Edwards Does Obama One Better
23 August 2007 9:37 am by Taylor Marsh
Edwards Does Obama One Better updated below
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It’s getting ugly. First we had Obama talking about Clinton as “Bush-Cheney
lite.” Today we have a new twist and it isn’t into presidential territory.
Who said this?
“Wake up America. The White House is not for sale; the Lincoln bedroom
is not for sale.”
Republican Bob Dole said it in 1996.
How about this:
“I believe they have had moved that sign the buck stops here from
the Oval Office desk to the buck stops here on the Lincoln Bedroom. And that’s
not good for the country.”
George W. Bush spewed this crap in 2000. As most everyone knows, the Lincoln Bedroom smear became a Republican
standard against the Clintons.
During the 2000 presidential campaign, George W. Bush sanctimoniously accused
Clinton of “virtually renting out the Lincoln bedroom to big campaign
donors.” He condemned the use of the “hallowed” chamber for
political payoffs.Selling
Lincoln bedroom disrespectful, by Helen Thomas
In 1997, Ann
Lewis had to go on “The News Hour” to address the attack that
became a continual talking point from wingnuts: For two straight
days President Clinton denied there was any improper use of the Lincoln Bedroom
and other White House functions in raising campaign funds for his 1996 re-election
campaign. Jim Lehrer leads a discussion with Ann Lewis, assistant to the President,
and White House Deputy Director of Communications, and three regional commentators
who disagree with the President’s view.
Fast forward. Now how about this beauty. Who said it?
“The American people deserve to know that their presidency
is not for sale, the Lincoln Bedroom is not for rent, and lobbyist money can
no longer influence policy in the House or the Senate.”
Rudy Giuliani, right?
Nah, Mitt Romney, that’s got to be it!
Wrong.
It’s John
Edwards in a speech he gave today in New Hampshire.
This is how an email from NBC First Read characterized the speech:
The Re-Launch: So is Edwards trying to re-launch his campaign? It depends
on how one interprets a speech he’s giving today in New Hampshire, where he
attempts to re-frame the race in a way that makes him the real change agent
in the Democratic race. “The choice for our party could not be more clear,”
Edwards will say, according to advance excerpts. “We cannot replace a
group of corporate Republicans with a group of corporate Democrats, just swapping
the Washington insiders of one party for the Washington insiders of the other.”
He also will say, “The choice we must make is as important as it is clear.
It is a choice between looking back and looking forward. A choice between
the way we’ve always done it and the way we could do it if we dared. It is
caution versus courage. Old versus new. Calculation versus principle. It is
the establishment elites versus the American people.” This, it seems,
will be the argument that Edwards plans to use against Clinton for the rest
of the campaign. At a minimum, consider this the new stump speech.
They just left out the Clinton money quote Edwards used today, which is straight
out of the right-wing playbook. If this is the Edwards re-launch, I hope it
makes a turn into better territory. Because between Obama’s “Bush-Cheney
lite” and Edwards talking about “The Lincoln Bedroom is not for
rent,” I’ve got to say that these guys sound positively desperate.
Given Markos’s
post earlier this morning I’d say my analysis is on the money.
UDPATE: Edwards aides respond.
