Barack Hits Back Against GOP Convention Attacks

by Todd Beeton, Thu Sep 04, 2008 at 04:43:43 PM EDT

Here's video of Barack at a townhall in York, Pennsylvania today.

"They've had a lot to say about me. But they haven't had anything to say about you."

Here's video of Barack at a press conference in York to reiterate the message.

"They haven't spent any time talking about the problems that ordinary Americans are going through every single day...Now I understand they don't have much of an agenda to run on but I think the American people deserve better..."

Here's a fundraising ask the Obama campaign sent out hitting back against Palin's mockery of community organizers.

With the nation watching, the Republicans mocked, dismissed, and actually laughed out loud at Americans who engage in community service and organizing. [...]
What you didn't hear from the Republicans at their convention is a single new idea about how to make the healthcare system work, get our economy moving for the middle class, or improve education.
Just attacks -- on me, and on you.
But what the McCain attack squad doesn't understand is that people like you -- who devote part of their busy lives to organizing and building their communities -- have the power to change this country.

I've gotten a lot of fundraising asks from Barack Obama this year but I have to say this one inspired my biggest donation yet.

Who's with me?

Update [2008-9-4 20:44:59 by Todd Beeton]:Interesting, looks like I'm not alone. MSNBC is reporting that the RNC has raised $1 million for John McCain since Sarah Palin's speech while Barack Obama has raised $8 million.

So, whose base is Palin exciting again?

Update [2008-9-4 21:11:54 by Todd Beeton]:Ambinder on Twitter reports that the Obama campaign is saying they've raised $10 million since last night.

Tags: 2008 Presidential election, Barack Obama (all tags)

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Re: Barack Hits Back Against GOP Convention Attack

I will say this: I just dropped more money than I can afford on Barack just 10 mins ago.

Thanks Sarah.

BTW, Jerome, you helped motivate me also, just not in a good way.

by Stipes 2008-09-04 04:46PM | 0 recs

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the mother of all +1's

I'm going to donate more money than I can afford right now.

Barrack is fighting back cleverly and forcefully. Keep it up. cancel any bounce!

by iohs2008 2008-09-04 04:52PM | 0 recs

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Re: the mother of all +1's

Damn Straight.

Jerome wants us all to lay down and die, or something. It's freakin' bizarre.

I choose to fight.

I say, GAME ON!

by Stipes 2008-09-04 04:55PM | 0 recs

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Howard Dean release new Attack Ad

by Al Rodgers 2008-09-04 04:47PM | 0 recs

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Re: Barack Hits Back Against GOP Convention Attack

MSNBC has just said the Obama campaign has now announced they have raised 10 million since the GOP ridiculed "community organizers".

by hootie4170 2008-09-04 04:50PM | 0 recs

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"Jesus was a community organizer...

...Pontius Pilot was a governor."

FTW

by iohs2008 2008-09-04 04:53PM | 0 recs

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Re: Barack Hits Back Against GOP Convention Attack

Factoid on last night:

2 million more women watched Palin's speech than Obama's in Denver, hmmmmmmm...... Why would that be?

by oliver777 2008-09-04 05:26PM | 0 recs

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concern

anyone else worried that palin could run, and win the presidency sometime between 2016-2028?

by Doug Tuttle 2008-09-04 05:05PM | 0 recs

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Re: concern

No, but I think she could win in 1972. She has the right message for the times.

by Steve M 2008-09-04 05:13PM | 0 recs

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Re: concern

Now I know why Jerome thinks she's the second coming of Reagan.

by bruh3 2008-09-04 05:21PM | 0 recs

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Re: concern

if the terrorists attack us with stupid gas? Sure.

by GRO 2008-09-04 05:22PM | 0 recs

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Re: concern

Maybe in 2016, when she really would be the GOP's Jimmy Carter (and I don't meant that in a good way).

by spirowasright 2008-09-04 09:17PM | 0 recs

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Re: concern

Of course. If McCain wins, Palin will run after his terms. If he loses, she'll run on her own, against Hillary, in 2012.

