1. Obama Ad Misrepresents Krugman Quote To Attack Hillary
Sen. Obama has a new ad which claims that "experts" believe Hillary's plan for a gas tax holiday would "boost oil industry profits." Their citation is an April 28 column by Paul Krugman, which discusses Sen. McCain's plan, not Hillary's plan:
The impression that Mr. McCain’s tax talk is all about pandering is reinforced by his proposal for a summer gas tax holiday — a measure that would, in fact, do little to help consumers, although it would boost oil industry profits.
Hillary's plan differs from Sen. McCain's in that it is financed with a windfall profits tax on oil companies. Krugman, who does not support Hillary's plan, acknowledges that her plan will not increase profits for the oil industry.
Krugman adds: "Just to be clear: I don’t regard this as a major issue. It’s a one-time thing, not a matter of principle…Health care reform, on the other hand, could happen, and is very much a long-term issue — so poisoning the well by in effect running against universality, as Obama has, is a much more serious breach."
5/4/2008 1:38:36 PM #
2. on Meet the Press, Sen. Obama claimed Hillary was using the same windfall profits tax to pay for two proposals:
Now, Senator Clinton says that she's going to use the windfall profits tax to fill it. First of all, she's already said she's going to use that for something else, as I have, and that is to invest in clean energy and, and-- other important measures. So, that money she's already spending twice.
This is false and misleading.
To pay for the gas tax holiday, Hillary is calling for a windfall tax on the oil companies' 2008 profits. It's an immediate proposal. Hillary has never proposed a tax on 2008 profits previously.
Hillary would continue the windfall tax on 2009 profits and beyond, and that revenue would go to her strategic energy fund and for renewable energy.
5/4/2008 10:18:42 AM #
3. Sen. Obama’s new Indiana mailer is full of misrepresentations on the candidates’ positions.
The mailer falsely claims that Hillary strongly supported NAFTA as First Lady and Senator. This is false - Hillary publicly said NAFTA was flawed as early as 2000: "What happened to NAFTA I think was we inherited an agreement that we didn’t get everything we should have got out of it in my opinion. I think the NAFTA agreement was flawed." Former White House adviser David Gergen confirms that Hillary was ‘extremely unenthusiastic’ about NAFTA as First Lady. Watch Video here.
The mailer suggests that Sen. Obama has ‘always opposed NAFTA.’ But in 2004, newspapers reported that Sen. Obama supported NAFTA and wanted to pursue similar agreements.
The mailer hits Hillary for accepting money from lobbyists, but doesn’t tell you that Sen. Obama takes money from lobbying firms, state lobbyists, former lobbyists and the spouses of lobbyists. He has accepted $2.8 million from firms that employ federal lobbyists, and ten of his top bundlers have been federal lobbyists.
Prior to his presidential campaign, Sen. Obama accepted contributions from lobbyists and PACs. In his 2004 Senate race, Sen. Obama raised $1.3 million from PACs and $128,000 from lobbyists. As a state senator, over half of Sen. Obama’s contributions came from PACs, corporate contributions, or unions.
The mailer attacks Hillary for supporting permanent trade relations with China as a way to enforce fair trade practices, an argument Sen. Obama himself has made.
The Obama mailer also hits Hillary for having support in the business community:
4. The Obama campaign’s full assault on Hillary is expanding into a full assault on the truth.
The memo the Obama campaign released today is full of blatantly inaccurate information and false innuendo, intended to denigrate Hillary's critical role in the passage of SCHIP and the Family and Medical Leave Act. Clearly, they believe that the media will overlook the facts and follow another false, trivial story line of their creation.
On SCHIP, Sen. Ted Kennedy said, "The children's health program wouldn't be in existence today if we didn't have Hillary pushing for it from the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue." At the time of passage in 1997, Sen. Kennedy said, "we pay tribute to Mrs. Clinton. Mrs. Clinton has made the issue of children's health and well-being her really first priority in this country, and she was of invaluable help, both in the fashioning and the shaping of the program, and also as a clear advocate, in terms of having an effective outcome, during the discussion and the debate on the children's health issue."
Factcheck.org says "Despite disparagement from political rivals, we find she deserves ample credit for expanding children's health insurance." More facts HERE.
