McCain Campaign Falsely Claims Obama Described Court's Failure to Redistribute Wealth As "Tragedy"

[RamboLiberal]

The McCain campaign's efforts to portray Barack Obama as a closet socialist took a turn into the burlesque today, with the McCain camp falsely claiming that in a seven year old interview, Obama said that it was a "tragedy" that the Supreme Court hadn't redistributed wealth away from hard-working Americans.

The Obama interview in question is being pushed relentlessly today by the wingnuts, who are circulating this audio of it.

The McCain campaign just blasted out a quote from senior economics adviser Doug Holtz-Eakin hammering Obama. In the interview, Holtz-Eakin claimed, "Obama expressed his regret that the Supreme Court hadn't been more 'radical' and described as a 'tragedy' the Court's refusal to take up 'the issues of redistribution of wealth.'"

Holtz-Eakin asserted that this proves that Obama wants to take money "away from people who work for it" and give it to people "Obama believes deserves it." Apparently McCain himself is going to pick up this cudgel on the trail today, too.

But as usual, this latest attack rests on a complete falsehood.

What's more, take a look at the operative part of Obama's quote that includes the "tragedy" line:

One of the I think the tragedies of the Civil Rights movement was because the Civil Rights movement became so court focused I think that there was a tendency to lose track of the political and community organizing and activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalitions of power through which you bring about redistributive change and in some ways we still suffer from that.

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/10/mccain_campaign_falsely_claims.php#more

I figured when Drudge posted this last night that McShame campaign would try to make this the Talking Point of the day. Is the MSM running with this? I'm stuck at work. I know Obama camp has already addressed this today from another DU thread here in GDP:

[Alter Ego]

1. Oh my Lord. THAT's the quote?

It takes some serious verbal gymnastics to turn that into "OBAMA SEZ HE WILL REDISTRIBUTE YER WEALTH", considering he doesn't even talk about money there.

[TwilightGardener]

2. Apparently the word "redistribute" automatically means "socialist", in any context.

Even if Obama said, "I would like to redistribute some campaign materials"--SOCIALIST!!

[pdxmom]

3. I don't know why people go to McPalin rallies. I would think that with

all the lies they tell, the probability of being struck down by lightning is huge!

[4lbs]

4. Yeah, this is part of that 2001 radio interview Obama gave that they are dredging up.

It was discussed last night here I think.

[RamboLiberal]

6. That's why I was upset that Team Jordan was attacked by some

here for daring to post Drudge last night. IMHO that post was a heads up to us what the McShame camp and the wingnut media were going to try to pull off today.

And too often as we know the F'ing MSM goes right along with the falsehoods!

[Canuckistanian]

5. What does the quote have to do with wealth?

Obama was talking about the distribution of political power, not money.

It seems pretty clear to me.

[emulatorloo]

9. Education and legal services mostly:

from the article:

What's more, Obama legal adviser Cass Sunstein argues to Ben Smith that Obama was discussing "redistribution" in the context of a narrow legal discussion about civil rights, meaning he was discussing whether the courts should make the things that guarantee a social safety net -- education, welfare, and the like -- court-mandated rights.

Ironically, Sunstein points out, Obama was arguing that legislative action was a preferable vehicle for accomplishing such goals.

If McCain disagrees with Obama's argument that the courts aren't the primary place to accomplish such things, he should say so. It would certainly make news.

[Canuckistanian]

10. I stand corrected

The RWers today are crowing about how Obama wants "activist judges" to "redistribute the wealth".

I must confess that I'm mystified the the statement "redistribute the wealth" has become a pejorative.

To me, that means making a more just economic system, with the poor and middle class taking a bigger share of the VAST wealth that already exists. NOT welfare.

[endthewar]

7. MSNBC has held back. Foxnews.com has it as their top story.

[GoesTo11]

8. Here's the real Tragedy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdkjXU2wA78&feature=related