Enough plants for a garden? The Politics of Planting
by okamichan13, Sat Nov 10, 2007 at 11:39:51 AM EST
Well as if this wasn't bad enough: Clinton Campaign Gets Caught Planting Questions it gets worse.
And a new phrase is coined: the politics of planting:"In light of a weak debate performance, not to mention a persistent inability to answer the tough questions, it appears the Clinton campaign has adopted a new strategy of planting questions," John Edwards Communications Director Chris Kofinis said. "Its what the Clinton campaign calls the politics of planting."
And apparently it isn't actually a new strategy. Fox now has up an exclusive interview from someone claiming he was asked to plant an Iraq question at a Clinton event:
In a telephone interview with Fox, Geoffrey Mitchell, 32, says he was approached by an operative for the Clinton campaign to ask a planted question about standing up to President Bush on Iraq war funding. The encounter happened before an event on a farm outside Fort Madison, Iowa. The Clinton event was hosted by Iowa State Sen. Gene Fraise.Mitchell tells Fox that Clinton campaign worker Chris Hayler approached him and asked him to ask Sen. Clinton a question about how she was standing up to President Bush on the question of funding the Iraq war and a troop withdrawal timeline.
Mitchell told Fox the Clinton campaign wanted to contrast Clinton to Sen Barack Obama, who had recently said the president would probably prevail in the Iraq funding battle with Congress.
Mitchell said he refused to ask the question.
"I told Chris I had other issues I wanted to raise with Sen. CLinton," MItchell said. Asked what those were, Mitchell said: "I wanted to ask her why she voted for the Iraq war and why she didn't consider that a mistake."
Mitchel told Fox that Hayler, the Clinton campaign worker, was unhappy and moved on to others. "I know he tried to have others ask that question," Mitchell said.
Ultimately, Mitchell said Clinton took no questions at the event.
and not exactly a fervent denial from the Clinton campaign:
This story was also apparently broke in part earlier by Politico but didn't receive much coverage: Obama Faces Battle Over Iraq War Opposition
Hillary Clinton's Iowa campaign confirmed to Fox that one of its staff discussed questions with Geoffrey Mitchell before the senator's April 2 event near Fort Madison, but denied atempting to plant a pro-Clinton question.Mo Elliethee, spokesman for CLinton, told Fox that Clinton staffer Chris Hayler talked with Mitchell before the event bcause the two knew eaach other from previous Democratic activities.
Mitchell told Fox he knew Hayler because Hayler had once been with Indian Sen. Evan Bayhn's campaign. "They had a previous relationship and were talking before the event and the topic of the senator's position on Iraq came up, and Geoffrey said he had some questions," Elliethee said. "Chris suggested Geoffrey ask a question."
Asked if the Clinton campaign denied Mitchell's unequivocal assertion that Hayler tried to plant a quesiton about Clinton trying to stand up to Bush on IRaq war funding, Elliethee declined.
"I'm not going to comment on what he said," said Elleithee, referring to Mitchell. "They had a previous relationship, the subject came up and there's nothing more to it than that. It's not newsworthy. It's inocent. It's not yesterday."
which makes you wonder, even though a date hasn't been given, how long has this been going on? According to earlier articles, this isn't the Clinton campaign's policy but that's getting hard to believe.
And as an aside, John Edwards was asked about this earlier today; here's his comments from Politico writer Ben Smith, who was there, :
Edwards, in a press conference after his speech to the Farmers' Union, hit Hillary for planting a question at an Iowa event."That's what George does: George Bush goes to events that are staged where people are screened," he said. "That's not the way democracy works in Iowa."
And even more details from CNN:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/11/10/democratic-rivals-respond-to-clintons-planted-question/
"Thats not the way democracy works in Iowa," Edwards said in response to questions on the topic, "and it's not the way it works in New Hampshire. I mean if you actually want to be president of the United States, you go out, you face peoplewhich I've donein every one of the 99 counties in Iowa and answer their questions.""We don't stage questions. We go in and answer the questions that are aksed, and that's the way it's supposed to work in the cuacus process."
Isn't one dynasty enough? With planting like this, the Monsanto lobbyist fundraisers for "rural" America, the refusal to give straight answers, haven't we had enough of this?
Politico also talked with the person mentioned in the Fox story:
"I just talked to Mitchell again -- whose story today, by the way, is identical to what he told me a few minutes after the incident -- and he talked a little about how he felt at the time about the request."I thought it was inappropriate," he said. "The tradition of the Iowa caucuses is the ability to ask the questions of the people that are on the ground, that are living in Iowa, as opposed to talking about what they already want to talk about. It just lacks authenticity."
Pretty much given up updating this; the story is too big and being run all over. We have a pattern of deception here folks and no ammount of spin is going to change that.
Tags: Hillary Clinton, Iowa (all tags)
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