ABC leads story alluding to Obama "subverting party rules"

[elias7]

This article opens, "Amid accusations of... subverting party rules, Sen. Barack Obama...", yet the ABC linked companion piece completely contradicts that statement.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=4311669&page=1

Their linked companion piece is summarized as follows:

1) an unnamed clinton official said that both campaigns would pursue the course of going after each other's pledged delegates if there was a stalemate between Clinton and Obama.

2) a named Clinton official said that Clinton wouldn't go after Obama's delegates

3) he then says "Obama's campaign owes you all a clear answer as to whether they will pursue our pledged delegates."

4) Obama's campaign states they will not go after Clinton's delegates

5) the article then goes on to state that pledged delegates are no longer bound to any particular candidate

If there are no party rules here to subvert, and Obama's camp states they will not poach, what is ABC's game in opening a story with their own desubstantiated claim?

[zabet]

1. Local news in this part of NC

featured Michelle's 'not proud'
moment, showing the clip and
McCain's wife's response.

[cooolandrew]

2. Be nice to have an unbiased media wouldn't it.

[Straight Shooter]

13. It sure would, because then Hillary's popularity would be in the high 80's.

The media sure did their job trashing her for the last 14 years, not one iota of respect have they given her.

These hints of negativity at obama are the beginning, as they line up behind the GOP candidate. It was inevitable. Not many people are the political animals that we are on DU. They look at headlines, they absorb that message, they shrug and go on. Mission accomplished.

[rodeodance]

14. she commented today that the media are beginning to scutinize him

[elias7]

20. at her campaign's instigation--OK if the gamesmanship is above board, but

how does the ABC message change to accusations of Obama subverting party rules, when a) there are no rules against lobbying delegates (which ABC themselves reported), and that the Obama camp denied that they would do this, which they also reported. This is a non-story turned hit piece and I wanna know why...

[CoffeeCat]

3. I'll tell you EXACTLY what this is about..

Hillary knows she is desperate trouble. Obama will win WI, HI and now it looks like he'll take
Texas. He'll at least make Ohio very competitive.

With the wheels completely coming off of their campaign, the Clinton camp is worrying that pledged
delegates may change their minds--on their own--and go to Obama.

They are worried about this.

So the Clinton camp asserts that both camps are doing this, when Obama never, EVER said he would do this
nor did he ever express any interest in doing this.

When and if any pledged Hillary delegates defect--the seeds of doubt about these defectors being
Obama-orchestrated--are all ready planted.

These fucking Clinton manipulators-----I don't know how Obama keeps his head from spinning. Their
games are dizzying.

[madrchsod]

8. clinton`s group finally realized that texas

is going to be big trouble for them. they can win the popular vote but lose the delegate count...

[Kikosexy2]

11. This is just tiddley-winks...

wait until if Obama becomes the nominee...he's gonna get hit with a sh*tload of crap coming in all directions from the right-wing evilangelicals, the Grouchy Ole Party (GOP), insane McCain's camp, our wonderful unbias (har, har)balanced media, Rush, Ann the Man,etc....the sh*t is definitely gonna hit the fan....duck and take cover...

[Cha]

17. Yeah, hilary sharpens her fangs on tiddly

winks.

[elias7]

21. I reckon so... just gotta warm myself up

[Diane R]

12. That makes total sense. They really are diabolical, aren't they?

[Tatiana]

15. You nailed it.

A friend I went to HS with lives in San Antonio and is a precinct captain and Hillary supporter. She asked me whether or not she could change her mind and vote for Obama at the convention (the latest smears have really soured her on the Clinton campaign). I hear quite a few Obama-supporting precinct captains in Texas are former Hillary supporters.

I think her campaign realizes that many who earlier pledged their support to her now want to jump ship and join Obama's team. That is why they are putting this information about stealing pledged delegates out there. It's a self-serving leak.

[Bread and Circus]

4. I told you those fucking assholes in the Clinton campaign were setting this bullshit up.

This is a Republican Ruse by the Clinton campaign, they brought this shit up and then denied it and in so doing put the "ball in Obama's court". Fuck them. If this is the kind of shit the Democratic party wants to stand for, they will never get another fucking dime or vote from me.

And no matter what I will never, ever vote for Clinton.

[rodeodance]

18. Obama admitted on public airways he should have been more care. Enough said.

[Thrill]

5. See folks. This is why Democrats can't get the white house

Stupid just Stupid. This petty shit is the only way we can't win the WH after George Friggin Bush.

