Today's counterpunches

Posted: Tuesday, October 16, 2007 5:56 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: Joe Biden

From NBC's Mark Murray
Lots of campaign rebuttals out there to comments rivals made today...
-- To Giuliani saying that Obama is "not Ronald Reagan" for wanting meet with unsavory world leaders like Hugo Chavez, Obama spokesman Bill Burton told First Read: "While Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton do not think we should engage in the type of strong diplomacy practiced by Ronald Reagan and John Kennedy, Obama does. And given the hefty fee that Hugo Chavez's oil company paid Rudy Giuliani's firm, he apparently thinks we shouldn't talk to Chavez, but it's fine to take his money."

-- To Giuliani's statement today that "I gave my blood for the Republican Party in New York," the McCain campaign emailed us a video of Giuliani from 1996 (via TPM), when he said: "Well, I'm a Republican mayor, but I'm really not."

-- To Clinton's call to expand the Family Medical Leave Act, a Dodd spokeswoman shot back, "We applaud Senator Clinton for her efforts today to expand the Family and Medical Leave Act, of which Senator Dodd is the author, and invite her to cosponsor the bill he proposed earlier this year which would accomplish much of what she called for today."

-- To McCain's criticism of the Biden-Brownback plan on Iraq -- because it ignores that Iraqis are Iraqis first -- Biden communications director Larry Rasky responded: “Iraqis once were 'Iraqis first' and we hope that someday they will be again, but Senator McCain ignores the hard reality that they are not ‘Iraqis first’ now. More than 90 percent of Iraqis voted for sectarian lists in the last election and they're also voting with their feet –- some 4 million have fled their homes, mostly for fear of sectarian violence."

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Comments

I like this segment. You should do "Today's Counterpunches more."

--NSMSNBC (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 6:06 PM)

Guiliani, what a hypocrite. What a liar. Imagine, criticising Obama for wanting to engage our enemies diplomatically, before launching a full fledged war. Gosh, like that's a traitorous idea? Man, what I wouldn't give if we had taken that tack in dealing with Iraq. And what's this about not wanting to meet with Chavez but taking consulting fees from him? Come on!

And what did Guiliani do in NYC that gives him the credentials to fight terrorism? If anything, he was a good spirit that rallied a crestfallen city after a catastrophe. Don't ask the NYC firefighters and police to rate his performance vis a vis 9/11. Don't ask how he put the NYC Emergency Command Center (against better advise) at the WTC after the Ramsey bombing in '93. Don't ask how he was unable to play well with others in the NYC gov't.(shutting out the black community and the Borough President of Manhattan from city policy decisions).

Certainly the Republicans have better candidates to offer than Rudy (although, admittedly he's their candidate with the best chance to win). However, I don't think that he's running for national cheerleader and I think that Republicans have had enough of a candidate like that (with GWB). They certainly have candidates with more integrity and better credentials (whether I agree with them politically or not) like Ron Paul, John McCain and Mike Huckabee. Anyway, I'm voting for Obama. He's the true hope for this country.
Obama '08

Mitchell Feldman, Vestal, NY (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 6:40 PM)

Bad move by the likes of Rudy to legitimize Obama.

http://www.political-buzz.com/

matt (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 6:48 PM)

four million iraqis have fled their homes in fear of violence

its a statement unto itself (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 7:15 PM)

I wonder if Giuliani is going to ask "what happened to the politics of hope?". I bet you didn't think Obama's team would respond by calling out your hypocrisy, huh!

RAH (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 7:16 PM)

I'm not voting for "hope" or "nostalgia" - but for
John Edwards. WooHoo!

Margaret, NYC (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 7:59 PM)

Giuliani should know that Obama has had PR and marketing strategists plotting and guiding his prez campaign since he entered the Senate - from Obama's 1/2 nude pic on the cover of a magazine (to lure future Obama Girls and Boys) - to the present.
Sex sells!

Margaret, NYC (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 8:04 PM)

NBC reported Obama and Dick Cheney are related.

Richard, Palatka, FL (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 8:06 PM)

The politics of hope does not exclude telling the truth and pointing out relevant flip-flops and mischaracterizations. Obama is squeeky clean compared to Rudy. Get real.

eSPO (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 8:16 PM)

Obama's response to guilliani was awesome!
...ZING!

It's nice to see that obama will be able to fight in the general election, having been TOO nice to his dem opponents thus far.

GOBAMA!

jds,slc (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 8:32 PM)

--To the Big Government Candidates who fail to acknowledge America's $50,000,000,000,000 in unfunded long term liabilities, this grassroots supporter says "Google Ron Paul!"

Tim, Cheshire, CT (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 9:25 PM)

Ha Ha Ha Ha ... Nice comeback Barack!

<i> Barack Obama 08!! </i>

JD, NY (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 10:28 PM)

why do republicans hate AMERICA and middle class children and Gen. Sanchez???????

why do they continue to support multiple failed policies and a failed administration?

money for iraq,big insurance and big oil but not a dime for the middle class- the backbone of the nation.

Shame on them and a pox upon their houses.

leon houston (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 10:48 PM)

Obama's team is comprised of PR and marketing strategists. Why wouldn't they have a smart comeback to Giuliani? That's their expertise!

Obama's expertise is endorsing warmonger Lieberman - and voting with Repubs for 2 years to fund a war Obama supposedly "opposed." He didn't stop voting to fund the war and oppose timetables UNTIL he began running for president - based on a campaign theme of opposing the war when he couldn't vote.

