Posted on 05/16/2008 2:24:33 AM PDT by Red Steel
CHICAGO (AP) -- Perhaps no one took greater comfort in the Republican Party's third straight loss of a long-held House seat this week than Barack Obama, who says the results point to clear limits in the effectiveness of attack ads he expects this fall.
The Democratic presidential candidate played a prominent role in all three special elections to fill vacant GOP seats, and he landed on the winning side each time.
In recent contests in Louisiana and Mississippi, Republicans or their allies ran TV ads linking the Democratic House nominees to Obama, warning that a vote for them was a tacit endorsement of Obama's agenda, which the ads described as very liberal. In Mississippi, ads against Democrat Travis Childers also tied him to Obama's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
The efforts failed, putting Democrats in House seats the GOP had considered safe, and sending waves of panic through Republican circles nationwide.
In the third race, in Obama's home state of Illinois, Democrat Bill Foster ran ads showing the senator endorsing him, and he claimed the seat long held by former House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, a Republican.
Obama said the outcomes bode well for his expected race against Republican John McCain this fall, although he acknowledged the power of rumors that are spread mainly through the Internet about his faith and patriotism. He told reporters this week that he can overcome the falsehoods if he has enough time to campaign in battleground states and let voters get to know him better.
Meanwhile, Obama practically dared Republican congressional candidates to keep linking their Democratic opponents to him.
"The same kinds of tactics that the Republican Party has been employing over the last several election cycles just aren't going to work this time," he told reporters on his charter plane after receiving former rival John Edwards' endorsement Wednesday. "I mean, they did everything they could, right? They ran Wright. They ran Obama. In Louisiana, they ran Pelosi. The same way that in previous election cycles they had run Hillary or other folks they thought would scare off voters. It didn't work."
Obama said Americans want "change in this election," and they especially care about health care, jobs, gasoline prices, college affordability and the Iraq war.
"The Republican Party better be prepared to debate issues," he said, "because that's what people are focused on right now."
Still, Obama faces several challenges, including the need to attract working-class voters who sided heavily with Hillary Rodham Clinton in many states. She beat him by 41 percentage points in West Virginia's primary this week, a shellacking that Obama tried to explain to reporters.
"Part of the issue with West Virginia was, we just didn't have a lot of time to get there" to campaign, he said. "I'm not well-known there. You know, some of these e-mails and rumors that we talked about have penetrated in West Virginia more deeply than they have in some other states. Debunking that stuff is relatively simple if you are on the ground talking to people. If you're not, then it's tough."
Obama said his primary losses to Clinton in Ohio, Pennsylvania and other places do not mean he cannot carry such states in November against McCain.
"I would just take a look at where the national polls are right now," he said. "We're beating McCain handily, we're doing really well among independents. There may be concerns among some voters because they don't know me that well. And I think that the longer we campaign, and the better they get to know me and my agenda, the better we'll do."
So, if Republican attack ads lead to Republican defeats, why wouldn’t Hussein Obama welcome them? What’s he worried about?
LOL. Indeed!
The nerve of this guy!!!!
That nasty racist he calls a "spiritual guide" is reason alone why Obama is terrible for America.
Obama obviously missed the lesson about how a man is the company he keeps.
Looks like those cigarettes and campaign problems are catching up with him.
Obama precriticizes... about not criticizing.
“We want to make Obamy daddy happy, now, don’t we? After all, Hitler was made happy by white boy, so now white boy must make sick Obamy happy”
Let me add a LOL! Barry Mohammed’s arrogant attitude is going to be only a part of his political downfall and slide into total irrelevance. Obamarosa will play another role as well.
Hillary already defined the working class as white Americans...but not a peep out of Obama or the working people who are not white...this presidential race is entertaining...more pop corn....
O.K. Sweetie
I've been urging all my friends to look carefully down ballot from the presidential race and get out for good candidates on the "farm team". I've stated before that if Mememecain picks a strong conservative for VP, I'd look at him again, but I'm not so sure. He hates us and such a VP pick would be window dressing.
Obama's in good shape there because the Stupid Party wants to agree with the RATS not debate them.
There is so much ammunition against this guy that you could run 30 minute attack ads and never repeat yourself and never utter an untruth.
If McCain just runs a few ads that tell the truth then Obama will be toast.
There are some short videos on youtube where Obama’s own words are incredibly damning...McCain should just run the youtube vids.
Sorry, but I didn’t spend 4 years in the Air Force serving the country I love and working most of my adult life to educate my sons, just to “hand the country over” to the forces of evil. My family’s efforts are being directed toward getting good, solid conservatives elected to office, no matter what the office.
What is it about the Democrat Party, that it throws up one narcissistic, power-mad creep after another? With Clinton, Gore, Obama; it's all about them. The Earth revolves around them. Why and how can people vote time after time for these nutcases?
