Latest Daily Howler (1/23/08): Obama mischaracterizes at the debates, MSM runs with it.

http://www.dailyhowler.com/

archive link: http://www.dailyhowler.com/dh012308.shtml

(note I am allowing the transcription to be posted thus inflating my post because I do not believe it violates copyright, if someone has a problem please let me know)

CLINTON (1/21/08): I do think that your record and what you say does matter. And when it comes to a lot of the issues that are important in this race, it is sometimes difficult to understand what Senator Obama has said, because as soon as he is confronted on it, he says that's not what he meant.

The facts are that he has said in the last week that he really liked the ideas of the Republicans over the last 10 to 15 years, and we can give you the exact quote. Now, I personally think they had ideas, but they were bad ideas. They were bad ideas for America.

Was that a faithful paraphrase of Obama’s statement? Different people will think different things. But Clinton was plainly referring to Statement 2—Obama’s remarks about “the last 10 or 15 years.” But uh-oh! When Obama answered, he acted as if she’d been talking about Statement 1—his statement about Ronald Reagan. In short order, Clinton interrupted, making an obvious point—she hadn’t discussed Ronald Reagan:

CLINTON: Barack—

OBAMA: Wait. No. Hillary, you just spoke.

CLINTON: I did not say anything about Ronald Reagan.

OBAMA: You just spoke for two minutes.

CLINTON: You said two things. You talked about admiring Ronald Reagan, and you talked about the ideas of the Republicans. I didn't talk about Reagan.

OBAMA: You just—Hillary, I'm sorry. You just—Hillary, we just had the tape. You just said that I complimented the Republican ideas. That is not true. What I said—and I will provide you with a quote—what I said was is that Ronald Reagan was a transformative political figure because he was able to get Democrats to vote against their economic interests to form a majority to push through their agenda, an agenda that I objected to. Because while I was working on those streets watching those folks see their jobs shift overseas, you were a corporate lawyer sitting on the board at Wal-Mart.

Slick! And that’s aimed at Obama.

Clinton made it abundantly clear. She had been talking about Statement 2. She hadn’t mentioned Reagan, she (accurately) said—she had criticized Obama’s statement about the ideas of the past 15 years. But so what? Playing it dumb—and getting applause—Obama continued defending his statement about Reagan, even after Clinton reminded him that she hadn’t challenged that statement.

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This is one thing I noticed in those debates, I mean, right away I noticed it, Obama was spinning, mentioning Regan when Hillary didn't even mention him whatsoever. It was great. Follow the link to see just how the mass media took that mischaracterization and ran with it!

He has no idea when he's been duped and HRC is choking him round the neck and he doesnt even realize it. Hillary handed him the shovel and he just kept on digging the hole for himself. This is where HRC is a pro, she can take something and let the candidate bury himself with it and Obama's just not had enough experience of doing it.

How the fuck would he survive a RW attack in a debate. Incredible.

handle Hillary's Health Care video when Meredith Vierra played it on that morning show. First he claimed he couldn't hear it and then he stumbled and bumbled and embarrassed himself responding to it.

I sometimes wonder if he hasn't replaced his campaign staff with the Keystone Cops. Then I realize I must be mistaken because the Keystone Cops were more organized than this.

Didn't they realize they needed to prepare him to respond to this? I mean, ... duh!

I believe Barack would be weak in debates with the Republican candidate, but debate performance doesn't necessarily win or lose elections. It's said the debate between Nixon and Kennedy was very influential with voters, but, as you note, it didn't seem to matter in 2004.

needless to say, Barack's supporters will ignore fact and continue inaccurately spinning, but it's nice to have the actual transcript to read.

It was in the heat of the debate - and he could have misunderstood her.

but after claiming he couldn't hear Hillary's Health Care ad when Meredith Vierra played it on Good Morning America, I'm beginning to think you might have a point. Perhaps he wasn't evading the issue and just needed to pay more attention?

I call it the Shiny Object Syndrome.

This is how they see it: It would be easier for the Pub Nom....