Yes, the RNC only brought in $1 million but the McCain campaign had it's best month ever, $47 million in August. :(

Anyone know what the DNC brought in and how much the Obama campaign collected in August?

by SueBee 2008-09-05 11:33AM | 0 recs

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Yes! 10 million as of right now.

In fact, Palin infuriated me so much (I give her an "A" for what she set out to do last night) that I wrote up and donated money for the first time since 2004..

P.S. You should see if you can get that other blogger that writes here, to put stuff up like you, instead of praising Palin / disparaging Obama.

by Cleveland John 2008-09-04 05:08PM | 0 recs

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Re: Barack Hits Back Against GOP Convention Attack

i'm truly, wholeheartedly broke at this moment in time (school is back in session and I've maxed myself out on lower ticket races for the year) but I just chipped in $50.

Do I feel guilty for spending money I don't have? yeah. But I'm sure someone that can better afford it will match my contribution and make me feel better about my lack of fiscal discipline.

by alex100 2008-09-04 05:10PM | 0 recs

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GOP Convention 'Friendly Fire'

Glad to see Obama pushing back against the convention speech distortions. One from Giuliani last night that I couldn't help but check: Giuliani said that after Georgia tried to reclaim control of South Ossetia by force - leading Russia to invade Georgia (he didn't actually mention the first part)

"Obama's first instinct was to create a moral equivalency - that `both sides' should `show restraint.' ... Later, after discussing it with his 300 foreign policy advisers, he changed his position and suggested that `the UN Security Council' could find a solution. Apparently, none of his 300 advisers told him that Russia has a veto on any U.N. action."
... Giuliani going on to give Obama the advice: `next time just call McCain.'

But Giuliani somehow left out mention of McCain's initial statement:

"The U.S. should immediately convene an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council to call on Russia to reverse course."

... and what Obama actually said:
"All sides should enter into direct talks on behalf of stability in Georgia, and the United States, the United Nations Security Council, and the international community should fully support a peaceful resolution to the crisis."

It looks like Giuliani was attacking the wrong candidate!

by Mr DC 2008-09-04 05:12PM | 0 recs

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That quote should be

a post-convention commercial. Thanks for the post!

by Zach in Phoenix 2008-09-04 05:13PM | 0 recs

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Re: Barack Hits Back Against GOP Convention

Did Obama really say that he's been called worse on the basketball court?

by Steve M 2008-09-04 05:14PM | 0 recs

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Re: Barack Hits Back Against GOP Convention

Yes - unfortunately, he used as a BTW after a fairly long answer.

He's getting much better on the sound bite though, all things considered.

He's also striking a stridently populist note right now. I give Obama and the campaign a lot of credit for being masters of incorporating what works for others.

Don't get me wrong, I was an Obama backer all through the primaries, and my faith in him as President are more or less as strong as ever -- but there's a purely politics-as-sport side of this I enjoy.

All good politicians, and all good political teams - left and right - have a superb way of pillaging the valuables from the vanquished. Reagan and Atwater had it. Clinton and Carville had it. It's clear that Obama-Axelrod/Plouffe have it.

He's using the same populist framing and middle class fighter rhetoric that worked well for Hillary Clinton in the last few months of the campaign -- and the key is that he's integrating pretty seamlessly.

I think he answered 4 questions in the above clip - and I'm pretty certain he mentioned middle class, working people, struggling Americans, or some variation in every single answer.

by zonk 2008-09-04 05:36PM | 0 recs

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He is definitely

getting better at this. And there's no doubt he's channeling a bit of Hillary.

Two years of solid campaigning will sharpen you, I guess.

by Neef 2008-09-04 06:12PM | 0 recs

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Re: Barack Hits Back Against GOP Convention Attack

Oh, but Obama needs to attack! Oh, but the Dems better change their strategy! Oh, but they better take some good advice from concerned lifelong Democrats or else! Oh, but Woe is me what do we do now!

That was snark.

OBAMA/BIDEN 2008 is a ticket that is talking sense and respecting the intelligence of the American people. I think that is very refreshing, quite wonderful, amazingly different, particularly timely, and a sure winning strategy.
Anyone who disagrees with that strategy can kiss my rosy red ass and the hundred dollars it just sent to help seal the deal.

by QTG 2008-09-04 05:17PM | 0 recs

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Well, I guess I need you to bend over ...

