Obama backs Lewis statement

[dkf]

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1008/Obama_backs_Lewis_statement.html?showall

Obama spokesman Bill Burton gives little ground to McCain's outraged response at John Lewis's evoking George Wallace:

"Sen. Obama does not believe that John McCain or his policy criticism is in any way comparable to George Wallace or his segregationist policies.

But John Lewis was right to condemn some of the hateful rhetoric that John McCain himself personally rebuked just last night, as well as the baseless and profoundly irresponsible charges from his own running mate that the Democratic nominee for president of the United States ‘pals around with terrorists.’

As Barack Obama has said himself, the last thing we need from either party is the kind of angry, divisive rhetoric that tears us apart at a time of crisis when we desperately need to come together. That is the kind of campaign Sen. Obama will continue to run in the weeks ahead."

Burton also sent over several comments from Republicans (after the jump), including former top McCain aide John Weaver, expressing discomfort with McCain's and Palin's rhetoric.

Last time McCain voiced outrage at the suggestion, from Obama himself, that he would use race against the Democrat, Obama quickly backed down. But the terrain has changed, and it seems to be a fight Obama is now comfortable having, perhaps in the hopes of amplifying a backlash against McCain.

[EFerrari]

1. Nicely done.

:applause:

[Faygo Kid]

2. Yes! Let the dittoheads drool all over themselves.

Repudiate John Lewis?

Yeah, right.

[nsd]

3. Politico's headline is misleading.

Obama didn't really back the Lewis statement. He explicitly disagreed with the Wallace comparison. He didn't "repudiate" Lewis as McCain asked (nor should he), but he didn't fully agree with him either.

I think Obama is handling this correctly. By not issuing a stronger statement, he's trying to avoid being drawn into a debate about Lewis' position or about race. McCain is trying to change the subject from the economy. We can't let him do that.


ETA: Politico just changed the headline to "Obama backs Lewis condemnation, not Wallace comparison" which more accurately reflects the Obama statement.

[dkf]

8. The basic point though was that McCain wanted condemnation of Lewis statement and

they didn't get it.

[IndyOp]

4. More at 538: "Did McCain just walk into a trap?" McCain said Lewis 1 of 3 wisest people

he knew when asked at Saddleback -

Did McCain Just Walk Into a Trap?

So much for slow news days.

John Lewis's comments about the McCain campaign "playing with fire" are likely to dominate the news cycle for the next 24-48 hours, including the morning panel shows.

The conventional wisdom holds that, whenever the discussion turns to race, this tends to be detrimental to Obama, who for the most part has been scrupulously trying to avoid invoking racial themes into the campaign, at least through official channels. The previous time an issue like this came up, it coincided with a period in which Obama's lead in the polls was eroding.

This situation is liable to be a bit different, however.

Part of this is because Lewis is no ordinary surrogate. In fact, so far as I can tell, he is not really a surrogate at all, holding no official position with the Obama campaign. Moreover, Lewis is no Jesse Jackson, someone whom many Americans instinctively recoil from. On the contrary, Lewis is someone who McCain praised as one of the three wisest people in his life at Rick Warren's Saddleback Forum.

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/10/did-mccain-just-walk-into-trap.html

[Cha]

5. mccain set his own fucking trap..

Snap!

[BumRushDaShow]

10. LOL

He really is Mr. Magoo! "Oh Magoo, you've done it again!" :rofl:

[dkf]

6. I was incredulous when I heard him say that.

To think some thought he won that debate. Now it comes back to bite him.

[nsd]

7. Politico corrected the headline.

Politico changed the headline of that entry from "Obama backs Lewis statement" to "Obama backs Lewis condemnation, not Wallace comparison". That's a more accurate reflection of what Obama's spokesman said; he explicitly rejected the mention of George Wallace. It's important that Obama stay focused on the economy and not get drawn into some kind of debate about racism. I think that's what this statement was trying to do, i.e. close down this topic.

[dkf]

9. What is interesting is that many people are making comments

similar to John Lewis, i.e. objecting to McCain's riling up the crowd, but McCain only objects to his.

[vaberella]

12. Exactly...which is why I am surprised by the McCain camp continuing with this BS. n/t

[Cha]

13. mccain must have forgotten the

strategy he was using at that time but John Lewis didn't.

[Window]

11. McCrazy/Palin are desperate, disgusting. lying, punk-assed racists.