Head, Meet Desk.
Posted by Phoenix Woman on April 13, 2008
DHinMI has the story:
Barack Obama’s comments about the bitterness of Americans let down by their government has prompted derision from the Clintons, John McCain and the Congressional Republicans, who are all saying roughly the same thing. Is it good for Democratic politics to have message discipline between Hillary Clinton and the GOP?
Arrrgh. I used to think that people who alleged that the McCain and Clinton campaigns were working together were crazy, but this incident — along with this — has me rethinking that assumption.
It doesn’t help that Hillary’s people have spent the past few days shopping GOP commentary to the press:
The Clinton campaign emailed around harsh comments from two Republican pundits:
Grover Norquist: ‘That sentence will lose him the election… He just announced to rural America: I don’t like you.’ “Grover Norquist, the anti-tax activist who leads an influential weekly meeting of conservatives, went as far as to argue that Obama’s line would cost Democrats the White House. ‘That sentence will lose him the election,’ Norquist told ABC News. ‘He just announced to rural America: ‘I don’t like you.’” [abcnews.com, 4/11/08]
Republican strategist Ed Rollins: Q: “On a scale of 1 to 10 how damaging is this?” Rollins: ‘Ten.’ [CNN, Lou Dobbs, 4/11/08]
One good thing about this last-ditch foofaraw, though: It’s demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt who the GOP wants to face this fall — and it’s not Obama:
The GOP, it appears, also wants to deny Obama the nomination. There’s no short-term gain for McCain to jump on Obama’s comments, so jumping only on Obama suggests he’d prefer to run against Clinton. Likewise, if the NRCC really thought Obama’s comments were lethal, they wouldn’t blow their shot now with a press release, they’d tie vulnerable Democratic candidates to Obama at election time, when it could sink their chances (just as being tied to Bill Clinton sunk a lot of Democrats in 1994, and being tied to Bush helped sink many Republican incumbents in 2006). They wouldn’t waste their shot now.
[ABC's Jake] Tapper has the correct interpretation of the NRCC’s stated plan to use Obama’s comments against several rural Democrats:
If local reporters ask these members of Congress what they think of Obama’s remarks, that could extend this story and hurt him with all-important superdelegates. That’s the NRCC’s hope, anyway.
The Republicans don’t want to run against Barack Obama. And Hillary Clinton is parroting the Republican attacks.
It’s not pretty, but it’s true.
By the way: Preliminary evidence shows that efforts by Clinton surrogates to push this in North Carolina aren’t going over very well. Maybe this might make them shut up about it. Or not.
UPDATE: I’d forgot about this, but ironically, the only Democrat in this race who has actually dissed rural voters is — you guessed it — Hillary Clinton. Did she really think her comments about Mississippi last fall wouldn’t come back to haunt her?
brownbuffalo said
“A boxful of the stickers was spotted at Clinton’s first event of the day”. I used to think either Hillary or Barak would be just fine as our next President. Now, not so much.
Psycheout said
Well, it is undeniable that B. Hussein Obama is a fancy pants elitist. He just called PA voters a bunch of hillbillies. What an anti-American bigot!
Barry should just go back to Indonesia or Kenya or whatever hole he crawled out of if he hates America so much. And he should take all the dhimmicrats with him.
And I agree with Brownbuffalo, neither Shrillary or Barak would be “just fine as our next President.” It’s time to join the Brownback write-in campaign.
Stormcrow said
Too bad that your rant doesn’t contain anything even vaguely resembling intelligent content.
All you’re saying here is “hooray for our side”. This is a nice display of tribal loyalty, but it doesn’t carry any more weight than that.
And the “tribe” you’re being loyal isn’t even your own!
You’re being “loyal” to a bunch of cannibals on the Hill who are in the habit of having you and your own people “over for lunch”.
Question for you, Psycheout. Just exactly how long are you going to collaborate with those who prey upon you?
Charles II said
As long as they keep pretending to be Christians, Stormcrow.
One would think that after one disastrous phony, they would have learned to look at the fruits rather than the words. But no.
Phoenix Woman said
BB, Stormie and Charles: A-yep.
Psycho: Got any cites to disprove anything I said? Or are you trolling?
MEC said
OMFG. Clinton is quoting Grover Norquist?
Who’s her chief adviser in her campaign — Karl Rove?
Mark Gisleson said
This latest manufactured flap is a great litmus test for media and other bloggers. About the only neutral party I’ve seen was Steve Benen’s initial take when he more or less stuck his finger up to check the wind, then immediately posted again about how wrong Clinton was.
Rural Americans are hurting big time, and they deserve an honest choice this election day. As a former rural American who still has family in the hinterlands, I can’t argue with the “bitterness” remark at all. It’s remarkably accurate and I think Obama should keep using this kind of language to let voters know he’s not kidding about fixing things.
MEC said
I’m wondering whether the people about whom Sen. Obama was talking are offended by what he said, or whether The Usual Suspects in the media are projecting their own disdain for that group of people. It’s like a celebrity filing a defamation lawsuit because a magazing said he’s gay: it’s only defamation if being gay is a BAD THING.
Of course, it could just be The Usual Suspects playing another round of Let’s You And Him Fight, creating a controversy so they can report on it.
Stormcrow said
YES.
I thought Obama’s remark was quite appropriately blunt. The rural people have gotten screwed coming and going for the last 30 goddamned years, and it’s high time that somebody said so in public.
Why shouldn’t they be bitter? I’m a bit amazed they’re tolerating this sort of treatment to the extent that Feds don’t get turned into rifle targets fairly routinely.
This “elitist” stuff that Obama’s getting smeared with sounds to me like 100% pure bullshit.
Psycheout said
It’s not the bitterness part people are unhappy with. It’s being called hillbillies who cling to guns and religion as a crutch during hard times. Barry sounds like a classic Marxist here, doing the tired “religion is the opiate of the [hillbilly] masses” bit.
It’s real popular with self-important latte sipping, cheese eating elites. Not so much with average Americans who were targeted by this blatant insult.
But keep thinking it’s about “bitterness” if it helps you sleep while you support the empty suited Islamobama.
Stormcrow, don’t you think it’s a bit condescending to be so sure that this attack on rural America is hogwash? I guess you know better than the stupid rednecks who have been ridiculed by Obamalamadingdong. Have another slice of brie.
Sorry, michelle, if disagreeing with the hostess is trolling. How dare I say something contrary to those speaking truth to power. My bad.
I do like the title of the post though. I suspect a lot of heads will be meeting desks this November.
Phoenix Woman said
You’re the one using the “hillbilly” term, Psyche But hey, if you’d rather have Bush and Co. rip you off while whispering sweet nothings into your ear, that’s your lookout. How Grover Norquist of you.