CNN Jeffrey Toobin: Clinton is 'ridiculous' 'distorting' 'destructive' 'embarassing'

[grantcart]

Jeffrey Toobin who is hardly a partisan finally has had it with Hillary Clinton and gives her spin on Bittergate as other CNN pundits also weigh in on the faux outrage:


http://www.bittervoters.org/2008/04/cnn-continues-to-twist.html

The pundits state that while Obama's language was 'inartful' that people are angry.

[anonymous171]

1. The problem is that Hillary is pushing this too hard.

[NJmaverick]

4. First off she shouldn't have pushed it at all

Secondly she is so desperate she decided to launch the attacks herself, which any skilled mudslinger knows is a bad idea.

[anonymous171]

5. Yep. Too hard, makes her look desperate and *gasp* out of touch

[grantcart]

18. also it motivates Obama supporters and doesn't really give people on the

fence a reason to get out the vote to her

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

6. Exactly right. Hillary is showing her desperation by pulling out the Rethug playbook. . .

But it's backfiring big time. In a weird way, it's kinda fun to watch Hillary implode. GObama!

[grantcart]

11. again she missed a huge opportunity like in the Wright story to take the high

road and surprise everyone. The media would still have played it over and over again. In fact every time she said it was not big deal it would have been played over and over again. I don't understand her.

[GoesTo11]

39. That would be a surprise

The only time I remember her taking the high road in the campaign was in the debate where she talked about how much she liked Obama, but then 2 days later shamed on him.

[goclark]

40. She was taking the "high" road

when she had that drink in that Bar. :(

How could she think that would be the correct thing to do?

Her judgment is really a worry.

[MindMatter]

12. The dumbest ting is that she is taking the loser's side of the argument

OK, granted Obama's choice of words, when he talked about voters retreating to guns etc, could have been a little better. The point he was making was a valid one, but it leaves too much to the intelligence of the listener. Live and learn about that.

But the really dumb thing about Clinton is that the major point is that people are mad as hell. Calling that "bitter" is not a mistake at all. If anything, it is a gross understatement.

So let Hillary try to tell us we aren't angry.

I doubt that Obama set her up for this sucker punch. I think she just stepped into it on her own. She isn't nearly as clever as some people want to believe.

[grantcart]

17. good point

[PoliticalAmazon]

34. The "bitter" stickers aren't going to help--they are insulting to people...

...who have suffered under the Bush Jr administration, during which much of Bush's most harmful policies were endorsed by Hillary Clinton with her votes.

It smacks of making fun of those who have suffered the worst, and it is not going to help her at all.

[tblue37]

61. It's a purple heart bandaid moment. n/t

[Voice for Peace]

14. She is simply insulting the intelligence of anybody who has a brain.

[nels25]

19. Hey that is a good one

reminds me of a song in the late 60's.

You are pushing to hard, pushig to hard for me.

[TheDonkey]

46. She's unhinged, desperate, back-stabbing, and shameless

it is ridiculous

[Quixote1818]

51. This reminds me of the Republicans with Terri Schiavo. They pushed it over a cliff

and it completely backfired on them. Hillary is making the same mistake.

[NJmaverick]

2. He called it correctly

[Hamlette]

3. Toobin wrote the book defending the Clintons re: impeachment

seems to me he is a pretty fair source. He was the voice of reason in this whole outrage manufactured by Hillary.

[grantcart]

9. When Blitzer tries to bring them back to outrage by quoting McCain they actually react in laughter

[AZBlue]

41. Lots of us defended and supported them before.

I still think the impeachment/Lewinsky issue was absurd - but I now look back on their actions and words through that time and others with suspicion. I feel that we were horribly fooled and lied to by the Clintons and we're now seeing the real deal. Heck, I even started out the primaries by leaning toward supporting her in the primaries. My how things have changed!

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

7. it IS ridiculous. Hillary isn't bitter though,she's made $111 million over our crappy economy

maybe she will give all of it away so she can be happy like
the "proud" folks who don't have jobs, health care or affordable education.

yep, happy happy happy.

And Grandpa McLame is going to give up his mansions too.

[nels25]

20. And they will not really tell us how

they got that wealthy, that fast.

