Clinton campaign rebukes top ally

[Beacool]

1/16/16

CHARLESTON, South Carolina – The Hillary Clinton campaign Saturday night publicly rebuked one of their top outside allies after reports that he planned to make an issue of rival Bernie Sanders’ health – reports he now denies. Meanwhile, the Sanders campaign said they would release a letter testifying to his health in coming weeks.

“Chill out,” Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta tweeted at David Brock, who runs several pro-Clinton groups. “We’re fighting on who would make a better President, not on who has a better Physical Fitness Test.” Politico first reported earlier Saturday that Brock was planning to go on TV to call for the 74-year-old Sanders to release his medical records.

It was a rare public reprimand from a campaign to one of its top supporters – and just 24 hours before the first Democratic presidential debate of the year here. Brock has raised millions of dollars supporting Clinton and runs several groups supporting her bid, including the super PAC Correct the Record, which can coordinate directly with the Clinton campaign.

In a statement to MSNBC Saturday night, Brock called the report “false” and said his group was never planning to go after Sanders’ health.

“Correct The Record is not planning to attack Senator Sanders on the issue of his medical records, nor am I. I’ve said nothing about the issue. This has nothing to do with the Clinton campaign,” Brock said. “Again we are not planning an attack on this and have not even discussed it internally.”

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/hillary-clinton-campaign-rebukes-top-ally-david-brock

So much drama over a non-event.

[awake]

1. Good to know

I will now delete my post tonight questioning Hillary's Health records and I encourage other to do the same.

[Beacool]

6. Thank you.

I respect anyone's right to choose a candidate other than the one I prefer, but this non-stop Hillary bashing is beyond what should be acceptable on a Democratic site. There are even OPs that used RW links to make their point.

[sabrina 1]

17. Wait, the 'bashing' was BY Brock who 'works in coordination with Hillary's campaign'. He just did

what he said to Podesta he wasn't doing. Shame on anyone who approves of this. Just SHAME. Podesta cleverly tries to make it look like they 'don't approve'. Brock lies in response.

They really do not respect the intelligence of the American people.

It's too late. I guess they say yet another massive backfiring of yet another David Brock attempt to smear, with all that corporate money he has in his Hillary Super Pac, a candidate who is far above the frey, all his various smarmy, right wing tactics simply blowback at his own candidate.

FIRE BROCK Podesta, these are the snakes who are destroying our electoral system. Unless the Clinton campaign rids itself of the stench of these corrupt, lying career right wing Rovian smear mongers she owns them.

[UglyGreed]

101. But someone here

once told me Correct the Record is old news and not relevant

[sabrina 1]

102. Hope springs eternal and sometimes causes, what Brock himself called 'blindness'. Brock, blinded by

the money, flipped to the dem side and was richly rewarded in a society where greed and immorality reigned supreme and was admired, see Rove, for a while.

But the old saying 'leopards don't change their spots' is apparent as Brock, snakeoil salesman that he is, simply uses the same tactics that enriched him before, to do so again. And for the very same people he nearly destroyed. I think that is what they call 'pragmatism'. I call it unethical.

No principled person would have allowed this corrupt, lying fool, anywhere near their campaign.

I can only imagine him going to Bernie's campaign looking for a job and offering up his 'resume'.

It's simply unthinkable!

[awake]

23. Done

It would be nice if the Hillary's supporters did the same with their post questioning Bernie's Health.
Let us to get back to talking about ideas & issues.

[Beacool]

99. Thanks again.

I don't know why some posters questioned his health. I wasn't one of them.

[TheBlackAdder]

90. The beauty of a surrogate. Coordinate with campaign, test float ideas, campaign feigns ignorance. nt

[sabrina 1]

7. Why, Brock was lying. I will delete nothing until Hillary makes a statement condemning what Brock

just DID. He lied, he HAS attempted to smear Sanders using health as an excuse. Let Hillary FIRE this pos Right Wing smear monger or she is in league with him.

