Thursday, August 09, 2012

The latest from Team Obama

They say this Mitt is a bad mother--
The Story So Far: two days ago, the Obama administration – using the fig-leaf/cutout of Super PAC Priorities USA – accused Mitt Romney of being a murderer because a company that Romney used to own closed down a steel mill (several years after Romney left that company) and that meant that the wife of the husband who lost his job at that steel mill (one Joe Soptic) didn’t have any insurance after the wife left her job several years after the layoff and several years after all of that the wife was diagnosed with cancer and then died. 
Emphasis in original. This is an interesting theory and potentially good news. You see, I have a former employer who closed its operations in Minnesota a number of years ago, which caused me to lose my health insurance. My wife had insurance available from her employer, though. We all seem to be in good health lately, but if that changes I'm pretty sure I can find some way to blame Mitt Romney for it and the Obama campaign would probably put me on television, too.

The funny part is when the Obama campaign denies knowing anything about the falsity of the ads its sock puppets are running, even Politico is calling them out on it:

When President Obama’s aides said they weren’t familiar with former Missouri steelworker Joe Soptic’s life story, all they had to do was check their own campaign archives.

Soptic, laid off from Bain Capital-owned GST Steel, stars in a Priorities USA Action spot this week in which he tells of how his wife died without health insurance after he lost his job. Soptic also appeared, wearing what appears to be an identical shirt, in a May television ad for the Obama campaign.

Asked about the Priorities spot on MSNBC Wednesday morning, Robert Gibbs said he doesn’t “know the specifics” while Stephanie Cutter said on CNN: “I don’t know the facts about when Mr. Soptic’s wife got sick or the facts about his health insurance.”
How would they know? Well,

And Jen Psaki told reporters on Air Force One that “we don't' have any knowledge of the story of the family,” according to Yahoo! News.

But Cutter hosted an Obama campaign conference call in May in which Soptic told reporters the very story featured in the Priorities spot.

"We" don't know anything about the manure we package up and put on the airwaves. No, we're a bunch of Sergeant Schultzes around here.

This sort of thing is not new, of course. Remember this charming message from the 2010 Minnesota gubernatorial campaign?


Mitt Romney gives people cancer. Tom Emmer causes drunk driving. My goodness, the Republicans are a bunch of rat bastards.

So what do we conclude from this? Two things, I think. First, the Obama campaign is a lot more desperate than they care to admit. And more importantly, if you ever hear someone complaining about Willie Horton or "Swiftboating" again, feel free to laugh in their face.

14 comments:

Brian said...

Welcome to the post-Citizen's United world. Get used to this, because it will be SOP for every candidate in every race soon enough (if it isn't already).

W.B. Picklesworth said...

Oh right, Citizen's United made Barack Obama a dirty campaigner.

Brian said...

Christ on a cracker, take your partisan hack hat off for two seconds and look at the big picture.

Politics makes damn near everybody a dirty campaigner. Citizens United has made dirty campaigning bigger, louder, and less accountable.

Following political ads (especially super pac ads) these days--from anyone--has the informational value of a Jersey Shore marathon.

Anonymous said...

Mark,
your indignation is downright laughable. Can you explain the differences in levels of mendacity between the ads being run and the innuendo being laid down by Team Romney regarding Obama's alleged attempt to 'gut' Clinton's welfare reforms and Romney's outright lies about Obama trying to suppress the military vote in Ohio (when it is actually the GOP who is trying to do that) vs. the the commercial being run by this Super Pac? (BTW, I wanna compliment Romney on the nice dog whistle on the Welfare B.S.).

Just liike Brian said, take your partisan hack hat off for two seconds and look at the big picture. You all seem upset that Obama forgot to act like Michael Dukakis or John Kerry. Or maybe it's that you guys are stuck with the horrible candidate from Massachusettes this time. Better get used to it. Obama, and Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi all have some pretty sharp elbows. Thank God!

Regards,
Rich

Mr. D said...

Brian,

I actually agree with your first comment. Romney's going to have to return serve eventually. As for your second comment, I would note that saying "Christ on a cracker" to a man of the cloth is a smidge edgy.

Rich,

Reread my conclusion. Here, I'll make it easy for you:

So what do we conclude from this? Two things, I think. First, the Obama campaign is a lot more desperate than they care to admit. And more importantly, if you ever hear someone complaining about Willie Horton or "Swiftboating" again, feel free to laugh in their face.

