Hillary Challenges Obama’s Courage, Character
Senator Clinton turned up the heat on Barack Obama on Sunday, saying the race comes down to “courage and convictions” — and blasting Obama’s positions on health care and his Political Action Committee as lacking both.
Hillary came out firing on the health care before she took even a single question at a media availability in Cedar Rapids, accusing Obama of changing his tune on whether his plan covers all Americans depending on the audience. “Yesterday, in the space of a few hours, it went from universal when I wasn’t there, to comprehensive when we were on the same [stage],” she said — a reference to Saturday’s Black/Brown Presidential Forum in Iowa, where Obama seemed to be at great pains not to call his plan “universal.”
“I think the people of Iowa need to know there’s a big difference between our plans,” she said. “But more importantly there’s a big difference between our courage and our convictions, what we believe and what we’re willing to fight for.” Touting her record, Clinton said “the people of Iowa are going to get a chance to chose between someone who talks the talk, and someone who walked the walk.”
On universal care, she said, “Senator Obama got to the brink and blinked,” adding “You’ve got to ask yourself, who’s really committed here? Who’s doing it for political reasons, and who has a lifetime of conviction and commitment?”
But it didn’t stop there. Hillary also attacked Obama for failing to shut down his Hope Fund leadership PAC, spurring allegations that he’d used it to spread money to curry favor with key figures in early primary states — accusing him of hypocrisy. “Its not only that this PAC is still open and operating,” she said. “It’s that, contrary to what we’ve been hearing now for a year, it had lobbyist money, it had PAC money, and they were more than happy to take that money and to use it to try to influence elections, and to create relationships with people while he was running for president.”
And asked whether she was saying this was an issue of character when it comes to Senator Obama, Senator Clinton at first demurred — but then said “it’s beginning to look a lot like that. You know, it really is, where you can’t get a straight answer on health care; where somebody who runs on ethics and not taking money from certain people is found out to have at least skirted if not violated the FEC rules, and to use lobbyist and PAC money to do so.”
Senator Clinton seemed to express something like regret about the frontal assault, saying she’d rather be attacking Republicans and America’s problems. But, she said, “I have been, for months, on the receiving end of rather consistent attacks. Well, now the fun part starts. We’re into the last month, and we’re going to start drawing the contrasts.”
UPDATE: Barack Obama takes issue with Hillary’s assertion that this part of the campaign is “fun.” The campaign released a statement from the Senator saying “this presidential campaign isn’t about attacking people for fun, it’s about solving people’s problems…. Washington insiders might think throwing mud is fun, but the American people are looking for leadership that can unite this country around a common purpose.”
Check out her latest, greatest hits. done
Tags: barack obama, health care, hillary clinton, iowa, PACs
Share
Obama’s trying to copy Hillary’s plan because deep down he knows it’s the only fair program. He has tried to launch a preemptive attack with his health care plan, and if he’s got any sense, he will stop airing it at Hillary’s request.
I LOVE YOU HILLARY! YOURE GOING TO BE AN AWESOME PRESIDENT!
Hillary, are you kidding? Attacking Obama on his stance on healthcare when she couldn’t pull together a plan when that was her only job during her husband’s presidency? It is hard to take her seriously when that’s her biggest shot against her most critical opponent. It will take way more than potshots to get savvy voter’s support in next year’s election.
I don’t know if Obama is necessarily trying to copy Senator Clinton’s plan, but he has certainly tried to hide a bit of the truth. If I remember correctly, I don’t think any of the Republicans have a healthcare plan, so the Democrats are just having to contrast theirs a little more than usual right now.
However, it does look like he’s hidden more than a little of the truth on the PAC.
Every day, Hillary Clinton just looks like the smartest person running from either side. The rest look like children (except McCain and Thiompson, who look like both our grandfathers — from our mom’s side and from our dad’s side).
If we have learned one thing over the past many administrations, its that the duties of the President require a complex package, and a single issue President is not right at any time. Evolution of the President’s actions based upon his/her perception of what the society wants and can handle is important.
Stubborness and adherance to a particular point, no matter how things change, is what we have now.
That stubborness in a President, I do not want again in my lifetime.
Hillary echos the same call as Chavez. Socialism!
Uh. Hillary is lame. First she says there are no differences. Now she says there are clear differences. It appears lying about her positions didn’t work, so now she’s going to start lying about Obama’s. No wonder she is sinking in the polls like a bitter, old rock.
A Clinton questioning someone else’s ethics and motivations? Now that’s rich!
they are both commies and only want the power for them selves. They don’t give a damn about any one else.
I bet the two posts above (cody and vote for hillary) are hillary plants. go back to your msnbc mother ship!
