Clinton Campaign Disavows Obama Slur E-Mail

I guess it was only a matter of time before the nasty infighting we've seen among Democratic candidate supporters would end up embarrassing one of the campaigns.

In a dailykos diary posted yesterday, user Justus wrote:

Over the past week or so, I have received two of the most hateful hit pieces on Obama parroting right wing talking points.  One was forwarded to me from a Clinton county chair.  The other was from a person who claimed to be a former Obama supporter, but a little work with Google revealed she had been posting pro-Clinton comments for several months on websites covering the campaign.

They both repeat the Obama/Osama crap, andand the "madrassa" charges.  And there is the conclusion that Obama is a mole whose intention is to make a Muslim revolution in the US.

The e-mail, which TPM has posted, is the sort of bullshit attack piece that the right has been spreading through an e-mail whisper campaign against Obama, as detailed in the much maligned -- justifiably so -- WaPo front page piece from last week. The fact that Democrats would be spreading this is of course, ridiculous, and the Clinton campaign immediately disavowed the e-mail. In fact, Hillary's internet director Peter Daou wisely responded swiftly in the comments to the dailykos diary with a statement from campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle:

"There is no place in our campaign, or any campaign, for this kind of politics. A volunteer county coordinator made the mistake of forwarding an outrageous and offensive chain e-mail. This was wholly unauthorized and we were totally unaware of it. Let me be clear: No one should be engaging in this. We are asking this volunteer county coordinator to step down and are making it clear to every person involved in our campaign that this will not be tolerated."

TPM is reporting that the Clinton campaign has asked the county chair who sent the e-mail to step down.

Good.

Hopefully this will serve as a good reminder to all candidate partisans that promoting your candidate does not -- should not -- mean attacking the other candidates personally. In my mind, the net effect is negative for the candidate you're trying to help.

Tags: 2008 Presidential election, Barack Obama, Democratic Primary, Hillary Clinton (all tags)

Comments

50 Comments

Obama camp phone calls, Clinton camp emails

Iowa is getting nasty fast.

by dpANDREWS 2007-12-05 10:49AM | 0 recs
Re: Obama camp phone calls, Clinton camp emails

glass house, ehh?

by aiko 2007-12-05 11:16AM | 0 recs
Re: Obama camp phone calls, Clinton camp emails

exactly. dp was one of the one's accepting hwc's arguments regarding elizabeth edwards health being a factor

by bruh21 2007-12-05 11:18AM | 0 recs
Re: Obama camp phone calls, Clinton camp emails

what? are you talking about?

by aiko 2007-12-05 11:20AM | 0 recs
Re: Obama camp phone calls, Clinton camp emails

hwc at one point both claimed that edwards was using  his wife's cancer in h is campaign and that edwards wife cancer was an issue for which voters should decide whether he's a viable candidate. to their credit several clintonites said that it was outside of the bounds, but others such as  the poster above did not. the idea that he can speak on this subject of what is out of bounds is what i am talking about.

by bruh21 2007-12-05 11:41AM | 0 recs
Re: Obama camp phone calls, Clinton camp emails

I'm beginning to suspect some reverse dirty trick by the Obama camp. Intentionally sending a 'self' smear e-mail to a known Clinton person and then dropping the name to some news outlet to investigate.

I even suspected this with the 'question planted' questioner (a 'decided' Obama supporter) who outed the Clinton camp to a news outlet after she deliberately ingratiated herself with the Clinton folks to gaod them into selecting her for a question.

Now, I believe this is something an individual (probably a college student) could self initiate. You don't have to be smart to do this, just devious.

by meliou2 2007-12-05 03:21PM | 0 recs
Re: Obama camp phone calls, Clinton camp emails

Er...nice try.

by animated 2007-12-05 04:35PM | 0 recs
Re: Clinton Campaign Disavows Obama Slur E-Mail

I agree this should not be tolerated.

They did the right thing by kicking out the guy.

UPDATE: The Clinton campaign forwards Callanan's immediate response to the email which, though he didn't pass it on to the campaign, reflected his disgust at it:

   From: Ryan Callanan
    Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2007 9:49 AM
    To: 'Judy'
    Subject: RE: Meet Barack Obama]

   I've gotten this forward before. It's racist and ignorant. I can't believe that people believe this stuff.

