Anti-Clinton Ad Puts Spotlight on Obama

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

Anti-Clinton Ad Puts Spotlight on Obama
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Mar 22, 10:08 PM (ET)

By JIM KUHNHENN

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Internet video sensation that targeted Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton now has rival Sen. Barack Obama on the spot.

Heralded by many as the embodiment of Web-driven citizen activism, the mysterious YouTube ad now stands revealed as the work of a Democratic operative employed by a consulting firm with Obama links.

"It's true ... yeah, it's me," said Philip de Vellis, a 33-year-old strategist with Blue State Digital, a Washington company that advises Democratic candidates and liberal groups.


Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois addresses supporters Monday, at the Historic Farmer's Public Market, in Oklahoma City, Okla., March 19, 2007. (AP Photo/Jennifer Pitts)

Blue State helped design Obama's Web site, and one of the firm's founding members, Joe Rospars, took a leave from the company to work as Obama's director of new media.

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20070323/D8O1JDQG0.html

[Bitwit1234]

1. His bush smirk told the story

When he was interviewed by the press about it, and anybody could see, he had the smirk on his face, while denying any connection. Now we see he does. Just like bush and the Kerry swiftboating. He has lost his squeaky clean image.

Knowing HIllary Clinton after being swiftboated and slurred and smeared for so long does not have a chance I was leaning to Obama. He looked like he would make an honest politican. How wrong I and most of the country is. Edwards has my vote and I hope to goodness he does not drop out. Go Edwards with a wife with the fortitude Elizabeth has you deserve it.

[M155Y_A1CH]

2. I don't get you?

Are you blaming Obama for the ad?
The guy who made the ad is taking all the credit and was fired for it.
What I don't get is you blaming the victim, Obama.

[Omaha Steve]

3. More than just one victim

It hurt Hillary. It hurt the party. I don't blame Obama. I really don't think he knew who did it. That was a smirk of confidence.

[BeyondGeography]

5. Obama = Bush and Bitwit = Nitwit

[yellowcanine]

7. Huh?

[BeyondGeography]

8. I'll break it down for you

Bitwit's a nitwit for equating Obama with Bush.

[yellowcanine]

9. You need to review your notes on arithmetic equations then. The way you have it,

Obama=Nitwit. The two equals signs does that, regardless of whatever you might insert in between. Trust me. I used to teach Algebra. I know whereof I speak. One of my pet peeves was when students who equated things that were not in fact equal. I deducted points every time for that.

[BeyondGeography]

10. Do they teach a sense of humor in Algebra?

[yellowcanine]

11. So it is a lack of a sense of humor on my part - not sloppy arithmetic on yours?

But to answer your question, how funny it was is irrelevant. You still lose points if you equate things that aren't equal. And more importantly, you failed to communicate your intent. I like a good joke as much as anybody. I just don't see anything funny about sloppy thinking.

[yellowcanine]

12. Here's the way I would say it: If Bitwit says Obama = Bush, then Bitwit = Nitwit.

I think that says what you were trying to say and some might even say it is funny.

[BeyondGeography]

15. Fair enough YC

[yellowcanine]

6. You may have seen a smirk. I didn't. So many leaps of conjecture here it is not worth

rebutting but I will give it one stab. The guy worked for a company that did some work on Obama's website. There is no reason to believe Obame knew who this guy was or that this guy even did any work for Obama. Where is the story?

[karynnj]

23. Wrong on two accounts

1) That ad is nowhere near the SBVT level - it makes no false charges or claims - it is not nice, but it's maybe comparable to the Republicans taking a photo image from a magazine of Kerry windsurfing and making it go back and forth over a water background. (Also, consider this, Could you replace Hillary with Obama, Edwards, Kerry etc and have the same affect - that may tell you something.)

2) This does not prove Obama knew anything of it.

Given that Bill Clinton is cherry picking Obama Iraq statements to distort his position, it just mean that he are in for a nasty primary.

I MIGHT have had more sympathy for Hillary if she had not given fuel to the RW smear of John Kerry last year - saying his commentS (or which there was 1) were inappropriate - gave weight to the accusation that he attacked the troops. Not to mention, her team was very likely behind the "Hey John" nonsense. At the time, the Hillary people said this showed they had the strength to play the game like the Republicans did. - Both those actions were worse (it is possible that she wasn't behind the "Hey John" stuff) as they were not honest.