Bernie fires those who misrepresent his campaign. IF she doesn't end her relationship with Brock she is part of his smear mongering campaign against Bernie.

[Beacool]

10. Brock didn't do anything.

A media outlet printed a "rumor" that he was planning to request Sanders' medical records. Hillary does not need to apologize for something that never took place.

[KingCharlemagne]

20. Oh yeah? Then why did Podesta rebuke Brock

publicly??????

your own source completely demolishes your statement.

You and Hillary need a Ron "That statement is now inoperative." Ziegler.

[sabrina 1]

25. you must think we are all children. Brock plants shit in the Corp media. He was caught doing it

already. That is pure BS. I guess they think this is a more clever way to smear someone, let's pretend we heard a rumor.

Oh please. WHY is Hillary working with this Right Wing smear monger who is using a loophole in the election laws to funnel untold amounts of money into his Hillary Super Pac, which her campaign says is 'working in coordination with' her campaign?

Please stop. We are not children. Get rid of him, that is the ONLY way anyone would believe this childish claim.

[sabrina 1]

55. Please do not insult our intelligence. Podesta then must be lying, or he is part of the whole thing.

I guess you either weren't around when Brock helped get Bill Clinton impeached or you don't remember how the Right Wing smear mongers, like Rove, operate.

Thankfully most of us do not forget and are not easily fooled. Bad for anyone who continues to try these Rovian smears, they get shot down so quickly now as the public is sickened by them.

[MissDeeds]

48. I won't either

And I won't take back the donation I made to Sen. Sanders as a result of Brock's actions.

Perhaps what Brock did was sanctioned by the Clinton campaign, perhaps not, but the damage has been done nonetheless. One more black eye for HRC's campaign.

[Snotcicles]

60. That smarmy POS knows just raising a question is enough to plant doubt in voters minds. nt

[awake]

63. who are you calling a smarmy POS?

This kind of speech has no place here

[Snotcicles]

95. I was referring to David Brock. eom

[sabrina 1]

78. Yes, Brock/Rove same tactics, they THINK they're smart but people see through them. Only in DC

could a pair of sociopaths like these two thrive.

[TheBlackAdder]

89. Yes, it's like saying something in court, then telling the jury to 'forget what you've heard'. nt

[2pooped2pop]

85. Well I still consider her health an issue

So I will leave my post. I don't think she is safe to run, let alone win.

[sabrina 1]

2. Lol, so Brock LIED! Has Podesta made a new statement separating Clinton's campaign from this

Right Wing smear monger who she has stated is 'working in cooperation with the campaign'??

Thanks David Brock. You are becoming one of the Bernie's best fund raisers. I am right now donating the $25 Weaver has asked for thanks to YOU.

And where are all those millions Brock is 'earning' coming from? His Super Pac makes it impossible for us to know where he is getting all that money from, one of the MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES in this campaign.

[Beacool]

13. Yeah, Brock lied because it suits your interest to say that he did?

[silenttigersong]

3. Oh how cleaver

Deny its an issue by going on mainstream media with the issue.Why do I think Hillary knows all about this prior duhhhhh

[Mike__M]

5. Ah...the old attack that's not an attack ploy (n/t)

[djean111]

4. Oh, I think this was just deliberately floated to get it out there.

I doubt anyone was really "rebuked". This is what surrogates are for.

[sabrina 1]

28. That's how Brock operates. He plants things in the media, anonymously. Last time he tried, he was

exposed. I guess they didn't get the reaction they expected, now we're in 'damage control' mode.

[virtualobserver]

43. You must admit, Sabrina....it is hard to believe how many different ways that they are screwing up.

I feel like Team Hillary is our ally.

[sabrina 1]

81. Lol, to be honest I am pretty shocked at how BAD they are at this. Every time they try

to use the old DC dirty tricks routine, it benefits Bernie. I am beginning to view Brock and the rest of the over paid smear mongers as allies.