On FMLA, Debra Ness, President of the National Partnership for Women and Families, the organization that worked for years on the issue, said "Hillary was instrumental in getting the Family and Medical Leave Act signed into law...Hillary brought her work and experience on behalf of children and working families to the campaign trail in 1991 and 1992 and knew the importance of getting this legislation passed immediately." More facts HERE.
5. Obama Campaign Character Attacks Not Supported By Facts
3/21/2008 11:57:27 AM
At the outset of the campaign, Sen. Obama pledged that his campaign would not attempt to "tear people down personally." This morning the Obama campaign released a strikingly negative memo attacking Hillary's character and asserting that Hillary "has consistently made political calculations to deliberately mislead the American people."
The memo is also dishonest. Below is a detailed look at the Obama campaign's claims that sets the record straight.
60 Minutes Interview
The Obama campaign falsely claimed that Hillary would not confirm that Obama was a Christian in a 60 minutes interview:
Obama’s religion. In a “60 Minutes” interview, Senator Clinton refused to confirm that Senator Obama is a Christian, even though she knows the facts.
Here is how Media Matters' Eric Boehlert described the interview:
The fact is, if you look at Clinton's exchange with Kroft in its entirety, which lasted less than one minute, I count eight separate times in which she either plainly denied the false claim that Obama was Muslim, labeled that suggestion to be a smear, or expressed sympathy for Obama having to deal with the Muslim innuendo.
Family and Medical Leave Act
The Obama campaign falsely claimed that Hillary had nothing to do with passing the Family and Medical Leave Act:
Her role in passing the Family and Medical Leave Act. Clinton credits herself with “helping to pass” the Family and Medical Leave Act as First Lady. But the 11,000 pages of schedules don’t contain a single mention of her involvement in the issue.
Here is what Debra Ness, President of the National Partnership for Women and Families, said about Hillary's involvement in FMLA:
Hillary was instrumental in getting the Family and Medical Leave Act signed into law. We at the National Partnership for Women & Families as well as other family and labor groups had been pushing for the law for nearly 10 years. Hillary brought her work and experience on behalf of children and working families to the campaign trail in 1991 and 1992 and knew the importance of getting this legislation passed immediately. Two weeks after President Clinton was inaugurated, it was done.
Experience
The Obama campaign says every year she worked at a private law firm, she was not engaged in public service:
35 Years in Public Service. The oft-repeated Clinton claim that she has 35 years of public service experience is simply false. Fifteen of those years were spent at a law practice.
During that time, Hillary was First Lady of Arkansas, Founded Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, was appointed by President Carter to the board of the U.S. Legal Services Corporation, Chaired Rural Health Advisory Committee in Arkansas and was on the board of directors of the Children's Defense Fund, among other activities in the public service.
Sen. Obama also worked in private practice for about a decade, and doesn't exclude that period of time from his experience in public service.
The Obama campaign also denigrates her experience as first lady, where she represented the United States in more than 80 countries. More on Hillary's foreign policy experience HERE.
Florida and Michigan
The Obama campaign is misleading voters about Hillary's position on Florida and Michigan:
The Michigan and Florida primaries. Back when it suited her political purposes she said the Michigan primary “didn’t count for anything” and that she wasn’t leaving her name on the ballot to try to legitimize the results. But now that she desperately needs more votes, she’s doing just that. And despite her pledge not campaign in either state, she held two campaign events in Florida.
In the interview that the Obama campaign cites, Hillary made it clear that Michigan was essential for the Democrats chances in the fall and that's why she left her name on the ballot:
I did not believe it was fair to just say goodbye Michigan and not take into account the fact that we're going to have to win Michigan if we're going to be in the White House in January 2009.
More info HERE. Hillary actually abided by the rules not to campaign before the primary concluded, unlike Sen. Obama who ran advertising in Florida.
Disclosure
On a week when 11,000 pages of Hillary's White House schedule were made available to the public, the Obama campaign is continuing to attack Hillary's transparency. At the same time, the Obama campaign has not released a single page of his state senate schedule or records.
There are 20 years of Hillary's tax returns in the public record and she will release all of her post-White House returns next month. Sen. Obama has released one year of his tax returns to the public and refuses to release any other years.
6. Sen. Obama stands by healthcare mailer that falsely attacks Hillary
2/26/2008 9:22:56 PM
During tonight’s debate, Sen. Obama stood by an Ohio campaign mailer that mimicked Harry and Louise ads that the health care industry used to scare people into opposing universal health care. The ad claims "Hillary's health care plan forces everyone to buy insurance, even if you can't afford it."
