Clark's Rivals Irked by Campaign Aide's Tactics

[mzmolly]

"Now, Mr. Lehane has become a target in a fight among Democrats about whether opposition research is going too far. With General Clark rising in the polls in New Hampshire and Howard Dean facing a spate of negative news reports, from stories about stock he sold as Vermont's governor to remarks maligning the Iowa caucuses, many Democrats are convinced they see the invisible hand of Chris Lehane.

"He's doing what he does, and what he learned quite well in war rooms and hard-fought campaigns," said one Democrat who works for a rival campaign. "It's just that right now, he's doing it inside the family, as opposed to across the fence. And so it's received differently. He's spilling blood in our house."

...

"On Monday morning at 9, reporters traveling with General Clark were clustered in a hotel lobby here when Mr. Lehane blew in, carrying an oversize cup of coffee from Dunkin' Donuts and wearing his trademark mischievous look.

"So you heard Kerry's attacking us," he said, referring to Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts — a candidate he advised last year.

Minutes later, Mr. Lehane produced two documents: a flattering remark Mr. Kerry made about General Clark, and a not-so-flattering synopsis of a 1996 Boston Globe article that said Mr. Kerry had stayed rent-free at the home of a lobbyist. All this transpired two hours before the Kerry camp said a single word."

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/16/politics/campaigns/16LEHA.html

[Bread and Roses]

1. Let's make

Trippi and Lehane have a duel.

[Renew Deal]

2. I don't see a problem with this

when a rival campaign decides it's appropriate to hand out fliers at your event.

[Jack_Dawson]

3. Campaign Aides want to help their candidates?

Get outta here...I mean...what's next?

Handing out "flyers" at your opponents' events?

[Walt Starr]

4. Just goes to show

There's nothng new under the sun when it comes to negative campaigning.

[Renew Deal]

5. Like handing out fliers at a rivals event?

Or calling voters and telling them they are innelegible?

Or maybe saying that you are the only candidate that opposed the war from ther start when you aren't?

There is also calling voters and telling them Kerry has Cancer.

I guess we agree.

[Demobrat]

6. One more reason

Clark will never get my vote, no matter what.

[returnable]

8. Clark, Clark, Clark

:hi:

[windansea]

7. positively IRKING

i am really irked over this

a Lehane Trippi duel seems in order

[mzmolly]

10. The thing that's interesting is that The Clark campaign *claims* to be

above the frey. :eyes: Riiiight. ;) They are apparently the dirtiest of them all. Well with the exception of Gephardt perhaps.

[returnable]

12. There's a difference...

...The Clark campaign is armed for defense, yes.

But unlike the other campaigns, they aren't launching the bombs.

Did Clark go out and say Kerry bunked down at a lobbyist's house in a stump speech?

No.

"They are apparently the dirtiest of them all."

Uh, I'd look a little closer at Mr. Trippi, myself :hi:

[mzmolly]

16. It would appear you haven't read the article.

Please go back and do so, or at least read the OP. Thanks.

[returnable]

17. I did read the article...

...and stand by my statement. Clark did not attack Kerry on the stump.

Where's the evidence to the contrary?

[mzmolly]

21. This isn't about *the stump*

It's about dirty politics.

[returnable]

23. My point was about how Clark conducts himself n/t

[mzmolly]

26. The point of the article is that it's a myth. Clark gets to appear pretty

while his assistant does the dirty work.

[returnable]

27. So Clark let's his assistants do the dirty work...

...while his opponents wallow in the mud themselves.

Hmmmmm.... I back Clark's approach, thanks :hi:

[mzmolly]

32. The mud is being created by Clarks campaign. Look for the pigs

to be exposed soon. People don't like pigs. :hi:

[returnable]

39. Riiiiiiiiight

The Dean campaign is squeaky clean and everyone else is involved in dirty politics. Gotcha :eyes:

"People don't like pigs."

Perhaps the best explanation yet as to why Dean continues to plummet in the polls :hi:

[mzmolly]

41. You'll see who plummets. Dean isn't plummeting at all

look here for a dose of painful reality.

http://www.pollingreport.com/wh04dem.htm

What must be additionally painful is that Chris Lehane is actually helping John Kerry. LOL, I wonder if he infiltrated the Clark camp to do just that? Now, that's a gas... Kerry will cream Clark in the national race. Sure Clark will open up the door for *soldiers* but when it comes to the issues, Kerry's got him beat ten fold.

