cfb) — 1/20/2008 @ 5:26 pmStanding up to B.J. Clinton is the right move. If Mrs. Clinton will not stand up to B.J., she can not be expected to stand up for her country. Barack Obama is showing what is willing to do, and what Mrs. Clinton is unable, or unwilling to do.
DavidL (8a783f) — 1/20/2008 @ 5:54 pmHey Dr. J, are you the guy who sang ‘when you’re in love with a beautiful woman’ or the guy who was good at basketball? I always get you confused with the other guy.
Kevin (4890ef) — 1/20/2008 @ 6:10 pmHillary has been using the fact that her husband was President to the utmost advantage. No reason why Barack should not use the fact that her husband is a lying piece of garbage to his utmost advantage. I think he’s going at this very gingerly right now, seeing how it will play out, but if he sees that he can paint Hillary with her husband’s brush we can expect to hear from him “it depends on what the meaning of ‘is’ is” in response to a statement from Hillary pretty soon after.
nk (a07608) — 1/20/2008 @ 6:15 pmI agree with your comment 4, NK.
Kevin – Neither. I use my initials but I wouldn’t mind being the basketball Dr. J. However, you would never confuse us in person since I’m female and much shorter.
DRJ (517d26) — 1/20/2008 @ 6:37 pm” I use my initials but I wouldnt mind being the basketball Dr. J. However, you would never confuse us in person since Im female and much shorter.”
You’re black? I wish you’d told me earlier; I could have been touting the diversity of my guest bloggers . . .
Patterico (5b3ac7) — 1/20/2008 @ 6:53 pmBarack HUSSEIN Osama or Obama is criticizing because he lost Nevada. He is a DREAMER. America is not ready to name the White House to the BLACK HOUSE. So all you people writing and talking for the admiration for HUSSEIN Obama better shut up….you losers. HUUSEIN Obama was a Muslim and will always be. He changed his religion because of political ambition. He is a BIG LIAR.
Heathcliffe (519004) — 1/20/2008 @ 7:02 pmDishonest with no experience (Obama). Or dishonest with experience (HRC). It seems like a trick to guarantee another Clinton win.
Vermont Neighbor (c6313b) — 1/20/2008 @ 7:19 pmI wouldn’t trust Dr. J if i were you, Patterico. He’s clearly a liar. Everyone knows girls can’t be doctors.
(hehe, just kidding :))
Kevin (4890ef) — 1/20/2008 @ 7:34 pmHey!, us guys with PhDs in the liberal arts are a minority. (Oh, wait, you mean real doctors) lol
Dr T (340565) — 1/20/2008 @ 7:39 pmVermont neighbor….
What experience?
reff (99666d) — 1/20/2008 @ 7:45 pmDRJ,
I always assumed that DRJ meant Doctor of Jurisprudence. Honest.
nk (a07608) — 1/20/2008 @ 7:47 pmObama is caught in a bit of a Catch-22. If he doesn’t start being even more blunt about the Clintons being pathological liars, they’re going to run right over him to the point where he’ll look like Wile E. Coyote. However, doing so will get in the way of the “clean” style of his campaign in the perceptions of many (It’d make *me* think more of him, but I’m certainly not part of the Democratic electorate he’s trying to woo). While at this point HRC looks like the more vulnerable candidate in the general election, I’ll certainly derive a great deal of enjoyment from the spectacle if Obama solves the problem and delivers the coup de grace to the Slick Family.
M. Scott Eiland (b66190) — 1/20/2008 @ 8:07 pmIf Obama questions Bill’s honesty, the MSM will label Obama the “Black Ken Starr.”
Perfect Sense (b6ec8c) — 1/20/2008 @ 8:13 pmIm still not voting for obama he is a clinton clone
krazy kagu (1b5cd8) — 1/20/2008 @ 8:14 pmIf Obama is going to confront Bill every time he lies, he will be a very, very busy man– too busy to be President, that’s for sure!
Tony Iovino (f4c005) — 1/20/2008 @ 8:14 pmVery crafty of Obama to bring up what everybody else is thinking…how far is this Evita thing going to go exactly, and will he be calling up Kim Jong Il some day to scold him for being mean to his wife too?
Patricia (f56a97) — 1/20/2008 @ 8:16 pmThe spectacle of democrats attacking each other is at least providing some good entertainment. Reports of people such as Ted Kennedy and Rahm Emmanuel asking Blowjob Bill to cool it are, I would suspect, true. The problem is that Bill has trouble controlling himself, as everyone saw with his bimbo problems, especially when he gets into one of his purple faced finger wagging rages.
