The Nation: Clinton Backer Bob Kerrey on Smearing Obama

CLINTON BACKER BOB KERREY ON SMEARING OBAMA...While campaigning on behalf of Hillary Clinton this week, former Senator Bob Kerrey became the fourth Clinton supporter this month to raise a false smear against Barack Obama, one of her main rivals for the Democratic nomination. Adopting the bigoted language of lies that have circulated about Obama on the Internet, Kerrey falsely implied that Obama attended an Islamist school; falsely said that Obama had "chosen" to be Christian; and falsely claimed Obama was repelled by his own middle name. Obama is actually a life-long Christian and a member of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. In January, CNN debunked the smears against him, reporting that allegations that he "was educated in a radical Muslim school known as a ‘madrassa' are not accurate." In October, The Nation's Chris Hayes traced how false emails about Obama have gained traction online.

The smears come after several other dirty tricks from Clinton backers were exposed this month. Last week, Clinton Campaign Co-Chair Bill Shaheen falsely implied that Obama had a drug problem or possibly dealt drugs, while Clinton Campaign Pollster Mark Penn repeated similar charges on MSNBC. After over 24 hours of criticism, the Clinton Campaign announced that Shaheen made the personal decision "to step down" because the comments were unauthorized. On Monday, however, Clinton said that actually "we asked him to step down." Earlier this month, two volunteer chairs resigned from the Clinton Campaign after sending emails lying about Obama's religion, while a third Clinton volunteer was on the same email chain.

Yet Kerrey's comments are distinct because he is the highest level Clinton supporter to publicly push the Muslim smears against Obama, and he is also ratcheting up the rhetoric. In a series of high profile interviews, Kerrey has gone out of his way to cover every aspect of the smears – saying "Muslim," "madrassa," "Hussein" and that Obama chose Christianity – and also raising traitorous language. Pressed about his comments on CNN, Kerry purported to distance himself from the very smear campaign he was advancing: "There is a smear campaign going on. And people are acting as if he's an Islamic Manchurian candidate." That phrase only turns up 29 hits on Google, however, and nine of the references quote Kerrey. So very few "people are acting" or saying that – unless they're discussing Kerrey's sly effort to raise the line of attack.

In a Sunday interview with ABC, Kerrey offered some bizarre advice on ads Obama "should" run. "There's this nonsense out there about him being a Muslim Manchurian candidate. He should do a commercial, look the camera straight in the eye, and say, 'My wife Michelle and I are Christians, but my father was a Muslim and my paternal grandfather was a Muslim, and that fact and my name means I can speak to a billion people around the world…" Apparently, Kerrey thinks people will believe that as an experienced pol, his strategy to dispel a "Muslim Manchurian" smear is to run ads that say "Muslim" more often than "Christian."

...(snip)...

So far, many reporters have given Kerrey the benefit of the doubt while further airing the smears. Under the misleading headline MADRASSAGATE, the Daily News even swooned that Kerrey offered "so powerful a compliment that one might think he was on the stump for Obama instead of Clinton." An odd claim, since the two words you never hear Obama backers say on TV are madrassa and Hussein. Americablog's John Aravosis, who is generally supportive of Clinton, called on the Clinton Campaign to muzzle their newest backer: "Kerrey is doing the dirty work of the Clinton campaign, or he's a rogue agent spreading racism in their name. Either way, the Clinton campaign needs to stop this, now."

He's right. Clinton should disown Kerrey's comments immediately. Given the stakes in this election and the costs of (even a perception) of lying character assasination in Iowa, I think both the Clinton and Obama campaigns would be better off without Kerrey's "complimentary" smears.


Posted by Ari Melber at 12/18/2007 @ 06:07am ........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters?bid=45&pid=261078

Clearly, his support for her now is a pay-off for favors already received;

"Clinton has delivered multimillion-dollar defense earmarks to a company making improvements to bomb racks for B1 fighter jets; to a small Buffalo-area firm that provides anticorrosive coating to military vehicles; and to the Manhattan-based New School University for a defense mapping project. Individuals associated with these entities have donated to her campaign.

New School, which received $1.6 million in this year's defense budget and $6 million previously, is particularly well-connected. Its president, former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.), is campaigning for Clinton in Iowa. Three school trustees are among Clinton's most prominent backers, having each raised at least $100,000 for her campaign. A former trustee is Norman Hsu, who was indicted on fraud charges last week. After Hsu's criminal past was revealed last summer, Clinton returned $850,000 he raised for her."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-earmarks10dec10,1,846601,full.story

a defense contract. They are not exactly in favor of the military - think Berkley circa 1968

them until they are forced to take action.

K&R.

no proof of anything.

The Nation's "blogs" have become Obama's house organ.

.... it would be John Edwards. He's the candidate that more of The Nation's writers and editors seem to like the most. And given that it is a progressive newsmag, that makes a great deal of sense. Good on 'em, to quote Thom Hartmann.

reach for a Hillary put down each day is so ABCNote-Tapper/Tweety-MSNBC like it disappoints. Indeed the same strawman approach is used by all of saying a supporter says something which means Hillary had him say that, while as in today's Tapper we are told Obama's just "drawing differences" and not attacking. Total nonsense as they should attack and it is not bad to attack. The only question is why the media let's Obama pretend his holier than thou response, and then acts like "new attitude in Washington" means anything more than Obama has a past history of putting tax cuts for businesses in bills that help the average guy, so as to get GOP support to get them passed. Has no one read of his previous campaigns and how they got down and dirty? Heck, I'd be upset if I thought Obama couldn't play the game that is US politics.

"New School, which received $1.6 million in this year's defense budget and $6 million previously, is particularly well-connected. Its president, former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.), is campaigning for Clinton in Iowa. Three school trustees are among Clinton's most prominent backers, having each raised at least $100,000 for her campaign....."

from the schools website.....

"The quest for original ideas and the respect for ->democratic ideals<- led to our creation nearly 90 years ago and they're still among our most important traditions.....

"The New School is a legendary,-> progressive university comprising eight schools bound by a common, unusual intent: to prepare and inspire its 9,400 undergraduate and graduate students to bring actual, positive change to the world.<- From its Greenwich Village campus, The New School launches economists and actors, fashion designers and urban planners, dancers and anthropologists, orchestra conductors, filmmakers, political scientists, organizational experts, jazz musicians, scholars, psychologists, historians, journalists, and above all, world citizens-individuals whose ideas and innovations-> forge new paths of progress<- in the arts, design, humanities, public policy, and the social sciences."

bob kerry`s page

http://www.newschool.edu/president/
The New School

even in a "progressive school" needs military contracts to keep it afloat

n/t