[returnable]

52. One battle has already been won:

You're talking about Kerry and Clark in the national race :hi:

[mzmolly]

55. Nope, I'm talking in the primaries and the NH debate, if Clark shows up to

this one.

[returnable]

63. I would think a Dean supporter...

...would be more concerned with how Dean is doing in Iowa right now than what will happen between Clark & Kerry in New Hampshire.

But, then again, the doctor is tanking in both states, so why not focus on the opponents who actually have momentum? :hi:

[mzmolly]

69. Tanking? cute... I'm not at all concerned. We've got 25 million dollars

and amazing support across this nation. Iowa is one small kernel in the great scheme of things. Clinton lost Iowa remember?

:hi:

[returnable]

71. Yep... and he placed second in NH.

Bodes well for another Arkansan in this year's primary :hi:

[mzmolly]

73. Or another Governor which is much more relevent politically speaking

:hi:

[returnable]

87. Touché n/t

[JNelson6563]

78. Just like the boy king

the list of similarities grows.

Interesting.

Julie

[Tinoire]

82. Glad people are finally noticing

All the high talk about honor and integrity was just that- high-talking fluff. All of Clinton's dirtiest people are on the Clark campaign- I am surprised that all of this is such a surprise to everyone.

[janx]

9. I don't like Lehane.

At ALL. He comes across as slimy.

[The Magistrate]

11. 'Politics Ain't Bean-Bag'

It is blood-sport, complete with side-bets. The thin-skinned and pacific should seek other lines of work....

"An election differs from a civil war only as the bloodless surrender of a force out-numbered in the field differs from Waterloo."

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[edzontar]

13. Lehane is just one more reason i am ABC until this is over

Clark campaign dirty tricks have cast a very long shadow indeed.

[The Magistrate]

15. Just So Long, My Friend

As you are A.B.B. once the general election is upon us....

That is what matters most.

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[edzontar]

29. Of course I am, there is not other alternative...

But I am convinced that of all the candidates, Clark will do the most damage to us in the general election.

Too divisive, too unknown.

[The Magistrate]

35. Well, Sir, It Would Be A Boring Place If We All Agreed, Eh?

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[edzontar]

50. Have you ever seen Lehane on TV?

His appearance on Tweety hardened my growing Clark discomfort.

He is, or at least comes off as, a really manipulative, amoral creep.

[The Magistrate]

56. Seldom Watch The Stuff, Sir

Generally makes me want to scream, which is bad for my heart.

It has always seemed to me, though, that to describe a political operative as a manipulative, amoral creep is a little redundant. It has always been my understanding that is part of the job description.

[edzontar]

65. True enough...but out of the group of four that were on with him

He was WAY the smarmiest.

I mean, it was not even CLOSE.. the guys for Gephardt, Kerry, and Dean were like princes of clean by comparisom.

He made me feel...dirty.

[The Magistrate]

68. In Other Words, My Friend

He looks suited to the work at hand....

Those are the people it is best to have working for, rather than against, you, in my view.

[sandnsea]

14. Attack, attack, attack

If you can't argue policy, attack the campaign. Seems like I've seen this before. "Make them stop pickin' on me Terry!"

[mzmolly]

18. I've seen it before too. "Howard Dean supported the Biden Lugar amendment

which is essentially the same thing as the IWR unless of course were pissing and moaning about Gephardt caving too soon and not supporting Biden Lugar."

Yep, seen it.

[sandnsea]

31. Biden-Lugar authorized war

That's exactly what it did, it's true, it's an ISSUE. One cannot possibly be "against the war from the start" when you supported ANY resolution that would authorize war.

It's different than some vague lumping people all in one boat slander. I am absolutely fed up to my eyeballs with Howard Dean and his refusal to debate the issues because he knows he can't win on any of them.

[mzmolly]

34. LOL, what about Kerry giving Gep shit for caving and not supporting

Biden/Lugar.

You really dont think a 5 term governor with an amazing understanding of the *issues* would have trouble debating John Kerry? Humorous.

I'd like to keep the thread on topic if you don't mind. It's about Chris Lehane who JK fired from what I gather.

[cprise]

46. Not an issue (and been there before...)

Dean was speaking out against the war vigorously before it started. There you go-- "From the start."


