February 23, 2007
The "He's Just Like Everyone Else" Watch
Want proof that Sen. Barack Obama's running at least a little bit of a traditional campaign? At the first hint of trouble, he throws the staff under the bus. (Come to think of it, John Kerry did the same thing -- unfairly, in the eyes of many -- to Robert Gibbs, too).
Said Obama:
“I told my staff that I don’t want us to be a party to these kinds of distractions because I want to make sure that we’re spending time talking about issues,” Mr. Obama said. “My preference going forward is that we have to be careful not to slip into playing the game as it customarily is played.”
So -- we're trying to figure out the timeline here -- did he not speak to his staff at all until 5pm CST yesterday? When he landed in Des Moines in the late afternoon yesterday, he told reporters: " I just heard about this as I got off the plane." Did the roadshow not brief him appropriately?
He seems to have clearly told his staff to respond politely... are we reading the New York Times story correctly? -- all the while claiming he was not terribly aware of the situation itself.
BTW I: If one is interested in staying above the fray, is it too late to disavow Geffen's comments?
BTW II: If comity is the order of the day, will Obama -- has Obama -- explictly asked his staff and his top fundraisers to (a) not personally criticize his opponents in private and (b) stop any campaign oppo research efforts against Democrats? Where does Obama believe the line is between legitimate disagreements and personal attacks?
Posted at 11:10 AM
Comments
Are you serious?....Is this article a joke?
You know full well that Obama had nothing to do with the comments of Geffen AND responding by attacking Obama, Hillary has just lost the race.
Vilack is out, Is Hillary neat?....hmmmmmm
Chris | 02.23.07 11:50 AM
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Give me a break. Obama is doing what is right for his campaign. He wants to see a better tone from all including his staff.
I applaud him for that.
James Wellington | 02.23.07 11:52 AM
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Oh Gibbs deserves it! What a moron, what a fool! He was high fiving all his buds (I heard) because he whacked back at the Clinton rapid response, but whilst doing this, numbnuts introduced into the 08 Democratic primary campaign a discredited script that the GOP used very effectivelly to draw first blood and help to defeat Gore in 2000. (See yesterdays www.dailyhowler.com to see that the TRUTH. The numbers of overnight guests in the two Bush White Houses - and types of guest - are consistant with the Clinton record. The Wash Post helped hype this mythos by counting young Chelsea's sleepover pals amongst their dark and dirty. Once again the CW is bogus.)
We have been fighting for years to descredit this GOP-MSM scripting and here its hand delivered to the entire press corps as the thought for the day by Senator Obama's Director of Communications. I liked the Senator's response today, but it doesnt change that Gibbs is a jerk. Tricia Enright was right back in 2000 when she said that he should crawl back under the rock he emerged from after he Osama'ed Howard Dean in IA.
Im sure that theres a job available with Geffen though, they both seem to be equals in bullying, falsehoods and plain old arrogance. I will take bets with anyone that this simple minded - short sighted fella Gibbs doesn't go the distance.
TimL | 02.23.07 12:06 PM
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Hillary should follow Vilsack's lead and drop out of the race........do the country a favor.
Chris | 02.23.07 12:20 PM
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yeah, who wrote this article, Tim Russert? His comments about telling his staff to stay above this sound like a general rule he has for them. Good try, though, pretending that he made that comment specifically about this event, and then yelling GOTCHA when he says he didn't know about the event til later in the day.
Upstate NY Dem | 02.23.07 12:29 PM
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Hotline wants to play gotcha politics. Obama won't play. It is remarkable how the media thrives on trivialities. Britney Spears, Ann Nicole, gotcha politics, etc. It's no wonder Americans are looking elsewhere for real news.
Dianne in Colorado | 02.23.07 12:35 PM
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It is NOT trivial when one the Communications Director of one campaign uses discredited GOP smears to attack another Democratic candidate. I mean come on...Lincoln Bedroom? Jeeze! If that doesnt matter, what does? We have spent years and years now trying to beat back the drumming and drubbing delivered to Dem candidates by the created mythologies and scripts of the GOP birthed -Cable news delivered - campaign narrative. It costs the election in 200 and maybe 2004, when are you gonna realize that this is our major hurdle. (If your a Democrat that is, if not, enjoy...)
timl | 02.23.07 12:53 PM
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There's nothing "gotcha" about this. Robert Gibbs is the voice of the Obama campaign. A candidate's staff, especially senior staff like Gibbs, is a direct reflection of that candidate's values. Obama claims to be an allegedly transformational candidate who is above attacks and is interested in growing the party.
The question "Is he just like everyone else?" is entirely legitimate.
corinne | 02.23.07 01:07 PM
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As others have pointed out, hotline wants to see a long simmering catfight between Hillary and Barack. Ordinary Americans like myself are tired of these kind of media driven small-minded politics.
North Dakota Jim | 02.23.07 01:11 PM
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Robert Gibbs is the voice of the Obama campaign, eh? I guess who had no problem with him whem he was John Kerry's 2004 communication director. He was also Obama's 2004 to present senate communication director.
leroyM | 02.23.07 01:26 PM
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This was driven by that nasty vile dean sliming gop meme repeating blowhard obama comm dir robert gibbs. Our party does not need hacks like this spreading our enemies filth. He is supposed to be a professional, but in his attempt to damage Clinton, in actuality,he has scarred his own candidate, Obamma. He is a mean spirited imitation of intelligence and he should apologize and resign and go away.
timl | 02.23.07 01:35 PM
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Cry me a river, timl. Gibbs is one tough-minded guy. One of the best hires Obama has made and yes, he'd go toe-to-toe with the GOP machine. He's great.
