May 12, 2008
It's Time to Talk About White Working-Class Democrats — Without Fear of False Accusations of ‘Playing the Race Card’ (Lanny Davis)
(Mr. Davis is a longtime supporter and fundraiser for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's, D-N.Y., presidential campaign. These comments are his own and do not represent Sen. Clinton's campaign.)
There they go again.
Another completely false charge of Hillary Clinton "playing the race card."
Sen. Clinton recently quoted from an Associated Press article that described the indisputable fact that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has shown political weakness among white working-class voters. And the media stampede began: The pundits and Obama surrogates pounced and accused her of interjecting race into the campaign. > Read More
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What's This May 4, 2008
The Media-Created Big Lie (Lanny Davis)
(Mr. Davis is a longtime friend and supporter of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and a fundraiser for her presidential campaign.)
It's bad enough that the charge of playing the race card against Sen. Hillary and former President Bill Clinton is utterly and demonstrably false.
But so many African-Americans have come to believe this bogus charge that Sen. Clinton's favorable opinions in the black community have dropped significantly and many are telling reporters they won't support Sen. Clinton in the general election if she wins the nomination.
The false perception that Sen. and President Clinton interjected race into the campaign for political purposes is a direct result of distorted reporting by most of the media covering the race. Let's look at the facts behind the four incidents that, in a space of one to two months, led to converting the Big Lie into a perceived truth by so many Democrats, black and white alike: > Read More
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What's This April 23, 2008
Last Night's Results from Pennsylvania: The Top Ten List of Undisputed Facts Showing Barack Obama's Weakness in the General Election (Lanny Davis)
Lanny Davis is a supporter, friend and fundraiser for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). — Ed.
Let's forget about the spin on all sides and not use any adjectives to modify the following 10 facts, which should not be in dispute:
1. Hillary Clinton won by 10 percent, 220,000 votes, despite most of the polls in the last several weeks on RealClearPolitics, including its RCP all-poll average, showing her ahead by single digits and dropping. The exit polls showed her winning by +5. (It's easy to forget that she won if you listen to the Barack Obama spinners last night and today. Believe it or not, Pennsylvania's Rep. Patrick Murphy, D, a freshman congressman who supported Sen. Obama, D-Ill., actually said last night on “Larry King” that Obama did so well in losing to Sen. Clinton yesterday, he has the "wind at his back." I am not kidding.) > Read More
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What's This April 22, 2008
Two Questions for the Obama Spin Machine on Day of Pennsylvania Primary … (Lanny Davis)
1. Why downplay chances to win Pennsylvania?
2. Why is Obama currently running even with Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain (actually, losing 48 percent-46) in … get ready … MASSACHUSETTS?!!!
(Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., is plus-15 percent over McCain in the same poll.)
FYI to all readers of my blogs — those who agree, those who don't agree, even those who don't read them and hit the delete button:
Please read below two reports that just were posted today, the day of the Pennsylvania primary, before the returns are in: one by ABC News reporter and political editor Jake Tapper; and another by Boston Herald columnist and radio talk show host Michael Graham. > Read More
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What's This April 20, 2008
Latest Gallup Tracking Poll: Obama, Clinton Now in Dead Heat (Lanny Davis)
(Mr. Davis is a longtime friend, supporter and fundraiser for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's, D-N.Y., presidential campaign.)
In the three-day Gallup Poll of 1,252 Democratic and Democratic-leaning independent voters from Thursday-Saturday, April 17-19, with a narrow +/- margin of error of 3 percent, Hillary Clinton has now pulled statistically even with Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.). As of Friday night, April 18, the three-day tracking poll showed Sen. Clinton also in a statistical dead heat (with Sen. Clinton +1 percent, 46-45 percent, over three days of calling,between April 17-19).
Overall, this represents a dramatic drop by Sen. Obama among Democrats and independent leaners of about 9 percent in less than a week — a drop that Gallup says began just before the recent ABC debate and continued and has leveled off as of Saturday. > Read More
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What's This April 18, 2008
So Where Are Barack’s Prior Tax Returns? Another Example of the Double-Standard? (Lanny Davis)
Mr. Davis, a Washington attorney, is a supporter of and fundraiser for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) presidential campaign. From 1996 to 1998, he served as special counsel to President Bill Clinton. He is the author of Scandal: How ‘Gotcha’ Politics is Destroying America.
