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The Truth about Obama Lies
As Stated back in March in a Clinton press release.
A friend managed to find this old press release on the Clinton website and I think it contains truths that should not remain hidden. The site has been fairly well cleaned up so only a geek could have found this one. Please read on. His lies were lies then and still lies now. Since this is a press release I am posting the entire thing. Blockquoting left out in order to preseve formatting.
Just Embellished Words: Senator Obama's Record of Exaggerations & Misstatements
Once again, the Obama campaign is getting caught saying one thing while doing another. They are personally attacking Hillary even though Sen. Obama has been found mispeaking and embellishing facts about himself more than ten times in recent months. Senator Obama's campaign is based on words –not a record of deeds – and if those words aren't backed up by facts, there's not much else left.
"Senator Obama has called himself a constitutional professor, claimed credit for passing legislation that never left committee, and apparently inflated his role as a community organizer among other issues. When it comes to his record, just words won't do. Senator Obama will have to use facts as well," Clinton spokesman Phil Singer said.
Sen. Obama consistently and falsely claims that he was a law professor. The Sun-Times reported that, "Several direct-mail pieces issued for Obama's primary [Senate] campaign said he was a law professor at the University of Chicago. He is not. He is a senior lecturer (now on leave) at the school. In academia, there is a vast difference between the two titles. Details matter." In academia, there's a significant difference: professors have tenure while lecturers do not. [Hotline Blog, 4/9/07; Chicago Sun-Times, 8/8/04]
Obama claimed credit for nuclear leak legislation that never passed. "Obama scolded Exelon and federal regulators for inaction and introduced a bill to require all plant owners to notify state and local authorities immediately of even small leaks. He has boasted of it on the campaign trail, telling a crowd in Iowa in December that it was 'the only nuclear legislation that I've passed.' 'I just did that last year,' he said, to murmurs of approval. A close look at the path his legislation took tells a very different story. While he initially fought to advance his bill, even holding up a presidential nomination to try to force a hearing on it, Mr. Obama eventually rewrote it to reflect changes sought by Senate Republicans, Exelon and nuclear regulators. The new bill removed language mandating prompt reporting and simply offered guidance to regulators, whom it charged with addressing the issue of unreported leaks. Those revisions propelled the bill through a crucial committee. But, contrary to Mr. Obama's comments in Iowa, it ultimately died amid parliamentary wrangling in the full Senate." [New York Times, 2/2/08]
Obama misspoke about his being conceived because of Selma. "Mr. Obama relayed a story of how his Kenyan father and his Kansan mother fell in love because of the tumult of Selma, but he was born in 1961, four years before the confrontation at Selma took place. When asked later, Mr. Obama clarified himself, saying: 'I meant the whole civil rights movement.'" [New York Times, 3/5/07]
LA Times: Fellow organizers say Sen. Obama took too much credit for his community organizing efforts. "As the 24-year-old mentor to public housing residents, Obama says he initiated and led efforts that thrust Altgeld's asbestos problem into the headlines, pushing city officials to call hearings and a reluctant housing authority to start a cleanup. But others tell the story much differently. They say Obama did not play the singular role in the asbestos episode that he portrays in the best-selling memoir 'Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.' Credit for pushing officials to deal with the cancer-causing substance, according to interviews and news accounts from that period, also goes to a well-known preexisting group at Altgeld Gardens and to a local newspaper called the Chicago Reporter. Obama does not mention either one in his book." [Los Angeles Times, 2/19/07]
Chicago Tribune: Obama's assertion that nobody had indications Rezko was engaging in wrongdoing 'strains credulity.' "…Obama has been too self-exculpatory. His assertion in network TV interviews last week that nobody had indications Rezko was engaging in wrongdoing strains credulity: Tribune stories linked Rezko to questionable fundraising for Gov. Rod Blagojevich in 2004 -- more than a year before the adjacent home and property purchases by the Obamas and the Rezkos." [Chicago Tribune editorial, 1/27/08]
Obama was forced to revise his assertion that lobbyists 'won't work in my White House.' "White House hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) was forced to revise a critical stump line of his on Saturday -- a flat declaration that lobbyists 'won't work in my White House' after it turned out his own written plan says they could, with some restrictions… After being challenged on the accuracy of what he has been saying -- in contrast to his written pledge -- at a news conference Saturday in Waterloo, Obama immediately softened what had been his hard line in his next stump speech." [Chicago Sun-Times, 12/16/07]
