ABOUT FIRST READ

First Read is an analysis of the day's political news, from the NBC News political unit. First Read is updated throughout the day, so check back often.

Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director

Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC News Political Reporter



New Clinton ad jabs Obama, Edwards

Posted: Thursday, December 20, 2007 4:10 PM by Mark Murray

From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
A new television advertisement called "Make It Happen," released today by the Clinton campaign, attempts to show Hillary Clinton's warm and fuzzy side, while allowing her to take a subtle -- yet obvious -- stab at Obama and Edwards.
 
In a close-up, talking straight to the audience, talks about how to achieve change, Clinton says: "I've seen what change takes," she says. "It doesn't happen because you want it to, or because you hoped for it. You have to work for it." That is the exact statement she used at last week's Des Moines Register debate, which was seen as implicit criticism of Obama (who has talked about hope on the campaign trail) and Edwards (who has called to change special interest' control of Washington).
 
"This election isn't about choosing change over experience," she continues. "Change only comes with experience. And with the war to end, and an economy to fix, we've never needed change more, or the strength and experience to make it happen."
 
The ad will be running in New Hampshire.

MAIN PAGE

Email this EMAIL THIS

Comments

< All I can see here is that if you are not for Clinton then she is Satan incarnate. >

I don't think it's quite that bad. Hillary is more like Satans Little Helper.
How does working in the establishment longer than someone else entitle you to say you can bring change? Everything about Obama says change; his background, his rhetoric, his ideas. Hillary is the one who is using change as an empty word. Vote Obama.
This woman, her husband, and their minions are political pigs. The more garbage they throw on the campaign trail, the more I hope for a Giuliani/Clinton/Romney-fre election process. We the people deserve better than what these three are dishing out.
Clinton years of dishoneesty is baffling to me
Very effective ad - and a new FOX Poll released tonight shows Hillary with a 20+ lead over Obama nationally.  Also, the NBC/WSJ poll from yesterday also showed her with a big national lead over Obama.  

Looks like she hasn't lost the mojo...
The democrats who are complaining all the time about  Bill Clinton were the ones responsible to get GWB in the WH. Whine a bit more and maybe you will get Guiliani, Romney or Huck in the office. If the democrats forget that US had plenty good years under Bill, then they deserve GWB.
It is interesting that the candidate who says you need experience to enact change (Clinton) has the most experience without enacting change (lest we forget the 1993 health care fiasco, her inability to reform schools in Arkansas when tasked to do so (the schools went from 43rd in the nation to 49th the last year she was first lady of Arkansas).

Oh by the way, Senator Clinton has voted "present" 75 times in the past three months!  And she claims Senator Obama's voting present 130 times over 8 years is bad (and even then that was 130 votes out of 4000 cast, meaning he voted present .0325% of the time).  Looks like Senator Clinton should look at herself in the mirror and ask herself why she has been sooo bad lately.
Obama's team is sending 4-6 negative oppo memos out each day slamming HRC in addition to negative emails

Tom Knight

Unless you have the facts to prove it please do not make grandoise exaggerated claims.  Perhaps you are confusing your own candidate's tactics for someone else.
"Do you think Barack would be singing the same sad song, if HE had the support that Clinton and Edwards have, and that he too sought from these groups?"

Van

You do not get the point.  Senator Obama is not using 527s to campaign.  It is not a matter of support it is a matter of principle.  He does have support from groups but has not asked them to use section 527 to start barraging Iowa with mailers and tv ads.  His campaign spending comes from his own campaign.  It is called transparency, but perhaps this is a concept foreign to Senator Clinton (read NYT article on the Clinton library/campaign slush fund).
NO more Clinton dynasty and corrupted Health Industry.
Its a shame that our country USA, being the most advanced nation on this planet, is continously choosing Bush/Clinton political dynasty for the past 20 years with no change.
SO ITS TIME FOR CHANGE NOW.

!!! VOTE FOR BARACK OBAMA !!!
Hillary Clinton "surging" in new CNN Poll.
Here is why Clinton supporters like her:

-She is ready to lead from day one (no explanation as to how but it sure is a good line, isn't it!)

-Obama is a talker, but Hillary is a doer (if by doing, they mean voting for the war, then I guess their right)

-She has 35 years of experience (what that experience is, they are not at liberty to share with the rest of, but just believe them, they obviously know what they're talking about)

-She is a change agent (yet she couldn't get a health care plan passed with a Democratic President and Democratic Congress)

-There are no surprises (it's the same divisive Hillary you've always known)

-You get change through "hard work" (Gee, that kind of reminds one of a certain Republican candidate from the 2004 election)

-Barack's health care plan leaves out 15 million people (don't worry that there is no proof to back that number up, and don't you dare ask Hillary how she plans on mandating health insurance in her plan)

-Hillary will lift up the middle class (by middle class, she obviously means anybody making $100k a year like firefighters)


How are some of my fellow Democrats so clueless?  And, as a Democrat, do I hate Hillary?  Well, yes I do.  She represents everything that is wrong with the Democratic Party.
Nobody works harder than Edwards, and he won't negotiate our rights away either.
Hillary has introduced legislation in Senate to increase minimum wage.

