Has any other candidate EVER praised the opposition at the expense of a primary opponent?

[jgraz]

Call it an endorsement, call it a campaign tactic -- whatever. I'm wondering if anyone can point to another example of a candidate -- Democrat or Republican -- making a similar statement in which they unfavorably compare a primary opponent to the presumptive nominee of the opposing party.

Anyone?

[monktonman]

1. **crickets**

[LaurenG]

2. *crickets*

[cooolandrew]

3. *more crickets*

[LaurenG]

4. *crickets* (it said I had an error and to retry but posted it anyway??)

[Abacus]

5. *pin drops*

[mudesi]

6. No

Amazing how low Clinton can go, isn't it?

[shrub chipper]

7. HEY!!!

I can't hear any responses cause those fucking crickets are making too much noise!!

[blocker]

8. No way that is acceptable

Gosh i'm starting to detest her so much!

[Debi]

9. I guess this is what she meant by bi-partisan?

:shrug:

[Forkboy]

10. Beuller? Beuller?

[Bluerthanblue]

11. hey- good question. -

Maybe this is what 'change' means?


:shrug:


peace~

[democrattotheend]

12. Can't think of a candidate, but can think of a former president

Remember Bill Clinton defending Bush's handling of Iraq in the summer of 2004?

[karynnj]

61. There was a candidate - Lieberman who praised Bush over both Dean and Kerry

- he continued in the general election.

[XemaSab]

13. .

:tumbleweed rolling down a deserted street:

[bvar22]

[LulaMay]

14. Yes....Obama did when he praised Reagan and Republicans, trying to get the IN & Rethug vote

THE single worst stab in the back to the Democratic party I've ever seen on tape.

That's what really did it for me....and the way he slammed the 60's and 70's, saying he didn't 'come of age' then and wasn't so 'vested' in the causes of the day.....

like the CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT?

He has so gotten such a free pass it makes me ill.

[NYCGirl]

15. Reagan's running? They let zombies in the elections now? NT

[Ravachol]

17. Well... Thompson did run...

Nt.

[NYCGirl]

21. LOL! True. NT

[DefenseLawyer]

16. Is that all there is?

If that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing.

[redqueen]

19. ...

:)

*sigh*

[blm]

20. He didn't praise him, his view was academic and stated a reality - that Reagan's presidency

had a lasting effect on the nation's GOVERNANCE. Bill Clinton legitimized and ACCEPTED Reagan's governing philosophy in front of the entire nation when he declared "The era of big government is over."

Obama said he wants to succeed in transforming the Right into accepting Dem governing philosophy and thinks the opportunity is greater now than it has ever been, the same way the opportunity was there for Reagan.

Why some people want to change the meaning of what was said when it is perfectly clear to any honest reader is a mystery.

[LulaMay]

71. Be straight. His words and tone were praise. The whole thing was repellent.

[blm]

75. Acknowledgement that Reagan's APPROACH worked. So well that Clinton ACCEPTED IT FIRMLY

in front of the entire nation.


You want to go on record saying that you DON'T want the next Dem president to succeed in TRANSFORMING this nation's trajectory LEFTWARD with the same success that Reagan had that lasted for over two decades?

Think about the actual bottom line to what was said.

[roguevalley]

24. I hear the civil rights movement didn't make civil rights happen.

It took a president, or so sayeth Hillary. News to a lot of people I will tell you. This statement of hers is beyond the pale but what can I expect from a former republican. SIGH.

[anigbrowl]

25. Did he directly compare Reagan with Hillary Clinton?

Did he make any put-downs of Hillary clinton in the process? I think the answer to both questions is 'no'.

[JackORoses]

37. Get used to President Obama, Lulu!

Prepare to be ill for the next 8 years.

[Liberal Dose]

72. Did Obama compare Clinton to Reagan and say that Reagan was better? Exactly. nt

[David Zephyr]

18. Joe Leiberman and HIllary have a lot in common: betrayal.

Zel Miller, Joe Lieberman and Hillary Clinton.

[redqueen]

22. I'd love to hear that it's happened before.

I feel bad for her that this will likely haunt her for the rest of her career. All the other stuff from both camps just pales in comparison.