In my opinion it’s great for the public to see more examples of how truly sleazy and slimy the Clintons are, especially those who thought Bill wore a halo.
daleyrocks (906622) — 1/20/2008 @ 8:20 pm@ reff 7:45 –
I always give sweat credit to anyone who worked the White House hallways. Hillary, Bush Jr., even Al Gore.
Vermont Neighbor (c6313b) — 1/20/2008 @ 9:04 pmObama is simply a smooth speaker, but with no depth or content. He isn’t experienced with foreign relations and who could expect it of him. He got into the Senate as an easy platform to campaign for higher office. Regardless of the media push, Obama isn’t presidential material. Next to his lack of experience, almost anyone qualifies. Anyway, if you were being facetious (re HRC), my apologies!
Hillary has a severe Bill problem, and the more that Bill gives Barack Obama a chance to criticize him, the better it is for Barack.
Not only does Barack therefore avoid the pitfalls of gender politics, he reminds every voter that Hillary is essentially running for Bill’s third term, and that if she wins, we will have the unprecedented situation of TWO President Clintons moving into the White House in January 2009.
If Bill Clinton foolishly gives Barack Obama the opportunity to talk across Hillary & attack Bill, then Obama would be a fool not to use the chance. Every time he does it, he reminds the voters that Hillary is not in her present position on her own merits.
Nadine (f86ec0) — 1/20/2008 @ 11:31 pm“This has become a habit, and one of the things that we’re going to have to do is to directly confront Bill Clinton when he’s making statements that are not factually accurate,” Obama said.”
What is it with these folks? There is a perfectly good word in the English language which sucinctly describes this situation. The word is lies. Short, to-the-point, and accurate.
Bill M (55e5bb) — 1/21/2008 @ 12:41 amDems today boild down to two items, puss, (one that may as well be sewn up), er color.
GAWD what a platform?!
Neither are worth cat scat, and iffin tht was all they could offer? I’d switch parties or jest say ta hell wit em!
TC (1cf350) — 1/21/2008 @ 4:42 amFor the record, it was Dr. Hook who sang that song, not Dr. J.
I’ll take crappy songs of the 70s for $200, Alex.
Steverino (af57bc) — 1/21/2008 @ 6:07 amNK is right. Barack Obama is correct to imply that Bill Clinton soiled the presidency [read between the lines]. Clinton is the biggest liar ever to hold that office. Even LBJ & sad lil’ Gee-mah were honest injuns compared to the sex-addict compulsive liar named Billy Jeff. I hope Obama keeps coming back against that sex-monster creep who ruined the lives of so many women and yet is the idol of the feminazis
daveinboca (d0db99) — 1/21/2008 @ 11:19 amBill M, there is a difference between “lie” and making statements that are “not factually correct”. The first implies deliberate fabrication, whereas the second leaves room for unintentional mistakes. Of course we all know WJC is a pathological liar (unlike his wife, who is merely a “congenital” liar), but there are millions of Clinton fans who need to be let down easy.
I view this as a shot across the bow. A threat – “If you don’t go back into the elder statesman role you’re fair game.” I also think it’s a mistake for Hillary to use Bill like this, since, as others have noted, it gives Obama an indirect way to criticize her. She may have decided this was a risk she had to take when the polls showed momentum on Obama’s part.
Eric (09e4ab) — 1/21/2008 @ 12:20 pmAs the battle for the Democratic nomination goes on between Mrs Clinton and Mr Obama, hard feelings continue to grow between the two. Unfortunately, in spite of their joint efforts to smooth over the racial tension in the last debate in Las Vegas, it is still there. If I had to make a prediction right now, I would guess that Clinton will have a big day on super Tuesday and go on to the nomination. (I hope I am wrong.) Until then, Hillary has to walk a fine line in trying to beat back Obama. We all know how the Clinton machine will play hardball to destroy their opponents. Hillary, however has to defeat Obama while not destroying black support in the general election. That is her dilemma.
There is no denying that some ugly elements crept into the Nevada caucus, especially when the Culinary Workers Union announced their support for Obama. (Witness the attempt by Clinton supporters to challenge additional precincts in casinos.) Bill, as is his custom, has acted like a jerk in his public comments. Now he has most recently claimed that he and Chelsea overheard (in their presence) an Obama union supporter proclaiming that if anyone voted for Obama, their job would be in jeopardy. Obama, for his part, is becoming increasingly vocal in his criticism of the ex-president’s comments.
Specifically, Hillary’s dilemma is that if the primary race continues to be nasty, and if racial overtones are present, then she risks not having Obama’s active support as the nominee once she wins. She also runs the risks of many black voters choosing to stay home in November if they feel Obama was treated badly.
