Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has opened up a line of attack against rival John Edwards and the issue is…campaign finances & ethics. Here’s the Radio Iowa story. UPDATE: See Edwards campaign response below.
Here are the key quotes on this subject from Obama’s interview with Radio Iowa earlier this afternoon: "Yesterday my understanding was is that (Edwards) said he did not approve of 527s, these independent groups where there’s no disclosure so you don’t know who’s funding them and how much is being spent. We find out today that a 527 run by his former campaign manager and political director is running three-quarters of a million dollars worth of ads on his behalf and it strikes me that if you say yesterday you don’t agree with ’em and today you’re benefiting from them — that’s not consistent….Part of what we need is some consistency when it comes to the positions we take, not just taking them when it’s politically convenient."
Obama discussed what he hoped "trickles down" from him as the leader of the campaign to his campaign operatives. "I’m very proud of the fact that you haven’t seen a lot of drama or a lot of back-biting in our campaign. I think everybody is focusing on doing their job," Obama said. "People generally left their egos at the door. People take responsibility for their work and, you know, don’t blame others when mistakes are made and people don’t jump on people when mistakes are made. We hold folks accountable, but there’s a calm in our organization and a trust, I think, between people and I like to take a little bit of credit for that."
What is the most important decision you’ve made in Iowa?
"To put together and trust the best staff on the ground here. I mean, we’ve got an organization that is just unbelievable. You know, young people with energy and enthusiasm and, you know, we hired them early and so they got into these communities and made friendships and established relationships. You know, they’re not mercenaries. They’re here because they believe in the kind of change that I think most Americans are looking for and because they’re sincere and here for the right reasons I think that communicates itself to Caucus-goers and that’s, I think, our ace in the hole."
UPDATE
At 4:30 this afternoon, the Edwards campaignr released the following statement via emai:
EDWARDS: STOP THESE ADS
Edwards calls on 527 groups to stop running ads
Des Moines, Iowa – Today, after an event in Coralville, Iowa, Senator John Edwards called on 527 groups to stop running ads:
“I do not support 527 groups. They are part of the law, but let me be clear: I am asking this group and others not to run the ads. I would encourage all the 527s to stay out of the political process.”
Earlier in the day Edwards said:
“I’m proud of the fact that, unlike Senator Obama, I have never taken any money from a Washington lobbyist or PAC. From my perspective that is not an academic or philosophical question. This is about who has the toughness and fight to take on corporate greed and win. And I have been doing it my entire life. And what we have is an epic fight in front of us to stop this corporate greed and to protect the middle class and jobs in this country. And that’s a fight I’m ready for.”
(Photo taken by Radio Iowa news assistant Mary Rutherford)
About O.Kay Henderson
Kay is a founding member of the Radio Iowa network newsroom. In 1994, she became the network’s news director. She’s a featured reporter and commentator on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press,” and the 2002 recipient of the Shelley Award.
More Americans are drawing the conclusion that Mainstream Media is with every skill manipulating this 2008 election. The Media is hardwired to our economic Federal Reserve System, stock market, and political leadership now in power, Bush and Company, which through the years, have developed the crisis America is currently in.
Those hard connections through the past ten years of republican controlled Congress developed the current dilemma America is in, such as immigration, and the war. The GOP essentially held the door open for the massive influx of undocumented migrant workers for a two fold reason. Cheap labor and union busting. It’s clear undocumented labor does not compete in the market place, more over Mexicans being illegal can’t vote or unionize. Actually the perfect lower to middle income individual economic trap.
It’s almost crazy to believe America is not in a recession let alone a looming depression of another kind. This kind of a recession is that which one can not get a job to sustain a middle income living, or now America is on the brink were millions of individuals will loose their homes by this mortgage melt down. Remember a recession is when one is out of a job or in a job which can not sustain a living. A depression is when one looses their home. A recession is in full swing and major media that support the Bush Administration are dancing around “Fixed” news that confuses the issue, and will ride out time till the Democrats get into office. To be sure the hell we are wondering about will surely break loose to blame the Democrats.
More of the majority of Americans believes that Hillary, and Bill Clinton have the real sense and good will to ratchet down the war to make it disappear. While making important adjustments to the economy, all the time creating International trust, addressing huge domestic needs at the same to untangle the absurd imbalance in the deficit that is strangling the middle class.
It amazes me how so many out there can say the Clintons are divisive, when it was the Clinton Administration that promoted the Internet which now brings America and the world together at the same time creating a new economic engine were individuals can compete with the business giants. Better, given this entire medium, the Internet, to be able to express our opinions as in no other time in history. Strikingly the universal heath care issue which was characterized by Mainstream Media years ago as impossible is actually the Mainstream now taken up by both parties to win the American electorate. That is a typical issue of uniting the electorate Mainstream Media is totally biased, and not giving Hillary Clinton the vision and leadership credit in this issue.
Vote Hillary Clinton 2008, I’m just a Joe six pack and approve this message.