Clinton, Obama step back from flap (wonderful news )

[rodeodance]

Source: ap



Clinton, Obama step back from flap

By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent 52 minutes ago

Democratic presidential rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama stepped back from a controversy over race Monday night, agreeing that a prolonged clash over civil rights could harm their party's overall drive to win the White House.

The two leading Democratic contenders shifted course as Republicans pointed toward Tuesday's pivotal primary in Michigan, where Mitt Romney and John McCain both pledged to lead a revival for a state and an auto industry ravaged by recession.

Obama was the first to try and quell the controversy that flared in the Democratic campaign in recent days, calling reporters together to say he didn't want the campaign "to degenerate into so much tit-for-tat, back-and-forth that we lose sight of why all of us are doing this."
...........

Clinton's campaign issued a statement in the same vein about an hour or so after Obama spoke, saying it was time to seek common ground. "And in that spirit, let's come together, because I want more than anything else to ensure that our family stays together on the front lines of the struggle to expand rights for all Americans," she said.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080115/ap_on_el_pr/campaign_rdp;_ylt=Asg9U9v.2Tv4SdRcXbh6F7ys0NUE

[9119495]

1. Ahem...DU, are you listening?

Let us all take this chance to move the hell on.

[catnhatnh]

2. For Whom???

Certainly not for Edwards voters who watched them play medicine ball with bullshit charges for the last week in order to keep their "Debate" at the top of the news. We'd like to see them continue to play intermural while our guy speaks to Nevada...but don't worry-ankle biting will be re-established prior to the weekend news cycle.

[bluestateguy]

3. That's good to hear

But I still think that the media took a minor point of contention and blew it up into some kind of a race war.

[libbygurl]

5. The media just pounced on trivialities to get everyone hyperexcited over nothing. Sensationalism...

...rules the day once again.

Glad to hear this from the Obama and Clinton campaigns.

Now if only DU would follow suit.

[bdamomma]

47. we all know the first hour of debate was totally wasted regarding

race and gender, sickening, that first hour was horrific, this is the office of President WE have to fill that position with the best most qualified person and someone who will restore the Constitution and who will look out for our interests. The situation in the US is at very critical stage, and we have to stay focused.

[Phoonzang]

4. The damage has already been done

Now hopefully they'll STFU for a while and stay on message so we don't lose the election AGAIN.

[libbygurl]

6. Come Nov 08, Dems will forget about all these and unite agnst the GOP...at least that's what I hope.

nt

[varelse]

7. This is great news!

Thanks for bringing it here :)

[Cha]

8. Obama takes the lead and

if it's true what Dan Abrams is saying that the m$$$$$$m started this then Obama took the lead and wrapped it up.

[MidwestTransplant]

9. This was the most obnoxious, rediculous hyped up bs I have seen, ever.

I am glad Obama is calling off the dogs because this was making me loose mucho respect for him. I am sure that HRC will instruct her surrogates to be less personal too. The idea of Pres. Clinton being a racist was just too much. His quote about the Obama fantasy was taken TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY out of context by the media and hyped by the Obama people. Give me a break, as WJC, himself would say.

Oh and for the record, I am perfectly ok with either Obama or Hillary being our candidate.

[rodeodance]

11. yes, the idea of the Clintons being racist was just beyond the pale.

[goclark]

43. I would prefer to say they BOTH "called off the dogs..."

if you still want to call fellow Democrats, fighting to win the WH "dogs."

Makes me wonder why those dogs are on only one side.

I happen to be African American and I get a little touchy when you mention that Obama's side has "dogs" and Clinton supporters are "surrogates."

Perhaps we could say that "both should instruct THEIR surrogates to be less personal."

I'm sure that you couldn't possibly have meant it that way when you posted your remarks. Since you are willing to support either of these fine candidates in the General Election,we really need to select our words carefully.

[comradebillyboy]

10. good for both of them, bad for MSM and bad for pukes nt

[awoke_in_2003]

12. And on a funny note:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4068239

[Diane R]

13. And Obama shows that he's the true leader. I hope the voters paid attention.

[antiimperialist]

14. Clinton and Obama Call for Truce Over Dr. King Dispute

Source: NY Times

Speaking to black and Hispanic New Yorkers, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton tried on Monday to quell a controversy over race in the fight for the Democratic presidential nomination by praising the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and describing him as a trailblazer for both herself and her rival, Senator Barack Obama.

Last week, Mrs. Clinton said President Lyndon B. Johnson had been the shepherd of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, enacting a priority of Dr. King — a comment that Obama supporters and some other people viewed as minimizing Dr. King’s work.

Mrs. Clinton quickly said she had meant no slight, and on Monday she issued a statement proposing a truce. At about the same time, though, a prominent supporter of hers, Representative Charles B. Rangel, Democrat of New York, said in an interview that Mr. Obama was “absolutely stupid” for calling Mrs. Clinton’s original remark ill-advised.