Here are the facts:
Sen. Obama fails to mention Hillary's plan cuts costs just as aggressively as Sen. Obama, if not more so.
Hillary's plan contains more generous subsidies than the Obama plan. Noted health expert Ken Thorpe of Emory University concluded that under the Hillary plan, everyone will be able to afford coverage.
The Obama plan leaves 15 million people out, which drives up costs because everyone else ends up subsidizing their emergency care.
Paul Krugman called the mailer "ugly" and "destructive."
7. the Obama campaign has launched an entire website, complaining that Sen. Obama's policies and public statements have become the subject of scrutiny.
When he entered the race, Sen. Obama said he believed in a new kind of politics where "the campaigns shouldn't be about making each other look bad…our rivals won't be one another." He railed against the “slash and burn, negative campaigning of the past.” His chief strategist said they didn't have a strategy to "tear people down."
Since that time, Sen. Obama has launched a sustained attack on Hillary's character, calling her "disingenuous," "untruthful," and "dishonest." Here's just a sample:
8. Sen. Obama called Hillary 'disingenuous.' Sen. Obama: “Her response was certainly inadequate…She can release these papers…I think she was being disingenuous.”
Sen. Obama told reporters to ask Hillary 'the difference between disingenuous and dishonest.' Q: “What's the difference between disingenuous and dishonest?” Obama: “You'll have to ask her.”
9. Sen. Obama said Hillary has not 'been truthful to voters about what she would do as president. NYT: “Has she been truthful to voters about what she would do as president?” Obama: “No.”
10. Sen. Obama accused Hillary of 'not being straight' with the American people on many issues.
Sen. Obama: "Hillary's idea is that we should force everyone to buy insurance. But this is yet another issue where she is not being straight with the American people because she refuses to tell us how much she would fine people if they couldn't afford insurance."
11. Sen. Obama accused Hillary of not putting 'honesty first.' "The real choice in this election is between conventional Washington thinking that prizes posture and positioning, or real change that puts judgment and honesty first."
12. Sen. Obama said Hillary is more concerned 'about getting through an election than actually solving the health care problems.' “The Illinois senator said it is another instance of political maneuvering on Clinton's part. ‘So unless she can answer those questions this is yet another calculation that's more about getting through an election than actually solving the health care problems,’ he said.”
13. Sen. Obama said Hillary is only about 'winning elections,' isn't concerned about 'solving problems,' lacks 'principles.' "On the stump, Mr. Obama calls Mrs. Clinton a skilled politician and a friend, but says she is running her campaign from a flawed 'textbook' that is 'all about winning elections, but says nothing about how to bring the country together to solve problems.' 'As we saw in the debate last week, it encourages vague, calculated answers to suit the politics of the moment, instead of clear, consistent principles about how you would lead America,' he said over the weekend."
14. Sen. Obama: Voters should be concerned that is 'running the textbook, classic Washington campaign, which is to avoid clear answers.' Q: “But do you think that voters should be concerned about whether she's telling the truth?” Obama: “I think that the voters should be concerned that she is running the textbook, classic Washington campaign, which is to avoid giving clear answers and getting pinned down, for fear that somehow you're going to be tagged, either in the primary or the general election. I think that's an old way of doing business. I think that's the kind of politics that has lead to gridlock and an ineffective Washington. That's the kind of politics I want to change."
15. Sen. Obama said Hillary doesn't stand for anything. "Obama has criticized rival Hillary Rodham Clinton on both issues, and he said not taking strong stands ultimately doesn't work. 'People want parties to stand for something,' he said."
16. Sen. Obama said Hillary's positions are all based on 'what’s popular or politically convenient.' "Now, Senator Clinton is certainly not the only one in Washington to play this game. It’s gone on for years, and I understand the reasoning behind it. It’s a game that usually gets politicians where they need to go. But I don’t believe it gets America where we need to go. When it comes to issues like war and diplomacy, energy and health care, I don’t believe we can bring about real change if all we do is change our positions based on what’s popular or politically convenient."
Obama is a hypocrite who uses right-wing talking points to attack a progressive, powerful democratic candidate. Divisive, distortions, lies...Obama IS politics as usual.
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