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Clinton Surrogate Compares Obama to Mohammed Ali
February 20, 2008 7:38 AM
ABC's Eloise Harper Reports: As the results of the Wisconsin Primary were pouring in, Senator Hillary Clinton was in Youngstown, Ohio being introduced to the gathered crowd of supporters by Tom Buffenbarger, President of the International Machinists Association.
Mr Buffenbarger's speech was particularly striking in its strongly negative remarks against Clinton's rival in the Democratic nominating contest, Senator Barack Obama, D-IL.
Buffenbarger told the crowd he got to know Obama in the wake of a Maytag plant closing in Illinois. We "know what we saw, a guy with two-faced positions nose in the air pontificating when the coast is clear and as soon as anyone throws a punch he's in a bum's crunch to get the hell away from the conflict," he said.
Buffenbarger went on to draw a comparison of sorts between Obama and legendary world champion boxer Muhammad Ali.
"Barack Obama is no Muhammad Ali. He took a walk every time there was a tough vote in the Illinois senate," Buffenbarger said. "That's what a shadow boxer does. All the right moves, all the right combinations all the right footwork but ...He never steps into the ring. He walks away from the fight."
When Clinton took the stage she did not elaborate on Buffenbarger’s comments, although later in her speech she also referenced the Maytag plant that had closed in Illinois.
The crowd had an intense reaction to the union leader – at first listening patiently to his remarks and later jeering them and calling for the main speaker of the night, chanting, "Hillary, Hillary." It was unclear if the crowd was attempting to drown out Buffenbarger because of his negative remarks, or had simply grown tired of the lengthy speech.
February 20, 2008 in Obama, Barack | Permalink | User Comments (30)
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Of course they were jeering. When will the Clinton campaign learn that negativity does not sell. It didn't in SC, it didn't during Potomac, it didn't in Wisconsin and Hawaii and it will not sell in Ohio.
Posted by: rachelfarleigh | Feb 20, 2008 7:58:59 AM
I agree the negative campaigning is not going to work this time. People are sick and tired of it. After 120 straight states this Obama Train has a lot of momentum and Hillary is going to have a tough time trying to stop it. Look for a Big win in Texas.
Posted by: pt | Feb 20, 2008 8:06:40 AM
Odd that he would use a boxing reference, because his candidate's on the mat.
Posted by: nitpicker | Feb 20, 2008 8:18:36 AM
Disappointing Results. No Clear Winner in Democrats, Even, if Obama takes credit of the winning.
40%-50% of democrats are still not convinced with Obama.
Posted by: Humm | Feb 20, 2008 8:41:08 AM
I don't care what he wins at this time so many of Hillary's voters won't vote for him and they really think all rhe cross over republicans will vote for him in th ge the are in for a suprise, new to politics but we shall see in Nov.
Posted by: bishop | Feb 20, 2008 9:09:10 AM
Vetting. If Clinton had dirt on Obama, she would have used it by now. Bottom line, people do believe in hope, not meaness. From CT.
Posted by: Bruce G. Mancheski | Feb 20, 2008 9:10:38 AM
Republicans won't care if you cry the racism thing. Obama seems to love the race card. It's all in his book. Read about your candidate Obama supporters (from his own mouth). This is going to get more fun as time goes by. Mccain 08
Posted by: Kitty | Feb 20, 2008 9:12:14 AM
To Buffenbarger and unions there always is only one issue: jobs. Not just jobs. Jobs at any price. Don't care if the Maytag plant is losing money, don't care if the economy is going south. We have a union contract and need our wages and benefits in perpetuity.
Unions are SO outdated.
Posted by: Eugene Debs' Ghost | Feb 20, 2008 9:16:37 AM
Regarding the Maytag plant, not sure how he was suppose to prevent the company from closing but he did act
If you have a real reason to not vote for the man, then list it. All this made up, half truth, and distortion of fact is tiresome.
Posted by: Louis | Feb 20, 2008 9:44:36 AM
hillary clinton always gets other people to do her dirty work. of course she's not going to comment on those accusations, yet. . . . wait til it gets later in the race. she is the most 2 faced woman ever. im going 4 OBAMA all the way.
Posted by: jessica | Feb 20, 2008 9:48:44 AM
The truth always triumphs.
Posted by: JC | Feb 20, 2008 9:53:41 AM
Mike,
Apparently you are one of those clinton supporters pushing for this creation of larry sinclair to come out in the open. We all know this created controversy isn't even close to being true, but this is another one of those lets throw it out there and see if it will stick issues. It doesn't matter that its false, we just need something to tear down Obama so people won't vote for him.
This is a total disgrace when our elections come down to this. This is the type of issue that will destroy the country from within. As long as we keep selecting our politicians in this dirty gutter, slash and burn style, then when we are ruined because of it, we will deserve everything we get.
George Bush was the first hard push towards the gutter, and the world as we know it today will cease to exist.
