From The Hotline Latest Edition for Monday, April 28,2008

OBAMA

Please, Just Let Me Do The Talking

Mon. Apr. 28, 2008


"A public relations blitz" by Barack Obama's ex-pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, "is re-igniting a racially charged controversy at a time when Obama is trying to convince party leaders he can appeal to white, blue-collar voters" (Kiely, USA Today, 4/27).

Addressing the Nat'l Press Club this a.m., Wright was "defiant, ... defending himself, dismissing Obama's criticism of him as mere political expedience, and jokingly offering himself as a vice presidential prospect."

"Explaining why he was emerging before a national audience, regardless of the harm it might to to" to Obama's candidacy, Wright said, "This is not an attack on Jeremiah Wright. This is an attack on the black church."

Wright, on Obama: "He had to distance himself because he's a politician ... Whether he gets elected or not, I'm still going to have to be answerable to God Nov. 5 and Jan. 21."

Asked about his infamous post-9/11 sermon that "America's chickens are coming home to roost," Wright asked the questioner, "Have you heard the whole sermon?" More Wright: "You cannot do terrorism on other people and not expect it to come back on you. Those are Biblical principles, not Jeremiah Wright 'bombastic' principles."

Asked about those who question his patriotism, Wright said, "those citizens who say that have never heard my sermons, nor do they know me ... I served six years in the military, does that make me patriotic? How many years did Cheney serve?"

He also said whatever he has said about America was "about policy, not the American people" (Tapper, "Political Punch," ABCNews.com, 4/28).

In "one of the biggest crowd-pleasers of the morning," Wright said while he's not running for POUTS, "I am open to being vice president" (Memmott, "On Politics," USA Today, 4/28).

Over the weekend, Wright "lamented" his "public crucifixion" during a 45-min. sermon in Dallas 4/27, "and later while delivering they keynote address" to the Detroit NAACP's convo (USA Today, 4/27). Wright told an audience of 10K: "I'm not here for political reasons." Wright: "I am not one of the most divisive" black spiritual leaders, "I'm one of the most descriptive." Wright "received a long, loud standing ovation" (Karoub, AP, 4/28).

CNN's Yellin: "The one silver lining for Barack Obama, if there is one, is that it is coming out now, as opposed to let's say he becomes the nominee. Maybe he's inoculated from all of this by the time the general election comes up. But if this isn't a plus for Barack Obama, it doesn't seem Jeremiah Wright is too concerned about that" ("Late Edition," 4/27).

PBS' Ifill notes Wright "obscures a more fundamental problem which is coming up in this campaign, we are all looking for ways, in our way, to talk about race in the campaign. ... We have to find some way to embrace talking about that in our coverage, and we're kind of nervous about that" ("Meet the Press," NBC, 4/27).

Philadelphia Daily News' Baer writes, "Political guilt by association, smear by isolated, out-of-context, out-of-proportion past events cheapens al who engage in it and damages democracy." Wright "is but the newest name in an old game of racial politics that no one wins" (4/28/).

It's All Fair Game, Says Obama

772 days after promising to appear on "Fox News Sunday," Obama spoke with Chris Wallace after a rally in Marion, IN.

Obama, asked if Wright is a victim: "No. I think that people were legitimately offended by some of the comments that he had made in the past. The fact he's my former pastor I think makes it a legitimate political issue. So I understand that. I think that it is also true that to run a snippet of 30-second sound bites, selecting out of a 30-year career, simplified and caricatured him and caricatured the church. And I think that was done in a fairly deliberate way, and that is unfortunate, because as I've said before, I have strongly denounced those comments that were the subject of so much attention. I wasn't in church when he made them. But I also know that, you know, I go to church not to worship the pastor, to worship God."

Asked if he talked to Rev. Wright recently about his decision to make a series of public appearances: "You know, I didn't talk to him about that. I had talked to him after all this had happened, partly because I regretted -- I always regret people who are civilians, essentially, being dragged into these political fights. ... And I also regretted the church drawing so much attention."

Wallace: "But you didn't try to discourage him from going public? It obviously isn't helpful to your campaign to have him on the public scene right now."

Obama: "Yes, I understand, but look. He is a former pastor of mine. He is somebody who has obviously been the subject of, you know, some pretty sharp attacks over the last month. And it's understandable that somebody, after an entire career of service, would want to defend themselves."