Let's see what we have with Kerry (who actually cast a vote!) :

This fellow declares that the Vietnam war is wrong, then goes off to fight in it and subsequently talks abou the risk to his OWN life at every opportunity; never mind the hundreds villagers living under primitive conditions he had/could easily kill... THEY are unmentionable. Now in 2003 Kerry knew the evidence against Iraq was false (or he was incompetent), but since his campaign started losing to Dean and Clark all we hear is Kerry wailing 'Bush lied to me!'

'Waaah! I didn't want to be the hypocrite!'

[Bombtrack]

19. First of all, this is a dupe, and second of all

It's not as if Dean or the others don't have opposition research trying to dig up dirt on there rivals. It just happens that there is more dirt on Clark's rivals that is out there than Clark, or at least Lehane has been able to find more than the others.

To be honest, Lehane rubbed me the wrong way when I saw him on Hardball, before this article came out, so this article didn't really give me any less of an opinion about him, but he or Clarks campain staff hasn't taken nearly as many mean-spirited and misleading cheap shots and low blows against there rivals as Dean's staff. Or Kerry's for that matter

[mzmolly]

20. LOL, Dean has been attaced 3 fold in the press. Clark has dirt

watch and see. :) And, read the article. The cheap shots against Dean in the past week alone.

Sharpton gate-Chris Lehane?
Trooper gate-Chris Lehane?
Cheater in Iowa gate-?? Gephardt and Lehane?

Oh and lets not forget the Osama add. You can bet that has "Chris Lehane's" name all over it!

What else am I missing? :eyes:

[Bombtrack]

22. I will be watching and seeing, and I did read the article

the first time it was posted

And I didn't say all of those incidents involved Lehane, but maybe some of them did. I guess he's not allowed to that though, because, after all, he or any of the other people working for Dean's serious rivals aren't "real democrats" right? When Trippi uses slimeball attacks, it's apparently a noble act to you, but if they're working for Clark or Kerry or Gephardt, or sympathetic to them, it's beyond the pale

[mzmolly]

30. I haven't seen Trippi use *slimeball* tactics. I've seen him accused

of it by.........Chris Lehane. :hi:

This is newsworthy because Clark claims to be running a clean campign. Bookmark it so you can keep the truth at hand.
Yes watch and learn dish on the General is not far away.

And, I don't think it's dirty to mention Clarks voting record personally.

[sandnsea]

33. Pretending Carter was going to endorse Dean?

That's the slimiest piece of garbage I have ever seen. He's done so much slimy crap in this campaign that we'll never know all of it.

[mzmolly]

36. Funny I saw Joe Trippi say on national television that Carter had NO

plans to endorse Dean. What's slimey is the garbage that Trippi is accused of such a thing.

The Dean campaign said Carter has/had no plans to endorse him *period*

Again, lets stick to the topic shall we?

[sandnsea]

45. There's going to be a "surprise"

That's what Trippi said. And tried to hype it up to the point that Carter had to issue a statement that there would be NO endorsement. And once again, the Dean campaign had to clarify.

And when there's a topic where Dean is whining about campaign tactics, expect me to be right there to call bullshit. I don't care who Dean is smearing this week, I will fight every single time. That is absolutely sticking to the topic.

[mzmolly]

48. There were several endorsements this week. *surprise*

The media made it appear that it might be a Carter endorsement, not Joe Trippi-who DENIED it immediatley.

Again, let's stay on topic.

[sandnsea]

81. No, that's not what happened

They were specifically talking about Carter. Not any other surprises. And bullshit campaign tactics is on topic. No matter who is spewing it out.

[cprise]

66. I'm Scandalized- Call Ann Coulter right away!

Washington insiders, creating a fake justification for war... those are accusations about policymakers that become detached from reality.

What do they say in return? Dean is unelectable, angry, attacks politicians, extremist, blah blah...

It's hilarious: Two wars in 3 years and a tanked economy and no one is supposed to be accusatory about anything but a politcians who attacks bad policy makers.

How vulnerable they must feel!

[sandnsea]

86. More of the same

Manufactured anger, slander, whining and no solutions. That's a great big no thank you. People will always choose hope over anger. That's why George Bush keeps going up in the polls. They choose to believe him. If we don't give them real explanations to our problems and significantly better solutions, we'll go nowhere. Anger is the most pointless emotion on the planet. It has NEVER gotten me anywhere.

[Bombtrack]

38. Clark is running the cleanest campaign of the top 3 or 4 candidates

he hasn't gone tit for tat like the other campaigns.

