Political Punch

I've done community organizing, and I am now a trial lawyer. The reason that trial lawyers get paid more is, depending on your point of view, they are more valuable to the people they help than organizers, or the work is just more demanding and difficult or the work is more valuable to society than the work of community organizers. Certainly my individual clients are materially better off for my efforts now than were the individuals whose communities may have benfitted from my efforts when I was organizing.

As a trial lawyer John Edwards took enormous personal, professional and financial risks on behalf of the grievously injured. Does Obama think that doing so is dishonorable? If so, he's running in the wrong party's primary. On the other hand, does he think that trial lawyers are honorable only if they are paid poverty wages? If so, then why isn't he returning most of his salary? Why is he also not demanding that doctors and law professors work for less?

His attack on Edwards is specious and hypocritical. It is the kind of negative attack that we have come to expect from the Republicans. Shame on Obama.

As a TRIAL LAWYER, who represents the elderly, the disabled, the injured, and those whose civil rights are tromped on by the government, I am calling out Obama. How dare he diss what I and other hardworking and dedicated lawyers do. We take the hard cases just because it is the right thing to do, at great risk. Obama has not. He is the sellout. At least now I know.

Yvonne, "Trial Lawyer and Damn Proud of It"

Obama was "trashing" trial lawyers FROM THE LEFT. He was arguing that rather than going out and using his law degree to get paid, he pursued a more progressive, but far less lucrative, path, unlike Edwards. He didn't use any GOP talking points about frivolous lawsuits, etc. There's a world of difference that the pro-Edwards people don't want anyone to contemplate.

"...I found the remark no less offensive than a slur of gays, blacks, women, or the poor. Ched, you are stupid, and you can't fix stupid.

CAPITAL OF IOWA, DES MOINES, LAST MAYOR WAS BLACK PERSON. OBAMA GOT IOWA LONG TIME AGO, BUT KUCINICH DID A GOOD GESTURE AND WHAT THIS MEANS? HE'S DONE?

You know, what really bugs me about Kos, Atrios and Digby highlighting this Washington Post article is that it was written by Murray.

The times, they are a-changin'.

Edwards is fake! his choices:extorting money from corporations, hedge fund piracy,fake populism,manufactured outrage,and race baiting.

So is Senator Obama "dissing" state senators by running for the US Senate? Is he "dissing" Princeton if he chooses to go to Harvard? Is he "dissing" New Hampshire every time he travels to Iowa? I've seen grasping at straws before, but this gets more comical by the second.

P.S. to the "right wing talking points" crowd: The only reason that the Republicans keep using these points is because everytime they do, you freak out, look crazy, and lose the election! You've become so PARANOID that it is getting scary to watch. This is why so many people are listening to Senator Obama - we see how WOUNDED you all are by those old battles, and WE NEED to turn the page.

A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll out this morning has Clinton and Obama virtually tied for the lead in Iowa: Clinton is at 33 percent, Obama is at 28 percent, and Edwards trails with 22 percent.

Obama's saying that at every opportunity in his career he chose a path that would allow him to serve normal people and eschewed easy opportunities to make large amounts of money. He isn't saying trial lawyers are bad, just that they earn a lot more money than civil rights and voting rights attorneys and professors of constitutional law. He's saying he didn't practice law for the money. He practiced law to help people and to fight for justice.

Obama wasn't "dissing" trial lawyers.

It is a joke of Edwards to claim that he fought for poor people. I am sorry, but the lawyers that work in community organizing, like Obama did, and those who work for organizations like PIRG, have the moral right to claim the poor as their benefactors. Mr. Edwards did very well for himself, without demanding additional reward in the back of poor people. But, it is the season.

Obama's comment was made to highlight his type of experience in contrast to his rival. This is perfectly acceptable in a campaign run. He didn't dis anyone, he simply made the contrast. Obama has made it clear many times that he respects John Edwards, and Edwards knows this is how it is done. He and Kerry attacked each other before they became running mates. I suspect, they will each give it a good go, and then when Edwards is sure he has no chance, he will fall in with Obama. I think Obama is fine with that. I like Edwards, but he and his supporters have to accept that in a presidential bid there will be some war of words. I for one am glad to support someone who has worked at a community grassroots level.

No surprise. Obama is the creation of Joe LIEberman, the most self-serving hypocrite in government today. Looks like Obama's going to end up just as mean, vindictive and small.

Hardly a diss, just different priorities. While head of the Harvard
Law Review Barack was offered numerous six figure jobs. He chose to instead to help the poor and working class in Chicago for a lot less money.

Huge endorsement for Barack

From the Washington Post

Sen. Conrad Endorses Obama
By Garance Franke-Ruta
North Dakota Sen. Kent Conrad, who in 2002 was one of the 23 senators who voted against giving President Bush the authority to use military force against Iraq, today endorsed Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and announced that he would campaign on his behalf in Iowa Sunday.

To hell with Kos & Atrios. If you hate Obama it is Ok, but dont twist the message. Obama with degree from two prestigeous Universities, Columbia and Havard Law, took $13,000 per year job to serve the public. Edward never did any public service rather took his law degree and made money out of other peoples' missery. Only after becoming mult millionair and losing his son, that is when he remembered that he was once poor. Obama is the real deal, and the far far left better keep quite if have nothing positive about a democratic candidate.