Asked if he ever heard Wright say anything about America or about white racism that troubled him: "Well, I think that, you know, he has certainly preached in the past when I was there about the history of race in this country in very blunt terms, talking about slavery, talking about Jim Crow. The problem -- and I pointed this out in my speech in Philadelphia -- where oftentimes he would err, I think, is in only cataloging the bad of America and not doing enough to lift up the good. And that's probably where he and I have the biggest difference. ... Keep in mind, it's not as if his sermons were constantly political. ... I don't think that the issue of Reverend Wright is illegitimate. I just think that the way it was reported was not, I think, a reflection of both that church that I attend and who I am" (4/27).

FNC's Carlson, on whether the Rev. Wright controversy is a "legitimate political issue": "Now that Barack Obama himself is saying, 'Sure, this is a legitimate political issue,' guess what? The McCain camp is going to eat this for lunch. They are going to be all over this thing now because [Obama] has opened the can of worms" ("Fox & Friends," 4/28).

At a presser in FL 4/27, McCain "criticized the videotaped remarks made by Wright." McCain said it was "beyond belief" that Wright "had likened the Romans at the time of Jesus' crucifixion to the Marines, and had suggested" the U.S. "was acting like Al Qaeda under a different flag." McCain: "I can understand why people are upset about this." McCain also "suggested that Obama had made the subject fair play" with his "Fox News Sunday" remarks (AP, 4/28).

I'm Over The Lincoln Comparisons, Thanks

Also on "Fox News Sunday," Obama was asked why he is "ducking" another debate with Hillary Clinton. Obama: "I'm not ducking one. We've had 21. And so, you know, what we've said is with two weeks, two big states, we want to make sure that we're talking to as many folks as possible on the ground, taking questions from voters. ... We're not going to have debates between now and Indiana" (4/27).

Newsweek's Wolffe, asked if the Obama camp pays a political price by not debating: "Minimal. ... They think they pay more of a price by getting into the fray. They don't think that the fray is a good place for him to be, and that's a realization that has come out of Pennsylvania. He doesn't rdo attack politics as well as she does. So they'll put that into the hands of surrogates, and, as for the sort of ambush type approach of a debate, which is how they felt, rightly or wrongly, the ABC debate was, they're going to avoid it. And, look, anytime you hear a candidate talk about Lincoln-Douglas debates, you know they're running some way behind. Mike Huckabee was the last guy to do that" ("Meet the Press," NBC, 4/27).

Washington Post's Broder: "I think he does pay a price. Because the real constituency now that they're fighting over are the superdelegates. And by her showing that he is unwilling to face her, he reminds them that if he's their nominee, he will have to face John McCain, who's manager, Rick Davis, has said publicly, 'We want more debates.' So I think this is an issue that he cannot just look at in terms of this primary. He's got to figure out what's the effect on the superdelegates" ("Meet the Press," NBC, 4/27).

Slate.com's Dickerson: "This problem with downscale voters exists. They want to try and fix it. So he's talking about things like gas prices, things that affect them in their daily lives, and talking about how his reform message affects them in their daily lives. So they don't want to be on the stage. He didn't do well in the last debate. He hasn't done well in the debates, and all the exit polls, the people who base the decision on watching the debates always go for Clinton" ("Meet the Press," NBC, 4/27).

He's Got A Donor List To Die For

Obama "is poised to run the first privately financed" general campaign since Watergate, "giving him more control over his own operations than any candidate since 1972." Obama "has laid the groundwork," through seeking an FEC ruling, "to reject traditional taxpayer funding." Obama spokesperson Bill Burton "said the campaign had made no decision yet on rejecting public money." But Obama "could likely raise more money privately," and without public funds, he "can be more nimble" in deploying staff and running ads, "because he won't need to rely on help" from the DNC and state parties. Obama could also "more fully fund his own, parallel campaign operations in states" where Dem organization "is considered weak, such as" FL (Jacoby, Wall Street Journal, 4/26).

Obama, asked about the Journal report on "Fox News Sunday": "We've done a wonderful job raising money from the grassroots. ... We've done an amazing job, I think, of mobilizing people to finance our campaigns in small increments. I have promised that I will sit down with John McCain and talk about can we preserve a public system as long as we are taking into account third-party independent expenditures."

Wallace: "If you can get that agreement, you would go for a publicly financed campaign?"

Obama: "What I don't intend to do is to allow huge amounts of money to be spent by the RNC, the Republican National Committee, or by, you know, organizations like the swift boat organization. ... I would be very interested in pursuing public financing, because I think not every candidate is going to be able to do what I've done in this campaign, and I think it's important to think about future campaigns" (4/27).

Obama's donor list, with personal info from more than 2M people, may also now be "the most powerful tool in U.S. politics" -- making Obama, even without a WH win, "a power broker in the party for years to come" (Stern, Bloomberg, 4/28).

