Obama: “They’re very good at negative campaigning– they’re not so good at governing.”

[jefferson_dem]

Obama: “I Have to Accept Things I Don’t Like”
from The Page - by Mark Halperin on TIME.com by randyj



Speaking to reporters in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the Senator elaborates on his new potential openness to offshore drilling.

Says he remains skeptical of offshore drilling, but he and other Democrats may need to compromise in order to pass a comprehensive energy bill.

“At some point people are going to have make some decisions– are we going to keep on arguing, or are we going to get some things done?”

“We can’t allow partisan bickering, or the desire to score political points, to get in the way of providing genuine relief to people who are struggling.”

Asked about recent McCain ads, says his team is “clever at creating distractions.”

“They’re very good at negative campaigning– they’re not so good at governing.”

“If I was presumptuous or taking this for granted, I wouldn’t be working this hard this week. I’m beat.”

Asked about allegedly racial comments, repeats that he’s not “from central casting” and remains unfamiliar to many voters. Says McCain campaign is not racist, but is cynical.

http://thepage.time.com/2008/08/02/obama-speaks-to-reporters-in-florida/

Obama: McCain waging 'cynical' campaign
from The Swamp by Mark Silva

by Mark Silva

Sen. Barack Obama today accused the rival presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain of waging a "cynical'' campaign, attempting to "distract'' voters from the real issues in the race with commercials comparing Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton and accusations that Obama is "playing the race card.''

<SNIP>

"The one thing we know about the team that John McCain has assembled, because it's a carry-over from some of the folks who have worked on the Bush campaigns,'' Obama said at a press conference at Cape Canaveral, Fla. "They are very good at negative campaigns They are not so good at governing. If you think about this week, what they have been good at is distracting... (Jobs are being lost) and what was being talked about was Paris and Britney. They are clever about distracting people from the issues that really matter in peoples' lives.

"I want to talk about how we're going to put more money in people's pockets... how we can provide health care for people who don't have it,'' Obama said at the brief press conference, where he confessed that he is "beat'' after a hard week of campaigning and fielded just a few questions. "We have some of the biggest challenges that certainly I've seen in my lifetime. That is what the American people want to hear. What are the solutions to these big problems.'' Obama voiced "confidence'' that the determinant factor in the election will be voters deciding who has the answers.

Obama, reminded by a reporter that Republicans succeeded in portraying a damaging image of Democratic Sen. John Kerry four years ago, asked if he is concerned that the opposition is attempting to paint him as arrogant, and if that might stick.

<SNIP>

"Ultimately, what I think we've got to do is keep driving home the essential message of this campaign, that we've got to change business as usual... What we've seen this week ahs been politics as usual... This is the same thing that was done four years or eight years ago... You guys are all familiar with this. You've seen this before. We've seen this movie before.''

<SNIP>

"Let me be clear, in no way do I think John McCain's campaign was being racist,'' Obama said. "I think they're cynical. I think they are trying to distract people from the real issues. It's of a piece with the Britney and Paris ad.... Their team is good at distractions and planting negative'' points. "I am absolutely confident that the people in Union, Mo., or Jacksonville, Florida, or any other town in the country, at the end of the day are going to be making the decision based on what is best for their lives.''

<SNIP>

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/08/obama_mccain_waging_cynical_ca.html