That's not indignation, dude. I'm not upset at all. It merely confirms yet again what I've long stated here. I know exactly who Barack Obama is. He's a typical Chicago politician, all your meaningless distinctions to the contrary notwithstanding. He'll do and say anything to win. Just like all the other Chicago politicians I've ever observed. And his crappy ethos is now standard equipment for all Democratic politicians. There's no reason to be indignant about it, since underneath the lies is a fundamental truth. Democrats don't care about anything except power.

Now, I would have thought that someone who can make distinctions among Chicago politicians would be able to suss out the difference between an opinion that Romney's campaign is offering (about the meaning of what Obama's decisions mean for welfare reform) and a pack of risible lies from a political ad. But since you have made your peach with prevarications and apparently approve of "sharp elbows," I'll adjust my expectations accordingly.

Picklesworth is right in the larger matter -- Obama has been a dirty campaigner his entire career. He'd have been dirty if Citizens United were in force of not. Ask Alice Palmer if you think otherwise.

Mr. D said...

Oh, and Rich? I'd commend this discussion from Mickey Kaus to your attention.

Anonymous said...

Mark,
your Mickey Kaus link doesn't go anywhere. But I am guessing he is carrying water for the Right again. Is that supposed to be news?

I refer you to Anderson Cooper's interview of Newt Gingrich last night:(Gingrich) "We have no proof today, but I would say to you under Obama’s ideology it is absolutely true that he would be comfortable sending a lot of people checks for doing nothing. I believe that totally,"

Newt gave up that nugget of truth only after being repeatedly pressed by Anderson Cooper to admit that the claims made in Romney's (Not some Super Pac's) welfare ad are completely unsubstantiated.

The whole interview is a fantastic bit of propaganda. But so is Newt's entire career.

And you didn't address the complete fabrication by Romney (again...not some Super Pac) about Obama trying to suppress the military vote in Ohio, when Obama was actually trying to stop the GOP from doing that.

You continue to insist that Romney is some Babe in Toy Land being savaged by the bully Obama. That, my friend, is downright laughable.

Regards,
Rich

W.B. Picklesworth said...

I'm perfectly willing to take my "partisan hack hat" off, but that would still leave me (presumably) with the bigot hat on. Dang.

Mr. D said...

You continue to insist that Romney is some Babe in Toy Land being savaged by the bully Obama. That, my friend, is downright laughable.

No, you continue to assume I'm saying things that I'm not. Romney has no problem being nasty and you can ask any number of people who have run against him about that. I'm just pointing out what needs to be pointed out -- the ad on Obama's behalf is 100% bullshit. And on that subject there is nearly universal agreement.

I didn't know I had to defend Newt Gingrich, either.

And you didn't address the complete fabrication by Romney (again...not some Super Pac) about Obama trying to suppress the military vote in Ohio, when Obama was actually trying to stop the GOP from doing that.

I've barely had time to blog the last month and it's hard to keep responding to your agenda, but I'll do my best.

Brad said...

Uh Oh. Parody commenter "Rich" has now put upon you the task of being the watchdog of the Romney campaign, Mark. Lord knows no one else in the MSM or blogosphere has taken on that role.

Bike Bubba said...

One wonders how many "pants on fire" moments the Obama campaign needs to have before Brian and Rich realize that Obama makes Clinton look honest and Carter look competent in comparison.

Sorry, while politics is not "beanbag", as the proverb goes, that doesn't mean that honest citizens ought to applaud as it becomes beanball. Like our host notes, Obama is a typical crook from Chicago, and I'm praying that the country realizes it before we repeat the mistakes of 2006 and 2008.

Anonymous said...

Politics aint beanbags!

Republicans need to rise above the quagmire. This election isn't/shouldn't be about whether somebody died and blame can indirectly be attributed to Romeny. Let's be honest, just by having 4 years in office, Obama has more indirect blood on his hands than Romney by a long shot.

This election needs to be boiled down to whether the voters want a bigger government that is more intrusive and becomes a bigger part of everyones life (movement towards socialism) or a smaller government that rewards and respects individual freedoms. Obama can't win that argument and he knows it.

K-Rod said...

But The Obama is The Lightworker. The One who will bring honesty, transparency, and good to the office!!!!
And we won't have to worry about our gas bills or mortgage anymore!!!!!

Heh heh heh

Rich/Brian please wake up.

Gino said...

I would note that saying "Christ on a cracker" to a man of the cloth is a smidge edgy.

only if said man of the cloth was presenting himself as one.

it made me laugh, though.