[papau]

25. The "wasted" comment by Kerry and Obama is/was radioactive - so Hillary "might"

have more "sympathy" from you if she had not said what was being said by 90% of America? The term wasted is too easily moved from lives involved in conflicts (esp. if they died) that we should not be involved in militarily, to simply the life in the military, as it is being said by those whose freedoms are being protected by that military.

Perhaps the honest answer is that every death in our military is a wasted life and that we should not have a military. It will be interesting to see if Obama expands his "wasted" comment" to say that.

Meanwhile Edwards is looking more interesting - IMHO.

[karynnj]

26. Kerry never said "wasted", Obama and McCain did

Kerry absolutely would never say that - but when asked about Obama saying it, said he simply misspoke and that it meant nothing. The comment Kerry did say was was essentially If you don't study and prepare you get (us) stuck in Iraq - where the us was omitted. The text was known ahead of time. Kerry's committment to troops was been a huge part of his life. (Note: the media downplayed MCCain's statement, saying it could be ignored because of his life story.)

Kerry within hours of the story had the text, given out to media before the speech out. The intent was never in doubt. It was turned around to say that soldiers in Iraq were dumb or uneducated. Kerry countered that in a strong speech pointing out what he intended to say and pointed to his record with veterans and soldiers - who he has fought for for 4 decades (even before he was a Senator). As the story was ending, Hillary gave it at least 2 days more life by piling on. (What about the "HeyJohn" thing

The fact is the Clintons played hardball - but are now whining when they are attacked.

Interesting that you assigned McCain's gaffe to Kerry.

[papau]

28. you're correct - I still say Hill's comment added nothing to the pile on at the time - as the media

was into a Kerry dump and was not about to stop - but you're correct that he did not use the word "wasted"

The Obama/McCain gaffes using the word "wasted" really did not get much play - but I mentally filed all three under "wasted". I am uptight on any dump on war dead or war service- the 60's and the loses that were personal do that to you - and have a hot button anything that suggests a dump.

At the time of Kerry's comment, I wrote that it was a joke about Bush told badly with too much assumed about those hearing it (I also tend to kill jokes but in the opposite manner - by explaining too much so all the timing is screwed up).

But while defending Kerry on his bad joke, I mentally filed Kerry's comment under "life in the military was for the not bright and the bright that want to waste their lives" - a thought that again hits those 60's hot buttons. He didn't say the word but I filed it there, under "wasted", because that was the implication - wasted - as to any service in the military. As I said I fought that implication at the time as not being what he meant - but the "Kerry gaffe" was a "wasted" comment in my mental filing system.

[karynnj]

29. Even then you are following the logic of the RW.

A implies B DOES NOT mean that B implies A. Here A = (if you don't study and prepare) and B= (you get stuck in Iraq). So, even what Kerry actually said did NOT mean that. The reason people thought that was that every RW source repeated B implies A.

Also, McCain and Obama INTENTIALLY said what they said - which was what you specifically said was unacceptable - and you and the media give them a pass, but not Kerry AND you mentally file it under "wasted" and apply it only to Kerry who didn't say it. WHAT?

Kerry, with a cold and exhausted by a tough schedule supporting 2006 candidates, skipped a pronoun in a joke written for him. The text was available ahead of time - so there is NO doubt that he is telling the truth AND you have to violate logic to get to "the soldiers being dumb or under educated", then stand on your head to convert "dumb and uneducated" to ":wasted". This compared to McCain and Obama actually saying it.

You also ignore that Kerry has spoken more than any of the others on the fact that the sacrifice of the soldiers not be diminished by whether the policy is right or wrong. He has been a strong advocate on improving the VA hospitals, Agent Orange, PTSD and center to deal with PTSD. He was a co-founder with Mueller of VVA and he helped them get official status. He deserved the same pass that McCain was given by everyone - for the same reason - decades showing his sincerity on this.

