HILLARY ATTACKS: Sends mailer criticizing Obama's record on abortion rights.

[sniffa]

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) - Hillary Rodham Clinton has released a mailing to New Hampshire voters that criticizes Barack Obama's record on abortion rights. The mailing says Obama declined to take a position on abortion bills seven times while and Illinois state senator. The Obama campaign calls the mailing a false negative attack. Obama received a 100% rating from Illinois' Planned Parenthood during eight years in the state legislature.

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=6507675&nav=4QcSIMbv

now i understand better why this was the latest meme today on DU.

[L0oniX]

1. This is what the attack looks like.

[babylonsister]

2. Clinton Campaign Dirty Trick Against Obama on Choice Will Backfire

Again, no originality...


http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/editorblog/027

Clinton Campaign Dirty Trick Against Obama on Choice Will Backfire
Submitted by mark karlin on Sun, 01/06/2008 - 10:30am. EditorBlog

BUZZFLASH EDITOR'S BLOG

Mark Karlin, Editor and Publisher, BuzzFlash.com

January 6, 2008

BuzzFlash has had a policy of not endorsing Democratic candidates in primaries because we think our readers should decide who they want to represent them. We admit to a bit of an Obama/Edwards tilt in our coverage, but we would support whoever the Democratic nominee is. Certainly, Hillary Clinton is extraordinarily well-qualified to become president.

That being said, some of the Clinton campaign tactics are starting to tick us off big-time, because they are dirty tricks claiming things that have been disproven. In particular, the Clinton campaign resurrected a warmed-over accusation that because Barack Obama voted present on some abortion bills when he was state senator here in Illinois, he is not fully behind choice for women.

Yet, as was the case in Obama's senate race, this was clearly disproven by the head of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, who says that Obama was a strong supporter of choice. A recent Associated Press article confirms: "During his eight years in the legislature, Obama cast a number of votes on abortion and received a 100 percent rating from the Illinois Planned Parenthood Council for his support of abortion rights, family planning services and health insurance coverage for female contraceptives. He voted against requiring medical care for aborted fetuses who survive, a vote that especially riled abortion opponents."

Yet the Clinton campaign, even after being chastised for being dishonest about Obama's choice record during the Iowa Caucuses race, is continuing to use this false accusation in New Hampshire -- and has continued to feed the misleading attack to the national press.

It involves a practice allowed in the Illinois Senate of voting present on some bills. Obama, at the request of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, voted present on some abortion bills in order to attract Republicans and wavering Democrats because if enough of them voted present the offensive bills would be defeated by allowing them an option other than voting yes. In short, according to the head of Planned Parenthood of Illinois at that time, Obama was doing what they asked of him.

"The poor guy is getting all this heat for a strategy we, the pro-choice community, did," said Pam Sutherland, president and CEO of the Illinois Planned Parenthood Council.

The misleading and dishonest attack on Obama isn't even original. As we said -- and we know because BuzzFlash is in Chicago and obviously follows politics in Illinois -- it was used by Democratic primary opponents during Obama's senate run. (The Linked column from the Chciago Tribune was first published on March 19, 2004.)

As for the effectiveness of that dirty trick then, we have a message for the Clinton campaign: Obama won.

[yourout]

5. Hillary is sticking a knife in her own candidacy.

All she is doing is reinforcing her reputation as a cold calous calculating corporate shill.

[Yael]

3. Planned Parenthood is challenging Clinton's interpretation of this

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=3971058

[Thrill]

4. No surprise.

The Status quo will attack Agents of Change.

[Adelante]

6. I hope she keeps attacking

It seems to do Obama good.

[Nailzberg]

7. Planned Parenthood doesn't like their agents being attacked

Mark Penn should have paid more attention to the 04 senate race. Two Obama rivals did mailings on his present votes and claimed he was ducking pro-choice votes. Normally, Planned Parenthood doesn't take sides in primaries between pro-choice candidates with no incumbent. But they let loose in defense of Obama's 100% pro-choice record.

I had drinks with my friend from PP over the holidays, and she was really disappointed that she had waited her whole life to vote for a woman for President, and that woman attacks her organization. That's how Planned Parenthood people feel. An attack on their strategy is an attack on them. I'm not sure how much longer they sit this one out.