Columnist: Obama Shouldn’t Throw Rocks
EmailWhile Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., tries to score points with sharp attacks on Sen. Hillary Clinton for refusing to make her White House records public, Chicago Sun Time’s Lynn Sweet reports today in her column that Obama has some non-disclosure problems of his own. Sweet, a veteran Chicago political reporter and columnist, writes that Obama deserves credit for supporting new Senate ethic rules on increased financial disclosure, but the candidate "does not always practice what he preaches." Some of the examples noted by Sweet from her years of reporting on the Illinois senator included: – Obama has supported more earmark disclosure to bolster government transparency. Last June, Obama disclosed the earmarks he requested for Illinois and national interests. However, his office, after repeated requests since June, has yet to disclose earmarks Obama sought in 2006, before he was running for president. Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage. – Obama does list the names of hundreds of bundlers — people committed to raising at least $50,000 for the campaign — on his Web site. He brags about the disclosure on the stump. But that’s literally all Obama does, list a name. No cities or states, information that is available to his campaign. Some names are well known because the bundlers are celebrities or longtime activists. But it’s a big country, and there are more than one Bob Clark and Lou Cohen. Just listing a name does lip service to meaningful disclosure. Obama campaign manager David Plouffe, in a memo sent last week after the debate, said Obama is "setting a new standard of openness in campaign fund-raising." That’s because the bar is very low. – Obama’s campaign has refused to identify the biggest bundlers, people who are raising at least $200,000 for him and are given membership in his National Finance Council. Obama, as all major candidates, declines most of the time to disclose details about most fund-raising events. – During a town hall meeting last month in Dover, N.H., Obama pledged that he would post all meetings he would hold as president on the Internet. As a senator, Obama has never done that. Do you have a tip for Brian Ross and the Investigative Team?
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Hmm. This story features supposed ‘dirt’ on Mr. Obama which is being featured in response to supposed ‘dirt’ on Mrs. Clinton. Perhaps you could expand the story into a series of stories that feature ‘dirt’ on all of the candidates? Then, you could feature the stories on the evening news and call it – journalism.
This type of story is beneath the general standards of The Blotter.
Posted by: redcat | November 5, 2007, 4:33 pm 4:33 pm
What a hit job. I am no fan of Obama and will definitely not vote for him. But why would you list his warts and not do the same for everyone else?
Posted by: ragebot | November 6, 2007, 10:34 am 10:34 am
lets back up and find whos getting money from special intrest groups that will expect payback. lets pass a law that states, no more donations from special intrest groups. that will even out the playing field.
Posted by: larry | November 6, 2007, 9:01 pm 9:01 pm
“-During a town hall meeting last month in Dover, N.H., Obama pledged that he would post all meetings he would hold as president on the Internet. As a senator, Obama has never done that.”
Try searching Obama on iTunes, over at-least the last 3 years Obama has posted recordings of meetings, speeches, and even personal Pod-casts. I know that the internet is a big and scary place, maybe you should try learning the facts before you publish something.
Posted by: Raul Duke | November 8, 2007, 6:33 pm 6:33 pm
This kind of hatchett job puts you on par with the National Enquirer. Obama is by far the most forthcoming of all the candidates.
Posted by: Susie | November 9, 2007, 10:58 am 10:58 am
I am tiered of old news specially on the Clinton’s. The bottom Line Hillary is the only one that will bring us to a new beginning, we have never had a woman and that may be a plus- We can not risk the inexperience Obama. The time wasted by Obama and Edward putting Hillary down should have been used to bring their issues to us. Hillary is smart and does not waste time putting anyone down, her energies are spent on the important issues. That is experience.
Posted by: Niliadis | November 9, 2007, 10:54 pm 10:54 pm
Hillary attacked Obama on issues she herself endorsed, i.e. talking to foriegn leaders. She is the one who brought up the whole inexperience red herring, when Obama actually has more years in public office than her. To say she hasn’t attacked him is just inaccurate.
Furthermore, this article is trying to attack Obama for not being forthcomming with his contributions, and yet it ignores the fact that he IS more open than any other candidate. Not only that, but he has fought to change the law to require more transperant campaign finance, and he has changed it. How can Shwartz be so blind to her bias? Is this supposed to be journalism? How can Niliadis not see how much time Hillary wasted in 92 when she had the chance to make a difference. Whatever “experience” Hillary has that Barack doesn’t must be hidden somewhere in those library records, because the only thing significant I’ve see her do in the last 16 years is give Bush the authorization to invade Iraq. That’s an “experience” I bet Hillary wishes she didn’t have, and I know the country feels the same way. Seriously though, she hasn’t done anything significant. What is this supposed experience that Hillary has? I’ve yet to hear a Hillary supporter actually answer that question.
Posted by: Robert D | November 10, 2007, 6:59 pm 6:59 pm
Any news that someone consider unfavorable to their candidate is dismissed as a “hatchet job” by the blindly loyal. Obama has been treated with kid gloves by the national media. It’s about time someone did some hardcore investigative reporting into Obama’s many inaccuracies and downright falsehoods in his biography. There are lots of inconsistencies that are simply brushed off as people remembering things differently. Furthermore, what about his connections to the Daley Machine, one of the most corrupt political organizations in the country, and the one that gave Obama his start in politics? A lot of people are getting sucked in by a well packaged sweet talking huckster.
Posted by: Joe Nada | November 12, 2007, 12:16 pm 12:16 pm
Woa… whats the deal with all this blog flyin between the candidates?! like totally, if we could just sit down and eat our cornflakes… whats appealing about this tom-foolery?! so i was all like Hilary, where did you get your hair done… Love it! i know right… so anyway, if you could fit your troubles into a haircut. At least Obama’s wig isn’t a web of lies! we should totally like base our votes on intelligence, i know right? this is blogger chick signing off.
Posted by: Mike | November 13, 2007, 9:21 am 9:21 am
Funny thing is here that Senator Hillary Clinton is the Former First Lady that was the Most Investigated Woman in the history of these United States…And she came out of that WhiteWater WhiteWash Crisp, Clean, Pressed and Folded hanging in the Lincoln Bedroom Closet like a Million $$$$$ Designer Gown.
Any wonder why she is attacked by both sides during this campaign? Not in my book, she’s lived through a 73+ MILLION $$$$ Investigation and nobody could lay a glove on her. She has them all scared chitless….She’ll win handily. America is tired of the current White House theiving Repuke NeoCon cabal.
And I used to be a Republican…Until I woke up…I suggest you do the same.
Posted by: You Were Warned | November 15, 2007, 3:27 pm 3:27 pm