Read Friederich Hayek’s “The Road to Serfdom”. In that fairly short book he tells us why socialism will always fail, and points out specifically that people who want power are almost always the very ones you don’t want to get it. They want power because they have a view of how life and society should be, and they intend to make us all hew to that vision, no matter how wrong or destructive it may be.
Obama’s own attack ad...all in his own words.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl32Y7wDVDs
What is the big deal about losing these races??? Wasn’t the fact that there is so much more interest in the Democratic race that more Democrats were voting and thus the Democrat won these elections? What am I missing?
Obama is beginning to morph into that other neighborhood organizer, Al Sharpton.
“Part of the issue with West Virginia was, we just didn’t have a lot of time to get there” to campaign, he said. “I’m not well-known there.”
This is the biggest BS lie I’ve ever heard this clown utter. Who in America doesn’t know this bonehead? My 70 year old mother who despises politics knows of Obama, and she told me she’s going to be the first one in line to vote for McCain in November. As to the Repub defeats in Illinois, Louisianna and Mississippi:
Illinois - Oberweis was a terrible candidate for our side, he is our perenial loser in that State, plus that district had Hastert burnout.
Louisianna - Another horrible candidate for our side, he ran one of the worst non-existent media campaigns I’ve ever seen. The dem ran as a pro-life, pro-gun right wing conservative, and he did all he could to distance himself from Obama and Pelosi, he convinced the locals he was not a left wing idealogue in the mold of the aforementioned, and it worked.
Mississippi - We had a great candidate in Mississippi in Davis, but he emerged bloodied after a bitter primary contest. His dem opponent, Childers, ran as far away from Obama and Pelosi as he could, in addition to being as pro-life and pro-gun as Davis. But, in Mississippi Childers was better able to connect with Bubba because after he successfully distanced himself from the lefties we tried to wrap around his neck, he talked about jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs and jobs. It worked well.
We need to go forward nationally connecting all dem candidates to Obama and his radical policies and friends, but we also need to talk about the economy and jobs and how we’re going to fix it, because if we don’t we’re up sh*t creek without a paddle.
The best way to explain it seems to be the old story about the turtle and the scorpion, and I may have the players wrong, but the principle stands. As I recall it, the scorpion needs help getting across a creek, and so it asks the turtle if it would help it cross the creek.
The turtle says, "But you'll sting me, and I'll die a painful death." The scorpion says that he will not sting the turtle, and after a few more rounds of doubts by the turtle and reassurances by the scorpion, the turtle agrees to carry the scorpion across the water.
Well, right before the turtle finishes crossing the creek, the scorpion stings the turtle. As he is dying a painful death, and sinking in the creek, he says to the scorpion, who has since jumped to safety, "You promised me you wouldn't sting me!"
The scorpion said, "I'm a scorpion...that's what I do."
The answer to "what is it about the Democrat Party?" is that they're Democrats, and that's what they do, that's what they are, that's how they work. For all this talk about change that the Rats spew, one good series of ads can finish them, and all related to two items over which they claim superiority. "change" and the price of oil.
When the Democrats "took power" in 2006, the price of a barrel of oil was $58. Less than 18 months after that election, and less than 16 months after this pathetic Congress was sworn in, the price of a barrel of oil has more than DOUBLED.
I don't think that's "change" America believes in, and she sure doesn't like it.
Barry Snobama can kindly STHU and go sit on an air hose.
There was also quite a bit of deferral to the RATS as if they were still running things. If you watched committee hearings, you saw Republicans deferring to the RATS both in manner and substance. Most Republican chairmen would let their RAT members take over hearings lest they be accuesed of being oppressive, and when it came to witnesses, they bent over backwards to bring in fair-minded folks while the RATS brought in their lackeys. Worse, there were multiple stories that a lot of Republicans continued to refer to their individual ranking members as Mr. Chairman.
Nevertheless, they did squander their power. They could have stood up to the RATS and the MSM, but they ran and hid most of the time, starting with The Gingrich Who Stole Christmas which was even before Newt took over. That signaled they could be rolled with no opposition. (Of course, Gingrich was doing his best on his own to roll over as much as he could for his man crush, Bildo Klintoon.) By the time the following December came with the budget showdown that they flubbed so badly when they held all the cards, their demise was begun. Meanwhile, most of the RINOs stayed in place and here we are today.
Republican congressional candidates might do better by linking their democratic opponents to John McLame
And Huckabee isn’t it.
“Meanwhile, Obama practically dared Republican congressional candidates to keep linking their Democratic opponents to him.”
Ah the old reverse psychology.
The Dem in MS won on repudiating Obama, Pelosi, abortion, and by supporting guns. Davis, the Rep., lost because he is the mayor of the most northern town in MS, essentially a Memphis suburb, not because of anything he said about the Dem.
You would think Oberweiss would realize by now that he doesn't have the temperament or personality for politics. He comes across as arrogant and condescending and manages to make enemies by mistake.