So after all the huffing and puffing about President and Sen. Clinton releasing their 2000-2007 tax returns, she did — meaning all returns for the last 30 years have now been released. And what happened? A lot more huffing and puffing about the nine-figure income President Clinton and Mrs. Clinton made in the last eight years, most of it from their books. And lots of “questions raised” — innuendo there — but no sign of hard evidence of anything wrong or bad. Surprise. > Read More
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What's This April 15, 2008
Response to Carl Bernstein's Attack on Sen. Clinton (Lanny Davis)
Note to readers: This commentary was first posted on ac360.blogs.CNN.com the night of Sunday, April 13, in response to an extensive negative piece on Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) posted by writer Carl Bernstein— a piece that I regarded as unfair and largely based on personal attacks unsupported by facts.
See below:
Lanny Davis’s View: The Carl Bernstein attack on Hillary, and differentiating facts from opinion
Editor’s Note: Lanny J. Davis, a Washington attorney, is a supporter of and fundraiser for Sen. Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. From 1996 to 1998, he served as Special Counsel to President Bill Clinton. He is the author of “Scandal: How ‘Gotcha’ Politics is Destroying America.” In this commentary, he responds to an opinion piece by Carl Bernstein on the prospect of a Hillary Clinton presidency posted on CNN.com on Monday, April 13 [sic].
I really wanted to write a detailed rebuttal to Carl Bernstein’s extensive attack on Hillary Clinton on CNN.com. But try as I might, I could not.
(Carl and I have known each other and have been friends for many years, so I will call him “Carl.”) > Read More
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What's This April 12, 2008
Civil Dialogue on the Issue of the Rev. Wright (Lanny Davis)
On April 9, 2008, I had an op-ed column published in The Wall Street Journal that respectfully raised questions about Sen. Barack Obama's (D-Ill.) response to some of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's sermons and urged the senator to address (or re-address) these questions now rather than later.
The op-ed was also re-published on TheHill.com, the Huffington Post.com, on CNN.com, and elsewhere.
It drew a considerable reaction, pro and con, sent to me by e-mail or posted as comments on these and other websites.
One e-mail sent to me, however, moved me the most, giving me a better understanding of Sen. Obama's reaction to the Rev. Wright's sermons. While not answering all my concerns, it still opened my mind and heart much more than before. > Read More
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What's This April 9, 2008
Better Now Than Later (Lanny Davis)
To my friends (and critics!) on The Hill's Pundits Blog:
I would appreciate your candid comments on the piece below, just published this morning in The Wall Street Journal — whether you agree, regardless of whom you support, that Sen. Obama will face these questions on the Rev. Wright in the fall (that is, if I am wrong and he is the nominee rather than my preferred candidate, Sen. Clinton.) if he doesn't answer all of them thoroughly and transparently now.
I have tried to get over my unease surrounding Sen. Barack Obama's (D-Ill.) response to the sermons and writings of his pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. But the unanswered questions remain.
I am a strong supporter of and substantial fundraiser for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) for president (though in this column I speak only for myself). I still believe she should and will be the Democratic nominee. But if Sen. Obama wins the nomination, he needs to understand this issue goes well beyond Clinton partisans. Now is the time to address these questions, not later.
Clearly Sen. Obama does not share the extremist views of the Rev. Wright. He is a tolerant and honorable person. But that is not the issue. The questions remain: Why did he stay a member of the congregation? Why didn't he speak up earlier? And why did he reward Rev. Wright with a campaign position even after knowing of his comments? > Read More
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What's This March 25, 2008
Time for a Democratic Peacemaker: Sen. George Mitchell (Lanny Davis)
Robert Strauss: Where are you when we need you the most?
The one and only Strauss, chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in the 1970s, emerged as the senior Democratic Party leader and peacemaker in the 1980s and 90s, and also a trusted adviser to both Republican and Democratic presidents.
Now, God bless him, Bob Strauss is in well-deserved semi-retirement, and I would guess, respectfully, that he is at an age where he wouldn't look forward to mediating a solution to the difficult dilemma faced by the Democratic Party over the Michigan and Florida convention delegates. > Read More
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