   Ryan

From Ben Smith.

by lori 2007-12-05 10:52AM | 0 recs
Kudos to Camp Clinton

It is great to see them step up, take responsibility, and then take action to correct a mistake and hold someone accountable.   Bush and his bunch could take a lesson from Hillary Clinton on how to lead.

by dpANDREWS 2007-12-05 10:54AM | 0 recs
But...

For those of us with long memories it does bring up a reminder that the original madrassa story was alleged to be the work of Hillary's campaign.  That seemed pretty far-fetched at the time and was dismissed.  Maybe it's worth a second look?:


Insight Magazine, which is owned by the same company as The Washington Times, reported on its Web site last week that associates of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-New York, had unearthed information the Illinois Democrat and likely presidential candidate attended a Muslim religious school known for teaching the most fundamentalist form of Islam.

[snip]

Insight attributed the information in its article to an unnamed source, who said it was discovered by "researchers connected to Senator Clinton." A spokesman for Clinton, who is also weighing a White House bid, denied that the campaign was the source of the Obama claim.

CNN - 23 Jan 07

Hmm... Looks like we have come full circle, eh?

by Shaun Appleby 2007-12-05 12:36PM | 0 recs
Re: But...

I don't think this regrettably ubiquitous chain e-mail is the smoking gun you're looking for.

When a right-wing source like Insight Magazine ("owned by the same company as The Washington Times") tries to smear one Democrat and put the blame on another Democrat, I see no reason to grant them the slightest shred of credibility.

by Steve M 2007-12-05 01:34PM | 0 recs
Re: But...

Agreed.

I don't think the Hillary people are dumb enough to believe Democrats would buy it anyway.

Now, Repubs would easily buy it because it fits into their preset frame of bigotries.

Expect to see it again if Obama gets the nomination.

by Bush Bites 2007-12-05 02:03PM | 0 recs
Re: But...

I'm not suggesting it is, but in light of this recent incident from within her campaign those of us with long memories who actually defended her at the time on this feel more than a bit puzzled, at least I do.  And ripped off, too.

by Shaun Appleby 2007-12-05 02:34PM | 0 recs
Re: But...

All you have to believe to shrug it off is that within a campaign which has zillions of employees and volunteers, someone had bad enough judgment to forward a chain email.  It's certainly plausible.

by Steve M 2007-12-05 05:55PM | 0 recs
Re: But...

Oh, I'm not doubting that for a minute.  Sort of gives you an insight into the 'culture' of the organisation but stuff happens.  Nah, my comment was intended as just a little tidbit for those with a forensic sense of history.

by Shaun Appleby 2007-12-05 06:00PM | 0 recs
Re: Clinton Campaign Disavows Obama Slur E-Mail

Excellent, proactive swift response on Hillary's part. True leadership in action.

by superetendar 2007-12-05 11:00AM | 0 recs
Re: Clinton Campaign Disavows Obama Slur E-Mail

Todd, good comments but when is this site going to take your own advice to heart?  By allowing this site to be a conduit of such sentiment and practices, aren't you tacitly enabling it?  This story comes as no surprise to anyone who has read MyDD over the past month.  

by Piuma 2007-12-05 11:03AM | 0 recs
Re: Clinton Campaign Disavows Obama Slur E-Mail

What does that have to do with whether this site should have a set of principles we adhere to?  You don't change the political climate by simply repeating that's the reality, dude.  You don't change politics without changing the political climate.  I would think the idea of direct democracy is that we can make a difference, we can change things for the better.  

by Piuma 2007-12-05 11:19AM | 0 recs
Re: Clinton Campaign Disavows Obama Slur E-Mail

I think we have heard enough of this story. However, I am glad that you wrote about it, but you should have made the notice that Hillary's camp is not responsible for it.

by American1989 2007-12-05 11:05AM | 0 recs
Re: Clinton Campaign Disavows Obama Slur E-Mail

Yeah, sure. Who is? The man in the Moon?