I think we should hit them with the same crap they hit us with. If Palin wants to reduce Obama to a simple 'community organizer', we need to reduce her to a 'PTA memeber wannabe VP'.

by Cleveland John 2008-09-04 05:24PM | 0 recs

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Re: Well, I guess I need you to bend over ...

I think it would be just fine to discuss just what the job of "Governor of Alaska" entails, given that the entire State has the population of a small city anywhere else in America, that the budget is so big from Oil (that goes overseas) tariffs and Federal subsidies that the governor never has to make tough decisions like other governors do. I think that it is fine to talk about how she, as Governor, fired and bullied career public servants who dared stand in her way when she abused the power of her office to exact revenge in family feuds, or how she cut funding to special needs children when she didn't need to. I think it would be OK to talk about her obsession with Creationism and her belief that Satan put fossils in the ground to tempt mankind into believiing in Evolution.

But I don't think we need to go negative for the sake of negativity or match the Republicans in some kind of Liars poker.

by QTG 2008-09-04 06:16PM | 0 recs

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Re: Well, I guess I need you to bend over ...

I don't think attacking the PTA is a good idea. People may think that community organizers don't do anything (because they don't know anything about it) but most parents belong to the PTA and think that the PTA is a really good thing for their kids.

by SueBee 2008-09-05 11:36AM | 0 recs

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Re: Barack Hits Back Against GOP Convention Attack

As I said earlier.

Palin woke me up. I dumped a couple of bucks into the Obama campaign. After McCain's speech I'm giving more. We need to control the media narrative and make our voices heard.

by spacemanspiff 2008-09-04 05:19PM | 0 recs

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You didn't have to ask me -- first Obama

donation for me, as a former Clintonite who figured he was rolling in dough.

But today I not only opened my very thin wallet, but sent an email to 50 other people shaming them into doing the same for Palin attacking organizers.

So far, I've got ten emails back from people that donated.

Don't piss off the organizers, dumbass.

by GRO 2008-09-04 05:20PM | 0 recs

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Re: You didn't have to ask me -- first Obama

*Don't piss off the organizers, dumbass. *

HEAR, HEAR! DAMNIT!

*Why would she insult 'community organizers' when her opponent's base is grassroots? *

I get paid tomorrow and I'm donating $50. I just won't tell the wife...:-)

by xodus1914 2008-09-04 08:10PM | 0 recs

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Re: Barack Hits Back

yeah I saw everyone else donating today and I said heck I haven't given this month its time

so I also gave $100 dollars today

by TruthMatters 2008-09-04 05:20PM | 0 recs

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Wow

Did anyone else see Olbermann apologize for his network showing in full the GOP video which exploited 9/11 to the hilt yet again. He was almost in tears for the friends he lost there.

I'm sure it will be posted here as soon as it hits Youtube.

by ObamaOrBust 2008-09-04 07:25PM | 0 recs

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Re: Wow

I saw it and was absolutely appalled. First time in my life I LITERALLY sat there with my mouth open.

For those that didn't see it, here's a link to it on youtube- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDx80bnFr Vs

I warn you though- it's ugly politics at it's ugliest.

I've been looking around, and so far, the only mention of it I can find ANYWHERE was Keith's comment last night. Is any news orgo. going to mention this horrible act at all, or is it being brushed under the rug?

by Stephalopolis 2008-09-05 08:12AM | 0 recs

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Barack Hits Back Against GOP Convention Attacks

Frankly, they've said a lot about Obama because there's a lot to say about him and a lot of questions to be raised. America already knows the story of John McCain, his heroic endurance of 5 years in a POW camp, and becoming a footsoldier in the Reagan Revolution. All we know about Obama is that he was a "community organizer" with an unusual choice of religion. While elements of Obama's story are certainly inspiring--the ones he's always talking about--we need to see the whole picture here.

by verdastelo 2008-09-05 07:02AM | 0 recs