[Qutzupalotl]

6. ABC knows many people don't read past the headline.

As several disruptors here also understand.

Thanks for the summary of ABC's hit piece, elias7.

[madrchsod]

7. randi was talking about this afternoon

it`s "legal" to go after any delegate

[blogslut]

9. Here's my answer

http://whois.domaintools.com/delegatehub.com
http://whois.domaintools.com/delegatehub.org

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

25. Caught that the other day and then...

...hello!

[yourguide]

10. Yup, today topped the cake for me

I have never missed a primary or a general. She gets the nod, I will not vote. Period.

[rodeodance]

16. you no like the media finally not treating Obama with kid gloves? --too bad!

[golddigger]

19. Damn if the Obama supporters are this angry during the primaries

wait till if he becomes the nominee and the M$M GOP Slime Machine get going, who's going to clean up all the brain matter from Obama supporters heads exploding.

[anamandujano]

22. After all the sh*t they've flung at us, I'm looking forward to it.

:popcorn:

[elias7]

24. Who's to clean up the brain matter from Obama supporters heads exploding?

I suppose I'll help, as I did when friends supported Kerry, Gore, WClinton, Dukakis, Mondale and Carter...

Do you really think all Obama supporters fit into the young and naive box you just constructed?

[yourguide]

30. No, I dont like the HRC camps

Rovian tactics. They are disgusting and the 48 hours prior to WI showed just that. The WI results showed that a majority of dems rejected it as well.

[IDemo]

23. Was the claim seriously desubstantiated?

It was a quote given to Politico's Roger Simon and later denied by another Clinton staffer. That just means there is disagreement within her campaign as to whether the tactic will ever actually be used.

My two cents worth on this from earlier today: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4664884&mesg_id=4664884

[elias7]

26. ABC's claim,"amid accusations of subverting party rules", was absolutely

refuted by their own storyline:

"Due to what was derided at the time as "the robot rule," pledged delegates were not allowed in 1980 to switch their allegiance to Kennedy. Carter went on to lose in the fall to Ronald Reagan. While pledged delegates are no longer bound, it's rare for them to switch allegiance at the convention because the respective campaigns find loyalists to serve as pledged delegates. "They have total discretion. Pledged delegates are not bound, so they can change their mind as many times as they want," a senior Clinton adviser told ABC News"

Their linked story:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/02/dems-debate-poa.html

But I fundamentally agree with you, it is the moral equivalent of election theft. My point was only that no law is being broken, though ABC implied there might be...

[Lone_Star_Dem]

27. I'll be damned.

There actually just might be some dirty tricks at play here.

I'll admit I didn't think so at first glance at the original posting of the Politico article by Roger Simon. I don't consider Politico to be a reliable source in the first place, so I attempted to take it with a grain of salt.

Then there was a post made here linking to a post by Greg Sargent at TPM which said something I found a bit odd.

It was amid the reporting of the denial from the Clinton campaign regarding the pledged delegate statement.

It's worth noting that the Politico story quotes a Clinton official predicting that both campaigns will pursue the pledged dels. The Obama camp has not yet put out a statement on whether they'll pursue Hillary's pledged dels, though they very likely will soon.
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/02/clinton_spokesperson_we_will_n.php

I found fault with Greg Sargent putting the Obama campaign on the defensive for something they had no hand in. In the original story from Politico they claimed to have gotten this information from a high-ranking Clinton official. If someone spoke out of turn in her campaign why should Obama have to respond at all? Especially after her campaign officially denying having made the statement in the first place?

It just didn't make sense, and it still doesn't. Now we have ABC falsely alluding that Obama's accused of subverting party rules (which isn't what the article in the hyperlink actually says, but how many people will actually click on it?) when he never was.

Now, if someone could explain to me how an alleged statement (later denied) made by an anonymous high-ranking Clinton official gets twisted into bad press for Obama, I'd really appreciate it.

[elias7]

28. yep, that's what twisted my head, too n/t

[McCamy Taylor]

29. Haven't you people realized by now that Obama has Reagan's teflon armor?

Nancy must have given it to him, along with the "Morning in America" strategy. Nothing is ever going to stick to Obama. None of the GOP's dirt will stick either. It will all just make McCain look bad. Or pathetic for associating with bad people.

Some politicians have it. Obama has it. I am glad it is in our party this time.