Yeah - many of us see Obama's hypocrisy and empty suit.

Lisa, Tifton, GA (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 1:35 AM)

Check <a href="http://www.campaigndiaries.com/2007/10/latest-in-primary-calendar-news.html">the latest in calendar news</a>, including recent speculation that NH might go in December, as well as news that both IA and SC Dems and GOP will vote separately!

Daniel, NY (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 3:34 AM)

Don't forget that Giuliani actively avoided fighting Communism himself when he had the opportunity, as did all Republican Cnadidates except McCain and Paul.

Bill, Baltimore, MD (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 7:12 AM)

Why Bill, are you saying that the republicans are a bunch of chickenhawks for supporting two wars (vietnam and iraq) without bothering to serve themselves? They wanted someone elses's kid to kill a commie for mommy and fight the muslims there so we don't have to fight them here? I shocked, shocked I say

Rick, WS, NC (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 8:55 AM)

From Rudy and all the rest "We WILL BURY YOU ALL". We hear nothing but continued belligerance instead of level headed efforts to solve BUSH problems. When will they have an idea? when will we see what they truely have to offer our nation? Working for your base is HARD WORK, the problem is others are waiting in the wings that have no interest in pleasing the base. These boys are making the rebumplikan party irrelavant in the election. Our job of electing a president that wants to change is getting easier and easier, Thanks guys.

John S. Alexander, Edinboro, PA (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 9:00 AM)

It's so funny. I never used to be political until the 2000 election. It IS fun stuff. What we have to keep in mind though is that all the candidates are equivalent to used car salespeople. They are telling us what they think we want to hear, anything that will get them elected and basically they are well for lack of a better word, lying. No one person can do all the things that they claim they are going to do, but it is fun to watch. I find myself usually drawn to the candidate that tells the best lies. <chuckle>

Find out which teller of tall tells you like best here: http://www.wqad.com/Global/link.asp?L=259460

As an independent mind I have find GWB to be the worst president in the history of the United States and the biggest threat to National Security.

Steven Martin, Highlands Ranch, Colorado (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 9:47 AM)

Independents are totally clueless.

Rob Mantera, Kansas (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 10:12 AM)

Doesn't it say something that most NYers, democrat OR republican, will not support their 'wonderful' ex-mayor? They now call him "America's Mayor". Well you can have him. No one seems to remember that he had an approval rating right around GW's on 9/10 and that he was about to get trounced by Hillary in the Senate race - when SHE was still an unknown - when he chickened out and withdrew for 'personal reasons'
He's real masterful, all right. A master at dissemination and deception.
I hope he DOES win the nomination. NY alone will tear him apart. And when the rest of the country sees how his own city reacts to him, I think they will wake up to this phony too.

c.godfrey,ny,ny (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 11:32 AM)

Steven Martin, you are correct that no candidate can do everything they promise. It's important, however, to consider what your candidate is going to TRY to do, as well as whether their history indicates they're going to promise one thing and deliver the opposite. As for example promising to "save" Social Security by making it less solvent, or promising to improve schools by reducing funding.

John B, Des Moines, IA (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 11:48 AM)

"...yesterday's special congressional election in Massachusetts was indeed closer than expected. Democrat Niki Tsongas narrowly edged GOPer Jim Ogonowski, 51%-45%,..."

Since when is 51-45 CLOSE? Since when is a six point span a "narrow edge"??? In any other race, that would have been described as a healthy victory.

Leon Miller (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 12:24 PM)

If a president won 51%-45%, they'd call it a landslide. GWB won a LOT less than that in '04 and declared a "MANDATE"
Funny how they downplay it when a democrat gets it.

cg,ny (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 1:18 PM)

Follow the money.

http://www.hillcap.org/default.php?page_id=2

Democratic Party is for sale (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 1:21 PM)

If the media won't do their job, we will. I know the CLinton's machine control the media but they don't control us.

http://www.hillcap.org/default.php?page_id=2

Citizen for Integrity (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 1:28 PM)

I have some insight into the "close" race in Mass. Regardless of any hype or spin you want to put on it, the repub was a "LOOSER!!".

Steve A Jonesboro IN (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 2:56 PM)

I've been dying to say this: I have never seen Ronald Reagan as anything but an actor. The fact that someone voted for him is beyond me. A Hollywood personality in the White House??? America loses credibility when we do stuff like that.

So, Guiliani is quite off the mark - there's no comparison! Obama is so qualified for the position, while Reagan had no pedigree at all, educationally or otherwise! And he divorced Jane Wyman - that wonderful woman - I never forgave him for that.

Nah, Obama and Reagan can't be compared - they don't breathe the same air. When are people going to stop referring to Reagan - what happened during his watch was fortunate for him - he rode the crest of the wave, and said "...tear down that wall!" Does anyone really think that's what did it???! It's absolutely hilarious. Like his debates "...there you go again" - what kind of debating is that?

Obama will never be lost for answers, he's more articulate than most, and prolific to boot. But more than that, he has caliber, he has compassion, he has convictions.

Carol McFarlane, Yakima, Washington (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 5:33 PM)

Rudy talks about his idol Reagan but on Page 618 of Reagan's diaries on Tuesday, june 14 (1988) Reagan says of Rudy:"I think he's crazy". I guess the admiration wasn't mutual.

Stuart Darrow (Sent Sunday, October 21, 2007 10:57 PM)

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