FactCheck.org: 'Selective, embellished and out-of-context quotes from newspapers pump up Obama's health plan.' "Obama's ad touting his health care plan quotes phrases from newspaper articles and an editorial, but makes them sound more laudatory and authoritative than they actually are. It attributes to The Washington Post a line saying Obama's plan would save families about $2,500. But the Post was citing the estimate of the Obama campaign and didn't analyze the purported savings independently. It claims that "experts" say Obama's plan is "the best." "Experts" turn out to be editorial writers at the Iowa City Press-Citizen – who, for all their talents, aren't actual experts in the field. It quotes yet another newspaper saying Obama's plan "guarantees coverage for all Americans," neglecting to mention that, as the article makes clear, it's only Clinton's and Edwards' plans that would require coverage for everyone, while Obama's would allow individuals to buy in if they wanted to." [FactCheck.org, 1/3/08]
Sen. Obama said 'I passed a law that put Illinois on a path to universal coverage,' but Obama health care legislation merely set up a task force. "As a state senator, I brought Republicans and Democrats together to pass legislation insuring 20,000 more children. And 65,000 more adults received health care…And I passed a law that put Illinois on a path to universal coverage." The State Journal-Register reported in 2004 that "The [Illinois State] Senate squeaked out a controversial bill along party lines Wednesday to create a task force to study health-care reform in Illinois. […] In its original form, the bill required the state to offer universal health care by 2007. That put a 'cloud' over the legislation, said Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon. Under the latest version, the 29-member task force would hold at least five public hearings next year." [Obama Health Care speech, 5/29/07; State Journal-Register, 5/20/04]
ABC News: 'Obama…seemed to exaggerate the legislative progress he made' on ethics reform. "ABC News' Teddy Davis Reports: During Monday's Democratic presidential debate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., seemed to exaggerate the legislative progress he has made on disclosure of "bundlers," those individuals who aggregate their influence with the candidate they support by collecting $2,300 checks from a wide network of wealthy friends and associates. When former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel alleged that Obama had 134 bundlers, Obama responded by telling Gravel that the reason he knows how many bundlers he has raising money for him is "because I helped push through a law this past session to disclose that." Earlier this year, Obama sponsored an amendment [sic] in the Senate requiring lobbyists to disclose the candidates for whom they bundle. Obama's amendment would not, however, require candidates to release the names of their bundlers. What's more, although Obama's amendment was agreed to in the Senate by unanimous consent, the measure never became law as Obama seemed to suggest. Gravel and the rest of the public know how many bundlers Obama has not because of a 'law' that the Illinois Democrat has 'pushed through' but because Obama voluntarily discloses that information." [ABC News, http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/07/obama-exaggerat.html7/23/07 ]
Obama drastically overstated Kansas tornado deaths during campaign appearance. "When Sen. Barack Obama exaggerated the death toll of the tornado in Greensburg, Kan, during his visit to Richmond yesterday, The Associated Press headline rapidly evolved from 'Obama visits former Confederate capital for fundraiser' to `Obama rips Bush on Iraq war at Richmond fundraiser' to 'Weary Obama criticizes Bush on Iraq, drastically overstates Kansas tornado death toll' to 'Obama drastically overstates Kansas tornado deaths during campaign appearance.' Drudge made it a banner, ensuring no reporter would miss it." [politico.com, 5/9/07]
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I'm flattered. These are mostly irrelevant since the primary's over but let's see. I don't have time right now to shoot them all down. Let me try a few. These are off the top of my head since these have been hashed and rehashed to death and still aren't any more true than they first were.
1. He is a constitutional scholar and law professor. While he is not a full Professor which would entail the uppercase "P" it is customary at most universities to refer to Obama's position as professor. The fact remain that he teaches constitutional law at one of the best law schools in the country. Upper case P. Lower case p. Kinda petty, huh?
2. The bill in question you may call watered down, but it was what some would call negotiated. The final bill was still a good one though neither side got everything they want, and if I recall, Hillary Clinton signed on at the last minute as a co-sponsor. It is true that the Republican Senate blocked the bill from passage.