Brock is becoming one of Bernie's best fundraisers, and it hasn't cost Bernie a dime.

We can only imagine how much money has poured into Brock's Hillary Super Pac from Wall St, they don't have to tell us how much or from whom.

Talk about wasting your money. The guy is just really a screw-up. He would get a job anywhere but in the DC bubble where they apparently think it's just BRILLIANT to lie about those who challenge their rigged system.

[virtualobserver]

82. I have decided that they were always this bad, Bill included

The success that they have achieved has been through sheer determination, not political skill.

[sabrina 1]

92. Actually I think their success was due to these dirty tricks. I eg, never even thought

that anyone on our side would engage in any kind of deception such as the Right engaged in. So I admit to being fooled due to my own personal standards of what is acceptable.

But those days are gone. We have awakened to the reality of what our own party is capable of.

I believe they got us when we were 'innocent'. We are not innocent anymore. It was hard at first to 'think' they way they do.

I had to actually train myself to do it. IF I had their morals, I know this, I would be a lot better at it than they are.

They probably always were this bad. We were perfect foils, not being able to imagine deceiving people to the extent they do.

It must be puzzling to them that their old tricks are not working anymore. They had such a low opinion of our intelligence. Confusing intelligence with simply being ethical and unable to conceive of their level of immorality.

Now we can and we are better armed to deal with them.

[MissDeeds]

51. Exactly

[whatchamacallit]

8. Yeah, drama caused by a bunch of Hillary supporters DEMANDING their release

Are the fans who picked up the fecal football and ran with it going to self delete their OPs?

[Beacool]

14. No one in her campaign demanded Sanders' records.

[whatchamacallit]

22. Just your DU compadres n/t

[sabrina 1]

31. Why are people here demanding them? Where did this come from? Why is ANYONE talking about it if

'no one in her campaign' wanted this out there? It certainly wasn't Bernie's supporters. Hell his supporters didn't even ask for Hillary's records, until her campaign made it an issue.

I guess Brock's latest dirty trick has backfired as badly as his last one, so now we are witnessing damage control. Not going to work, this is exactly what the public is sick to death of. Dirty political campaign smear mongers paid for by millions of money we are not allowed to see or know where it is coming from.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

9. The trial balloon was shot out of the sky. Only tiny debris remains.

This "non-event" is going to cost your candidate more votes.

[last1standing]

11. Wow! That was quick! It almost seemed to be "coordinated."

You know, like the coordination that Brock does with the #HillFail campaign because they found a questionable loophole and challenged the FEC to do something about it.

There's about an hour and a half on the east coast before the week officially ends. I wonder if Team Weathervane can manage one more fuckup before the clock strikes 12.

[restorefreedom]

58. coordinated, you say.?

why that's preposterous!

brock would never, er....

[virtualobserver]

12. "have not even discussed it internally.”

riiiiight.

But hours later, after this report provoked widespread criticism, her campaign distanced itself from David Brock’s planned tactics

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/01/clinton-surrogate-to-demand-sanders-release-medical-records-217880#ixzz3xT7AVkss


they keep shooting themselves in the foot

[Wilms]

19. Up next...

...Lanny Davis.

[grasswire]

30. LOL

Chelsea on call.

[Beacool]

21. Sure, believe what Politico wrote.

Not an ounce of proof and denied by all involved.

[virtualobserver]

34. so you are saying that Politico just made this up out of the blue?

please.

[sabrina 1]

35. Lol, too late. Fire Brock and shut down his Corp funded Hillary Super Pac. THEN maybe they might be

able to recover from Brock's Corp funded smear campaign failure slightly.