Posted by: LA in Indiana | Feb 20, 2008 10:13:13 AM
Why do we care what the head of the machinist's union says? Is a state senator supposed to step in and somehow tell a company they can't close a plant? In what universe does one have that authority in a specific situation? And I'm really tired of the Clinton campaign hammering away on the same non-issues, like procedural votes in the Illinois state senate, where "present" does not mean "no opinion", it means "send the bill back to the floor for further discussion and changes".
Posted by: TH | Feb 20, 2008 10:26:28 AM
Trouble in Hillary Country???
Look we will accept all ex-Hillary supporters to the Obama Campaign with open arms... LET'S BEGIN THE HEALING!!
OBAMA O8...AMERICA NEEDS CHANGE!! AMERICA NEEDS OBAMA!!
Posted by: Lawrence | Feb 20, 2008 11:16:13 AM
Get ready for a win by the Republican party if Obama get the Dem nomination.
Posted by: Stan Robinson | Feb 20, 2008 11:43:19 AM
With all due respect, I think Mr. Buffenbarger is trying to make an argument that he's already lost.
Barack Obama has the delegates. He has the votes. He has the states. He has the momentum. He has the message. He has the energy and the enthusiasm. Hillary is not only losing these states to Obama; she's getting clobbered.
I think that Hillary needs to bow out gracefully--the sooner the better--and that Democrats need to rally behind the stronger horse in this race and set sights on John McCain.
Posted by: Andy | Feb 20, 2008 11:45:03 AM
The most crucial vote in her career was to give Bush the authority to go to war. Then she attacks him for using the authority she gave him. Then compounds it by saying that she would have done it differently. Classic miscalculation. Classic. No war plan EVER survives inital contact with the enemy. Of course Hilliary and Bill hated the military so much I'm sure they wouldn't even bother to let the military explain that fact. They are reaping what they sowed in their eight year strangulation of foriegn policy and the military when they had power last. Hilliary is now contradicting her war plan by stating that she's for a pullout, just not anytime soon. You can't have it both ways Hilliary. If your for the war and it's worth American lives finish it! If you are against it, vote to bring the troops home NOW. Otherwise you are your own worst enemy and have no credibility in what you claim to believe at ANY specfic time. And aren't prepared to be President. It's called doublethink. It has no basis in reality. And neither do you...
Posted by: cba | Feb 20, 2008 1:19:54 PM
cba-i agree. all of them would have voted differently if their children were fighting this war.
Posted by: greenlee2 | Feb 20, 2008 1:38:03 PM
Hillary did not play negative campaign. Playing negative campaign means you tell untruthful things about the opponent. Hillary brings up the facts about Obama and I encourage Obama to do the same. Otherwise, there is no campaign. The candidate can say whatever he/she wants to say and no one allowing questioning them or bringing up the facts.
Posted by: ironroof | Feb 20, 2008 2:03:55 PM
People believed that Obama would bring our troops home in a year? You are dreaming. He said so to get your vote. Assuming that after a year, US force on the ground tells him that we can not pull out for another year, what will he do? Stay or pull out and run in disgrace as in Viet Nam war? Let our soldiers die for nothing once again? So I don’t think it is wrong for Hillary to pull the troops out of Iraq even she supported it before. We are in the wrong war and nothing we can do to take it back and now we have to finish the job with honor and dignity. That’s counted. Instead of giving an unrealistic promise as Obama.
Posted by: ironroof | Feb 20, 2008 2:21:49 PM
It doesn't matter what got said by Mr. Buffenbarger...Hillary has the experience needed to handle the US of today...think about when Bush got elected, a man with no real experience and he turned the 9-11 crisis into an 8 year struggle in the middle east with no progress and putting the US in the hole financially...Hillary Clinton has been there and was a main part of our nation's surplus when Bill Clinton was president...Barack Obama can't possibly go into this and make anything better with as little knowledge in politics
Posted by: Jordan Beermann | Feb 20, 2008 4:10:44 PM
Obama, Hilliary, Huckabee and especially McCain ALL support the war (be it by vote or by funding) in Iraq, Afghanistan, and have all gotten in lockstep to repeat the same mistakes in getting another war started in IRAN (Remember when Iraq was designated a sponsor of terrorism so you could use the UN as an excuse to invade, Hilliary? Why did you do the same for Iran?) If people truely wanted to end the war they would vote for Paul, Gravel or Kucinich. Naturally, they'd rather tell lies not unlike our current President and continue giving tacit support to those who want to commit further acts of violence against our troops who are supposed to protect us in the US, and those who have the misfortune to live in Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan, where there seems to be nothing there of interest, except their oil. Who's next... Venezuela, Russia, they've got some oil. Why not take it ALL... At least call it for what it is. Starting wars against multiple countries with NO history of "democracy" is NO way to keep your citizens "safe." We are smashing a hornet's nest that will be chasing us for decades. This has nothing to do with America's safety, inflaming an entire region against you does NOT make you more safe! I don't care how many times the media and politicans lie to us. Ask anyone serving in Iraq, or Afghanistan, they'll tell you the truth.