Kerry was an advocate for veterna's healthcare before he left the Navy. That record is what would have got Kerry past this if he stayed in - but there is no way 48 Democrats would have voted for what was essentially Kerry/Feingold if he had. What this showed was that the media, the RW, and parts of the Democratic party would have used something to take Kerry out - maybe you should ask why.

He was clearly the most effective voice on Iraq - it wasn't Obama and it certainly wasn't the Clintons.

[yellowcanine]

4. Maybe I am missing something but I don't see how this reflects on Obama at all.

The guy worked for a company that helped design Obama's website. That's like saying I am somehow responsible for something a guy does who worked for a contractor I hired to put a roof on my house. Nevermind that I don't know the guy and he never was at my house or worked on my roof. In fact, it may be a lot worse than that. Obama likely does not even know anybody at Blue State, even the people who worked on his website. And Blue State fired the guy when they found out what he had done. There is no story here, except a story about how easy it is to make mountains out of worm castings.

[Forkboy]

13. Slow news cycle

:)

[yellowcanine]

14. Except it isn't. Eyerack is still going down the tubes, The U.S. attorney scandal

continues unabated. John Edward's wife's cancer is back. March Madness is going full throttle. Valerie Plame's cover is still blown and we do not know the whole story, etc. Plenty of things to write about other than what some blogger who has a tangential at best connection to Obama is saying about Hillary Clinton.

[Forkboy]

16. I agree

This story here is way off the radar to everyone but political junkies like us,which was basically who I was referring to.We churn through every news tidbit here like it holds the secret to immortality,so none of those more important stories are new to us today.People still care.This is just something else to talk about here. :shrug:

[yellowcanine]

18. It is so boring though. If we are going to focus on trivialities, let's at least have some

sex involved, like who is shagging whom.

[yellowcanine]

17. Oh and I forgot that cats and dogs are dying for unexplained reasons (until today).

Who knows, if the MSM weren't so focused on trying to manufacture some kind of rift between Obama and Clinton, maybe they could have advanced some of these stories more effectively.

[DanWithAngel]

19. contractors

except that if your contractor put a roof on presidential house it would be
news if that roof suddenly was the focus of something controversial.

[yellowcanine]

21. Yes but it isn't Obama's website that is controversial.......

so that doesn't work for me.

[DanWithAngel]

22. drilling down

i can accept that. then say a worker from the firm did a roof under the table and it collapsed or whatever parallel can be drawn and quartered. check.

[noonwitch]

20. People will forget about it by the time the primaries roll around

I don't think it made Obama look bad. I also think it actually helped Hillary, but giving her the opportunity to laugh it off in public.

[Eugene]

24. Obama Denies Ties to Anti-Clinton Web Ad (but...)

Source: Associated Press

Obama Denies Ties to Anti-Clinton Web Ad


Friday March 23, 2007 7:31 PM

AP Photo OKJP102

By KATHLEEN HENNESSEY

Associated Press Writer

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Sen. Barack Obama said Friday that his campaign had nothing
to do with a Web ad portraying his chief rival for the Democratic president
nomination as an Orwellian figure.

Nevertheless, Obama declined to denounce the ad, which depicts Sen. Hillary
Rodham Clinton of New York as Big Brother. He said the ad apparently “captured
the public's imagination.”

Obama said the ad was produced by a renegade employee of a company hired by
his campaign to help design his Web site. The employee, Philip de Vellis, has
since left Blue State, a Washington-based consulting firm, and has said he
produced the ad on his own time.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6503408,00.html

[Tellurian]

27. If someone saw a smirk on Bush's face

it would be because he was smiling to himself thinking, these stupid democrats are doing exactly what Rove said they would, savage and eat their own..That, is Bushthink! Unfortunately, this one time, he would be spot on.

[bobthedrummer]

30. A simple fact to consider:Robert Gibbs is Sen. Obama's Communication Director

Robert Gibbs and several of his perception management connections were responsible for the ad that interposed pictures of Osama bin Laden with Howard Dean, Mr. Gibbs also did some work for the Kerry campaign. (on edit: the Dean/OBL "ad" was part of that "work")

Perception management professionals don't care about reality, only image.

Here's a background thread about perception management, the MSM and a lot of interrelated subjects.

"Reality vs. perception management: the tin-foil controversy" archived thread from 1-06-2006
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x71919