Posted on 12/02/2007 5:32:37 PM PST by LdSentinal
On a day that a new poll said Barack Obama leads in Iowa, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton suggested her rival has character issues.
Clinton closed out her Sunday with an appeal to voters in Bettendorf to caucus for her, but earlier in Cedar Rapids, she took Obama to task over his health care plan and disputed his claim he doesn’t take lobbyist money.
When a reporter asked whether she is suggesting Obama has “issues of character, the New York senator said, “I’m going to let voters make that decision but it’s beginning to look a lot like that. It really is.”
The two campaigns spent a good part of the day tangling with each other, all of it on the heels of a new Des Moines Register poll in Iowa that said Obama leads Clinton and John Edwards.
The poll, published Sunday, said that Obama has 28 percent support, with Clinton next at 25 percent and Edwards in third with 23 percent. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percent.
With a month to go before the Jan. 3 caucuses, the campaigns are beginning to sharpen their attacks.
Clinton’s appearance at The Lodge in Bettendorf, though, was all about turning out the vote by encouraging people to “buddy-up” with friends and neighbors to boost turnout.
“It is close, it is tight. It’s going to be a race to the finish line,” Clinton told about 400 people.
Clinton said she wanted to win the caucuses — and, next year, push the state into the Democratic column in the general election.
“I want a long term relationship,” she said. “I don’t want to just have a one night stand with all of you.”
Clinton was joined by former Democratic presidential candidate Dick Gephardt, a Missouri Democrat who has endorsed her.
Gephardt touted Clinton’s experience and said there was no time for on-the-job training. “We’ve had on the job training the last seven years and we have a president who’s ineducable,” he said to applause. “It didn’t work.”
The Clinton campaign’s been drawing contrasts with Obama over health care for the past week.
On Sunday, the campaign ratcheted up the pressure by pointing to news reports that a political action committee run by Obama has contributed tens of thousands of dollars this year to local and congressional campaigns in early nominating states.
Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said early Sunday that Obama ought to shut down the PAC, which he pointed out has taken lobbyist money. Obama has made swearing off lobbyist money a campaign issue. He says his campaign doesn’t accept it.
The Illinois senator, who was in Des Moines on Sunday, brushed off the complaints.
“I think that folks from some of the other campaigns are reading the polls and starting to get stressed and issuing a whole range of outlandish accusations,” he said. “Everything that we’ve done is in exact accordance with the law, and unless they can show that it hasn’t been, I’d suggest they focus on trying to get their supporters to caucus in Iowa.”
Later, Clinton said she shut down her leadership PAC when she launched her presidential bid but Obama “at least skirted if not violated FEC rules” and used “lobbyist and PAC money to do so.”
Clinton said she’d rather attack Republicans, but added “I have been on the receiving end of rather consistent attacks. Well now the fun part starts. We’re in the last month and we’re going to start drawing the contrasts...”
Obama’s campaign said that 57 percent of his PAC’s money this year went to candidates in non-early states, and it cited a news report saying a Clinton family foundation donated $100,000 this year to a South Carolina library. South Carolina has an early primary.
“This presidential campaign isn’t about attacking people for fun, it’s about solving people’s problems, like ending this war and creating a universal health care system,” Obama said in a statement Sunday.
HE HAS CHARACTER ISSUES? ROTFLMAO.......
Meadow Muffin
The Clinton Machine quite often over-kills and it eventually gives their act away.
Truly, we are not worthy to gaze upon her benevolent and wise visage.
sent to Drudge, hope he picks it up
That the media reports this with a straight face is creepy enough.....
Think we all saw the Beast coming with this. But the irony that it’s character is too to take.
If this is where she starts, it must be really ugly going further down the Clinton mob’s plan for Obama’s personal destruction.
You beat me to it.
I wish it were so. Some suggest that Mrs. Clinton has parts in lock boxes. I think it's the super star BJ who calls the shots for the dem party...and I'm not convinced he wants HER to be his equal. They are the most pathological combination we've ever seen. They have turned our politics into a 24/7 campaign. No governance, just polls, just staying in power. This country needs to be rid of them. Please, let it happen, make it happen. MIHOP :)
LOL. I couldn’t believe she said that. No Lady would say anything like that, especially a woman of her age. Heck most of us pretend we don’t know what that is unless it is some kind of thing you put under the Christmas tree to hold it up the night before Christmas when the floor is full of presents.
She is creepy.
Ooooh, this is too rich! This from somebody with the type of character somewhere between Satan and Elmer Gantry!
"Give me what I want .. or I'll kill your little dog."
where’s the beef ?
food fight !
And so it starts or really continues. First the leak and now the fuzzy claim. I wonder if there is anything really there?
Am I missing something? I haven’t read about ANY attacks on her other than the flip flopping on Iraq and illegals. These are legitimate. What is she talking about?
“character issues.”
you know, I thought it was experience neither one had.
Both first terms senators from no diverse states (blue). Neither had a company to make pay-roll experience. Neither can name the leaders of 15 other leading countries. One is a women the middle east will never deal with and one, is a muslim from the middle east.
"Where is the G-damn f**king flag? I want the G-damn f**king flag up every f**king morning at f**king sunrise."
(From the book "Inside The White House" by Ronald Kessler, p. 244 - Hillary to the staff at the Arkansas Governor's mansion on Labor Day, 1991)
"You sold out, you mother f**ker! You sold out!"
From the book "Inside" by Joseph Califano, p. 213 - Hillary yelling at Democrat lawyer.
F**k off! It's enough that I have to see you shit-kickers every day, I'm not going to talk to you too!! Just do your G*damn job and keep your mouth shut."
(From the book "American Evita" by Christopher Anderson, p. 90 - Hillary to her State Trooper bodyguards after one of them greeted her with "Good morning."
"You f**king idiot."
(From the book "Crossfire" p. 84 - Hillary to a State Trooper who was driving her to an event.)
"If you want to remain on this detail, get your f**king ass over here and grab those bags!"
(From the book "The First Partner" p. 259 - Hillary to a Secret Service Agent who was reluctant to carry her luggage because he wanted to keep his hands free in case of an incident.)
"Get f**ked! Get the f**k out of my way!!! Get out of my face!!!"
(From the book "Hillary's Scheme" p. 89 - Hillary's various comments to her Secret Service detail agents.)
"Stay the f**k back, stay the f**k away from me! Don't come within ten yards of me, or else! Just f**king do as I s ay, Okay!!!?"
(From the book "Unlimited Access", by Clinton FBI Agent in Charge, Gary Aldrige, p. 139 - Hillary screaming at her Secret Service detail.)
She’s talking the language she’s employed most: the politics of personal destruction. But in this case it will lead to her self-destruction.
This does not sound like it was part of her approved script. And I think Obama is smart enough to pound her mercilessly on it. Sounds like he’s just begun.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.