Meanwhile, "Hillraiser"/ex-Chilean amb. Gabriel Guerra-Mondragon "has defected" to Obama, but Clinton nat'l fundraising chair Hassan Nemanzee "hastened to point out," "This is the first and only person that has jumped ship" (Luo, "The Caucus," New York Times, 4/25).

Apply Liberally

Asked on "Fox News Sunday" why he's having trouble attracting white, working-class voters: "It's not like I've been winning in states that only have either black voters or Chablis-drinking, you know, limousine liberals. I mean, we've been winning in places like Idaho. We've been winning in places like Colorado. There is this selective memory about how this campaign has proceeded. There's a reason why we won twice as many states and won more delegates and won a larger popular vote."

Wallace: "Senator, for all your efforts to run a post-racial campaign, isn't there still a racial divide in this country that is going to make it very hard for you to get elected president?"

Obama: "If you look at the general election polls, we are doing better against John McCain than Senator Clinton is. ... Is race still a factor in our society? Yes. I don't think anybody would deny that. Is that going to be the determining factor in a general election? No, because I'm absolutely confident that the American people -- what they're looking for is somebody who can solve their problems. ... If I lose, it won't be because of race. It will be because, you know, I made mistakes on the campaign trail, I wasn't communicating effectively my plans in terms of helping them in their everyday lives. But I don't think that race is going to be a barrier in the general election."

Asked if he agrees with House Maj. Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) saying there is a deliberate effort by the Clintons to make race an issue in the race: "I don't think there's been a deliberate effort. You know, I take the president at his word. ... I think that he's been going after me hard. He may not have intended it in a racial way. I think he just sees me as competition against his wife. And that's what, you know, husbands do."

Asked if he sees a moral equivilency between ex-'60s radical William Ayers and Sen. Tom Coburn's comments about possibly taking the death penalty for cases of abortion: "No, of course not. The point I was making -- and I actually called Tom Coburn afterwards, because I thought that people were suggesting that I had drawn a moral equivalent. ... All I was saying is that the fact that I know somebody, worked with them, have interactions with them, doesn't mean that I'm endorsing what they say."

On McCain attacking him for being "another classic liberal tax and spender": "I'm going to go right back at John McCain, because look at his tax proposals. He just went out there and not only wants to continue some of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and corporations, he actually wants to extend them, and he hasn't told us really how he's going to pay for them. It is irresponsible."

Asked if he will vote to confirm Gen. David Petraeus to be the head of Central Command: "Yes" ("Fox News Sunday," 4/27).

Wallace, after the interview: "What struck me was how much he wanted to reach out to the people who watch Fox and to re-establish what people originally thought of him, which is that he was going to be a problem-solving moderate."

Weekly Standard's Kristol: "It was an eloquent and attractive performance, but pretty substance-free, I would say. I think if you had Hillary Clinton on ... for 36 minutes, she would give you lots of particular reasons why she should be president of the United States, and John McCain shouldn't, or even why Barack Obama shouldn't. ... He's too laid back to actually get into these boring details, I guess, so we're supposed to like him. And he's a likable man. But I really wonder how that wears."

NPR's Williams: "I think the goal of the interview and the decision to come on Fox had to do with a desire to somehow make amends with that white constituency in the Democratic Party, so-called Reagan Democrats" ("Fox News Sunday," 4/27).

Obama strategist David Axelrod also appeared on "Face the Nation" with Clinton comm. dir./strategist Howard Wolfson 4/27. See today's DEM FIELD story for more.

I'm Not Divisive, I Just Play It On TV

In MS 01, Southhaven Mayor Greg Davis (R) is up with a new ad against businessman Travis Childers (D), arguing, "When Obama's pastor cursed America, blaming us for 9/11, Childers said nothing." And, "When Obama ridiculed rural folks for clinging to guns and religion, Childers said nothing." Unlike "the much hyped" NC GOP ad, this spot "is actually airing," and shows how difficult "Obama will find it to stay above or outside the traditional" partisan fray (Smith, Politico.com, 4/27).

New York Times' Hulse writes, "the growing Republican emphasis" on Obama could help Clinton "plead her case that she is more electable" (4/26). But, meanwhile, "many" GA Dems "believe Obama will prevail and help them in November" (Sheinin, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 4/27).

This Superdelegate Endorsement Is Brought To You By The Number 241

Superdelegate/newly elected AZ Dem Frist Vice Chair Charlene Fernandez endorsed Obama 4/26, saying Obama "is bringing in new voters, young and old, into the process. I believe Senator Obama has the best ability to win the White House in November and lead this country forward."

