Yesterday I proudly voted for Barack Obama and since I didn't register in time to vote in my new state in 2006, that will make 3 elections in a row that I have been able to vote for a very intelligent and decent man (although I had intended to vote for Edwards but he dropped out). But I am very disappointed in his comments at a news conference this morning that Republicans have a whole "dump-truck" of dirt on Hillary Clinton just waiting to be used.
Really, who would have thought the Republicans have dirt on Hillary Clinton!?! But did he ever stop to think they will have a "dump-truck" of made-up scandals waiting for him too? He and Hillary Clinton must fight together against any and all of the coming Republican dump-trucks that could lead to their defeat in November. Do not encourage our tabloid-media's love for sensational-if-not-factual "scandals" they faithfully repeat on behalf of Republicans that they will use against ALL Democrats.
The AP article covering the event can be read here, more of my brief thoughts below.
Obama is clearly overestimating the type of voter that the Republicans will be turning out to vote against him or Hillary in November 2008. They are of a rotten and filthy mind: the factual basis for the attacks the RNC will throw at him or Hillary will not matter at all. Has he forgotten the slanderous and hateful "Obama's a secret Muslim" chain-mail that I still have seen circulating and believed to be true by the exact type of ignorant voter we don't want fueled to vote in November?
If Obama has dirt on Hillary that he believes the Republicans will use he should reveal it. Hillary has done him a favor by forcing him to confront the Rezco accusations now, does he not believe the Republicans and our incredibly lazy media will not repeat these charges, or much much worse, ad-nauseam if he were to win the nomination? Don't hint at some veiled attacks through Republican proxies. Don't encourage our already pathetic media who will gleefully begin dreaming-up what Clinton scandals they can repeat instead of actual news.
Since Obama isn't stupid, He acknowledges part of this at the conference:
I assure you that having engaged in a contest against them [Clinton] for the last year that they've pulled out all the stops. And you know I think what is absolutely true is whoever the Democratic nominee is the Republicans will go after them. The notion that somehow Senator Clinton is going to be immune from attack or there's not a whole dump truck they can't back up in a match between her and John McCain is just not true.
Who the hell actually believes the notion that Hillary is going to be immune from Republican attacks? What planet has Obama been living on for the last 16 years? You're supposed to "pull out all the [legal] stops" in a campaign of this nature: stops that make sense for your campaign, but fueling our tabloid-obsessed media with these implications will only backfire on Obama when the media and Republicans set their sites on him. I assure you the Republicans will be far more vicious than anything Hillary or Bill could ever imagine, and if the past 2 Presidnetial elections are any indicator, the main-stream media will be more than happy to sensationaly spread any of these "scandals".
What I especially don't get is why he decided to make this veiled attack this morning. Anyone with a deeper knowledge of politics knows he awoke this morning the likely nominee. He most likely split yesterday's delegates, and will likely win every other contest in February giving him great momentum, on top of a huge money advantage, for Ohio and Texas. He has this race, why stoop to the level of veiled attacks that he will assuredly face many of later this year? I truly believe by Convention time Obama and Clinton could be the best of friends: they're both passionate, intelligent patriots. This would obviously be best for the party, but this is exactly the type of thing that could prevent that from happening and lead to another Republican victory in November.
Disclaimer: I'm do not want to imply that the Clinton camp is at all innocent in this matter-but that's why I've voted for Obama 3 times in a row: I believe he can win without spreading RNC filth.