Hillary Clinton's campaign was acting like President Bush's when it recently planted a softball question from an Iowa audience member, rival Democratic candidate John Edwards said Sunday.
"People expect you to stand in front of them and answer their hard questions - and they expect it to be an honest process," he told reporters in Des Moines. "What George Bush does is plant questions and exclude people from events, and I don't think that's what Democrats want to see in Iowa."
Edwards was referring to an incident last week in which Clinton campaign aides urged a Grinnell College student to ask Clinton a question about global warming at a forum in Newton. The student told her college newspaper that campaign workers also prompted Clinton to call on her. Aides acknowledged planting the question, but they denied Clinton knew about it. They said that the incident was an isolated mistake and that it would not be repeated.
Yes. I agree. Hillary's Campaign is acting like President Bush's campaign by having planted questions.
More importantly, why does she think she need to do this?
This goes right back to the crux of her campaign. Her candor and honesty. Why can't a presidential candidate for our party answer the questions straight and precise? Why does she feel or believe that she must have plants? And if it has happened in Iowa, who is to say it has not happened everywhere else?
Clinton spokesman Mark Daley responded by saying that Clinton's events are open to anyone, and that she routinely takes questions from the public and reporters.
"What George Bush does is attack Democrats and divide the country," Daley said. "John Edwards' campaign resembles that more and more every day."
I mean this is an admirable response, but sorry it does not cut the mustard. You are not addressing the question of why the Hillary Clinton Campaign is using a tactic known by Democrats that Bush used, repeatedly since 2000.
Don't you understand that it is the not answering questions, that puts doubts in caucus goers and primary voters about your honesty and sincerity? That if you can not even answer questions from the public and choose to use dodging tactics on this level, what are you going to do if you become President? Give us, more of the same? As we have now? Sigh.
I am not a Hillary Clinton supporter, but she is better than this. She is. If she want to become our nominee, please stop with the whining, the planting of questions, and all the other shenanigans to stutter-step being direct with the public.
People do not vote for candidates they do not trust. Hillary Clinton you are loosing the public's trust, daily, with tactics like this.
Update [2007-11-12 17:31:49 by icebergslim]:
Hardball just showed a video of the student, who was planted, to ask Clinton the Global Warming question. After she asked Clinton the question, she winked, job done. Will post the video, when released by MSNBC.
Update [2007-11-12 19:28:13 by icebergslim]:
Here is the link from Hardball, it talks about the JJ Dinner, but shows the video of the planted questioner and in slow motion with the wink. Reported by David Shuster. It is here.
Update [2007-11-12 20:3:8 by icebergslim]:
Now a story of possible planting of questions. This goes back to her senate race.
Three days after Hillary Clinton's campaign was forced to admit it had planted a question at an Iowa campaign event, an eagle-eyed tipster noted that this wasn't the first time the former First Lady's camp arranged for a friendly voice to lob a softball question.
In announcing her Senate run in 1999, MSNBC reported that "responding to a planted question at a Teachers Union event [Clinton] made it clear she is in the race for the US Senate."
Clinton's aides reacted to the news of the most recent rigged question by saying "this is not standard policy and will not be repeated again."
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