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Debates debate takes a turn for the weird (Obama backs out again)
Northwest Indiana Times ^ | April 19, 2008 | Patrick Guinane

Posted on 04/19/2008 6:06:02 AM PDT by southlake_hoosier

INDIANAPOLIS | Hillary Clinton's campaign on Friday accepted Gary Mayor Rudy Clay's invitation to debate Barack Obama on urban issues in the struggling Steel City -- only to have the mayor promptly rescind the offer he had extended a day earlier.

The Democratic presidential contenders squared off for two hours Wednesday night in Philadelphia. But the first half of the ABC News debate was dominated by what Obama decried as "gotcha" issues, including Obama's characterization of "bitter" small town voters and Clinton's faulty recollection of coming under sniper fire during a 1996 visit to Bosnia.

Clay, an Obama supporter, said he worked late Wednesday night and didn't get a chance to watch the entire Philadelphia debate until Friday morning. Upon further review, Clay scratched his debate invite and asked each candidate to instead spend an hour at the Genesis Center separately fielding questions about crime, education, health care and job creation.

"After analyzing the last debate, we've come up with a decision here that it's best to have a forum on urban issues," Clay said. "I'm sure both candidates would accept the debate, but we don't want the debate to get to other issues, other than urban issues."

The reversal came just hours after the Clinton campaign told reporters the New York senator had accepted Clay's invitation, as well as an earlier debate offer made by the Indiana Debate Commission.

Howard Wolfson, Clinton's communications director, challenged Obama to shake off his "bad debate" in Philadelphia and give Hoosiers a chance to hear the Democrats parse the issues.

"There have been 21 Democratic debates and four one-on-one debates with Senator Clinton, all televised nationally," responded Obama campaign spokesman Kevin Griffis. "Our focus will be on meeting with voters in Indiana and hearing directly from them. We will make a decision about debates shortly."

Griffis said Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, did not ask Clay to change his invitation and the campaign had not been in contact with the mayor's office since the debate invitation was made Thursday morning.

Clinton campaign spokesman Jonathan Swain said Clinton is eager to discuss urban issues but needs some time to consider the revised offer of a televised forum Clay presented late Friday.

"Senator Clinton accepted the debate invitation. Unfortunately, in just a couple hours Mayor Clay changed his invitation." Swain said. "We'll take a look at this new proposal."


TOPICS: Breaking News; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: antiamericanpig; blueturban; bohusseinisacoward; conartisthussein; debate; demdebatesobama; donkeysbass; dumboearsobama; election; hillary; in2008; obama; totalfraud
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To: southlake_hoosier

When you do as badly as he did in Philadelphia, there is no way his handlers are going to let him get near another debate.


41 posted on 04/19/2008 10:59:47 AM PDT by Old Retired Army Guy (tHE)
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To: Old Retired Army Guy

I don’t know, but if there are a few more Obama “exposures” that show he can’t hold the muster, or can’t charm the media, I suspect a BHO meltdown. Like they say, he can talk the talk, but he can’t walk the walk. No leadership capabilities, only empty suit filled with hot air. He is just an immature, smooth talking, lie-telling con artist with a huge chip on his shoulder. Hillary is not any better, just more “EXPERIENCED!” LOL


42 posted on 04/19/2008 11:35:30 AM PDT by CitizenM ("An excuse is worse than an lie, because an excuse is a lie hidden." Pope John Paul, II)
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To: wolfcreek

He is acting like Grumpy but could end up being Dopey if he thinks he can avoid debates in the general election.


43 posted on 04/19/2008 11:53:51 AM PDT by skr (How majestic is Thy Name, O Lord, and how mighty are Thy Works!)
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To: top 2 toe red
See post #218...it applies here as well. In it's entirety.
44 posted on 04/19/2008 11:59:10 AM PDT by top 2 toe red ("Cackling hillary...makes her sound like she is mentally-illary." Jimmy Kimmel)
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To: hinckley buzzard
Obama showed he’s not ready for prime time and the brothuh knows it.

Roger that!

From the article: "After analyzing the last debate, we've come up with a decision here that it's best to have a forum on urban issues," Clay said.

Obama isn't going to fight, and he isn't going to play "rope a dope", so he's left the arena for an undisclosed location to make some campaign sound bites.

45 posted on 04/19/2008 12:01:01 PM PDT by Mad_Tom_Rackham ("The land of the Free...Because of the Brave")
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To: southlake_hoosier

He can’t afford any more tough questions.


46 posted on 04/19/2008 12:14:59 PM PDT by b4its2late (Ignorance allows liberalism to prosper.)
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To: southlake_hoosier

Gee, if Obama whines like a little girl because he can’t handle some semi-uncomfortable questions from reporters, how could he stand up to negotiating with world leaders?