Hillary plays dirty and got caught.

by antiHyde 2007-12-05 12:09PM | 0 recs
Re: Clinton Campaign Disavows Obama Slur E-Mail

antiHyde is also antiClinton.  some people are conflicted.

hillary is not responsible for this.  and what of all the terrible acts of the obama staff.  are they responsible for anything?

by truthteller2007 2007-12-05 12:52PM | 0 recs
This story is far from over

Too many unanswered questions.

by horizonr 2007-12-05 11:06AM | 0 recs
Re: This story is far from over

such as?

by world dictator 2007-12-05 11:26AM | 0 recs
Re: This story is far from over

See?  There's one already.

by Steve M 2007-12-05 11:44AM | 0 recs
Re: This story is far from over

The main unanswered question is, who's responsible for the e-mails to begin with?

by animated 2007-12-05 12:48PM | 0 recs
Women's Leadership Council Member

Yes, I appears that the sender is a "Judy Rose", a member of Hillary's Women's Leadership Council and the Secratary of Jones County Dems. Her name is listed on HRC's website--more then a random volunteer.

"UPDATE: The email address for the sender is associated online with the name "Judy Rose," and there's a Judy Rose as one of 250 members of Clinton's Iowa Women's Leadership Council."

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/

by General Sherman 2007-12-05 11:11AM | 0 recs
Re: Women's Leadership Council Member

thank you.

by aiko 2007-12-05 11:16AM | 0 recs
Re: Women's Leadership Council Member

Doesn't make her anymore than a volunteer to the campaign.

by lori 2007-12-05 11:30AM | 0 recs
Re: Women's Leadership Council Member

Dream on.

by horizonr 2007-12-05 11:37AM | 0 recs
Re: Women's Leadership Council Member

This type of things happen daily on the campaign trail , overzealous supporters doing mischief.

Its not really a story of that much consequences even inside the inside the beltway punditry which would like a negative story about Clinton.

Her campaign has handled it properly and I don't see it going anywhere.

by lori 2007-12-05 11:49AM | 0 recs
Re: Clinton Campaign

none of what you write excuses this. we know what the right will do. that's not the question on the table. its what we are doing

by bruh21 2007-12-05 11:23AM | 0 recs
Re: Clinton Campaign Disavows Obama Slur E-Mail

We should make something clear, this is nothing new.  This attempt at a slur has been making the rounds and spinning its wheels since Barack threw his hat into the ring.  It has picked up no traction. It was an embarrassment to the news stations who carried it in the beginning and is now an embarrassment to Clinton  which might result in real damage to her campaign.  Far from being a hint of things to come, the real story is this type of attack will not work in 2008.  People are sick of it, people are more engaged than in the past.  People who try this type of thing do so at their peril.  This doesn't reveal a GE weakness of Obama.  It shows a GE strength that it is hard to find a foothold on him to attack from besides race. Everyone knows he's black, everyone knows his heritage, you can't swiftboat what everyone knows and already accepts.

by Piuma 2007-12-05 11:37AM | 0 recs
Re: Clinton Campaign Disavows Obama Slur E-Mail

There is just a tiny bit of too much of hand wringing going .

The campaign did the right thing by canning the guy involved , this would give a lot of us political junkies something to talk about but it is basically a not so important story to the average voter and even the inside the beltway punditry probably would not see anything to it , especially with the swift reaction of the clinton campaign.

Also I read a lot of idol worship in your comments , lets not forget the old school political tactics obama has been using in this campaign quite effectively like the hsu planting , campaign aids telling reporters to look into bill's sex life etc.

So lets just try and stay away from a lot of hero worshipping.

Obama is just like any other politician and they play it to convince their supporters they are not.

Plus there are some commenters on politico that claim they have received e- mails from obama staffers pushing the story that Hillary Clinton was having an affair with Huma , granted these haven't come to light yet but it is quite possible and I won't even think of blaming obama for that.

by lori 2007-12-05 11:46AM | 0 recs
Re: Clinton Campaign Disavows Obama Slur E-Mail

You are quite naive. Some people still believe there was something to Whitewater and a whole host of made up Clinton conspiracies. Polls show that the smear email claiming Obama is not Christian has had an effect, and the Washington Post has slyly injected the smear into mainstream journalism.

