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Clinton Sharpens Barbs Against Obama

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February 14, 2008 1:12 PM

ABC News' Kate Snow and Eloise Harper Report: Senator Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., hit hard at her top rival at a GM plant  in Lordstown, OH, saying, "Speeches don't put food on the table. Speeches don't fill up your tank, or fill your prescription, or do anything about that stack of bills that keeps you up at night."

Clinton continued, "Some people may think words are change. You and I know better. Words are cheap. You can't just talk about the special interests. You have to take them on."

Watch the video here.

Clinton hit Obama on the special interests, channeling John Edwards, "My opponent says that he'll take on the special interests. Well, he told people he stood up to the nuclear industry and passed a bill against them. But he actually let the nuclear industry water down his bill – the bill never actually passed. On top of that, the same company that watered down that bill lobbied for Dick Cheney's energy bill. And my opponent voted for the energy bill, with its billions of dollars of breaks for the oil industry. I voted against it."

Senator Clinton told Ohio voters that the Maytag plant in Obama's hometown support her, saying, "My opponent says he'll stand up for workers. He often talks about the plight of Maytag workers in his home state. But the union at that plant supports me, because when 1,600 jobs were being lost, they say he didn't do a thing to help."

Clinton also accused Senator Obama of copying her plans and ideas. "I was, however, glad to see that yesterday, my opponent adopted the goal of five million green collar jobs months after I announced I would create five million green collar jobs. I was also glad to see that he modeled his $60 billion infrastructure bank on a bill I co-sponsored last summer to create a $60 billion infrastructure bank. Now if only he would just copy my health care plan and provide coverage for every single American!"

Clinton says she doesn't measure her life by applause lines. "That's how I measure my life – not by applause or headlines, but by whether I'm helping people."

Senator Clinton's advisors tell ABC News that Clinton decided to sharpen up her rhetoric in the past days and step up her attacks against Senator Obama.

Obama's campaign responded to the attacks today with barbs of their own.

“Barack Obama doesn’t need any lectures on special interests from the candidate who’s taken more money from Washington lobbyists than any Republican running for President," said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton.

"Hillary Clinton should tell the people of Ohio the truth -- she once bragged about helping to pass the nuclear bill she’s now criticizing Obama for, she came out with her plan for green jobs one month after Obama did, and she’s said she’d ‘go after’ people's wages if they couldn’t afford health insurance under her plan.  Senator Clinton may have said that attacks and distortions are the ‘fun’ and ‘exciting’ part of the campaign, but they’re exactly what everyone else in America is tired of,” he said. 

February 14, 2008 in Bush, George W., Kucinich, Dennis | Permalink | User Comments (419)

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Sounds like the Clintons are spinning more fairy tales.

Posted by: george | Feb 14, 2008 1:36:56 PM

Sorry, I messed something up before, but I'll say it again: Poll tracking by Real Clear Politics shows Obama beating MCCAIN in the general election. It also shows that Hillary will either lose or come close up short against McCain. Rasmussen Reports show Obama winning Nevada and Colorado from McCain, two red states, while Clinton does not.

Posted by: Reason | Feb 14, 2008 1:37:20 PM

Given that Hillary Clinton has no coattails outside of highly liberal states, how does she expect to bring in enough Democrats in Congress to pass her healthcare plan?

She's already made it clear that she's willing to "go after people's paychecks" to enforce manditory health care, which I think is political suicide on this issue.

Expect a billion dollars worth of health industry attack ads citing what mandates really mean -- taking money from people who, for one reason or another, can't afford to pay.

After that, there's no way she could get her program passed. Frankly, she doesn't even have a good chance of beating John McCain...

Barack Obama's idea of having all the parties involved negotiate a plan while the American people watch and apply pressure on reluctant parties is really the best hope we have for getting healthcare for people.

Mandates, no mandates... who cares? What matters most is having national healthcare insurance that's available and affordable for practically anyone, saving people's lives.

Posted by: Mark Kraft | Feb 14, 2008 1:37:49 PM

Atta girl Hillary. Go get him. Every time I see him spewing more promises on TV, I flip the channel. Anyone buying this spin really needs to take a step back. Today it may be "cool" to support the black man because he is black, not because of anything substantive. After all, we must show the world how liberal and accommodating we are. I'm not that liberal - I want results, nothing less will do.

If anyone doesn't believe Universal Health Care works, take a trip across the border to Canada. It works, every single day of the week. People don't lose their homes and life savings because of illness. They don't end up filing for bankruptcy because of mounting medical bills. IT WORKS, I KNOW THIS, MY CANADIAN FRIENDS BRAG ABOUT THEIR SYSTEM - IT'S A MATTER OF ORGANIZATION AND LOGISTICS.

Keep at him Hillary. Americans are a little slow on the uptake but eventually they will figure him out for exactly what he is - a dream weaver !!

Posted by: Jill Mitchell | Feb 14, 2008 1:38:01 PM

Who cares, Pat?

First, any economic adviser to George W. McCain is simply promoting the failed policies of his political soulmate, George W. Bush, and thus is not worth spit.