[leftofcool]

15. Good for you, Hillary

[DisgustipatedinCA]

18. Didn't you demand the health records earlier? Why the change?

[whatchamacallit]

27. Because this

[leftofcool]

41. I believe ALL candidates should release doctors statements/medical releases, yes!

That goes for Republicans as well. I also agree that Hillary should not allow her super pac to make a negative issue out of it.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

44. Thank you. nt

[leftofcool]

61. You're welcome.

[sabrina 1]

38. Too late. Not even clever, the attempt at damage control. Brock's Hillary Super Pac funded by

Corp money 'works in coordination with' her campaign. He does nothing without approval. It badly backfired, because the public has no time for these smear mongers funded by Corp money and each time Brock does something like this, it does backfire.

Why is Hillary associated with a Corp Funded Super Pac run by an historically notorious Right Wing Smear Monger?

She SAYS she wants the money out of politics. How is that possible when she is coordinating her campaign with one of the worst ways Corporate money is anonymously funneled into campaigns???

Can you explain the disconnects here, and there are quite a few.

[bigtree]

16. so Hillary didn't demand his records

..it's a crock for Sanders to be raising money off of this.

If campaigns had a dollar for every stupid thing supporters and surrogates say...

[Beacool]

26. It's politics, but they act as if Sanders' campaign is above playing the game.

How many OPs and dozens of comments were written over this non-issue?

This place is something else.....

[bigtree]

50. remembering how people here called for Bush's records

...McCain's, Palin's, Romney's.

So, did Bernie's campaign lie *by DU standards of a political lie) in their fundraising appeal claiming 'Hillary's campaign' was pushing this?

[Fawke Em]

52. Oh, no. I LIKE that he plays the game and he plays it better than her.

Bernie, himself, is hard to criticize on the issues most get criticized for: taking money from elites, siding with corporations, etc., because he doesn't do that.

But, I never once thought they wouldn't go after him on other issues. He's been in politics 40 years. He and his team knew that was coming and they've been able to deflect them all with precision.

[bigtree]

56. except, this isn't 'her'

...it's a surrogate who doesn't appear to be speaking for Hillary or her campaign.

[JonLeibowitz]

62. But who has been coordinating directly with the campaign.

[bigtree]

67. that's also untrue

...Brock is in charge of Hillary's rapid response and there's a money issue attached to that, but Brock has been rebuked by the campaign and it appears this isn't Hillary campaign directed.

I've seen this happen to the sanders campaign, a surrogate says something out of line and the campaign corrects. Carrying on like this is the campaign position is disingenuous.

[JonLeibowitz]

68. No it is not untrue -- they are coordinating.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/07/17/david-brock-key-hillary-clinton-ally-to-work-more-closely-with-her-campaign

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/05/12/how-a-super-pac-plans-to-coordinate-directly-with-hillary-clintons-campaign/

[bigtree]

70. Sanders camp has had to walk back surrogates' statements before

...carrying on like this is Hillary directed is dishonest without proof other than the tenuous link you cited of Brock's role as rapid response for the campaign.

But I see the campaign and some supporters aren't above making that political leap past the fact that her campaign has publicly rebuked him. I find that dishonest, and even worse that they're raising money off of their distortion.

[JonLeibowitz]

72. I made a claim of fact, and backed it up after your denial. I see no point of contention here.

[bigtree]

75. but you failed to show that this statement was sanctioned by the campaign

...when in fact, it was rebuked by Hillary's campaign.

[JonLeibowitz]

79. A statement I never claimed. I provided some factual context to the discussion. Happy to help! Bye!

[DisgustipatedinCA]

66. Those of us who have followed politics for years know better. Brock does nothing without Clinton's

approval.

[bigtree]

71. that's opinion

...which you're free to hold and express, of course.

For the Sanders campaign to make that leap is dishonest, and raising money off of the distortion is wrong.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

77. No. It's how national politics work.

[bigtree]

80. Brock doesn't run Hillary's campaign

...and he was publicly rebuked.

I don't imagine you want to hold Bernie Sanders to every statement made by his own surrogates. He deserves to speak for himself, and in this case, Hillary's campaign has made their official position on his statement public.