Inquiring minds wonder??

[me b zola]

8. Bitter voter for Obama in Oregon

:)

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

10. Hillary really is an embarassment. She just needs to go away.

[grantcart]

31. she is not going to go away. PA voters have an opportunity to end this

[liberaldem4ever]

13. k&r

[smiley_glad_hands]

15. She is enabling republicans and damaging progressives. eom

[Hepburn]

16. And those are her good points! n/t

[grantcart]

21. lol

[catgirl]

22. That is a must watch link

You have to wonder if Clinton and McCain are in close touch with each other.

[Hepburn]

24. Ok....some are going to tell me to polish my tin hat...

...but the more I see, the more I think that McGrampa and Hilly are coordinating things between their campaigns.

[grantcart]

30. well it seems that she is

[grantcart]

29. in can no longer be considered wild speculation

[Whisp]

23. Toobin and Cafferty make CNN almost bearable for some of the time.

of course they have to watch the side their bread is buttered on, but at least they make attempts at independent thought occassionaly.

Cafferty really went after Hillary last week - I'm sure her ears were burning -no link, sorry, but even I was taken a bit aback. but cheered nonetheless.

[grantcart]

28. what is incredible here is that you know most of the time they restrain themselves

but here you see real honest disgust

[thoughtcrime1984]

25. Yup, just keep rolling up those sleeves

Pennsylvanians are most likely sleeveless by now!

[Scurrilous]

26. K & R

:thumbsup:

[PA Democrat]

27. A BIG K & R

[Egnever]

32. Great video thanks for that.

Even the clinton news network knows this is bulshit. Yet again clinton attacks Obama with her fake outrage and the american people see right through it. Its good to see and makes me think there is still hope for this country.

[grantcart]

36. its obvious that they were trying to contain themselves but finally had had enough

[Egnever]

44. They were outright laughing at her and Mcain

I couldnt believe it. Good to see this thing get the derision it deserves though.

[milkyway]

33. People are happy. Hillary has $109 million reasons to be happy.

[billyoc]

35. "Toobin is dead to me" in 3..2..1...

:rofl:

[AllexxisF1]

43. Exactly.

I'm surprised your not seeing the Hillbots coming out in droves on how Jefferey Toobin and especially Cafferty isn't a bunch of sexist a-holes. I like Cafferty alot and he scored even more points on this video. The Rust Belt is damn right and you can bet your ass people that live in places like Penn and Ohio are pissed off. They are tired of Washington and they lay it out bare and truthful.


How can any respecting Democrat back Hillary on this is beyond me.

[AX10]

37. The Cable "News" mob is no friend of the Clintons.

We all know that.

[grantcart]

45. right

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

38. Amazing to see this on the Clinton News Network.

I guess after months of kissing her butt even some of their talking heads (except for maybe Leslie Blitzer) are fed up.

[grantcart]

47. seemed like their unscripted pundits just got fed up

Toobin especially doesn't offer personal comments very often.

[phrigndumass]

42. The part with Senator Clinton ... she was speaking to the audience like ...

... like a first-grade teacher would speak to a student. That's the way it sounded to me, very patronizing.

[grantcart]

48. its striking

[grantcart]

49. if your having trouble with the link try this

http://www.bittervoters.org/2008/04/cnn-continues-to-twist.php

[WillyT]

52. Also Can Be Found Here:

Link: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=385&topic_id=117454

:hi:

[NJSecularist]

50. Toobin is hardly a partisan? Hardly.

He's a known Democrat.

No wonder why he doesn't like Hillary..

[Hamlette]

53. lol

[grantcart]

54. I found his on air comments to be very non partisan

[Cha]

55. The link's not working for me, grant..

I'll keep trying 'cause I'd like to read the follow up to the discussion Toobin, Cafferty, and Borger had on Sat.

Stephanie (1000+ posts) Sat Apr-12-08 01:23 AM
Response to Original message
3. Here's a transcript - great commentary, they were all disgusted by it >
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/11/clinton-mccain...

