Letters to the Editor

Letters posted here are associated with the following article:
Obama says Clinton ad "straight out of the Republican playbook" The Illinois senator goes after his opponent, and considers her campaign's culpability in a recent controversy.
The letters thread is now closed.
  • Obama is no differant

    Just because Obama is black it doesn't make him any different than other politicians.

    Do the words Clarence Thomas and Condolizza Rice ring a bell?

  • Our Lady Macbeth

    I'm curious as to at just which point she'll compare Obama to Hitler.

  • Here's the test

    If Obama is tough enough to go againts the GOP here is his first test. Clinton's attacks are all fair game in an election (assuming her staffers didn't release the photo, if they did than that crosses a very big line) because it is more than fair to contrast her experience with Obama's inexperience.

    Now we will get to see if Obama can pass this test as he has passed previous ones. How he handles these criticisms will tell a lot about his campaigns ability to hit back.

  • Personally, I think the Obama in Somali garb photo is a great "teaching moment"

    wrt turbans and other things ... many people wear turbans besides moslems, notably Hindi and Sikhs that I can think of, but I would not be surprised if there are other non-muslim turban type head dress wearers. Here in the West, most turban wearers seem to be Indian subcontinent types.

    In Afghanistan, if I recall, while wearers ARE muslim, the type of turban worn, irrc, indicates your tribe, which likely has some intra-muslim sect lineage involved, but as I understand it is more about clan affliation, and intermarriage between clans/tribes is part of the social fabric. Whatever. I've hoped the could trace the circulation of this (public record, as I understand it) photograph, but apparently are left with simple accusation of "GOP tactics"

    Disturbingly, the NYT has an op-ed today -- The Red Phone in Black and White -- saying some of us missed the racist underlying message of the "3 am phone call ad" -- link on my name -- apparently, he seems to say, the Clinton campaign consciously or unconsciously plays to our latent and/or unconscious racism ... this is the first I've heard of this particular accusation.

    Author: "Orlando Patterson is a professor of sociology at Harvard and the author of “The Ordeal of Integration: Progress and Resentment in America’s ‘Racial’ Crisis.”

    Let the games begin. (I am so sick of this campaign season)

  • No Different? (Or Differant, if you prefer....)

    Well, I haven't yet heard Obama praising John McCain, unlike Her Imperial Majesty. But, of course, nobody ever argued that judgement was Her Imperial Majesty's strong suit.

    Which would be a fundamental difference between the two, in my book. That, and the fact that Obama is the frontrunner in both delegates and popular votes...

  • "As far as I know"

    The point is not that he needs to be strong enough to stand up to the GOP, the point is that he shouldn't be subject to personal/racist/xenophobic attacks FROM WITHIN THE PARTY.

    Team Clinton is tearing the party apart for an outside chance (at best) at the nomination. I would expect the tactics from the GOP.

    She can't go away fast enough for me.

  • so wait- why is the title of this piece touting his side

    shouldn't there be some indication in the headline that either he was lying in the debate or he's using the photo knowing that his accusation is false?

    Sounds pretty "Clintonian" to me and i can only imagine the outrage Obama supporters would come up with if these tables were turned.

    BTW- this does fall very well into the "every time Hillary is down we remind the world she's a racist" mold.

  • ooops

    lol- i meant "every time Hillary is UP"

    i need to use the preview more carefully, i apologize.

  • umm hmmm

    so, treating rumor as fact and using it to criticize your opponent, while contradicting your earlier statements on this as a non-issue is the "new way forward?"

    Just so I'm clear.

  • Too much of the Obama campaign is about reacting to Team Clinton, imho

    Anti-Hillary may get Obama the nomination, but then that's done, pfft, gone ...

    Team Obama might better use this as a "teaching moment" as I mentioned below and/or use it to take off and talk about Obama's foreign affairs policy, experience or even -- GASP -- about how we aren't at war with Islam but with "terror" -- or whatever.

    Be the change you wish to see in the world. This constant anti-Hillary refrain is not likely to impress superdelegates regarding the general election racehorse against McCain.

    The problem with Anti-X campaigns are that whatever X is (Clinton or McCain) tends to be seen as the Alpha Dog ...

  • @opus

    shouldn't there be some indication in the headline that either he was lying in the debate or he's using the photo knowing that his accusation is false?

    All he said in the debate is that he would take Hillary at her word that SHE didn't know anything about photo. He said nothing about whether her campaign circulated it without her knowledge. Given the reports on how hands off she has been with the campaign that scenario seems perfectly plausible. In any event he neither lied nor made a knowingly false accusation.

    BTW- this does fall very well into the "every time Hillary is [up] we remind the world she's a racist" mold.

    Since when is Hillary up? And since when was Islam a race? I don't think Obama has ever called Hillary a racist. Playing on voters fears or xenophobia does not make you a racist, just a morally questionable opportunist.

  • Not contradicting himself.

    Obama can believe Clinton herself knew nothing about the photo while believing someone in her campaign was responsible for circulating it. He can say the issue could be set aside in the debate because Clinton was not personally involved, while pointing out on the stump that Clinton's people are using tactics that aren't what we want to see in the next president's administration.

  • I think everyone, including Obama,

    has been way to quick to assume that Drudge is telling the truth. Does he have a history of doing so? Does he have a history of cooperating with Democrats, especially those named Clinton?

    And now, how do you answer these questions? Does he have a history of printing photos, sometimes ridiculously doctored, to try to undercut Democratic candidates? (Remember those two photos that were supposed to prove that Kerry got Botox treatments?)

    Does he have a history of cooperating enthusiastically with the likes of Karl Rove?

  • @Stewsburntmonkey

    i think "to make people afraid" is a pretty direct call of racism when its in reference to a picture taken in Africa in traditional African clothes.

Most Active Stories

Read More

Letters Help

Daily Delivery

Salon headlines in your mailbox