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

[stray cat]

1. Perfect quote! Obama really did a nice job on the questions/answers

he talked to the reporters like people capable of at least some thought and reflection - we can only hope that they actually are...

[elkston]

2. Dammit! I wish he could really let them have it.

Instead of acting steady, and just slightly annoyed. He needs to lean into the Republicans and their negative campaigning with force.

But he's got to maintain his cool, I know. ESPECIALLY because he is black.

You know last week there was a snippet of Obama at the ACPSE (?) convention that he attended with Hillary Clinton. Towards the end of the speech he went absolutely nuclear with passion about how labor unions will not be ignored. He was booming, intense, powerful. The crowd was estatic.

I wish he could lay into these Republican bastards with the same fire.

[Faygo Kid]

3. I think that's up to us, and other Dems.

He's not fighting this one alone, by any means.

Time for some prominent Dem leaders to fire back. There's a former president out there named Bill who sure as hell could restore props in the black community by taking these bastards on big time. I can't believe he's not personally offended by what McCain's Rove allies are up to here.

[elkston]

7. I think some dem leaders are hanging him out to dry because of anger about Hillary. n/t

[jefferson_dem]

10. Kerry, McCaskill, and Schumer on Sunday Morning Talk tomorrow.

Time to expose the real McCain.

[Faygo Kid]

15. That's good. There's three who aren't going to hold back.

Time to rip the "straight talk" facade from the McCain campaign, and flay his damned hide for the campaign he's running.

[babylonsister]

5. I think he's biding his time; I also think he will be laying into these

bastards on his own timeline, not because he's being provoked by them. I think they want an explosion from Obama, and he knows it.

[RayOfHope]

6. I dunno. I think the media would distort that as Obama losing his cool

which is all the more reason for him to stay focused and cool, calm, and collected.

[bkinsd]

9. Obama Has To Stay Cool, Calm and Collected

Unfortunately, it is acceptable for an old white guy to go completely "bat shit" but if Obama did they would just say he is an angry black man. This could work to his advantage, because there will come a time during this campaign when McCain will totally lose it, and he will look like the fool that he is.

[Triana]

18. the media would go apeshit on him - claiming he's an "angry" (black) man..

...they'd have him painted as a raving, angry lunatic in 10 minutes flat if he shows ANY sign of being ruffled by this at all.

Meanwhile, McShame's angry outbursts are simultaneously and conveniently - ignored.

[eShirl]

14. they are hoping he'll take the bait, then you'll REALLY see negative campaigning from them

thank goodness he's smarter than that

[HardWorkingDem]

16. This is what true surrogates are supposed to do...wonder where..

Bill is at in all of this. It'd be great to see him go on a talking head show blitz and run on about how he knows what a dirty campaign against one is all about and what he's seeing now being done to Obama is the dirtiest thing he has ever seen in his life...

[C_U_L8R]

4. The truth is our greatest weapon

and Obama wields it like a mighty club...
repukes like this are just batting practice

[Coexist]

8. awesome quote.

[Skidmore]

11. He's absolutely right!

Both sides need to learn the art of compromise. We can't keep bickering and participating in mutually assured destruction. It is past time to do hard work.

[aaroh]

12. i think the gop campaign is falling into obama's trap. their negative campaigning only strengthens

obama's message of change. changing the politics as usual. but if obama takes the GOP's bait and goes negative, it will weaken the obama message and he'll be on the wrong end of the stick.

[chimpymustgo]

13. That sums it up.

[Triana]

17. He handled this VERY well. He cannot take their bait and 'go negative' as McShame has done...

...that WOULD BE politics as usual - and it would NOT help him.

All it would do is what the GOP WANTS it to do and that is to DISTRACT FROM THE ISSUES - which REPUBLICANS CANNOT WIN ON. That's why they always do this distraction bit - because Republicans can NOT win on the issues - on policy. They can't! All they know is character assassination, smears, and election fraud - and they have the lame$tream media to help them with all of it.

Obama DOESN'T NEED to go there.

He just needs to keep saying what he's BEEN saying. To do otherwise is to validate the GOP's negative assertions about him and to only DISTRACT from the issues that Obama can and should WIN on.