Dean called Clark a republican, an equally unfair and harsh response would have been for Clark to call Dean a snobby little fairy but he ignored the idiocy and focused on telling people about his superior platform.

Dean has also made the implication/accusation that ALL of his serious candidate opponents aren't "real democrats" a central them of his campaign, which is very low.

[mzmolly]

43. YOU must be joking?!

:) Have you read that article yet? Chris Lehane is the dirtiest of dirty. He *leaks* stuff to the press in an underhanded manner. You can't be falling for this Clark=Clean campaign crap can you?!

Clark=filty campaign, which is pretending to be clean. Read the article ;)

[Bombtrack]

49. and that is what campaigns do in this country

and it's the only way he can compete with a dishonest campaign like dean's, who is doing the same thing.

Oposition research and leaking is the norm, and every one of the major campaigns have people responsible for doing. Some have clearly been more successful than others. Edwards is also somebody running a RELATIVELY clean campaign. He and Clark are running the cleanest, but his people have still done some questionable things to Clark invovling Hugh Shelton.

[mzmolly]

53. Yes Edwards is running a clean campaign as of late

But Clarks is the dirtiest campaign.

[Bombtrack]

57. because he has people doing the same thing as everyone else?

You either deny or accept that the other campaigns have opposition research or "dirt-diggers" as one might call them.

Not all the campaigns make open bomb-throwing at there opponents a central theme, and only one campaign, Dean's, can clearly be seen as having set the tone, by going negative from the start and not letting up.

[mzmolly]

62. Now you admit they are not above the frey.

My work here is done ;)

Negative is not pointing out the past votes of your rivals. Negative is not even mentioning Dean's former position on the retirement age. Those are facts. Dean's campaign has been run based on the facts.

What's negative is: The Osama ad, The so called trooper scandal, The Sharpton bullshit show, The Dean is cheating *waaah waaah* but I've got no proof crap.

These all smell of Chris Lehane.

[SahaleArm]

25. Yet none of these claims have been substantiated beyond..

the complaint made by the Dean operative in the article. It's a lot of bluster with little substance and no evidence.

[mzmolly]

40. "Dean operative" it was an independent study.

:eyes:

[SahaleArm]

44. A consultant for Dr. Dean's campaign...

This week, tensions over Mr. Lehane burst into prime time, when Steve McMahon, a consultant for Dr. Dean's campaign, erupted in frustration at Mr. Lehane on the MSNBC program "Hardball." Mr. Lehane casually mentioned a four-year-old videotape that surfaced last week, showing Dr. Dean criticizing the Iowa caucuses as "dominated by special interests" — a definite no-no for a candidate courting Iowa voters. Clearly irritated, Mr. McMahon interrupted him.

"You know about it," Mr. McMahon said. "It came from you."

"That tape did not come from me," Mr. Lehane shot back.

Mr. McMahon, insisting he was bound by a confidential source, said later that he could not "provide proof." But he did say he wanted to put Mr. Lehane on notice. "I'm reacting to a lot of evidence that comes over the transom," he said, "and I wanted to sort of fire a shot at him and let him know that when he's doing this stuff, we hear about it."

That's as close to evidence as the article got.

[mzmolly]

51. Wrrrrrrrrong...see here

LOS ANGELES - Howard Dean (news - web sites) received significantly more criticism on network newscasts than the other Democratic presidential contenders, who were the subjects of more favorable coverage, according to a study released Thursday.

More than three-quarters of the coverage of Dean's foes by the nightly news programs was favorable, while a majority of attention to Dean was negative, the Center for Media and Public Affairs found.

The study by the Washington-based media watchdog also found that network attention to the campaign was down by 62 percent compared to the last race involving an incumbent president, in 1996

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&ncid=716&e=5&u=/ap/20040116/ap_on_el_pr/tv_news_democrats

[maddezmom]

84. what do CMPA and CSPC have in common?

http://www.mediatransparency.org/search_results/info_on_any_recipient.php?573

http://www.mediatransparency.org/search_results/info_on_any_recipient.php?63

[maddezmom]

88. kick

[SahaleArm]

90. The Clark campaign does not control the media...

And the post I replied to implied that Lehane was involved in all of the above, none of which was substantiated.

[janx]

28. I had the same reaction you did--an instant negative one.

.

[Bombtrack]

42. I still have a much higher opinion of him than Joe Trippi

A guy with a clear history of unrespectable and borderline criminal activity in dem primaries.

