Posted by John Publius Jr. on May 24th, 2008 — in Referee whistle, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Mainstream Media, Blog
In South Dakota yesterday, Hillary Clinton made a very unfortunate comment during an interview with the Editorial Board of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader newspaper.
While discussing why some people want her to end her campaign, Clinton said the following:
I don’t, because again, I’ve been around long enough. You know my husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere around the middle of June.
We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. Um you know I just I don’t understand it. There’s lots of speculation about why it is.
This video of MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann is the most passionate criticism of Clinton’s statement that I have heard:
See these related links:
My commentary on this controversy:
I agree with much of Keith Olbermann’s commentary. It seems that every time I write something positive about Hillary Clinton, the next day she sparks a new, unfortunate, ill-advised controversy. I have always had a “soft spot” for Hillary Clinton because I don’t like the way she has been unfairly demonized over the years. Sadly, her 2008 campaign has alienated many people unnecessarily.
These recent remarks by Clinton cross a line, touch the third rail. Obviously, her comments were not intentionally meant this way. But it shows a lack of judgment. She should know better than anyone else to be more thoughtful in presenting her political messages. Everyone makes mistakes, and when we do, it is important to correct them as effectively as possible. Her “apology” was oblivious to the seriousness of her mistake.
I have gone out on a limb by advocating an Obama/Clinton ticket. I’ve always had doubts about this, but I have thought the potential upside outweighs the downside. Today I am much less enthusiastic about Hillary Clinton.
I do believe in redemption. Hopefully, her next attempt at an apology will invoke her “better angels”. Hillary Clinton needs to prove that she can transcend her own narrow political ambitions. She needs to do this because it’s the right thing to do instead of weighing the potential political consequences.
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on March 14th, 2008 — in Referee whistle, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Blog
Quick Preface:
I like football and I like “political football”. I like aggressive political campaigns and pointed exchanges between candidates. Voters need to know how candidates handle pressure and adversity. Let’s not elect a president based on their beer drinking companionship score.
I like hard hits, but not cheap shots. I really do not look forward to calling “fouls”. Clean hard hits sharpen the debate, engage voters, and hopefully result in the election of the best candidate. Cheap shots muddy the waters. The history of political cheap shots is as old as dirt.
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on March 12th, 2008 — in Referee whistle, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Blog
Geraldine Ferraro (a Clinton fundraiser and former Democratic Party vice-presidential nominee) made headlines with her comment: “If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position”. Link to CNN article
Referee whistle: against Geraldine Ferraro, Illegal motion, 5 yards
2nd whistle: against Geraldine Ferraro, Delay of game, 5 yards
I don’t mind discussing the issue of race, but being a “white guy”, it is clear to me that “white” people are NOT at a disadvantage. I find it very disappointing when the issues of race or gender come up in this way. I called two “fouls” because: 1) this type of comment is an unfair excuse for why Clinton is behind, and 2) reiterating it is unnecessarily divisive, driving the election discussion into the political mud.
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on March 7th, 2008 — in Referee whistle, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Blog
The Obama campaign has called for Hillary Clinton to release her tax records to the public. Hillary Clinton aide Howard Wolfson responded to reporters: “I for one do not believe that imitating Ken Starr is the way to win a Democratic primary election for president”.
Associated Press article: Clinton aide compares Obama to Ken Starr
Referee whistle: against Howard Wolfson, Offsides, 5 yards.
Comparing Obama to Ken Starr is clearly unfair and totally unjustified. Here we have another example of a campaign mistake that I see as a minor foul. “Minor” because the Clinton campaign has quickly moved away from this line of argument.
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on March 7th, 2008 — in Referee whistle, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Blog
During an interview with the Scotsman newspaper, Barack Obama’s foreign policy advisor, Samantha Power said about Hillary Clinton, “She is a monster too – that is off the record – she is stooping to anything”.