BLITZER: All right, Gloria, he's already being hammered by Hillary Clinton and John McCain for that matter for supposedly being an elitist and speaking ill of the people of Pennsylvania by suggesting that the economic problems there are causing them to become bitter and buying guns and becoming xenophobic and all of that. What do you think? Is this a real issue out there?

GLORIA BORGER: Well, Hillary Clinton said today, you know, I don't see bitter people out there, I see struggling people or whatever it is, but she said the people aren't bitter. But I think the people are angry – and maybe Obama's terminology was in artful but I think he's expressing a sentiment of mad-as-hell-voters, not going to take it anymore, that we've seen throughout this election. And that's why perhaps voters are saying over and over again that they want to change. So I think Hillary Clinton is trying to make him into the elite candidate but he's talking about people being angry.

BLITZER: All right, and Hillary Clinton responded to the Obama comments this way; Jeff. Let me play her little sound bite.

HRC: It's being reported that my opponent said that the people of Pennsylvania who faced hard times are bitter. Well, that's not my experience. As I travel around Pennsylvania, I meet people who are resilient, who are optimistic, who are positive, who are rolling up their sleeves. They're working hard every day for a better future for themselves and their children. Pennsylvanians don't need a president who looks down on them.

BLITZER: All right, Jeff. What do you think?

JEFF TOOBIN: I think that is so ridiculous. I mean that is not at all what Barack Obama said. I just think this is an example of how a campaign between the two of them can be purely destructive. And not elevate either candidate. I mean, Hillary Clinton is clearly distorting what Obama said. And by the way, what Obama said is factually accurate. It's been true throughout history that people who have economic problems lash out against various others. I mean, I just think it is an embarrassing for the Clinton campaign to hang on this as if it's some sort of gaffe by Obama.

BLITZER: It's not just the Clinton campaign, Jack it's also the McCain campaign. They issued a statement saying it's a remarkable statement and extremely revealing it shows an elitism towards and condescension towards hard working Americans that is nothing short of breathtaking. It is hard to imagine someone running for president who is more out of touch with average Americans.

JACK CAFFERTY: Really? And this is from John McCain?

BLITZER: No, this is from Steve Schmidt a senior adviser for John McCain.

CAFFERTY: Look, Jeff's right. They call it the rust belt for a reason. The great jobs and the economic prosperity left that part of the country two or three decades ago. The people are frustrated. The people have no economic opportunity. What happens to folks like that in the Middle East, you ask? Well, take a look. They go to places like al Qaeda training camps. I mean, there's nothing new here. And what Barack Obama was suggesting is not that the people of Pennsylvania are to blame for any of it. It's that the jerks in Washington, D.C., as represented by the ten years of the Bushes and the Clintons and the McCains who have lied to and misled these people for all of this time while they shipped the jobs over seas and signed phony trade deals like NAFTA are to blame for the deteriorating economic conditions among America's middle class. I mean, I'm a college dropout and I can read the damn thing and figure it out.

BORGER: You know, in this case the Hillary Clinton campaign and the John McCain campaign have the same goal and that is to portray Obama as this sort of (inaudible) elitist who doesn't understand the real working class people or independent voters. And so they're both on the same side on this one and it's obvious why.

BLITZER: Go ahead, Jeff.

TOOBIN: I just think it's remarkable that Barack Obama, this guy who grew up in a single-family household with no money, who lived in Indonesia, who came from very modest upbringings, somehow he's the elitist? That's really a pretty extraordinary sort of contortion of his background. I mean.

BORGER: It's that Harvard, Yale thing.

CAFFERTY: He did not make $109 million in the last eight year did he?

BORGER: Right.

[grantcart]

56. thanks - did you try the new link in the thread - keep trying because hearing

them is even more dramatic.

thanks for the transcript

[Cha]

57. Oh, I wondered if it was a follow up to the

one I heard.. I did it hear and it was amazing that cnn heads were sticking up for Obama!.. and then I got the transcript from Stephanie and read it to my son over the phone Sat night.

[WillyT]

58. See Link #52... Same Video !!!

:hi:

[grantcart]

59. the link doesn't seem to work so I am glad that you posted the whole thing

[grantcart]

60. It wa a rare moment where there outrage outstripped the scripts

[IndianaGreen]

62. Your link doesn't seem to work tonight

;-)