That's also how politics works.

[2pooped2pop]

86. It's not a non issue.

Hillary's history of brain aneurisms on more than one occasion and her lifelong treatment with a dangerous blood thinning medication coupled with her family history of stroke is a very real and serious issue. It should exclude her from holding office.

I don't believe for a second that this was being done without her knowledge and I thank all of the Hillary supporters demanding Bernies's health records as it made us become aware of just how serious Hillary's health record really is.

Now I am off to send Hillary a can opener in case she would like to open another can of worms or even a can ofwhoop ass.

[sabrina 1]

46. Please stop. Hillary's Super Pac which is run by notorious right wing smearmonger David Brock,

receiving secret money from Corp entities hidden from the public, using a loophole in the law, used a ploy to get this out, as Brock has tried to do before.

It sure wasnn't Bernie's campaign was it? NOW they see the backlash, and are in full damage control mode.

She needs to FIRE her buddy Brock, this is not the first time he's been caught smearing Sanders.

Why is she associated with this right wing slime? The very slime that was in good part responsible for the Impeachment of Bill Clinton?

She is using him to do to others what he so successfully did to her husband? Can you help us with the ethics or morality involved here?

He is profiting hugely, as he always did, by running smear campaigns against decent people.

She needs to make a statement that her campaign is shutting down that dirty money Super Pac and wants nothing to do with it.

[snagglepuss]

87. Maybe Brock is a double agent becasue there will be negative fallout. I am willing to bet that

matters of substance in tomorrow's debate will be completely sidestepped by pundits blabbing about the age and health of both Hill and Bernie. If Brock made this miss step all on his own than one has to wonder why he did so just before the debate. If he did coordinate with Hill than she is off her nut for agreeing to this and than hours later trying to distance herself.

[sabrina 1]

88. I have wondered about that also. Dick Morris was another one the Clintons 'trusted' airc

It was he who advised Bill to 'deny everything' one of the worst pieces of advice ever given to a politician who was clearly NOT in a position to get away with it.

At the time, I was shocked that Morris was an adviser to a Democratic president.

Regardless of whether these people are there to undermine Dems or not, it couldn't happen to anyone with a shred of good judgement.

Can you imagine Bernie eg, hiring the likes of Brock or Morris?

[snagglepuss]

93. Perhaps a large financial contribution hinged of her hiring

the slimeball or she owed someone favors. There's probably a lot of murky dealings that never see the light of day. That said her having him on her team speaks volumes about her judgement. AS for Bernie I agree that he'd never have the likes of those two on his team.

[sabrina 1]

94. Could be. But no amount of money would make someone with the history the Clintons

have with Brock, set that all aside, after all it will be part of Bill Clinton's legacy throughout history thanks to Brock et al, and then use him to do to others what he did to them. IF that person had any principles at all.

I remember when Brock wrote a letter of apology to the Clintons. They reacted as anyone would have expected. They did not acknowledge it. Some things are too little too late.

So I was shocked to learn recently that he is now 'coordinating his Corp Funded Hillary Super Pac with Hillary's Campaign'.

It boggles the minds of those of us who do have principles how these people can do things like this.

Bad judgement, unethical decisions based on a pathetic obsession with 'winning'. Something is very wrong with that.

[ljm2002]

59. If campaigns are smart...

...they capitalize on their opponents' mistakes.

This is one such instance.

[bigtree]

74. no doubt

...the Sanders campaign is as politically opportunistic as any other seasoned political operation.

[ljm2002]

76. See, here's the thing...

...when I am looking to vote for someone for President, there are some baseline criteria. At a bare minimum:

- I expect them to be smart and think on their feet; capitalizing on an opponent's mistake is just that. You want to use the term "opportunistic" because you are for the opponent, okay, fine with me.

