Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly.
He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
One day after Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton professed an abiding affection for guns and hunting, her love of firearms came under attack from another sometime hunter in Washington.
Appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press, Vice President Dick Cheney said that a hunting contest between him and the New York senator was “the only way” to determine whether Sen. Clinton’s tales of her gun prowess were for real.
“To be frank, Hillary Clinton’s stories about her adventures with guns don’t exactly pass the smell test,” the vice president told host Tim Russert. “If she really wants to show that she knows how to handle a rifle, there’s an easy way to do that: meet me in the woods.”
[.]
..shortly after the vice president issued his challenge, Sen. Clinton seemed to back off from her earlier claims of hunting experience, saying that she had “misspoke” about her hunting exploits as a child.
“I fired a gun once, but I didn’t like it, and I didn’t recoil,” she said.
I think it’s interesting that both yesterday and today you referred to this as a “performance” as though he were acting or something. When I saw it, my surprise was that he actually conveyed some of the feelings that he’s privately had about her petty attacks for some time now, but didn’t feel was right to express publicly about a fellow Democrat.
For weeks, Hillary has been accusing Barack of “constant partisan attacks,” playing victim and insisting that he is playing from the Republican/Rove playbook – when it’s obvious she’s been trying to deflect criticism of her own scummy tactics. He has been quite civil toward her up until now, only attacking her actual record.
In a few days when we can see some post-Bitter-Gate polling, don’t be surprised if that whole line of attack really backfires on Hillary. From what I’ve been able to find, people were not particularly offended by Barack’s words and his apology was sincere. But her true colors really showed during this episode. Most of the “undecideds” I’ve seen in polling have indicated that they lean Barack, but were afraid to commit because Hillary has sown so much doubt about him. They may be making up their minds now though. If they do what’s right, this could be the knock-out blow for Hillary. Perhaps Barack’s political sixth-sense detects this as well.
I just read Obama’s speech from this morning at the Alliance for American Manufacturing, where Hillary is also speeking now. The whole things’s pretty good but this quote jumped out at me:
You know, there’s been a lot of talk in this campaign lately about who’s “in touch” with the workers of Pennsylvania. Senator Clinton and Senator McCain are singing from the same hymn book, saying that I’m “out of touch” – an “elitist” – because I said a lot of folks are bitter about their economic circumstances.
Now it may be that I chose my words badly. It wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last. But when I hear my opponents, both of whom have spent decades in Washington, saying I’m out of touch, it’s time to cut through their rhetoric and look at the reality.
After all, you’ve heard this kind of rhetoric before. Around election time, the candidates can’t do enough for you. They’ll “promise you anything, give you a long list of proposals and even come around, with TV crews in tow, to throw back a shot and a beer.
But if those same candidates are taking millions of dollars in contributions from the PACs and lobbyists, ask yourself, who are they going to be toasting once the election is over?
I’m the only candidate who doesn’t take money from corporate PACs and lobbyists, and I’m here to tell you that you can count on me to stand up for you after this election, just as I’ve been standing up for workers all my life. That’s why I’m running for President of the United States.
I think I’m glad I stayed away from the internets and the news all weekend, because I likely would have lost my mind over how juvenile and puerile the campaign and the candidates’ supporters have become.
Oh and “bitter-gate”? How fucking stupid is THAT shit?
Obama, unlike Gore and Kerry, will let neither the lunatic right nor the mendacious media define him. He will show us who he is, which is the point he is making about being a different kind of politician.
The media is so fucking stupid when they regurgitate the fascist talking points that someone like Obama, raised by a single mom and her parents, who worked hard to become successful, is an elitist. By this they mean he is educated. The true elitists are the born on third base thinks he hit a triple Dubya, and the eight years in the White House Clinton, and the uber wealthy who want to make people afraid of people like Obama, and actually like Bill and Hillary Clinton pre White House, who achieved the American Dream. The true elitists are the .5% of the population who have precisely the kind of government they paid for.
I just watched that video. It reminds me why he’ll beat McCain and be the next President of the US of A.
But tell me, is this for real, or a parody – this Borowitz piece at Huffpost?
Cheney to Hillary: “Prove it. Meet me in the woods”
Cheney Challenges Hillary to Hunting Contest
it’s kind of obvious parity.
Is it a parody with parity?
it’s parity because neither of them can shoot straight.
I think it’s interesting that both yesterday and today you referred to this as a “performance” as though he were acting or something. When I saw it, my surprise was that he actually conveyed some of the feelings that he’s privately had about her petty attacks for some time now, but didn’t feel was right to express publicly about a fellow Democrat.
For weeks, Hillary has been accusing Barack of “constant partisan attacks,” playing victim and insisting that he is playing from the Republican/Rove playbook – when it’s obvious she’s been trying to deflect criticism of her own scummy tactics. He has been quite civil toward her up until now, only attacking her actual record.
In a few days when we can see some post-Bitter-Gate polling, don’t be surprised if that whole line of attack really backfires on Hillary. From what I’ve been able to find, people were not particularly offended by Barack’s words and his apology was sincere. But her true colors really showed during this episode. Most of the “undecideds” I’ve seen in polling have indicated that they lean Barack, but were afraid to commit because Hillary has sown so much doubt about him. They may be making up their minds now though. If they do what’s right, this could be the knock-out blow for Hillary. Perhaps Barack’s political sixth-sense detects this as well.
Let’s hope, anyway.
Politics are a performance. That’s something Democrats pay too little attention to.
If you were picking a lawyer to represent you, you’d be very concerned about how well they performed in court, not just how well they know the law.
Politics should be no different.
Instead of a performance, I saw this as one of the few times when we saw the real Obama come through.
I just read Obama’s speech from this morning at the Alliance for American Manufacturing, where Hillary is also speeking now. The whole things’s pretty good but this quote jumped out at me:
what do I think?
I think I’m glad I stayed away from the internets and the news all weekend, because I likely would have lost my mind over how juvenile and puerile the campaign and the candidates’ supporters have become.
Oh and “bitter-gate”? How fucking stupid is THAT shit?
Here’s the Cliffnotes version: TPM Cafe
Glad you had a nice weekend away from the hoopla. Maybe we can catch up and taste some of what you kegged later this week?
anytime, CG.
You guys have my number. We’re kegging even more beer on Saturday, and have a lovely back deck on which to imbibe.
I just a news clip of Hillary bringing on groans at the union forum in Pittsburgh when she mentioned Obama’s comments.
LOL!!
When he talked about her having a shot and a beer they laughed.
He so called her out.
That’s a game changer, too, because it’s the kind of thing that reporters play overandoveragian on their laptops at the bar.
Just watched the video. Great job, Barack!
And I’ve got to giggle at the concept of Hillary out hunting with Dick Cheney…
Obama, unlike Gore and Kerry, will let neither the lunatic right nor the mendacious media define him. He will show us who he is, which is the point he is making about being a different kind of politician.
The media is so fucking stupid when they regurgitate the fascist talking points that someone like Obama, raised by a single mom and her parents, who worked hard to become successful, is an elitist. By this they mean he is educated. The true elitists are the born on third base thinks he hit a triple Dubya, and the eight years in the White House Clinton, and the uber wealthy who want to make people afraid of people like Obama, and actually like Bill and Hillary Clinton pre White House, who achieved the American Dream. The true elitists are the .5% of the population who have precisely the kind of government they paid for.