Posted by: cba | Feb 20, 2008 4:15:21 PM
Is Obama = Osama ?
Is Barak = Bin ?
Barak Hussain Obama is of Muslim (father) origin. Did that help him to stick to vote against Iraq war, since almost all muslims voice against Iraq war ?
Posted by: US Delaware | Feb 20, 2008 6:04:45 PM
To Eugene Debs Ghost..
I suppose you donate your labor to your employer. Or maybe you were born to wealth. Why is it "greedy" for a worker to want raises but "good business" for a company to screw workers out of fair pay?
You say
To Buffenbarger and unions there always is only one issue: jobs.
Duh. Thats what unions do.
I suppose you think its doing something wrong to push for better living standards. Because you think we should all have a lower standard of living? While CEOs make 100 million and more? Who are you kidding? Why do you hate American workers so much? Who are you people who think everyone should be giving their lives away working for rich corporations? So you can get cheap goods you can't afford the true cost of? And you think workers are greedy?
Conservatives are SO out of touch with reality it would be laughable if not so pathetic and dangerous.
Posted by: David | Feb 20, 2008 10:08:52 PM
yea yea yea, we all know both candidates have absolutely NO CONTROL over other people's spontaneous remarks. Obama's own beloved Pastor made has made a whole slew of horrendous remarks IN A HOUSE OF GOD! so don't EVEN try to perpetuate a Angelic image of Sen Clintons's opponent or that of his slimey entourage
Posted by: Texan | Feb 21, 2008 1:23:43 AM
THE CHICAGO SUN TIMES HAS DONE A LOT OF RESEARCH ON THE CROOK REFKO WHO GOES ON TRIAL FEB 25, THE FEDERAL PROSECUTOR IS PAT FITZGERALD AND WHEN THE CONNECTIONS COME OUT BETWEEN REFKO AND OBAMA OVER THE LAST 18 YRS I HOPE THEY BURN THIS UNQUALIFIED LOUDMOUTH PREACHER FOR WHAT HE REALLY IS. AND YOU HILLARY BASHERS MOSTLY BECAUSE SHE IS A WOMAN , YOU WOULD NOT STAND A CHANCE AGAINST HER ONE ON ONE AS oBAMA will find out
Posted by: ronald cahill | Feb 21, 2008 9:39:07 AM
The young college crowd. When they graduate and no prospect for a job, they would finally figure it out.
May be Obama will continue to make them feel good even if they don't have a job.
Good luck to them all.
Posted by: SAMO | Feb 21, 2008 1:21:40 PM
See, the problem with this story is we have no idea what the crowd was doing. We are told they were jeering, yet they were chanting Hillary. Maybe they wanted to see Hillary....As far as the comments; they weren't vicious, they were akin to BO saying stuff about Hillary Clinton in his stump speeches. For some reason, ALL of the legitimate negative attacks against an opponent from Hillary are immediately jumped on by the very media that constantly attacks her, in fact this is another attack on HER surrogate. BO makes attacks, his surrogates have made worst attacks, but his aren't reported. His attacks are NEVER described as negative. He is described as "Going after Clinton" "Questions Clinton" etc. So why is that?
Posted by: irma | Feb 21, 2008 2:01:16 PM
Yes, Hillary did try to pass Health Care Legistlation, the drug co's went after her using a commericial that BO recycled. Some of those powerful co's have agreed to work with her on it this time. The voters of both states contacted her offices to do something and she responded. The voters had no choice in the whole matter, they just want to vote. BO has alluded to her saying things like words don't matter; she's NEVER SAID THAT. He alluded to her saying he is spreading false hope, SHE NEVER SAID THAT. He alludes to a lot of things and translates comments to make him appear personally attacked, but if you only follow his campaign, which is what the media does, and get bits and pieces of hers and what she stands for, it's hard to know what is and isn't being twisted by her opponent in order to be President. They are both politicians. Hillary is a long time skilled debater. She has always been into politics and that in and of itself is not a bad thing, it's not evil, it's a skill. Hillary has not been going after BO in an unfair manner. BO hasn't either really, it's the medias coverage and interpretation that has created the wedge. Since the media is Republican owned, I question their reasons. They did the same to Al Gore as they are doing to her and Bush was the optimistic, uniter. Pretty weird.
Posted by: irma | Feb 21, 2008 4:42:56 PM
I hope the voters will take a wait and see (cautious) attitude while this Refko trial unfolds.
I think we all might find out some interesting things about Obama that he is hoping will not come out in this Refko trial.
Obama and Refko have been "friends" for quite a long time. It's hard to believe that some bad things are NOT going to come to light from this trial.
We'll just have to wait and see?
Posted by: Steve B | Mar 3, 2008 10:16:56 AM
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