According to the camp, Fernandez is Obama's 241st superdelegate endorsement; Obama is "290 delegates away" from the Dem nod (release, 4/26).

Sticking To The Plan

There was chatter in the press about whether Obama's recent troubles mean his campaign needs to change:

• Politico's Brown writes, "one of the most striking elements" of Obama's campaign last week "was what's missing: any hint of internal upheaval." Advisers and unaffiliated strategists said "a candidate intolerant of infighting, a clear line of authority and a healthy distance" from DC all play parts. Dem consultant/Kerry '04 vet Jim Jordan: "In a parallel universe kind of sense, there are real similarities" to Pres. Bush" -- "Intense loyalty to the candidate. Simple, clear lines of authority ... Deep, talented teams," and trust. Obama's team didn't have "pre-existing rivalries," and has been running on the same "Plan" since the beginning -- win IA, then run a nat'l campaign "aimed at maximizing their delegate count" (4/28).

• Karl Rove writes, Obama needs to "recapture the optimistic tone of your start and discard the weary, prickly and distracted tone you've taken on." Also, "when you get into trouble, pick one, simple explanation. And stay with it." Obama should also "pick a big issue and fight hard for it" in the Senate, to get some concrete examples of "experience" and "give your argument substance." Obma should also "stop the attacks" and let people know, "in concrete and credible ways, what they can expect from you" as POTUS (Newsweek.com, 4/26).

• New York Magazine's Heilemann: Obama's camp "is in desperate need of a serious midcourse retooling ... the time has come for Obama to move beyond his airy mantra of post-partisan transformation. The polarization that plagues our politics is an awful thing, no doubt. But the irony is that before Obama can do anything to change it, he needs to win" (4/25).

• New York Times' Dowd: "As a basketball player, he should know he's in overtime in his race with Hillary -- and overtime is not the period to indulge in whining" about bowling scores or babies learning to walk since the race began. Obama "should remind voters that, if Hillary prevails, some people will slouch toward middle age having never known a White House without a Bush or a Clinton" (4/27).

• Newsweek's Bailey/Wolffe question whether the liberal caricature will matter in this election, but note, "to pockets of America," Obama "still seems to be the 'other.' He seems a little strange, exotic." And "lately, McCain aides have been making gleeful jokes about Obama" -- at dinners with reporters, "they sometimes order the arugula salad" (Newsweek.com, 4/26).

I Ain't No Millionaire's Son, No

Campaigning in IN, Obama has "recast his call for change by speaking more directly to voters' economic concerns," amid signs his "lofty appeals for hope and change may not be resonating with financially insecure voters, and may even be driving them away" (Timiraos, Wall Street Journal, 4/28). Obama is also aiming to "avoid a defeat" in IN "that aides fear could give" Dem leaders "further pause about his viability in a general election" (Zeleny/Nagourney, New York Times, 4/28).

Obama said 4/25 during a presser at an IN gas station, "There's no doubt that the campaign has to continually fine-tune itself. I think one of the things we're going to have to do during the next several weeks is just remind people of where I come from. I was raised with far fewer advantages than either ofr my two remaining opponents."

What "makes his problem so tricky, some observers say, is that it's really two issues rolled into one: lingering racism and a sense that he's a patrician who views their problems from a cool distance, like an Ivy League anthropologist" (Thursh, Newsday, 4/27). It's also "harder to convince Americans who have grown dissociated from their government that they have a role to play beyond going to the polls every few years."

Obama has made the connection between his policy agenda and "the loftier talk of national transformation" more "explicit, even if it means losing some of the lyricism of his pitch." Obama "now presents his ideas in list form" and "then explains how those changes in approach would produce results." Obama "uses this call for a permanent grass-roots mobilization to distinguish himself" from Clinton (MacGillis, Washington Post, 4/28).

Obama advisers "are also debating whether he should give another major speech intended to lay out themes of his candidacy -- particularly the change he would bring to Washington -- that they fear have been muddled." Associates and aides also describe Obama as "bored with the campaign against" Clinton "and eager to move into the general." His tone, though, "has taken a noticeable shift toward the positive" (New York Times, 4/28).

On the trail this weekend in IN:

• Obama said at his presser 4/25: "I was raised in a setting with my grandparents who grew up in small-town Kansas, where the dinner table would have been very familiar to anybody here in Indiana -- a lot of pot roasts and potatoes and Jell-O molds." Obama also "laughed about" his "elitist" image, saying, "I basically buy five of the same suit, and then I patch them up and I wear them repeatedly. I have four pairs of shoes" (Schnieder, Indianapolis Star, 4/26). After "an answer that stretched nearly five minutes," Obama concluded, "I don't want to go out of my way to sort of prove my street cred as a down-to-earth guy. People know me" (Zeleny, "The Caucus," New York Times, 4/25).

