Speaking of misleading flyers.

[totodeinhere]

A direct-mail piece sent to voters by the Clinton campaign twists Obama’s words and gives a false picture of his proposals:

* It says he "wants to raise Social Security taxes by a trillion dollars," a big distortion. Obama has said a “good option” would be to apply Social Security payroll taxes to incomes over $97,500 a year, but that would only affect taxes paid by 6.5 percent of individuals and couples. And he hasn’t formally proposed such a move anyway.

* The Clinton mailer says Obama has "no plan" for a moratorium on foreclosures such as the one Clinton has proposed. That’s true, but Obama has his own plan for homeowner relief. The mailer leaves the impression that Obama has "no plan" at all, which is false.

* It says Obama "voted for Dick Cheney's energy bill that gives huge tax breaks to oil companies," another distortion. By the time Congress passed the 2005 energy bill, it raised taxes on the oil industry more than it decreased them and also contained billions for alternative fuels research and subsidies for energy-efficient buildings and vehicles.

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/youve_got_mailers.html

Hey, it's a campaign, and both sides are going to stretch the truth a bit in their zeal to score political points. But in view of the behavior of the Clinton campaign, Hillary has some nerve to feign outrage over Obama mailers when her mailers are just as bad.

[thepurpose]

1. Dang. Another Mark Penn idea goes up instant flames. Fire that guy.

[Tennessee Gal]

2. That was dated 2/6/08.

Is her campaign still sending those mailers out? If they are, you have a valid point.

That was the point Hillary was making yesterday. Obama sent those mailers out at the first of February. They were challenged on their accuracy. Clinton found out yesterday that he was still using them. That was her point.

[Madam Mossfern]

3. It sure didn't seem like her point

So much of good communication skills.

Why should they stop sending the flyers out if they are indeed accurate? Perhaps they should put stickies on them to have people ignore the word "boon"? But then they can add all the other documentation about NAFTA that has been cited on this forum. I'm sure they have the information. If they don't like the photo, too bad, there is nothing wrong with it except it may bring up unpleasant memories for Hillary and her supporters.

Does Hillary really want that?

[Tennessee Gal]

4. Her communication skills are quite good.

The Clinton campaign had seen the mailers in other states, had already discredited them, and believed they were no longer being used. That is why Hillary used the word "continuing" in her statement yesterday when someone in the crowd showed her that they were being sent out in Ohio.

"I have to express my deep disappointment that he is continuing to send false and discredited mailings with information that is not true to the voters of Ohio. He says one thing in speeches, and then he turns around and does this."

[Madam Mossfern]

5. Again...

They were not false. As far as misleading, the people at the Clinton campaign have not moral authority to complain about that as they are guilty of the same misleading behavior. It's politics, and it's nasty and I'm sure that Clinton and Obama both know that. Hillary is no babe in the woods (uh oh will that be construed as sexist?)

It was a good attempt to get publicity mileage for her, as it did. It's unfortunate for her that the strategy backfired on her. It seems that the only people that are as outraged as she are those who already support her.

[Tennessee Gal]

6. The Clinton campaign has sent out misleading mailers.

That is correct. The question is whether they still are. If they are, you have a valid point. If they are not and Obama still is, Clinton's point yesterday is a valid one.