Obama Camp Edits Call For Imprisonment Of Top Republicans Out Of Kucinich Speech
It looks like the Obama campaign is wielding a sharp editing pen over the speeches Dems are giving at the convention.
Dennis Kucinich, for one, found one of his more barbed raw-meat partisan quips consigned to the cutting room floor:
The Obama campaign struck just one line from his speech, which slammed the Republicans and the Bush administration, according to a Democratic source.That line, addressing Republicans, read: "They're asking for another four years -- in a just world, they'd get 10 to 20."
To be fair, calling for McCain, Bush and Cheney to be thrown in the slammer isn't exactly in sync with Obama's message of new politics and bipartisan reconciliation.
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August 27, 2008 1:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
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August 27, 2008 1:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
But will he heed the deletion?
August 27, 2008 1:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama just threw out a good line in MT townhall, after praising McCain's service: "We owe him our gratitude, but we do not owe him our vote."
http://strategy08.wordpress.com
August 27, 2008 1:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nice one, subtle but to the point.
I have to just say that on Monday night Larry King was talking with Michael Reagan and threw him for a loop when Larry asked basically, so if he was POW then he just has all the right answers? Michael admited no, but then said McCain would win with honor, and King asked "What does that mean?" "What they're just going to come out of the bushes and lay their arms down." I mean if Larry King is getting tired of this POW automatically means I'll be the best president ever, then there is still room for Obama to go after McCain on this.
August 27, 2008 1:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
yeah I heard that one, unfortunately unless people bother to watch his townhall meeting online, not many people will know about that spectacular line
Video: Keith Vs. Chris Another Awkward MSNBC Moment
August 27, 2008 2:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hm, that should read "I (heart) Dennis."
August 27, 2008 1:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
I ❤ Dennis.
August 27, 2008 1:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'll bet they told him he couldn't wear his "Bush Lied, Thousands Died" tee-shirt either.
August 27, 2008 1:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's a great line, but it won't play well with independents, and is just begging for a rightwing reaction. Even now, McCain's base support is soft at best. Why help him out any?
But I wouldn't be mad if Kuchinch's name was thrown around for Obama's AG. :)
August 27, 2008 1:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Stifle "rightwing reaction" by getting just as angry and crazy as they are. Let's knock 'em back on their heels.
It's not about Rush and Ingraham...
It's about the arbiters of the debate on SPORTS RADIO and other "mainstream" non-stop talkers that we need to win the respect of.
The Red Sox were a great team in 2004, but it wasn't until Varitek punched A-Rod in the face that they gelled and proceeded to dominate the league.
August 27, 2008 1:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Laura must be doing well to be named #2 now. What happened to Hannity, Levin, O'Reilly and Coulter?
August 27, 2008 2:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
People woke up one day and realized they're idiots. Same'll happen to Laura now that they're listening to her.
August 27, 2008 2:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
LAURA - ""Don't Come In My Ear" - Laura Ingraham
A video of her complaining non-stop on FoxNews behind the scenes...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3lCfHtaR30&
August 27, 2008 8:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, heard her decrepit voice on my radio last ngiht walking home, so she was fresh in my mind.
August 27, 2008 7:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree. Rip their fucking veins out. I like vicious. Once we get into it, I imagine we'll get way more inventive than the low-mentation repub crowd anyway.
August 27, 2008 4:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
But I wouldn't be mad if Kuchinch's name was thrown around for Obama's AG. :)
Boy, would that be scha-weet.
Edwards would make a great pick too, of course, if we could just get over the "affair" bull.
August 28, 2008 2:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
Oooooh. Dont' want to make any waves. God forbid Democrats call a criminal a criminal.
Dennis should say anything he wants. He's got a lot of guts!
August 27, 2008 1:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
After yesterday's post on McCain being ahead in the Gallup, where's the post on Obama retaking the lead?
August 27, 2008 1:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's the great anti-Obama TPM Election Central Conspiracy! Didn't you get the memo? Eric and Greg, having taken training from Larry Johnson and Karl Rove, are doing their level best to make sure McCain wins in the fall, starting with their reporting on the polls! Thanks for staying on top of this extremely important story. Be sure to shout it out to anyone within earshot.
August 28, 2008 2:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
Forget Bush, Cheney, aren't OTHER republicans ACTUALLY indicted or in contempt of the House? Rove. Ted Stevens. Dozens others. List them and tie them to McCain. Talk about DUKE Cunningham, and how, like McCain, he used to be a respected War Hero, who is now in disgrace.