47 posted on 04/19/2008 12:18:31 PM PDT by 6SJ7
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To: ex-Texan
Obama May Not have to Debate Clinton Any More -- Look at This Crowd in Philly

Hmm. Looks disturbingly similar to...


48 posted on 04/19/2008 12:25:37 PM PDT by 6SJ7
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To: mainepatsfan

Right. “He’s getting better”! “No, no, he’s died”!


49 posted on 04/19/2008 12:49:59 PM PDT by Oldpuppymax (Sad but true)
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To: 6SJ7

Nah.

It’s Obama’s racist anti-Semite and domestic terror friends, big government and abortionist views that are similar to that bunch.


50 posted on 04/19/2008 12:54:22 PM PDT by Quackattack
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To: Quackattack

Almost forgot: the hypnotic speeches too


51 posted on 04/19/2008 12:55:44 PM PDT by Quackattack
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To: southlake_hoosier
A 3.5B moneyman:-():

PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket

52 posted on 04/19/2008 1:11:57 PM PDT by geo40xyz (McCain, Obama or Hillarybeast possibility of 4 Supreme Court Justices, Gore @UN. The WINNER is?)
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To: ex-Texan

53 posted on 04/19/2008 1:56:36 PM PDT by Mad_Tom_Rackham ("The land of the Free...Because of the Brave")
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To: southlake_hoosier
Obama will continue to refuse further debate.

The time is late, he is clearly ahead, and there is nothing further to be gained vote wise.

It certainly would pump up MSM ratings, but Barack is wise enough to know that they will be in his corner anyway should he prevail in the primaries.

I cannot stand even the thought of an Obama, but I also refuse to whistle past the graveyard. - This is a smart move.

54 posted on 04/19/2008 2:02:56 PM PDT by bill1952 (I will vote for McCain if he resigns his Senate seat before this election.)
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To: savedbygrace

We had all better be prepared for the new affirmative action political mantra: “How dare you ask such a question? Can’t you see I’m black?”


55 posted on 04/19/2008 2:22:39 PM PDT by hampdenkid
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To: southlake_hoosier

Racist, elitist coward.

And he wants to run the country?


56 posted on 04/19/2008 3:28:06 PM PDT by BlessedBeGod (Eliot Spitzer: Living proof that the bigger they think they are, the harder they fall.)
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To: 6SJ7
Look at the crowd Obamas brother and cousin scared up in Kenya when it appeared they lost the election.

It worked, Obamas cousin was named PM of Kenya last week.

Supporters of Raila Odinga (BARAK OBAMAS COUSIN!!), the leading presidential challenger, rallied in Kibera, a slum near Nairobi.(According to the NY Times, this is a "rally")

Mr. Odinga’s (BARAK OBAMAS FIRST COUSIN, WHO HE CAMPAIGNED IN KENYA FOR)followers tried to march from Kibera to Nairobi.

A supporter of the presidential challenger Raila Odinga (OBAMAS FIRST COUSIN, WHO HE CAMPAIGNED FOR IN KENYA IN 2006) in Kibera, a sprawling slum near the capital, Nairobi.

Odinga supporters riot in December 2007(ODINGA IS BARAK OBMAMS FIRST COUSIN, OBAMA CAMPAIGNED FOR HIM IN KENYA IN 2006)

Obama_odinga

Obama campaigns for his cousin Odinga, the new PM of Kenya who was installed under threat of additional violence.

Hundreds were killed in the rioting following the election.

57 posted on 04/19/2008 4:07:42 PM PDT by Rome2000 (Peace is not an option)
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To: Piquaboy

He backs out because he is a stupid chicken chit.


Actually, its a smart move on the part of Mr. Obama. He knows that debates can only hurt him.

I expect his team be looking to weasel out of debates in the fall campaign as well. He’s running a campaign based purely on concepts like “hope”, and they have found that it doesn’t help to be pinned down to specifics when getting the word out.


58 posted on 04/19/2008 5:45:28 PM PDT by I_Like_Spam
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To: BluH2o
Not a Obama fan ... but I think this debate thing has gone way overboard. What is the current count ... 20 plus?

Oh no. I think the debates are FINALLY getting around to showing the American public what Obama is really all about (radical socialism, anti-American, etc.).

Let him keep tripping over himself and his numbers will fall, fall, fall.

59 posted on 04/19/2008 6:04:16 PM PDT by NotJustAnotherPrettyFace
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To: southlake_hoosier

He didn’t back out, he got his Mayor goon to cancel the stupid thing and change it to a forum of soft balls so he didn’t HAVE to publically back out.

Ding Dong is a coward and a weasle.


60 posted on 04/19/2008 6:28:16 PM PDT by prairiebreeze (I am a proud supporter of Israel.)
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