Just More Words: Remember When …

Long Gone Are The Days When Obama Spoke Out Against Personal Attacks

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REMEMBER WHEN OBAMA CAUTIONED AGAINST “SLASH AND BURN” POLITICS?

THEN: Obama Said Negative Ads “Do The American People A Disservice By Trying To Distract Us From The Very Real Challenges That We Face.” OBAMA: “All of those negative ads that he’s running won’t do a thing to lower your gas prices or to lift up the debate in this country. The fact is, these Washington tactics do the American people a disservice by trying to distract us from the very real challenges that we face.” (Senator Barack Obama,Remarks In Cedar Rapids, IA, 7/31/08)

THEN: Obama Warned Of “Slash And Burn, Say-Anything, Do-Anything Politics That’s Calculated To Divide And Distract.” OBAMA: “So I expect we’re going to see a lot more of that over the next few days. More of the slash and burn, say-anything, do-anything politics that’s calculated to divide and distract; to tear us apart instead of bringing us together. Well, that’s not the kind of politics the American people need right now.” (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks, Columbus, OH, 11/2/08)

THEN: Obama Said “If You Don’t Have Any Fresh Ideas, Then You Use Stale Tactics To Scare Voters.” OBAMA:”Because if you don’t have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare the voters. If you don’t have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from. You make a big election about small things.” (Senator Barack Obama, Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Democratic National Convention, Denver, CO, 8/28/08)

THEN: Obama Said “If You Can’t Beat Your Opponents Ideas, You Distort Those Ideas And Maybe Make Some Up.” OBAMA: “Deep down, Senator McCain knows that, which is why his campaign said that ‘if we keep talking about the economy, we’re going to lose.’ That’s why he’s spending these last weeks calling me every name in the book. Because that’s how you play the game in Washington. If you can’t beat your opponent’s ideas, you distort those ideas and maybe make some up.” (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks in Canton, Ohio,10/27/08)

THEN: Obama Said “If You Don’t Have A Record To Run On, Then You Paint Your Opponent As Someone People Should Run Away From. You Make A Big Election About Small Things.” (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks in Canton, Ohio, 10/27/08)

THEN: Obama Vowed To “Fire” Any Of His Staff Who Attacked His Opponents Personally. “In a news conference today, Mr. Obama vowed to fire anyone on his staff who was looking into the personal lives of a candidate in the Democratic field . He was responding to a question asked about research pertaining to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.” (Jeff Zeleny, “Obama’s Vow On Opposition Research,” The New York Times’ “The Caucus” Blog, 12/15/07)

• Obama: “I Do Not Want To See Research That Is Involved In Trying To Tear People Down Personally.” OBAMA: “I have been very clear to my campaign. I do not want to see research that is involved in trying to tear people down personally … If I find out that somebody is doing that, they will be fired. And I have been absolutely crystal clear about this, and I have been clear about this for a very long time.” (Jeff Zeleny, “Obama’s Vow On Opposition Research,” The New York Times’“The Caucus” Blog, 12/15/07)

TODAY, OBAMA’S HOPE AND CHANGE STRATEGY IS “KILL ROMNEY”

Politico : “Obama Plan: Destroy Romney.” (Ben Smith and Jonathan Martin, “Obama Plan: Destroy Romney,” Politico, 8/9/11)

• “‘Unless Things Change And Obama Can Run On Accomplishments, He Will Have To Kill Romney,’ Said A Prominent Democratic Strategist Aligned With The White House.” (Ben Smith and Jonathan Martin, “Obama Plan: Destroy Romney,” Politico, 8/9/11)

National Journal ‘s Charlie Cook: To Avoid A Referendum On The Economy, Obama’s Campaign “Will Try To Discredit Romney.” “Because the president doesn’t want the election to be a referendum on the economy, his campaign will try to discredit Romney as an alternative. The Obama camp will have to make the prospect of a President Romney so unpalatable that voters will not want to entrust the Oval Office to him. Obama’s supporters will need to persuade voters that it’s better to put up with what they have than take a risk with Romney.”(Charlie Cook, “Into A Corner,” National Journal‘s “Cook Report,” 6/19/12)

NOW: Time: “Obama Campaign Says Mitt Romney Is Either A Crook Or A Liar.”(Michael Scherer, “Obama Campaign Says Mitt Romney Is Either A Crook Or A Liar,” Time,7/13/12)

• Obama Campaign Manager Stephanie Cutter: “Either Mitt Romney, Through His Own Words And His Own Signature, Was Misrepresenting His Position At Bain To The SEC, Which Is A Felony.” “Deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter laid out the issue as the Obama team sees it: ‘Either Mitt Romney, through his own words and his own signature, was misrepresenting his position at Bain to the SEC, which is a felony.’ ‘Or,’ she said, ‘he was misrepresenting his position at Bain to the American people to avoid responsibility for some of the consequences of his investments,’ including layoffs and the outsourcing of jobs.'”(Jennifer Epstein, “Obama Team: Romney Committed A Felony Or Lied To Voters,” Politico, 7/12/12)

NOW: Politico: “President Obama: Bain Capital Is Fair Game.” (Mackenzie Wagner, “President Obama: Bain Capital Is Fair Game,” Politico, 7 /13/12)

• Obama Said His Campaign’s Attacks On Bain Capital Are “Entirely Appropriate.” “President Barack Obama said in an interview that aired Friday ‘it is entirely appropriate’ to further scrutinize Mitt Romney’s time at Bain, adding that ‘there are questions that have to be asked’ about the Republican’s record at the private-equity firm.” (Mackenzie Wagner, “President Obama: Bain Capital Is Fair Game,” Politico, 7/13/12)
• “Campaign Press Secretary Ben LaBolt Defended That Comment In A Statement Thursday, And Said The President Had No Plans To Apologize.”(Justin Sink, “Romney Campaign Manager: Obama Should Apologize For Staffer’s Remarks,” The Hill, 7/12/12)