August 27, 2008 1:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Dennis Rocks!!! It sad Democrats are such whimps. If everyone says what Dennis wanted to say- long enough- we could write a Repug R.I.P.
I admire Kucinich, not only for his unwavering political beliefs- but also his attitude. He probably knows he is too rational, too real and truthful for a dumb-democracy we live in. But he is never afriad to speak his mind and heart- even if many dismiss him as a laughing stock.
August 27, 2008 1:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
He's got a hot young wife too...just saying...
August 27, 2008 2:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Very hot. I see her on a flight from dc to la all the time. Smoking.
August 27, 2008 3:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Prison for Bush and Cheney makes sense. For McSame, not so much.
Besides, with credit for time already served (some off-shore detention facility, IIRC), we'd probably end up owing him time in the pokey.
August 27, 2008 1:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Prison is where leaders are forged, according to McCain.
August 27, 2008 5:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama has established well his "respect for McCain's service" so maybe it's time to dismiss with the caveats and just question his fitness for the presidency.
August 27, 2008 1:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Who is Kuchinch?
August 27, 2008 1:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thank you.
August 27, 2008 2:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
No, thank you. I laughed for like 30 seconds over that one...
August 27, 2008 7:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
I still think we need to attack more.
I think Kucinich could have rephrased it. Like "The Republicans are asking for four more years. But some of them have already gotten 10 - 20."
In this case, it refers to the Abramaoffs, the Mark Foleys, etc. etc.
August 27, 2008 1:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
observer2: Exactly. It's not "playing nice new politics" to ignore the truth.
August 27, 2008 1:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Some day we will have a party that actually walks the walk.
Free speech at the Democratic Convetion?
Take a walk.
August 27, 2008 2:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
That line is red meat for people like me. But it's toxic for most of the folks Obama is trying convince that he's not going to spend the next 4 years bogging us down in payback against the Republicans. Dennis's view may be right but it's not going to matter at all if McCain is the next president.
And since Bush is almost guaranteed to issue blanket pardons for virtually everyone who worked in his administration I doubt we'll ever see justice done no matter what Obama decides to do if he's president.
The international community, however, has no requirement to recognize presidential pardons. Let's hope one day some of these criminals have a European vacation cut drastically short with a long trip to the Bastille.
August 27, 2008 2:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thank you. He does not need to win the votes of people who are already going to vote for him.
August 27, 2008 2:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Greg - listen up, editor:
"We just got some poll numbers back, and I can’t wait to share the good news! We knew Chris Bell was the frontrunner in the special election for Texas Senate District 17, but we didn’t know he was so far out in front! Among likely voters, Chris Bell has a 34-point lead on all the Republican candidates who are tied for second place in single digits. You can read the pollster’s memo here:
http://www.chrisbell.com/content/chris-bell-enjoys-huge-lead "
This from an email I just got from Bell's campaign.
I wish to fucking hell everyone in the Democratic leadership would quit ignoring Texas, again. WE are fighting by ourselves to turn the state blue and it's working. Think what we could do if some of you would quit writing off Texas. You've done it so damn long now that no one believes we can change back to what we once were - and we're doing it without any goddamn help at all. Help us and we'll get you there, too, dammit.
August 27, 2008 2:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
What's this got to do with Kucinich?
August 27, 2008 2:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
What exactly are you going on about?
August 27, 2008 2:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
I feel you, Tena.
Big draw for Texas Dems will be Noriega.
Don't forget to catch Chet Edwards tonight at the DNC.
August 27, 2008 5:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
I understand why they did this, and I don't disagree with the decision, but still... I love that Kucinich had it in there, and I love the line!
August 27, 2008 2:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Did it ever occur to anyone that the line was ad-libbed, and therefore would not have been part of the prepared speech, and that this is a kerfuffle over nothing?
August 27, 2008 2:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
This worries me. Not because they edited a line from Kucinich's speech, but because they edited only one line.
August 27, 2008 3:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's a good line, and I don't think the speakers should be censored.
August 27, 2008 3:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
10 to 20 isn't enough and it makes a joke out of the hundreds of thousands dead at the hands of war criminals. I'm glad they edited it out. At a minimum, we should be talking about life in the clink for these war criminals.
August 27, 2008 3:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Let's understate our case, while they overstate theirs.
Knife, gunfight?
August 27, 2008 4:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
But the line is entirely in synch with respecting the Constitution.
August 28, 2008 1:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
Twenty to life, if you ask me.
August 28, 2008 2:23 AM | Reply | Permalink