Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us — the spin masters, the negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of “anything goes.” Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America.
–Barack Obama, 2004 Democratic National Convention Keynote Address
Today we write to urge your attention to one race in particular. Our friend, Todd Stroger, former state representative and alderman is candidate for president of the Cook County Board. Please consider voting for Todd…. Todd is a good progressive Democrat, who will bring those values and sensibilities to the job.
The same can not be said of his opponent, a conservative Republican, who has sided with the NRA and against our police by opposing a ban on the military style assault weapons favored by gangs and drug dealers. He also is a long and avowed opponent of reproductive rights. The County board president has discretion to end reproductive health services, which would deny poor women their basic rights. We’ve come too far for that.
–Barack Obama with Dick Durbin, 2006 endorsement of Cook County Board presidential candidate Todd Stroger
Hat tip: Eric Zorn
I wouldn’t go so far as to call this an “anything goes,” “negative ad” full of spin. It reads more to me like valid points with some spin on them. No politician can get away from spin.
And I’m willing to give him a little leeway, especially if said opponent has even a small chance of end reproductive health services for women! Talk about a jump back to “barefoot and pregnant.”
Perhaps he has the Kerry curse and we just misintepret his words.
What a vicious attack ….. (YAWN)
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz …..
Aren’t most Republicans PROUD of their NRA affiliations and opposition to abortion? As far as negative campaigning goes this is a whole lot o’ nothing. It’s not like he tried to link someone to NAMBLA.
If the comments by Kerry (someone not even up for election this cycle) are all the Republicans are able to harp on a week before the election, the party is in a SAD, SAD state. Talk about desperate … wow.
Knight: Who said anything about Republicans and who’s harping? Seems to me plenty of Democrats are asking him to shut up.
For Democrats, bipartisanship is when Republicans lay down and agree to let liberals run things.
For Republicans, bipartisanship is when they scare (or torture or threaten) everyone else into doing what they want them to.
Banning assualt weapons will not get them out of the hands of drug dealers and criminals. They didn’t buy them thru legal means in the first place. I’ll bet that Stroger’s opponent never even said anything about ending women’s reproductive health services in the first place either.
Knight said, “Aren’t most Republicans PROUD of their NRA affiliations and opposition to abortion? As far as negative campaigning goes this is a whole lot o’ nothing. It’s not like he tried to link someone to NAMBLA.”
Most Republicans don’t side “against the police,” nor do they advocate “deny[ing] poor women their basic rights.” No, he didn’t try to link anyone to NAMBLA; he just told the usual lies and distortions. My point was not that he was the most egregious negative compaigner, but that he was “just another partisan politician,” as the headline states. He’s a rising star in the Democratic party, but he’s not a uniter, and he’s not going to get a lot of cross-party appeal by making endorsements like the one above.
The sad part of this campaigning is that I have to research each candidate thouroughly myself through online publications to decipher which person is a lesser douchebag. Their ads have explained nothing, oh…I do know that ONE time, some guy running for a seat in the senate once misdialed a number by 1 digit and it led to a sex chatline and the call was billed to taxpayers and it was an honest mistake (the call on record was less that 30 seconds) Ultimately the parties are merging together because they have the same agenda on a larger, more global level. I have always in the past voted republican because I hate the welfare systems and how we pay unwed mothers to have more kids, and don’t hold deadbeats accountable. Its true the most factual information you can find about candidates is likely to come from political blogs.
C.J. – I’m assuming that the Republican candidate in question is against the assault weapons ban and pro-life. If not, then I accept your criticism. If the candidate does have those positions, then Obama is not lying.
Most police organizations are advocates of the assault weapons ban. That’s certainly true in Chicago. Thus, anyone opposed to the ban is “against our [meaning Chicago] police.” That’s a statement of fact.
Again with abortion – in is currently a legal right of women in this country, and pro-life forces want to take that right away.
No lies, C.J. Distortion, perhaps. Oversimplification of complex arguments, certainly.
If you want to criticize him for something, criticize his lack of creativity in this instance. These are standard Democratic talking points regarding gun control & abortion rights – just like the standard Republican mantra “tax and spend liberal, tax and spend liberal” (squawk like a parrot).