3. Selma - Obama claims to have been using Selma as a rhetorical substiture for the whole civil rights movement, which would undoubtably make the sentence true, but you can believe him or not on this one. His actual statement is technically false.
Eh. It's late. I'm going to bed. I may or may not get to the rest tomorrow. Google is your friend. I'm sure you can all find the previous debates.
Travis, the correct term is "adjunct law professor". People who hold that position are always very careful about using it in its entirety. I have an attorney in Pennsylvania who is an adjunct law professor at Duchesne University. I once referred to him as a "professor" and was swiftly and firmly corrected. Details DO matter, especially in academia and even more especially in the law.
As for that "capital P, small p" difference, it's hard to make that disctinction in a stump speech.
I'm sorry, but claiming that a bill passed when it didn't, for whatever reason, is just plain lying.
The problem is that Obama has so little in the way of accomplishments to cite that he feels compelled to embelish the record. His entry into the presidential race this year was totally unjustified by his record. How much better would it have been for him to establish himself as a hard-working, capable legislator for eight years of a Hillary Clinton term and then run for President in 2016?
Instead, he raced ahead with a scorched-earth primary campaign that has left the Democratic party in tatters and now appears destined to lose what should have been a sure-thing election.
Travis, I appreciate your posts here. You are rarely rude, your posts are coherent and you argue with passion. But I doubt there is anything you could say that would convince me Barack Obama is qualified to be President. I've watched him for too long to believe in him any more.
GONE FISHING
Creeper, respectfully, you are mistaken.
Whether you are a an adjunct law professor or a full professor, when students refer to you it would be as Professor Creeper, not Adjunct Law Professor Creeper.
The fact remains. Your choice this year is Barack Obama or John McCain. One may or may not accomplish what he says he will, which is to forward at least a semi-progressive agenda, end the war, restore our international reputation, and tackle tough issues like energy and climate change. The other is John McCain, proud Republican, who, if he gets elected, will be forever beholding to the far right, who doesn't believe in government regulation, whose economic plan is identical to Bush's, whose health care plan is to do away with employer plans and throw everyone into the private market looking for insurance. McCain is simply not a valid choice for anyone who calls themselves liberal or progressive in my opinion.
As for convincing you to vote for Obama, I'm not trying. You've already said that gender trumps all else for you, which means that if Bay Buchanan were running you'd vote for her. There's no arguing with that.
I've considered writing a diary about "what I'm doing here", since so many have asked the question silently if not aloud. Well, at least part of it is just that I don't like letting misleading diaries like this one just sit there without rebuttal. It's not so much that I believe I'm single handedly going to convert anyone here to an Obama supporter. If I can just make people think before they repeat something that's not true, then I'll be pretty happy about that.
Cheers,
~Trav
was not a student. It was Obama himself.
"I was a constitutional law professor..." Barack Obama, March 30, 2007 fundraiser
This one's non-negotiable, Travis. Anyone in academia will tell you that an adjunct professor is just that and is not accorded the status of a full professor. To claim that status without the title is considered a serious faux pas. "Senior Lecturer" is Obama's title and the one he should have used to refer to himself.
The University of Chicago turned itself into a pretzel trying to justify the use of "professor" in Obama's case. "Served as a professor" is not the same as holding the position. In the end they acknowledged the truth...that Obama's title was "Senior Lecturer."
If that was his title, why did he not use it?
The point is that with such a thin resume' Obama has to inflate everything he's done in order to appear even marginally qualified to be President.
I know why you're here. You're here because we accept you without calling you names (at least not much) and you get as good as you give here. It's a tribute to New Hampster's blog that you are willing to invest your time with us. Time is the most precious thing any of us has. I'm glad you spend some of yours here.
GONE FISHING
Creeper because you say it enough doesn't make it true.
You want Obama to have said, "I was a constitutional law adjunct professor," which is just a stupid thing to say. Most people wouldn't have understood it and whether you like it or not, professor is also used as a generic term in the English language. It's not inflation. It's language. Even if we accept your deflation of his title, and he's never claimed to be a full professor, the guy graduated with honor with a degree in political science, has a law degree from Harvard, headed the Harvard Law Review, practiced (briefly) civil rights law, and adjunct or not, teaches constitutional law at one of the best law schools in the country. Ya. You're right. That need to be inflated to make it sound impressive.
