From "The Politics of Hope" to the "Politics of Convenience"

[SaveElmer]

He is from Chicago...

Obama on attack ads paid for on behalf of candidates outside the campaign...

"I don't just talk the talk, I walk the walk…You can't say yesterday you don't believe in them and today you're having three-quarters of a million dollars being spent for you." - Barack Obama

Uh yeah...sure..

New outside ad supporting Obama...which they have not disavowed...

Hillary Clinton does not respect our people," the ad says in Spanish (original and Clinton campaign translation after the jump), referring to the lawsuit that failed today to shut down special caucus sites on Las Vegas' strip.

Sen. Obama is defending our right to vote. Sen. Obama wants our votes. He respects our votes, our community, and our people. Sen. Obama's campaign slogan is 'Si Se Puede.' Vote for a president who respects us, and who respects our right to vote," the ad says, according to a transcript provided by the Clinton campaign and confirmed in part by a union official.

It calls Senator Clinton "shameless" and says the fact that her allies were fighting to stop voters from being able to participate in caucus sites at casinos on the Las Vegas strip was "unforgiveable".

Delores Huertes, civil rights and Union activist, confidante of Cesar Chavez...

It's pathetic and it's sad and it's unfortunate that they have to stoop so low.

She said she had never met Obama in her years of working on Hispanic causes, and suggested the ad was prompted by his lack of Hispanic support.

More Obama hypocrisy on outside attack ads...

Before Iowa...from an Obama campaign memo

Heading into the final stretch before the Iowa caucuses, millions of dollars in third party spending are pouring into the state in an unprecedented attempt to benefit the campaigns of John Edwards and Hillary Clinton. For Clinton, AFSCME, EMILY’s List and the AFT have spent over $2.6 million to assist her campaign – even as AFSCME attacks Obama for a position on health care mandates that they themselves have. The groups supporting Edwards have spent over $2 million including efforts organized by one “independent” organization run by one of Edwards’ highest-ranking political aides which newspapers reported today received a questionable 11th-hour donation of $495,000 just days ago.

And slamming Edwards on the issue...

"We can't argue on the one hand that we're going to be reformers unless the things that need to be reformed advantage us — and then we're less the fighter on behalf of reforms," he said, referring to Edwards, who refers to himself as a "fighter."

...

It's not change when you decry the influence of money in politics but then stay silent when your former campaign manager exploits the biggest loophole in the law to benefit the Edwards' campaign with millions of dollars in ads from an unregulated political fund whose donors are undisclosed. John Edwards can and should call on his former advisor to stop this effort.

Richard J. Daley must be smiling from above (or below)...

[OHdem10]

1. This is why the GOP will have a good chance of winning.

Playing race is a way to set our party back some years.

This makes peoples blood boil. You can accuse the Clinton's
of lots of things but being uncaring and essentially racist
makes a lot of white people say---Can Minority groups ever
be satisfied?? If the Clintons are not appreciated, then
lets move on --no once can help them.

[MadBadger]

2. When you said politics of...first thing i thought of was Politics of fear.

SOund familiar? Maybe you've heard it at a recent campaign rally.

[SaveElmer]

4. I can understand not wanting to deal with this directly...

The Obama hypocrisy I mean...

[William769]

6. The one invoking Reagan?

[TwilightZone]

3. Delores Huertes makes an interesting point.

Obama is obviously trying to appeal to the Latino community, and her impression that he's trying to improve a weak area could be an accurate one.

His approach carries risks, however. From what I understand, Obama doesn't speak Spanish. The Spanish slogan and the Spanish ads could be trying to improve his status within the Latino community, but they could also be a source of backlash, if they are perceived as phony or transparent.

[William769]

5. K&R!