In the “against our police” sentence, Obama specifically sites the assault weapons ban issue. He does not make a sweeping statement that the opposition candidate is “against police.”
Knight, according to Zorn’s column to which I linked: “In particular, they [Durbin, Obama] raise the fear that Peraica [Rep. candidate] would unilaterally put a halt to abortions at county hospitals, even though Peraica has repeatedly pledged that he will not.”
Knight, just admit it. It’s a negative ad, and there’s spin on it. Just because someone is pro-life does not make them an “avowed opponent of reproductive rights.” That’s a sweeping generalization.
Furthermore, I cut out part of the quote which said this:
Since “the same can not be said of his opponent,” one would have to conclude that Peraica — “a conservative Republican” — is against the poor and working poor, doesn’t want a strengthened county health system, and doesn’t value children or families.
My point? Typical spin. Typical partisanship. Typical politician. You see them all the time. Obama is nothing special.
Seems to me the real point is not whether it’s spin or partisianship, but the contradiction between saying there is not a liberal or conservative America, then using those labels in the campaign letter to categorize people. He wants it both ways, which is what makes him a typical politician.
Just had a non-partisan thought (really).
None of us have ever run for any kind of office, correct? So we are speaking as outsiders, or astute observers, for the most part.
I read DailyKos a lot too, and there was a post there this morning that linked you to an MP3 of some guy asking people if Barack Obama is a threat to the United States. An odd question, but once you listen you realize people are really talking about Osama Bin Laden (confusing the two names). There’s even one woman on there who says she has a PhD. It’s akin to Jay Leno’s JayWalking, just sound only.
So, if even just a portion of folks are so politically inept as to confuse Barack Obama with Osama Bin Laden, maybe such negative type ads are ones we politically savvy folks are going to have to suffer. Maybe it’s flat out necessary for both side to run half-truths or half-lies (call them what you like) so as to be even capable of making a point with the unwashed masses (or whatever you want to call people who are not us, regulars at political type blogs).
I’ve never studied/worked in Marketing/PR, so I have no idea. I’m a pretty savvy political observer, so negative type ads and half-truths and such generalizations do annoy me. But is it possible that this kind of language is the only way to get the point across to the MTV generation, the soccer moms, the stamp collectors who don’t watch much tv, non-computer types like my mom, etc, etc? These broad generalizations are the only way to get into the general publics’ collective psyche?
Because you have to admit, we are the exception – we bloggers (or blog commenters) in the political and community sphere. Most folks blogs are about their cat, or their job, or Brad Pitt or whatever. My favorite non political blog is Go Fug Yourself, which makes fun of what famous people in Hollywood wear from day to day.
I recently returned after living in the cesspool of politics known as Chicago. Todd Stroger was installed to be the Democratic nominee by a group of ward and township committeemen who march in locked step with Daley. This was after his father suffered a debilitating stroke a week before the primary and then withdrew just after the date when others could declare their candidacies as independents. Stroger was an undistinguished state legislator and as an alderman was a Daley hand puppet. To call him mediocre would be an insult to the truly mediocre.
Peraica has repeatedly stated that he will follow the law of the land regarding abortions at Cook hospitals. The Cook Co. president has very little clout regarding firearm laws. Those are handled primarily at the state level and by municipalities. Stroger and Daley’s Machine continue to hammer Peraica on these irrelevant issues as they know Stroger is a flyweight in terms of leadership, experience, and addressing real Cook Co. problems.
I hope Cook Co. voters elect Peraica. It would be a needed step toward keeping the Machine in check, especially after the Chicago crew sweep statewide offices.
Giselle – your response makes no sense at all. Completely non sequitur.
MDD: You’re referring to the sweetheart deal Obama engaged in with Tony Rezko?
“My point? Typical spin. Typical partisanship. Typical politician. You see them all the time. Obama is nothing special.”
CJ – You are right. He is nothing special and I have not been able to understand all of this hype about someone that came out of nowhere. It will be interesting to see what else comes out regarding his $1.8 million house and the lot next to it…