Barack is so stupid that he does not need to do any debates. His stupid sheeple will follow him right off a cliff. Do not say anything about his big ears or call him Hussein. He does not like that.
And I wouldn't get my panties in a bunch of these special election loses, as come November they do it all over again. Same candidates but now with more time to organize and raise money (at least in IL).
That being said here in IL, Hastert's old district the 14th is one really screwed up district. Take a a look at this mess. From the outer Chicago metro area, across the state nearly to the Mississippi River..
That's one mixed bag of constituents. But I also think come Nov 'Obie' can and will pull it off and put the 14th back in the 'R' column (1). He owns a Dairy Farm (has great milk) and there's a lot of Farm land in that map.
(1) Caveat: that is unless the IL GOP stabs Obie in the back on orders of 'The Combine'. Making illegal money (bribes) is more important than party loyalty.
Thank you for this information. You have reminded me of just how much I have forgotten about those days. The outcome of any confrontation does not bode well for the group playing by the rules if the other side is constantly breaking or distorting them. And, groveling never works with those people.
Dude... you are doing that all on your own! Poor choices of friends... poor choice of political wife...
The truth of the matter is this... if you don't know how to surround yourself with good characters... how the heck do you expect us to believe you are capable of governing U.S.?
Take care!
Doe this mean the President can not longer use the term “traitor,” because Obama will take offense?
You’re welcome. The worst is yet to come if history is any guide because the Stupid Party seems intent on heading back to the bad old days of permanent minority status when they were content with the status quo so long as they weren’t bothered. That’s how there was a group of long-serving Republicans amidst the continuous RAT majorities. Pretty much the deal was don’t make trouble, don’t try becoming the majority and you guys can keep your seats. It’s hard to see how they aren’t trying to go back to that.
No insult intended. I brought his name up because it has been in the news in the last couple of days as a possible McCain VP choice. If McCain and his people think that will get conservatives back in the fold, they’re missing it completely. Huckabee is another “compassionate conservative”. We don’t need more of that.
“Obama said Americans want “change in this election,” and they especially care about health care, jobs, gasoline prices, college affordability and the Iraq war.”
FYI Osama, we want GOOD change.
Copying (not linking, it uses my bandwidth) and circulation is encouraged. 
Guess again
The problem the GOP has had for the past 4 years is that they won’t attack the Rats even if they’re right.
I feel like I am beating a dead horse because I find myself so often here on FR saying, “We need leadership...”.
Why in times like these can't we seem to find one man, or woman willing to stand up to the toxic left in this country?
The American left is driving us into economic disaster, into weak National security positions, into the cultural wasteland. The Republican party has all but surrendered.
I am not a pessimist by nature, but I am getting the feeling that we are truly doomed.
I feel like I am beating a dead horse because I find myself so often here on FR saying, “We need leadership...”.
Why in times like these can't we seem to find one man, or woman willing to stand up to the toxic left in this country?
The American left is driving us into economic disaster, into weak National security positions, into the cultural wasteland. The Republican party has all but surrendered.
I am not a pessimist by nature, but I am getting the feeling that we are truly doomed.
The same way that the same type of people voted Adolph Hitler into power...Ignorance is expensive...and will cost this country dearly if these people get back in power.
I don’t like McCain. But I will hold my nose and vote, because I don’t believe in surrendering to the enemy. And make no mistake - the Dems and Liberal Repubs ARE the enemy.
I know McCain is a “moderate”. He will buck us on some issues and piss us off mightily. However - I cannot in good conscience stand idly by and do NOTHING (i.e., not vote) and let the likes of B. Hussein Obabma and the long line of letfy/socialist/communist scum behind him, propping and propelling him forward, get control of the country.
He/they will control the military and the coercive force that it represents. Remember Waco? Remember Ruby Ridge? That’s what you get with Dems in control. Murdered American Citizens.
He/they will control local and state law enforcement, and the coercive force that THAT represents (witness what is going on in Philly right now with DEM mayor Thugnutter and DEM police Chief Thugramsey and the DEM controlled City Council - hell, pick ANY Dem-controlled city/state). Want to exercise your Constitutional, Civil, and basic HUMAN RIGHT to keep and bear arms and defend yourself? Forget it. That’s what you get when Dems get in control.
He/they will have a criminally-collusive Congress to tax the middle class right out existence. Want to keep what you earn, so you can better your own family? Forget it.
He/they will have Treaty-making power to bind us to the UN and other international socialist global-control organizations. Want to be dragged before a World Criminal Court for publicly critizing Hugo Chavez (like in here?) or some other commie thug dictator? You’ll get it.
If anyone wants this, then stay home. Don’t vote. You’ll get it. Maybe not immediately, but then again, we really don’t know what kind of timetable they have, do we? They may want to strike while the iron is hot. They’ve been building their little revolution for the last 50 years now.
He did bitc# slap Ackbar around real good on the issue of kissing up to the terror masters. Bush has his good days too.
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