[karynnj]

62. Leiberman did in primary debates on the policy on Iraq

[KaptBunnyPants]

23. You'd think that someone would have an example of something similar.

Even Nader just claimed that there wasn't any difference between the two. He never endorsed the Republican. I guess that makes this the single greatest betrayal in modern party politics.

[niyad]

26. I don't know--but what about obama praising ronnie ray-gun?

[Occam Bandage]

28. There are many, many instances of politicians praising dead Presidents of the other party.

[niyad]

30. that is okay, then, but what hillary said isn't? the virulent hatred of her demonstrated

on these boards is absolutely sickening, as is the free pass obama gets from many.

[Occam Bandage]

31. Praising the presumptive Republican nominee over a Democratic contender is a no-no.

[leftynyc]

43. Pointing out he has experience

is now praising? Can I have a copy of whatever dictionary you're using?

[Occam Bandage]

49. When she frequently invokes it as a reason to vote for her instead of Obama,

and when she then applies the same label to McCain without any sort of qualifications, the message is unmistakable.

[leftynyc]

51. Unmistakable to you perhaps

Like I said, Sen Obama supporters will apply the worst motives to Hillary no matter what she does. That's life.

[Occam Bandage]

54. "All Obama supporters apply negative motives to people."

[leftynyc]

56. Who other than you

used the word "all"?

[LaurenG]

33. What free pass did Obama get? And what about the issue here?

There have been no other candidates that have stepped up to praise the opposing camp over someone in their own party.

[Laelth]

76. Reagan isn't running. Obama is.

Obama will probably be the Democratic nominee. Reagan will not be the Republican nominee.

There is a big difference.

:(

-Laelth

[Iceburg]

27. I think this qualifies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaoYD7iZG9w&NR=1

[LSdemocrat]

29. Ted Kennedy did infamously refuse to shake Jimmy Carter's hand at the 1980 convention

[Liquorice]

32. Worse than that, Ted

ran against our sitting democratic president all the way to the convention. He refused to drop out even though he was far behind in delegates, and he didn't drop out until the day before the convention. Ted split the party in two and probably gave us Reagan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErosyL95VqA&feature=related

[jgraz]

39. Teddy was a complete asshole for doing that. I'm still not sure if I've forgiven him

BUT -- did he ever go so far as to say that Reagan would be a better president than Carter?

[Liquorice]

42. Yeah, I'll never forgive Ted. Hillary didn't

say McCain would be a better president. Her argument was that she would be better to go against McCain in the GE because republicans can't use the lack of experience charge against her. That was my take on it. It's similar to when Obama made the argument that Hillary shouldn't get the nomination because she is "divisive."

[leftynyc]

44. That was my read as well

But leave it to Sen Obama's rabid supporters to assign the most nefarious, scummy motive to Sen Clinton. It's what they do best.

[jgraz]

48. OK, then I'll just say she was stupid as fuck

If Obama wins as expected, she just handed McCain his first campaign video. If she somehow wins the nomination, she'll have sowed more division in the party and ALSO raised the question of HER experience compared to McCain.

At best, it was a stupid, incompetent display of political dumbfuckery.

Better?

[leftynyc]

53. Because McCain never

would have used the inexperience label otherwise? What a joke you are.

[jgraz]

59. He wouldn't have video of one of the most prominent Democrats shilling for him

C'mon. You really aren't this dumb, are you?

[leftynyc]

65. Give me an example of

what such a video would look like. I mean, since it's an endorsement and all, please give me the script.

[jgraz]

66. OK, you've answered my question. I guess you really are.

[leftynyc]

69. Oh Goody

another moron for my ignore list.

[jgraz]

70. Yep, keep that bubble nice and secure.

[Liberal Dose]

73. Then she should've chosen the words you did to get that message across. Very poor choice of words on

her part, and I can't believe someone didn't advise her not to say it that way. McCain did not need to be mentioned as her equal above Obama. It touts McCain.

[BringBigDogBack]

34. Corporate candidates...

just watching each others back, y'know?

True colors are shining through

[IsItJustMe]

35. I have never heard of it and I have been around for a while. McCain will have a good campaign ad.

[Recursion]

36. Lieberman. Wallace. Thurmond before he split.

Those come to mind.

[jgraz]

38. She's in some fine company

Though I'm not sure if any of those fools managed to be so explicit in their comparisons during a presidential campaign.

[leftynyc]

40. You mean the way that

Sen Obama praised Reagan's communication skills? You mean like that?