The obvious way to avert all this would be to offer Obama the VP slot as her running mate, especially if she feels the black vote has been damaged significantly. (Of course, the Democrats always assume that they own the black vote no matter what.) The question is-would Obama accept? If he does and Hillary wins, then as VP, he would be considered the heir apparent in 8 years. Of course, if he declines and continues as a senator, he would still probably be the obvious front-runner in 8 years. Same calculation in 4 years if Hillary is defeated.
It is also quite likely that this primary contest will continue to be a hard-fought battle that goes down to the wire, with the Clintons being forced to pull out all the stops in order to win-and that is what they have always done. At that point, Obama might just play the good Democrat, congratulate Mrs Clinton, give her the requisite endorsement-and then sit on his haunches. Many black voters, in spite of Bill’s popularity in the African-American community, might decide that Mrs Clinton is just an ambitious phony (Gads!)and stay home on election day. That would be catastrophic for her chances.
Of course, Mrs Clinton is fighting hard for the black vote in the primary. Recent developments should give her concern. In Michigan (whose delegates have been taken away by the party anyway for moving their primary up), Mrs Clinton, virtually the only contender on the ballot, couldn’t even carry 60%. Obama was supported by black voters voting “uncommitted”- a large bloc. In addition, Hillary figures to lose South Carolina to Obama where about 50% of the Democrat vote is African-American.
So Hillary now has to walk that tightrope, always calculating how to beat Obama without alienating an important voting bloc in the general election. She especially has to be concerned over charges of “playing the race card”. For example, is there a point when the Clinton campaign feels so in danger of losing that they would bring up the subject of Obama’s radical, Afro-centric pastor, Jeremiah Wright, and the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago-and his close ties to Louis Farrakhan? (I refer to Wright’s close ties to Farrakhan-not Obama). If that issue comes up in the primary race, then Clinton will be perceived as having played “the race card”.
It is unfortunate that there is a racial aspect to this election. I really believe that America is ready for a black, Hispanic, Asian or female president. I also think Obama can win with significant white vote. But I’ll let Hillary worry about that for now.
gary fouse
fouse, gary c (d1488b) — 1/21/2008 @ 3:16 pmfousesquawk
I think someone should sit down and set a precedent for 2term ex pres to campaign for a spouse. We can not go into a classroom and advocate for our children during a SAT and this double whammy of an ex pres and his wife as candidate should be modified. I say the spouse should at least show that she is electible in at least two primaries and 3 caucauses before the ex Pres can openly involve the media in his campaign. Hillary has not proven that she is electible on her own merit and claim for experience as Richardson Obama Dodd Biden, et al.
may grissom (56a0a8) — 1/21/2008 @ 4:23 pmMaybe everyone should jump off the obama/clinton bandwagons and vote for a real candidate like Edwards. Just my 2 cents.
Jade (85c89e) — 1/22/2008 @ 12:32 amI am a Black Male who is turned off by the Clinton”s. I am tired of hearing about what he has done for the Blacks.I am sick of the so-called Black leaders who are grinning in front of the Clinton”s. I am sixty years old and disapointed in the Clintons campain tactics and their use of the race card to gain votes. Andrew Young, Al Sharpton and Bob “Bootlicking” Johnson don”t speak for me. I support Obama. The Clinton”s and their bootlicking Uncle Toms make me sick. The Clinton”s have turned this into a racial issue so that they can have White America focus on Obama”s color. They thought his run was fairy tale. They have underestimated the the new voice in the wilderness. If Hillary wins I will vote for the other team. Is Bill running for office or is it Hillary? If she wins will he be the Vice-President? If not I pity the person who will be. You will have three people at the wheel, Hillary and Bill “race baitting” Clinton and whoever can stand them. Will we have to put up with four years of Bill Clinton playing attack Dog. Jesus help us!!!!!!!!!!
henry (dedd85) — 1/22/2008 @ 1:22 pmHEY HEATHCLIFFE!! get ur FACTS RIGHT STUPID HOMEBOY!!! OBAMA was never a muslim and never will be!!! HUSSIEN is A NAME IT’S NOT RELIGION U STUPID…….NEVER SEEN SOME FOOL LIKE U BEFORE!!! we know u LOVE WHITE ppl but don’t for get THEIR R ppl who LOVE BLACK PPL TOOO!!…i don’t know whats ur problem with BLACK ppl but yea u got a GenETIC DISEASE from ur pASS GENERATION WHICH IS BE ANTI RACIST…ppl like u will die DROP THAT ATTITUDE!! white fagg…………!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PEACE (dca52e) — 1/22/2008 @ 8:00 pmEvidently now even rehab has wireless.
SPQR (26be8b) — 1/22/2008 @ 8:42 pmIt’s a Krazy Kagu wannabe without the wit or charm.
DRJ (517d26) — 1/22/2008 @ 8:46 pmROFL, DRJ. That was good.
SPQR (26be8b) — 1/22/2008 @ 8:46 pm