Obama is doomed if he thinks this type of attack will not work in 2008, or that he is 'swiftboat'-proof.

by souvarine 2007-12-05 11:47AM | 0 recs
Re: Clinton Campaign Disavows Obama Slur E-Mail

by your reasoning- hillary's rivals should swiftboat her on the faux scandal of whitewater -because republicans are going to do so anyways.

by jello 2007-12-05 11:53AM | 0 recs
Re: Clinton Campaign Disavows Obama Slur E-Mail

What polls show this has had an effect?  I may be naive but not that naive.  

by Piuma 2007-12-05 11:54AM | 0 recs
Re: Clinton Campaign Disavows Obama Slur E-Mail

CBS News from August: "7 percent think, incorrectly, that Obama is a Muslim." The email has apparently been circulating for over a year.

by souvarine 2007-12-05 01:00PM | 0 recs
Re: Clinton Campaign Disavows Obama Slur E-Mail

people who buy email slurs uncritically are republicans.

by jello 2007-12-05 03:50PM | 0 recs
Re: Clinton Campaign Disavows Obama Slur E-Mail

oh, and hillary supporters.

by jello 2007-12-05 03:52PM | 0 recs
Re: Clinton

Sorry, Todd, many of us well-seasoned, over fifty-year-old Democrats,  view Senator Obama, who is now following the Rove playbook, and all his legion of advocates in the MSM and blogosphere, as the epitome of all that was and is hateful about GWB, the last inexperienced full-of-himself candidate who was thrust onto the national scene.

Today the nation is in shambles, and having inexperience, or for that matter having "judgment," still measured by that lack of experience, will not do.

The hate within the Democratic side began with the advisors of Obama and Edwards, egged on by the long anti-Clinton MSM and blogosophere, in the Clinton circular firing squad in Philadelphia, as orchestrated by Messrs. Russert and Matthews.

Those of you ever and always apologetic to Senator Obama in particular cannot spin this fact any other way.

I have an extended family that viewed that debate and the Las Vegas debate which followed.  

Whichever of us were undecided before became quickly disgusted, and now NONE OF US could under any circumstances vote for either Senator Obama or Senator Edwards.  Even in the fall of 2008.

And as life-long Democrats all, each of whom has never voted any other way, that is really telling of just how gut-wrenching has been the impact of the vitriol.

The first rule of any successful Party: do not tear down the Party's sacred cows!

And the Clintons are adored by far too many bedrock Democrats to be torn down.  Much as were the Kennedys and the Roosevelts in the generations before them.

That was the egomaniacal risk the Obama and Edwards campaigns ran when they took that MSM/blogosphere bait.

Their tearing-down of Hillary Clinton will cost her far less in the end than it shall her rivals.  

That rather meaningless state of Iowa notwithstanding (a wash at the beginning of the year and still a wash now), the current polls have not truly aided either Obama or Edwards, even if current results reveal that the negativity has pushed some leaners to undecided status.

Hillary Clinton will become the nominee of the Democratic Party--and rather easily coast to the nomination after the MSM-Rove-Ailes-blogosphere hype on Iowa (although the top candidates there are still likely to end up in a wash).

She is, far and away, the most experienced and with the most political savvy.

But to presume that her prohibitive status as front-runner has somehow changed is absolutely delusional.

The current LA TIMES poll, the current crop of Zogby/Iowa State University/AP and Pew polls show little change in the campaign dynamic from the beginning of the year.

This is not a conventional candidate, that can be defined by precedent.  This is the former First Lady of the United States, married to the most popular politician in the world.

The Clintons have long-established core, institutional support throughout the United States that their current rivals cannot even fathom.

The fact that she is hated by much of the MSM and the blogosphere (dimwittedly so, inasmuch as her long public record as a progressive far exceeds anything in the resumes of either Senator Obama or former Senator Edwards), will mean little in the end.

The Clintons have survived fifteen years of all manner of Right Wing (and so-called Left Wing) attacks, and have always emerged triumphant.

They even survived a near-decade of Inquisition and Impeachment under Ken Starr and company.

The invective they receive on all sides now is kids' play to these well-seasoned pros.

Ultimately, the Clintons will triumph anew because most of their rivals--particularly Obama and Edwards--are political lightweights.

But the hate did not emanate from Senator Clinton.  

This is the route the Obama/Edwards camps decided upon, when their own candidates were moribund, particularly after their dismal performances in Las Vegas.

As is true of all previous negative attacks on the Clintons, such attacks only strengthen their resolve.

But please, cease and desist with your pity for Senator Obama.

The Axelrod attacks initiated on Clinton will hurt the Obama campaign, in the end, truly deeply.  And deservedly so.

by lambros 2007-12-05 12:06PM | 0 recs
Re: Clinton

I am really surprised that someone like you, who has been around the block a few times, would see the level of negativity in this primary as remarkable in any way, let alone vitriolic to a historical degree.