Janice_minnesota_mom | 02.23.07 02:02 PM
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Gibbs is an idiot. in his first dust up with his major competition he has embarrased his boss. Good job that, huh? Tough sure as hell does not always equal smart. By jumping directly to simple minded CW talking points shows that this fellow is not the kind who scored 700s on his SATS. Pedestrian, shallow and very ineffective. If you haven't noticed Janice....because of his screw up, Obama has had to back peddle, say his I didnt knows and try to make lemonade just a couple of days after entering the Big Time. I guarantee you that Gibbs is getting his butt kicked right now and Ill betcha he's gone before its warm enough to boogie board at Rehobeth Beach (the Nation's Summer Capital and my hometown). To paraphrase MN's great F Scott , there are no second chances in american politics...Press people are there to mitigate bad story lines, not create them.
timl | 02.23.07 02:23 PM
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You're free to look elsewhere. I'd have Gibbs, Burton and the whole cast of Obama's communication team on my side any day. They have been marvelous so far!
AZmoderatevoter | 02.23.07 03:01 PM
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I personally think the campaign and Sen. Obama should have held their ground. Screw Hillary. They want to destroy Obama and it is in his best interests to keep a firm and tough stand against her. We know he is heads and shoulders above her and if he has to throw a few hard punches to let her and her mafia know he is not going to be pushed around, do it.
vwcat | 02.23.07 09:19 PM
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It was a misstep by Obama's staff and here's why: half of the country still doesn't have an opinion about him. The Geffen slip allowed -if ever so slightly- the percentage of people who are getting to know him over the next year to begin to view him and his staff as 'normal politician doing normal political stuff.' Takes some of the varnish off the messiah halo.
Hillary Clinton knows that among Dems. she has a solid 40-45% who will vote for her and about 30% who hate her guts. Barring a catastrophe or miracle, her numbers are solid. She can afford to take shots at people b/c her image is already defined.
Gibbs did Obama a disfavor by that Lincoln bedroom slip-up. Now for the next year the media is going to looking, just waiting for any slip in tone. If he says anything bad about Hillary, the entire press is really going to jump on it.
Furthermore, he is going to have a SEVERE problems saying anything negative about any Democratic candidates in the primary season. How can you win in a field of 8 people when one candidate automatically has 40% and you can't criticize the other 6? Obama, your purity pledge just bought you a political chastity belt.
By the way, do you think the other 6 are just going to sit back and not attack him? And when they do, what is Obama going to do? And if he strikes back, when he strikes back, how is that going to be perceived?
Never, never, never never promise -a year before a campaign- to wage a 'high ground campaign' in a crowded field. You are putting terrible restrictions on yourself.
Obama, take back that pledge. Get down and dirty. It's going to happen anyway, why not have control over it? Why not make the eventual mud that you'll be splattered with seen as a sign that you're a fighter? You will definitely lose the college freshman left-wings looking for their McGovern saint. But you could gain a lot of people who, you know, actually vote!
Jockwriter | 02.23.07 09:30 PM
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Maybe I missed something but the only person this seems to hurt is Hillary. Her attack dog communications director just seemed unhinged yesterday in his over the top attack on Obama for something said by Geffen. Stop me if you've seen this strategy from the Bush administration (you know, we get attacked by Osama bin Laden and invade Iraq). As far as I can see, this has no effect on Obama at all. Although I do agree that his camp has made it clear that they will respond to attacks forcefully.
--good for them!
TNDem | 02.23.07 09:40 PM
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Gibbs is irrelevant. The voice of the Obama campaign is the People, and Obama will not be drawn into apologizing for every time somebody says something less than flattering about his rivals.
T.M. Lindsey | 02.24.07 10:38 AM
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Obama should retire his halo. His campaign is, now officially, of this world.
JoeCHI | 02.24.07 02:07 PM
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Gibbs embarrassed his boss? Really? What is this, amateur night? Gee, Gibbs, I really wish you hadn't started the first major battle with the political establishment without asking me first. No, Gibbs is the hatchet man. Judging from the ire he raised in the faithful it sounds like he did a pretty good job--put a little fear in the Clinton camp and showed the Rs that Obama is no pushover. Plus, the Clintons really did not offer him an out (it was hardball from GO): return all the money? Seriously? That is funny. Wolfson must have been smiling when he wrote that bit. It's political extortion: your money or your life. I doubt the Clintons thought he would hit back, and if they did, and if they wanted to provoke Obama then their legacy will pay the price. Novak's probably right: Bill was pissed and wanted payback and Hillary couldn't say no. Who cares what Gibbs got on the SATs, he's got their number. Obama is not going to roll over, thank god.
JC | 02.24.07 11:12 PM
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I think Obama handled this incident exactly right. His staff went a bit overboard (but not much), and he gently reigned them back in. Hillary and her staff, on the other hand, seem to be in full panic mode. She and they are not handling competition or criticism very well.
Bill | 02.26.07 12:38 PM
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panic mode? get real. obama had to say he didnt know anything about his teams response (thay aint good) stop letting your bias make you say ridiculous things. one thing for sure hillary's team is not made up of people that panic.
timl | 02.27.07 08:08 AM
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