It amazes me, just a normal American working hard to make a living, that there are so many people ignorant enough to remotely believe healthcare will be there for everyone if Hillary becomes the President. That they believe another Clinton in the office is the answer. These are the same people who will be wondering in a few years why they pay more taxes, have less opportunities for jobs and will certainly begin to question what ever happened to our great US healthcare system. Lastly, when a Clinton was last in office, we were attacked by terrorists 3 times and the planning of the biggest attack took place during that tenure and then 6 months after our President took office, we were hit again. Remember, their planning was to learn how to fly planes while Mr. Clinton had an affair and then lied about it. Some people forget… I never will. Elect someone else besides a Clinton and remember too that there are no Bush’s running so why bring his name up?
It is a joke for Hillary to do so. I do not think the Americal people would give even a passing mark for the Clintons’ courage and character. The Clinton campaign is desparate. Even my republican husband is thinking of voting for Obama. Obama all the way!
I can’t believe she’s throwing stones from within that glass house with such vigor!
The Hillary CLinton campaign appears to be playing “dirty politics” if we are to believe the following reported in the Baltimore Sun:
“Obama said Hopefund is no longer raising money, but that because of the rapid nature of his decision to run for president he was left with money in the fund to share with other Democrats.
“I have not been planning to run for president for however number of years some of the other candidates have been planning for. So, by the time we announced that I was running, there was still money left over, which we used to contribute to candidates all across the country to help build a Democratic majority. That was the original purpose of it. That is the purpose of all these leadership funds. It’s the same purpose that Sen. Clinton’s leadership fund was set up….We just simply didn’t have the ability to get all that money out. And I would point out, we made contributions to many people who are endorsing Sen. Clinton, instead of me.”
Hillary’s campaign should regroup focus on the issues. Character assassination is evil and will not work. We are weary of ‘dirty politics’ so Hillary please give us more credit and behave like a responsible adult and ensure members of your campaign do likewise.
obama is too focused on hillary rather than the issues. and hillary is ready to be president. obama–for all his intelligence–needs more work.
I don’t think Sen. Clinton nor does her husband have the experience for the challenges that we face today. My opinion is that the Clinton era was a reaped benefit from Pres. R. Reagan. We need someone who makes decisions accurately and not caught in between scandals. Decision making like no child left behind, funding a war when it’s convenient, don’t ask don’t tell, outsourcing jobs to India when Americans like myself are qualified, opening the gap between the Republicans and Democrats is going to take this country in the direction that is needed. This is not a popularity contest or a time for dynasty, but a time for positive change in the White House. I was always told to get home taken care of first before anything else. My question is why Bill will repeat seeking attention from other women verses his main squeeze Hillary. It seemed to America that this was one of her strengths to fight and suffer a marriage, but have that problem really been resolved. She has been positioned as first lady to help change things in America “already”. Is it not good enough to work on her marriage in her later years, spend time with Bill in the Bahamas, rather than to continue to pursue the ultimate goal as becoming the first female President? I wonder what Bill really thinks the reason why she chose to stay with him during his most indecent hour. Maybe she wanted a little more than to preserve her marriage, maybe to preserve her candidacy? Maybe I’m wrong about Hillary? Maybe America is too? Yeah right!
I LOVE U OBAMA…..**** YOU GOT MY VOTE****
Obama came out with his health plan months before Hillary did. Hillary is running SCARED. Noone cares about the differences between universal and comprehensive. The only thing people are going to remember is that under Hillary’s plan you will GO TO JAIL or BE FINED if you don’t have health insurance. With Obama’s plan, you can decided as an adult to refuse it if you want.
And to go after his PAC that GAVE MONEY AWAY (including to some of her supporters) is silly.
Clinton will LOSE any fights about CHARACTER.
She’s just not as smart as Obama. Obama graduated in the top 5% of his Harvard Law school class. Hillary was in the BOTTOM of her Yale school class. Do we really want to elect another ‘C’ student from Yale?
Um….it’s not the only fair program. Clearly, many folks don’t want it. We need to start listening to the whole country, not just those that agree with us. I have long championed social medicine in our country and supported Hillary’s quest back in the ’90’s. But several objective analysts have raised legitimate questions about whether it will work as scripted, and the fact of the matter is that no one should be forced to buy into this. To me, the difference that Hillary is emphasizing is actually a weakness of her plan. Having the option to utilize a social medical insurance plan, to use pre-tax medical savings accounts, to use traditional insurance companies, or some combination of these options makes the most sense. None of these choices is right for absolutely everyone. Having the right to choose is. I don’t think Obama has it perfect, either, but his plan seems to be the best so far.
I like and admire Hillary Clinton, but I believe in Barack Obama. Read both of their books and you might agree.
[...] that it’s really really a race, Mrs. Inevitable has to leap into the trenches for some fisticuffs. Senator Clinton turned up the heat on Barack Obama on Sunday, saying the race [...]