Today has been a red letter day for the Obamas. Put a little precious on the callow and you get nasty green bile. Michelle's comments about Edward's running out of money were choice and inappropriate. Now we have Barak reaching a new low. This is not unexpected, it's par for the course. Barak's message doesn't begin to comport with his conduct in the US or state Senates. Barak is a refined, power amassing, political animal who will miss no opportunity to serve himself first. He's the sub-committee chair for the EU on the Foreign Relations committee and has yet to convene a meeting and he has missed 80% or more of votes since May, including the latest Omnibus Bill giving Bush $70mm for the war with no strings and funds for 8,993 earmarks (~$500b) which are not legally binding - Bush can spend this money virtually however he wants. Nice job Barak - NOTE WE IN ILLINOIS ARE NOT PROUD TO CLAIM YOU!

Note:

Let's not loose the context of this comment - Barack is talking about a choice he made which demonstrates that he cares for people more than he cares for power - Graduating from Harvard Law, he could have been fabulously wealthy. Instead he chose to get involved with a Chicago Neighborhood and fight for equality and civil rights. To me, this comment is intended to say "Barack is Good" more than "Edwards is bad" -- Yet you can't ignore the contrast. Edwards holds himself aloof, Barack gets dirty to help real people.

Obama message of change is an empty one. He should have started making changes in Illinois when he was elected...when we elected him to change the way our state was managed under the Illinois republican leadership...instead Obama started running for the presidency after the second month in Congress, then embraced the Illinois State machine and the Chicago political machine. He has changed nothing in Illinois so far. Of course not, because he was receiving money from Illinois lobbyist and big corporations in Illinois all his political career in Illinois(thats a fact)...they put him there in Washington...he arrived there to change nothing! I don't trust Obama or the old oiled machine supported him.
I will not vote for him to be re-elected as Senator much less for President!

Wow, looks like Obama is really losing it, again! His ego is getting bigger and bigger by the minute, the messenger of change and holier than thu candidate is getting upset because he is slipping in the polls...yikes!!! Now he is attacking the trial lawyers; pretty soon he will be attacking Jessie Jackson, Britney Spears or even Oprah. Calm down Obama, you are not in a celebrity contest, you are running for the Presidency and you need to show some backbone and strengths...from the beginning he attacked Kennedy, then Bill Clinton, then Kerry, Gore, etc.etc. who else is left? And he still say he can unite everyone and even republicans will vote for him. Obama is living in dream land thats for sure!

Question: Why Dems loose elections to the White House?
Answer: They are bunch of activists without an equitable sense of political judgement.
Caucus for Edwards who was once pro business, voted for war before his current about face. Boasted that he was going to win some key southern states in 2004 and could NOT even win his state of North Carolina. Had he won his state he could have been the crown PRINCE.
Like a charlatan he is once again peddling his populist message that will only resonate in Iowa and will pave for Hillary in New Hamphire.
Predictions: Edwards will win Iowa, Clinton comes second and Obama follows next.
After Iowa, Edwards becomes irrelevant. The Clintons will smoke in subsequent contest. Though I don't like Clinton, she is likely to squeak a victory against the GOP. She will be elected but will drag down so many cogressional seats. Very pathetic!
Edwards will not be viable after Iowa. Obama could have been the best hope for the Dems but race is still a big factor in America, and it works against him even in his party.
As an idependent, this election provides little hope for this nation.

I think that 8 years as a V.P. will do him good.. He'll get the experience he needs, and be ready to take the helm as President.. Hillary is still the best person out their, and she will make a great Leader.. All the "Bubbas" out there are just gonna have to put up with a Women being in charge.. Hillary in 09, that's my pick..

I really wonder what would happen
if Obama was to be sued in civil
court for something. Would he
hire a trail lawyer? Would he
represent himself? Nah, he would
hire a trial lawyer who knew
the ropes.

As a left winger and newly former Obama supporter, I found the remark no less offensive than a slur of gays, blacks, women or the poor. He was supposed to be above all that Republican talking point nonsense. Oh, well. It may get him more republicans or ignorant democrats, but I suspect it will lose him more supporters who had thought he was different. Until today, that is.

Realizing that his lead in the poll is vanishing just before the caucus, Obama becomes increasingly desperate and starts to play dirty. But this will not help him, for people in Iowa know that all Obama can do is giving a good speech.

Obama obviously does not know that representing the victims sue the big companies that did wrong and win is much honorable and useful than giving them a good speech.

Obama needs to learn from John Edwards on how to fight for ordinary people, not just for his own political career. He certainly needs to get some real experience in life and in politics.

I agree with Mike! I was a Republican for 20 years until 2004 when it became clear the party of fiscal responsibility was no more. As a moderate and an American, I feel Obama is our best chance to get someone who thinks like an American again, and not as an extreme ideologue which will only bring us another 4-8 years of Washington fighting that does not do America's business in Washington or around the world.

Now we are supposed to embrace multi-millionaire trial lawyers because Kos and his ilk like them? "Right-wing talking points" may occasionally be correct (shock and horror!!). Even a stopped clock is correct twice a day. I for one will take a lawyer/community organizer over a trial lawyer 'most any day of the week.

It may not endear him to the far left blogosphere which hates any deviation from their orthodox views on everything.

But it endears him to moderates like me who appreciate it when a candidate is willing to upset the extremists in his party with a little joke.

This only strengthens my view that Obama is the right man for the job.