March 24, 2008
The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond (John Feehery)
Oh! ye'll take the high road and
I'll take the low road,
And I'll be in Scotland afore ye;
But me and my true love
Will never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.
“It is now clear the Obama campaign has gone off the high road and now clearly holds the low road,” Phil Singer, a Clinton spokesman, said, as quoted in The Hill today.
What Mr. Singer didn’t say is that the low road gets you to Scotland (or in this case, the nomination) first.
And the only way Hillary Clinton is going to get the nomination is by staying on the low road. But she has to pass the Obama bandwagon, which has been barreling down the low road for a quite a while.
The Democratic primary has it all. Race-baiting. Charges of sexism. Victimization. Identity politics. Hatred. Scandal. Religion. All those things you aren’t supposed to discuss at Thanksgiving dinner.
Bill Clinton has been magnificent at demagoguery. First, lumping Obama with Jesse Jackson as the “black candidate,” and then lumping Hillary with John McCain as “true patriots.”
The Obama campaign has been equally ferocious, beating up poor Geraldine Ferraro with pointed charges of racism.
The low road has been jammed with so many charges and counter-charges, it is no surprise that John McCain has passed them both by staying on the high road.
The Democratic primary has everything except a real discussion of the issues.
A discussion of the issues must wait for the general election, when the stark differences between the Republicans and Democrats will become more relevant.
Which candidate will promise to raise taxes in a recession, and which candidate will fight that impulse?
Which candidate will see the need to cut spending in order to restore the value of the dollar, and which candidate will promise new spending programs?
Which candidate will promise to leave Iraq now and leave a mess behind, and which candidate will offer the more responsible position, leaving behind a stable government and an able partner in the war on terrorism?
Which candidate will champion free-market capitalism, and which candidate will champion the government take-over of all of our major industries, starting with healthcare?
Perhaps we can discuss these points on the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond. We certainly won’t start discussing them until after this nasty primary is over.
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No, quite simply Obama has never taken the highroad since he has become involved in Politics.
Obama's choice of business friends is the proof.
1- Rezko, a low choice as a fund raiser and business friend, proof he is being tried for fraud, as I write this.
2-Minister Wright, another low choice as a business friend,Obama's Minister and someone to help him network with in the voting Community of Obama's district. Low choice for Obama knew for 20 years as a member of his Church, that the minister was Racist.
Several times Senator Obama had choices where he could have taken the high ground in selecting his business friends. Find a Minister of a church that was both black and white and not racist. When looking for help in fund raising find an honest fund raiser not Rezko.
Obama took the easy way out, much as he does today in Congress when declaring that he was the originator of some major bills, Example the current new Bill by Chris Dodd and Barney Frank and other Congressman, Obama tried to take credit of this Bill recently. Another example of Obama taking the LOW ROAD!
Is this the kind of President America needs?
Now, how did we get to the selection of this man for President above some very good candidates for President.
What agent or agency planned this to happen, it just didn't happen, not by chance, not by accident.
Lord knows if by some fluke of fate and Hillary is able to win the Primary's they already have a major film out to try and destroy her credibility with a pack of lies.
Comment by diane b — March 25, 2008 @ 3:28 am
The whole "real discussion of the issues" part is unwarranted and just sounds of beating partisan drums.
The Dems have debated and discussed more issues, more in depth than any candidates in the last 20 years. The "issues" always change over time but these two have examined issues all across the board.
Moreover, a claim of not discussing the issues falls short when McCain has not nearly had the vetting the Dems have.
Comment by WM — March 25, 2008 @ 3:56 am
Excellent!
Comment by Robert Rosencrans — March 25, 2008 @ 9:14 am
Clinton attacks: High or low!!!
Resources
If you know of other trackers or blog posts, news articles, memos etc that do the documentation, please link here so folks can dig around and use those to update this tracker.
NY Daily News: Hillary Clinton team throws racially-tinged mud at Barack Obama nonstop
The New Republic: Paint It Black (thorough profile on Bob Johnson with good historical documentation)
New York Times: "Questions for the Clintons" by Bob Herbert (article that helped to turn public opinion)
Guide
The Incident Tracker Page
Resources
Guide
The Incidents
#1 Barack Obama May Have Been a Drug Dealer!
#2 Actually, LBJ Did it
#3 I can't make her… black?
#4 Imaginary Hip Black Friend
#5 Mandela
#6 Shuck and Jive
#7 BET Founder Bob Johnson Attacks
#8 Three Volunteers Resign for Spreading MADRASSA EMAIL
#9 Bob Kerrey and his Dog Whistle
#10 Beautiful Symbol
#11 Fairy Tale & Kid
#12 False Hopes
#13 Bill Clinton's Charlie Rose Interview
#14 I just don't want to see us fall backwards
#15 Andrew Young Says Bill is every bit as black as Obama
#16 Clinton Team Quietly Raise Obama's Cocaine Use
#17 Geraldine Ferraro Blames Obama for Race Talk
#18 Charlie Rangel Blames Obama for Race Talk
#19 Rangel: Obama put drug use in book to sell books
#20 The Spadework Comment on The Today Show
#21 The "Spadework" Comment in JULY 2007
#21 Playing on the Obama-will-be-assassinated fears
#22 Hillary Shufflin' about Bob Johnson
#23- Black and Brown Instigation
#24- Lawd, the Black Man will DOOM..DOOM the entire ticket
#25-State Senator Robert Ford on Obama's Iowa Victory
#26- Obama's got 99 Problems
#27- Vetting Obama
#28 Earl Ofari Hutchinson Says Obama Should Apologize To Hillary
#29 Attempted Disenfranchisement of Nevada Caucus-Goers
#30 Obama Unwilling to take a stand on choice
#31 I'm in an interracial relationship
#32- Bill Clinton says people in South Carolina will vote for Obama only because he's black
#33- "Obama is a Good House Negro."
#34- Bill Clinton: Hillary-McCain would be "most civilized" election in American History
#35 Bill Clinton: S.C.? No problem, Obama = Jesse Jackson
#36 Bill Clinton: "Not one single solitary citizen has asked me about this"
#37 Star Jones Says That Bill Clinton Is Just Defending His Woman
#38 Obama echoes "message of blunt racial division"
#39 "Hate Springs Eternal" — and it's Obama's supporters' fault
#40 -Clinton Camp Spreads ' Obama has a CULT' Memo
#41 - Obama is BLACK and White folk won't vote for him
#42 - Barack Obama and his Magic Technicolor Dream-Wand
#43- Obama is a Scary Muslim Once Again
#44 - Obama is Jesse Jackson Once Again
#45-Geraldine Ferraro: Obama is LUCKY to be Black
#46-Bill Clinton: what happened in SC is a "myth and a mugging"
Comment by Docb — March 25, 2008 @ 10:22 am
Oh my, what a silly, amaturish piece you've written John.
Comment by Lester — March 25, 2008 @ 12:03 pm
This election season has been like some sort of a morality tale for the Democrats: their inner, hidden ugly face is being exposed as the campaign itself gets uglier and uglier. Couldn't have happen to a "nicer" bunch: these are the people who bet their future on America losing in every conceivable way.
Comment by Igor R. — March 25, 2008 @ 1:49 pm
Hillary and Obama belong on the bonnie banks of Loch Ness. Isn't that where monsters come home to roost?
Comment by Igor R. — March 25, 2008 @ 4:33 pm
This post is nothing but a study in dichotomous pairings. There are obviously more options than are presented. This is not an accurate portrayal of the issues, and as an opinion piece, it remains banal and quite limited in scope.
Comment by Aesthete — March 27, 2008 @ 2:48 pm