Mr. Obama, meanwhile, said on a campaign swing through northern Nevada that he was concerned that a heated discussion of racial issues in the presidential campaign could divide the Democratic Party.

“I don’t want the campaign at this stage to degenerate into so much tit for tat, back and forth, that we lose sight of why all of us are doing this,” he said at a news conference. “We’ve got too much at stake at this time in our history to be engaging in this kind of silliness.”

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/15/us/politics/15dems.html?ref=politics

[Maddy McCall]

15. Ouch.

Rangel.

[Yael]

16. He apparently missed the memo

[Mithreal]

17. But will their supporters agree to a ceasefire? nt

[Diane R]

18. Funny they give credit to Clinton. Obama was the one who took the lead.

[Johnny Noshoes]

19. It doesn't matter

It doesn't matter which one took the lead. They need to knock it off and keep their eyes on the prize - taking back the White House.

[goclark]

44. It matters to me who took the lead

It sounds to me that the Democratic Paty officials hopefully took the lead.

However, if it is perceived the OBAMA took the lead and he did not, then that is fair to say.

And it should go the exact same way for Clinton --

[acmavm]

20. Some people just won't let up, will you?

[qanda]

21. Actually, I think it's an important point

Especially since Rangel seems to not be on the same page with the campaign he's supporting. There was a much better written article on a CBS website.

Clinton, Obama Call Truce Over Race Comments
WASHINGTON (CBS) ― Democratic presidential rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama stepped back from a controversy over race Monday night, agreeing that a prolonged clash over civil rights could harm their party's overall drive to win the White House.

The two leading Democratic contenders shifted course as Republicans pointed toward Tuesday's pivotal primary in Michigan, where Mitt Romney and John McCain both pledged to lead a revival for a state and an auto industry ravaged by recession.

Obama was the first to suggest a cooling of the rhetoric on race, calling reporters together to say he didn't want the campaign "to degenerate into so much tit-for-tat, back-and-forth that we lose sight of why all of us are doing this."

Referring to Clinton and former Sen. John Edwards, he said that while they may have disagreements, "we share the same goals. We're all Democrats, we all believe in civil rights, we all believe in equal rights."

http://kdka.com/national/clinton.obama.race.2.629874.html

[niceypoo]

24. Obama had to, he was the only one who could end it

Too bad he had to wait for it to get so far our of hand first

[bklyncowgirl]

22. Their internal polls must have seen disgusted voters moving to Edwards

Even if it did bring victory in the primaries, pissing off a large sector of loyal Democratic voters could pretty much result in the Republicans taking control of the White House next year.

[dipsydoodle]

23. Broadly speaking they were both

acting like children. Time for them both to grow up.

[Cant trust em]

25. Obama, Clinton call for end to bitter fight

Source: CNN.com

(CNN) -- Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both called for an end to a bitter fight in a racially charged debate that has roiled the Democratic presidential contest over the last few days. At a news conference Monday in Reno, Nevada, Obama said that he is "concerned about the tenor the campaign has taken in the last couple days."

"I think that I may disagree with Sen. Clinton or Sen. Edwards on how to get things done, but we share the same goals. We're all Democrats, we all believe in civil rights, we all believe in equal rights," said the senator from Illinois. "I think they're good people, they are patriots and they are running because they think they can lead this country to a better place, and I don't want the campaign in this stage to degenerate into so much tit for tat back and forth that we lose sight of why all of us are doing this."

After Obama's statement, Clinton released her own remarks, saying the heated exchanges "I know does not reflect what is in our hearts."
"We differ on a lot of things ... but when it comes to civil rights and our commitment to diversity, when it comes to our heroes -- President John F. Kennedy and Dr. King -- Sen. Obama and I are on the same side," she said. "And in that spirit, let's come together, because I want more than anything else to ensure that our family stays together on the front lines of the struggle to expand rights for all Americans."




Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/15/obama.clinton/index.html

---

I think that we're all happy to be over with this and to get back on message.

[LSK]

26. the bigger question is will the MSM let this be over?

[DJ13]

29. the bigger question is........

........will the surrogates stop?

Im wondering because within an hour of Hillary's "lets stop this" message yesterday her supporter Charlie Rangel was calling Obama an "idiot" over the MLK issue.

Is Hillary serious, or is she triangulating (again..) to appear above the fray as she lets her supporters continue the racial attacks?

[LSK]

32. Yeah that too

[libbygurl]

41. The word was 'stupid', actually, referring to such ideas. Rangel may not have gotten...

...the memo yet at that point!

[LanternWaste]

45. ...and the biggest question is will DU let this be over?

"The bigger question is will the MSM let this be over?"

...and the biggest question is will DU let this be over?

To answer your query, I suspect the MSM will drop this by the end of the week.

To answer my query, I suspect DU will not drop this-- it makes for easy (albeit invalid) talking points of which we've come to rely on.

[Jim__]

27. Timmy will try to stir it up again at the debate.

If he does, I hope they kick timmy's ass tonight.