[jgraz]

45. No, I don't mean that way at all

<shakes head in disbelief>

First off, let me say that Obama's praise for Reagan turned my stomach and kept me from supporting him for a while.

But he DID NOT use his praise of a Rethug politician to score points against a Democrat. And he never implied (or said directly, as Hillary did) that Reagan or ANY Republican would make a better president than any Democratic candidate.

Hillary took her rhetoric quite a few steps further over the line.

[leftynyc]

47. Please link me to where

she said McCain would be a better president.

My read was that they can't use the inexperience label against her the way they can against Sen Obama. You want to read ugliness into something that simply isn't there but go ahead, do what you gotta do.

[jgraz]

parsing -- the last refuge of a Clinton apologist.

Have you EVER seen the Obama (or Edwards or Biden or Kucinich) people spend so much time spinning the words of their candidate? Insisting that no one paraphrase or characterize their statements unless they use the EXACT WORDS that came out of her mouth?

Have you people never heard of synonyms? Subtext? Implied meaning? Do you really think Hillary is SO STUPID that she says these ridiculous things again and again with absolutely no clue about how they're going to be interpreted?

Because that's the choice you're left with: she's either being evil or she's being stupid.

Hmmm... who does that remind you of?

[leftynyc]

55. Keep up, will you

You said it was a unmistable message, I disagree. I read it entirely different but because I disagree with you, I'm parsing. It's a good thing I don't let his asshole supporters turn me off Sen Obama.

[jgraz]

64. I NEVER used the word "unmistable". How dare you mischaracterize my statements that way!!!1111

Point to one quote of mine where I use the word "unmistable" or even imply that Hillary Clinton's statement could not in some way be lightly sprayed with water.

[Voice for Peace]

41. Maybe a new 2-party system should be created: the Nasties & the Hopefuls

[leftofthedial]

46. AND has run in opposition to "hope"

[jgraz]

52. Well, in fairness, "hope" is all her candidacy has left at this point.

[leftofthedial]

74. LOLI don't remember my opinion of a Democrat falling so far so fast

as has my opinion of the Clintons, especially Hillary.

[invictus]

50. Only the Clintons do this; remember their policy of "triangulation."

They pit the Republicans in one corner and the Real Democrats in another corner and paint them both as extremes while they claim to represent the middle. That is called "Third Way" (DINO) politics. The result is that the Clintons keep winning reelection while the rest of the Democrats lose to Republicans. Bill Clinton's election in 1992 cost the Democrats their House majority for the first time in 40 years.

[Tom Rinaldo]

57. But she didn't praise McCain

She said he had more experience than Obama. And Obama said Reagan had more ideas than Bill Clinton.

McCain has more experience than Obama and everyone in the country knows it. This is another in a series of fake outrages coming from Obama supporters. Experience doesn't always equal correct judgment - I thought Obama fans were big on that point. All things being equal, which they never are, having experience is always advantageous in a job interview. It is an electability advantage Clinton has over Obama. It is the flip side of the forward looking not tied to the past advantage that Obama has over Clinton. Clinton stated a fact, she didn't reveal any deep dark secrets from Obama's past.

[jgraz]

67. Right. Saying he has "a lifetime of experience" is really a vicious attack

:eyes:

[cali]

68. Actually what she said was that she and McCain both have the experience

to be President and that Obama does not. It's not the end of the world, but it wan't a wise comment. Nor is it a fact that Clinton's experience is an advantage against McCain. Compared to him she has little as well. Do you really think that McCain would let her claim 35 years of experience?

[Skip Intro]

58. Obama said the repukes were the party of ideas for the last couple decades.

so he pretty much threw the entire party under the bus

and no, Hillary did not praise or endorse mccain, regardless of how many times it is repeated...

[jgraz]

63. You really need to read the other posts in a thread before replying

The "Obama luvs Reagain" defense has been raised and shot down already.

And she never *praised* McCain? Are you kidding me? So now you're saying that telling people McCain will bring a lifetime of experience to the White House is somehow a criticism??? Give me a fucking break.

[karynnj]

60. It happened in 2004 - Leiberman praised Bush on Iraq

over Dean and Kerry. He also did so in FL in the general election.

[Laelth]

77. I guess that puts Hillary in good company, then.

Sad.

:(

-Laelth