Look who is a doer and who are talkers and dreamers.

I wish Bee, Sierra, Diane are happy now. Hillary is working to get you more money.
My fellow Americans: Beware of wolf in sheep's clothing!!

In her TV ads in Iowa and other early nominating states, Hillary Clinton tries hard to remake her cold-blooded  and vengeful persona, into a warm and fuzy person. Voters; this is a charade, it is not for real. A real and nice person does not show off those qualities only on special occasions, like during election campaign, as Hillary Clinton. If Hillary Clinton is a nice person as the TV ads shamelessly purport, where has that nice Hillary Clinton persona been in the past 35 years, and since the 2008 presidential primary campaign? With these TV ads, Hillary Clinton is trying to fool Iowa voters. I think, Iowa, New Hamphire and South Carolina voters are smarter than most of the rest of us, and they would not let Hillary Clinton's dubious TV ads pool the wool over their eyes. It is not going to work, this time.  

My fellow Americans, especially, undecided voters and those who were leaning on voting for Hillary Clinton, just for a moment, think hard about the inherent self-contradiction in the recently released TV ads by Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton's claim about wanting change is dubious.  

Hillary Clinton says, her experience (all 35 years of it, although, she has not even a single accomplishment to cite as proof) is her greatest advantage over her opponents in the 2008 presidential election campaign. If she really believes, that there is a need for change, and wants change in how things have been done in the past, and being done currently, then her 35-year experience is irrelevant and does not really, give her any advantage over her opponents, Democrats and Republicans. Experience with the past, or the status quo that Hillary Clinton supposedly wants to change, would not be relevant to the new dispensation (the change) she allegedly now wants to introduce. Therefore, her alleged 35 years of experience (on, God knows what -bitter partisanship and vengeance against anyone who has ever crossed her and Billy Clinton), would not be relevant, considering that the change she allegedly espouses would mean a departure from the past and status quo. Why did Hillary Clinton wait 35 years, to realize the need for the supposed change? Hillary Clinton shamelessly stole the idea of change from Senator Obama -the very first candidate in the 2008 presidential lecetion campaign to articulate a need for change.

Those brainy-archs on the Des Moines Register editorial board, who cited Hillary Clinton's "experince" as the reason for endorsing her, should chew on this logic.

Just like Billy Clinton, Hillary Clinton, would lie to your face, and in the same breath, ask the public to trust her. The joke is not on Bill and Hillary Clinton, rather, it is on you suckers, they have succeeded in deceiving to vote for Hillary Clinton. That is a shame, it would not happen with intelligent electorate, anywhere, but in America.

Ignatius Anyanwu
Folsom, California.

I am amazed at the hatred aimed at Hillary Clinton. A person would think she had been the one who attacked the US instead of Osama. If Jesus Christ should come down and stand beside her and proclaim that He wanted her to be president, you people would stone him. Now, many question her experience and successes, but what in the heck has she done to YOU to make you hate/dislike her so much?? Maybe you should focus on the current administration and the damage he has done to our country. I don't know that I will vote for Senator Clinton--I like John Edwards, Biden and Ron Paul. But, you ask what kind of change she will bring?? Well, for one thing, she will change who is in the WH--I hope she throws that SOB's clothes out on the front yard.

Van from NY, NY was correct (read above). The media jumps on every opportunity to knock Clinton and more opportunities to lift up Obama. Even before he announced his candidacy, his name was in the limelight. People, who do you think was behind that? Someone or some group with a LOT of clout is behind this man who came out of nowhere to be top dog at the start of the race, and you can bet it probably wasn't a group of grassroot citizens.

"You dumb arse Billary supporters are probably the same idiots who nominated John Kerry for "electibility"." I think another poster was one of the idiots who voted for GW. Kerry didn't lose that election--the Supreme Court gave that one to GW just like crooked deals gave him the first one. Bush has failed at everything he has tried and destroyed the majority of every business deal he encountered. He is self-destructive and wants to take down the US as well, dummies.
Senator Clinton is going to win...GET OVER IT!!!!!!!!!!
George W. Bush = Nepotism.
Hillary Clinton = Nepotism.

We are a Democracy people - Not a Monarchy.