[Cant trust em]

28. Their answer should be...

"See our statement released earlier today. Now let's talk about the war."

[rodeodance]

38. yes yes ys

[libbygurl]

40. Prescient comment here! Glad they didn't take the bait. nt

[ShortnFiery]

30. No more like, HRC gets booed at a MLK event and then cries out, lets "make nice" now?!?

After all, over a half dozen DLC Campaign's surrogates have taken all their "low blow" swings with the viciousness so palatable that it was beginning to have that ole "pissing in the wind effect."

Too funny, it was orchestrated and enacted by the Clinton Camp, yet, so gracious to "for the first time seemingly *ever* some choose to put Obama FIRST in offering the olive branch. They the HillBotBorg even want to smear him after they're getting blow back.

DLC smear machine: Constant whirling dervish of shameless f**king crazy spin. They'll do anything, seemingly any DAMN thing, to make The Clintons "King and Queen" of our nation for ANOTHER EIGHT (8x) years. Yep more "right of center" wing rule under the mantle *democratic.* :(

[William769]

33. You talking about this?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4070680

Can you not be any more transparent?

[Cant trust em]

34. If Hillary wins the nomination

Get ready for the nastiest, ugliest, most brutal campaign you've ever seen. It's going to be a total shitstorm. Here's to not letting that happen. Cheers!

[LanternWaste]

46. Regardless of who wins the Democratic nomination

Regardless of who wins the Democratic nomination, it will be nasty, ugly and brutish. To think that one candidate would receive less or more leniency from the right is naive at best in underestimating the scale of the GOP machine.

[Cant trust em]

48. My point is...

that the way the Clintons fight back it will be a total political street fight. Eye gouging, hair pulling, shots to the balls. It's all on the table.

Moreover, Hillary Clinton is a bigger target for those kind of attacks. Voters will be more susceptible to those attacks against her than they are against Obama or Edwards since she is so polarizing.

[balantz]

31. What a complete sham all of this shit is.

[William769]

35. ...

[Hissyspit]

36. Obama, Clinton Call for End to Bitter Squabble

Source: CNN

Obama, Clinton call for end to bitter squabble

(CNN) -- Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both called for an end to a bitter fight in a racially charged debate that has roiled the Democratic presidential contest over the last few days.

Sen. Barack Obama says, "We're all Democrats, we all believe in civil rights." At a news conference Monday in Reno, Nevada, Obama said that he is "concerned about the tenor the campaign has taken in the last couple days. I think that I may disagree with Sen. Clinton or Sen. Edwards on how to get things done, but we share the same goals. We're all Democrats, we all believe in civil rights, we all believe in equal rights," said the senator from Illinois.

- snip -

Obama also warned his supporters to play fair. "If I hear my own supporters engaging in talk that I think is ungenerous or misleading or in some way is unfair, then I will speak out forcefully against them, and I hope the other campaigns take the same approach," he said.

After Obama's statement, Clinton released her own remarks, saying the heated rhetoric "I know does not reflect what is in our hearts."

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/15/obama.clinton/index.html

[ieoeja]

37. K&R. You need to post this in GD-P. n/t

[Rockerdem]

39. I never thought that the issue was really race, per se.

The perceived insensity was that the drive for equality was a top-down affair, rather than bubbling up from the aggrieved.

What bothered me more was that she adopted one of Gore's habits of talking down to the audience. Did the African-American community really have to be reminded that presidents sign bills passed by Congress? Not quite a Bushism, but not a winning electioneering move, either. C'mon, we've graduated from fourth grade.

[goodgd_yall]

42. I hope their supporters follow their lead

Last night's debate was great. Clinton and Obama said more words about the recent controversies and mentioned over-zealous supporters as part of the problem.

[BenDavid]

49. Obama lost this fight when Civil Rights Hero John Lewis,

forcefully condemned both Obama and his campaign for sending out the 5 pointed attacks on the Clintons and their supporters which implied they were "racists" or using "racist code" Rep. Lewis also spoke about how obama himself was being wholly misleading as regards to Hillary and her comment about LBJ and MLK .

"It is unfortunate that people have tried to distort what Mrs. Clinton had to say about Dr. King," "I think there has been a deliberate and systematic attempt by some people in the Obama campaign to really fan the flames about race and to really distort what Senator Clinton said. I understood and I think most right thinking people understood what she said.

"President and Senator Clinton have a record, a history, a very long history of bringing people together. No right thinking American would ever think that Senator or President Clinton would ever do anything that would use the race card"

"I must tell you...I'm trying to set the record straight...the Obama camp is doing something else, theyr'e sending out memos to the media trying to suggest that the Clintons are playing the race card."

and finally: "He is no Martin Luther King Jr. I knew Martin Luther King. I knew Bobby Kennedy. I knew President Kennedy. You need more than speech-making. You need someone who is prepared to provide bold leadership."

This is why obama stopped this race baiting ie reagan obama's new idol.....