Obama and Edwards made negative comments during that Las Vegas debate, sure.  Did it turn some people off?  I'm sure it did.  Were they the kind of below-the-belt comments that Democrats will still be talking about in 5 or 10 years?  To my mind, obviously not.  I guess you disagree.

I take your word for it when you say that your entire family of Democrats would never vote for Obama or Edwards against a Republican in 2008, because of how negative they were in the Las Vegas debate.  But I say in all seriousness that I'd expect that kind of comment from someone who has never watched a primary debate before.  Anyone with a history in the Democratic Party ought to see this year's antics as comparatively mild.

by Steve M 2007-12-05 12:32PM | 0 recs
why does criticism bother hillary so much?

isn't she strong enough to take it without complaining?

The other candidates don't seem to complain when they get criticized.  It's hard to feel sorry for Hillary.  She is hardly a victim of anything.

by d 2007-12-05 12:44PM | 0 recs
Let's try to tone down the hyperbole here.

Primaries are about drawing contrasts between the candidates. Comparing Edwards and Obama to Bush because they have criticized some of Clinton's policies and actions is well beyond ludicrous. If political candidates don't get challenged they won't be prepared for the general or be ready to be held accountable as they govern.

by animated 2007-12-05 12:45PM | 0 recs
Re: Clinton

I can't believe that you took a story about a very negative thing that someone associated with the clinton campaign initiated, and flipped it into an indictment of obama and edwards.  give me a break!!

How can you say that asking tough questions of the leading candidate in the context of a debate is the same thing as spreading false and bigoted rumors about a candidate's faith and upbringing??  As a long ago member of my high school speech and debate team, i can tell you that that's what debates are for!!  Without in-depth questioning and challenging of each other, our nominating process would just turn into a beauty pageant coronation.

Furthermore, your comment about not voting for the democratic candidate in the GE if it's not hillary reveals your true colors.  you're not a partisan democrat.  you're a partisan clintoncrat.  

(somehow...i feel the democrats will be the more lasting faction...)

by bluedavid 2007-12-05 12:51PM | 0 recs
Re: Clinton

How dare you!!!!!

The Clintons and the Democratic Party are one in the same, an attack on one is an attack on the other. ANY attack on Hillary, legit or not, thus becomes a right-wing talking point!!!!

...at least, that's the impression I get.

by General Sherman 2007-12-05 01:00PM | 0 recs
Re: Clinton

i hope this was meant sarcastically...

by bluedavid 2007-12-05 01:05PM | 0 recs
Re: Clinton

"The fact that she is hated by much of the MSM and the blogosphere (dimwittedly so, inasmuch as her long public record as a progressive far exceeds anything in the resumes of either Senator Obama or former Senator Edwards), will mean little in the end."

Some of "us", as you have begun to do what you condemn Edwards and Obama of doing and dividing the Democratic party, are sick of family political dynasties.

"She is, far and away, the most experienced and with the most political savvy."

So two terms as a first lady, and one term as a senator suddenly becomes the epitome of experience? That is a joke. If it were not for her husband's political machine behind her she would be questioned just like Obama is on experience.

If you are going to cry the victim card here everytime she is questions on her position on a issue or her politics how is she going to measure up to the Rethugican hate machine?

And that is very sad as a life long Democrat you wouldn't vote Democrat just because it isn't Hillary. Even I will stomach a vote for Hillary OVER ANY Rethugican. I'd say you aren't a true Democrat.

by SocialDem 2007-12-05 04:53PM | 0 recs
by General Sherman 2007-12-05 12:08PM | 0 recs
why not fire the person?

how lame to just ask the person to resign.  i don't call that leadership.

i know it is a small thing, but if you really disapprove of what a person in your campaign is doing, you fire the person and take responsibility for the action yourself.

by d 2007-12-05 12:37PM | 0 recs
Re: Clinton Campaign Disavows Obama Slur E-Mail

As clearly demonstrated on DD ...there are times when passion overcomes sense....

The lesson here...and else where that we,; and campaigns refrain from the impulse of animals
diving for scraps...

The feeble media will do it for us.

We must move beyond the desperation we have become way too accustomed to in our lives.

If we believe in...what we believe in...we have no need to be defensive.

There is certainly nothing wrong to raising objections or attempts to articulate personal views...

Our first response should be on of a skeptic.
We should be beyond pretending.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNp79hF-x Zw

by nogo war 2007-12-05 01:16PM | 0 recs

Diaries

Advertise Blogads


----------- myDD - skin -----------