Link to the full story: Obama aide quits over Scotman interview
Referee whistle: against Samantha Power, Offsides, 5 yards
Samantha Power quickly apologized and resigned from the Obama campaign. In her apology, she even praised Clinton by stating that Hillary Clinton was “a role model for me and for so many women in public service”. Power fell on her political sword. She realized that her “monster” comment contradicted the message of hope and new politics espoused by Barack Obama and his campaign.
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on March 6th, 2008 — in Referee whistle, Talk Radio, John McCain, Blog
Now that John McCain is the Republican Party presidential nominee, we wonder if the right-wing attacks on McCain will subside.
Because our blogsite is so new, this is really a late call, but an important call to make before we move forward.
Referee whistle: against Talk Radio, Clipping (illegal hit in the back) , 10 yards
I listen to political talk radio almost every day: Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, and Laura Ingraham. When I refer to “talk radio”, this quartet of radio show hosts is a fairly definitive representation of whom I mean. I listen to other shows too: Michael Medved, Dennis Miller, Dennis Praeger, Michael Savage, Air America Radio, and some local shows.
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on March 5th, 2008 — in Referee whistle, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Blog, Democratic Party Rules
The Democratic Party primaries in Florida and Michigan earlier this year did not count. Now many people, including Democratic Party officials, are discussing the prospect of scheduling new primaries or caucuses in Florida and Michigan.
Referee whistle: against the Democratic National Committee, illegal block, 10 yards.
Yes, let’s have a “do-over” for Florida and Michigan.
The Democratic Party punished Florida and Michigan for moving their states’ primary dates to dates before Super Tuesday. The punishment was that these states would not have delegates at the convention.
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on February 29th, 2008 — in Referee whistle, Hillary Clinton, Blog, Democratic Party Rules
Referee whistle: silent, no foul
Yahoo News reports: “Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign has raised the possibility of a challenge to Texas’ primary and caucus rules just days before the contest, drawing a warning against legal action from the state’s Democratic Party.”
Full story: Clinton may challenge Texas vote rules
The seminal article for electionReferee.com is this article: A Quick Guide to the Democratic Party Rule Book. The end of this article includes a section specifically on the Texas Democratic Party rules as “a case study in confusion”.
We will see how this plays out. The Clinton campaign is right to point out that these Texas rules are a mess. It is certainly in their right to pursue legal action, but it seems unlikely this will go anywhere. The Texas Democratic Party also has the right to set any rules it wants as long as the rules do not violate U.S or Texas law, and these rules probably are legal.
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on February 27th, 2008 — in Referee whistle, Barack Obama, Talk Radio, Blog
Referee whistle: against Talk Radio, Personal Foul - Roughing the Passer, 15 yards
On Tuesday, February 26th, 2008 talk radio host Bill Cunningham spoke at a John McCain rally. Cunningham made an inflammatory attack on Barack Obama, and John McCain condemned these comments. Here is a link to the basic story: McCain condemns remarks on Obama.
John McCain deserves credit for distancing himself from Cunningham.
The bigger story:
Bill Cunningham is not alone. For several months, the right-wing attack machine has been laying the groundwork for a disgraceful “big lie” campaign against Barack Obama. The strategy is to portray Obama as not being “American enough”. Within this strategy are tactics such as pointing out that Obama’s name doesn’t sound like a “regular” American name.
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on February 27th, 2008 — in Referee whistle, Hillary Clinton, Talk Radio, Mainstream Media, Blog
Referee whistle: against the Mainstream Media, Personal Foul - Roughing the Passer, 15 yards
This criticism is more general than typical judgements of election fairness.
Background:
It really goes back to 1992 when some talk radio hosts especially began attacking Hillary Clinton. They never stopped attacking her. The general message seems to be that “Hillary Clinton is a power-hungry anti-christ”. It is a “big lie” strategy - keep repeating it long enough and loudly enough, and eventually more and more people believe it.
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