You made my entire argument with your last five lines. (NH, how are you coming on cut-and-paste?)
"Adjunct law professor" (if you want to get the "professor" part in) or "Senior Lecturer" would have been accurate. "Professor" was not.
Yes, it's a small matter...but symptomatic of the larger problem.
GONE FISHING
he does it out of only good motives, and rainbows come out of his mouth.
When McCain, Palin or Hillary lie, they do it because they are spawns of Satan spitting brimstone.
See how easy it is to be an O-bot?
BWAHAHAHAHAHA roflmao
"Right wing sledge hammers never, ever help us." Pacific John
It's a shame to republish this primary memo that the Clinton camp released to take attention away from the Bosnia fantasy, but I guess it demands some answer.
4. community organizing - According to The Nation,
A recent Los Angeles Times report contended that Obama overstated his own importance, ignoring others who were working on environmental issues; but in the book he's extremely modest about his role and accomplishments, much as he was as an organizer when he refused fellow organizers' suggestions that he embellish the group's achievements. "There was no campaign without Barack," Kellman says. "He was there to get people to organize when they wouldn't organize at all." Hazel Johnson, a longtime Altgeld Gardens environmental activist, says, "Yeah, he's a good organizer. I've got to give it to him."
5. Rezko - Don't you think that if there was anything to the Rezko connection that it would be the centerpiece of the McCain campaign at this point. Don't you think that in all these years and all the investigations something, anything, would have come up? Obama knew Rezko, as did everyone in Chicago politics. He is the first to say he should have been more critical of the relationship. If you've got something new here say it. Otherwise, it's all been vetted and found to be inconsequential.
6. health care - News flash. Politicians take complementary clips to quote in commercials. I'm shocked. The point is that now we have a choice between Obamas health plan and McCain's. A recent NPR article quotes Jonathan Oberlander, a professor of health politics and policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Oberlander says the McCain and Obama plans would essentially move the system in exactly opposite directions.
"While Sen. Obama wants to build on top of the employer-sponsored insurance system, Sen. McCain wants to build away from it and move more people to the individual insurance market," he said.
In fact, says Oberlander, in many ways the current debate reminds him of the movie Groundhog Day — except he keeps waking up and thinking it's 1992.
"The stock Democratic health reform solution, before Bill Clinton changed it, was a play-or-pay employer mandate, and that's exactly what Barack Obama has," Oberlander says. "And in 1992, the favorite GOP solution was tax credits to buy private health insurance. So, a lot of things have happened in 16 years; the health care system is much worse than it was, but we pretty much have the same solutions that we've always had."
-------- more later, maybe. I can't do ALL the work. Hampster gets to copy and paste old misleading memos. I have to do actual research. -----------
and more...
7. Denigrating Obama's progress on health care in Illinois. Yes Hampster, the Health Care Justice Act DID only setup a necessary task force to move toward universal healthcare in the state, and that it did lead to recommendations to the legislature as it was supposed to, BUT that wasn't Obama's only healthcare bill. Media Matters debunks your argument nicely.
8. Obama, Gravel, Bundlers... - Gravel? Really? OK, but I'm getting tired. Maybe Obama mispoke and was thinking about his "Google for Government", but the fact remains that the only reason Gravel could figure out how many bundlers Obama had at the time was because, unlike the other candidates, Obama published the list in an easily findable place on his website.
9. Kansas Toranadoes - Huh. I truly wish ANY of the links in your piece actually worked. Hang on... OK. You've got me on this one. It's a gaff. He was supposed to say at least 10 and he said at least 10,000. Thank goodness you can vote for John McCain, who has never flubbed his words in a campaign speech.
I'm done. Thanks for the exercise. Maybe next time you can make it something that actually compares the positions of the two candidates for President, Obama and McCain. Because you do realize that one represents liberal progressive values, and the other is John McCain, right?
Later.
There are links embedded in my arguments above, but unfortunately the link tool seems to embed the link but not highlight them in any way. Next time I'll attempt to just write the whole post in html.