You’re the GOPer! No, you are...
Posted: Sunday, April 20, 2008 3:57 PM by Domenico Montanaro
From NBC/NJ’s Athena Jones
BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- The latest tactic in this protracted primary race?
Comparing the other candidate to the Democratic Party's Grand Ole
bogeyman: The Republican Party.
Obama did it after the debate on Wednesday, saying Clinton's hits on
him were part of the lesson she learned when the Republicans were
attacking her back in the 1990s. And Clinton did it Sunday, bringing up
last week's Philadelphia debate and painting her rival as the candidate
who says one thing and does another.
"This week we had a debate, and it showed you the choice you have, and
it's no wonder that my opponent has been so negative these last few
days of the campaign, because I think you saw a big difference between
us," she told the crowd. "It's really a choice of leadership. I'm
offering leadership you can count on. You know where I stand; you know
what I've done; you know what I will do. I'm offering my experience, my
strength and my readiness for whatever comes our way. I'm ready on day
one to be the commander in chief, and I'm ready to fix this economy."
In an indirect reference to Obama's controversial "small-town" remarks, the New York senator suggested he was being divisive.
"I am looking forward with great anticipation to leading all of our
people in every city, every town, every village across America, because
I want to bring our people together," she said. "I know the best way to
do that is to set I highs goals again: goals that we can agree on as
Americans, goals that we can achieve together as Americans. My campaign
has been about that; it's been about leaving no one behind, but instead
bringing us all forward together. We're going to work on behalf of
these big goals and we're going to produce results for America. So
while my opponent says one thing and his campaign does another, you can
count on me to tell you where I stand, and you can count on me to tell
you very specifically the solutions that I'm offering for America."
The comments, in line with themes the campaign has been pushing for months, are the latest in a series of tit-for-tat attacks between the candidates as the heated race enters it final days.
Clinton brought up Obama's ad about not taking money from oil companies, saying that no one did so, because it was illegal and then linked him to “Dick Cheney's” energy bill. She said that when given a chance to match his words with his actions, he had failed by voting for a bill with big giveaways to those very same companies.
"I was raised, you know, by my family to, you know, say what I meant, mean what I say, but also that actions speak louder than words, and I still believe that today," she said.
Later, she returned to the health-care issue, criticizing Obama for ads and mailers that she said misrepresented her plan for universal coverage and sounded like they came from the Republican playbook.
"The last thing we need is to have somebody spending as much money as he has downgrading universal healthcare. We need to try to achieve universal healthcare not create political opposition to universal healthcare," she said. "That's what the Republicans do, not what the Democrats do. Because here are the facts: my plan covers everybody; his plan doesn't. His plan would leave out about 15 million people."