• Also 4/25, Obama "tried to add rising gas prices to the list of problems Washington politicians," including Clinton and McCain, "have failed to tackled with their 'experience'" (Saltonstall, New York Daily News, 4/26). Obama also called McCain's proposal for a federal gas tax holiday a "scheme" that would weaken infrastructure while saving drivers "about $25." McCain spokesperson Tucker Bounds responded that Obama voted for a gas tax holiday in the IL Senate, and is now "more interested in ambitions than solutions" (McCormick/Jones, Chicago Tribune, 4/27).

• In a meeting with the Indianapolis Star ed board, Obama said he shares the same "Midwestern sensibility, that is practical and common-sense and that I ind that I connect with very well." More than 24K people also "watched the session via the Internet" (Indianapolis Star, 4/26).

• Campaigning in IN, Obama "is quick to point out his friendship" with Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN). At a town hall in Marion 4/26, Obama "wouldn't engage in speculation about whether Lugar might join his cabinet," saying only, "I want people who are competent," and Lugar is "one of the finest senators we have" (Timiraos, "Washington Wire," Wall Street Journal, 4/26).

• Obama "attended Sunday services at the affluent St. Luke's United Methodist Church" in Indianapolis, "before heading down to Country Kitchen Soulfood Palace in economically challenged Center Township" (Annis, Indianapolis Star, 4/28).

• "Across the state, Sen. Obama took the stage with supporters who told their tales of economic stress, and closed his speech with a pledge to 'fight' for working families, rather than deliver the high-minded closing to his former stump speech that implored voters to 'stand with me [to] change the world" (Wall Street Journal, 4/28).

• Meanwhile, Los Angles Times' Nicholas notes, "eager to showcase his regular-guy credentials" during the PA campaign, Obama "sampled everything put in front of him" food-wise (4/26).

Full Court Press

In IN 4/25, "drew an audience stunning in its ethnic balance and rapt in its devotion" to Kokomo's Memorial Gym 4/25, where he "wasted no time addressing Kokomo's economic woes (Smith, Kokomo Tribune, 4/26).

After the "noisy" rally, Obama "donned sweat pants and a 'USMC' shirt" for a 3-3 basketball game with WNBA star Alison Bales and the winners of his camp's voter registration contest (AP, 4/27). Indiana Univ. freshman Kory McKay, who played against Obama: "You know when I was up there for fun, I was just hoping not to knock him down and get tackled by Secret Service." But, McKay said, "I was playing hard against him" (Durbak, Kokomo Tribune, 4/27).

"Team Obama won 15-5. The official scorebook will reflect that Mr. Obama scored four baskets, made four rebounds, two steals and one assist" (Zeleny, "The Caucus," New York Times, 4/25). One of Obama's baskets was a "nifty left-handed three-pointer" (AP, 4/27).

Chicago Tribune's McCormick/Jones note, "Obama's youth and athleticism could offer a dramatic general election contrast" with McCain. But in an interview 4/25, Obama "said he had no plans to use McCain's age against him." Obama: "I don't think that's going to be the issue that people vote on. People respect John McCain. They know he's a tough guy. He's gone through things that I think most of us can only imagine."

Obama also "said the main reason pictures of him playing hoops or working out were rare" was because his workouts are "sort of my quiet time." Obama's "top strategists also said that there may initially have been some reluctance to show the candidate playing a sport heavily associated with African Americans" (4/26).

What Do Pingpong And Subprime Lending Have In Common?

Obama's camp is rejecting "any suggestion that there was a connection" between legal work done in '01-'02 for Chicago entrepreneur Robert Blackwell Jr., a subsequent campaign contribution, and help Obama provided with a $50K tourism promotion grant to one of Blackwell's companies. Obama strategist David Axelrod: "Any implication that Sen. Obama would risk an ethical breach in order to secure a small grant for a pingpong tournament is nuts." Obama comm. dir. Robert Gibbs said Obama "simply wrote a letter backing a worthy project developed by a constituent" (Neubauer/Hamburger, Los Angeles Times, 4/27).

Meanwhile, Chicago Sun-Times' Pallasch notes Obama nat'l finance chair Penny Pritzker was "at the helm of Superior Bank at least some of the time" before it "went under after making a lot of subprime loans," leaving 1.4K customers "without part of their savings." Pritzker's atty and an Obama spokesperson "emphasized that not all 'subprime lending' is the 'predatory' kind" (4/28).

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