- I expect them to avoid making dunderhead mistakes that come back to them like a boomerang and smack them right across the chops. In this campaign, Bernie has made few mistakes, and the ones he has made, he has learned from; while Hillary is making more mistakes as the campaign wears on.

I know which one is looking more Presidential to me right now.

[Pisces]

24. These are stupid games they are playing with the Presidency in the balance. The voters are

not impressed.

[libdem4life]

69. Actually, not so. The only thing new about this campaign is that Bernie has refused

to do the ritual slash and burn (with a "U&quot and go negative...except to infer that Hillary takes donations from large corporations. Big attack...probably get called a hater.

You are seeing a new game called...what do we do when the other side doesn't do their part in this tug of war and feeds the MSM with terrible political ads, shout and accuse? See? They don't know so stumble all over themselves internally trying to find some enemy.

Meanwhile, Bernie is gaining every day, donations are up and he goes on as usual.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

29. THIS is why you NEVER let up on dishonest attacks or lies.

These people will think twice before pulling this shit again. We've knocked the living fuck out them twice this week, and we'll do it again the next time.

[grasswire]

32. +++

If we learned anything from Gore and Kerry campaigns, it's NEVER LET UP.

NEVER.

I'm still mad that George W. got away with wearing a wire during a debate.

[leftofcool]

45. That was a wire?

Well, am I bad? I thought it was his demon's tail tucked up back there.

[Kalidurga]

37. Yet, they never learn.

It's really just an endless source of entertainment now. Hillary lies or says something really bad about only talking to white people. She gets called on it, they scream we are attacking her by telling the truth. Eventually they slink off to think of another baseless attack then get called on it. This is the pattern I have seen since June. I still haven't seen anything of substance from THAT crowd.

[last1standing]

33. Ooh! Ooh! A question! If the report was false why did #HillFail rebuke her trained Monkey?

That seems kind of odd, doesn't it?

[morningfog]

49. Clinton=Rove.

[Dawson Leery]

36. Eventually they all will release their health records.

[madfloridian]

39. Good. that was the right thing to do.

[cherokeeprogressive]

40. Podesta's tweet was inspired by a non-event? LOLOLOfuckingLOL!

[Peregrine Took]

64. Wishful thinking! Non-event??? 😱😱😱. N/t

[philly_bob]

42. I take back everything mean I said about HC.

Classy move. Raises the tone of the 2016 election.

[morningfog]

47. Brock, Podesta, Hillary= Rove. This is Rovian/Clintonian shit.

They all work from the same gutter.

[MissDeeds]

53. Yes it is

and they aren't fooling anyone.

[Bleacher Creature]

54. The Sanders campaign really likes the outraged victim routine.

It doesn't even matter if the thing they're outraged about didn't actually happen.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

57. It's called a trial balloon. It did happen, and it got shredded in the process.

We're not victims. We just kicked the fuck out of a dishonest gambit. That's not victimhood. That's WINNING.

[m-lekktor]

65. yep.the call for medical records backfired so the "rebuke" was issued. nobody is fooled. nt

[libdem4life]

73. I'm on Team Trial Balloon. Big. Fail. Again.

And it's all Bernie Sander's fault. He won't play the politician's game. Meanwhile, he's hauling in the money and gaining in the polls while Hillary's campaign is in meltdown mode.

[2pooped2pop]

83. Translated to Hillary can't win this argument.

Ixsnay on the nuerismay. Eeay antcay inway hisay rgumentay. Sssshhhhhh (nix on the aneurisms we can't win this argument.shhhh)

[Aerows]

84. Good Grief.

Hillary's campaign becomes more of a comedy of errors every day.

[ucrdem]

91. If Brock wasn't planning to go there who put out the stories?

[Warren Stupidity]

96. How can they both rebuke a top ally and attack Sanders for lying about what that top ally said?

Oh wait, its the Clinton campaign. No problem with that sort of nonsense.

[mcar]

97. K&R

[riversedge]

98. a BIG Rec

[Beacool]

100. Thanks.