He cheated to get us the lemon that was Mondale and he's snaking through this primary to give us another in Dean

[mzmolly]

47. So did you vote for Reagan too?

In-teresting.

Mondale is no lemon. I'm from Minnesota and Mondale is an amazing man. Paul Wellstones sons asked him to run for Senate here when their Father died. Why? Because Mondale was one of Paul Wellstones heros.

I resent your comment greatly.

[Bombtrack]

54. An amazing man who barely won one state

i was about 14 months old during that election, so you'll excuse me if I didn't get to the polls to vote for either Reagan or Mondale.

Whatever opinion you have of either Dean or Mondale, they're both "amazing men" to some people who would/will run on a platform of raising middle class taxes(or "just" going back to the previous decades rates on the middle class if you like) against an incumbant republican president engaged in a worldwide campaign against an ideology.

[mzmolly]

58. So it was better to lie like Reagan and say "I will not raise taxes"

interesting analysis. I think I *get it* now. Clark is following in the path of Reagan.

[Bombtrack]

60. Actually Clark is saying that he will raise taxes on the rich

it's called straight-forwardness.

Dean denying or neglecting to suggest anyone but "ken lay and the boys" got a tax cut could, make that, should, really take a page from him

[mzmolly]

64. The upper 5% oooooh.

It's called pandering.

Beware of politicians who promise you everything.

[The Magistrate]

77. Who Would You Prefer To Be Taxed, Ma'am?

Something must be done to begin restoring the nation's fiscal house. This was President Clinton's tax strategy, and it worked.

It is nevessary to drive a wedge between those who finance the reactionary movement, and those who provide its foot-soldiers. This is an excellent wedge to that purpose....

[mzmolly]

79. Dean wants to return to Clintons tax plan.

Because *it worked*

[SahaleArm]

89. So we should have a less progressive tax plan because it worked?

The 90's were quite different than the current situation.

[Leilani]

24. I'm Irked too

about all the mud slung at General Clark

[in_cog_ni_to]

37. Chris Lehane

Stop Doing That! You CANNOT do EXACTLY what the OTHER campaigns are doing! The nerve! Sheesh. Let them punch, but don't punch back. Let them bully. Do NOT defend yourself. Let them dish dirt on you and you just sit there and take it, OK?

Riiiiight. That would be a really good stategy. :eyes: You think Lehane is GOOD...think of what could be. James Carville! :7 I still haven't heard Clark say anything about Kerry. BUT, I also don't expect him to just sit back and take it. Bring it on!

Go, Wes!

[Snivi Yllom]

59. jealousy sucks

but all is fair in politics. Unfortunately the media whores feast on this stuff.

[Skwmom]

61. Didn't Dean hire Davis's guy (Ace)?

So why are they only discussing Lehane? In addition, maybe the candidates who are complaining shouldn't have unfairly attacked Clark.

[returnable]

67. You mean you didn't get the memo?

Dean mudslinging = good

Everyone else mudslinging = bad


Get with the program! :hi:

[mzmolly]

72. Heres the memo I got

Clark=Clean campaign :puke:

I'm sure you all got that one, because it's repeated here again and again.

Do remember, Clark is running a D-I-R-T-Y campaign, and try to retain that knowlege going forward.

You won't feel so bad when Joe Lieberman and John Kerry call him a Republican that way.

[returnable]

74. When Joe and John and Howard go on the attack...

...at least my guy won't go running to Terry McAuliffe :hi:

[in_cog_ni_to]

76. Waaaaah! Stop picking on me.

Make them stop, Terry! Please, please, please...make them stop saying bad things about me! :cry:

[mzmolly]

80. No, he's gone running to Chris Lehane.

:hi:

[returnable]

85. Beats running to the principal! n/t

[mzmolly]

70. What's unfair about bringing up legitimate issues. Clarks votes for Nixon

and the gang are fair play.

Clark has not been unfairly attacked *yet*

[in_cog_ni_to]

75. Who cares? Bring it on!

Clark is ready. He handles those attacks with ease. He's not threatened by it. How many American's are going to give a shit about who he voted for 20-30 years ago? NO ONE is going to care. Besides that, it's a LIE. He NEVER was a republican...but keep repeating it enough, maybe it will come true. :eyes:

[mzmolly]

83. Your right many won't care who Clark voted for 20 years ago, which is why

calling it an attack is a stretch.

But *Bring it on* they will. Glad your prepared.