Barack Obama for President.
It's time for America to Rise and Shine again.
Check out this Obama website chronicling the attacks from Hillary:

http://desperatehillaryattacks.com/

ABC is trying to characterize it as an "anti-hillary" mudslinging site.

Please look at it and judge for yourself.

Anderson Cooper 360 did a segment on Dirty Politics and Hillary (aka Evita)was the star of the show. Everyone agreed that she has been exceptionally negative and personal in response to attacks from Obama and Edwards that were more issue oriented.

The female journalist from New Hampshire made a point that several of my friends have been making. That is her co-chairmen's drug dealer smear played the race card attempting to put fear into NH voters.

Evita, has become toxic just in time for the holidays and the resulting backfire will be the size of a mushroom cloud
Hillary is a master of political games. But if you want to stop playing games and take control of this country once again, lend your vote to someone else.

Obama/Edwards or Edwards/Obama '08.
     For the life of me I don’t understand why the American people can't see the consequence in nominating HRC. I'm 21 years old from IOWA and I would like make a comment about the democratic candidate called HRC. Number one the tabloids and new papers claim she has experience, where does this come from; 8 years as first lady, what did she do for the American people. Secondly, she does not have a stand and seriously the kindergarten and last debate comments from HRC were so childish. Finally, I want a president that on point on new advancement in technology, improves education, and help the poor to improve there life worth. I want to say something to the New Hampshire voters, I don’t think Clinton can take us into the future, she is from the past and you don’t teach new dogs old trick, so me and my friend are going to caucus for Obama , let’s get fresh ideas and be more united. I like Bill Clinton, but I was thinking about it last night and came to a conclusion that bill was good at his time and we need someone that understand us and what we have been through, but HRC does not give me that filling, so please new Hampshire let help OBAMA get there.
Actually, Hillary Clinton IS the change agent here.  She has changed positions depending on who she's talking to at the moment and what will benefit her politically for a very long time now.  She is now changing her 'image' again.. that comes straight from her campaign, by the way. 'Warm and fuzzy' is EXACTLY what they are now trying to push. It's all smoke and mirrors.

By the way, for all the conventional wisdom out there, Zogby just released their latest polls showing who is most electable in the general election.

Obama is the only candidate that would beat all Republican candidates.  Anyone even remotely informed and paying attention already knows that.  
Hillary IS the change candidate with the experience.Obama is just the fair-haired boy of the media.  A plastic saint leading a children's crusade of the ignorant.  HE is the one who first went negative-remember the "Bush lite" remarks.  He did this after being egged on by his buddies at MSNBC in particular.  Elizabeth Edwards went negative WAY before Senator Clinton did.  When she fights back the other camapigns don't like it.
lets all say bye bye to HRC bye bye hillary

sorry but we need Obama not you.

Obama 08
stophillary.com the truth will set you free.

Obama '08
Jennifer the last thing bin Ladin wants is for us to get out of Iraq, George Bush has made him great in the eyes of the Muslim world before we invaded Iraq for whatever pretense al Quada was a second rate terrorist organization.
Carrie Eastern Iowa.  I'm sorry you find Obama supporters juvenile because we happen to talk poorly about Hillary.  I'm sure you've never said anything bad about anyone right?  More importantly I'm sure Hillary would never try to destroy someone's character or simultaneously post not one but TWO websites devoted to smearing Obama.  Grow up Carrie it's politics and if Hillary wants to continue playing dirty politics and smearing Obama then apologizing then smearing again (plus the ads and the websites) then she's fair game.  We need to support a candidate that doesn’t divide like Hillary, she even divides the Democratic voters how can we expect her to win the general.  I’m rooting for Obama but I would vote for any of our candidates EXCEPT hillary.  
This is a cold, conniving, calculating woman it’s a shame to all women that she is the first woman in our country to run for president.  