Hilary is desperate, and misleading. She is going down!
35 years of experience fighting what? Bill’s skirt chasing? Give me a break, Hillary isn’t experienced enough for an Elementary School PTA president.
First, Obama had raised money in that PAC before he decided to run for president. He no longer raises money for that fund.
Second, he used (past tense) the money to help fund democratic campaigns in many states including several that don’t have early primaries, keeping in mind that about half of the states in the union have a primary on or before Feb 5th.
Third, Hillary, Hillary Clinton, is questioning Obama’s conviction and courage!?!?!?
She’s questioning the courage of a man who opposed the Iraq war in 2002? The courage of a man who has stated his willingness to speak with hostile powers, as opposed to Bush foreign policy? The convictions of a man who has worked his entire life as a community organizer?
Wow!!! Can the Clintons be trusted? who voted for the war and supported it and now saying she votes for inspectors? Who’ husband is now saying he was against it the war in Iraq from the start. who said I did not have sexual relationship with that woman when he did? Who planted questions in her town hall meeting? Who’s bankers have been indicted in just a couple of month ago? Just to name a few.
Hillary you better look at youself first before you point fingers or you will burn yourself.
For a reality check go to
http://www.hillaryattacks.barackobama.com and http://www.factcheck.barackobama.com.
Hillary has said this is the “fun” part. Sounds like someone who lives for the fight . . . not for actually making constructive changes.
Our country needs a confident leader who embraces differing viewpoints, respects folks, and can build relationship and trust. That’s what it’s going to take to get the ball rolling on the critical issues we face. We don’t need more of the Clinton slugfest. What a sorry spectacle Hillary Clinton is making of herself!
Hillary Clinton has said that now we get to the “fun” part of the campaign.
Even if she meant that in a joking way, it’s distressing that her mentality is so focused on the fight. It sounds like that’s what she relishes the most.
Ask yourself if America stands to benefit from that kind of mentaility in our president.
We have a laundry list of critical issues which, if we’re really serious about working on them, are going to require bipartisan cooperation.
We need a leader who respects and embraces a variety of opinion . . . someone who has a history of being able to get folks who are locked in ideological struggle to turn their energies toward creating a better future. We need a leader who can move us off the 51-49 split.
We can’t afford to waste our energies on another Clinton slugfest.
This recent barage of distortion and smoke screen (“Don’t look at the records for my PAC activities and other financial dealings. Look over here at this!) is truly a sad spectacle.
Hillary, we’ve watched your manipulation of the truth for many years . . . we’re on to you this time!
What I find interesting is the varying levels of authenticity amongst the candidates that Americans are blind to. If you ask yourself the questions…”Is the communication of the candidate you’re choosing straight, concrete, and to the point, compared to negative, abstract and questionable from the standpoint of implementation, you’ll begin to pull the onion back and see the true souls of the candidates. Time after time the question has been asked of Hillary how she plans to mandate that ALL Americans have and pay for universal heathcare yet the typical response is “we have to wait and see what Congress says in response to that.” Then the questions gets raised what will happen if an American doesn’t want healthcare….same response. Yet Obama has tackled the biggest issue on why American’s don’t have Healthcare which is affrodability..yes his plan is the lowest cost. Go to his website and he lays it out for you…plan, effect, and implementation.
I didn’t know Universal healthcare had to be defined as “everyone who might be able to afford it and MUST have it compared to everyone who will be able to afford it and CAN have it. That is called choice my friends. The moment Americans aren’t given that distiction it becomes a decision “hence the root word cide which means to kill off…ie suicide.” I’d rather be able to choose a healthcare plan that decide on one. I’d also rather choose a President than decide one on. Hmmmm….I’d even rather choose the life I want to live than decide on one. For the record…you have that choice as well. So choose, don’t decide.
Good grief, how can Hillary challenge ANYONE on the question of Integrity? Which is really what she is saying. I am not an Obama fan by any means and certainly not a Hillary backer.
The way the candidates are attacking each other from within and outside their own parties this is shaping up to be a dirty campaign IMHO.
The fight has just begun and I saw the new Rasmussen poll a short time ago which shows a seperation of the top candidates for both parties all within the error of margin. The surprise is that Huckabee is a point ahead of Hillary in a head to head matchup.
RWD
[...] Hillary Challenges Obama’s Courage, CharacterFOX News – USA“Its not only that this PAC is still open and operating,” shesaid. “It’s that, contrary to what we’ve been hearing now for a year,it had lobbyist money, … [...]
The Clinton campaign is looking more and more like the Hindenburg of Presidential runs. She’s already losing, and these attacks are just going to blow up in her face.
You have 35 years of lying, Hillary, and we are tired of hearing your crying voice. You are so afraid of Obama that you would rather wallow in the mire than to run with character and humility. You are the enemy of Americans.