Democratic presidential hopeful, U.S. Sen Barack Obama, D-Ill., waves as he rides through the center of town during the Labor Day parade in Milford, N.H., Monday, Sept. 3, 2007.(AP Photo/Jim Cole)
Posted on 09/03/2007 6:44:33 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
MANCHESTER, N.H. - Democrat Barack Obama on Monday sharpened his critique of lead rival Hillary Rodham Clinton, warning against a return to "divisive, special interest politics" that had demoralized the country even before President Bush took office.
"As bad as this administration has been, it's going to take more than just a change in parties to truly turn this country around," Obama told supporters at a Labor Day rally.
"George Bush and Dick Cheney may have turned divisive, special interest politics into an art form, but it was there before they got to Washington. If you and I don't stand up to challenge it, it will be there long after we leave."
It was the latest volley in the "change versus experience" debate that has dominated the dialogue between Clinton and her top rivals in recent weeks. On Sunday, Clinton unveiled a new campaign speech where she argued that only a president experienced in the ways of Washington could bring about real political transformation.
Without mentioning Clinton by name, Obama struck back hard at that argument.
"There are those who tout their experience working the system in Washington," Obama said. "But the problem is the system in Washington isn't working for us, and it hasn't been for a very long time."
Obama, who has spent much of the campaign answering questions of whether he is experienced enough to be president, ticked through his years as a community organizer and consensus builder in the Illinois legislature and now in the Senate. But he also sought to frame his hope-driven message as an antidote to the cynicism of political insiders.
"A lot of people who've been in Washington a lot longer than me, they've got better connections, they go(to the)right dinner parties, they know how to talk the Washington talk," he said. "I may not have the experience Washington likes but I believe I have the experience America needs right now."
With Clinton still riding high in most polls as the fall campaign was set to begin in earnest, both Obama and John Edwards have stepped up their claim that Clinton is too cautious and too conventional to bring real change to Washington.
"Hope and change are not just the rhetoric of a campaign for me," he said, adding that for others, politics seemed to be a game.
He also vowed to tell the truth always as president.
"You shouldn't expect anything less from your president," he said to loud cheers.
Obama had a full day of campaign appearances in New Hampshire, where polls show him trailing Clinton by a wide margin.
With his wife, Michelle, and daughters Malia and Sasha, Obama participated in a Labor Day parade in Milford. He and Republican hopeful Mitt Romney exchanged greetings at the parade staging area before meeting voters along the two-mile parade route.
Later in Hudson, N.H., Obama scooped ice cream for several hundred supporters at an outdoor ice cream social. He was scheduled to fly to Iowa on Tuesday.
Democratic presidential hopeful, U.S. Sen Barack Obama, D-Ill., waves as he rides through the center of town during the Labor Day parade in Milford, N.H., Monday, Sept. 3, 2007.(AP Photo/Jim Cole)
Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) walks in the Labor Day parade in Milford, New Hampshire September 3, 2007. REUTERS / Neal Hamberg (UNITED STATES)
Perhaps a breath mint would be in honor now and then.
Democratic presidential candidates U.S. Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) (L) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY) speak during a break in a Democratic debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa August 19, 2007. After months of grand rhetoric, endless fundraising and heavy campaigning, the 2008 presidential race kicks into even higher gear this week at the start of a four-month sprint to the first votes. (Eric Thayer/Reuters)
The way it talks about Hillary you would swear it was written by a freeper.
Honest to Pete. What the hell does that mean???
Gee, as I remember it, circa 2000, --
George Bush said: "I want to strike a new tone, in which Republicans and Democrats can work together."
And the Democrats said: "You're a poopy-head who stole the election, and you should be impeached."
And (unfortunately) neither party has wavered in these positions.
Sounds like the Saddamobama Pot calling attention to Hillary Rodham Kettle’s blackness to me.
Former President Bill Clinton talks with onstage supporters at the the South Central Iowa AFL-CIO Solidarity Fest at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa, on Monday, Sept. 3, 2007. (AP Photo/Kevin Sanders)
Pace-setting Democrat Hillary Clinton(R), seen here campaigning in Sioux City as her husband Bill Clinton(L) looks on, pledged to order top military brass to start bringing home troops from Iraq, if she captures the White House in 2008.(AFP/Stan Honda)
Critiques how quaint,if it was about Pres Bush they would of said blast,slam etc
> Democrat Barack Obama on Monday sharpened his critique of lead rival Hillary Rodham Clinton, warning against a return to “divisive, special interest politics” that had demoralized the country even before President Bush took office.
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gosh, i luv the way that reads!
Well, he’s got it partly right for sure. That first sentence says the truth.
lol.. how’d that slip thru, probably a good HaPPY Hour They’re almost as ‘lit’ as Bill. ;-)
He’s doing the Moonwalk in tribute to Michael Jackson. That ought to pull in the black vote, for sure.
If I were this guy I’d be hitting her daily with broadsides from the past. I will say the timing isn’t quite right yet, to do so though. Later this year and early next year, I hope he just blows her barn doors off.
Good luck Obama.
I do have to say though, I think Obama would be a more formidable candidate than Hillary. A few of his short quips actually appeal to me. Now I know the whole package, so there wouldn’t be a chance in hell I’d vote for him, but a lot of other people will.
Cat fight!
Thanks for posting the entire article Norm.
I echo your Deathwish suspicion.
Billy Boy looks like an old, ref-faced drunk in the picture in Post #9.
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