STOPHILLARY.COM let the truth set you free.
I have to wait to see who still is in the race here in pennsylvania but if it is THE HILL and Obama I will vote for HILL not because I like her but because of the little minds that support Obama, you have spite and hate for the process and can't see that your man is a product of this process, please if you have a positive point to make, make it, but if you continue your spew of hate you are the product of what you say you hate the most, dirty politics. Don't point fingers, look in the mirror, you may not like what you see, I don't think you can get past your emotional claptrap, this is not a dirty election cycle, seems to me most of you were not around for Nixon, go read some history and then we can talk about dirt and politics, till then you are singing to hear yourself and we have turned you off. Wearing your political heart on your sleeve makes you a victim of your own emotions. Hope is a wonderful thing, a positive thing, you have turned hope into hate, thanks for that you babies. If Obama loses I HOPE you all join the party that really can use your anger, the repubs have a place for you under that BIG TENT, you seem to be a product of their brand of politics, unreasonable ranting with no intellect.
John Alexander, Thank you. You give me hope that there are actually some informed, sane voters in our country.
The more you try to make her warm and fuzzy, the less
credibility she will have.
Who is the strategic genius advising her? And why can't
she figure this out herself?
This is clearly the beginning of the end of the Clintons.
After all, there is a God!
John Alexander,Edinboro,PA.  Please John get off your perch.  When it comes right down to it Hillary is worse than any one.  You can spin it any way you like but at the end of the day she is evil, wrong for this country and too many dislike her.  She has 6 years experience as an elected official she claims 35 it's a lie.  She stumbled on the driver's ID's for illeagals when pressed imagine what she will do in the general the Republipukes will eat her alive. Wake up she cannot and will not win in the general so unless you want 4 more years of Republican nonsense I suggest you come to your senses and align with someone like Obama or Edwards.  All those guys are doing right now is shortening her lead.    
"Experience and change are only opposed in values if you're so experienced you don't have any energy left and you can't cut it, or if your experience is in fighting change. But if you know how to do things, and you prove it over a long time that you can make change in other people's lives, I think that is a pretty strong recommendation."

Bill Clinton

GO HILLARY!! IGNORE THE ABSURD ATTACKS!! MARCH ON TO VICTORY!!
There are days when I read the hateful, spiteful, derogatory remarks and characterizations against Mrs. Clinton that I want Obama to get the nomination.  Then perhaps he will find out what his coalition of the willing republican friends, Chris Matthews, Joe Scarborough, David Broder, Karl Rove (can you imagine if Karl Rove wrote a column telling Hillary Clinton how to beat Barack Obama - the uproar would have been deafening)David Gregory and others who will turn on him so fast he won't know what hit him.
Here is my challenge to Obama:  If he can go back to Washington and get the necessary number of republican senators to cross the aisle and vote to get the SCHIP legislation passed, he can have my vote.  If he is the agent of change, if can be the one to get the differing parties together, then I might believe what he says.  Unfortunately, I've spent 40 years watching nice Democrats gets slashed and burned by the Republican operatives. I have no interest in playing nice with the enemy - and how does Obama  know the enemy is willing to play nice with him?  
Sue, whoa I dislike the Republicans just as much as the next guy but enemy?  Kind of a strong term don't you think?  They (Repubs) are wrong on many levels but they are still our countrymen.  Hillary will dive this country more than it is already.  Obama has the best chance to untie us.  Too many dislike and disagree with her and she has NO track record Absolutly NOTHING NADA ZIP that shows she works well with the Republicans.
Barrack Hussein Obama doesn't support the war in Iraq because he is a Muslim and I challenge you to find one article where in his "own words" he denies this fact. You will find plenty of articles where he struts his Christian affiliation but not one where he openly denies having Muslim ties.  

After 9-11, this country killed many "husseins" in Iraq without batting an eye!  Now these same people want to elect a hussein to the office of president with known Muslim ties! Wake up!

Obama talks at great lenght about changes and then asks you to believe in changes he can't seem to define. What are Obama's policies? I mean....aside from those he pilfers from other candidate's speeches? On the one hand, he tells us that everybody should pay their fair share of taxes yet on the other, he talks about cutting taxes for millions of seniors! He talks about universal health care for EVERYONE but he can't tell us how he will fund this gargatuan project without sacrificing the quality of care or research and development. (See Canada)

Social security, medicare and medicaid comprise nearly half the federal budget. Obama's solution? Sanctify the status quo. Change nothing.  And what about the deficit? What is his solution besides pointing an accusing finger at the current administration? We all know who is responsible. What we don't know is how to fix it. Realistically, with existing budget deficits, Obama knows that he has maybe a snow ball's chance in hell of accomplishing anything if elected to office, which explains why he's long on promises and short on solutions. He likes to say (ad nauseum) that he will tell the American people what they want to hear and also what they need to know. Well...I've heard all the usual rhetoric but I'm still waiting to hear what I need to know.

As for you delusional, dewy eyed, Obama supporters looking for a savior, I have one piece of advice...BEWARE the wolf in sheep's clothing.


SEND A COMMENT

PLEASE READ: All comments must be approved before appearing in the thread; time and space constraints prevent all comments from appearing. We will only approve comments that are directly related to the blog, use appropriate language and are not attacking the comments of others.

Message (please, no HTML tags. Web addresses will be hyperlinked):

TRACKBACKS

Trackbacks are links to weblogs that reference this post. Like comments, trackbacks do not appear until approved by us. The trackback URL for this post is: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/trackback.aspx?PostID=528512

First Read e-mail alerts


Sign up for First Read alerts
The first place for key political news and analysis

Syndicate This Site

Add First Read to your news reader:
live.com xml
myyahoo msn
bloglines newsgator
google