Secondly, o*f course* George W. McCain's advisers are going to try to prop up Clinton at the expense of Obama! You don't seriously think George W. McCain wants to run against OBAMA, do you?

Posted by: Mark | Feb 14, 2008 1:38:04 PM

Oh SHUT UP Hillary! I expect you to get down and dirty, and have been waiting to see how you would go. And you know what?... no one really cares about your dirty tactics. Its all old news. You are a damn GOOD lawyer and a spoiled little girl deep inside who decides if she cannot have what she wants POWER!!!! Then she will do everything she can to destroy... imagine what Bill went through when she found out about his mistresses...scary.

Posted by: NANETTE | Feb 14, 2008 1:38:15 PM

Obama is an empty box of candy, all wrapped up with nothing on the inside. BEWARE VOTERS, THIS GUY IS NOT WHAT YOU ARE BEING SOLD ON.

Posted by: Beck | Feb 14, 2008 1:38:38 PM

Since when does hope and change mean voting "nay" on a vote that would allow credit card companies to charge more than 30% interest on credit cards? Is that the hope and change those most vulnerable to these abuses - the young, the elderly, people of color and individuals and families struggling financially- want or need? Oh yeah, I forgot, 30% was just "a random number" according to Obama? Hillary is no peach, but Obama is no Edwards, and Hillary's record is looking pretty good right now in comparison. They've all been in bed with big business and for Obama to pretend otherwise is a joke. Quit paying attention to the rhetoric and the feel good speeches and start really looking at his record and statements he's made- I can guarantee you John McCain will be looking real hard at them.

Posted by: susan | Feb 14, 2008 1:38:49 PM

Interesting... those of you commenting on tears and scorned woman crap - just shows how misogynistic you people really are. Instead of taking cheap shots at her because she's a woman, how about talking about the issues?

Posted by: Dee | Feb 14, 2008 1:39:04 PM

"Speeches don't put food on the table. Speeches don't fill up your tank, or fill your prescription, or do anything about that stack of bills that keeps you up at night." Exactly and you have never provided any of these things either and based on your track record, you never will.

Posted by: Patriot2008 | Feb 14, 2008 1:39:36 PM

DESPERATE!!! LOL

Seems like Clinton needs a little Hope! Bill Clinton will endorse Obama just like his campaign manager.

Posted by: Got Hope? | Feb 14, 2008 1:39:59 PM

To the person above who said that the media is trying to help Hillary - are you kidding me? Obama is practically being crowned by the media. What is wrong with her fighting for the nomination. There is alot at stake. I don't blame her. And yes, the press do treat him differently because of his race, I am sorry, but it is true.

Posted by: tonysi11 | Feb 14, 2008 1:40:13 PM

ROTFLMAO Imagine my, and the rest of the United States, surprise that a Clinton has stooped to slamming LOLOL Makes my day when someone dysfunctional behaves just the way you knew they would! You go Hill...show everyone what your made of..as if we didn't already know! That's why your disliked.

Posted by: Deanna G. | Feb 14, 2008 1:41:08 PM

If the journalists will not hit him on his record, I am glad Hillary at least has the courage to do so.

Posted by: billy | Feb 14, 2008 1:41:19 PM

Obama is good at lying, he lied in a smart way so that no one can notice it. He's always behind the dirty tricks, when S.C blacks distorted Hillary's comment about Dr. King and said Clintons didn't respect their black leader, Obama was behind. When blacks in S.C distorted Bill Clinton's comment about Obama's record and hated Bill Clinton, Obama was behind. When MSNBC used very dirty language to distort Chelsea's effort to help her mother, Obama was behind. But he always said he didn't do it, someone else did it. Obama is a good actor.

Posted by: Judy | Feb 14, 2008 1:42:20 PM

Hello Hillary!? We're aware that speeches don't create jobs, like that speech your husband gave a few years ago when he sold us NAFTA. He forgot to tell us that the jobs we 'retrained' for would pay less then the jobs we had. Now you want to garnish the paychecks we have left!

Posted by: twocanpete | Feb 14, 2008 1:42:33 PM

Hillary Clinton will be old news come Mar 3 2008.

Hillary and Bill can continue to live off of some of the $10,000.000.00 to $50,000.000.00 that they are worth.

There will be a Tital Wave of support for Obama on Tuesday.

Obama is the one

Posted by: Boyddollar | Feb 14, 2008 1:42:37 PM

I don't want to hear the experience card anymore. So she has been around a while. That just means that she contributed to where we are today. Are you happy with where we are today? So she has pie in the sky health care plans, has she succeeded? Garnish my paycheck? So you won't control how much my insurance company can charge me, but force me to pay them no matter what? How is this a good plan?

Posted by: justme | Feb 14, 2008 1:42:48 PM

Two adjectives may now be used to describe Hillary: shrill and desperate.

Posted by: dano | Feb 14, 2008 1:44:18 PM

No surprises here , lies , and distortion is what Clinton's do best ,toss a few scandals in there , and there happy campers.

Posted by: James Brown | Feb 14, 2008 1:45:03 PM

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